Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.
In this episode, we close out 2023 and welcome critic and commentator Jae-Ha Kim to talk all things "K" -- from K-dramas to K-pop, and all the other ways Korean pop culture has spread its infectious K-embrace across the globe. We discuss the best K-dramas of the year (according to Jae-Ha), what happens when BTS takes a break for military service, and the recent tragic death of Lee Sun-kyun. I also admit -- nay, declare -- my love of NewJeans.
Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.
What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.
In this episode, we welcome Vivian Yoon, host and writer of the podcast K-Pop Dreaming from LAist Studios, a journey through the rise and history of K-pop in the United States, mapped against Vivian's own coming-of-age as a second generation Korean American in Los Angeles. We talk about some of the unknown stories behind K-pop's ascent, how diasporic Korean identity has always been in conversation with K-pop, and how to feel, as Asian Americans, about K-pop's seemingly sudden global dominance and ubiquity.
And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.
Trump Calls the Coronavirus 'Kung Flu'
Donald Trump remains shamelessly steadfast in his quest to blame China for this country's troubles. Over the weekend at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he used racist language to describe the coronavirus pandemic by terming the virus as the "kung flu." Because fuck you, right? And the crowd ate it up. Racist, garbage human beings go together. Trump has repeatedly referred to Covid-19 as the "Chinese virus" or the "Wuhan virus," but this was a new one (though apparently not new within the walls of the White House.) As history -- hell, the very immediate present -- has shown, this aggressive scapegoating is dangerous news for Asian American, only throwing gas on the current shitfire state of the nation. Like Trump gives a shit.
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K-Pop Stans Successfully Sabotaged Trump's Tulsa Rally
Speaking of Trump's sad, so sad rally, you can thank K-pop fans (along with TikTok users) for apparently sabotaging the gathering at the BOK Center in Tulsa. The campaign originally projected that the rally would fill the 19,000-seat stadium, with Trump scheduled to make an address to the overflow crowd outside. Instead, the outdoor address was canceled, and the stadium was more than half empty. Political commentators deduced that K-pop fans as well as TikTok users had mobilized to reserve tickets to the rally -- with no intention of show up -- skewing the Trump campaign's projections and securing the empty seats. As I've said before, and will probably say many times again: don't fuck with K-pop fans.
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Kellie Chauvin and a History of Asian Women Being Judged for Whom They Marry
As more details around the death of George Floyd are revealed, other developments, including that the ex-officer charged with murder in the case was married to a Hmong American woman, have prompted discussion. It's also led to a spate of hateful online remarks in the Asian American community around interracial relationships.
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What It Means to Understand Bruce Lee
"Lee is the most influential martial artist in modern history, just one facet of the legend he became after his untimely death in 1973 at age 32. Nearly five decades later, the world is still reckoning with the momentum he generated in his brief life, and with the ways culture has reinvented him."
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The Baby-Sitters Club
Netflix just dropped the trailer for The Baby-Sitters Club, a new series based on the best-selling children's book series. The show follows the friendships and adventures of Kristy Thomas, Mary-Anne Spier, Claudia Kishi, Stacey McGill, and Dawn Schafer as they start their babysitting business and all while navigating middle school and growing up. Oh, and check out the shirt that Claudia, played by Momona Tamada, is rocking. The Baby-Sitters Club premieres July 3 on Netflix.
And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.
"Ein altes chineseisches Sprichwort sagt..."
This greeting card, featuring a "Chinese" rat making a slant eye gesture, was recently spotted at a EDEKA supermarket in Germany. The casual give-no-fucks racism is kind of wild, but perhaps not particularly surprising. The Asian person who spotted it in the store tried to raise the issue with the store's management, who offered little more than a shrug. (By the way, whatever you do, don't look at the comments under this Facebook post.)
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Can't a guy just get a Slurpee in peace? Over the weekend, Facebook user Sungmin Kwon shared about a violent encounter he had with a racist asshole inside a 7-11 store in Queens. Sungmin said he was just getting some snacks when this guy went on a racist rant, claiming that Asians were "filthy," didn't belong in this country, and were responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. When Sungmin called him out on his bullshit, the man called him a "gook" and assaulted him. There was a scuffle, as you can see. Luckily, Sungmin wasn't hurt, but his attacker drove off and got away -- but not before Sungmin got a photo of his license plate. Anybody recognize this asshole? [UPDATE: The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is reportedly investigating this incident.]
