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A Terrifying Sign of Assimilation
"Ours is a nation where the unimaginable has somehow become inevitable. If Mr. Chou, Mr. Tran and Mr. Zhao committed mass shootings, they did so not because they were Asian but as Americans. Mass murder may be the fullest act of assimilation possible into a culture that has proudly chosen as its colors the red of innocent blood, the white of panicked eyes and the hazy blue of semiautomatic smoke."

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The Joy And Connection Of Ballroom Dance Will Outlast The Monterey Park Shooting
For decades, Star Dance's spacious hardwood floors drew professionals and amateurs alike to Monterey Park's downtown. But on Saturday, violence shattered the community's celebration of the Lunar New Year, when a man opened fire during one of the studio's busiest nights of the year, killing 11 people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s and injuring at least nine others.

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Why the Monterey Park shooting feels like an attack on Asian America
"To be sure, violence -- whether or not it is driven by prejudice -- happens everywhere in the U.S. But given the political climate since 2020, it is hard for Asian Americans to not automatically think that hate is the force behind any attack in our communities."

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An Asian American Grief
May we all find peace in the new year.

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Marie Kondo's life is messier now - and she's fine with it
Marie Kondo is a bit frazzled since giving birth to her third child in 2021. Like most of us, she’s having trouble keeping up with all of it. Never fear, though: She is still sparking joy. It’s just that, these days, that doesn't hinge on having a tidy house.

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Grace Young Wants to Keep Chinatown Restaurants in Business
Culinary historian Grace Young became an activist after the Covid pandemic hurt long-established businesses in New York and beyond.

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The Pen Ten: An Interview with Franny Choi
Franny Choi doesn't see dystopia as science fiction. In her poetry collection The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On, she writes about the dystopias that are happening now, and historically, to marginalized people everywhere.

They Call Us Bruce 187: They Call Us Heartbroken

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 break fron our usual format and take a moment to react to the mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay. This one's kind of raw.

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Authorities identify 72-year-old man as suspected gunman in Lunar New Year mass shooting
Authorities have identified the man responsible for a deadly shooting inside a Monterey Park dance studio as Hemet resident Huu Can Tran, 72.

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Lunar New Year shooting: A grim moment in Monterey Park, America's first suburban Chinatown
"Sometime between 1970 and 1990, Monterey Park became America’s first suburban Chinatown, where swift demographic changes heralded conflicts over language, signs, a changing business scene and political voice. In 2023 it is a city once again in flux, but as a tight-knit community whose residents typify what it means to be an Asian American -- and the spectrum within."

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After Indiana Univ. stabbing, Asian American students haven't received enough support from school
The suspect, Billie Davis, told Bloomington police that she targeted the student, who survived, for "being Chinese," adding, "It would be one less person to blow up our country."

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Redefining the 'New' in Lunar New Year
Some younger Asian Americans are creating their own Lunar New Year holiday traditions, putting a spin on lessons they've learned.

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Their Children Are Their Retirement Plans
The offspring of many East Asian immigrants are raised to support their elders in their later years. That gives a segment of Americans challenges others don't face.

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A Professor Who Challenges the Washington Consensus on China
Jessica Chen Weiss argues that Biden's China policy is contributing to an "action-reaction spiral."

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What My Father's Martial Arts Classes Taught Me about Fighting Racism
The goal of martial arts is self-defense. But what happens when the violence is as atmospheric as racism itself?

* * *
Randall Park's Long Wait for Shortcomings
Fresh Off the Boat star Randall Park makes his directorial debut with the adaptation Adrian Tomine's graphic novel Shortcomings, an Asian American story he waited 15 years to tell.

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How the Team Behind 'The Accidental Getaway Driver' Sought to Make a Culturally Sensitive Film
Producer Andy Sorgie, director Sing J. Lee and a team of consultants-turned-producers immersed themselves in the Southern California enclave of Little Saigon to tell the true-life story of an elderly Vietnamese war veteran whose life is changed by one fateful passenger pickup.

They Call Us Bruce 186: They Call Us Missing

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 filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty, writer/director of the hit thriller Searching, and writer/producer of its follow-up feature Missing. He talks about why 2018's Searching is now a period piece, the seemingly simple but actually super-complicated process of telling a story that unfolds entirely on screens, and why he and the team are not in any rush (for now) to make a third movie in the "Searching Cinematic Universe."

