Maitreyi Ramakrishnan's Bollywood Dance Team Battles to Be the 'Best of the Best'

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming Netflix comedy Best of the Best, set in the cutthroat world of Bollywood fusion collegiate dance. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia star as childhood best friends, Maya and Anjali, who join UCLA's competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team, only to discover that the road to winning the U.S. Championship is far more raucous and cutthroat than they ever imagined. Think Pitch Perfect by way of Bollywood. Best of the Best, directed by Lena Khan, hits Netflix on September 18.

By the way, this movie should not be confused with one of my favorite movies, the 1989 martial arts drama Best of the Best, starring Phillip Rhee, Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones. However, may I suggest that these two identically titled Best of the Best movies are part of a shared cinemamatic universe? Why not. Unless someone else convinces me otherwise, I'm sticking with that.

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This Bay Area city became a Filipino American haven. Now many can’t afford to stay

Daly City, CA is sometimes called the "Pinoy capital" of the Bay Area and even the United States. For decades, the city of about 100,000 has been home to the highest concentration of Filipinos of any American city. But the rising cost of housing, decentralization of certain jobs and changing economic opportunities have been driving forces behind a recent mass exodus of Filipino residents from the historic enclave.

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Chang-rae Lee on Channeling His Immigrant Childhood Into Fiction

"All immigrant children know how complicated this 'new world' is, and that no matter how much their parents may try to ride herd, they are essentially traversing this realm solo. It's a journeying full of excitement and fright, and laden with a startlingly heavy burden of responsibility, given that they are often the ones necessarily leading the way. I certainly felt so, wanting to do the right thing by us all but never knowing if we were heading in a good direction or towards some maelstrom."

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Marvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee

For your crowdfund consideration: Marvel Artist Archive: Jim Lee, an officially licensed hardcover art book showcasing superstar artist Jim Lee's iconic artwork for Marvel Comics, currently wrapping up its Kickstarter campaign. For me, Jim Lee is the greatest of all time, and his work for Marvel is foundational. I might have to get this.

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Mayor Mamdani Wears a Bike Helmet. Finally.

While New Yorkers have delighted in spotting Mayor Zohran Mamdani riding around the city on a bicycle, some safety advocates have scolded him for his failure to use a helmet. It seems that he has listened. On Tuesday, the mayor posted a video on social media, showing him viewing comments on his phone about his not wearing a helmet. Then, he unboxed one at City Hall and fit it on his head. "Safety first, New York," he said. "See you out there."

Jim Lee is giving away 50 sketches at Comic-Con

Fifty lucky attendees will get a drawing by the legendary comic book artist


Today kicks off the massive annual celebration of geekdom known as San Diego Comic-Con. For four days, sweaty legions of thousands of eager fans -- costumed and non-costumed alike -- will descend upon the pop culture mecca. Heads up: if you're headed to the San Diego Convention Center, and you're extremely lucky, you might walk away with a rare free sketch by legendary artist Jim Lee.

Lee, the Co-Publisher of DC Entertainment, is celebrating his upcoming 50th birthday (August 11) by giving away 50 sketches of various characters at his Comic-Con spotlight panel on Sunday. Lee's Batman art -- commemorating the character's 75th anniversary -- also graces the cover of the convention's souvenir book.

Check out this great interview with the comic book industry icon:

Jim Lee's rejection letters from Marvel and DC

"Your work looks as if it were done by four different people."



Artist, writer and editor Jim Lee, co-publisher of DC Comics, is hands-down one of the most important figures in the comic book industry. He's had a hand in creating some of the medium's most iconic characters and stories, and his unique style and technique have influenced a generation of artists.

To this fanboy, he's a personal hero -- not only as a comic book professional, but also as one of the first Korean Americans I ever saw working in a nontraditional, creative career. He's the best.

But he wasn't always at the top of the game. While cleaning out some file cabinets, Jim recently came across a bunch of old rejection letters he received as a young hungry artist trying to break into the biz. Naturally, he snapped photos of the notes -- correspondence from both DC and Marvel Comics -- and posted them on Instagram. They're definitely humble evidence that even the greats must start at the bottom.

Take a look: