Angry Reader of the Week: Lata Pandya

"Life is too short to not be brave enough to stand up for what you believe in."



Greetings, internet friends! You know what time it is. It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Lata Pandya.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 27: They Call Us Nerds of Color

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. 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.

NERDS! This episode, we welcome friend and fellow geek Keith Chow, founder of the Nerds of Color empire. We talk about the rise of nerd culture, representation, bad adaptations, and the changing face of fandom.

Fox buys Sanjay Shah's comedy series 'Model Minorities'

A "stereotype-busting" Indian American comedy.



More Asians on TV, maybe! Fox has given a script commitment with significant penalty to Model Minorities, a single-camera comedy from Fresh Off The Boat co-executive producer Sanjay Shah, Portlandia and Baskets co-creator, executive producer and director Jonathan Krisel and 20th Century Fox TV.

Written by Shah, Model Minorities is a stereotype-busting comedy that follows a highly educated but struggling Indian American who moves in with his uneducated, but rich, immigrant cousin.

So... like an Indian Perfect Strangers? Sure, I'm down for it.

This could be great. Shah, who got his start on the animated series King of the Hill and was a co-executive producer on the comedy Enlisted, has had a hand in some of Fresh Off the Boat's most memorable episodes.

That title though... I'm going to have think about it.

More here: Fox Buys 'Model Minorities' Indian-American Comedy From Sanjay Shah & Jonathan Krisel With Penalty

Ravi Bhalla elected New Jersey's first Sikh mayor

Hoboken city councilman emerges victorious after racist fliers called him a "terrorist."


The Jersey Journal
Awwww yeah. Take that, racists! The Hoboken councilman who was targeted with a racist flier calling him a "terrorist" has won the city's mayoral race, becoming the first Sikh mayor in the state of New Jersey.

Just days before the election, fliers attacking Ravi Bhalla were anonymously placed on car windshields in the mid-town area, warning "Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town!" above a picture of Bhalla, who is Indian American and wears a turban and unshorn beard in accordance with his Sikh faith.

The fliers appear to have been a modified version of a mailer previously sent by the campaign of mayoral opponent Michael DeFusco, claiming that Bhalla had an alleged conflict of interest. DeFusco denounced the fliers, saying his campaign had nothing to do with them. Whoever's responsible -- surprise, racists are anonymous cowards -- they were probably pretty disappointed with the election results.

On Tuesday, Bhalla emerged the historic winner atop a field of six candidates, garnering 34 percent of the vote. Congratulations to Ravi Bhalla, the first Sikh to be elected mayor of a New Jersey municipality. About time.

More here: Ravi Bhalla wins Hoboken election, becomes N.J.'s first Sikh mayor

Candidates targeted with racist mailers win election

School board candidates Jerry Shi and Falguni Patel are not going anywhere.



Awwww yeah. Take that, racists! In New Jersey, the two school board candidates who were targeted with racist "Make Edison Great Again" mailers that made national headlines won seats in the election on Tuesday.

Last week, voters in Edison received postcards, mailed anonymously, warning "The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!" and calling for the deportation of school board candidates Jerry Shi and Falguni Patel.

Shi and Patel, who respectively claimed their seats with 6,259 and 6,115 votes, will serve a three-year term on the Edison Township Public Schools board. So yeah, they're not going anywhere.

More here: Candidates targeted in racist 'Make Edison Great Again' mailers win election

Really Good Cry: Korean Drama Podcast - Boys Over Flowers #23

A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.



Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.

In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.

Boys Over Flowers refuses to end, and so the Korean Drama Podcast valiantly continues our vow to see this series through! On this episode, we have crying, hospital scenes, cute picnics, bitter breakups, and all the other K-Drama tropes you crave! We also share stories of being starstruck, and wonder why nobody on this series looks each other in the eyes while talking.

What is the secret of Kelly Marie Tran's space jewelry?

Kelly Marie Tran drops hints about her 'Last Jedi' character.



As you know, we are hyped as hell for Kelly Marie Tran's role as Rose Tico in the upcoming new Star Wars movie. So we're pouncing on every little Rose-related morsel of story details, marketing and merchandising in the run up to The Last Jedi's release next month. The latest visual clue: space jewelry.

New Star Wars: The Last Jedi image reveals Rose’s mystery necklace

Entertainment Weekly's Holiday Movie Preview has dropped some more information about Rose, including the above image of Tran and John Boyega's Finn piloting a craft to the interstellar casino city of Canto Bight.

We already know that Rose is no-nonsense maintenance tech who usually works in the background of the Resistance, but finds herself caught up in a dangerous adventure with Finn. Tran offers some more details about her character, her background and what she brings to their mission in a galaxy far, far away.

"The journey that she and Finn go seems pretty impossible, you can tell in this moment that she's very much aware of the dangers that they are about to face, but she's also logically in her mind problem-solving on the way," Tran says. She knows exactly, probably, how many things can go wrong in a situation."

"Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town!"

Racist flier attacks Sikh mayoral candidate in New Jersey.



What the hell, New Jersey? For the second time within a week, a racist flier attacking a local candidate has been circulated anonymously. The latest one targets a Sikh mayor candidate in Hoboken.

On Friday night, fliers attacking Hoboken councilman and mayor candidate Ravi Bhalla were anonymously placed on car windshields in the mid-town area. The fliers declare "Don't let TERRORISM take over our Town!" above a picture of Bhalla, who wears a turban and unshorn beard in accordance with his Sikh faith.

Bhalla shared the flier on Twitter, assuring supporters that "we won't let hate win."

Read These Blogs

Tuesday will show if racist fear-mongering can win elections: "The only way that these racial appeals will diminish is if they are rejected at the ballot box. Otherwise, we can expect a far greater number of candidates, incumbents as well as challengers, working to add race-baiting advertisements and appeals to their 2018 campaigns."

* * *
13 Asians On Identity And The Struggle Of Loving Their Eyes: "I used to use Scotch tape to make my eyes bigger. Then I said, 'Hey, this is your face. This is how you look.'"

* * *
How Racism Made Me a Dodgers Fan: By now you probably know about Houston Astros player Yuli Gurriel mocking L.A. Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish with a racist slur and gesture during Game 3. Fern Shen talks about how this moment brought up a lot of the author's own past, and how it made Shen a new Dodgers fan.

* * *
For China's Gold Rush Prospectors, 'Bone Scraping' Was the Last Way Home: While many of the Chinese laborers who came to San Francisco during the gold rush came seeking fortune, many did not expect to return. In order to get the deceased's remains to China, relatives would pay for "bone scraping" services -- where remains were exhumed, cleaned, and neatly arranged into shipping boxes.

* * *
For this Chinatown group, Friday night dinner is more than a tradition: A wonderful photo essay by Andria Lo and Valerie Luu about a crew of second and third generation ABCs who have been meeting up for a fish feast in Chinatown every Friday for over a decade.

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The 'Good Muslim Bad Muslim' Hosts Had a Lot of 'Pregnancy Scares' in Elementary School: #GoodMuslimBadMuslim podcast hosts Zahra Noorbakhsh and Taz Ahmed had a lot of misunderstandings about sex growing up -- including pregnancy scares in elementary school, despite not having actually had sex.

* * *
Michelle Kwan Wanted to Return to Figure Skating Before She Turned 40, and She's Now Doing Double Axels Again: Could it be? Michelle Kwan has been training hard to get back on the ice.

* * *
Coffee with John Cho: Debating good and evil, and revisiting that time he auditioned for The Office: A great interview with John Cho, who stars as Andy Kim in Fox's Exorcist. "Really, the harder thing [to think about] is, 'What do I have in common with Harvey Weinstein?' And that is what we as a society have to think about. Maybe the entertainment business also has to say, 'Who is, and what's close to Harvey Weinstein that we haven't identified around here? What do we have in common with him rather than uncommon with him?'"

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Randall Park's Kimchi Recipe: "Sometimes you find a kimchi recipe, sometimes a kimchi recipe finds you." Fresh Off The Boat star Randall Park shares his homemade kimchi recipe with The Mash-Up Americans.

Angry Reader of the Week: Christy NaMee Eriksen

"Literally cannot name my feelings with feeling words but will design you a citywide scavenger hunt."



Hey, folks! You know what's up. It's time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Christy NaMee Eriksen.

ICE is targeting Cambodian Americans in the largest raid ever

Civil rights advocates file nationwide class action lawsuit on behalf of 100+ refugees detained by ICE.


​Posda Tuot, cousin of Nak Kim "Rickie" Chhoeun, who was detained by ICE on October 20, 2017.
Cambodian refugees detained in recent raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have filed a nationwide class action lawsuit challenging their unlawful arrests. Since early October, ICE has rounded up over a hundred Cambodian refugees with deportation orders, making these the largest raids ever to target the Cambodian community. Nearly 2000 Cambodian refugees are at risk of being unlawfully arrested.

The complaint, filed last Friday by civil rights organizations Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, and Sidley Austin LLP, alleges the detentions are illegal, and argues that without that clear pathway to deportation, the detainees should be released.

The people detained in the raids arrived in the United States as refugee children fleeing the horrors of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. Many of them were born in refugee camps and have never set foot in Cambodia. They made the United States their home and became lawful permanent residents.

In the U.S., Cambodian refugee families struggled with trauma and poverty in violence-ridden neighborhoods. Some refugees made mistakes in their youth, which led to criminal convictions and ultimately deportation orders. But because Cambodia has refused to accept them for deportation, ICE had to release Cambodian detainees instead of keeping them indefinitely and unconstitutionally detained.

