Sulu is gay in 'Star Trek Beyond'

John Cho reveals a significant new detail about his iconic character's private life.



Oh myyyy. Spoiler alert.

Sulu is gay in Star Trek Beyond and it's not a big deal. In the latest Star Trek movie, it is revealed that the USS Enterprise's helmsman, played by John Cho, is married and has a daughter with a same sex partner.

Okay, this is kind of a big deal, but I guess the movie is treating it like just another character detail about Hikaru Sulu's personal life in the forward-thinking future of Star Trek. We've already established that he's a badass and exceptionally good at his job. He's also a dad and married to a man.

The decision by director Justin Lin and screenwriter/co-star Simon Pegg to make Sulu gay was, of course, a nod to George Takei, who played the character in the original 1960s television series and beyond.

Video captures aftermath of police shooting in Minnesota

This is not someone else's problem.



In Minnesota, police shot and killed a man during a traffic stop Wednesday evening, in the second fatal encounter between police and an African-American man to gain national attention this week.

32-year-old Philando Castile was shot by a police officer in suburban St. Paul. Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, streamed video of the incident on Facebook Live immediately after the shooting, showing Castile bleeding from a wound to his chest area and the officer with his gun still visible through the window.

Reynolds had been riding in the car with Castile and her 4-year-old daughter. In the video, she said Castile was stopped for a broken tail light, had informed the officer that he had a gun in the car and was licensed to carry, and was reaching for his wallet at the officer's request. And yet he was still shot.

Details are still emerging, but in the video, Reynolds says the police officer is Asian.

'Heroine Complex' and the Importance of Writing Asian Girls Having Fun

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



So I wrote this book called Heroine Complex and I finally have a good answer for the inevitable question every writer dreads: "What's it about?"

I've gone through the Way Too Long Explanation That Goes Off On Many Tangents phase. The Read It And Find Out (Followed by Big Cheesy Smile) phase. The What Is Anything About Really, You Know What I'm Saying? Now Let's Change the Subject To Something That Is Not Me phase.

Here's my actual answer: It's about Asian Girls Having Fun.

At first I said this in a jokey, quippy, tossed off kind of way.

Now I say it as if it's the most important thing in the world. Because you know what? It kind of is.

Kollaboration Los Angeles 2016

Saturday, July 16 at East West Players



Hey Los Angeles! Kollabration LA 2016, this year's Southern California edition of the world famous Asian American talent show, presents an evening of live music, entertainment, and community. Six up-and-coming local performers -- Jessica Louise, Timothy John Band, Matt Almodiel, Leo Xia, Jackie Chao and Ruth & the Library -- will vie for the chance to compete at the national Kollaboration Star finale.

The evening will also include special musical performances from Paul Dateh, Clara C and last year's Kollaboration Star winner Peter Chung, as well as comedy from Voltron and the UCB Improv Super Team. And you do not want to miss our pal Jenny Yang defending her title from last year's Lip Sync Battle.

It's happening Saturday, July 16 at East West Players in Little Tokyo. Here are some more details:

Call Governor McCrory to #VetoHB972!

Cross-Posted from 18 Million Rising.



Police recordings -- taken on vehicle dashboard cameras and body-worn cameras -- are a matter of public record vital to preserving civil liberties. Under most states' laws, it's up to city government to decide whether or not to release them in cases of public interest, like when an officer uses deadly force against a civilian.

In North Carolina this week, the state legislature passed House Bill 972: a bill that gives police departments direct control, and greater discretion, over how and under which circumstances this crucial video footage is released to the public. We have 10 days to convince Gov. Pat McCrory to veto the bill -- or it becomes the law.

Laws like HB972 will make it harder for families to find justice for their loved ones. It already took the family of Chieu Di Thi Vo, a Vietnamese woman with bipolar disorder, two years to see video footage of her last moments of life after she was shot and killed by Greensboro Police Department (GPD) officer T.J. Bloch.

Her family repeatedly requested to see Officer Bloch's body camera footage. The Greensboro Police Department denied their requests while publicly claiming that "Chieu Di lunged at officer Bloch [with a knife], yelled that she would "gut" the police officer in Vietnamese, and that Chieu Di's mother's life was in danger."

Last month, the footage was finally released revealing that the police had lied.

Immigrants Make America Great

"This adjustable brim snapback hat is the greatest hat, that I can tell you."



Suck it, Donald Trump. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee's shit-tastically stupid, implicitly racist campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again," yearns for an America that never really was. One of the most consistent, driving forces behind Trump's political middle finger to everyone and the alleged path to making America "great" again has been his xenophobic, us-versus-them, keep-em-all-out anti-immigrant rhetoric.

But wait. This hat, on sale from Define American, is a pretty sweet retort.

Here's perhaps how Trump would sell it: "This adjustable brim snapback hat is the greatest hat, that I can tell you. You have to imagine that this is the classiest piece of headwear you will ever know. Look at it, it's disgusting that there are people walking around without it on their heads, it's unbelievable, it's UNbelievable. Tens of thousands of people will want to wear this hat, I guarantee it. You are going to do so much winning in this hat. Over and over and over again, all over the place. You'll get sick of all the winning you'll be doing."

Get it here.

Asian market targeted by vandals in possible hate crime

Yi Shen Market & Restaurant in Eugene, Oregon has been hit seven times in the last six months.



In Oregon, an Asian supermarket has been targeted multiple times by vandals on a monthly basis -- seven times in the last six months, and three times within the last week -- and dammit, the owner has had it.

Local Asian Gem May Be Victim of Target Vandalism

The Yi Shen Market & Restaurant in Eugene has been vandalized seven times since October. Each time, at least one of the store's windows was broken, but nothing was stolen, leading owner Phung Hsieh to suspect these acts might be hate crimes. The most recent incident occurred last Monday.

Speculative Visions: An Evening with Ted Chiang

Friday, July 15 at the Asian American Writers' Workshop.



Hey, New York City. The Asian American Writers' Workshop invites you to a special evening with one of the country's most prominent science fiction writers, Ted Chiang, the winner of four Nebula and four Huge Awards. The conversation will be moderated by Whiting Award winner Alice Sola Kim and introduced by Kirby Kim, Ted's literary agent at Janklow & Nesbit. It's happening Friday, July 15 at the Asian American Writers' Workshop.

Here are some more details:

Meet the New Chinese Super-Man!

View a four-page preview of Gene Luen Yang's 'New Super-Man' #1.



DC Comics newest high-flying hero, Kenan Kong, is a Chinese teenager from Shanghai who finds himself infused with the powers of the Man of Steel. Written by acclaimed graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, with art by Viktor Bodganovich, the new monthly title New Super-Man is part of DC's "Rebirth" initiative.

Ahead of this month's debut, here's an official preview of the first four pages of New Super-Man #1, which introduces our hero Kenan Kong and the DC Universe's version of metropolitan Shanghai, which appears to have its own super-problems. It also seems that when we first encounter Kenan, he is... well, a bit of a jerk.

Take a look:

In case you forgot that Sulu is a badass

"You kidding me, sir?"



Who's hyped for the new Star Trek movie? For those clamoring to see John Cho back in action as Hikaru Sulu in Star Trek Beyond, here's a little taste. This recently released quick-cut 15-second character promo puts the spotlight on the USS Enterprise's intrepid helmsman, who brings just the right amount of Starfleet swagger, confidence and raised eyebrow when it comes to jumpstarting alien spacecraft.

Check it out:

Miki Sudo defends Nathan's Famous Hot Dog eating title

Wiener and still champion.



Hot dog! On Monday, Miki Sudo successfully defended her championship belt, winning the women's division of the annual Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest in Coney Island.

Miki Sudo retains her Nathan's Famous hot dog eating crown

The 30-year-old competitive eater from Las Vegas scarfed down 38 1/2 hot dogs and buns in ten minutes to claim the coveted chomp-ionship title for the third straight year. She also pockets a $10,000 prize.

American students among 20 hostages killed in Bangladesh cafe terror attack

Faraaz Hossain reportedly refused to leave behind his friends Abinta Kabir amd Tarishi Jain.



By now you've heard about the deadly terrorist attack at a cafe in Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka on Friday. At least three American students have been identified among twenty hostages killed.

Bangladesh attack: Twenty hostages killed, army says

Bangladeshi forces stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery early Saturday to end an an hours-long hostage standoff by heavily armed militants, killing six of the attackers and rescuing 13 captives.

Twenty multi-national hostages were killed during the 10-hour siege, including nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, three Bangladeshis and one U.S. citizen of Bangladeshi origin.

The American students were Tarishi Jain, a sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley, Abinta Kabir, a sophomore at Emory University, and Faraaz Hossain, a student at Emory's Goizueta Business School.

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* * *
The Immigrant's Fate Is Everyone's: "My America opens its arms to the world rather than sells the world its arms. My America has a capacious hunger and the humility to wonder if it is right. My America speaks many languages and knows when to hold its tongue. But I know that another America exists, a more fearful and dangerous one. If that America wins, then we and the world lose."

* * *
All the Greedy Young Abigail Fishers and Me: Years ago, Jia Tolentino helped Houston's rich white students write their college admissions essays. She shares her experiences as related to the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling on "Becky with the Bad Grades v. University of Texas."

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The Reluctant Memoirist: Investigative journalist Suki Kim, author of Without You, There Is No Us: My Time With the Sons of North Korea's Elite, returned from an undercover mission in North Korea only to face her critics after her reporting was mis-labeled and mis-marketed as a memoir.

Scarlett Johansson says we should keep asking for diversity in Hollywood hahahahah ha haha

Perhaps we could start by not whitewashing Asian characters.



Super-famous movie star Scarlett Johansson attended the 2016 Gene Siskel Film Center Gala in Chicago on Thursday night, where she had some, ahem, interesting things to say about the state of Hollywood diversity.

Scarlett Johansson Says We Should Keep Asking For Diversity In Hollywood!

The 31-year-old Avengers star, who's currently making headlines as everybody's most favorite white person playing a Japanese cyborg cop in the Hollywood adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, talked about her career and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' efforts to expand and diversify its membership.

"It's awesome to have a diverse group of people in an organization like that," Johansson said regarding the Academy's recent invitation to a record 683 new members into its voting ranks. "You need to have different points of view and different perspectives."

Angry Reader of the Week: Jason Y. Lee

"Home is where the wifi is."



Hello, my internet friends! It's time again. It is 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 Jason Y. Lee.

Welcome to BrookLin: Jeremy Lin is headed to the Nets

Jeremy Lin agrees to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets.



Put away your Hornets jerseys, kids. Jeremy Lin is headed back to New York City. Brooklyn, that is. Your favorite Asian American point guard has agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets. The deal reportedly includes a trade kicker, bonuses and a player option for the third year.

Lin tweeted about joining the Nets on Friday morning:

Adnan Syed of 'Serial' is getting a new trial

Baltimore judge vacates 2000 conviction for the murder of Hae Min Lee.



A Baltimore judge has ordered a new trial for Adnan Syed, setting aside his conviction for the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend, in a case that was propelled to international attention by the popular podcast Serial.

Conviction vacated, new trial granted for Adnan Syed of 'Serial'

Syed, now 35, has been serving a life sentence since 2000, when he was convicted of killing ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The wildly popular first season of Serial, downloaded millions of times, renewed public interest in the case, rousing fervent speculation about Syed's guilt and whether he had received a fair trial.

Retired Judge Martin Welch, who had denied Syed's previous request for a new trial, vacated Syed's conviction Thursday and said questions about cellphone tower evidence should have been raised by his trial team.

Syed's lawyer, C. Justin Brown, confirmed the news on Twitter on Thursday afternoon:

Police seek help identifying elderly Chinese woman

She only speaks Cantonese and was found wandering a residential neighborhood in Redondo Beach.



UPDATE: The elderly woman found wandering a residential neighborhood in Redondo Beach has been reunited with her family. After taking her to the hospital, staff with the Department of Adult Protective Services were able to locate the woman’s family and arrange for her to be picked up.

* * *
Heads up, Southern California... In Redondo Beach, police are asking for the public's assistance identifying an elderly Chinese woman who was found wandering a residential neighborhood on Thursday morning.

Redondo Beach police seek family of elderly woman found wandering neighborhood

An elderly adult Chinese woman was found around 6:50 AM on Miramar Drive in Redondo Beach. She speaks only Cantonese and is between 80 and 90 years old, 4-foot-10-inches and between 80 and 90 pounds. She is wearing a tan shirt with light stripes, black pants and grey shoes.

Two families die in fiery car crash as fathers watch in horror

Aaron Ng and Wei Xiong were severely injured trying to rescue their wives and children.



This is an awful, horrifying story out of California... This week, tragedy struck two families who were killed in a fiery car crash while two men could only helplessly watch as their wives and children burned to death.

Two families are ripped apart when children, mothers die in car fire on 5 Freeway near Gorman

Two Bay Area families were on route to a vacation in Southern California on Tuesday when a big rig struck their minivan on the 5 Freeway, sending it off the road where it caught fire. Two women and four children died.

The minivan had gotten into a minor accident with another car, and they pulled over to the shoulder to inspect the damage. That's when a semi-truck slammed into the back of the minivan, propelling it completely off the road. It tumbled down a steep embankment with all eight passengers inside.

The two fathers sitting in the front, 34-year-old Aaron Hon Wing Ng and 45-year-old Wei Xiong Li, jumped out of the two front doors as the car burst into flames and attempted to pry open the back doors, but they were stuck. Both men suffered serious burns to their arms while trying to rescue their loved ones.

Old, discriminatory law used to block wrongful death lawsuit in fatal duck boat crash

Haram Kim was one of five people killed when a Seattle tourist vehicle collided with a bus last September.



21-year-old Haram Kim, an international student from South Korea, was one of five people killed when a popular duck boat tourist vehicle collided with a tour bus last September in Seattle. Her parents are now trying to sue Ride the Ducks, the operators responsible for the fatal crash, but the tour company is citing a racist, discriminatory century-old Washington law in an effort to dismiss the wrongful death lawsuit.

Parents of student killed in 'Ride the Ducks' crash say company is trying to block suit

Kim, a student at North Seattle College, suffered fatal injuries from the impact after a Ride the Ducks boat slammed into a charter bus. A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that a neglected and defective left front axle on the duck boat caused the deadly crash.

Kim's parents, Soon Won Kim and Ju Hee Jeong, have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Ride the Ducks, but the company says that a 100-year-old Washington statute bars the couple from seeking damages because they were not financially dependent on their daughter and don't live in the United States.