On a new episode of Southern Fried Asian, Keith talks to his Chef Tim Ma — founder and CEO of Lucky Danger, the renowned American Chinese takeout restaurant in D.C. — about his southern roots in Arkansas and Virginia and why it’s important to honor the legacy of American Chinese cuisine.
James Hong needs no introduction.
The legendary 93-year old actor, with over 500 credits to his name, is still in disbelief of any praise he gets from his roles. He is surprised when he hears directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert aka The Daniels have complimented his work ethic and loved working with such a legend on the new film, Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Continue reading “‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ Actor James Hong on His Legacy in Hollywood”
It’s hard to not associate the actor with the character they portray on television/film, especially if the character is as sinister and haunting as the enigmatic villain Russell Tan on The CW’s Kung Fu.
Of course, this isn’t the case for actor Kee Chan, who plays Russell Tan.
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Star Kee Chan on Finding Humanity in the Villain”
Disney•Pixar has released their first new single, “Nobody Like U,” and an accompanying lyric video for Turning Red. was written by sibling musical duo Billie Eilish and Finneas; the song is reminiscent of the boy bands of the early 2000s in terms of musical stylings and lyrics.
Continue reading “Billie Eilish and Finneas Release Original Song for ‘Turning Red’”
In just a few short weeks from now, Disney+ subscribers will see how messy growing up can be in Pixar’s Turning Red. Based loosely on director Domee Shi‘s life, the film follows Mei Lee (Roseling Cheng), a confident 13-year-old girl struggling to balance her life as a dutiful daughter to her mother (Sandra Oh) and the chaos of her youth. And things get more complicated when she finds out that if she gets too excited or stressed, she turns into a giant red panda.
Continue reading “Domee Shi Talks Blending Real-Life Stories And Anime In ‘Turning Red’”
Pixar’s Turning Red is a film unlike any other. Directed by Domee Shi, the film centers on Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese Canadian girl torn between being the dutiful daughter to her mother (Sandra Oh) and navigating the chaos of adolescence. But her life gets turned upside-down when she discovers she turns into a giant red panda if she gets too excited.
Continue reading “‘Turning Red’ Reimagines the Coming-of-Age Story Through Cultural Specificity”
Last week, Lisa Ling debuted a new show streaming on HBO Max. In Take Out with Lisa Ling, the award-winning journalist and television host travels the country in search of the diverse cuisines and untold histories that make up Asian America.
Continue reading “Lisa Ling Shares How ‘Take Out’ Tells the Asian American Story through Food”
For this episode of Southern Fried Asian, Keith talks to his friend, the New York Times-bestselling author Jamie Ford, and learning about his southern roots in Arkansas. Consider this Southern-adjacent Fried Asian.
Writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Bernard Chang are returning to deliver a brand new 12-issue miniseries starring the Monkey Prince. Marcus Young, a.k.a the Monkey Prince, is DC’s resident simian superhero. Based on the classic Chinese tale, Journey to the West, DC’s Monkey Prince will feature characters influenced by Asian folklore as well as Asian American experience.
Continue reading “DC’s ‘Monkey Prince’ Returns in New 12-Issue Comic Series”
After smashing box office records with Shang-Chi, Disney and Destin Daniel Cretton are re-teaming on another iconic Asian American comic book. This time, the critically acclaimed and award-winning graphic novel, American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, will see new life as a series on Disney+, helmed and produced by Cretton.
Continue reading “‘American Born Chinese’ Headed to Disney+”
Keith, Britney, and Dominic are back on Hard NOC Life to break down the new trailer for The Matrix Resurrections and tumble down the rabbit hole of Marvel movie speculation. They also give their thoughts on the latest episode of What If and the merits of Marvel Zombies.
Now that it’s breaking box office records, Keith, Britney, and Dominic are joined by HK cinema and martial arts movie expert Raymond Chow to break down Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on a new episode of Hard NOC Life.
Keith and Dominic tap into their Chinese American backgrounds to provide YouTube’s definitive explainer on how to pronounce “Shang-Chi,” a name that the entire world will want to know now that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is the biggest movie in the world!
Continue reading “Two Chinese Americans Explain How to Pronounce ‘Shang-Chi’”
The “Chi” part is easy. “Chee.” Rhymes with “Kree.” Technically the “Ch” is not precisely the same as in English “Chad” or “Chocolate,” but it’s close enough for conversation amongst non-fluent Chinese speakers.
