An International Affair

Victor Vu’s Passport to Love opens in the U.S.

While it prides itself for being an international fair, Victor Vu’s Passport to Love doesn’t stray far from the predictable Hollywood romantic comedy formula. Womanizing lead character who finally meets his female match: check. The love triangle featuring the sweet girlfriend and the evil other woman: check. The neat, happy ending…ok, here’s where the Passport to Love goes a little beyond convention.

Following BoA
Korean pop superstar BoA has conquered Asia, but will she see success in the US?

Throngs of photographers clutch their cameras, their eyes staring with impatient anticipation at the doorway of the Shrine Auditorium as they jockey for position. It's been 10 minutes and the last of emerging Asian and Asian-American talent walking the red carpet of Kollaboration's annual LA showcase have filed through. Young Hollywood actors Aaron Yoo and Justin Chon, MTV's America's Best Dance Crew stars Kaba Modern and Fanny Pak, and YouTube favorites David Choi, Kina Grannis and Paul Dateh have made their way through the media spotlight . . . all except the main act, Korean pop sensation BoA.

High School Musical 
Broadway veteran Jenna Ushkowitz gets full of Glee

For most, the high school glee club was your squeaky-clean, bow-tie wearing ensemblesinging oldies like Mr. Sandman. But watching one of the numbers of Foxís Glee, you know McKinley High School is not your average glee club.You recognize those opening notes anywhere. The rhythmic piano sequence of Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing is the anthem for any down-and-out underdog. How fitting that the cast of Glee debuted its quirky, upbeat version during its anticipated pilot premiere following the mammoth American Idol finale.

Meg & Dia find inspiration in the pages
of their own life

It’s a scorching afternoon in San Antonio, Tex., another stop on the 2009 Vans Warped Tour and the members of Meg & Dia are keeping cool under the dusty tarps of their makeshift tent. Their tour bus has broken down, but the members are used to the mishaps. It’s happened each year for the past three years since the band joined the tour. "It happens," says Meg Frampton, the elder sibling of the sister-fronted quintet. "We’ve learned to kind of expect the unexpected."

Living nearly his entire life in Maui, 32-year-old artist Edwin Ushiro always dreamed of life beyond the island. There was more than just the sleepy, laidback life he only knew, so Ushiro left tropical paradise for the city in California. Now Ushiro, who has worked on several Hollywood film and television projects as a storyboard artist, is making his mark as a mixed media artist, evoking images of home, his childhood and Hawaiian folklore.

Vienna Teng goes inward for inspiration

Vienna Teng is driving through Florida, a long way from her New York apartment, ready to play another show on her ongoing national tour. For weeks, she has been promotingher latest album Inland Territory, an acoustic, ethereal set driven by Teng’s soft, introspective voice. It’s the kind of singer/songwriter musings that would have recieved top billing at Lilith Fair. While her music may sound a decade late, Teng has garnered a growing following of fans ever since the 30-year-old software engineer-turned-singer turned heads with her auspicious 2004 debut.