Shorty Clothing "The Frou Frou" skirt.

Shorty Clothing breathes new life into the classic pencil skirt with its “Frou Frou” skirt. This piece is far from boring with its beautiful glittering black silk fabric and gathered georgette. Dress it up or dress it down. However you want to wear it, you’re sure to turn heads.

IZESX basketwoven belt in black.

Belts are no longer just for keeping your pants from falling on the ground. These days, belts can be worn to make a summer dress a stylish ensemble. The IZESX basket-woven wide belt in black can be paired with a cute mini-dress or with sexy leggings and an oversized top to give you that hourglass shape. This classy belt will flatter just about any woman with its wide band and elastic back. It also features metal hardware for an easy sliding closure.

Elaine Turner "Olivia" crossbody in champagne leather.

My closet is full of purses featuring crossbody straps and the Elaine Turner “Olivia” crossbody bag in champagne leather is one I wouldn’t hesitate to add to my collection. The crossbody strap is adjustable and detachable so you have the freedom to go with a different look depending on your mood. You can wear it across your body for those grocery-shopping days, folded in half as a clutch for that lunch date with a girlfriend, or held by the top handle for a more professional look.

With interior and exterior accessory and zip pockets and Elaine Turner’s signature pink crown lining, you must get your hands on this purse ASAP. It just may be the next best thing to add to your (ever-growing) purse collection.

Flying Monkey dark denim stretchy skinny jeans.

Skinny jeans are a must in any fashionista’s wardrobe. Flying Monkey’s dark denim stretch skinny jeans are no exception. Why pay a fortune on other brands when these jeans are just as good if not better? These jeans are so stretchy, they’ll hug your curves and look amazing. Go ahead and pair them with that silky top of yours for a night at the club or with a men’s wear style button-up for a business casual look. These skinny jeans will definitely not disappoint.

Femme Metale "Eva" real turquoise ring.

Nowadays, rings are a girl’s best friend. They are the simplest accessory to complement an outfit, but can also be the most beautiful. The Femme Metale “Eva” real turquoise ring is nothing short of gorgeous with its beaded bezel setting. Cast in sterling silver and featuring a rock so bold in color, you may opt to make this a permanent adornment on your hand.

Hello Drama "Youth Gone Wild" ring in silver.

Another rockin’ piece from the jewelry collection of Hello Drama, the fashion line of Kaila Yu from Asian girl band Nylon Pink. The “Youth Gone Wild Ring” is the newest design of the heavy metal collection and is sure to catch a few double takes.

This special piece features tri chain finger rings, accented with three crosses. Rings are adjustable and will fit on any finger for multiple looks!

With the Jonas Brothers fan-demonium dying down, there’s room for a new boyband to win the hearts (and bedroom wall space) of young teenybopper girls all over the world. The gorgeous and talented boys of Allstar Weekend just might be that boyband.

Allstar Weekend is Cameron Quiseng, Nathan Darmody, Zach Porter and Michael Martinez.

The San Diego-based group is made up of lead singer Zach Porter, lead guitarist Nathan Darmody, bassist Cameron Quiseng (of Hawaiian, Filipino, Aztec, Polish and Irish descent), and drummer Michael Martinez (of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent). Porter and Quiseng have been friends since middle school, but Allstar Weekend didn’t form until Darmody met Porter later in high school. Porter and Darmody began writing and recording songs and posting them onto MySpace and soon after, Quiseng and Martinez completed the group.

Take a listen here:

In early 2009, Porter, Darmody, Quiseng and Martinez drove to Los Angeles to hand out flyers outside the premiere of Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience. The band was also chosen to compete in Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing” contest. A little over a year later, the band is now signed to Hollywood Records and their high-energy pop-punk single “A Different Side of Me” has sold more than 100,000 copies and topped Radio Disney’s Top 30 Countdown.

Allstar Weekend's debut EP "Suddenly."

Allstar Weekend’s debut album Suddenly was released in stores and on iTunes this past June and they are currently on their first headlining tour “Suddenly Summer Tour” that will be taking them all over the U.S.

Check out the band’s official website for tour dates and locations.

Allstar Weekend.

Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of women complementing their outfits with cute belts and it’s a look that I really love! Belts help to turn what could be a boring ol’ summer dress to a fresh and stylish ensemble.

