Hari Kondabolu explores 'The Problem With Apu'

Comedian's documentary confronts the controversial 'Simpsons' character.



Hari Kondabolu has strong feelings about Apu. That's Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, the "Indian" cartoon character on the perennial animated series The Simpsons. The comedian has such strong feelings about Apu -- his 28-year "nemesis" -- he made a feature length documentary about the character, The Problem With Apu.

The Simpsons' Indian convenience store owner has been regularly criticized over the years as a racist, broadly offensive stereotype, and yet Apu, voiced by Hank Azaria, is arguably the most recognizable Indian character on American television -- much to the dismay and torment of South Asian folks everywhere.

Apu, as Hari puts it, sounds like "a white guy doing an impression of a white guy making fun of my father."

In The Problem With Apu, Hari sets out to explore the impact of casual racism in The Simpsons and the negative effect that the Apu caricature has had on the Indian American community. And if you ask around, you'll find that a lot of brown folks also have some pretty strong feelings about Apu.

Here's the trailer, in which Hari interviews the likes of Kal Penn, Hasan Minhaj, Sheetal Sheth, Aparna Nancherla, Samrat Chakrabarti, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aasif Mandvi, Maulik Pancholy, Sakina Jaffrey and more.

CNN anchor mocks Indian American spelling bee champion

"We're not sure that it's root is in Sanskrit, which is what you're probably, uh, used to using."



Look, this isn't hard. An on-air interview with the winner of the National Spelling Bee. Ask her how she prepared, what it felt like to win, and what she's going to do now. Don't say anything racist.

That seems simple enough, right? Not quite.

Last week, CNN anchors Alisyn Camerota and Chris Cuomo were interviewing 12-year-old Ananya Vinya, the newly crowned Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, when they challenged her to spell "covfefe." Ha ha. The infamously inexplicable word recently tweeted by Donald Trump. Funny... I guess?

But then after going through the motions of this inane bit, Camerota attempts to explain the "origin" of the word to Vinay, telling her "But it is a nonsense word but we're not sure that it's root is in Sanskrit which is what you're probably, uh, used to using."

Surgeon General removed from post by Trump administration

Dr. Vivek Murthy was asked to resign, then dismissed.



The Trump Administration has dismissed U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy from his post as the nation's top doctor. He was temporarily replaced by his deputy, Rear Adm. Sylvia Trent-Adams.

Surgeon general is removed by Trump administration, replaced by deputy for now

Murthy, who was appointed by former President Obama, announced on Friday that he had been dismissed.

"While I had hoped to do more to help our nation tackle its biggest health challenges, I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to have served," Murthy wrote in the Facebook post announcing his departure.

"For the grandson of a poor farmer from India to be asked by the president to look out for the health of an entire nation was a humbling and uniquely American story," Murthy continued. "I will always be grateful to our country for welcoming my immigrant family nearly 40 years ago and giving me this opportunity to serve."

'Brown Nation' is a slice of Indian immigrant life

New Netflix comedy series is a satirical look at the everyday hustle of Indians in New York City.



Because hey, Aziz Ansari doesn't have to be the only Indian dude on Netflix. The new comedy Brown Nation is a satirical slice-of-life look at the everyday hustle of Indian immigrants and other brown-skinned communities in New York City. The 10-episode season debuted on the streaming service on November 15.

The series, created and written by Matt Grubb, George Kanatt and Abi Varghese, centers on Hasmukh, an immigrant from Gujarat who runs a small foundering IT company in Queens. While holding his dysfunctional office together, Hasmukh must navigate various personal relationships, including his struggling artist wife, his live-in father-in-law (who has been visiting from India for more than nine months) and a dog he despises.

Here's a trailer for the series:

Man arrested in racist attack on Indian motel manager

Brandon Kilgore called Preet Moudgil a "terrorist," threatened him with a knife and broke into his home.



"All he saw was a brown man." In Washington state, a man was arrested after calling an Indian American motel owner and his family "terrorists," threatening them with a knife and breaking into their home.

Victim in Kettle Falls assault says family was targeted for their skin color

28-year-old Brandon Kilgore is accused of coming after Preet Moudgil and his family with a knife, breaking into their apartment in a racist rampage. Later, Kilgore told a police officer, "I was trained to kill people like them."

Moudgil, who manages the Kettle Falls Inn, says that Kilgore came into the motel lobby on Saturday asking for a shower seat. He then asked Moudgil if he knew about Guantanamo Bay and made other racist comments.

Oh hell, you can probably guess where this was going.

Indian American student arrested over alleged bomb threat

12-year-old Armaan Singh Sarai says his classmate falsely accused him of having a bomb in his backpack.



Aw, hell. Is this another Clock Kid? In Texas, a 12-year-old Indian American middle school student spent three days in a juvenile detention center after a bully allegedly told teachers he had a bomb hidden in his backpack.

