Angry Reader of the Week: Crystal Duan

"Alas, overthinking feels more like a permanent residence."


Hello, my 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 Crystal Duan.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 66: They Call Us Randall Park & Michael Golamco

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.

On this episode, we welcome actor Randall Park and writer Michael Golamco to talk about Always Be My Maybe, their new Netflix romantic comedy with Ali Wong. They discuss The Good, The Bad and The WTF of making an awesome Asian American movie with your friends.

Making a Scene: How Claudia Kishi Helped Me and My YA Heroine Find Our Voices

Guest Post by Sarah Kuhn



I love Claudia Kishi. Ever since she first emerged on the pages of The Baby-Sitters Club books -- that touchstone series about enterprising tweens who start their own small business and become embroiled in the world of Kid Kits, cruises, and mysteries that involve things like ghost cats -- I've been obsessed with her every move. I related to her creativity, her inability to master math, and her whole Japanese American girl living in the white suburbs thing. I coveted her in-room phone line, her hollowed out books full of candy, and of course... her clothes.

Oh, her clothes. So many bright colors. So many "clashing" patterns. So many bedazzled ankle boots. The endless pages that lovingly describe her outfits (often characterized as "wild") are the most worn and dog-eared in my BSC collection. I wanted every single piece of her wardrobe so very badly.

But I also found myself caught in a classic tweenager-y paradox. I thought I wanted to stand out like Claudia, but I also knew in my heart of hearts that it would probably be better for my whole middle school experience if I did not stand out at all. At least, not any more than I already did, thanks to that "Japanese American girl living in the white suburbs" thing.

I sometimes found myself trying to incorporate a Claudia-esque piece into my look -- oversized men's shirts, scrunchy socks in a Technicolor rainbow of colors, barrettes shaped like animals. But I always ended up feeling self-conscious, the bravado I'd felt when clipping that sparkly giraffe into my hair melting as soon as one of the popular white girls sent me one of those disdainful looks that just seemed to say: really?

'Always Be My Maybe' is best enjoyed in a big loud theater

Ali Wong and Randall Park's romantic comedy is now playing in select theater before hitting Netflix on May 31.



At long last! The romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe, starring Randall Park and Ali Wong, hits select theaters in ten cities today, May 29, before dropping on Netflix everywhere this Friday, May 31.

Directed by Nahnatchka Khan, and co-written by Park, Wong and Michael Golamco, Always Be My Maybe centers on Sasha and Marcus, childhood best friends who have a falling out. Reuniting fifteen years later, Sasha is now a successful celebrity chef opening a restaurant in San Francisco while Marcus is a happily struggling musician still living at home with his dad. The old sparks are still there but can they adapt to each other's world?

Here's the trailer again:

Security guards still don't believe Jeremy Lin is in the NBA

Jeremy Lin was recently stopped from boarding the player bus in Milwaukee.



The Good News: Jeremy Lin and the Toronto Raptors are headed to the NBA Championship Finals for the first time. The Bad News: Jeremy Lin still gets stopped by security personnel who don't recognize him as a player.

Lin has been candid about this. It happens to him fairly regularly. The latest incident occurred earlier this month in Milwaukee after Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. A security guard stopped Jeremy from boarding the Raptors' team bus at Fiserv Forum, demanding to see his credentials.

"After game two in Milwaukee, I was trying to get to the team bus and one of the dudes in the Milwaukee Arena just screams at me," Lin recently shared on the Bill Michaels Sports Talk Network. "He's like, 'Where do you think you’re going?!' And I'm like, 'Uh, I’m trying to get to the team bus.' He’s like, 'What? Where's your pass?'"

"'I don't know what you’re taking about,'" Lin recalls saying. "'I don't have a pass.'"

He talks about it at around the 10:20 mark:

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How Keanu Reeves Ended Up in Ali Wong, Randall Park's Romantic Comedy 'Always Be My Maybe'
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Breaking My Own Silence
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At a Historic Moment for Asian-American Candidates, Andrew Yang Leans In
Andrew Yang, a businessman from New York, is seeking the Democratic nomination for president. His focus on preventing mass unemployment caused by the automation of jobs has made him popular online, but will it be enough to propel him to the White House?

