Courtesy Sony Pictures Publicity

It’s highly likely that you’ve heard of Jay Chou before—he’s the Taiwanese singer-songwriter behind hits such as “Cute Girl (Ke Ai Nu Ren),” “Simple Love (Jian Dan Ai),” and “Silence (An Jing).” If you haven’t heard the original songs, you may have seen YouTube covers by Mandarin and non-Mandarin speakers alike (our favorite: sisters Riney and Bam, who used Chou’s music to learn Chinese), or heard his catchy melodies while singing karaoke.

If you’re a fan (or if you grew up in Asia), you may have even caught him on the big screen. He’s acted in movies such as “Initial D” and “Curse of the Green Flower,” and even directed a movie called “Secret” in 2007, with a sequel planned for next year.

But if you haven’t heard of Jay Chou before, get ready to get introduced to him in January, with his first foray into Hollywood as Kato in “The Green Hornet.”

Courtesy Sony Pictures Publicity

“I’ve always felt an affinity toward movie adaptations of comic books,” Chou said. In fact, his first starring role was in “Initial D,” an adaptation of a Japanese manga series. But Chou has chosen what is far from a low-pressure role to introduce himself to American audiences. Aside from an immense fanbase of its own, “The Green Hornet” also stars A-listers such as Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz.

“When I was chosen for the role, I was extremely excited,” Chou said. “This is an opportunity for people to get to know me, especially those who don’t know my music.”

Not that Chou really needs the additional exposure. He got into music at age four, when, like many Taiwanese children before and after him, his mother pressured him to study piano—and study it hard. He recalls how strict she was, making sure he practiced every day, but he also credits her with building the foundation of his musical career. And when he started listening to pop music, he decided to take a stab at writing his own songs as well. Since then, he has become possibly the most recognized pop star in Asia, with hit after hit, album after album.

Chou’s musical success has always been somewhat of a safety net for him. When auditioning for the role, he wasn’t too stressed.

“Movies are a sort of hobby for me,” he said. “Music is my business.”

Courtesy Sony Pictures Publicity

But when Hong Kong actor Stephen Chow dropped out of “The Green Hornet” and the role was given to Chou, he gave it his all. Aside from studying Kung Fu and driving techniques (the original Kato was a valet for main character Britt Reid), Chou had to work hard on his English.

“In between filming, I had to practice my English, which was very tiring,” he said. “Even as a student, I was never good at English, so getting reacclimated was nerve-wracking. My only relief was the director, who told me my English was getting better and better.”

Another difficult part of filming “The Green Hornet” was getting the comedy right.

“I’m not a funny person,” Chou said. “As a singer, I put on a cool persona, and rarely joke around. But when acting with Seth Rogen, who is hilarious, I had to try to be just as funny as he is. And that’s hard.”

If audiences respond well, Chou could become an international star—one of the most difficult barriers for Asian artists to break through. But even if they don’t, Chou is grateful that his career has allowed him to be selective about his projects, and make only the type of music and movies he is passionate about. As he should—Chou is nothing if not a hard worker. As 2010 wraps, he is getting ready to go promote “The Green Hornet” internationally with cast and crew. In January, he’ll play concerts in Los Angeles and San Francisco to further promote his music and movies. And finally, while he plans to keep acting in 2011, he hasn’t lost sight of his claim to fame.

“I put out a new album every year—that’s an absolute must.”

Note: This e-mail interview, conducted in Mandarin, has been translated into English by Mochi editors.

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Courtesy McDonald's

Michelle Wie’s parents first recognized the athletic prowess in their four-year-old when she picked up a golf club, swung and hit a ball airborne. After a couple months of practicing in 100-yard baseball fields, one ball flew over the fence and into a house. From then on, practice was held exclusively at golf courses.

As most of the world knows, Michelle’s career took off in a meteoric rise, and she became the youngest player to qualify for the amateur championship tournament at age 10. Three years later, she became the youngest player to participate in the U.S. Women’s Open. Despite professional setbacks (injuries caused her to withdraw from competitions in 2007 and 2008), Michelle has remained refreshingly down to earth. “There were a lot of ups and downs,” she recalls. “It all came crashing down when I was injured.” Yet she was able to shake it off. “I got healthier and it made me realize how much I love the game. Things don’t just happen,” she says. “You have to make them happen.”

