Naomi Osaka Won in Two Amazing Ways

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.

Naomi Osaka Won in Two Amazing Ways: Athleticism and Activism
As you've likely seen by now, Osaka packed seven masks for the US Open fortnight, one for each match she’d play if she made it to the final. She made the final. She won her second Open in three years. Because of that, viewers were reminded anew of the seven Black Americans she remembered, five killed police and the sixth and seventh, Trayvon Martin and Ahmaud Arbery, killed allegedly by civilians for being Black in neighborhoods where vigilantes thought they didn't belong.... As Osaka did the customary post-match interview with ESPN, she was asked what message she was trying to send with the masks. "What's the message you got, was more the question," she said. "I feel like the point is to make people start talking."

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Reporter Josie Huang Arrested While Covering Protest
Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies arrested KPCC/LAist Correspondent Josie Huang late Saturday while she was covering the ambush shooting of two deputies in Compton. Even as she was being thrown to the ground, Huang -- who was wearing a lanyard with her press credential hanging from her neck -- was recording the encounter. In video that continued to film after her phone was knocked from her hand, Huang can be heard repeatedly identifying herself as a reporter and shouting "KPCC" several times. You also can hear Huang yelling "you're hurting me" and crying out in pain.

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Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland Takes Top Prize at 2020 Venice Film Festival
Director Chloé Zhao's feature film Nomadland has won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, becoming the first woman to earn the top prize in a decade. Starring Frances McDormand, Nomadland follows a widow in a Nevada mining town decimated after the Great Recession who chooses to embark on a life on the open road.

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Sandra Oh, Michelle Yeoh Join Henry Golding in 'Tiger's Apprentice'
Sandra Oh and Michelle Yeoh have joined Henry Golding in the voice cast of The Tiger's Apprentice, the adaptation of the best-selling children's book by Lawrence Yep. The cast also includes Brandon Soo Hoo, Bowen Yang, Sherry Cola, and Kheng Hua Tan. The book tells the story of a boy in San Francisco who meets a shape-shifting talking tiger named Mr. Hu and under his tutelage and protection is introduced into a magical world that includes an ancient phoenix, a dragon and a clan of evil-doers. Oh will play Mistral, a friend of the tiger, who is an exiled dragon now living in San Francisco. Yeoh's character is unclear.

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Lifetime Sets Cast For Holiday Movie 'Sugar & Spice Holiday'
Jacky Lai and Tony Giroux will star alongside Tzi Ma in A Sugar & Spice Holiday, Lifetime's first holiday movie centered on an Asian American family. "Written by Eirene Donohue and directed by Jennifer Liao, A Sugar & Spice Holiday is centered on the story of a Chinese-American woman who draws on her family’s cultural traditions to spice up an old-fashioned Christmas baking competition. It follows Suzie (Lai), a rising young architect, who returns to her small hometown in Maine for Christmas where her Chinese American family runs the local Lobster Bar. Following the loss of her beloved grandmother who was a legendary baker in their community, Suzie is guilted into following in her grandmother’s footsteps by entering the local gingerbread house competition. Teaming up with an old high school friend Billy (Giroux), who grew up to be a catch, Suzie must find the right recipes and mix of sugar and spice to win the competition and perhaps find some love in the process."

White Chef Can't Handle Getting Corrected About a Typo

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



White Chef Who Cooks Vietnamese Food Accused of Harassing Asian Americans
Imagine whiteness so fragile, you lose your shit over being corrected about a typo. Peja Krstic, the (white) chef-owner of Dallas Vietnamese restaurant Mot Hai Ba, wrote an Instagram post in which he misspelled "bánh mì." But then three Vietnamese American women replied to correct the typo and Krstic lashed out, sending the women a series of angry messages in public and private, accusing them of "racial profiling," threatening legal action and calling one woman's boyfriend. And then it all came tumbling out..

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California voters will be asked to restore affirmative action in November
In November, California voters will decide whether governments and public colleges and universities can consider race in their hiring, contracting and admissions decisions. The state has banned affirmative action policies since 1996, when 55% of voters approved a constitutional amendment that banned "preferential treatment”=: based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. The state Senate voted 30-10 on Wednesday to repeal that amendment. But voters must approve it in November before it can become law.

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COVID-19 Multilingual Resource Hub
The UCLA Asian American Studies Center and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health have teamed up for the COVID-19 Multilingual Resource Hub, available at translatecovid.org. The site is a growing collection of resources, including videos, about COVID-19 and health and safety practices in different languages. The site aims to equip our diverse communities with helpful information as we continue to navigate living in a world with COVID-19, and as we examine its current and long-term impact. Visitors can use the site to share information with everyone, from their elders to their neighbors, or even with social service clients, who could use resources in languages other than English.

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Sharon Choi Interviews Sandra Oh
This is delightful. Sharon Choi, who became one of the unexpected emergent stars of this past awards season as Bong Joon Ho's interpreter -- remember when Parasite won all those Oscars? -- chats with Sandra Oh about season three of Killing Eve, Korean culture, and Asian representation in Hollywood.

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Joy Luck Club Reunion
Joy Luck Club reunion! For the first time in decades, author Amy Tan and the "daughters" of film adaptation -- Lauren Tom, Ming-Na Wen, Rosalind Chao, and Tamlyn Tomita -- reunited for a conversation with executive producer Janet Yang and super-investor Aileen Lee on the iconic novel, groundbreaking movie, personal passage reading, personal stories, and the progress of Asian women over the last three decades.

Santa Fe Indian Restaurant Vandalized in Racist Attack

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Indian Restaurant Vandalized with White Supremacist Messages
In Santa Fe, an Indian restaurant was ransacked and vandalized with white supremacist obscenities and hate speech. The unknown vandal or vandals caused an estimated $100,000, damaging the restaurant's kitchen, dining room and storage area. They destroyed bottles of wine, broke tables, and shattered glasses and dishes. They also spray-painted walls and artwork with racist remarks directed at the restaurant's Sikh owners. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime. Oh, the cherry on top: amid the racial slurs, the words "Trump 2020" were spray-painted around the restaurant.

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Why Tina Fey Is in Hot Water With the Asian Community, Too
Tina Fey appears to be taking some responsibility for racially insensitive material in her comedy, but some people online are saying that the multi-Emmy winner still has plenty to answer for. Namely, her shitty track record when it comes to jokes targeting the Asian community. From Mean Girls to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, folks have not forgotten... and now it's apparently time for a reckoning.

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THE COVID-19 ADULT RESILIENCE EXPERIENCES STUDY (CARES)
Researchers at Boston University are conducting a study of how young people, ages 18-30, are coping with the COVID-19 crisis and the current climate regarding racism and the protests against police brutality. They're recruiting participants to talk about their personal experiences, physical health, and mental well being following the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants will be asked to complete a 30-45 minute online survey. Take part and help an all-Asian team of researchers doing important work. Find out more here.

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Sandra Oh layers in her ethnicity on ‘Killing Eve’ because white Hollywood does not
Sandra Oh on how an Asian character subtly affects sound design: "I remember talking to the sound people, it's like, 'Hey guys, you are layering in the sound of me wearing shoes in the house. I don't wear shoes. My character doesn't wear shoes. I know you don't see the feet. But don't layer in the sound of shoes in the house, because that doesn't happen,'" she adds. "But maybe these people, mostly white English dudes, don't know that. It's something that you might not even think is important, but it is because that's how we start building the nuance of a character."

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'Claudia Kishi Club' to Premiere on Netflix
Just in time for Netflix's adaptation of hit book series The Baby-Sitters Club, they'll also premiere the short documentary The Claudia Kishi Club next month. Directed by Sue Ding, the 16-minute film features interviews with Asian American creatives about the influence Claudia Kishi -- the Japanese American member of The Baby-Sitters Club -- had on their lives and work. The short drops on Netflix on July 10.

You’re Likely to Get the Coronavirus

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



A Vaccine Won't Stop the New Coronavirus
Some science and perspective regarding the coronavirus. Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch predicts that within the coming year, some 40 to 70 percent of people around the world will be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. But, he clarifies emphatically, this does not mean that all will have severe illnesses.

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All California Locations Of Curry House Abruptly Shut Down
They're calling it "The Day Curry Died." Fans of Curry House are shocked after the Japanese American restaurant chain abruptly shut down all of its California locations on Monday, leaving dozens of workers without jobs. And leaving us sad and craving that sweet, delicious golden brown curry.

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"Bad" English Is Part Of My Korean American Heritage
Read an excerpt from the new book Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong.

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Sandra Oh To Star In 'The Chair' Dramedy Series
Netflix has ordered The Chair, a new six-episode half-hour dramedy starring and executive produced by Sandra Oh and co-starring Jay Duplass, centering on the chair of an English department at a major university.

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The Donut King
Premiering next month at SXSW: Donut King, directed by Alice Gu. The feature documentary tells a story of fate, love, survival, hard knocks, and redemption. "It's the rags to riches story of a refugee escaping Cambodia, arriving in America in 1975 and building an unlikely multi-million dollar empire baking America's favorite pastry, the donut. Ted sponsored hundreds of visas for incoming refugees and helped them get on their feet teaching them the ways of the donut business. By 1979 he was living the American Dream. But, in life, great rise can come with great falls."

Emma Stone yells "I'm sorry!" for whitewashing in 'Aloha'

Sandra Oh calls out racist casting during Golden Globes monologue.



Sandra Oh went there. On Sunday night, during the award show's opening monologue, the Golden Globes co-host made a joke Sunday night about how Crazy Rich Asians was "the first studio film with an Asian American lead since Ghost in the Shell and Aloha. Heyoooooooo. Whitewashing joke!

Hey, everybody's watching. We had a huge year in Hollywood representation, and one of the people overseeing tonight's festivities is Asian. Whitewashing jokes are more than fair game. Aloha and Ghost in the Shell are easy targets. What we didn't expect: hearing Emma Stone yelling from the audience, "I'm sorry!"

Sandra Oh won the entire Golden Globes

May you all win awards and take the opportunity to thank your parents in their mother tongue.



