boom! APIs in Pop Culture!
by Stacey Nguyen
Northwest Asia Weekly
In this Nov. 21, 2017 file photo, actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani poses at his Los Angeles home. Nanjiani stars in the new Netflix comedy “Love Birds” with Issa Rae. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Reporting on celebrity behavior is very reasonable, almost boringly human, and it often leaves me disoriented. I guess it’s because my brain has been pickled by too many reality shows? Regardless, this column features adults acting like adults. I’m also terrified of future optimism!
Nanjiani is almost full Steve Carell
Did you know that the hottest male comedy show in Las Vegas, Chippendales, was founded by Indian-American entrepreneur Somen “Steve” Banerjee? Well, that’s not the craziest part of the story. Banerjee was also guilty of murdering a man he believed to be a rival and rival.
Why am I taking you on this terrifying journey of memory? Because actor Kumail Nanjiani will play Banerjee in the upcoming Hulu limited series “Welcome to Chippendales.” (It’s worth noting that non-white men Rajiv Joseph and Mehar Sethi are the authors of the series!)
I’m glad Nanjiani continues to play more dramatic roles. I’m excited for another true crime miniseries (because I’m totally that guy). I’m so excited for all the ’80s outfits and hair! All luxurious hair!
The series doesn’t yet have an air date, but it’s likely to air sometime in 2023.
Minaj tops ‘Super Freaky’
Nicki Minaj has achieved impressive results. Her latest single, “Super Freaky Girl,” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first female rap solo artist to do so since 1998. (The last time this was done was Lauryn Hill’s song, “Doo Wop (That Thing)”). “Super Freaky Girl” samples Rick James’ 1981 hit “Super Freak.”
Fun fact: Minaj’s birth name was Onika Tanya Maraj. Her father is Indian Trinidadian and her mother is African Trinidadian.
What I learned today: Indo-Trinidad and Tobago are the largest ethnic group in Trinidad and Tobago and they are known for the prominence of African and In the mid-term, the British colonies still needed labor, so it created a new system of covenants where Indians were “imported” into the colonies to work on sugar cane plantations.
Jamil hurts her ass hole on set of ‘She-Hulk’
Actor Jameela Jamil recently admitted to Entertainment Weekly that she pulled a muscle in the NSFW area while doing stunt work while playing the role of villain Titania in She-Hulk: The Lawyer. Here’s a quote from her:
“Like, you might have to beep, but I pulled a muscle in my asshole! I didn’t know it was possible!”
You might say, “Stacy, why should I know this?”
Because Jameel is actually pretty cool and rewarding to do stunts in this action role as she talks about being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare connective tissue-related disorder that can be oblique and distressing in many ways way to manifest. Because it is so rare, it is often misdiagnosed, and people with the disorder can suffer negative psychological effects from not being believed by their doctors.
Jameel said the people who worked for “Her Hulk” were inclusive and supportive of her over her disability, not downplaying her role. Snap!
Therefore, pulling the butt hole muscles is a beautiful thing.
Patel acts like everyone else, witnesses crime, cooperates with law enforcement
Actor Dev Patel in Adelaide, Australia, witnessed two people – a man and a woman – arguing, which escalated into a fight, which escalated into a woman stabbing a man in the chest (the man survived the attack). oops. Most news outlets don’t mention this, but reading between the lines, these people are probably in some sort of mental health crisis when this happens.
Dev Patel and his friends reportedly intervened and tried to de-escalate the situation. They remained at the scene and spoke to police upon arrival.
I think these are the facts that happened? It’s actually hard to find out the truth, as most reports on the matter exaggerate in the headlines that Patel single-handedly acted heroically and saved a person’s life. It’s a good story, right?
But that’s not a story we should be focusing on. A Patel representative wants to quickly eliminate fairy tales from editorials. A statement to the press said: “There are no heroes in this situation, and sadly, this specific incident highlights a larger systemic problem in which marginalized members of society are not being given the dignity and respect they deserve. Hopefully, the same level of media attention this story receives (just because Dev, as a celebrity, is involved) can be a compassionate catalyst for lawmakers as they identify long-term solutions that help not only those involved, but the community as a whole.”
Taiga offended, although well-meaning, sorry
Here’s another story in which a celebrity behaves like a rational, thoughtful person.
Last month, rapper Tyga dropped a music video for his new song “Ay Caramba.” The video shows a Mexican guy eating nachos, Tyga in various sombrero hats, and a guy in a Lowrider.
By the way, Tyga is black and Vietnamese. (His real name is Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson.)
It’s hard for me to fully describe this video because Tyga has taken it down and deleted it from the internet after hearing Mexican-Americans criticize how bad they thought the video was. That’s after he reportedly paid $250,000 of his own to make the music video.
Regarding offending, Tyga told the Los Angeles Times, “My art is never meant to offend anyone. My art and music bring people together.”
What a mature way to respond.
This week, Tyga released a new music video for “Sunshine” featuring Zero Nachos. Instead, it does feature API artist Jhené Aiko!
Stacy Nguyen can be contacted at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.