Now, at age 20, Michelle is ready to show the world she’s more than just a teenage phenomenon. She won her first-ever professional tournament in November (her first win since 2003) and credits much of her success to a work-life balance. Every September to March, she’s a full-time college student at Stanford. “It was the one college I really wanted to go to,” she says. “My grandfather taught there, my aunts and uncle live near there.”

Then, for a second, Michelle becomes the most normal girl in the world. “There’s a shopping mall right next to campus,” she laughs. Her ever-supportive parents moved to the area, but she only goes home once in a while. “Going to Stanford has shaped me,” she says. “Living on campus, going to classes, trying to manage a social life and golf—it forces you to grow up.”

At school, the girl who grew up in front of television crews and sports journalists goes behind the scenes. Michelle studies communications, an industry she believes is useful to understand. “I’ve taken classes in digital media and how it’s changing the world,” she says. “It’s very interesting from a journalist’s perspective.” She embraces digital media outside the classroom too, as an active twitterer (fellow professional golfer Christina Kim first turned her on to the social-networking platform) and avid blogger. The blog provides a window into Michelle’s everyday life: In one post, she admits to loving Justin Bieber, and in another, she shows off DIY bleached jeans. Charmingly, Michelle admits to being a stress baker—and one can only imagine how much stress she must be under on a day-to-day basis. Her blog is a great resource for baked-good recipes (think macadamia-nut coconut blondies and apple-cinnamon-walnut bread) without dairy and eggs, as Michelle is allergic to both.

While she isn’t baking or practicing on the green, Michelle is working on other side projects:

Courtesy McDonald's

She recently signed on to become the official spokesperson for McDonald’s new education and community initiatives, geared toward young Asian Americans. The campaign consists of a television commercial that will air in Mandarin, English, Korean and other languages as well as a website where teens can share their biggest accomplishments.

It’s easy to see how Michelle’s achievements can inspire others. In preparation for July’s U.S. Women’s Open, she is currently training in Orlando. “I wake up at 6, practice from 7:30 to 2:30, and then sometimes it’s hot yoga afterward or a workout,” she says. “Then, repeat.” Michelle is no stranger to the Women’s Open—this year will technically be her seventh Open, though she didn’t participated last year. “It’s always a grind,” she says of the national tournament. “It’s a tough golf course. I just have to play the best I can and come out on top.” Despite having been in the business for about a decade, Michelle’s outlook remains a combination of optimistic and ambitious. “Coming in first is possible for sure,” she says. “I believe in myself; I just have to get it right.”

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Courtesy Mandy Yeh

As the world’s largest and most populous continent, Asia has become a widely popular travel destination. Rich with history, culture, cuisine, languages, religion and people, it’s no wonder that when we think of Asia, we consider it as the entire other half of the world. If you’re planning a trip there this summer, keep in mind that traveling to Asia takes a lot of planning and preparation in advance. Here are some general travel and cultural etiquette tips that will help you enjoy all that Asia has to offer:

Planning Your Trip

Every time you travel abroad, you will need an official passport or visa to show your citizenship. If you were born in the United States, you automatically have American citizenship and can apply for a U.S. passport. However, if you were born outside of the U.S., then you have a visa or green card in order to legally live in the country. Keep in mind that applying for a passport can take up to three months, so plan your trip accordingly. Moreover, if you have an expired passport, renewals take some time to process. Fortunately, if you have an American, British, Canadian or Australian passport, you are not required to have a visa for short trips. If you plan to stay for over 90 days, you may need a visa, depending on your destination country’s immigration laws.

Note that traveling to Asia can be expensive, as plane tickets can start at $1,000 one-way. Moreover, flights to all Asian countries can add up to anywhere from 18 to 24 hours of traveling, not to mention the major time differences that can make your trip seem even longer.

Some popular Asian airlines include Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Philippine Air and Singapore Airlines. American airlines also fly internationally, but may not cover as many Asian countries as the Asian airlines. It’s also best to find out the season and weather conditions of your destination. While most East Asian countries have temperate climates, Southeast Asian countries tend to have more tropical climates. If you’re not planning to travel with a whole lot of cash, research the ATM and banking networks of your destination and make sure to bring traveler’s checks and credit cards. The bottom line: when it comes to traveling abroad, you should always consider money, time and effort.