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Asian Americans could be the group most affected by the census citizenship question
As the fastest growing racial demographic in America, even among undocumented arrival, the census citizenship question would have a huge impact on Asian Americans.

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How One Woman's Story Led to the Creation of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Jeanie Jew, a former Capitol Hill staffer, sought to turn her own family's history into a way to spread public awareness of Asian Pacific American contributions.

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A student in Boston wrote 'I am from Hong Kong.’ An onslaught of Chinese anger followed.
Emerson College student Frances Hui penned a column titled "I am from Hong Kong, not China," which generated backlash from Chinese students -- a backlash that reflects wider questions over identity amid the rapid erosion of the territory's autonomy and promised "one country, two systems" relationship.

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An Artist Who Channels Her Anger Into Pie Charts
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The Psychiatrist in My Writing Class and His 'Gift' of Hate
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She used to ignore her mother's stories about Vietnam. A professor's class helped change that.
In her valedictory speech to the University of Southern California's Class of 2019, Ivana Giang, the child of Vietnamese immigrants, challenged the school on its diversity.

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Eavesdropping on Ocean Vuong's New Book
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Who Was the First Asian American Author You Read?
Twenty Asian American writers discuss the first time they saw themselves reflected in literature.

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6 Lovely Children's Books About Asian American Culture
A few children's books that talk about Asian American culture.

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How Claudia Kishi Inspired A Generation Of Asian American Writers
The Babysitters Club cast of fictional teens included Claudia, a Japanese American teen known for her bold outfits and love for art. How this character influenced a generation of Asian American writers.

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Chloe Kim on Asian American representation and the pressures of success
Snowboarding wunderkind and Olympic medalist Chloe Kim talks about attending Princeton, navigating the world on her own terms, and ice cream.

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What's It Like to Feel Keanu Reeves's Energy Against Your Leg? John Wick 3's Mark Dacascos Explains.
Best known for playing the Chairman on Iron Chef America, Mark Dacascos talks about his role in John Wick 3.

Taika Waititi is officially directing the live-action 'Akira'

Warner Bros. has set the release date for May 21, 2021.



The live-action adaptation of Akira has been drowning in a special kind of Hollywood hell for years, with many different directors, many false starts, and many white actors attached to star. If you ask most fans of the famed cult manga and animated feature, it was probably best for everyone to just let this one die.

Taika Waititi's 'Akira' Will Take Off In Summer 2021

But Akira is not dead. It lives. Warner Bros. has announced that Taika Waititi is directing Akira. Officially. Finally. Seriously, the rumors started like two years ago. And hey, the script is co-written by Michael Golamco, who co-wrote the upcoming Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe with Randall Park and Ali Wong.

These are all very positive developments.

Karen Chee's Guide for Celebrating Heritage Month

'Late Night with Seth Meyers' writer offers some helpful DOs and DON'Ts for white people.



As you may know, May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To celebrate the occasion properly, Late Night with Seth Meyers recently invited writer Karen Chee to share a short list of helpful Dos and Don'ts for white people who would like to join in on the Heritage Month fun.

For instance, the first one on her list is a microagression classic: "Don't ask me where I'm really from!" Unfortunately, people still need to hear this one. "Because when I say I'm from a suburb of San Francisco, I can tell you're disappointed," Chee says. "Asian American people are descendants of many different countries, which is just a polite way of saying number two. Don't say 'Ni Hao' to me."

Ah, the ni hao. Check out the full segment:

USC knew campus gynecologist was preying on Asian patients

Dr. George Tyndall is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of students over several decades.



A former campus gynecologist at the University of Southern California is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of students. Records show that after decades of complaints about Dr. George Tyndall, university administrators hired a team of medical experts to evaluate him. They came back with a disturbing report: Tyndall showed signs of "psychopathy" and preyed on vulnerable Asian students.

Despite these findings, the school did nothing.