Your Halloween Costumes, Part Four

Our annual gallery of reader-submitted Halloween costumes.



All right. As we put Halloween behind us, here is one last look at your Halloween costumes. Here's the fourth and final round of our annual reader-submitted Halloween costume photo gallery (also see Part One, Part Two and Part Three). I put out a call for your awesome, tasteful, non-offensive costumes, and you delivered, dear readers. Thanks to everyone who submitted a photo. You all look great!

So here's Part Four:

'Crazy Rich Asians' secrets revealed!

Entertainment Weekly's latest cover story goes behind the scenes of next summer's buzziest film.



Crazy Rich Asians fans, check it. Entertainment Weekly's latest cover story goes behind the scenes with an exclusive look at next summer's buzziest film, which features a rare all-Asian principal cast that includes Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Harry Shum Jr., Ken Jeong, Gemma Chan and Awkwafina.

Crazy Rich Asians stars Constance Wu, Henry Golding reign supreme in EW's first look cover

Based on the hugely popular bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians follows Rachel Chu, a Chinese American economics professor who accompanies her boyfriend Nick back to his hometown of Singapore for his best friend's wedding. That's when she realizes Nick's family is not just rich -- they're crazy rich. He is perhaps the most eligible bachelor in Asia, and every single woman in his ultra-rarefied social class is incredibly jealous of Rachel and wants to bring her down.

"This is about a girl going somewhere that's foreign to her, to really find out who she is," Wu, who plays Rachel, tells EW. "It's just such a beautiful story, to show an Asian American immigrant going back to Asia and finding the things that overlap and connect us all, things like family, things like love."

"The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!"

Racist mailers sent to voters in Edison, New Jersey.



With an election just around the corner, you can always count on some underhanded racist campaigning. But it's still pretty shocking when it's this blatant. The above mailer, targeting Chinese American and Indian American school board candidates, was apparently sent to voters in Edison, New Jersey.

With the super-original slogan "Make Edison Great Again," the postcard implores voters to "Stop Jerry Shi & Falguni Patel From taking over our School Board," with a red "DEPORT" stamped under Shi and Patel's faces.

"The Chinese and Indians are taking over our town!" the anonymous mailer declares. "Chinese school! Indian school! Cricket fields! Enough is enough!" But wait, they're not done yet.

The reverse side says, "Stop the overcrowding! Stop taking over our sports fields! Stop the McMansions! Stop the multiple families living in the same house! Stop wasting school holidays! Stop the outsiders! Let's take back our Edison & our Schools."

Your Halloween Costumes, Part Three

Our annual gallery of reader-submitted Halloween costumes.



Too... much... candy... As you recover from your Halloween candy sugar crash, let's take a look at some more of your costumes. Here is the latest found of our annual reader-submitted Halloween costume photo gallery (also see Part One and Part Two), one of our favorite holiday traditions. I put out the call for your awesome, tasteful, non-offensive costumes and you delivered, dear readers.

Check it out:

'Crazy Rich Asians' sets a release date

See you at the movies next August.


kevinkwanbooks.com
Mark your calendars. Crazy Rich Asians has a release date. Warner Bros. has announced that the comedy, starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, will be released on August 17, 2018.

'Crazy Rich Asians' Stakes Out Mid-August Date

Directed by Jon M. Chu and adapted from the hugely popular novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians centers on three wealthy Chinese families as they prepare for Singapore's wedding of the year.

The story follows Rachel Chu, a Chinese American economics professor who accompanies her boyfriend Nick back to his hometown of Singapore for his best friend's wedding. That's when she realizes Nick's family is crazy rich, he is perhaps the most eligible bachelor in Asia, and every single woman in his ultra-rarefied social class is incredibly jealous of Rachel and wants to bring her down.

Your Halloween Costumes, Part Two

Our annual gallery of reader-submitted Halloween costumes.



Happy Halloween, dear readers! Now let's show off some of those costumes. Here is part two of our annual reader-submitted Halloween costume photo gallery (see part one here), one of our favorite holiday traditions.

Got an awesome, tasteful, non-offensive costume photo to share? Send it in. Photos of cute kids are especially welcome. Email your photos to angryasianman@angryasianman.com, or tag @angryasianman on social media. It helps to include the names of everyone in the photo, as well as a description of their costume(s).

(Just to be clear: by sending in your photo(s), it is assumed that you are giving permission to have them published on this website and/or our associated social media accounts.)

Here's the next round of photos. Stay tuned for part three.

Stop the Wedding: Korean Drama Podcast - Boys Over Flowers #22

A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.



Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.

In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.

In this episode, the wedding nobody is excited about is finally here! How will Jan Di celebrate? By getting kidnapped, of course. Join us as we recap the epic conclusion to the Boys Over Flowers saga. Will love(?) triumph over all? Wait, there's still three episodes left?!?!?!?!?!! Also, we share a much more interesting list of possible Boys Over Flowers spin-off shows.