Culture and Etiquette

While shaking hands and exchanging hugs and kisses are common ways to greet your friends and strangers in America, bowing is a common courtesy in Asia. To bow in formal instances in countries such as Japan and Korea, simply bring your feet together, leave your hands at your sides, lean forward from your waist and smile as you come up. For less formal instances, you can just bow with a dip of your head.  In Thailand, where a big part of the culture comes from Indian roots, the wei greeting is popular. Press your hands together as if you’re praying and move them toward your face as you bow your head.

When dining out, tipping is not necessary in Asia. Instead, some restaurants include a ten percent service charge in the bill.

Asia is a diverse continent filled with different customs, languages and people. Here is a small rundown of what to expect when you’re visiting some of Asia’s major cities.

Hong Kong

Said to be the place where east meets west, Hong Kong is a governing territory, or special administration region (SAR), of the People’s Republic of China. People here speak the Cantonese dialect of Chinese and write in traditional Chinese, unlike in mainland China. However, due to Hong Kong’s history with England, people also use and speak British English. During the summer, the weather is hot and humid, with some rain and thunderstorms. Because most of Hong Kong’s terrain is mountainous, a lot of the land is not developed and a large portion of it is used as national parks.

Seoul

As one of the biggest cities in the world, Seoul is a striking representation of both tradition and modernism in Asia. While filled with ancient temples and palaces, Seoul is also the epicenter for shopping malls, high-end designer boutiques, concerts and other forms of entertainment in South Korea. If you’re looking to have a fun night in town, you can’t leave Seoul without experiencing some serious karaoke, which Koreans love and partake in with co-workers after long work hours. Think of it as their version of the American happy hour. Keep in mind that not many Koreans speak English, so it may be helpful to take a guidebook with some commonly used expressions.

Tokyo

This bustling city is home to an interesting mix of over 12 million people. From businessmen dressed in suits and young  professional women to teenagers donning various fashionable street styles, Tokyo is filled with culture and artistic expression. When sampling Japanese cuisine, you’ll notice that the tables in Japan are usually very low and close to the ground. In some restaurants, you’ll sit on the ground with cushions instead of chairs. It’s also common to remove your shoes before entering a restaurant or its seating area. With every meal, a glass of water or cup of tea is served free of charge. You may be given an oshibori, a wet towel, for cleaning your hands before eating.

Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse cities in Asia, with a mix of Indian, Chinese, Cambodian and Southeast Asian influences. Thailand is perfect if you’re traveling on a budget, with plenty of affordable restaurants and shopping centers. It’s common for people to buy meals from food vendors in the streets, and there are constantly cultural events happening in Bangkok such as traditional Thai dancing and performances with actors dressed in full costumes.

Manila

The Philippines is filled with dozens and dozens of shopping centers, and the city of Manila has it all. It’s impossible to leave Manila without visiting a mall. Some of the most popular malls are SM City, North EDSA and SM Megamall Ortigas. From plain white tees to hand-woven mats and baskets to high-end designer clothing, malls in Manila cater to different fashion aesthetics. If you’re looking for a fun night in town, the area of Makati is known for its trendy nightlife.

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Truth be told, Tim Ouyang has no idea what kind of long-term situation he’s in. But public opinion seems to indicate big plans for this the lead singer/songwriter of Virginia-based pop-rock quintet, Tim Be Told.

“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know how long this was going to last,” said the ex-architecture major of his burgeoning music career. “I was going to go as far as I could. I can’t believe how many people have related to the music and how much we really love what we do.”

Burning up the college music scene with a power pop sound like that of Jason Mraz meets The Fray, Tim Be Told has become a grassroots sensation since its inception in 2007. Back then, Ouyang was just another University of Virginia student with a longtime penchant for penning heartfelt songs. It was not until he met a friend of a friend, Andrew Chae, then a guitarist from California looking to start a band, that Ouyang considered partaking in the music business full-time. The band was later rounded out with Luan Nguyen (rhythm guitarist), Parker Stanley (bass) and Jim Barredo (drums).

