"Mulan" singer Coco Lee dies by suicide at 48
"Mulan" singer Coco Lee dies by suicide at 48
Did 'Barbie' cross the line? How a 'child-like' map stirred a South China Sea dispute
“Asian Americans recorded the fastest population growth rate among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, study finds.”
While this statistic may seem optimistic, there’s more to the story. The growth of the Asian American population in the U.S. has occurred in tandem with increased reports of discrimination and violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
As our community grows, we are getting louder, we are telling our authentic stories…and we are making news headlines.
📰 The Headlines
Singer Coco Lee dies by suicide at 48, her siblings say — Lee was the voice of Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s "Mulan" and sang the Mandarin version of the movie’s theme song, “Reflection.”
Coco Lee, a Hong Kong-born singer and songwriter who had a highly successful career in Asia, has died by suicide, her siblings said Wednesday. She was 48.
The star had been suffering from depression for several years, Lee’s elder sisters Carol and Nancy Lee said in a statement posted on Facebook and Instagram, with her condition deteriorating drastically over the last few months.
Lee, who was born in Hong Kong but later moved to the U.S. where she attended middle and high school, had a highly successful career in Asia as a pop singer in the 1990s and 2000s, where she was known for her powerful voice and live performances.
Lee, who was initially a Mandopop singer, branched out to release albums in Cantonese and English over her nearly 30-year career.
She was the voice of heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s Mulan, and also sang the Mandarin version of the movie’s theme song “Reflection.”
Did 'Barbie' cross the line? How a 'child-like' map stirred a South China Sea dispute — The Warner Bros. movie is just the latest Western cultural export to irritate China and its neighbors.
Moviegoers in search of some summer escapism might think the anticipated blockbuster “Barbie” would be a safe haven from the dizzying complexities of international politics.
Not so: The movie has been banned in Vietnam over a scene that features a map showing the South China Sea — a strategically important body of water that’s hotly contested by China and a number of its neighbors, many of whom have close ties to the United States.
Warner Bros. defended its picture Friday, saying the map is nothing more than a “child-like crayon drawing” and certainly not any kind of political statement.
On Monday Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced it was revoking the movie's license, according to state media. Vietnamese newspapers reported digital posters for the film had been pulled from the websites of local distributors.
“We do not grant a license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to be released in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line,” Vi Kien Thanh, head of the ministry’s department of cinema, told the state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
‘Joy Ride’: Sex, Butt Cocaine, and Raunch-Com Representation For the Win — A road trip through China goes haywire for four Asian-American pals in Adele Lim’s off-the-rails addition to gross-out comedies
Rauch-coms live or die by their ability to make you go “Oh my god!” or “Ewwww!” or do a spit-take that spews popcorn over whoever is unlucky enough to be sitting in front of you. So you can give it up for Joy Ride, director Adele Lim’s variation on the road-trip-gone-awry story that doesn’t skimp on the holy-shit moments, or gags that actually make you gag a little bit. We don’t want to spoil anything for viewers, so let’s say that there could be bags of coke that explode inside bodily orifices, at which point much horniness may ensue.
Sex, drugs, profanity, penises, puke, poop, the use of “party” as a verb — Joy Ride embraces these reliable gross-out-comedy standbys with a gleeful sense of gusto.
It’s also out to prove that you can make something novel without reducing it to being a novelty. The fact that the quartet tearing their way through Beijing and the rural provinces of China are Asian-American is a key factor, and Lim, her co-writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, and the cast all lean into the cross-cultural currencies, specifics and yes, slings and arrows of prejudice that are part of their experiences.
😱 Jawdroppers
The new cost of Sriracha — Bottles of Sriracha are being sold for as much as $70 amid the ongoing supply shortage.
TikTok users race changing — The viral acronym “RCTA” on TikTok refers to a community of people who believe they can change from one race to another. The current wave of RCTA-identifying people is mainly focused on “transitioning” into East Asian ethnicities due to their love of anime, K-pop or K-dramas.
This 16-year old soccer star — South Korea has included American-born teenager Casey Phair as part of its 23-player squad for the Women’s World Cup. The 16-year-old forward, who has a Korean mother and an American father, is the first male or female player of mixed heritage to represent the country as well as the youngest.
🏛️ New rules
in South Korea — South Koreans just became a year or two younger as the country adopts the international age system. The change is due to the country adopting the “international age” system used by a majority of the world, and moving away from the formerly used “Korean age” or “calendar age” systems.
in the U.S. citizenship test — The U.S. citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry the changes will hurt test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposes that the new test adds a speaking section to assess English skills. An officer would show photos of ordinary scenarios — like daily activities, weather or food — and ask the applicant to verbally describe the photos.
📽️ What We’re Watching
✍️, Lea @ Crushing the Myth