Most Badass Art Show Ever Pays Tribute to Bruce Lee

"Bruce Lee: Spirit of the Dragon," November 3-25 at Sketchpad Gallery


Bruce fans in San Francisco, here's something you'll want to check out. Sketchpad Gallery and the Bruce Lee Foundation present Bruce Lee: Spirit of the Dragon, a group art exhibition and charity show dedicated to Bruce Lee and his teachings. It runs November 3-25, with an opening reception on Friday, November 3.

"Spirit of the Dragon" features both local and international artists, who have done work for such companies as Lucasfilm, Pixar, Lucasfilm Animation, Industrial Light and Magic, Marvel Comics, DC, IDW, Sony and more.

Featured artists include: Kim Jung Gi, Kim Hyun Jin, Nathan Anderson, Bagger43, John-Paul Balmet, Arvin Bautista, Jamie Borja, Dawn Carlos, Cryssy Cheung, Isaac Davis, Thomas Denmark, Jackson Dryden, Duke Duel, Emonic, Nikki Lukas Longfish, Dela Longfish, Steward Lee, Ben Jelter, Kevin Kwong, Frank T Lin, Brian Kistler, Robotnicc, Dean Stuart, Lloyd Thompson, Dave Yee, Carolina Zeleski, Jeeyoon Park, Le Tang, Chris Koehler, Gary Choo, Alina Chau, and Sinic Choy, to be joined by additional artists.

Here's some sample work from "Spirit of the Dragon":

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 26: They Call Us Halloween Costumes

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. 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.

Happy Halloween! This episode, we welcome cosplayer/superfan Laura Sirikul and Boom Studios' Arune Singh to talk costumes. We discuss racist costumes, the significance of seeing yourself represented in pop culture, and the Good, the Bad and the WTF of Halloween costumes.

Your Halloween Costumes, Part One

Our annual gallery of reader-submitted Halloween costumes.


Happy Halloween! Some of you clearly got the festivities going a little early over the weekend, so we've already got some great costume photos to share. So here is part one of our annual reader-submitted Halloween costume photo gallery, which has become a really fun and popular tradition on this website.

Got a cool/fun/cute/hilarious costume photo to share? Send it in. Photos of adorable kids are especially welcome. Email your photos to angryasianman@angryasianman.com, or tag @angryasianman on social media. It helps to include the names of everyone in the photo, as well as a description of their costume(s).

(Just to be clear: by sending in your photo(s), it is assumed that you are giving permission to have them published on this website and/or our associated social media accounts.)

Above, we have little Sophia as Pebbles from The Flintstones. Here are some more great costumes:

Houston Astros' Yuli Gurriel suspended for racist gesture

...but he won't have to sit out the World Series.



If you were watching the World Series on Friday night, yes, that was indeed Yuli Gurriel of the Houston Astros making a racist gesture in reference to an Asian pitcher. For those who didn't catch it, you already know exactly what gesture I'm talking about: the slant eye. And it got him a five-game suspension.

Yuli Gurriel suspended five games, in 2018, for actions in World Series Game 3

During the Game 3 broadcast, cameras caught the Astros first baseman pulling his eyes back and uttering "chinito" while sitting in the Houston dugout. He was clearly referring to Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish, who is Japanese and Iranian. Gurriel hit a solo home run off Darvish to kick off a four-run rally in the second inning.

Perhaps that was Gurriel's way of celebrating -- the international symbol for "chink." Well, the cameras were watching, the image was zapped across national television, and the outcry was fairly immediate.

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Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Kelly Marie Tran Made A Porg Costume And We Don’t Deserve Her: Kelly Marie Tran, who plays Rose Tico in the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi apparently spent three hours making a porg costume for Halloween. And it's adorable.

* * *
Chinatown's Ghost Scam: Beware highly coordinated fraudsters who are targeting elderly, vulnerable Chinatown immigrants with "blessing scams," bilking them out of their life savings.

* * *
Hot Joy's Food Is Almost as Bad as Its Cultural Cluelessness: "Hot Joy is a clueless white-dude fantasy in which Asian identity and cuisine are reduced to a string of ironic clichés." A scathing restaurant review of Hot Joy, a white-owned, Asian-inspired hot mess in Dallas.

* * *
David Cross, Charlyne Yi, and the Luxury of Forgetting: David Cross has apologized, repeatedly, for the racist encounter Charlyne Yi recounted on Twitter. But the way he apologized, and how the aftermath unfolded tells us a lot about how Asian Americans are still perceived in the country's imagination.

* * *
We Need To Stand Up To Bullying In The Asian American And Pacific Islander Community: Bullying is rampant among Asian American, Sikh American, and Muslim American students. Appalled by these stats, Maulik Pancholy helped launch the #ActToChange campaign to spread awareness.

