Monday, November 4, 2024

K-pop star G-Dragon returns with first single in 7 years

G-Dragon has returned with new song 'Power', his first solo release in seven years. The 36-year-old K-pop star -...

Latest Posts

The Libertines announce massive Gunnersbury Park show next summer

The Libertines have announced a huge show at London's Gunnersbury Park next summer. The 'Don't Look Back into the...

Little Simz and Charli XCX named on BBC Radio 6 Music’s Artists of the Year list

Little Simz, Charli XCX and CMAT have been named on BBC Radio 6 Music's Artists of the Year 2024 list.

Paloma Faith and Tinie Tempah elected to The Ivors Academy member Senate

Paloma Faith and Tinie Tempah have been elected to The Ivors Academy member Senate. The stars are amongst 40...

Morrissey’s concert in Dallas cut short after stage invasion by fans

Morrissey's Dallas concert had to be cut short after fans invaded the stage. The former Smiths frontman was giving...

The Simpsons’ Apu regret

‘The Simpsons’ would have cast Apu Nahasapeemapetilon with someone "ethnically correct" if they could do so again.
Hank Azaria originally provided the voice for the Kwik-E-Mart proprietor, but in 2017 the show came under fire for making the Indian-American character a racist caricature, who was voiced by a white actor, and so the shopkeeper was dropped from the programme earlier this year.
However, show bosses are still "proud" of the character because he was always portrayed in a positive light, but they wish they’d cast someone else in the role.
Showrunner Al Jean told Radio Times magazine: "If we were casting the character now, we’d cast someone who was ethnically correct to play Apu.
"The way we always wrote him, though, was as a hardworking, thoughtful family man who was smarter than everyone else in Springfield. The majority of the jokes were about Springfield not appreciating what a gem he is. So we’re proud of him."
Hank – who also voices characters including Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, and Carl Carlson – previously admitted it "didn’t feel right" voicing Apu anymore because of the backlash.
He said: "Once I realised that that was the way this character was thought of, I just didn’t want to participate in it anymore. It just didn’t feel right."
And the 55-year-old star, who is Jewish, also admitted he can understand the negative reaction toward the character, as he would be equally offended by a character that played up Jewish stereotypes.
He added: "I started thinking, if that character were the only representation of Jewish people in American culture for 20 years, which was the case with Apu, I might not love that."
The conversation around Apu began in Hari Kondabolu’s 2017 documentary ‘The Problem with Apu’, which explored whether or not Apu’s character had contributed to negative stereotypes of Indian-Americans.

Latest Posts

The Libertines announce massive Gunnersbury Park show next summer

The Libertines have announced a huge show at London's Gunnersbury Park next summer. The 'Don't Look Back into the...

Little Simz and Charli XCX named on BBC Radio 6 Music’s Artists of the Year list

Little Simz, Charli XCX and CMAT have been named on BBC Radio 6 Music's Artists of the Year 2024 list.

Paloma Faith and Tinie Tempah elected to The Ivors Academy member Senate

Paloma Faith and Tinie Tempah have been elected to The Ivors Academy member Senate. The stars are amongst 40...

Morrissey’s concert in Dallas cut short after stage invasion by fans

Morrissey's Dallas concert had to be cut short after fans invaded the stage. The former Smiths frontman was giving...

Don't Miss

Liam Payne’s posthumous single shelved

Liam Payne's first posthumous single 'Do No Wrong' has been shelved out of respect for the star's grieving family.

Dionne Warwick sets dates for intimate 2025 UK tour

Dionne Warwick is returning to the UK for an intimate tour next year. Fans of the 'Walk On By'...

Gwen Stefani would love for No Doubt to play Glastonbury

Gwen Stefani would love for No Doubt to play Glastonbury again. The Ska group haven't performed at the world-famous...

New BBC Two documentary tells the story of Wham’s Last Christmas as iconic festive hit turns 40

The 40th anniversary of Wham!'s festive classic 'Last Christmas' is set to be celebrated with the hour-long documentary, 'WHAM!: Last Christmas Unwrapped'.

Liam Payne’s first posthumous song set to drop this week

Liam Payne's first posthumous song will be released on Friday (01.11.24). Before his tragic passing following a fatal fall...

Stay in touch

To be updated with all the latest news, offers and special announcements.