Arlington police say boy made hoax bomb threat; family blames classmate's prank

Armaan Singh Sarai, a seventh grader at Nichols Junior High School in Arlington, was arrested last Friday on a charge of making a terroristic threat after a classmate reported he had threatened to blow up the school.

Arlington police say Armaan admitted that he had mentioned a bomb and insisted he was only joking, but making a terror threat, even in jest, warranted taking him into custody.

But Armaan's family says it's the classmate who was behind the prank that got Armaan handcuffed, detained and suspended from school.

NBC developing family comedy 'I Love Lakshmi'

Inspired by writer Doug Prochilo's real-life experience marrying into an Indian family.



Some more interesting TV news... NBC is developing I Love Lakshmi, a comedy about a (presumably white) guy who marries into an Indian family, and the hilarity and hijinks that ensue from their cross-cultural union.

NBC Developing 'I Love Lakshmi' Family Comedy From Aggregate

According to Deadline, the multi-camera comedy, co-written by Muffy Bolding and Doug Prochilo, is inspired by Prochilo's real-life experience marrying into an Indian family (he is married to Bela Bejaria, President of Universal Television), which somebody must have thought was toooootally hilarious fodder for a TV show.

"You Indian piece of shit!" yelled the frat boy.

USC's Student Body President speaks out after racist fraternity house altercation.



Well, school's back in session. This week's edition of racist collegiate idiocy comes from the University of Southern California. Unsurprising bonus: It involves a fraternity. Over the weekend, USC's student body president says she was accosted by someone who shouted at her "You Indian piece of shit!"

The shocking racial epithet hurled at USC's student body president

Rini Sampath, who is Indian American, was walking back from a friend's apartment on Saturday night when someone leaned out of a fraternity house window and shouted, "You Indian piece of shit!" In case there was any doubt that his remarks were directed at Sampath, the unnamed fraternity brother then threw a drink at her.

Sampath, a senior international relations major who serves as president of USC's Undergraduate Student Government, shared the account of what happened to her in a Facebook post. She says that one of the assailant's fraternity brothers began to apologize -- after realizing who she was.

"I couldn't quite figure out why their after-the-fact apologies deepened the wound. But one of my friends explained it to me the best this morning: 'Because now you know, the first thing they see you as is subhuman.'"

Her post goes on to make a public plea for compassion and dialogue on campus.

New Jersey man arrested in hate crime assault

24-year-old Nyle Kilgore is believed to be behind a string of attacks on Indian residents in North Brunswick.



In New Jersey, police say a man arrested and charged last week for assaulting an Indian man may be responsible for a recent string of violent bias attacks on men of Indian descent in the North Brunswick area.

NJ Man Found on Road, Bleeding from Head, in Apparent Bias Attack: Police

24-year-old Nyle Kilgore was arrested Wednesday after 57-year-old Rohit Patel was found lying on the side of the road, bleeding from his head. Kilgore apparently got out of his car, followed Patel, then knocked him out with a blow to the head. Patel suffered broken teeth and received stitches on his mouth and forehead.

Police say Kilgore targeted Patel because he is Indian.

Master Indian dancer and educator Chitresh Das dies at 70

Well-known and influential performer of the North Indian classical dance movement Kathak



Revered Bay Area-based dancer and educator Chitresh Das, master performer of the North Indian classical dance movement Kathak, died of an aortic dissection Sunday in Marin County. He was 70.

Chitresh Das, influential Kathak dancer and educator, dies

Born in Kolkata in 1944, Das brought his lifelong study of Indian dance to the United States in the 1970s, starting the Chhandam School of Kathak to instruct a younger generation in the semi-narrative art of Kathak. Chhandam now has ten branches and and estimated enrollment of 550 students.

He was a well-known and influential figure in the Bay Area Indian dance scene, as both a teacher and perfomer, and is credited with forming the first university Kathak course at San Francisco State University.

He is also remembered as a extraordinary entertainer and storyteller:

Suspects arrested in home invasions targeting Asian families

Crew connected to robberies in New Jersey, Texas, Georgia, Michigan and New York



Last week Houston, four people were arrested and charged in connection with a recent series of New Jersey home invasion robberies that targeted Indian American families in Middlesex County.

4 charged in Middlesex County home invasions

Chaka Castro, 39, Juan Olaya, 34, Octavius Scott, 22, and Johnisha Williams, 19 -- all from Houston -- were charged in connection with five home invasions in which families were restrained, robbed at gunpoint and assaulted. They were arrested last week for robberies in Texas, and are believed to be involved in home invasions -- also targeting Asians -- in Georgia, Michigan and New York.

Home invasions targeting Indian community in Middlesex County

Rash of robberies hit homes in Old Bridge, South Plainfield and Edison



This week in New Jersey, law enforcement officials held a forum to address public concern about a rash of home invasion robberies that have targeted Middlesex County's Indian American community.

