If I don’t do it, nobody else will! My home country of Malaysia is sometimes mentioned in Hollywood, often in the wrong context! It seems that the name is somewhat attributed as “far away” or “some really foreign place” kinda effect. As a Malaysian watching American shows, I feel that it is my duty to document all of such instances in one place.

The Colbert Report (TV)
Episode: August 13 2007, White Guy
“I’m a little off tonight. I have been on prescription painkillers for my shattered wrist for about two and a half weeks now. Ah, nothing heavy duty, uh, over the counter pills. Ah, over the counter in Malaysia . . .”
Malaysia, underground supplier of painkillers? I think not.
Link

House (TV)
Episode: Airborne
House and Cuddy face a widespread outbreak on their plane back from a symposium in Singapore while Wilson and the team treat a woman with constant seizures.

The airplane they were in belongs to a fictional ‘Malaysian Pacific Air’ complete with fake logo. Wouldn’t it be nice of Malaysia Airlines have a competition? That flies direct to New York?

The logo appears about one minute in.

Zoolander
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson
Zoolander is a male model who is tricked into becoming an assassin. The target? The Prime Minister of Malaysia who is a bald Chinese man in traditional clothes. Go figure.

Its brief, about three seconds in. Can somebody find a better picture/video?

The Letter (TV)
The wife of a Malaysian planter kills an employee of her husband one night, but her motive begins to appear not entirely truthful.
Link

Entrapment
Starring: Catherine Zeta Jones, Sean Connery
Part of the film takes place in Malaysia, particularly the Petronas Twin Towers.

Link

Turtle Beach
Starring: Greta Scacchi, Joan Chen
Reporter Judith Wilkes leaves her husband and two sons in Sydney and goes to Malaysia to cover the story of the Vietnamese boat people.

Link

Man of the Year
Starring: Robin Williams, Christopher Walken
Malaysia was mentioned in a live newscast towards the end, before Robin Williams appeared.
Link

24 (TV)
Episode: 1 of Season 1
The very pilot starts off with a few shots of Kuala Lumpur, then possibly fake shots where a suspicious looking man appears.
Episode: 14 of Season 2
CTU dug up a profile of a mercenary who had once led an assassination in Malaysia.
Episode: N/A
Apparently it is an interesting piece of trivia that Jack Bauer killed so many bad guys, the number 5 CIA most wanted list is a dude in Malaysia who downloads movies.
Link

The Daily Show (TV)
Episode: May 24, 1999
Jon Stewart makes fun of a cruiseship tragedy. *Check out how different he looks 8 years ago!*
The Simpsons (TV)
Episode: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Principal Skinner’s mother tells him he looks like a Malaysian transsexual while he wears a catwoman costume.
Link *Thanks to Fira*

Episode: She Used to Be My Girl
Tom mentions Kuala Lumpur before he shyly asks Chloe out.
Link

Seinfeld (TV)
Episode:The Scofflaw
Elaine buys a pair of glasses from a man who got them from Malaysia, to get back at her ex-boyfriend
Link

The Condemned
Starring: Steve Austin, Vinnie Jones
Kreston Mackie escaped custody in US on drug and murder charges, then flees to Malaysia where he is sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Link *Thanks to PJ*

And now, stuff that took place in Malaysia

Anna and the King
Starring: Jodie Foster, Chow Yun Fat
Some scenes were shot in Malaysia.

Link

The Beach
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio
Scenes were shot in Tioman Island, Malaysia.

Link

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (TV)
Episode: Malaysia: Deep into the Jungle
Chef goes to Malaysian jungles.

Snake Wranglers (TV)
Episode: Mission to Malaysia
Link

Voxtours (TV)
Episode: Malaysia
Link

If you spot any inaccuracies, or have anything to add, please leave a comment! This list is subject to expansion, I will be on the lookout.