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.

Spreegirl "Relaxed Modern" onesie.

This one is for sibling love. Sisterly sibling love.

From Spreegirl, this “Relaxed Modern” onesie in rose from Spreegirl is not just any old onesie.

It’s one made with mad love and care (and eco-friendly, super soft bamboo fibers too!).

Born in Vietnam, Chinese American Sisters May and Vinh Luong are as tight as two sisters can come. Not only do they share the most intimate details of their lives with one another, they share three intimate apparel lines and have really taken innerwear to the streets. Quite literally.

Inspired by the notion, “It’s not just sleepwear, it’s fashion,” the sisters work together to design and create modern constructions of comfortable and stylish skivvies, rompers, and other intimate apparel that can be worn on the outside.

Anything from nature to exotic environments inspire them to create, and their tight bond and passion for sleep fashion can be seen woven into the softness of the onesie. Sheer, light, and simple in design, this onesie will be perfect for you as you curl up with a movie to have some sister-sister bonding time or as a sisterly gift.

Win a Spreegirl onesie you’ll lounge in all summer. We have three available, one each of size S, M and L. Just comment on this post and tell us what size you need. You can also retweet for an additional entry!

You have till July 14, 11:59 pm to comment. And don’t forget, you must have a U.S. mailing address to win!

TLe "Luna" dress.

I have a job working with fabrics and stitching, sewing, serging them together to make costumes for plays. And if I recall correctly, chiffon is stinkin’ hard to work with. It’s soft and flimsy, and it’s nearly impossible getting your stitches in straight when the material keeps slipping through your fingers.

But I would gladly sew a gazillion chiffon dresses together for TLé Designs “Luna” dress. It’s not made of just any old chiffon … it’s made with crinkle chiffon! Which gives it the nice textured look and the illusion that the fabric is moving, even when you’re not! A cute mini with vented sleeves and a thin strappy leather belt — you can wear it with a pair of leggings or be a little adventurous and bare your legs.

Either way, you win.

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.

Navoh Handbags "Christopher" messenger in beige.

Many people may not agree with me, but I like Pamela Anderson. Mostly known for her work in Baywatch and Playboy, Pamela is not known for her work as an animal activist. She is a huge advocate for animal rights, urging people to boycott goods and foods that hurt or abuse animals.

This “Christopher” messenger bag by Navoh Handbags is a small satchel with a top zipper closure and a back zip-up pocket. It has two cell phone compartments and can be carried on your arm or over the shoulder. Peek inside, and you’ll see lovely yellow and blue flowers looping their way across a plum background. And you don’t have to kill any animals to get it. It’s made of the finest faux leather.

Pamela would be proud.

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.

The 33rd Asian American International Film Festival kicks off next week, starting July 15 in New York City, and will be running until July 24. The program consists of 23 feature films from filmmakers around the globe that span a wide variety of genres, from drama and horror to musical and comedy, so there is surely something for everyone.

“This year, the AAIFF10 looks especially forward to bringing several Southeast Asian films to our audience,” states Martha Tien, Program Manager of the AAIFF 2010. “Southeast Asia has such a dynamic cinematic community, but its movies still tend to be underrepresented in most film festivals.”

And now you can go to the festival to watch to your heart’s content ’cause we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the festival for our readers! Keep reading for details.

The July 15 opening night feature film presentation is Manila Skies directed by award-winning filmmaker Raymond Red, who was the first Filipino to have won the Palme d’Or in Cannes for his 2000 short film, Anino. In Manila Skies we follow Raul (Raul Arellano), a struggling day laborer who tries to cobble together some money for a trip back to his childhood home in Romblon, where he hopes to help his ailing father. The film was inspired by true events. Red, a pioneer of contemporary Filipino cinema, will be in attendance after the screening for a special Q+A session.

"Manila Skies," the opening film of AAIFF 2010.

Watch the trailer here:

Among other films to be screened are Au Revoir Taipei (to be screened as the Centerpiece Presentation on July 17) by second-generation filmmaker Arvin Chen, which was developed from his short film Mei. The Thai horror film Slice directed by Kongkiat Khomsiri is nothing short of frightening and will have horror film fans feeling very pleased. Director Freida Lee Mock will show her documentary Lt. Watada, which follows Lt. Ehren Watada who made headlines a few years back when he refused to deploy to Iraq, claiming it was an illegal war. And check out our review of the Malaysian film Woman on Fire Looks for Water here.

The horror film "Slice" from Thailand.

The film fest closing night presentation is the critically acclaimed The People I’ve Slept With directed by Quentin Lee. Angela (Karin Anna Cheung), is a woman with a heightened sexual appetite who suddenly finds herself pregnant with five possible candidates for the father. Check out our review here.