“I knew when I left school, I wanted music to be part of my life,” Ouyang said. “I figured that I’m young; I have my degree. I wasn’t giving up too much. I’m only going to be in my twenties and enjoy life.”

One of the biggest initial hurdles, however, was getting his parents to understand his new calling.

“Growing up in an Asian American household and pursuing music, my parents weren’t very happy. They thought I wasn’t going to survive,” said Ouyang, who is of Chinese descent. “If you’re an immigrant from an another country, what you know is that you came here with nothing and [you’re] doing whatever you can to make a living. Our generation is completely different. We know how to operate within the culture. It was our parents who laid the groundwork for us to do our own thing.”

Despite the generational gap and cultural differences, the singer managed to convince his parents by bringing up a striking point, “I said to them, ‘I don’t think that you guys have worked this hard and this long for me to do be doing something I hate.’”

After receiving a begrudging blessing from his parents, Ouyang’s next step was convincing the general public. Composed of predominantly Asian band members, he and his band mates have experienced some glass ceilings from time to time.

“There were so many people who were skeptical,” he said. “They would look at me funny, like, how is this skinny Asian kid is supposed to be able to sing?”

Ouyang merely views these preconceptions as advantages, however, as it provides the element of surprise when he belts out one of Tim Be Told’s power pop ballads.

Boasting a surprisingly polished sound for mostly self-trained musicians, the band is building up on wave after wave of increasing successes, from winning UVA’s Battle of the Bands to snagging a top ten ranking on MySpace’s unsigned chart. Ultimately, Ouyang says he has not regretted trading in his graph paper for sheet music.

“Even if we don’t top the charts, hopefully we’ll pave the way for someone else to do it,” he said. “We can show other Asian American artists that we can do this. You just have to push and not give up.”

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Tania Gunadi is one lucky lady. So far, the rising Hollywood starlet’s life has been defined by several fortunate events that have led her to where she is now.

The Indonesian actress, who has a lead role in Disney Channel series “Aaron Stone,” got her first stroke of luck a decade ago when she was selected in the Green Card Lottery.

“I was the happiest person on earth,” the 25-year-old actress said about moving to America. “It is much cleaner in the U.S. than in Indonesia. I could actually breathe. And there were lots of different kinds of food.”

Prior to her immigration, the Gunadi family was geographically split, with Tania’s older brother and sister residing in the U.S. and her parents living with her in Indonesia. After her brother and sister immigrated, her family could not afford to send another family member abroad, so Tania stayed behind in Indonesia.

Every year after that, Tania’s siblings submitted the names of their sister and parents to the Green Card Lottery. The lottery is held once a year and winners must move within a year if they accept the prize.

After she was finally selected, Tania finished high school in Indonesia, moved to California and attended English classes. Before moving to the U.S., Tania desperately needed help with her English speaking and reading skills. Her brother, who was the assistant manager at a Pizza Hut, suggested she work with him to improve her English. His reasoning was that direct communication with people would accelerate her English skills, so he got Tania a job at taking phone orders.

“He told me the job was really easy,” Tania said. “All you had to do was read the script next to the phone when people called. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I can totally do that!’” It didn’t turn out to be that simple. In fact, Tania had no clue what anyone was saying.

Tania currently plays girl-next-door Emma Lau in Disney’s “Aaron Stone” series, about a video game that becomes reality. Since the show is filmed in Toronto, Tania was able to experience her first true winter. Having only lived in tropical Indonesia and sunny California, she was not prepared for the Canadian winter. Tania was so cold during the last two weeks of filming that she forced herself to learn how to cook just so she could stay indoors.

“I’m very happy to find this career,” Tania said. “It’s almost like an accident because I didn’t know about it before getting here. I feel so blessed to find acting as my career. It’s something that I love to do and am able to make a living off of.”

And as long as Tania’s lucky streak lasts, we’ll be seeing her for years to come.

