Mothers — with all their earnest, loving intentions — can often be entertaining, and their advice can be an interesting mix of serious, silly, insightful and mind-boggling (sometimes all rolled up into one zinger you can’t wait to share with your friends). In honor of Mother’s Day, we’ve asked fellow Asian American writers and artists to share the funniest advice they’ve ever gotten from their mothers.

KevJumba (with Dante Basco) – in an embarrassing (?) situation. Photo courtesy of Kinetic Films

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I don’t know if you all are ready for this one!

Audrey Magazine and KoreAm Journal present the YTF Concert Giveaway! We are offering an exciting Grand Prize VIP Ticket Package to any one of YTF’s six upcoming Spring 2012 shows!

What’s YTF, you say? YTF is the new media celebrity group made up of a talented group of the biggest YouTube stars today, such as Ryan Higa (“NigaHiga”), Kevin Wu (“KevJumba”), Victor King (from Quest Crew), Chester See, JR Aquino, Dominic Sandoval (“D-Trix”), and Andrew Garcia.

This spring concert series will consist of live shows that feature singing, dancing, and sketch comedy performed by the YTF, as well as guest performances by local, rising artists from the online community.

The prizes for this contest are insane!
One (1) Grand Prize Winner: Two (2) VIP passes to the concert of your choice, including backstage access! (value: $250)
One (1) First Place Winner: One (1) official YTF Varsity Jacket! (value: $135)
Two (2) Second Place Winners: Each will win one (1) YTF T-Shirt and wristband! (value: $30)

Winners will be chosen randomly by the YTF Crew. Winners will be announced on KoreAm and Audrey‘s Twitter and Facebook pages on March 20 and will receive a direct message from the crew with further information.
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With performances by platinum selling recording group Far East Movement, Grammy nominated B.O.B. and platinum artist Sean Kingston, the all-day ISA festival is guaranteed to be one show you wouldn’t want to miss! The event, hosted by YouTube talents Ryan Higa (NigaHiga), Kevin Wu (KevJumba) and Cathy Nguyen, is aimed to inspire and empower both the performers and spectators. It’s happening tomorrow so buy your tickets now!

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YouTube has allowed us a glimpse into the world of gifted musicians and comedians who perform in the comfort of their own homes. Those who have had some success in more mainstream platforms include makeup guru Michelle Phan (who’s now makes makeup videos for Lancome), AJ Rafael (who tried out for American Idol), and Kevin Wu (who most recently starred in The Amazing Race), but that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to stream online. To pass on the stream, here’s a toast to the YouTube stars we know and love from 2010.

Joseph Vincent’s acoustic soul and Filipino American baby face continue to make girls and boys alike swoon, especially after his appearance on The Ellen Degeneres show last April.

Peter Chao delivers somewhat of the Chinese version of the Ken Jeong persona with his focus on societal and pop culture issues like bullying, Megan Fox’s hotness and PDA. As the number 1 and 2 Most Viewed in Canada of all time, Chao will be touring south to Washington and California in January 2011.

Her smooth strokes and smooth voice has landed Michelle Phan a Lancome career as the company’s first video makeup artist. Her makeup tutorials are made easy and accessible for millions of viewers, whether it’s Lady Gaga’s latest look or something more for everyday.

L.A. local Jason Chen, number 38 Most Viewed on Youtube for December, has been swooping the scene over the recent months. His covers, including Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” created on Garageband and Logic Studio, are now available on iTunes.

Who are your favorite YouTube stars? Tell us and you just might see them in Audrey!

With the year winding down, Audrey Magazine has narrowed down some greats of 2010.

Aarti Sequeira: The Next Food Network Star [Season 6]
We already told you that Aarti Sequeira won season 6 of The Next Food Network Star. She already has her own cooking show of The Food Network and is doing very well. She struggled a little in the beginning with her confidence, stating in an interview with us that she “didn’t think [she] had the culinary chops to compete with these people and challenges that were requiring you to cook in 15 minutes or something.” However, the judges really liked her for her unique take in which she incorporated her knowledge of Indian cuisine into classic American dishes. We will always remember her as a bubbly star who is very passionate in cooking.

Alex Wong: So You Think You Can Dance [Season 7]
Alex Wong may be one of the best dancers to have graced the SYTYCD stage. His exit due to an injury to his Achilles tendon was definitely one of the saddest moments on the show. This classically trained ballet dancer was a potential front-runner who many predicted would’ve won the show if it wasn’t for his misfortune. He gave America a strong first impression with a heartfelt contemporary piece to Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah,” danced with Allison Holker and choreographed by Travis Wall. His best moment though, has to be his hip-hop routine with Twitch to “Outta Your Mind” by Lil Jon and LMFAO, choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon. Best wishes to Alex to full recovery.

Left: Andy South. Right: His winning design (episode 3).

Andy South: Project Runway [Season 8]
I love a designer who designs edgy clothes, and Andy South was definitely one of them. His signature looks all have a warrior-women resemblance. I was in disbelief that he managed to just braid and fold ribbons together to create a beautiful little black dress. He made it into the finale this season, but unfortunately, lost himself a bit at the end. Nonetheless, I am proud of his successes and hope he makes it far.

Kevin Wu and Michael Wu: The Amazing Race [Season 17]
Kevin Wu is an established Youtube star, better known as KevJumba. He has over a million subscribers on Youtube for his comedic videos. Michael Wu is his father and they went into the competition knowing their personalities are not the most compatible. Nonetheless, they managed to place 7th on The Amazing Race. Their best placement was third in Leg 2 and Leg 6.