Well, that's not entirely true. USC did not fire Dr. George Tyndall and failed to notify the Medical Board of California. But the university's lawyers did arrange a secret deal with the doctor that allowed him to resign with a substantial financial payout and a clean professional record.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 65: They Call Us Vibrant Asians

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.

On this episode, we talk food, authenticity and appropriation with London journalist Angela Hui, the only East Asian person in attendance at a recent preview event for Gordon Ramsay's "vibrant Asian eating house" Lucky Cat. Her take: "It was an actual kitchen nightmare."

Atsuko's Birthday Album Recording

Sunday, May 26 at Dynasty Typewriter



If you're in Los Angeles and looking for something laughs, we have just the thing for you.

Our friend, acclaimed comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, is celebrating her birthday and recording her new comedy album, and needs some bodies in the audience. The evening will feature Daniel Franzese and Baron Vaughn, and proceeds will go to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). Best of all, her grandma will be serving up dumplings before the show. I mean, how can you say no to that? You can't.

It's happening this Sunday, May 26 at Dynasty Typewriter. For more info, and to purchase tickets, go here.

At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America

May 25 - October 20, 2019 at the Japanese American National Museum.



If you're in Los Angeles, check out this exhibit opening this weekend at the Japanese American National Museum. At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America is a multi-media exhibition that explores and celebrates the emergence of a politically defined Asian Pacific American consciousness and identity.

The exhibition chronicles the transformation of the un-American categorization of “Oriental” to the political identity of "Asian Pacific American" that rejected racist stereotypes, stood up for human rights, recovered lost histories, and created new cultural expressions. The exhibition draws from hundreds of thousands of photographs and more than 100 videos in the collections of VC, the first Asian Pacific American media organization in the country, which formed in Los Angeles in 1970 to capture and cultivate the newfound unity that was Asian Pacific America. In the present-day climate of xenophobia and racial profiling, At First Light seeks to strengthen current resistance and resolve by evoking the legacy of Asian Pacific American activism.

At First Light: The Dawning of Asian Pacific America opens on Saturday, May 25 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. For further information about the exhibition, go here.

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Chinese Railroad Workers Were Almost Written Out of History. Now They're Getting Their Due.
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In Constance Wu, Asian Americans Finally Have a Diva to Call Our Own
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Why The Asian American Food Movement Complicates What We Think About Authenticity
"But is it authentic?" On the fraught term and the way the Asian American food movement complicates it.

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The Colonial Roots of Cheese Pimiento
An illustrated story about a Filipina American discovering that her favorite snack has a bloody origin story.

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How Vietnamese Americans Took Over The Nails Business: A Documentary
If you've had a manicure lately, chances are you probably had it done at a nail salon run by people of Vietnamese heritage -- in nearly every city, state and strip mall across the United States. So how did Vietnamese entrepreneurs come to dominate the multi-billion dollar nail economy?

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California's future depends on Asian American philanthropy
In order to keep California communities and neighborhoods vibrant, Asian Americans must be meaningfully engaged and active contributors.

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How Venice Boulevard keeps South Asian culture alive in Los Angeles
About 12,000 South Asians live in the surrounding neighborhoods along Venice and Washington Boulevard near Culver City, California, and there are up to 40 South Asian-owned businesses in the area.

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'Origin Story' Filmmaker Kulap Vilaysack Brings Lao Culture to Hollywood Hills

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Nico Santos writes about his personal connection to the Superstore season 4 finale
In the season finale of Superstore, something happens that impacts Mateo's life in the United States -- something familiar to actor Nico Santos, who writes about the personal impact of the episode.

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APAHM - ARTIST INTERVIEW: CHARLYNE YI
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Angry Reader of the Week: Shalini Shankar

"Basically, I want to know what it all means."



Greetings, good people of the internet. 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 Shalini Shankar.

AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate, May 18

On Vincent Chin's birthday, and everyday, stand up against bullying and hate.



Act To Change, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending bullying in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community, is mobilizing the nation around the first-ever AAPI Day Against Bullying and Hate, this Saturday, May 18 -- the birthday of Vincent Chin, who was beaten to death in a hate crime in 1982.

To declare this day, cities and other municipalities across the country have issued proclamations, resolutions, and commendations. Act To Change is also partnering with influencers, elected officials, and other nonprofit organizations to help spread the word on social media.

For further information, and to join the campaign, view the resources here.

Casting Call: Netflix is looking for Claudia Kishi

Upcoming 'Baby-Sitters Club' series seeks Japanese American actress to play fan-favorite character.



Calling Claudia Kishi! The upcoming Netflix series The Baby-Sitters Club, based on the popular book series, is searching for a young Japanese American actress to play fan favorite character Claudia Kishi.

They're currently holding auditions to find a 12-year-old Japanese American female to fill the series regular role of Claudia. According to the casting call, Claudia is "a bit of a dreamer with her head in the clouds, the result of which is that she's not the greatest student. She's ahead of the curve level cool and always arty, with a fashionable clothes, a friend and neighbor of Kristy and Mary Anne." That sounds like Claudia.

"Claudia went through a phase where she 'decided she'd rather look like a Barbie than play with one,'" the casting call continues. "Even her bedroom is a cool mess, filled with paintings collages and clippings, and everyone agrees it's the perfect place for the newly formed Baby-Sitters Club."

Architect I.M. Pei dies at 102

Former real estate developer became one of the most revered architects in the world.



I. M. Pei, the Chinese American architect who began his long career working for a New York real-estate developer and ended it as one of the most revered architects in the world, has died. He was 102.

His son Li Chung Pei said on Thursday that his father had died overnight.

Mr. Pei was probably best known for designing the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the glass pyramid that serves as an entry for the Louvre in Paris.

More here: I.M. Pei, World-Renowned Architect, Is Dead at 102

Behold the full 'Always Be My Maybe' trailer. It is glorious.

Randall Park and Ali Wong star in the highly-anticipated Netflix romantic comedy.



Yes. Yesssssssss. We have a full trailer for Always Be My Maybe, the highly anticipated Netflix romantic comedy starring Ali Wong and Randall Park. And it is wonderful. It is beautiful. It is hilarious.

Wong and Park star as Sasha and Marcus, inseparable childhood friends. But when tragedy and hormones (and an awkward moment in the backseat of a Toyota Corolla) put a rift between them, they don't speak for 15 years. Reconnecting as adults, Sasha is now a celebrity chef opening a restaurant in San Francisco, while Marcus is a happily struggling musician still living at home and working for his dad. Though the two are reluctant to reconnect, they soon find the old sparks -- and maybe some new ones -- are there.

Check it out:

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Remember the Chinese immigrants who built America's first transcontinental railroad
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Here's What Happened When My Mom Hid Her Cancer Diagnosis From Her Family
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My Immigrant Mom Hates When I Spend Money on Her. I Do It Anyway.
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Nothing Unites Southeast Asians Faster Than Seeing a White Man Insult Their Food
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'I see any dinosaur, I buy it': at home with the embattled owner of the Flintstone house
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'They Don't Know Me': The Joy Luck Club's Tsai Chin Looks Back on Her 6-Decade Career
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'Origin Story' Director Kulap Vilaysack Talks Uncovering Hard Truths, Asian Family Dynamics And Complexities Of Cultural Identity
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Maya Erskine Is About to Be Hollywood's Biggest Comedy Star
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'Fresh Off The Boat' renewed for Season 6

The Asian American family comedy will return to ABC for a historic sixth season.



The Huangs will be back! Season 6! ABC has renewed Fresh Off The Boat for the 2019-20 season.

Inspired by the best-selling memoir of food personality and provocateur Eddie Huang, the family comedy follows the adventures of the Huangs, a Taiwanese American family getting their immigrant hustle on in 1990s suburban Orlando, in pursuit of the American dream.

The single-camera comedy, executive produced by Nahnatchka Khan and Melvin Mar, stars Randall Park, Constance Wu, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen, Lucile Soong, Chelsea Crisp and Ray Wise.