They Call Us Bruce

Jeff and Phil return from the holiday "break" and ring in the New Year with one last look back, talking about The Good, The Bad and The WTF of 2021 -- including Marvel movies, squid games, library rockers, big city mayors, licorice pizzas and the damn omicron.

Jeff and Phil welcome entertainment writer/critic friends Hanh Nguyen and Piya Sinha-Roy to catch up and discuss recent pop culture happenings, including Squid Game, Eternals, and Cowboy Bebop. They also play a Thanksgiving edition of their favorite segment: Thankful, Not Thankful and WTF.

Jeff and Phil welcome actress Ally Maki, who stars in the Marvel  series Hit Monkey. They discuss making movies and television during the pandemic, embracing the wild weirdness of an animated primate assassin, and creating community of shared identity: Asian American Girl Club.

Jeff and Phil welcome writer Pornsak Pichetshote, creator of the noir crime comic book The Good Asian. They discuss the inspiration behind his Chinese American detective Edison Hark, the real-life history at heart of this hard-boiled mystery, and why The Good Asian, set in 1930s Chinatown, feels like a tale for modern times.

Jeff and Phil welcome journalist Elise Hu, author of the forthcoming book Flawless, and David Yi, found and editor of Very Good Light. They discuss "aggressively Asian" faces, multi-step skincare regiments, and the global rise of K-beauty.

Jeff and Phil welcome mathematician and award-winning science fiction author SL Huang, who also happens to be a stuntwoman, firearms expert, and the first woman to be a professional armorer in Hollywood. They discuss her unique career, the recent tragic firearm incident on the set of Rust, the extensive procedures involved with on-set weapons safety -- and how things can go wrong.

Jeff and Phil welcome writer and friend Kat Chow, author of Seeing Ghosts, a memoir about grief, intergenerational loss, reclaiming your family's story... and taxidermy. She talks about The Good, The Bad, and The WTF of seeing figurative and/or literal ghosts.

Jeff and Phil welcome Naomi Gleit, VP of Product at Facebook, who wrote a personal essay about her multiracial identity. She talks about growing up ethnically ambiguous, finding her voice on issues of identity and race, and embracing the notion that she is neither half Asian nor half Jewish, but fully both.

Jeff and Phil welcome actress Peyton Elizabeth Lee, star of the Disney+ series Doogie Kamealoha, M.D., series creator and showrunner Kourtney Kang, and executive producer Melvin Mar. They talk about crafting a unique contemporary Hawaiian take on the beloved 90s teen doctor series.

Jeff and Phil welcome Justin Chon, the writer, director and star of the dramatic feature BLUE BAYOU. He talks about putting the spotlight on the plight of undocumented adoptees, setting an Asian American story in the South, and crafting films that create empathy -- and change.

Jeff and Phil welcome their old pals Rebecca Sun of The Hollywood Reporter and Dino-Ray Ramos of Diaspora for a spoiler-filled debrief and discussion of Marvel's SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. There are many, many mispronunciations.

Jeff and Phil welcome Dave Callaham, the screenwriter behind Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He talks about the journey of fully embracing his own Asian American identity, getting the call to work with Marvel, and the challenges of adapting the MCU's first Asian American superhero.

Jeff and Phil welcome back Simu Liu, star of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He talks about suiting up as the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first Asian leading man, tweeting the role into existence, and seizing his superhero moment.

Jeff and Phil welcome Maggie Q, who stars in the new action film THE PROTEGE. She talks about slipping back into the catsuit, breaking through in Asia before Hollywood, and proving doubters wrong -- especially when it comes to doing her own stunts.

Jeff and Phil welcome Ted Kim, Yong Kim and Han Hwang, aka Seoul Sausage Co., fresh from the finale of Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race All Stars. They talk about returning to reality TV, how gamesmanship took the competition to the next level, and the bowl of egg rice that made a grown man cry.

Jeff and Phil welcome director Justin Lin, chief architect of the Fast & Furious film franchise. He talks about getting back behind the wheel for F9, #JusticeForHan, and The Good, The Bad and The WTF of bringing back a beloved character from the dead.

Jeff and Phil welcome Jon M. Chu, who directed the new film adaptation of the hit musical In The Heights. He talks about bringing Lin-Manuel Miranda's vision to the screen, getting the sauce right, and why this is the movie the world needs right now.

Jeff and Phil welcome DC Comics Editor Jessica Chen, the mastermind behind DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration, a new anthology spotlighting Asian superheroes and creators. They discuss why superhero representation matters and do some deep-cut nerding out over Batgirl, Samurai, Jim Lee and more...

Jeff and Phil welcome writer Paula Yoo, author of the young adult book From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement. They discuss the legacy of the case, the incredible amount of research that went into this book, and the importance of chronicling this story for younger generations.

Jeff and Phil welcome actress Kelly Marie Tran, who stars as the titular voice in Raya and the Last Dragon. She talks about getting her life-changing role in Star Wars, the surreal significance of being a Disney princess, and the appropriate response to seeing yourself on a billboard.