Poreotics: America’s Best Dance Crew [Season 5]
This all-male Asian-American dance crew is best known as the winners of ABDC. Their name is derived from their specialization in popping, choreography and robotics, hence Po-reo-tics. They’ve been safe almost all season long, landing in the bottom two only once the week before the finale. Since the show, they made an appearance on Justin Bieber’s “Somebody to Love” video. They also formed Miniotics after their victory, which is a second sector of their crew that consists of dancers ages 16 and under.

Far East Movement’s (FM) Kevin Nishimura, also known as Kev Nish, said it best last Sunday, September 6, at the JCPenney presents International Secret Agents Concert in Cerritos, Calif.: “This [concert] is about following your dreams and following your dreams to represent a community, our community.”

Already in its third year, the International Secret Agents (ISA) concert has become a gateway to building and making dreams come true for many hopeful Asian American artists. The show was a successful collaboration created by two visionary artist groups — Wong Fu Productions and Far East Movement — that truly illustrated the potential of many rising Asian American musicians, singers, filmmakers, comedians and dancers. This year’s ISA hosted not one, but two concerts — in New York and L.A.

Far East Movement gets the crowd going.

This was my first time attending one of the ISA concerts and let me tell you, the night was full of such great energy! It was truly a night dedicated to putting Asian American faces and personalities on stage.

Luckily, although I was running a bit late (as usual … horrible!), I got a chance to catch up with both the creators of ISA.

“ISA will bring the fans what they want, and allow these artists to extend their reach beyond their regular fan bases. This year is going to be historic,” said FM member James “Prohgress” Roh.

Wesley Chan, Ted Fu and Philip Wang of filmmaking group Wong Fu Productions also shared the same sentiment. Started in 2003 by Chan, Fu and Wang at UC San Diego, Wong Fu Productions has become an Internet sensation with 30 million viewers on their YouTube channel.

“The internet is how we were able to reach our fans on a global scale,” said Wang. “With ISA concerts, our fans get to meet us and the artists that we work with on a more personal local level. And to have ISA in both L.A. and New York is going to be amazing. The last three sold-out shows were all in California and fans were asking us to bring ISA to the East Coast. That’s why we decided to bring it to New York City — because the fans demanded it.”

This year’s glamorous event was nothing but a success, with famous YouTube stars Ryan Higa and Kevin Wu hosting the event along with dance starlet Lydia Paek of Quest Dance Crew … all sporting fall fashions from JCPenney!

Kevin Wu, more popularly known as KevJumba on YouTube, said the cast had just gotten back from New York. He explained that although they were tired, they were ready to start ISA LA with lots of energy and high-spirits. Wu had said that ISA LA had given the artists a chance to reunite again and see their friends one more time. “It’s like a reunion and it’s been nothing but great,” said Wu.

To his viewers’ delight, Wu has even more exciting news as he and his father have been announced as the new contestants on CBS’s The Amazing Race. He said he is nervous but excited for the show.

The line-up included the darling AJ Raphael (singer/songwriter with 200,000 YouTube subscribers), bohemian princess Alyssa Bernal (Interscope recording artist with 300,000 YouTube subscribers), and America’s Best Dance Crew Season 5 champs Poreotics. Surprise guests included my fellow anteater and YouTube queen Jennifer Chung who was spotted in the audience, the ever-funny man Danny Cho, dreamy YouTube singer David Choi, Andrew Garcia, America’s Best Dance Crew Season 3 champions Quest Crew, and even Nick Cannon! (Since when did he become Asian?)

But perhaps the two most anticipated performers of the night was none other than FM and South Korea’s former 2PM music band member Jay Park (Park Jay Beom).

This was Park’s first live performance since leaving the Korean stage. He will be debuting his new album on September 24. His performance was different from his pop 2PM days as his single, “Demon,” is a powerful song full of poised beat and rhythm. FM’s “Girls on the Dance Floor” just debuted as the #12 most purchased on iTunes Chart. As they hip-hopped their way to the stage wearing their signature sunglasses of funk, “Fly Like a G6” bumped up in the speakers, and all the young girls had rushed to the stage in an instant.

Perhaps, one of the luckiest girls of the night was Ted Fu’s girlfriend … or should we say fiancé. At the ISA New York concert, Fu had announced his engagement to girlfriend Katie of two and a half years and Wong Fu definitely played up Ted’s proposal throughout the L.A. concert, even showing off a hilarious last-minute new short vying to be Ted’s best man.

Some of the ISA fans.

Overall, I was amazed by the power and passion of these artists and moreover, their message. It was inspiring to see such a show dedicated to the appreciation and cultivation of our Asian heritage and cultural roots. FM’s Kev Nish said that it was “important to stay in touch with your community and it was important to have fun while doing it.” They were proud to have worked with Wong Fu Productions and are extremely humbled by the growth of ISA over the last three years. Hopefully with the growth of ISA, Americans can continue to support the evolution of Asian Americans in media and film. As Nish said, “No longer are Asian American artists going to be labeled as Asian American artists, but as simply artists who produce good quality music.”

And the event proved just that, straight from the hearts of artists pursuing their dreams.

Photos thanks to Jenny Lee.

Editor’s note: Assistant Editor Janice Jann also attended the ISA concert and wrote her own thoughts on the concert here.