* * *
Thirty Years After My Adoption, I Found Out I Wasn't a US Citizen: Andrea Ruggirello, a Korean American adoptee, recounts how she found out -- as an adult -- that she wasn't a U.S. citizen.

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Constance Wu Opens Up About Stereotypes, Beauty Products, and Body Image: Constance Wu, who stars in Fresh Off The Boat and the forthcoming film adaption of Crazy Rich Asians, speaks candidly about body image, race, and beauty.

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That's It, Star Wars, Mandalorian Sabine Wren Needs Her Own Comics: The case for Sabine Wren, the badass multicolor-haired Mandalorian warrior on Star Wars: Rebels (voiced by Tiya Sircar), to receive a bigger canvas to tell her story.

Wake, Play, Slay: Asian American Women in Comedy

Panel Discussion on Wednesday, November 1 at NBCUniversal



If you're in Southern California, Comcast NBCUniversal and the Center for Asian American Media invite you to Wake, Play, Slay: Asian American Women in Comedy, a panel discussion highlighting female voices in comedy that are using laughter to tackle difficult and timely issues. The lineup includes Jenny Yang, Colleen McGuinness, Geeta Patel, Tess Paras and moderator Traci Lee.

It's happening Wednesday, November 1 at NBCUniversal. Here are some more details:

Hey Readers! Share your Halloween costume photos!

Send in your photos to be included in our annual costume gallery.



It's that time of year again! Halloween is upon us. What will you be wearing this year? We want to see your costumes! You're invited, dear readers, to send in photos of your awesome, tasteful and non-offensive Halloween costumes to be featured our annual reader-submitted gallery, which has become a really fun and immensely popular annual tradition. Photos of cute kids are especially welcome.

For instance: Laura's nephew as a porg, above.

Email your photos to angryasianman@angryasianman.com, or tag @angryasianman on social media. It helps to include the names of everyone in the photo, as well as a description of their costume(s). (By sending in your photo(s), it is assumed you are giving permission to have them published on this website and/or social media.) If your photo makes the cut, it will be featured in this year's annual multi-part gallery.

You won't win a prize or anything. Just a chance to be part of the fun. So suit up and send 'em in!

Angry Reader of the Week: Bo Yeon Kim

"Taking pride in needing more than fifteen seconds to explain what I am or where I'm from."



Greetings, good people of the world wide web. It's time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Bo Yeon Kim.

Poet and activist Fay Chiang dies at 65

She championed Asian American education and culture.



From the New York Times: Fay Chiang, whose quest to understand her identity as a child of Chinese immigrants found outlets in vivid poetry and in community activism that helped elevate Asian-American education and culture, died on October 20 in a hospice in the Bronx. She was 65.

Her daughter Xian Chiang-Waren said the cause was complications of cancer. She had lived in Manhattan, in the East Village, until the cancer spread to her brain.

More here: Fay Chiang, 65, Poet Who Championed Asian-American Culture, Dies

Justin Lin is returning to 'Fast & Furious'

Franchise "architect" is in "advanced talks" to direct ninth and tenth installments.



Whaaaaat. Justin Lin, the director responsible for turning the Fast & Furious movies into a legit international blockbuster mega-franchise, is reportedly ready to return to helm the ninth and tenth films in the series.

Justin Lin to Return for Next Two 'Fast & Furious' Films, Says Vin Diesel

This week during a Facebook Live broadcast from the set of Fast 9, franchise star Vin Diesel revealed that he was working with Lin. Describing him as the "architect" of the auto action series, Diesel announced that the director, along with star Jordana Brewster, will be returning for what will likely be the final two installments.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Lin is in "advanced talks" to get back in the director's chair.

Texas father charged in 3-year-old's death

Wesley Mathews initially claimed his daughter Sherin was missing.



In the Dallas area, the father of a 3-year-old girl, who had initially declared his daughter missing, has admitted to forcing milk down his daughter's throat until she started choking and later died.

A father reported his 3-year-old missing. Then he told police he'd watched her die.

Wesley Mathews had previously claimed that his daughter Sherin, who was adopted from India, went missing on October 7 after he sent her alone into an alley as punishment for refusing to drink her milk.

But on Monday, he changed his story. After authorities had found the girl's body in a nearby culvert, Mathews provided investigators in Richardson, Texas with an "alternate statement of events."

Filipino veterans to receive Congressional Gold Medal

In recognition of their U.S. military service and sacrifices during World War II.



It's about damn time.

This week, Filipino veterans of World War II will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, after a lengthy battle for national recognition of their U.S. military service and sacrifices nearly 75 years ago.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award in the United States. The award will be presented at a ceremony on Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol to honor the 260,000 Filipino soldiers who fought alongside American forces during the war and more than 57,000 Filipino troops who died.

More here: Fought and forgotten: Filipino World War II veterans honored with medal 75 years later

Randall Park vs. James Van Der Beek: The Rap Battle

'Fresh Off The Boat' star faces off against Dawson himself on 'Rock the Mic.'



You've seen him in over three seasons as the Huang family patriarch in Fresh Off The Boat. But did you know that Randall Park was once also a rapper? Back in the day, the guy who plays your favorite Asian American TV dad Louis Huang was once the frontman for the Los Angeles band Ill Again.

While the Ill Again days might be behind him, Randall's still got the rhymes. You can see him put his emcee skillz to use again on Drop the Mic, the new TBS comic battle rap competition series based on the popular segment from The Late Late Show with James Corden, in which celebrities face off in a rap battle royale.

Randall was no doubt recruited to perform on Drop the Mic after dropping a few bars while appearing on The Late Late Show last year. According to the executive producer Jensen Karp, while other celebrities were paired up with writers to come up with their verses, Randall apparently showed up with his own already written.

On his episode of Drop the Mic, he will face off against none other than Dawson himself, James Van Der Beek. UPDATE: Here's the full battle:

Meat Set: Korean Drama Podcast - Boys Over Flowers #21

A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.



Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.

In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.

We're in the home stretch! In this episode, we are treated to the lead up to the least anticipated Korean wedding ever. In other news, Pottery Boy cries in the car as his bro pours crappy lattes, Jan Di models for food, and we wonder what Ringo is up to (probably fighting fools). Oh, and people stand in flower fields and stare off into the distance, you know, K-Drama style!

All the Asians on TV: Fall 2017 Series Premieres

Here are the new scripted shows featuring actors of Asian descent. We counted.



These are new shows. The new fall television season is well underway, and as usual, we've been keeping an eye on the new Asian faces on the tube. Because we like to keep track of such things. But with cable and streaming services, as well as new shows now premiering year-round, the old model of a new fall "season" as a programming benchmark is not quite what it used to be. Nevertheless, after scouring the slate of new shows, here's a general rundown of actors of Asian descent who are series regulars (not technically guest starring or recurring) on new scripted prime time network, cable and streaming shows premiering this fall.

We might have missed a few, but here you go. These are new shows.

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New Flight for a New 'Butterfly': An interview with David Henry Hwang, whose revival of his breakthrough play M. Butterfly promises some significant changes from its 1988 version.

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5 Artists on How 'M. Butterfly' Changed Their Lives: Asian American actors and playwrights describe how M. Butterfly inspired their work, and its lasting effects more than 20 years after its release.

* * *
What We Miss When We Ignore Asian Americans: "Whether it's television programming or the leadership of tech companies and law firms, what we see right now isn't reflective of where we are as society -- and what we aspire to be."

* * *
A California congressional race reveals political divisions in the Asian-American community: As Democrats compete for a spot in congress, Asian American voters diverge.

* * *
Making Diwali our own, and passing it on: For many South Asian Americans, celebrating Diwali meant putting it in a new context, but keeping the roots of its important meaning.

* * *
Despite what you might have heard, Asian American CEOs are the exception, not the norm: The perception may be that Asian Americans are overrepresented in Silicon Valley, but while they are hired in large numbers, they are the group least likely to be promoted to managerial and executive ranks.

* * *
The Asian American Women Writers Who Are Going to Change the World: V.V. Ganeshananthan, Porochista Khakpour, Bich Minh Nguyen, and Esmé Weijun Wang discuss writing, activism and community.

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An Interview with MacArthur 'Genius' Viet Thanh Nguyen: 2017 MacArthur fellow Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses questions of justice, diversity in literature, and empathy across cultures.

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Amy Tan on Writing and the Secrets of Her Past: Renowned author Amy Tan talks to Nicole Chung about family history, Donald Trump, and her new book, Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir.

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Guilty pleasure: Hari Kondabolu loves 'Untamed Heart' When comedian Hari Kondabolu was 14 years old, he secretly obsessed over Untamed Heart, which ignited a lasting passion for the sappy romance genre.

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Metro Knows You're Not Listening To Its Respectful Pleas, Says Eff it, Releases These Videos: LA's Metro has released a trio of new PSAs -- starring Anna Akana -- to encourage passengers to use good manners on the bus and the subway.

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The best Sabine Wren episodes of Star Wars: Rebels: In honor of the fourth and final season of Star Wars: Rebels, here's a list of one writer's favorite episodes that center on Sabine Wren, the badass multicolor-haired Mandalorian warrior, voiced by Tiya Sircar.

Kelly Marie Tran Rides the Space Horse

New 'Star Wars' promo art reveals closer look at 'Last Jedi' creatures.


Photo: Imgur
As you know, we are enormously excited to see Kelly Marie Tran in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

We don't know much, but we know her character, a Resistance maintenance worker named Rose, has the biggest new role in a galaxy far, far away. We know that she'll be paired up with Finn, their mission will take them to a casino city called Canto Bight, and at some point, they'll go undercover as First Order officers.

Also: they will ride space horses.

Some new Last Jedi promotional art gives us a closer look at creatures called fathiers -- aka "space horses." According to Star Wars News Net, they are extremely fast creatures that are exploited for racing and gambling on Canto Bight. And as depicted (in extremely small detail) on this theatrical standee, it appears that Rose and Finn will saddle up and make a run for it on the back of one of these majestic space steeds.

Angry Reader of the Week: Joel Kim Booster

"I get up on stage and talk about my butt."



Hey, everybody! It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Joel Kim Booster.

Dammit. Jeremy Lin is out for the season.

Nets guard suffers ruptured patella tendon during Brooklyn's season opener.



Noooooooooooo! Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin has been diagnosed with a ruptured patella tendon of the right knee and is expected to miss the rest of the 2017-18 season, the team announced Thursday.

The injury occurred Wednesday night during the fourth quarter of Brooklyn's season-opener against the Indiana Pacers. Lin landed awkwardly on a drive to the basket and crumbled to court in obvious pain. His immediate emotional reaction seemed to indicate he knew the injury was pretty serious.

"I'm done," he said, shaking his head, before doubling over in anguish. It's painful to even watch.

Ryan Potter cast as Beast Boy in 'Titans'

Upcoming live action TV series based on the DC Comics title.



Looks like we have a Beast Boy! Ryan Potter has been cast in the series regular role of Beast Boy in Titans, the upcoming live-action TV series adaptation based on the popular DC Comics title.

'Titans': Ryan Potter Cast As Beast Boy In Live-Action Series For DC Digital Service

Titans follows a group of "soon-to-be superheroes from every corner of the DC Universe." Recruited by Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites), this fearless band of new heroes includes Starfire (Anna Diop), Raven (Teagan Croft), and of course, Garfield "Gar" Logan, aka Beast Boy.

As a child, Gar contracted a lethal disease on an African safari with his geneticist parents, only to experience some "bizarre side effects" after being treated with an experimental drug. In addition to his skin and hair turning permanently green, the wisecracking, fun-loving Beast Boy is able to transform himself into animals of any size.

Charlyne Yi Recounts Racist Remarks from Writer and Director David Cross

By Jenn Fang. Cross-Posted from Reappropriate.



Charlyne Yi -- the award-winning actor, comedian, writer, and musician best known for her role as a series regular on House, her voice acting work on Steven Universe, and her starring role in Paper Heart which she also wrote -- took to Twitter earlier this week to describe her first encounter with writer, director and actor David Cross.

In a series of four tweets, Yi -- who is mixed race Filipinx and Korean American -- describes how when she first met Cross, Cross made fun of Yi for her appearance. When she didn't respond, Cross reportedly said: "What's a matter? You don't speak English?? Ching-Chong-Ching-Chong." Cross went on to mockingly challenge Yi to a karate match.

At the time of the encounter, Cross was over forty years old, and already an established comedian, writer and TV and film actor with several stand-up comedy specials already under his belt. Yi was a veritable newcomer to the comedy and acting scene, and was only about twenty years old.

Get this Awesome Shirt and Support 18 Million Rising

Celebrate 18MR's five years of organizing Asian Americans online.



Just wanted to point your attention to this awesome t-shirt design from our friends at 18 Million Rising. To celebrate five years of organizing Asian Americans online, as well as fundraise to keep it all going for the future, they're offering these super-cool limited shirts and hoodies.

Designed by Karl Orozco, the shirt is a re-imagining/inversion of the old political cartoon about the "yellow peril" tiger attacking the globe. According to 18MR, "we wanted our tiger to protect the globe as our communities increasingly find ourselves on the frontlines of state violence, gentrification, and climate change."

Federal judge in Hawaii blocks Trump's travel ban

Travel ban "plainly discriminates based on nationality" in a way that is "antithetical" to American principles.



Trump keeps trying to make this shit happen. And Hawaii keeps knocking it down. A federal judge in Hawaii has issued an order blocking major parts of Trump's newest travel ban, suggesting it violated immigration law.

The decision, ordered by U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson in Honolulu on Tuesday, stopped the administration’s travel restrictions nationwide, hours before they were scheduled to take full effect Wednesday.

The newest travel rules, which Trump signed September 24, indefinitely ban entry to the U.S. by most nationals of Syria, Libya, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Chad and North Korea. They also restrict travel by certain Venezuelan government officials and their families.

Watson wrote that the ban goes against the Immigration and Nationality Act and "plainly discriminates based on nationality" in a way that is "antithetical" to American principles. He also said the order "lacks sufficient findings that the entry of more than 150 million nationals from six specified countries" would harm U.S. interests.

More here: Federal judge in Hawaii blocks Trump's new travel ban

"This is such a bad idea": Korean Drama Podcast - Boys Over Flowers #20

A K-Drama re-watch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.



Are you a fan of Korean dramas? Then this podcast is probably not for you. The Korean Drama Podcast is the K-Drama rewatch podcast by (and for) people who don't watch Korean dramas.

In season one, host Will Choi (founder of Asian AF) and I -- both self-professed Korean drama beginners -- with help and hand-holding by our resident K-Drama expert Joanna Lee, attempt to watch and discuss the 2009 megahit drama Boys Over Flowers in its entirety, episode by episode.

We're in the home stretch! In this episode, Jan Di is homeless now (because apparently she has no real friends) and becomes a maid in Perm Boy's family. Perm Boy still doesn't know what he wants... and a shocking cliffhanger ending! Also, we talk about lucid and recurring dreams and our own high school experiences with student government.

Chinatown Art Brigade protests racist exhibition

"Chinatown lives are not poverty porn!"



On Sunday afternoon in New York, dozens of protesters from the Chinatown Art Brigade and other local art and anti-gentrification activist groups converged in the front room of James Cohan Gallery's Chinatown location, demanding that the gallery take down what the group is calling "racist art."

Their target: Omer Fast's new exhibition, August, which has transformed the space to appear like a poorly maintained Chinatown business. Visitors walk through the space to see the artist's video work in the backroom.

In a letter sent to the gallery last week, CAB called the exhibition a "racist aggression towards the community of Chinatown," and added "this show reifies racist narratives of uncleanliness, otherness and blight that have historically been projected onto Chinatown."

More here: Chinatown Art Brigade Protests Omer Fast's "Racist" Exhibition at James Cohan Gallery

"Here's my problem with most racism: it's the inaccuracy."

Watch Kumail Nanjiani's opening monologue from 'Saturday Night Live.'



Hey, racists! Kumail Nanjiani would take you a little more seriously if you could just get it right.

Over the weekend, the Pakistani American comedian, fresh off the summer success of his indie romantic comedy The Big Sick, performed hosting duties on Saturday Night Live. During the opening monologue, he delivered a hilarious, timely standup set, taking on racism and... more racism.

Among other things, he pointed out the very real fact that Sikhs are often targeted with Islamophobic violence, mistaken for Muslims. This is a challenging thing to joke about, but Kumail just slays it. He also clarifies what bothers him most about racism: the inaccuracy. Racists, you're just not coming at this with correct information -- and it's not working out for you.

"I'm like, do the research," Kumail says. "Put in the work. You will see the benefits!"

Check it out:

Read These Blogs

She Was Told Internment Didn't Happen. Now, Her Family's Story Is in School Books. Starting this semester, students in the U.S. will be able to learn about the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans from Katie Yamasaki's 2013 children's picture book, Fish for Jimmy, which was selected to be included in the newest version of McGraw-Hill Education's anthology textbook for fourth grade students.

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29 Things That Are Too Damn Real For People Raised By Asian Parents: "If at first you don't succeed, don't come back home." Yet another one of these BuzzFeed lists so many of us can relate to...

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Chinese immigrants in Philly still recovering from home-invasion terror: More than a year after masked gunmen burst into their homes and robbed them, the terror remains vivid for Philadelphia-area Chinese business owners and their families.

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Definitive For Americans: A Refugee's Review of 'The Vietnam War': Beth Nguyen watched Ken Burns' documentary series The Vietnam War, which strives to give some Americans a sense of healing, but gives little perspective from the Vietnamese or Vietnamese Americans who were also there.

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A New Generation Of Therapists Is Fighting Asian-American Mental Health Stigma: When it comes to mental health, research shows Asian Americans are three times less likely than white Americans to seek help.

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Cyberpunk Cities Fetishize Asian Culture But Have No Asians: The Blade Runner universe is visually Asian -- a visual cue for the future. But if Asians shaped this cyberpunk future, where are they?

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Asian American TV Producers Speak Out About Making the Shows They Want, Whether or Not Networks Are on Board: TV producers Mindy Kaling, Daniel Dae Kim, Alan Yang, and more on creating a more inclusive storytelling landscape.

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Asian American TV Actors Expose the Difficulty of Landing Parts - With or Without an Accent: Daniel Dae Kim, Kal Penn, Jamie Chung, and more on role models, problematic auditions, breakthrough gigs, and the changing face of TV.

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Asian-Americans Are Disrupting An Unwelcoming Music Industry: "It's a different world now" - and one that's leveling the playing field for Asian American pop artists, who've traditionally been shut out of the American music industry.

Angry Reader of the Week: Alice Y. Hom

"I'm a lover of pandas, plaid clothing, and good eats."


Photo: Erin O'Brien

Greetings, internet friends. You know what time it is. It's time to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Alice Y. Hom.