They Call Us Bruce

In Episode 235, Jeff and Phil 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.

In Episode 234, Jeff and Phil 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.

In Episode 233, Jeff and Phil 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.

In Episode 232, Jeff and Phil welcome Olivia Cheng and Dianne Doan, stars of the badass action series Warrior (now on Netflix!). They talk about how the show has embodied the fighting spirit of Bruce Lee; some of the initial trepidation and concerns they had about their roles at the beginning of the production; and why Olivia is the Ginger Rogers of Warrior. Also: a guest appearance from Dianne's dog and why Olivia's early role as "Dim Sum Girl #1" actually completes an interesting full-circle moment. 

In Episode 231, a special conversation recorded live at Asia Society in New York City, Jeff welcomes newly minted Academy Award nominee Celine Song, writer/director of Past Lives. (Spoiler warning!) They discuss the real-life autobiographical moment that inspired her film's bilingual, bi-cultural center; telling a story about the people who hold and know the different parts of ourselves; and how things might have ended up differently for Nora and Hae Sung if they just had better tech and a stronger internet connection. 

In Episode 230, Jeff and Phil welcome filmmaker Sean Wang, director of the Academy Award-nominated documentary short Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, a love letter to his own grandmothers. He talks about making an unapologetically personal film about the everyday lives of these two extraordinary women, why Wài Pó wields a sword, and the amazing gift of getting to experience the film's success as a family. Also: The Good, The Bad, and WTFarts of making Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó.

In Episode 229, Jeff and Phil ring in the Year of the Dragon and welcome back friend, journalist and fellow podcaster Ada Tseng to talk about her Los Angeles Times piece which asked and answered a very important question: Which are the "most Asian" Costcos in Southern California? They discuss why the wholesale chain holds a particular appeal for Asian American shoppers, the specialty items you can only find at the Most Asian Costcos, and the spiritual journey of purchasing Kirkland clothing. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of Costco.

In Episode 228, Jeff and Phil welcome graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham, who have joined forces for Lunar New Year Love Story, a heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love. They talk about Gene's real-life origins of merging Valentine's Day and Lunar New Year celebrations, the bad dates and relationships that inspired some of their characters' turmoil, and the natural pan-Asian diversity that infuses the cast and community narrative of Lunar New Love Story.

In Episode 227, Jeff and Phil welcome back filmmaker Bao Nguyen, director of the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which goes behind the scenes of the fateful, once-in-a-lifetime night in 1985 when music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." He talks about the unique way this iconic pop song transcended cultures and generations, why he told this story like a heist movie, and getting to film at Bruce Springsteen's house. He also may or may not explain Dan Aykroyd's participation in "We Are the World." 

In Episode 226, Jeff and Phil welcome Justin Chien and Sam Song Li, the stars of the Netflix family crime drama The Brothers Sun. They talk about getting their big shot to play Charles and Bruce -- the titular Brothers Sun; acting opposite the queen herself, Michelle Yeoh; and all the hard work that went into kicking ass (and not getting your ass kicked) in the show's epic fight scenes. Also: The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of making The Brothers Sun. (Note: this episode happens to be sponsored by Netflix and The Brothers Sun.)