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K-pop Fans Spam Tucker Carlson Hashtag with Fancams
As Tucker Carlson continues to face backlash for his views on Black Lives Matter, the Fox News host has been targeted by an unlikely online fandom -- K-pop fans. The hashtag #IStandWithTucker, started by his loyal fans, began trending on Twitter yesterday after a number of major advertisers deserted the Tucker Carlson Tonight show. However, the hashtag is now diluted with K-pop and other unrelated tweets intended to drown out the message of Carlson's supporters. Like I've said before, don't fuck with K-pop fans.
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Men Throw Explosives Inside Chinese Restaurant
In Philadelphia, several men threw explosives at two employees at a Chinese take-out restaurant and attempted to blow up an ATM early Sunday. The attack, which kind of sounds like an attempted robbery, happened at New Century restaurant. According to police, the men first threw an explosive at an ATM located inside the restaurant. They then reportedly threw a second explosive at two employees through a plexiglass opening at the counter. Nobody got hurt, and the suspects weren't able to retrieve any money from the ATM. This has to be the dumbest attempt to rob a Chinese restaurant.
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APIAVote's 2020 Presidential Town Hall
APIAVote has opened registration for its fourth Presidential Town Hall on June 27th. The event will feature the Biden and Trump campaigns and will center around how these candidates will address important issues such as healthcare, education, the economy, and gun control, to the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community. This year, the event will be held virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. To register, visit apiavote.org/townhall.
As you may have heard, late night talk show host Conan O'Brien recently took a trip to South Korea after receiving a nice letter and box of snacks -- let's be real, no one can say no to Korean snacks -- from his number one Korean fan. The resulting show aired on Saturday night, and it's an epic adventure featuring food, martial arts, video games, k-pop, terrible pronunciation, Steven Yeun and the Demilitarized Zone.
Here are some highlights from Conan's trip to the Land of the Morning Calm:
Korean American actor returns to the motherland in a pama-powered parody of 'Maze Runner'
Maze Runner star Ki Hong Lee recently returned to the motherland and partnered up with Be Funny -- South Korea's answer to Funny or Die -- to reprise his role as Minho alongside Korean pop stars Kangnam and NS-Yoon-G in a comedic pama-powered parody of his hit adventure movie: Seoul Runner.
Fresh from WCKD's grasp, Minho wakes up in yet another strange place; this time in his homeland of Seoul, South Korea. But WCKD is still hot on his trail, so Minho must disguise himself as an 'Ajumma,' a Korean elderly lady. His flashy Ajumma gear will protect him from sun exposure, low blood sugar, and orthopedic strain, but can it protect him from WCKD? "Ajumma is good..."
Dance video to Beyonce/2NE1 suddenly gets all Asian and shit.
Who run the world? Girls. And I'm all good with that. But I'm watching popular YouTube dancers, 14-year-old Larsen Thompson and 11-year-old Taylor Hatala, make this proclamation in their ferocious dance video to Beyonce's feminist pop anthem, and it's generally fine... until about halfway through when 2NE1's "I Am The Best" kicks in and the whole thing turns to Oriental nonsense, complete with the fans and the qipaos and the chopsticks in the hair.
Reporting includes predictably stupid faux Asian accent.
All right, I'm not going to pretend I expected any better from the likes of TMZ. In this recent segment covering the recent arrival of K-pop girl group EXID at Los Angeles International Airport, a TMZ editor decided to enhance her reporting with a predictably stupid faux Asian accent mocking one of the members of the group.
The rest of the TMZ staff groans with faint protest, which is funny, because the show has been guilty of pulling this kind of racist shit before. Suddenly, everyone is all sensitive about making fun of Asians? Then cut to the lone Asian American contributor in the "newsroom." It only tumbles into further ignorance from there.
Musical comedy about three classmates who come together to start their own K-pop band.
What happens when Glee meets K-Pop by way of Nickelodeon? You get the new scripted series Make It Pop, a "comedic music-infused daily strip about three girls who come together to start their own K-Pop-inspired band." The show, produced by Nick Cannon, will feature original songs and performances in every episode.
Make It Pop stars Louriza Tronco as Jodi, Megan Lee as Sun Hi and Erika Tham as Corki. The show joins two other new scripted daily live action shows on Nickelodeon's line up, Talia's Kitchen and The W.I.T.s Academy. I am one hundred percent positive that I am not in the target demographic for these shows. But it's all good.
