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 actress Kelly Marie Tran, who stars as the titular voice in the Disney animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon. She talks about getting her life-changing role in Star Wars, the surreal significance of playing a Disney princess, and the appropriate response to seeing yourself on a billboard.
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 screenwriters Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen, and head of story Fawn Veerasunthorn, key creators from the Disney animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon. We discuss swords, swearing, and the challenges of making a movie during a global pandemic.
New Jersey Congressman Andy Kim Helps Clean Up Capitol. Literally.
Late at night, after a pro-Trump mob stormed and ransacked the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim was photographed in the rotunda, crouching on his hands and knees over the debris the crowd had left behind. He was picking up the trash. "When you see something you love that's broken you want to fix it," Kim told the Associated Press. "I love the Capitol. I'm honored to be there. This building is extraordinary and the rotunda in particular is just awe-inspiring. How many countless generations have been inspired in that room? It really broke my heart and I just felt compelled to do something. What else could I do?"
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Elaine Chao Announces Resignation Over Trump's Response to Riot
File under: too little too late. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has announced her resignation over the riot Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. Time to jump ship, apparently. In a statement addressed to the Department of Transportation, Chao wrote that she will resign effective Monday and was "deeply troubled" by the "entirely avoidable" events at the Capitol building. What a crock of cowardly shit. The time to jump ship was to never get on board. But Chao and her ilk have propped up Trump and this garbage fire of an administration for four years. You don't get to walk away with clean hands after being complicit in ugly shit that absolutely everybody saw coming. Get the fuck out of here yesterday.
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Rep. Michelle Steel, who questioned mask mandate, tests positive for coronavirus
Rep. Michelle Steel, who previously expressed skepticism about the need for a mask mandate in Orange County, tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday. Steel learned that morning that she had been in contact with someone who tested positive. She sought a test in the afternoon "out of an abundance of caution," and it came back positive, according to a statement released by her office. In the spring, Steel repeatedly questioned the Orange County health office's decision to mandate face coverings countywide, but later called on residents and visitors to wear face coverings in public, when COVID cases surged. And now ya got the COVID.
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Jeremy Lin signs to play with Warriors G-League team
Before the season started, Jeremy Lin reached a deal with the Golden State Warriors that would have had him playing for its G-League team, a first step in working his way back to an NBA roster. But that fell apart because paperwork from his former Chinese team the Beijing Ducks (where he played last season) through FIBA (basketball's international governing body) did not get to the NBA in time. Lin has now signed outright to play for the Warriors' G-League team -- the Santa Cruz Warriors -- in that league's restart bubble starting next month. The dream is still alive and kicking!
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Raya and the Last Dragon Raya Pop! Vinyl Figure
In case you're a collector like me: Funko Pop! figures based on the upcoming Disney animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon are now available for pre-order. The Southeast Asian-inspired fantasy adventure, starring the voice of Kelly Marie Tran, will premiere in theaters and on Disney Plus on March 5.
Raya and the Last Dragon Teaser Trailer
Holy moly. Disney has dropped the first teaser trailer for its upcoming animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon, and it looks amazing. Starring the Kelly Marie Tran, and written by Adele Lim and Qui Nguyen, Raya is an epic fantasy adventure inspired by Southeast Asian cultures. According to Disney's synopsis: "Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she'll learn that it'll take more than a dragon to save the world -- it's going to take trust and teamwork as well." Raya and the Last Dragon, originaly set to hit theaters next month, is now scheduled for release on March 12th, 2021.
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Study: People Blame Asian Americans for COVID-19 Because People Are Racist
According to a new study, a blend of racial prejudice, poor coping and partisan media viewing were found in Americans who stigmatized people of Asian descent during the COVID-19 pandemic. But it was prejudice against Asian Americans that was most strongly linked to beliefs that Asians were responsible for the pandemic and most at risk for spreading it, results showed. So... basically this study confirms what we already knew: people are racist.