Archie Kao and Karin Anna Cheung in "The People I've Slept With."

Watch the sexy trailer here:

Aren’t you just dying to watch? You can, and Audrey Magazine is hooking you up with a pair of free tickets. Just comment below by Tuesday, July 13. (We’ll have two more pairs of tickets that you can only win by following our Facebook and Twitter pages, coming later in the week!)

The AAIFF is the first and longest running festival in the U.S. that is devoted to showcasing films created by filmmakers of Asian descent as well as films that explore new constructs of Asian and Asian American cinema. AAIFF 2010 includes selections from both a national and international pool of filmmakers, including works from Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Screenings will take place at various venues throughout New York including Chelsea Clearview Cinema, the Quad Cinema, and the Museum of Chinese America.

For tickets and a complete listing of films and screening dates, click here.

So I’ve been doing some thrift store shopping lately. Partially to save some money, but mostly to be hip. And with this set of 4 stackable rings from Marcia Moran, I can save money and be hip because I can get four rings for the price of one.

Marcia Moran set of 4 stackable rings.

All of them are 18-kt. gold plated. And you can’t forget the cubic zirconia disc that’s been carefully crafted onto one of the rings to give it a nice contrast to the other exquisitely simple bands.

Mix and match the rings, wear them on different fingers, or put them on all at once, whatever rocks your boat. Thank goodness they’re nickel and lead free, hypo-allergenic. Health conscious and fashion forward.

What does “autumn” mean to you? Maybe back-to-school? Maybe Halloween? Maybe your own Asian American version of Thanksgiving, like Kerala, India’s festival of Onam, Korea’s Chuseok, or Mooncake or Lantern festivals?

Whatever it may be, show us! We want to see what “autumn” means to you, and you just might get your photo into the next issue of Audrey Magazine! (Runner-ups may be featured on AudreyMagazine.com.)

Submit your photos that in some way reflect the Asian American experience as well as the theme of “autumn.” You don’t have to be a pro, so submit your photo by July 19, 2010. To submit, please see instructions below.

We’re looking forward to seeing your work!

Submissions

Images should be in digital jpeg format, at least 300 dpi resolution and 2400 pixels on the long end. Along with each image, please include your name, location and an explanation of how your image relates to the theme. Only submit photos that you’ve taken yourself. Please do not digitally alter your photos, besides cropping and applying basic tonal adjustments. Send your photos to Derek@audreymagazine.com, maximum three entries per person.

Legal & Releases

By submitting, you are granting Audrey Magazine permission to publish your submitted photos online and/or in print with your photo credit. You must be 18 or older to submit; if you’re under 18, a parent or legal guardian can submit on your behalf. If there are recognizable people in your photograph, you should be prepared to submit a personal release signed by the person, authorizing our publication of the photo (download here).

It’s been forever since I last listened to indie music. Though my taste in music has changed since my young’un days when I blasted The Killers or the next up-and-coming band, I can still appreciate it — the power blast from the lyrics and amazing guitar riffs, especially if it’s catchy enough to push repeat.

PaperDoll, an Asian American girl-fronted indie rock band, just conquered Kollaboration NY and is on their way to play in Shanghai at Frexh 2010 and the World Expo.

PaperDoll is, from left, Chip Thomas (drums), Steve Paelet (bass), Patrick Moloney (guitar), and Teresa Lee Chaisiri (vocals). Photo by Lorie Reilly.

Reminiscent of No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani’s vocals supported by a steady stream of drum and bass and everything in between, Chinese-Taiwanese-Thai American vocalist Teresa Lee Chaisiri packs a powerful punch. Her voice soars above the intermingling melodies and the steady pound of the percussion as it heralds lyrics that pull you into the music to create an incredible blend of punk soul.

PaperDoll.

Rolling Stone said they “embody the defiance and joie de vivre that define rock music,” while MTV World described them as “Harder than The Killers and tighter than Pat Benatar ever was. Pure post‐punk energy with a melodic heart.”

Take a listen to their song “If Nothing Happened” off their debut album Ballad Nerd Pop:

Teresa even sings in Mandarin in their song “Anything At All.”

PaperDoll kicked butt at Kollaboration NY last month (how could they not with a front woman in such a cute, retro get-up?).

Teresa at Kollaboration NY.

PaperDoll and their giant check at Kollaboration NY.

Wanna hear them live? Check out their upcoming shows:
Saturday, July 17, 2010, 8 pm
Crash Mansion
199 Bowery St (at Spring St), New York, NY 10003

August 6 – 7, 2010
Frexh 2010 (Music, Fashion, & Food Festival), Shanghai, China