IZESX O-ring woven belt in cognac.

The IZESX O-ring woven belt in cognac is a great neutral-color that makes it easy to pair with just about any dress or shirt. Belts help to show off your sexy curves and this one is too great of a design to pass up.

Ashley Argota, 17-year-old actress/singer and current cast member of the Nickelodeon hit show True Jackson, VP (she plays the title character’s best friend and secretary, Lulu Johnson), is aware of the fact that not many Asian Americans are fortunate enough to make it big in show business so she does not take her career for granted.

“It means a lot to me to be part of True Jackson,” says Argota. “There aren’t many Asian American girls out there who are famous so to be part of that small group is an honor.”

Ashley Argota and Keke Palmer star in Nickelodeon's "True Jackson, VP."

Argota, who is Filipina American, grew up in Redlands, Calif. “I lived about an hour and half outside of Los Angeles and it was great because we lived in a quiet neighborhood so I didn’t get any of that L.A. craziness,” says Argota with a laugh. “I grew up having nice family dinners with home-cooked food. My dad was a truck driver so he couldn’t always be home, but when he was we always sat down to eat dinner together.”

Despite being part of a tremendously popular show (True Jackson, VP is now in its second season) and having her comedic talents be compared to that of Lucille Ball, Argota has managed to stay humble and levelheaded. She will be attending New York University in the fall to take up nursing. “I’m going to be just like my mommy!” says Argota. “I wanted to go into College of Nursing instead of Performing Arts because I want to do something outside of acting. I’ve been acting for a really long time and that will always be my first career choice. But in case that doesn’t work out in the long run, I want to have something to fall back on.”

Ashley Argota.

Argota, who seems to be a jack-of-all-trades, is also quite the musician and singer. She began taking vocal lessons at the age of 5 and also plays the piano. She has also begun learning how to play the guitar. Her debut CD, Ashley (2008), on New Revolution Records is currently available on iTunes and her song “CD Baby” has received rave reviews. “I’m not signed to a label right now, but I am looking to be signed to a record label soon and hopefully I’ll put out another album soon.”

Argota encourages Asian Americans who hope to make it in television, film or music to never give up. “True Jackson was supposed to be my last audition ever because I had faced so much disappointment. It was always little things as to why I didn’t get roles,” Argota shares. “I was told ‘You’re too short’ and other little things like that, but you just can’t let it get to you and keep you from doing what you really want to do. Just follow your dreams.”

Don’t miss brand-new episodes of True Jackson, VP (there’s one this Saturday), airing Saturdays, 8:30pm ET/PT on Nickelodeon. You can watch past clips here.

Remember the original Predators starring now-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger? No? Then you just might like this new Predators, with an updated cast, and a hip, young director, Robert Rodriguez. This time, Adrien Brody is a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realize they’ve been brought together on an alien planet … as prey. With the notable exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers — mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members — human “predators” that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien predators.

Adrien Brody stars in Robert Rodriguez' "Predators."

Among these killers, played by actors Topher Grace and Laurence Fishburne, is Hanzo, played by Louis Ozawa Changchien. His name may be a mouthful, but Changchien is well on his way to becoming a household name. He played a supporting role in Fair Game starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last month and will be released worldwide this fall. He was also part of the four-person cast of Michael Golamco’s critically acclaimed play Year Zero at NYC’s Second Stage Theatre and hopes that the heartwarming story about young Cambodian Americans can make its way to California.

Louis Ozawa Changchien.

Here, some things to know about Changchien.

He felt weird growing up

Changchien was born in Queen, N.Y., and grew up on the Upper East Side. “I don’t know what it’s like being one ethnicity. My father speaks Japanese, as well, even though he’s Taiwanese so I grew up speaking Japanese in the home.”

He attended Japanese school on the weekend as a child and found that people were really confused by him. “I think it was because I had a Chinese last name yet I was speaking Japanese and at the same time Mandarin or Taiwanese.”

About being a kid, Changchien says, “I definitely felt a little weird growing up because I didn’t have much contact with my mother’s side of the family until I was 12 years old. I grew up in New York with my Taiwanese grandparents and I remember as a little kid being confused because they seemed so different from my mother (who is Japanese). The food they cooked was so different. It took me a while to realize that ‘Oh, I actually have two cultures as part of my background.’”

