Kal Penn Was Up Against a "White Dude in Brownface" for Van Wilder Role

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Kal Penn Reveals He Won 'Van Wilder' Role of Taj Mahal Over a White Actor in Brownface

One of Kal Penn's breakout roles was playing the character Taj Mahal Badalandabad in the 2002 comedy hit National Lampoon’s Van Wilder. On a recent episode of the podcast Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know, the actor revealed that at the end of the audition process, he was up against a "white dude in brownface." And it motivated him to work harder.

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She restored a 112-year-old Asian American film. Now it's in the National Film Registry

Among the Library of Congress' recent additions to the National Film Registry, the library's collection of films deemed worth preserving, are the likes of Inception, The Karate Kid and The Incredibles. But tucked away in that list is a little-known silent film that carries with it a major legacy. Produced in 1914, The Oath of the Sword is the oldest Asian American film on record. Its mere existence reveals a significant gap in cinematic history: The films made by Asian Americans in the silent film era are largely lost to time. And it would have remained hidden if not for Asian American film scholar Denise Khor.

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The Internet Is Embracing Chinese Traditions, and Influencers Welcome Them All

If you drink hot water, wear slippers indoors or shop at Asian supermarkets, you may be Chinese, according to the internet. On TikTok and Instagram, there's a growing trend of people claiming to be in a "very Chinese time" in their lives because they're adopting mundane East Asian lifestyle habits. Anyone can apparently be Chinese if they wish. What in the hell is all this?

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Michelle Yeoh Will Be Honored with Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Internationally acclaimed actress Michelle Yeoh will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I mean, what took them so long? The Oscar-winning star of Everything Everywhere All at Once will be honored with the legendary boulevard's 2,836th star at a ceremony on February 18. Joining emcees Ang Lee and Jon M. Chu will be entertainment journalist Jenelle Riley. The event will be streamed live at walkofffame.com.

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Seong Gi-hun Sixth Scale Figure

Squid Game fans! How about a Player 456 action figure? This highly detailed Seong Gi-hun Sixth Scale Figure from Sideshow and Hot Toys bears an incredible resemblance to actor Lee Jung-jae and comes complete with a faithfully tailored Squid Game tracksuit and a series of accessories, including a USB-powered voting machine, a Piggybank, a mask accessory with square symbol, a six-legged pentathlon game set consisting of a pair of ankle cuffs, a pair of Ddakji, a pair of Biseokchigi, a set of Gonggi stones, a shuttlecock, a spinning top, and a special figure base designed to replicate the staircase setting. Awesome. But not cheap -- it'll cost you $280.

Kamala Harris is Biden's Pick for Vice President

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.


Kamala Harris Is Biden's Choice for Vice President
And there it is. We have a Democratic ticket. Joe Biden selected Senator Kamala Harris of California as his vice-presidential running mate on Tuesday. Harris is the first Black woman and the first person of Asian descent -- her mother is Indian, did you know? -- to be nominated for national office by a major party, and only the fourth woman in history to be chosen for one of their presidential tickets. We are a big step closer to making this damn thing happen. Get it all out now, because we have one job, come November -- getting Trump the fuck out.

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"She punched me on my face"
In Philadelphia, police are looking for a suspect who attacked an Asian American woman an her daughter last week. While authorities say they're not currently pursuing the attack as a hate crime, the victim says it was racially motivated. Jing Chen and her 12-year-old daughter were walking on the street when a woman, identified as Delores Marte, "came out of nowhere" and started spraying water at them. When Chen confronted her, the woman said "You (expletive), Chinese (expletive)." When the woman got in her face, Chen asked, "What you gonna do -- I'm pregnant, are you going to hurt me?" Marte apparently looked at Chen's belly then punched her in the face. Police now have a warrant out for Marte's arrest. However, the district attorney claims there isn't enough evidence to call this an act of "ethnic intimidation." Marte is being charged with simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and harassment. Huh?

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Help! I Can’t Believe My Son’s Friend Fed Him Indian Food Without Calling Me First.
This letter to Slate's "Dear Prudence" advice column is kind of heartbreaking. Because somewhere out there, a 9-year-old's parents have been feeding him bland, terrible food his entire life. Tragic. Basically, a dad is upset because his son, Chris, went over to an Indian friend's house, and said Indian friends' parents had the audacity to feed Chris some Indian food for dinner without asking if it was okay. Because "spicy foods can be hard on small tummies." The kid is nine years old, dude. Your concern for his small tummy is rooted is some kind of racism. And by the way, it sounds like Chris really enjoyed his chicken curry and lentils and vegetables. His small tummy has corrupted by "ethnic" food! Welcome to the dark side, young Chris. You're going to love it.

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Kal Penn to Host Election Series for Freeform Aimed at Young Voters
Kal Penn is set to host and produce an unscripted election-themed series that looks to explore issues and topics relevant to Millennial and GenZ voters. Freeform has issued a series order for the untitled comedy project.

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'Lingua Franca': Isabel Sandoval Tells Timely Story Of Immigration And Civil Rights
From romance to tragedy, the first trailer for Isabel Sandoval's Lingua Franca offers a riveting glimpse of the story of Olivia, an undocumented Filipina trans woman. Ava DuVernay's ARRAY Releasing is set to virtually debut Lingua Franca in select theaters and on Netflix August 26.

