By APA Staff

Masi Oka is out of control, Aaron Yoo is all grown up, and Bobby Lee is taking over the world. All this and more in the latest edition of News Bites.

Panda KOs Guru, M. Night Shyamalan in the box office

I'll cut Jack Black some slack: Kung Fu Panda wasn't terrible. To a certain degree, it was enjoyable, even. Apparently, other Asians agree with me: Kung Fu Panda is kicking ass in the Korean box office, topping the charts for the second straight week, earning $15 million so far. With its massive success in America and Asia, this means we are doomed and destined for inevitable sequels and spinoffs, like Martial Arts Manatee or Wushu Walrus. Kung Fu Panda also beat the crap out of The Love Guru. Mike Myer's not-so-charming story of a white kid who became a sex guru failed to resonate with American audiences. It garnered a disappointing $13.9 million this weekend, slightly restoring my faith in humanity. M. Night Shyamalan's The Happening, which can also be considered a comedy thanks to its (intentionally?) cheesy writing, also roped in another 10 million, raising its total $50 million. The big twist in this widely-panned film is that its really a B-movie advertised as a R rated film. --William Hong


Aaron Yoo plays pretend father to Lindsay Lohan's baby

Aaron Yoo (21, Disturbia) cashed in at the box office with his recent film 21, about six MIT students counting cards to win big at Vegas casinos. And now, he will play a father. Sort of. Yoo has landed the role of a boyfriend tangled in a story of fake paternal identity alongside Hollywood actress and socialite Lindsay Lohan, in director Lara Shapiro's Labor Pains, set for release in 2009.  In Labor Pains, Lohan's character feigns her pregnancy to save her job, and she ploys her boyfriend, Yoo, to be the baby's daddy. Yoo has also joined the casts of Julio Depietro's The Good Guy and John Stockwell's Kid Cannabis, both currently in production. He can soon be seen in The Wackness. --LiAnn Ishizuka


Masi Oki wises up for Get Smart  DVD spinoff

Known best as the lovable Hiro from Heroes, Masi Oki has been seen recently stealing scenes in Hollywood movies. From getting kicked by George Lopez in Balls of Fury (boo) to inventing gadgets to help Steve Carell save the world in Get Smart (woo), Oki's star is rising. He'll be reprising his role as Bruce in Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control. This spinoff shows what Bruce and Lloyd (Nate Torrence) are up to while Carell and crew are saving the world. Good times. The best part? Oki drops his fake English accent and those geeky glasses. Hooray for dropping two stereotypes in one stone! The movie comes out on DVD and Blu Ray on July 1st. --William Hong


Bobby Lee scores a Comedy Central pilot

Pushing the envelope of success, seasoned MadTV comedian Bobby Lee is set to have a pilot  on Comedy Central. The unnamed show will be directed by Troy Miller (Flight of the Conchords) and the pilot was written by Lee and his MadTV colleagues Michael Hitchcock and Dick Blasucci. With his slew of impersonations and wit, Lee will attempt to bridge the "divide between blacks and Koreans" in his pilot episode. Perhaps Lee will garner as much triumph in his new show as he did at MadTV, where he has just finished his last season after 7 years on cast. And maybe finally, away from the running gags at MadTV, Lee won't have to cross dress as much. --Timothy Natividad


IFC scoops up Mad Detective

Better known as Godly Detective in Asia, Mad Detective is the latest police thriller from Hong Kong stalwarts Johnnie To and Wai Ka-Fai. The film follows a brilliant detective, Inspector Bun (Lau Ching-wan),  who comes out of retirement to help a rookie cop Ho Ka-On (Lam Ka-Tung) solve a murder case. They also search for Ko Chi-Wai (Lam Ka-Tung), a missing cop that is actually comprised of seven different spirits. The film promises excessive violence, stylized shootouts, and even schizophrenic cops. How badass is that? It reminds me of this wicked video game I played a few summers ago, Killer 7.  Indie film distributer IFC Films plans to distribute the film in theaters, on Video On Demand, and presumably on DVD. You can scope out the trailer here. --William Hong


Nicktoon's Three Delivery serves up Chinese American superheroes

Today (Friday, June 27th), the Three Delivery animated series about teenage Chinese delivery heroes with kung fu skills, premieres on the Nicktoons Network. Fighting against the evil Kong Li, who is back to collect and redistribute deadly recipes on the streets of Chinatown, three orphans-turned-superheroes fight their way to justice. The animated characters' look are definitely rock hipsters, but it's worrisome that the cartoons make use of repeated stereotypes: the Chinese delivery guy and martial arts.The 26-episode, 30-minute Three Delivery show was first announced at the 2007 Comic-Con convention. It is produced in association with Animation Collective and Fatkat Studio, Nicktoons, YTV and the BBC. Three Delivery follows four months after Nick Jr.'s Ni Hao, Kai-lan animation for preschoolers aired in early February. --LiAnn Ishizuka

Published: Friday, June 27, 2008