Ally Maki on Bringing a Big Voice to the Tiniest Toy in ‘Toy Story 4’

"To be the tiniest character to exist in the universe is really awesome. And then to be the first ever Asian American female within this universe is so incredible," says Ally Maki, one of the new stars of "Toy Story 4."

In the NewsTheater MuJune 29, 2019Representation, TV/Film

Jeremy Lin, ‘Reppin’ Asians With Everything I Have,’ Is Bigger Than an N.B.A. Title

Lin’s story has always been about more than his playing time or his performance on the court. It has been about representation and visibility for a race of people rarely recognized or seen on a basketball court, especially at the N.B.A. level.

In the NewsTheater MuJune 20, 2019Representation, Sports, Celebrities

Where Did the All-Too-Familiar Chinese Zodiac Placemat Come From?

For some Chinese-American restaurateurs in the mid-20th century, I think there definitely is a move towards education,” she says. But its omnipresence in Chinese American restaurants tells the story of the changing role those restaurants played in American lives, and how their proprietors used Orientalism to drive acceptance of their culture.

In the NewsTheater MuJune 19, 2019Food & Drink, History

Asian American movies are using food to break all the rules

These films have given audiences an immersion into the way these themes weave across all of our diverse Asian American experiences. And they've done so, perhaps unsurprisingly, in part by using one of the most universal and accessible languages of all: food.

In the NewsTheater MuJune 11, 2019Food, Representation, TV/Film

KARE hires first Hmong-American anchor in Twin Cities market

Gia Vang, a former TV journalist in Kansas City, Phoenix and Fresno, will become part of the NBC affiliate's "Sunrise Team" starting July 8. She is believed to be the first Hmong-American anchor in the Twin Cities market.

In the NewsTheater MuJune 1, 2019Local, TV/Film, Representation

Asian Creators Are Making Strides In Hollywood, But There’s Still A Long Way To Go

The key with many of these projects is that they are coming from Asian American creators themselves. It’s not outsiders writing about the Asian experience, or what they think the Asian experience is or should be.

In the NewsTheater MuMay 31, 2019Media, TV/Film, Representation

I. M. Pei and the Asian-American Experience

But Pei was different. His name—not to mention his unmistakable appearance, with the enormous round glasses he always wore—seemed to have little effect, in this country, at least, on how he was viewed. He wasn’t famous because he was a good architect among Asian-American architects. He was famous because he was a great architect who happened to be Asian-American. To a young immigrant from China, this decoupling of identity was exhilarating.

In the NewsTheater MuMay 31, 2019Art, Representation, History

Asian American Chefs Are Embracing Spam. But How Did the Canned Meat Make Its Way Into Their Cultures?

From a food truck peddling Hawaiian-Korean fusion dishes in Seattle to an underground Japanese speakeasy in D.C. to a Korean barbecue restaurant that focuses on home cooking in New York City, one ingredient is surprisingly constant: Spam.

In the NewsTheater MuMay 30, 2019History, Food & Drink

What if They Made a Dirty Rom-Com About People Who Looked Like Them?

Asian-American couples don’t get to have sex in Hollywood movies. Randall Park and Ali Wong wrote “Always Be My Maybe” anyway.

In the NewsTheater MuMay 30, 2019media, TV/Film, Celebrities, Representation

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