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With nine film and television projects underway, James Kyson Lee is coasting on a wave of “Heroes”-induced fame. From the upcoming romantic comedy “White on Rice” to horror flick “Necrosis,” Lee enjoys running the genre gamut. “Each project is different,” says the 33-year-old actor who recently learned to play guitar for his musician role in “White on Rice,” “especially when you’re doing films. I have to perform with a quick learning curve. Any time you get to pick up new roles, you learn new skills.” A burgeoning global jet-setter, Lee has traveled to international shooting locales as varied as Bulgaria, England, and Japan.

“I was supposed to spend a night at a hostel. But when I got there, I ended up driving around the ocean. I got completely lost, ended up at some mall parking lot, and fell asleep. I fell asleep in my rent-a-car.”

Not bad for someone who spent his first night in Hollywood sleeping in a rental car.

Flashback to eight years ago, when Lee’s prospects looked completely different compared to the nation-hopping lifestyle he leads now. Then a communications major at Boston University, Korean-born Lee was stuck in a quintessential quarter-life crisis: “I was twenty-four, twenty-five and I still hadn’t forged an idea of what my life was about,” Lee says. Finding himself not particularly interested in his major or the prospective of corporate life, the New York City native broke through the slump when a friend invited him to participate in an improv comedy troupe. “I went to see what it was like and I just had the time of my life,” Lee says. “I felt like I was seven again.” Though the small group only performed short-form improv games (think “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) for family-and-friends types of audiences, the acting bug had permanently latched its jaws onto Lee.

By the summer of 2001, Lee says he had sold 90 percent of his possessions for a one-way plane ticket to Los Angeles. “I didn’t know how Hollywood worked at the time, but I felt like I hadn’t found my path, my identity yet … I felt like I needed to go to a new environment,” he says of his impromptu decision. Of course, not everyone took Lee’s newfound initiative as good news, least of all his parents. “They thought I was crazy; They didn’t know what I was doing. But I needed to go and find my life,” he says. Selling his used car for $1,800, Lee resisted any qualms and naysayers and flew to Los Angeles, landing late in the evening with only a rental to call his own.

“I was supposed to spend a night at a hostel. But when I got there, I ended up driving around the ocean,” says the star, chuckling at the memory. “I got completely lost, ended up at some mall parking lot, and fell asleep. I fell asleep in my rent-a-car.”

After gaining some bearings, Lee immediately hit the L.A. scene, looking to break into show business. He enrolled in community college acting classes and began to train in various performance arts. “I took acting classes, jazz dancing, musical theater, anything I’ve ever been curious about but never went for,” he says. “Twenty years of repressed creativity exploded. I felt like I kept discovering these new worlds.” To pay the bills, Lee tutored SAT classes and worked in educational theater troupes that toured public schools. Eventually all the “safe sex” and “family communications” skits made way for bigger things. Lee landed his first television gig, a small guest part on CBS’ JAG, within three years of living in Hollywood.

However, it wasn’t until Lee was cast as a certain Japanese-speaking, Western culture-loving sidekick on runaway hit “Heroes” that he began to reap national stardom. “He wanted to escape the Japanese corporate life,” says Lee of his righteous-mannered character, Ando. “A lot of times, he’s the comic relief [and] the voice of reason; I feel like my story line is more light-hearted. That’s why it’s fun to play Ando.”

The Korean American says he has no trouble slipping into his Japanese alter-ego. Relying on his Japanese classes from college and an on-set vocal coach, Lee takes care to avoid turning his character into a stereotype. “You make sure to bring the integrity and the strength of the character you play through,” he says.

After all, Asian representation in the media doesn’t need to take any punches. “Statistically, we are the smallest represented,” says Lee on the state of Asians in American media.

Though the recent breakout successes of actors such as Lee are pushing up against the glass ceiling, for this “Heroes” star, progress begins from the creative level. “It starts from the written page, when you have more successful [Asian American] writers and filmmakers. The more people in this field, the more these projects will become a reality,” he says. “We, as a group, are very young in this business… We still have a long way to go.”

Lee views his own career in a similar light: satisfied with what has been accomplished, but believing there is a much longer road ahead.

“Ultimately, [my goal is to] be part of projects that tell a powerful story or make a strong impact,” he says. “I’m just getting started on this journey. The last couple of years has been great; I feel like I’m in the early stages of my career.”

Wardrobe provided by Barbour.

