Asian and South Asian filmmaking styles have made deep inroads into mainstream American pop culture.

NPR: MTV Promotes Asian Pop Music in U.S.

Despite the rise in many hostel bookings, Williams said hostelling still isn't part of mainstream American culture.

CNN: Winter 'flashpackers' prepare to invade hostels

But whether or not Major League Soccer ever really takes off in the United States, soccer as a game is now part of mainstream American culture.

ECONOMIST: Football is slowly spreading around the globe

He's not interested in conforming to a mainstream standard and was hell-bent on avoiding what he called "the karaoke culture" of "American Idol, " "The X Factor" and other programs in which singing is a competition for the mass taste.

WSJ: Still Close to His Roots | Johnny Marr | Cultural Conversation by Jim Fusilli