First Look Photos of Disney's 'American Born Chinese'

Adaptation of Gene Luen Yang's graphic novel stars Michelle Yeoh, Daniel Wu, Ke Huy Quan and more.



Disney+ has unveiled some new first look photos of its upcoming adaptation of American Born Chinese, based on the beloved graphic novel of the same name by Gene Luen Yang. The series has shaped up to be something of a reunion for actors Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, who also star in Everything Everywhere All at Once, which is currently cleaning up in its awards season run.

Adapted by Kelvin Yu, the "genre-hopping action comedy" series follows Jin Wang (Ben Wang), the son of Chinese immigrants who struggles with assimilating in the United States. Jin escapes into fantasy realms to grapple with his emotions and encounters spiritual creatures from Chinese mythology like Sun Wukong the Monkey King, played by Daniel Wu, and Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, played by Yeoh.

Check out the photos:

Indiana University Student Stabbed in Anti-Asian Attack

The suspect said she stabbed the victim because it "would be one less person to blow up our country."



It would be nice to not live in fear of literally being stabbed in the head for being Asian.

In Bloomington, Indiana, a woman has been charged after an 18-year-old Indiana University student repeatedly was stabbed in the head on a public bus in an anti-Asian attack. The suspect told police she stabbed the victim because the victim was "Chinese," adding that it "would be one less person to blow up our country."

The victim told investigators she was standing and waiting for the exit doors to open on a Bloomington Transit bus Wednesday afternoon when another passenger began striking her in the head multiple times with a folding knife. Surveillance footage showed that the suspect and the victim had no interaction leading up to the assault.

56-year-old Billie R. Davis has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery. According to NPR, Davis has not been charged with a hate crime because Indiana is one of four states that lack a comprehensive law. So this is, officially, just a regular head stabbing attack -- not a hate-motivated head stabbing attack.

More here: Indiana's Asian American community is grieving after a bus stabbing attack

Read These

I Am Michelle Go's Father. I Am Marking Her Death Where She Lived.
"It has been exactly one year since the death of our daughter, Michelle Alyssa Go. On Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, at around 9:30 a.m., Martial Simon viciously shoved Michelle in front of an oncoming subway train at the Times Square station. She was 40 years old. We now return to Manhattan to pay our respects to our daughter in the city she came to love."

* * *
Gwen Stefani: "I Said, 'My God, I'm Japanese'"
Fourteen years after the debut of her Harajuku Lovers fragrance collection, Gwen Stefani essentially tells Allure that she learned nothing about cultural appropriation.

* * *
Crime Concerns Drove Asian Americans Away From New York Democrats
Worries about public safety, especially attacks against Asian Americans, caused some in the once-reliably Democratic bloc to vote Republican last year.

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Why Michelle Yeoh's 'shut up' at the Golden Globes was profound for Asian women
"We have to live with these stereotypes and expectations of being demure and diminutive on the daily. So to witness that on such a big stage of something like the Golden Globes was profound."

* * *
Is Stephanie Hsu the 'Dark Horse' of Award Season?
Stephanie Hsu, who plays Joy/Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere All at Once, may not be as well known as her co-stars, but her role is crucial enough to deserve awards consideration.

* * *
American Born Chinese: Uncovering Asian American Stories With Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang
Gene Luen Yang's beloved graphic novel American Born Chinese is currently being adapted into a TV series on Disney+ starring Ben Wang, Michelle Yeoh, Chin Han, Yeo Yann Yann, Daniel Wu, and Ke Huy Quan.

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They Call Us Bruce 185: They Call Us New Year 2023

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 the new year with one last look back at the year that was, in the kind of super-sized conversation they only reserve for two of our perennially favorite guests: Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter and Dino-Ray Ramos of Diaspora. We discuss personal developments, the tired and tiring buzzwords of diversity, and finally falling to COVID-19. We also go three rounds of a special new year edition of The Good, The Bad and The WTF: Boost, Mask and Unknown Variant, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find an updated COVID vaccine near you at vaccines.gov. #WeCanDoThis.

Read These

America's Covid Test Requirement for Chinese Travelers Is a Farce
"By treating only Covid from China as a real danger and domestic cases as presumably milder, the U.S. government effectively endorses the centuries-old tropes of Asians as the 'diseased other' and the notion that the coronavirus is, in fact, the "'China virus.'"

* * *
I May Have Started a Rumor About K-Pop, and It May Be Ruining My Life
Euny Hong addresses a rumor that K-pop is funded by the Korean state – a rumor she may have started.

* * *
The Etiquette Guru Who Broke Up With a Boyfriend Over Text
Sara Jane Ho offers practical manners for a new, global world.

* * *
Why South Asians are the most politically liberal of all Asian Americans
South Asians are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the U.S., especially in battleground states. And out of all Asian Americans groups, they are the most politically liberal.

* * *
The Best Woks
Wirecutter set out to find the best wok. They spoke with experts and then got to work sautéing, frying, and steaming. One clear winner stood out.

* * *
Q&A: Iris Yamashita, Author of ‘City Under One Roof'
In City Under One Roof, the debut novel from Academy Award-nominated writer Iris Yamashita, a stranded detective tries to solve a murder in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone lives in a single high-rise building.

* * *
Everything Everywhere's Ke Huy Quan is, all at once, an awards contender
The child star of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies is back in the spotlight, joining the Marvel universe, and, smart money says, the Oscars nomination list.

* * *
The Dave Bautista Method
After hanging up his wrestling tights, Dave Bautista could've made an easy living cranking out one brainless, explosion-happy blockbuster after another. Instead, he's improbably emerged as a serious thespian trapped in an action hero's body, and the who's-who of Hollywood auteurs keep lining up to work with him.

Read These

| Casinos Target a Vulnerable Clientele: Older Asian Gamblers
Although there is limited research on the prevalence of gambling by race, studies have shown that Asian Americans are at greater risk of developing a gambling disorder than the population as a whole. The gambling industry's efforts to lure Asian customers will be a significant factor looming over the upcoming application process for new casino licenses in New York.

* * *
Oakland's Next Mayor Highlights Political Rise of Hmong Americans
Sheng Thao, the daughter of refugees, will become the nation's most prominent Hmong American politician when she leads the California city of 440,000 residents.

* * *
PBS NewsHour's New Co-anchor Prefers Jobs That Scare Her
Amna Nawaz was recently promoted from chief correspondent to co-anchor of PBS News Hour.

* * *
American Girl makes history with its first South Asian Girl of the Year doll
The iconic doll brand American Girl has named Kavi Sharma, an Indian American girl from New Jersey who loves to sing, as its 2023 Girl of the Year.

* * *
Dolly De Leon On Her Golden Globe Nomination And What It Means To The Filipino Community
Filipino actress Dolly De Leon has received major recognition and attention this awards season for her exceptional performance as Abigail in the film satire Triangle of Sadness.

* * *
Atsuko Okatsuka on Finding Levity in Scary Situations and Her First Comedy Special
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka discusses her HBO Max special, The Intruder, as well as the role her "unconventional upbringing" had in discovering her calling.

They Call Us Bruce 184: They Call Us Rodney Faraon

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 former intelligence officer, security expert, writer/producer and amateur chef(!) Rodney Faraon. In the final episode of an extremely tumultuous year, we discuss a wide range of topics, including Twitter's sad plunge into the toilet, the mishandling of top secret secrets, what it's like to have your CIA career inspire a TV series starring Katherine Heigl, and why risotto is the kiss of death of cooking competitions.

Read These

They Traveled From South Korea. They Got Stranded Near Buffalo.
A South Korean tour group’s van became stuck in the snow outside a house in Williamsville, N.Y. They spent the weekend with the residents — who luckily had a well-stocked kitchen.

* * *
Defining 'Asian American' is complicated. Who gets left behind?
Asian Americans have long debated who is included in their cohort. South Asians and Southeast Asians, among others, sometimes feel overlooked by the umbrella term.

* * *
Why Hallmark's 'A Big Fat Family Christmas' left Asian American communities divided
An Asian American-led Hallmark Christmas movie sparks disagreement and discourse.

* * *
How the American Born Chinese TV series translates the classic graphic novel to screen
American Born Chinese author Gene Luen Yang, show creator Kelvin Yu, and star Ben Wang talk about working with Michelle Yeoh and bringing the Asian-American experience to screen.

* * *
'I'm Not Trying to Be America's Sweetheart': Hong Chau on Her Banner Year
As an actress, Hong Chau's resume is lean but mighty. What it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality.

* * *
The Best Action Scene of 2022 Was Everything Everywhere All at Once's Butt-Plug Fight
Stephanie Hsu and Martial Club reveal how they made the film's wildly outrageous, Hong Kong-inspired fight sequences.

They Call Us Bruce 183: They Call Us Queen of Christmas

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 singer-songwriter Elizabeth Chan, the world's only full-time recording artist dedicated to original Christmas music -- and still, legally, the "Queen of Christmas." She talks about her prolific output of Christmas music -- an album a year for the past twelve years and counting -- her trademark victory over Mariah Carey to keep the crown, and what it's like to have the holidays in your heart year-round.

Read These

The viral AI avatar app Lensa undressed me—without my consent
"I have Asian heritage, and that seems to be the only thing the AI model picked up on from my selfies. I got images of generic Asian women clearly modeled on anime or video-game characters. Or most likely porn."

* * *
John Fetterman’s TikTok Whisperer
Fresh off a frantic election cycle, Annie Wu Henry, the former Fetterman campaign social media producer -- and dedicated Swiftie -- takes time to shake it off.

* * *
As an American, I want the right to celebrate without fear
Curtis Chin reflects on the recent signing of the Respect for Marriage Act, a bipartisan bill affirmatively recognizing and protecting marriages of same sex couples and of interracial couples at the federal level, a feat that seemed impossible only a few years ago.

* * *
In LA, The Rise Of The Asian American Progressive
Kenneth Mejia, the newly elected Los Angeles city controller who took office last week as the first Asian American to hold citywide office, is at the forefront of an increasingly visible group of Asian American progressives to enter local politics in the last few years.

* * *
Tell Him Your Story, and He’ll Photograph Your Wedding. For Free.
Vincent Po, an engineer turned itinerant photographer, has been shooting weddings in exchange for room and board for the last two years as part of his Portrait of a Young Couple series.

* * *
Meet the Bad-Ass Asian American Bakers Reshaping LA’s Desserts Scene
Cheesecake baos, mochi egg tarts, black sesame mooncakes, and more.

* * *
‘KPOP’ Composer Helen Park, Star John Yi on Representational Impact and Broadway's AAPI Inclusion
In an emotional panel following their final performance, KPOP creatives and other notable members of the theater industry's Asian community said goodbye for now to the history-making production.

* * *
Babylon's Li Jun Li on Capturing Anna May Wong Onscreen
Her character in Babylon may be named Lady Fay, but actress Li Jun Li says she took all her inspiration from trailblazing Chinese American actress Anna May Wong.

All The Asians On Star Trek 32: Peipei Alena Yuan

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 32, we welcome actress and stunt performer Peipei Alena Yuan, who served as the stunt double for Freda Foh Shen in the 2009 feature film Star Trek, directed by JJ Abrams. Outside of Star Trek, her long list of stunt credits includes Bullet Train, Stranger Things, The Terminal List, Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Flight Attendant, among many others. She talks about pivoting from visual effects to stunt work, her unexpected pivotal role in creating "Bully Maguire," and getting to perform a fight scene with a bucket list legend.

They Call Us Bruce 182: They Call Us The Black Widow

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 champion pool player Jeanette Lee, subject of the ESPN documentary 30 For 30: Jeanette Lee VS., and director Ursula Liang. They discuss the career and legacy of the "Black Widow" in professional billiards and beyond, overcoming pain and pressure from all sides when life knocks you down, and approaching the pool table with confidence, swagger, and your whole, authentic, black-clad self.

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Time names Michelle Yeoh its 2022 Icon of the Year. She’s ready for Oscars love too
Michelle Yeoh has been named Time's 2022 Icon of the Year, highlighting her storied 40-year acting career that includes this year’s Everything Everywhere All at Once.

* * *
Broadway's trailblazing 'KPOP' musical is abruptly closing. What went wrong?
KPOP, the first Broadway musical about Korean pop culture, announced that it's closing nine days after opening -- after just 44 preview performances and 17 regular performances. How did the show fail to find an audience?

* * *
KPOP Songwriter Helen Park Reflects on a Broadway Run Cut Short
KPOP composer Helen Park reflects on the the groundbreaking Broadway musical's abrupt closing.

* * *
As an immigrant kid, I learned about Christmas from TV — and it nearly broke my heart
New to the U.S. and unfamiliar with Christmas traditions, holiday movies shaped Nancy Wang Yuen's childhood, for better or worse.

* * *
I Had Korean Double Eyelid Surgery at 18. I Look Back Now with Regret.
Years after going under the knife, writer Iris Kim examines her complicated relationship with Korean plastic surgery and impossible standards of beauty.

* * *
How a rom-com launched the greatest fake band in San Francisco history
The story of Hello Peril, Randall Park's authentically good but fake band in Always Be My Maybe.

* * *
Atsuko Okatsuka Wants Her Grandma to Feel Hotter
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, who stars in her first standup special The Intruder on HBO, talks about not always feeling hot, her love of dancehall, and discovering her superpowers.

* * *
Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh on Creating Iconic Characters From Roles Written for Men
Icons Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett in conversation.

* * *
Don't believe the K-dramas: Look to "Return to Seoul" for a more realistic view on Korean adoptees
In Davy Chou's film Return to Seoul -- Cambodia's Oscar entry for the Best International Film category -- Park Ji-min is a transracial adoptee who impulsively ends up seeking out her birth family.

* * *
On Stage And Screen, 'Industry' Star Ken Leung Is Leaning In To The Fear
Veteran actor Ken Leung talks about sustaining a career full of variety and his return to theater after twenty years in Evanston Salt Costs Climbing.

They Call Us Bruce 181: They Call Us Atsuko Okatsuka

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 comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, who stars in her first HBO comedy special The Intruder. She talks about the actual and metaphorical intruders that inspired her act, going really really really viral on TikTok with the "drop" challenge, blurring the personal and private on stage, and why her grandma deserved a lap dance at Magic Mike Live.

Read These

New York Times Theatre Critic Jesse Green Draws Criticism for KPOP Review
Company members of Broadway's KPOP are speaking out following a negative review of the musical by New York Times theatre critic Jesse Green, who took issue with the amount of Korean language in the show.
* * *
Asian American voters could help decide the Senate runoff in Georgia, experts say
National political leaders and advocates are trying to rally Asian American support in the final days before the Senate runoff between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock in Georgia.

* * *
After Strangers Saved an Asian Man in a Subway Stabbing, I Fought Back My Own Fear
Bystander intervention training and a self-defense class—both tailored to the Asian experience—showed Rodlyn-mae Banting how to protect herself and her community.

* * *
Everything Everywhere All at Once Director Daniel Kwan on His New Children's Books, ADHD, and What He Never Wants to Read Again
"I think some of my best work comes out of an informed naivety. I think there's something really great about boldly making decisions that an expert would not make, and I feel like these books definitely feel like that."

* * *
'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Star Ke Huy Quan On Getting A Second Chance To Pursue His Dream: "I'm Always Grateful"
Ke Huy Quan walked away from acting due to the lack of roles for Asian actors. He talks about that time, how Crazy Rich Asians inspired him, and his comeback with Everything Everywhere All at Once.

* * *
Bilal Baig Steps Into Their Comfort Zone
Sort Of star and co-creator Bilal Baig is learning to tolerate being perceived.

* * *
Why Celeste Ng calls her new novel, 'Our Missing Hearts,' 'scarily real'
Celeste Ng's new novel, Our Missing Hearts, may feel like a departure to the legions of fans who read her first two books, but the bestselling author does not see it that way.

Read These

What Does It Mean to Care About COVID Anymore?
Tips on navigating COVID mitigation as we approach the third pandemic winter.

* * *
From homeless to city hall: the Hmong American mayor making history in Oakland Sheng Thao, the newly elected mayor of Oakland, is the first Hmong American woman to lead a major U.S. city, the youngest Oakland mayor in 75 years and the first renter to hold the position.

* * *
10 Must-Read Novels About Asian American Politics Ryan Lee Wong names ten novels that expand upon, challenge, and imagine futures for an Asian American political identity -- stories of rebels and revolutionaries, organizers and outsiders taking histories into their own hands.

* * *
As Anna May Wong quarters roll out, a younger generation reflects on the actress’ legacy Trailblazing actress Anna May Wong is the first Asian American to to be featured on a U.S. quarter.

* * *
Broadway Musicals Don't Have Asian Roles. Helen Park Is Changing That. Helen Park, composer of the new musical Kpop at Circle in the Square Theatre, is Broadway’s first Asian American woman composer and only the sixth Asian composer of a Broadway show.

* * *
David Siev, Jaclyn Siev, Rachel Siev and Chun Siev on a Year Living on Edge in "Bad Axe"
David Siev's Bad Axe documents his family keeping their restaurant afloat and navigating conservative politics in a rural town in the early months of the pandemic.