After landing a role in a Jello pudding commercial when he was in the first grade, Changchien could have been well on his way to pursuing an acting career, but his parents had other plans.

“My mom and dad didn’t want me to be a professional child actor so I kind of got out of that and got into sports. It wasn’t until I got to college and I was a little confused about what I really wanted to do in college, as a lot of kids are, and I came across an intro to acting class.”

Changchien really enjoyed the class and his teacher encouraged him to audition for some of the school plays. “I tried out and I got cast and that’s how I really started with my acting.

His parents support him being an actor now

Changchien’s parents understood that conditions for child actors were harsh and they wanted to insure that he’d have a normal childhood. “But now they’re really excited! They realize that I can make a living doing this. I think that’s the thing that most Asian parents are worried about. At the end of the day it’s like, Is my kid going to be stable or are they going to be miserable being a broke-ass actor?’

Asian American actors “have to be better”

Changchien advises Asian Americans aspiring to be actors to take the time to be trained. “I think it’s really important to get training. This is going to sound weird, but as an Asian American you almost have to be better, especially if you want to do parts outside of just being an Asian character. I think going to graduate school at Brown really changed me. I spent three years acting every single day. If you can survive that you can survive this business.

He believes that there are more opportunities now than there ever has been in the U.S. for Asian Americans wanting to make it in show business. It’s a really exciting time and there’s a lot to look forward to. I think there’s a lot further to go but I think we’re in a very exciting time right now.

He’s a big fan of the original Predator

“The first Predator movie was kind of iconic to me as a boy growing up. That was an iconic kind of action movie. I didn’t realize the chronology of this because maybe I was too young, but I think that was the movie that really launched Arnold Schwarzenegger as the action hero he became.”

His character is deadly with a sword

Changchien describes his character Hanzo as the silent, but deadly type. “He’s an enforcer from a Yakuza family in Japan. He’s been plopped unbeknownst to him on this alien planet with the rest of the guys. He’s not your teamwork-oriented type of guy. All of them are actually quite individualist, but they end up having to band together under extreme circumstances. Hanzo is a master of the sword and he’s very proficient with a pistol as well.”

A scene from "Predators," with Changchien second from left.

Sword master in real life, too

Changchien has been practicing kendo since he was 5 years old. “This was my dream actually to be able to fight with a Japanese sword in a movie. I asked to have my kendo sensei be brought on and they brought him in for two weeks. He helped us choreograph a beautiful fight. I think it’s a really special scene in the movie.”

He became great friends with the cast

“It doesn’t get much better than working with guys like Laurence (Fishburne) and Adrien (Brody). This is my first studio film and I couldn’t imagine working under any better circumstances. Everybody is a good actor in this film. It’s incredible. And that’s unusual in an action film (laughs).”

The film doesn’t boast a large cast and Changchien believes that allowed for everyone to become really close. “During the beginning of filming when we were in Hawaii, we worked everyday on set together, we went to the gym together, and we went out for dinner together. It was fun hearing all the great stories Laurence had to share and Adrien as well because Adrien’s been doing this for a long time.”

On set, he and the cast liked to play practical jokes on each other

“We had a great makeup guy named Rom working on the gentlemen. Ali (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), who’s an amazing actor, is kind of a deadpan jokester so you don’t always know if he’s joking or not. One day Topher (Grace) shows up on set after taking a walk on the beach. Ali tells him, ‘Topher, you know what? I’d be careful. Rom’s in a really bad mood today. He got into a fight with the costume department and requested his trailer be put down on the beach.’”

Predators will scare you

Changchien says audiences can expect to be awed by the film’s beautiful cinematography along with being scared and thrilled. “There are unbelievable stunts. We had some of the greatest stunt people working on this film doing the most unbelievable stunts. My guy just killed it. He makes me look amazing!”

Changchien also shared that are new predators to fear. “This movie is definitely paying tribute to the original in its movie style. We have very minimal CG in this movie. We have a bunch of guys in the jungle against predators. It’s scary.

Catch Changchien and Predators, out tomorrow, July 9, 2010.