Quiet Middlesex communities on edge as police say home invasions were crimes of opportunity

In the last month there have two home invasions in Old Bridge, one in South Plainfield and one in Edison. At least two people were injured, and all of the homes targeted were from the Indian community. However, investigators are not yet ready to categorize the robberies as "bias crimes."

Some basic facts about the home invasions:

Burglars busted after posting stolen loot on social media

Thieves targeted multiple Indian communities across California and Nevada



In Southern California, police have arrested multiple suspects in connection with a sophisticated burglary ring that has been targeting Indian communities in California and Nevada for gold, jewelry and cash.

Gold-theft ring busted; targeted Indian communities

According to investigators, the thieves are connected to a Long Beach street gang who used the internet and other sources to find their victims, specifically targeting Indian homes in multiple counties across Southern and Northern California, as well as Nevada. They gained the trust of their targets, found out when residents would be away from their homes, then made off with gold, jewelry, cash and other valuables.

The suspects burglarized over a hundred homes in about a year.

Scripps National Spelling Bee declares two champions

The competition ran out of words. Because Sriram and Ansun spelled them all.



We have a winner! Two winners, actually. Congratulations to Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe, co-champions of the 2014 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Both young men were declared winners after -- no joke -- the competition officially ran out of words. That's right. Sriram and Ansun spelled all the words.

How do you spell T-I-E? National Spelling Bee has two winners

The annual spelling showdown ended in a rare tie -- the first in more than 50 years -- after the two finalists correctly spelled and exhausted all the words on competition's list. The spelling bee rules dictate that once three contestants are left, the pronouncer begins using a championship (read: crazy difficult) list of 25 words. If those words run out before a winner emerges, a tie is declared.

Students chant racist taunts at Indian basketball player

"We want Slurpees"



Oh hell no. Thumbs down to the group of asshole students at a recent New York high school basketball game who chanted "We want Slurpees" while a player of Indian descent shot free throws. That's racist.

High School Students Chant "We Want Slurpees" At Indian Basketball Player

During a basketball game between Brighton and Pittsford Sutherland high schools last Friday, a group of Pittsford fans started chanting at a Brighton descent of Indian student as he took a shot at the free-throw line. The taunt, of course, refers to the stereotype of Indians running 7-11 stores.

The incident was caught and video reported by the local news:

President Obama nominates Vivek Murthy as Surgeon General

If confirmed, Dr. Murthy would be the first U.S. Surgeon General of Indian descent.



President Obama has nominated Vivek Hallegere Murthy of Harvard Medical School to be the next Surgeon General: Obama Selects Health Policy Advocate as Surgeon General.

Murthy, 36, is the co-founder of Doctors for America, which began in 2008 as Doctors for Obama and focuses on providing quality, affordable healthcare to all Americans. He is an attending physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and is an instructor at Harvard Medical School.

Also, am I the only one thinks that photo of Dr. Murthy is gangster as hell?

The Truth with Hasan Minhaj: Nina Davuluri is the New America

A few words for the haters.



This week has been all about the new Miss America, Nina Davuluri, and the considerable energy that has been devoted to freaking out over the fact that she is Indian American. There's been a lot of great commentary, but no one quite tells it like The Truth with Hasan Minhaj: Nina Davuluri is the new America.

Indian American woman crowned 2014 Miss America

And racist Twitter users predictably lose their minds.



Normally, you know I wouldn't give two fat craps about a beauty pageant... but yo, did anybody notice that they just gave the Miss America tiara to an Indian American woman? I am not kidding you!

On Sunday night, 24-year-old Nina Davuluri, Miss New York, was crowned Miss America 2014. And yes, she is indeed the first contestant of Indian descent to win the Miss America crown in the nine-decade history of the pageant: Miss New York Crowned Miss America.

Fund This: South Asian indie comedy Miss India America

"A comedy where Election and Legally Blonde meets the world of Indian-American beauty pageants."



This looks fun... Miss India America is a South Asian American indie feature film project that's currently trying to raise funds via Kickstarter. Co-written by Ravi Kapoor and Meera Simhan, it's described as "a comedy where Election and Legally Blonde meets the world of Indian American beauty pageants." Count me in! Sounds like it's got some potential to be awesome. Watch this video for more information:

Hari Kondabolu's KondaBulletin: Spelling Bee Edition

As you know, last week, Arvind Mahankali became the latest in a long line of Indian Americans kids to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. That's six in a row! Which is awesome. But of course, this inspired the haters to respond on Twitter, as usual.

On this week's Totally Biased, comedian/writer Hari Kondabolu shows some love for the spelling bee -- aka "The Indian Super Bowl" -- and had choice some words for Arvind's detractors: Hari Kondabolu's KondaBulletin: Spelling Bee Edition.