Tag: Jon M. Chu

Movies, Music, Streaming

Atención: New ‘In The Heights’ Teaser Posters!

Laura Sirikul

To celebrate the release of the trailer tomorrow, WB has released teaser posters for the anticipated musical film, In The Heights.

Based on the Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name, In the Heights fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience.

Continue reading “Atención: New ‘In The Heights’ Teaser Posters!”
Hard N.O.C. Life, Television

Hard NOC Life 202: Wakanda Vision

Hard NOC Media

Shawn, Dominic, Keith, and Jamal return for an all-new episode of Hard NOC Life. This week, the fellas discuss the latest episode of WandaVision, news of a Wakanda series for Disney+, and what the latest DC Comics event reboot means for The Rock.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life 202: Wakanda Vision”

Comics, Movies, Toys

‘Snake Eyes’ Production Heads to Japan

Keith Chow

On January 10, 2020, production on the G.I. Joe spin-off Snake Eyes officially moved to Japan. To celebrate, the cast and crew assembled at Hie-Jinja Shrine to receive a traditional blessing ahead of the beginning of shooting in Tokyo.

Continue reading “‘Snake Eyes’ Production Heads to Japan”

Movies, Theatre

Washington Heights Dances Center Stage in the Trailer for ‘In the Heights’

Constance Gibbs

Lights up on Washington Heights. No matter how many times you’ve listened to the In the Heights Original Broadway Cast Recording, whether once or 96,000 times, it gets stuck in your head. And after you watch the trailer for the big-screen adaptation, you’ll be singing it from now ’til its release next summer and beyond.

Continue reading “Washington Heights Dances Center Stage in the Trailer for ‘In the Heights’”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies

Hard NOC Life: Crazy Rich Legacy

Hard NOC Media

One year after Crazy Rich Asians was released to the world, Keith and Dominic look back at the film’s legacy on this week’s Hard NOC Life.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: Crazy Rich Legacy”

Comics, Movies, Toys8 Comments

An Asian ‘Snake Eyes’ is All I’ve Ever Wanted

Keith Chow

I’m actually on vacation right now, but the moment news broke that Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding was in talks to play the lead in Paramount’s G.I. Joe solo Snake Eyes movie, I couldn’t not write about it!

Continue reading “An Asian ‘Snake Eyes’ is All I’ve Ever Wanted”

Conventions, Theatre, Toys

‘In The Heights’ Usnavi Toy Making Debut at San Diego Comic-Con!

Laura Sirikul

It looks like Lin-Manuel Miranda won’t be the only one making his San Diego Comic-Con debut this year!

Entertainment Earth has revealed a new In The Heights pin mates wooden collectible item in the form of Miranda’s iconic Broadway character, Usnavi.

Continue reading “‘In The Heights’ Usnavi Toy Making Debut at San Diego Comic-Con!”

News

Gold House Announces Annual A100 List of Influential Asians in American Culture

Keith Chow

Just in time for AAPI Heritage Month, a collective of AAPI creatives and leaders, including  Bing Chen who I interviewed on the Southern Fried Asian podcast last year, known as Gold House have announced their second ever list of influential Asian and Asian American talent.

From actors and athletes to CEOs and political leaders, the A100 list demonstrates the role of the AAPI community in American society. Click here to check out the full list of 2019 honorees.

Continue reading “Gold House Announces Annual A100 List of Influential Asians in American Culture”

Movies1 Comment

#GoldOpen Teams Up with AMC Theatres to Promote New Majority

Keith Chow

Back in October, when I interviewed Gold Open co-creator Bing Chen on the Southern Fried Asian podcast, he teased a new iteration of the movement established to promote groundbreaking Asian American films like Gook, Crazy Rich Asians, and Burning. This morning, they revealed what the next stage of Gold Open will look like. In addition to a partnership with AMC theaters to help “streamline group movie-going, theatre buyouts and bulk regular-price ticket purchasing through a ticket buying system,” the Gold Open system will expand and be applied to media from groups dubbed “the New Majority,” i.e., women, the African diaspora, Latinx communities, and LGBTQ+ artists.

Continue reading “#GoldOpen Teams Up with AMC Theatres to Promote New Majority”

Movies, Music, Theatre

Crazy Witch Asians: Why Constance Wu & Kimiko Glenn Should Star in a ‘Wicked’ Movie

Keith Chow

Tonight, NBC will be airing a Halloween special celebrating the 15th anniversary of the smash Broadway musical, Wicked.

So I figured what better opportunity to revisit this thread I started over two years ago when I fancast a bunch of Asian Americans as characters from the musical? Now that we live in a post-Crazy Rich Asians world, a movie adaptation of Wicked starring an all-Asian American cast is not as far-fetched as it seemed when I started the #AAWicked tag in 2016. Hell, even though Universal Pictures has already tapped Stephen Daldry to direct, Jon M. Chu might be the best person to bring an Asian American Wicked adaptation to life. His next project is bringing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights to the big screen after all. Anyway, here’s who I’d cast in an all-Asian Wicked.

Continue reading “Crazy Witch Asians: Why Constance Wu & Kimiko Glenn Should Star in a ‘Wicked’ Movie”

Podcasts

Southern Fried Asian: Bing Chen

Southern Fried Asian

Southern Fried Asian returns with an all new episode featuring the former head of creator development at YouTube and a co-founder of #GoldOpen, digital entrepreneur and Third Culture Kid, Bing Chen!