"Sandra Oh made history at last night's Golden Globes ceremony. Well, she made a lot of history. First, as a host: She is the first person of color to ever host the Golden Globes in its 76 year history, and the first Asian to host any major award show. And secondly, as a winner: By earning Best Actress in a Television Series Drama for Killing Eve, Sandra Oh became the first Asian performer to win multiple Golden Globes."

But perhaps most importantly, for so many of us, Sandra Oh's historic night made us feel seen. Like everybody else, I blinked away tears when her name was announced, as she walked out from backstage to accept the award, then took her moment to say "I love you" -- in Korean -- to her parents sitting in the back of the ballroom. And then bowed. May you all win awards and take the opportunity to thank your parents in their mother tongue.

Hey! Look at all these Asians nominated for Golden Globes

Crazy Rich Asians, Killing Eve and American Crime Story score multiple nominations.



At this year's Emmy Awards, Sandra Oh declared "It's an honor just to be Asian." True that, but hey, winning some actual awards ain't too shabby either. Nominations for the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced on Thursday morning, and this time, it looks like some Asian folks are invited to the party.

This summer's runaway rom-com hit Crazy Rich Asians scored two nominations, including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, and Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for Constance Wu.

Wu's nomination marks the first time in nearly half a century that an Asian woman has earned a Best Actress nod in either of the Golden Globe film categories. Previous lead actress contenders include Machiko Kyō for The Teahouse of the August Moon (1956), Nancy Kwan for The World of Suzie Wong (1960), Miyoshi Umeki for Flower Drum Song (1961) and Yvonne Elliman for Jesus Christ Superstar (1973).

Just give Sandra Oh all the Emmy awards

'Killing Eve' star is the first Asian actress ever nominated for lead in a drama series.



Well, would you look at that. The 2018 Emmy Awards nominations were announced this morning. Among the surprises and snubs, something historic: Sandra Oh's lead actress nomination for Killing Eve. The nod makes Oh the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series.

Sandra Oh Is the First Asian Actress Nominated for Lead in a Drama Series

Oh stars in the critically acclaimed BBC America spy thriller as Eve Polastri, a MI5 officer who is pusuing a wily assassin played by Jodie Comer. While their fierce cat-and-mouse chase plays out across Europe, both women slowly become obsessed with one another. It's a brilliant show, and Oh is pitch perfect in the kind of lead role she should have been playing years ago. She deserves the nomination. Hell, she should win.

The 46-year-old Korean Canadian happened to be with fellow Asian (American) actor Michelle Krusiec when she got the news of her Emmy nomination. They had been discussing Hansol Jung's play Wild Goose Dreams when Oh finally glanced at her phone and realized it had been blowing up on silent.

"I really love the fact that when all those calls were going off, my phone was on silent," Oh tells Vulture, "[because] Michelle and I were talking about this play about a North Korean refugee."

Why are Asians so rare on Shonda Rhimes' hit TV shows?

Guest Post by Gil Asakawa



I'm on vacation! This week, I'm taking a much-needed break to recharge the batteries and get a change of scenery. To keep things going around here, I've enlisted the help of several friends of the blog to submit guest posts on various topics of their choosing. Here's Gil Asakawa (who watches a lot of television).

My wife Erin and I love junk-food TV. From The Blacklist and Blindspot to Grimm and Castle, we turn into small-screen zombies at night, depending on our DVR to serve up our shows. But there's one junk-food TV brand that we've decided to strike from out diet, and delete from our DVR.

After years of devouring the medical soap series Grey's Anatomy, a couple of seasons of the media-political soap Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, the most recent ABC hit series written and produced by Shonda Rhimes, we've gone cold turkey on her shows.

Here's why: Rhimes is a terrific storyteller, and pioneering producer who casts African Americans in prominent or starring roles in her series. But except for Sandra Oh's keystone character, the irascible but brilliant surgeon Cristina Yang, Asians are either non-existent or generally fringe-ified. It's almost as if with Oh's departure from Shondaland (Rhimes' production company and the realm where all these shows dwell), the box for Asian stars was checked off: "Done."

Fund This: Sandra Oh lends her voice to 'Window Horses'

Indie animated feature from award-winning writer/director Anne Marie Fleming



So how's Sandra Oh been keeping busy since leaving Grey's Anatomy? Among other things, she's producing and lending her voice to this incredible-looking animated feature Window Horses, written and directed by award-winning Canadian filmmaker Anne Marie Fleming. They recently launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise the funds to make this unique cross-cultural, cross-generational coming-of-age story.

The film centers on Rosie Ming, a young Canadian poet of Chinese-Persian heritage who travels to Iran to perform at a poetry festival. On her trip, Rosie begins an unexpected journey of forgiveness, reconciliation and understanding, as she is forced to confront her past and the Iranian father she assumed abandoned her.

Ms. Oh supplies the voice of Rosie Ming. The film's amazing cast also includes Nancy Kwan, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Camyar Chaichian, Navid Neghaban and Omid Abtahi.

Here's a video with more information on the project: