They Call Us Bruce 176: They Call Us Jay Chen

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 Jay Chen, who is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in California’s congressional 45th district. He talks about why his Daily Show appearance from 2010 still weirdly remains relevant, his opponent’s increasingly shameless xenophobic and red-baiting attacks, and the benefit of running for congress in a super-Asian district that has so many incredible food options.

They Call Us Bruce 175: They Call Us Thai Cave Rescue

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 Kevin Tancheroen, executive producer and director of the Netflix series Thai Cave Rescue, which tells the true story of the global rescue effort to save twelve young boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave. He talks about shooting in absurdly wet conditions, reconnecting with his own Thai roots, and prioritizing the soccer team (and the people of Thailand) at the center of this extraordinary story.

They Call Us Bruce 174: They Call Us 38 at the Garden

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 Frank Chi, director of the documentary short 38 AT THE GARDEN, which chronicles the extraordinary ascendance of Jeremy Lin during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks -- and the fateful game where he dropped 38 points on the Los Angeles Lakers. They look back at the sheer joy of that moment, what Linsanity meant for Asian Americans, and why it still resonates ten years later.

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Jeremy Lin Finally Loves 'Linsanity' Just as Much as You Do
When he went from mostly anonymous to global celebrity in 2012, Jeremy Lin was overwhelmed by the attention and struggled to tune it out. For many people, he suddenly represented many things -- a stereotype breaker, an inspiration -- but he just wanted to play basketball. A decade later, Lin has fully embraced the phenomenon that turned him into a cultural icon.

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Jeremy Lin Is Still Floating
Jeremy Lin's favorite bucket of his career happened right where you’d expect it: in Madison Square Garden, during that legendary stretch in 2012, leading his underdog Knicks over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

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The Deadly Collision of Racism and Mental Illness
Talking openly about the role that mental illness may play in racially motivated violence seems overdue and necessary. But there are reasons conversations on this subject are also dangerous and fraught.

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Alice Wong: I Still Have a Voice
Alice Wong can no longer speak. But she still has a voice.

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I always avoided family duties. Then my dad had a fall and everything changed
"For most of my life, I've avoided moments like these -- moments where I have to take on any kind of family responsibility. I'm the youngest."

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How L.A.'s Little Manila Disappeared Without a Trace
Many Filipino establishments between 1924 and 1939 could be found on First and Main streets in downtown Los Angeles. According to researcher Joseph A. Bernardo, "Little Manila" provided new Filipino migrants with a space space to ease the shock of urbanization, isolation and white antagonism.

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The Nuance of Nikkei: Why Los Angeles Is the Epicenter of Japanese American Cooking
Experience LA's Nikkei moment at these four phenomenal restaurants.

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Hasan Minhaj Explores the Darker Sides of Fame in The King's Jester
Hasan Minhaj is back on Netflix with The King's Jester, the comedian's second special following 2017's Homecoming King.

All The Asians On Star Trek 30: Patrick Kwok-Choon

The Podcast In Which We Interview All The Asians On Star Trek.



All The Asians On Star Trek is the podcast in which we interview all the Asians on Star Trek. In Episode 30, we welcome actor Patrick Kwok-Choon, who plays tactical officer Lieutenant Commander Gen Rhys on Star Trek: Discovery. Outside of Star Trek, his credits include Open Heart, Backpackers, Shoot the Messenger, Wynonna Earp and SkyMed, among others. He talks being a part of Discovery's bridge crew, joining the tremendous legacy of Star Trek, and observing a healthy level of respect before putting his butt in the captain's chair.

New Comic Reimagines Lois Lane as an Asian American Teen

First look at 'Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story' by Sarah Kuhn and Arielle Jovellanos.



If you were like me, growing up as an Asian American consumer of comic books, you sometimes had to crane your neck to find representation within those four-color panels. And sometimes, intended or not, it was right there in front of you in plain black ink. I can't be the only one who interpreted Superman's canonically black hair as a signifier of Asian-ness -- by way of Krypton, of course. (Kal-El is an immigrant, don't ya know?)

For writer Sarah Kuhn, it was Lois Lane, intrepid reporter for the Daily Planet.

"Lois Lane is my idol — as a kid, I imprinted on her immediately and dreamed of becoming a hard-charging reporter on a quest for the truth (who also gets burgers and freshly squeezed orange juice delivered to her desk at 9 am)." Sarah says. "I was always desperately searching for some tiny scrap of representation in the stories I loved and Lois had dark hair, so sometimes I'd fantasize that she was Asian American -- like me."

Sarah, whose previous work includes the Cassandra Cain story Shadow of the Batgirl, gets to realize that fantasy in her upcoming original graphic novel, Girl Taking Over: A Lois Lane Story, due out in April 2023. Part of the DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults line, with art by Arielle Jovellanos, the book reimagines Lois Lane as an Asian American teenager -- a small town girl with a big city summer internship trying to get a handle on friendship, romance and a burgeoning career.

I'm pleased to share this first look at preview pages from Girl Taking Over:

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How to Hit Back
The desperate, confused, righteous campaign to stop Asian hate.

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'I Felt Like We Are All Chinese — We Can Take Care of Each Other'
Asians and Pacific Islanders belong to the most economically divided racial group in America, and the need for child care often brings together members from the top and bottom of the ladder.

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From BTS to Zoom therapy, why Korean Americans are seeking more mental health help
Korean Americans are seeking more mental health help than ever before, shifting the stigma.

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The Mixed Metaphor
Why does the half-Asian, half-white protagonist make us so anxious?

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How these Chinese doughnuts helped save my refugee family
Golden crullers, dipped in soy or served with rice porridge, are more than breakfast – for Jean Trinh and her family, they're a symbol of resilience.

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How Carla Ching tells a 'complex, nuanced' story about betrayal, revenge porn in new play
In Carla Ching's play Revenge Porn, leading character Kat Chan has to decide how she'll respond to her ex-husband releasing nude photographs of her.

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Hasan Minhaj Confronts His Own Clout-Chasing and the One Thing He Has in Common With the Crown Prince
Comedian Hasan Minhaj, whose last Netflix foray was censored after Saudi objections, reflects on his decidedly more personal stand-up special, The King's Jester, ahead of its premiere on the streamer.

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How Ali Wong Helped Make Her 'Favorite' Comedian Sheng Wang a Netflix Star
Stand-up comedian Sheng Wang tells The Last Laugh podcast how his friend Ali Wong directed him to new comedic heights in his first hour-long Netflix special Sweet and Juicy.

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James Wong Howe's Way with Light
"Wong Howe's path through Hollywood was not always easy, but in his best work he found a voice that was inimitably his own, imbued with the vulnerability and longing of an outsider trying to find his place in the world."

173: They Call Us Tanuj Chopra

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 back friend and filmmaker Tanuj Chopra, who directed season two of the Netflix series Delhi Crime. He talks about making the leap from indie films to international television, bringing an insider/outsider perspective to get the tone right, and the future of global storytelling.

Sacred Book Honors Japanese Americans Incarcerated During World War II

The Ireichō is on display at the Japanese American National Museum.



Over the weekend in Los Angeles, the Japanese American National Museum invited the public to view and sign the Ireichō, a sacred book that records -- for the first time ever -- the names of over 125,000 persons of Japanese ancestry who were unjustly imprisoned in U.S. Army, Department of Justice, and War Relocation Authority camps during World War II.

Visitors were invited to view the names and use a special Japanese hanko to leave a mark for each person in the Ireichō as a way to honor those incarcerated during World War II. Community participation will "activate" it and rectify the historical record by correcting misspelled names or revealing names that may have been omitted from the record.

The Ireichō will be on display at JANM for one year. A companion virtual monument is available online.

More here: 'There’s our family name': Sacred book honors Japanese Americans incarcerated during WWII

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How Constance Wu Survived That Tweetstorm
In Constance Wu's new book, Making a Scene, the former Fresh Off the Boat star reveals her isolation, racism in her career -- and yes, those tweets -- and how she's moving on.

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At Gracepoint Ministries, 'Whole-Life Discipleship' Took Its Toll
As Gracepoint Ministries, a predominantly Asian American church network, expands to dozens of college towns, former members come forward with claims of spiritual abuse.

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New laws address anti-Asian hate in the long-term, but what about feeling safe right now?
This month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills seeking to address harassment on public transit and in businesses. Meanwhile, the Citizen personal safety app announced it was providing up to 20,000 Asian Americans in the Bay Area with a free one-year subscription. Both try to address anti-Asian hate, but their differences illustrate the complexity of the issue.

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Talking about substance use can be hard for Filipino Americans. Why it's helpful to share stories
Honest conversations about substance abuse disorders and mental health can be difficult for some Filipino families.

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Hua Hsu on His New Memoir, 'Stay True'
Hua Hsu's new memoir is both a coming-of-age story and an evolutionary step for Asian American literature.

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The Stakes of Dictee
An introduction to Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's famously difficult work.

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Watching Spirited Away Again, and Again
For Nina Li Coomes, each viewing of Miyazaki's animated feature Spirited Away is a gift.

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"The Field Is Open": Ocean Vuong on Minari's Lasting Cultural Legacy
Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, reflects on the history of Asian American farmers in an original essay from A24's Minari screenplay book.

They Call Us Bruce 172: They Call Us Yuji Okumoto

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 actor Yuji Okumoto, who stars in season five of Netflix's Cobra Kai as Chozen Toguchi, the role he originated in 1986's The Karate Kid Pt. II. He talks about stepping back into the Karate Kid Cinematic Universe, his (and ours, and everybody's) love for Kumiko, and getting an unexpected redemption arc for his character over thirty years later. This episode is paid for by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Find boosters near you at vaccines.gov.

Kelly Marie Tran to Star in Biopic on Activist Amanda Nguyen

Nguyen founded the non-profit organization Rise, dedicated to furthering the rights of sexual assault survivors.



Kelly Marie Tran is developing a biopic about her friend, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, telling the story of her transformation from a survivor of college sexual assault to an activist for survivors' rights.

Tran will star in and produce the biopic about Nguyen, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee who founded civil rights accelerator Rise and wrote the Survivor's Bill Of Rights, which inspired the federal law passed in 2016.

“Over the years, Amanda's activism has changed the lives of billions, as she continues to make our world safer for sexual assault survivors everywhere,” Tran said in a statement. "Her courage inspires me every day, and I am honored to help tell her story."

Tang Yi is in talks to write and direct the film, which is in the early stages of development.

More here: Kelly Marie Tran to Star in, Produce Biopic on Activist Amanda Nguyen

New Documentary Revisits the Legend of Linsanity

'38 at the Garden' premieres October 11 on HBO.



I'll always remember the night Jeremy Lin dropped a stunning 38 points on the Lakers at Madison Square Garden. A new documentary short, 38 at the Garden, chronicles the extraordinary ascendance of your favorite Asian American point guard during his landmark 2012 season with the New York Knicks -- the period that affectionately became known as "Linsanity." You know the story. But I'll never get tired of it.

A decade later, Lin's stature as a groundbreaking, cultural icon stands in stark relief to the recent hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. 38 at the Garden recognizes a pivotal moment in time for Lin and celebrates a phenomenon that was bigger than basketball for the world. The film features a candid, new interview with Lin, as well as journalists Lisa Ling and Pablo Torre, comedians Ronny Chieng, Hasan Minhaj and Jenny Yang, and Knicks teammates Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert.

Here's the trailer:

Wakaji Matsumoto — An Artist in Two Worlds: Los Angeles and Hiroshima, 1917–1944

Online exhibition at the Japanese American National Museum



Wakaji Matsumoto — An Artist in Two Worlds: Los Angeles and Hiroshima, 1917–1944 is an online exhibition and public program about an artist and pioneer in Pictorialism who documented the lives of Japanese immigrant farmers in rural Los Angeles during the early 1900s and created rare images of urban life in Hiroshima prior to the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.

The online exhibition, presented by the Japanese American National Museum, highlights rarely seen early photographs of Los Angeles prior to World War II and of Hiroshima before the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb through the single lens of photographer Wakaji Matsumoto.

"Wakaji Matsumoto's photographs of farms that were operated by Japanese Americans in the Los Angeles area demonstrate the difficult life of Japanese Americans and their resolve and resilience," says Dennis Reed, the curator of the exhibition. "His photographs of Hiroshima are the largest-known photographic archive of the city prior to the atomic bomb. Today, our knowledge of the city's horrific fate lends a pall of melancholy over these tender images. They bear the weight of history."

View the online exhibition here: janm.org/exhibits/wakaji-matsumoto

Eugene Cordero Upped to Series Regular on 'Loki'

He played Time Variance Authority employee Casey in season one.



Eugene Cordero has been reportedly promoted to series regular on season two of Marvel's Loki. Cordero played the Time Variance Authority employee "Casey" in the first season of the Disney+ series. He only made a handful of appearances on the show, so it's pretty cool to see him make the jump to a bigger role.

Eugene is one of my favorite actors working today. If you don't know him from, say, his fan-favorite role as "Pillboi" on The Good Place, you've probably seen him in a dozen other things, including Easter Sunday, The Mandalorian, Kong: Skull Island, Tacoma FD, and The Good Place, to name a few.

More here: 'Loki': Eugene Cordero Upped To Series Regular For Season 2

Judge Overturns Murder Conviction of Adnan Syed of 'Serial'

Syed has been in prison for 23 years for the murder of high school classmate Hae Min Lee.



Adnan Syed, whose case was chronicled by the popular podcast Serial, was released from prison Monday after spending 23 years behind bars on charges that he murdered his former high school girlfriend.

Judge Melissa M. Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court overturned Syed's murder conviction in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee, finding that prosecutors had failed to turn over evidence that could have helped Syed at trial and discovered new evidence that could have affected the outcome of his case.

The office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City said in a motion filed last week that there was new information about two potential alternative suspects in the homicide. While prosecutors aren't saying Syed is innocent, they are saying they lack confidence in "the integrity of the conviction."

Prosecutors have 30 days to decide if they will proceed with a new trial or drop the charges against Syed, who was ordered to serve home detention until then.

More here: Judge Vacates Murder Conviction of Adnan Syed of 'Serial'


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Inside the forgotten story of the Chinatown mothers who mobilized during the Boston busing crisis
Boston's 1970s busing crisis typically has been cast as a Black and white struggle. What is less known is how Chinese immigrant women organized a three-day school boycott that changed Chinatown for decades to come.

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As anti-Asian bigotry rises across the U.S., a Temple professor’s civil rights suit becomes more relevant
Xiaoxing Xi, a Temple University physics professor who was falsely accused of spying for China, filed a discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. government in 2017. The case was dismissed. Xi was back in court Wednesday to get his lawsuit reinstated.

* * *
Why Yuh-Line Niou Didn't Run Again
Yuh-Line Niou lost her re-election campaign by a narrow margin. While her supporters hoped she would run in the general election on a third-party ticket, she gave a rundown of reasons why she won't be challenging Dan Goldman this election cycle.

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'They Break Up Families' — Crypto Scam Leaves Lasting Scars for Atlanta's Korean Community
A multimillion-dollar cryptocurrency scam targeted Atlanta's Korean community, reflecting a national trend that targets immigrant communities.

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She Fought Racism in Early Hollywood. Now She'll Be the First Asian American on US Currency
Sixty years after her death, Anna May Wong's legacy lives on in film and fashion. Now her contributions will be honored by one of the most quintessentially American symbols: the quarter.

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Meet the cookbook author who's bringing Taiwanese-American flavors to cannabis edibles
From coffee jelly to snowflake crisp nougat, Monica Lo explores her heritage through culinary cannabis.

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Making a Netflix Rom-Com That's a Trojan Horse for Exploring “Structural Racism and Sexism"
Georgia Lee, showrunner of Netflix's Partner Track discusses how she used the rom-com genre to tell a different story about race, gender, love and the workplace.

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'She-Hulk' Actor Benedict Wong Talks Living in the "Wong Cinematic Universe"
With several appearances across the MCU's Phase 4, Wong has become a fan-favorite character. Most recently, the Sorcerer Supreme, played by Benedict Wong, joins the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.

They Call Us Bruce 171: They Call Us Jamie Ford

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 bestselling author Jamie Ford, whose latest novel The Many Daughters of Afong Moy is described as an "epigenetic love story." He talks about the tragic real life of the first Chinese woman in America, weaving the intricate story of her imagined descendants, and exploring (and perhaps overcoming) inherited intergenerational trauma. This episode is paid for by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Find boosters near you at vaccines.gov.

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Indiana Jones and Short Round reunite after 38 years
Actors Harrison Ford and Ke Huy Quan, who starred together in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, reunited over the weekend at D23 -- hugging it out for an instantly iconic photo.

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In Orange County, a House Race Is Testing What Asian Americans Want
In politically competitive Orange County, two Asian American candidates are facing off for the support of the growing Asian American electorate.

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A racial reckoning over a festival’s disrespect toward Asians in Monterey Bay
For decades, the city of Pacific Grove, California -- a predominantly white city of about 15,000 -- would celebrate its annual "Feast of Lanterns," a faux-Asian festival that used dated stereotypes and appropriated Chinese culture. The city announced it was ending the event earlier this year.

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Meet the Moms Who Are Fighting Anti-Asian Hate
As anti-Asian hate rages across the nation, moms are taking a stand. But the fight isn't new.

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Comedian Jenny Yang's Food Education Campaign Asks Goop to Rethink MSG Messaging
Comedian Jenny Yang's latest collaborative food education campaign, held in conjunction with MSG-producing company Ajinomoto, redefines "clean eating" and constructively calls Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness platform, to action.

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Karen O Has Found a More Joyful Kind of Wildness
Yeah Yeah Yeahs front woman Karen O talks about recording the band's new album Cool It Down, becoming a mother, and meeting other rock stars who look like her.

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How Younghoe Koo overcame a language barrier and being cut to thrive in the NFL
From not knowing any English to becoming a starter, Atlanta Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo is one of the most improbable success stories of the National Football League.

All The Asians On Star Trek 29: Kathryn Lyn

The Podcast In Which We Interview All The Asians On Star Trek.



All The Asians On Star Trek is the podcast in which we interview all the Asians on Star Trek. In Episode 29, we welcome Kathryn Lyn, who has worn several hats in Star Trek writers rooms, including as a writer/producer on Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. She also officially serves as Canon Consultant on Lower Decks, making her the go-to geek when the writers have deep-cut canon questions. She talks about her journey as a writer, her favorite episodes, and the tattoo that got her a job on Star Trek.