Samantha Pak

3 weeks ago | joysauce.com | Samantha Pak

As a reader, I love a good confrontation scene. When characters spend so much time estranged from loved ones, pushing down their feelings and pretending to be okay, or keeping secrets or trying to uncover them, I look forward to the moment when it all comes to a head. One of my favorite confrontation scenes is from The Fortunes of Jaded Women (2022) by Carolyn Huynh.

1 month ago | joysauce.com | Samantha Pak

To many members of the public, Vicky Nguyen is a consumer investigative journalist for NBC News who they’ve seen on shows such as The Today Show, Nightly News with Lester Holt, and NBC News Now. Viewers know that she will let them know whether trendy, viral products are worth buying, why it’s beneficial to shop for some things in real life, and more. What they might not know is that Nguyen will also bring a butter knife to a trampoline non-fight.

1 month ago | joysauce.com | Samantha Pak

In my line of work, it’s not every day that I’m asked to talk about myself. But this is exactly what happens the moment I jump on a Zoom call with Élodie Yung. We’re supposed to be talking about her show, The Cleaning Lady, now in its fourth season, but before I even introduce myself, the actor inquires about the three prints hanging on the wall behind me.

1 month ago | joysauce.com | Samantha Pak

After Randall Park and I introduce ourselves over Zoom, there’s a part of me that wants to just sit there and stare at him through my screen in silence. It’s not exactly an ideal interviewing technique, but it seems to work for his co-star Uzo Aduba as detective Cordelia Cupp in their new murder-mystery series, The Residence, which dropped on Netflix today. The show is an eight-episode whodunit that takes place in the White House after someone is found dead during a state dinner.

2 months ago | joysauce.com | Samantha Pak

If you’ve ever seen a Cirque du Soleil show, you’ll know the performances are always filled with death-defying stunts and feats of great strength that will often have audiences gasping in both fear and excitement. There’s also usually a contortion act featuring artists bending their bodies in seemingly impossible ways. And if you’re like me, just watching someone lay on their stomach and lift their legs to place their feet on each side of their head hurts your back.