'The Walking Dead' actor and 2NE1's Sandara Park star in the hilarious webseries 'What's Eating Steven Yeun?'
Steven Yeun is packing up and moving to the motherland. Sort of. What if your favorite Walking Dead star just left it all behind to pursue a career in Korea? In the comedic new webseries "What's Eating Steven Yeun?" from BeFunny Studios, Steven leaves his life and love -- Sandara Park of 2NE1 -- to go to the Land of the Morning Calm and make something of himself. It does not go very smoothly.
Can Steven make it as a mokbang superstar? Can he learn the secrets of fan death? And most importantly, if you've ever wondered what Steven looks like rocking eyeliner, this is for you. Check it out:
Okay, I totally missed this last week... but dammit, it's John Cho in a Power Ranger costume dancing to Crayon Pop's "Bar Bar Bar." Everything about that last sentence is certified awesome. John rocks out Red Ranger-style, plus Selfie co-star Karen Gillan decked out in pink, along with the Green Ranger. Getting down.
People, I am morally obligated to share this, by the powers vested in me as a blogger.
I normally don't post much on Korean music -- nothing against it, but other sites cover popular music from Asia a lot better than I can -- but every now and then something cool breaches my consciousness and I'm inclined to share. A friend passed me The Cure, the new album from Drunken Tiger, and I'm digging it.
I won't pretend to be Korean rap-literate, but long ago, I was advised by folks far more knowledgeable than me that Drunken Tiger is pretty much the foremost force in Korean hip hop. Here, Tiger JK and his wife Yoonmirae -- dubbed Korea's rap royal couple -- come together with MC Bizzy to demonstrate why they've earned that title. The nine-track EP also features guitar contributions from our old friend singer/songwriter David Choi.
Here are some recently released music videos from the album:
As we try to put "Gangnam Style" behind us and Psy goes on to make pistachio commercials, what's next for crossover k-pop? They're saying that "Bar Bar Bar," the latest single by South Korean girl group Crayon Pop, might have what it takes to be the next big viral hit: Crayon Pop Does The Straight-Five Engine Dance.
Music genius it ain't, but the appeal is obvious. Five cute, coordinated, multi-color clad gals doing a fun dance to a bouncy bubbly pop tune. It's the kind of thing you can sing and dance along to even if you don't understand a syllable of Korean. See for yourself, if you haven't already:
K-POP FANS. This one's for you. KCON is back. The first-ever large-scale convention dedicated to "All Things Hallyu" returns for its second year. It's happening August 24 and 25 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
The convention was launched as a flagship pop culture event for American K-Pop fans to connect with each other as well as artists and professionals in the K-pop industry. culminating in a star-studded concert featuring some of your favorite Korean pop acts. This year's lineup includes EXO, 2AM, TEEN TOP, and F(x).
Want to go? You could win a VIP trip to KCON 2013.
You know from her star turn in the movie Pitch Perfect that she could sing. But can Anna Kendrick get down with the Koreans? In this Funny or Die video, Ms. Kendrick takes a drastic career turn and joins the K-Pop supergroup F(x) on their World Tour. Things go as well as you'd expect:
Orange County K-Pop fans! Your dreams have come true. This Saturday, November 10, SBS presents the return of the K-Pop Super Concert in the U.S. Yup, Girls' Generation, 2NE1, and many more will take the stage at the Verizon Amphitheater so you can get your K-Pop fix. More info, including the rest of the line-up:
This is for all you K-pop fans out there. The concert documentary I AM: SMTOWN Live World Tour in Madison Square Garden, featuring performances from Korean pop superstars KANGTA, BoA, TVXQ!, Super Junior, Girls' Generation, SHINee and f(x), hits DVD shelves this week.
The film includes the full-length, sold-out 2011 U.S. concert at one of the world's most-hallowed arenas and a feature-length documentary, venturing behind the scenes and providing unprecedented access to these mega-hit K-pop acts.
To be honest, I don't know whole lot about these groups, but I do know they're pretty darn popular. And it just so happens that I have two extra copies of the DVD. Anyone want to take it off my hands? Yes, I am giving away the I AM: SMTOWN Live World Tour in Madison Square Garden DVD to one lucky winner.