Kal Penn signs a book deal

Actor will share his unique American success story in a new essay collection to be published in 2019.



From Deadline: Actor and civil servant Kal Penn has signed a book/audiobook deal with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt & Audible. The book will be a collection of essays set to be published in 2019.

The book will include his unique 21st-century American success story as he writes about ambition, the challenges of navigating Hollywood, and his unusual sabbatical from actor to White House staffer. From the sound of it, his role in the cult Harold and Kumar franchise, experiences with stereotypical auditions and his work with the Obama administration will give Penn plenty of material to sculpt a good read. Senior editor Kate Napolitano acquired the book in her first official deal since joining the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt last month.

More here: Kal Penn Lands Book Deal With Houghton Mifflin Harcourt & Audible

Wall Street Journal Critic Mistakes Dev Patel for Kal Penn

Sooner or later, every South Asian actor gets mistaken for Kal Penn.



Wall Street Journal film critic Joe Morgenstern made an embarrassing error in a review for the movie Lion in Friday's newspaper, when he confused Dev Patel with Kal Penn.

Both actors are of Indian descent, but their careers have been very different. Patel, 26, who plays Saroo Brierley in Lion, is British, while Penn, 39, was born in New Jersey.

In his review, Morgenstern says that Lion is Patel's "richest performance" since 2006's The Namesake. But Patel, the star of Slumdog Millionaire, wasn't in that film directed by Mira Nair. The part was played by Penn, whose other credits include the Harold and Kumar movies, House and How I Met Your Mother.

Read more at Variety: Wall Street Journal Movie Critic Mistakes Dev Patel for Kal Penn

Kal Penn is making a comedy about TV news

Star re-teaming with 'Harold & Kumar' writers for ABC's 'Fair and Balanced'



This sounds pretty awesome. Kal Penn is re-teaming with the guys behind the Harold & Kumar franchise to executive produce and star in the ABC comedy Fair and Balanced, set in the world of conservative cable news.

'Fair And Balanced' News Channel Comedy Starring Kal Penn From 'Harold & Kumar' Writers In Works At ABC

Written by Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz, the creators of Harold and Kumar, the single-camera comedy revolves around an aspiring public radio reporter who is swayed to work at a Fox News-type channel.

'The Soup' hosted a Brown Guy Summit

Will the real Kunal Nayyar please stand up?



The Soup hosted a Brown Guy Summit of sorts last week. On Friday, actors of Indian descent Kunal Nayyar, Kal Penn, Danny Pudi and Maulik Pancholy all appeared on the E! pop culture recap show to have a little fun with host Joel McHale, and more importantly, prove once and for all that even though they are all brown guys, they are not all the same person.

'Sisterhood of Night' is a modern take on the Salem witch trials

Freestyle Releasing has picked up distribution rights to Caeryn Waechter's mystery thriller.



Some interesting movie news... Freestyle Releasing has picked up distribution rights for the mystery thriller The Sisterhood of Night, directed by Caryn Waechter and written by Marilyn Fu, and described as a modern take on the Salem witch trials centered on a group of teenage girls in a small New York town.

Kal Penn Thriller 'The Sisterhood of Night' Picked Up By Freestyle (Exclusive)

In the film, adapted from a short story by Steven Millhauser, a quiet suburban town becomes the backdrop for a modern-day Salem witch trial when a teenage girl says she's the victim of a secret network called The Sisterhood of Night. The cast includes Kal Penn, Georgie Henley, Laura Fraser and Kara Hayward.

Get ready for 'Harold & Kumar: The Animated Series'

John Cho and Kal Penn reunite for "wildly inappropriate" first table read



It's on, my friends. The Harold and Kumar animated series is on. We've known that an animated series based on comedy trilogy was in the works, with John Cho and Kal Penn returning to provide the voices for the titular stoner duo. This week, the cast reportedly reunited for the show's first table read.

The gathering included Cho, Penn and several returning cast members, including Dave Kumrholtz, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Paula Garces, and producer/creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. They tweeted photos from the table read, which was described as "insane, surreal and hilarious." Also: "wildly inappropriate."

I would expect nothing less from an animated Harold and Kumar.

Read These Blogs: Stop-and-Frisk Kal Penn Edition

The other day, Kal Penn tweeted a link to an op/ed piece by Mayor Mike Bloomberg in support of New York City's Stop-and-Frisk program, setting off a flurry of back-and-forth Twitter messages in which the Harold and Kumar actor (and former White House aide) seemed to step out in support of the controversial policy. "Say it ain't so, Kalpen!" many of us exclaimed with much disappointment and shaking of fists at screens.

Penn's comments and the resounding response set off some pretty interesting reactions and conversations:

Things I Do Not Understand: Kal Penn tweets in support of "Stop and Frisk"

Say it ain't so, Kalpen.



Allow me to echo my blogging comrade Lakshmi over at The Aerogram, who expresses disappointment over Kal Penn's public support and defense of New York City's Stop-and-Frisk policy. This week, a judge ruled that the NYPD's "policy of indirect racial profiling" violated the constitutional rights of minorities in the city.

However, the actor we know and love from Harold and Kumar (and former aide to the Obama administration), tweeted a link to an op/ed on the merits of "Stop-and-Frisk," setting off some heated online debate: