They Call Us Bruce 236: They Call Us Monkey Man

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 our old friends Sujata Day (Definition Please, Heroes' Feast) and Dino-Ray Ramos (DIASPORA) to talk about the action revenge thriller Monkey Man, written/directed by and starring Dev Patel. We discuss this new take on storytelling from the South Asian diaspora, this blessed era of the Dev Patel Glow-Up, some of the political, religious and cultural controversy surrounding the movie, and of course, the badass action sequences (both borrowed and new) -- including the moment that had everybody in the movie screaming. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of Monkey Man.

All The Asians On Star Trek 36: Garrett Wang - Part 3

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 36, we conclude our conversation with Garrett Wang. For seven seasons, he starred as Ensign Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager. In Part 3 of our interview, Garrett talks about the nuances of cross-cultural casting; negotiating the relative Asian-ness of Harry Kim (how "Asian" is playing the clarinet?); his very first on-camera acting role as an extra in Death Wish IV; and the heartbreaking missed opportunity to reprise the role of (a finally promoted) Harry Kim in Star Trek: Picard.

They Call Us Bruce 235: They Call Us Asian American Studies

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 Pawan Dhingra, associate provost and associate dean of the faculty at Amherst College and current president of the Association for Asian American Studies. He talks about the newly minted AAPI Studies program at Amherst -- the first of its kind for liberal arts colleges -- what's behind the seemingly sudden surge of interest in Asian American Studies, and how the field still needs to grow and expand. Pawan also talks a bit about Kumon, the South Asian stranglehold on the spelling bee, and his incredibly titled book Hyper Education: Why Good Schools, Good Grades, and Good Behavior Are Not Enough.

All The Asians On Star Trek 35: Garrett Wang - Part 2

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 35, we welcome back actor Garrett Wang. For seven seasons, he starred as Ensign Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager -- which, at present time, makes him the Asian with the most screen time across the entire Star Trek franchise. In Part 2 of our interview, Garrett talks about some of the early struggles in his acting career -- including parental disapproval -- his personal favorite episodes of Voyager, and how, perhaps contrary to popular perception, Harry Kim was actually the "busiest" man in the Delta Quadrant.

They Call Us Bruce 234: They Call Us Avatar: The Last Airbender

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 Albert Kim, showrunner of Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender. He talks about the epic challenge of adapting the beloved animated series, "remixing" the original show's story elements for the streaming format, the cultural considerations that go into building an Asian-inspired fantasy world (does Iroh have an accent?) and casting Asian and Indigenous actors for these iconic roles. Plus: Jeff divulges Albert's personal email address. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender.

All The Asians On Star Trek 34: Garrett Wang - Part 1

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 34, we welcome actor Garrett Wang. For seven seasons, he starred as Ensign Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager. In Part 1 or our interview, Garrett talks about the epic, arduous audition process that earned him the role of Harry Kim, the glacial pace of Hollywood diversity from the nineties to now, and the meaningful moment he realized he was carrying the banner of Asian American representation on Star Trek.

They Call Us Bruce 233: They Call Us Asians in Baseball

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 Kim Cooper and Scott Okamoto, co-hosts of the podcast Asians in Baseball, just in time for spring training. They discuss the current renaissance of Asian and Asian American players in Major League Baseball; becoming a baseball fan in this extraordinary moment; Shohei Otani's ass; the Lenn Sakata Fan Club; and the unifying love of Kim Ha-Seong. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of Asians in baseball.