Continue reading “Southern Fried Asian: Bing Chen”

Movies, Music, Theatre

Atención: You Can Audition to be ‘In The Heights’

Keith Chow

Ten years ago, Lin-Manuel Miranda burst upon the scene with the Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights. That same year, Jon M. Chu directed his first feature film, Step Up 2 The Streets. A decade later, both have hit the Lotto with Hamilton and Crazy Rich Asians, vaunting them to A-List pop cultural icon status.

And in 2020, the two will team up to bring Heights to the silver screen! Alabanza!

Continue reading “Atención: You Can Audition to be ‘In The Heights’”

Hard N.O.C. Life

Hard NOC Life: A New Era of Representation

Hard NOC Media

Hard NOC Life with Shawn Keith return from a brief hiatus to share what’s Nerd Poppin’ this week.

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: A New Era of Representation”

Books, Interview, Movies

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Kevin Kwan Doesn’t Want to Talk About a Sequel… Yet

Laura Sirikul

With the successful weekend box office of Crazy Rich Asians, it’s safe to assume there might be a sequel in the works. Within five days of its opening, the film earned an estimated $35 million, making it number one at the box office and the best debut for a comedy this year. With the success so far, many have been predicting a sequel may be in the works.

Of course, Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan is very superstitious about the idea of sequels and told me days before the release that he hasn’t thought about it.

Continue reading “‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Kevin Kwan Doesn’t Want to Talk About a Sequel… Yet”

Interview, Movies

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Star Henry Golding Turns Up the Heat

Laura Sirikul

Henry Golding is ready to take on Hollywood.

“[We’re] possibly moving to Los Angeles,” said the 31-year old British-Malaysian actor during a luncheon in Century City in June. “The focus is definitely on movies.”

Continue reading “‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Star Henry Golding Turns Up the Heat”

Interview, Movies

Awkwafina Accepts Repping Asian Americans

Laura Sirikul

Don’t tell Awkwafina that it’s her moment or that it’s her year.

Sure, the actress/rapper starred in this summer’s Ocean’s 8 and is starring in next week’s much-anticipated romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, but the idea of it being just a moment stresses her out.

“I get stressed out when people tell me, ‘this is my best year’ or ‘this is my best summer ever’ or I’m having a ‘moment,’ because all of those things imply a fleeting sensibility,” said Awkwafina. “I want to continue doing this but at the same time, how? How do you do that? There are a lot of questions for me still. I do have that Asian grandma mentality — that kind of doomed mentality — and I think that’s why I have a hard time taking it in. I’m enjoying myself and I feel truly blessed. I feel very lucky.”

Continue reading “Awkwafina Accepts Repping Asian Americans”

Movies, Reviews4 Comments

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is Exactly the Movie We Needed

Melissa Slaughter

Leaving the theater for Crazy Rich Asians, I couldn’t help but feel like all the articles and podcasts and panel discussions had somehow culminated in this one movie. I feel like I’ve been screaming from the rooftops for something just like this. Why did it have to take 25 years for this kind of major studio-backed all-Asian movie? In absolute truth, it’s not just good for an “Asian” film. It’s just plain good. And it is exactly what we needed.

Continue reading “‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is Exactly the Movie We Needed”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies, Television

Hard NOC Life: #AsianAugust

Hard NOC Media

This week on Hard NOC Life, Laura Sirikul fills in for Shawn and joins Keith for another week in Nerd Pop and celebrate the beginning of “Asian August!”

Continue reading “Hard NOC Life: #AsianAugust”

Hard N.O.C. Life, Movies2 Comments

EW’s Shirley Li Breaks Down ‘Crazy Rich Asians’

Hard NOC Media

This weekend’s cover story in Entertainment Weekly features Constance Wu and Henry Golding from next year’s can’t-miss rom-com Crazy Rich Asians. Since Asian Americans on the cover of EW is so rare, we brought in the story’s author, Shirley Li, to talk about her behind-the-scenes look at the movie all of Asian America is pinning its hopes and dreams on (no pressure, Jon Chu!)

Continue reading “EW’s Shirley Li Breaks Down ‘Crazy Rich Asians’”

Movies, Television

Entertainment Weekly’s Asian AF Covers

Keith Chow

This morning, Entertainment Weekly unveiled Shirley Li’s cover story featuring the highly anticipated romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians — which is set to hit cinemas on August 17, 2018. Seeing Constance Wu and Henry Golding looking fab on the cover got us thinking, how many EW covers* have featured Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders? So we dug into the EW archives and unearthed the following.

Continue reading “Entertainment Weekly’s Asian AF Covers”

Conventions, Hard N.O.C. Life

#AACC2017: #AAIronFist – Bringing an Asian American Hero to Life

The Nerds of Color

Recorded live during the Asian American ComiCon Summit on Art, Action, and the Future.

Marvel’s Iron Fist has generally been seen as a major disappointment — and it could’ve been so much more, if only Marvel and Netflix had embraced a not-so-radical rethinking of their martial artist hero as an Asian American. Some Asian American filmmakers actually brought their reimagined concepts for an Asian American Iron Fist to life, and they’ll share their short videos as part of a conversation with the creator of the #AAIRONFIST hashtag.

Continue reading “#AACC2017: #AAIronFist – Bringing an Asian American Hero to Life”