The “Shang” is said the same way as the “Shang” in Shanghai, the city in China. But here’s the thing, if you’ve been saying “Shanghai” as if it rhymes with “Fang Sky” all your life, that’s not really how you say “Shanghai.” And that’s okay.
Continue reading “How to Pronounce ‘Shang-Chi’ Because it’s Super-Important for the Marvel Universe”
Marvel Studios is really kicking up the promotion for the September release of the anticipated film, Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.
In the new promo called Need, after going into hiding from his past, Shang-Chi (played by a very ripped Simu Liu) is found by his father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), the leader of the Ten Rings, who wants his son to be his right-hand man and eventually take his place. Shang-Chi doesn’t want to follow that path. In a voiceover, Wenwu tells his son, ‘You can’t outrun your destiny.’
Continue reading “New ‘Shang-Chi’ Promo Teases Family Drama and Shirtless Simu”
With the first season of The CW’s Kung Fu now over, many fans have been wondering what’s next for our beloved Shen family. The season finale had Nicky and Zhilan come head-to-head at Pei-Ling’s monastery battling for control of the biàn gé power, with Nicky defeating Zhilan and releasing biàn gé back into nature where it came from.
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Co-Showrunner Robert Berens Spills Some Details For Season Two [Part 2]”
Robert “Bob” Berens has a really difficult job.
As co-showrunner of the first drama on a broadcast network centering around a Chinese American family, Berens knew he had a responsibility to get Kung Fu right. The 1971 series of the same name starred David Carradine, a white man playing Chinese, and had a dfew other problematic moments. Along with fellow co-showrunner and executive producer Christina M. Kim, Berens really wanted to do right by the Asian community.
Continue reading “‘Kung Fu’ Co-Showrunner Robert Berens Understood the Assignment [Part 1]”
Jon Prasida understands everyone’s frustration when it comes to his character in The CW’s Kung Fu. Prasida’s character Ryan, the handsome medical student and only son of the Shen family, had finally gotten the acceptance he’s been longing for from his parents over his sexuality. Even more exciting, his parents like his new boyfriend, Joe (Bradley Gibson). But, with the last episode, which ended on the last day of Pride month, Joe delivered some devastating news — he’s accepted a job in Chicago, which means he’s leaving San Francisco. Feeling frustrated, Ryan walks away before discussing it further with Joe.
Continue reading “Jon Prasida Knows Nothing… About Ryan’s Love Life on The CW’s ‘Kung Fu’”
Southern Fried Asian closes out AAPI Heritage Month by welcoming Keith’s brother, Raymond Chow, to piece together their family’s Southern Fried origin story.
Kung Fu’s Gavin Stenhouse knows he’s pretty privileged.
As the only non-BIPOC person in the predominantly Asian cast on The CW’s Kung Fu, Stenhouse understands the responsibility of being part of this monumental drama — the first Asian American-centered drama on primetime television. Stenhouse has been using his platform to lift up his costars and the writers of the series instead of putting his own input when it comes to the cultural nuances of the Chinese American experience.
Continue reading “Gavin Stenhouse Just May Surprise You on ‘Kung Fu’”
Today is the last day of shooting on the first season of The CW’s Kung Fu and the cast has been sharing their thoughts on social media. Shannon Dang, who plays Althea Shen, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, shared the following tweet:
Continue reading “Shannon Dang Loves Being the Big Sister on ‘Kung Fu’”
When Yvonne Chapman first received the call that she was cast in the reboot of The CW’s Kung Fu, she was over the moon and immediately called her husband and friends. It all happened so quickly for the Calgary native. When Chapman first auditioned for the role of the villainous Zhilan — an ageless Guardian who is determined to collect all the mythical swords that, if in the wrong hands, could destroy the world — she immediately fell in love with the character.
“The entire time I was like ‘oh man, I really hope I get this,’” Chapman revealed on the phone with The Nerds of Color last week. “I remembered in that time with my friends and my husband that I [had a] feel in my gut. I just felt like it was really right for me. It was just hoping that other people felt the same.”
Continue reading “On ‘Kung Fu,’ Yvonne Chapman is Making Evil Look Good”
Well, this is kind of embarrassing. Monday, April 19, was Simu Liu’s birthday, and all I got him was an edible arrangement. In any other instance, that would be a perfectly safe and standard gift, in my opinion. But of course, here comes Marvel in an epic move of one-upmanship with the release of the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings teaser trailer! Though in all fairness, their gift is way more universal than mine.
Continue reading “The Who, What, and Why of Marvel’s Epic New Movie, ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’”