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Asian Americans Could Play a Crucial Role in the 2020 Election
"Contrary to stereotype, the Asian American electorate is engaged, diverse, and spans the ideological spectrum. Some -- especially some first-generation Asian Americans, as well as some members of certain ethnic subgroups such as Vietnamese Americans and Hmong Americans -- are conservative-leaning. However, most Asian Americans, particularly younger, U.S.-born voters, are strikingly progressive on several issues including health care, the environment, and gun control."
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Why Asian Americans Face Extra Obstacles to Voting by Mail
As more Americans are encouraged to vote by mail amid the pandemic, Asian American voters, especially those who are new to the U.S. or who face language barriers, may encounter extra difficulties with that method of casting a ballot.
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I Will Vote
Today, the Democratic National Committee announced a new multilingual print, digital, and radio advertising campaign to reach 1 million AAPI voters in key battleground states and across the country. The ads will reach voters in Chinese, English, Hindi, Korean, Telugu and Urdu, and Vietnamese in national constituency media, including the Korea Times, Nguoi Viet, and World Journal, as well as local print, digital, and radio outlets in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.
And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.
President McRobbie addresses IU’s WWII-era Japanese American student ban
This week, Indiana University formally apologized for a World War II-era policy banning admission of Japanese American students between 1942 and 1945. The official apology, issued in a letter from President Michael McRobbie, follows several years of advocacy and a petition delivered to the university in February. The statement expresses regret that the university "ailed to recognize the needs of the 12 Japanese American students who were seeking a new academic home during a time when they were unjustly excluded and removed from their home institutions, in violation of their civil rights." McRobbie also outlines several official actions the university will take to address the issue. Read the letter here.
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Suspect in 'racially motivated' attack on elderly man charged with assault
In Vancouver, a man has been charged in the racially motivated assault of an elderly Asian man. Cameras caught Jamie Allen Bezanson shoving the 92-year old victim, who suffers from severe dementia, in a convenience store on March 13. Store employees were trying to help the victim when the suspect started shouting anti-Asian remarks. The altercation continued outside, where the Bezanson shoved the victim, who fell to the ground and hit his head. Bezanson has been charged with one count of assault. I don't know, I feel like there should be another separate charge for being a Totally Despicable Racist Piece of Shit.
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Police, FBI Investigating Death of Professional Poker Player Susie Zhao
Police in Michigan have identified the woman whose badly burned body was found in a state recreation area as professional poker player The body was discovered at a parking area near the Pontiac Lake Trail the morning of July 13, according to police. Investigators say the case could be connected to Zhao's travels in the poker circuit around the country, or could be the result of meeting someone in the area when she returned recently. Anyone with information or who might have seen Zhao between July 11 and 13 is asked to contact the White Lake Township Police Department at 248-698-4400.
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Two Teens Charged in Murder of Arizona State University Professor
Two teenagers have been charged with murder in the death of an Arizona State University professor who was reported missing in March. Junseok Chae, an associate dean for research and an engineering professor, was reported missing on March 25 after he did not return home from work. The break in the case came after police in Shreveport, Louisiana, responding to a suspicious vehicle call, encountered Javian Ezell and Gabrielle Austin, both 18, and determined they were in Chae's car. Upon further investigation, deputies determined that Chae was killed at an intersection north of Phoenix, and his body was placed in a dumpster. Ezell and Austin were extradited to Arizona, where they were arrested on July 15 and charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and theft of means of transportation.
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Promotional Image For Disney’s 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Has Debuted
Disney has released the first promotional image for the upcoming animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon, giving us our first good look at the title character. Raya and the Last Dragon will be an epic fantasy adventure with southeast Asian themes, set in a realm called Lumandra, described as "a reimagined earth inhabited by an ancient civilization." Five clans form the land of the dragon, and Raya is determined to find the last dragon. Featuring the voices of Cassie Steele and Awkwafina, the film is due out in theaters on March 12, 2021.