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If there is one thing Nan Zhang – that’s Kati Farkas to “Gossip Girl” fans – would like the public to know, it would be this: She was never in a fight with Leighton Meester, and she did not leave the show because of a supposed rift with the Queen Bee.

“I couldn’t believe what I was reading,” says Zhang of the tabloid gossip. “I mean, Leighton is such a sweetheart and just so incredibly nice.” However, gossip happens in real life just as much as on “Gossip Girl”. When her character, Kati, left the Upper East Side (and the show) under the explanation that her family moved to Israel, rumors abounded that Zhang had left to attend Brown University—a school that she has no connection with whatsoever.

“I think for one episode I was talking to a Brown representative. It’s really funny,” says the Chinese American actress. “Once, the Brown school newspaper called me and asked me for an interview, and I was like, ‘You know, I go to Hopkins.’”

At Johns Hopkins University, Zhang studies neuroscience in hopes of graduating next year, then entering a medical school and becoming an optometrist. She started pursuing neuroscience research with professors when she was only 16 years old, realizing that she could save lives and help people with her abilities. Modeling and acting, both passionate pursuits of hers, still lie second to her love of medical research.

While Zhang seems to have the qualities many girls dream of, from her glamorous good looks to her sparkling intellect, she, too, has struggled with coming to terms with her cultural identity—and with her parents. Born in China to strict parents, Zhang and her family moved to New Orleans when she was still a child. Her parents, both doctors, never encouraged her to pursue a life in the entertainment industry.

“I’ll just be honest: my parents are severely traditional. I actually didn’t tell them that I was modeling at first, but when they found out, they weren’t very happy about it. But I realized that I was trying to impose an American way of life on them, and that as parents they just wanted the best for me,” she recalls. “When they saw the ‘Gossip Girl’ trailers, they realized that it was real and now they understand. They were like, ‘If you can do this, you can get into Harvard med school.’”

As an only child, she was often told by her parents to go back to college. Zhang had temporarily left school in order to pursue a modeling career, because driving back and forth from modeling assignments to school had begun to take a toll on her health and spirit. However, during the writers’ strike of 2007-2008, she realized that she had to make a definitive decision about her future—especially because the future of Gossip Girl was shaky. Ultimately, she chose to return to school in order to attain a degree.

“Honestly, you can’t go back to school once you’re 30; don’t believe anyone who tells you that you can,” she says.

Her agency, William Morris, and the “Gossip Girl” production office were very supportive of her decision to become a full-time student again. There were also no catfights or dramatic last words – contrary to what the gossip blogs and tabloids claimed. In fact, Leighton Meester, Nicole Fiscella (who plays Isabel Coates), and Zhang frequently hung out on set. Consequently, Zhang left the show feeling very good about her choice despite between being entwined in the dilemma that many young Asian Americans face—choosing whether to follow a traditional route supported by their parents or to take a completely different path.

“When you’re in that business, with my upbringing, you have certain values that are priority,” she said.

Additionally, as “Gossip Girl” became increasingly popular and as the season progressed, that Zhang became concerned that she might only be playing the token Asian girl. “It was a fun character; I enjoyed every part of it. But I wish they would have portrayed the characters with more dimension.” In being one of the few minorities on the show, Zhang had a lot of pressure to be an example to Asian American teens who watch the show—which was tough to achieve, considering she barely had any lines to be a fully-developed character.

While she is no longer in the limelight—at least for the time being, as she is still signed with William Morris Agency—Zhang has become a greater inspiration to girls with diverse interests. For those who know the real reason why she left, it’s clear that one can be a Gossip Girl and change the world too.

Photos courtesy of Nan Zhang.

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“She came in confident,” says Sung. “She was very focused, and it was very obvious that she loved what she was doing.” Unafraid, Brenda took the stage and impressed Sung with her “spontaneity, sense of ease, and playfulness.” Sung remembers an innate quality in Brenda that helped her stand out as a “smart, intelligent girl that talks to you like she’s a little adult.” She became the first director to cast Brenda in a film, giving the then seven-year-old a role in her short film “Requiem.”

From there, Brenda was on her path to fame. She signed a contract with Disney in 2002, and has been a familiar face on the small screen ever since. Judy Taylor, the vice president of casting and talent relations at Disney, remembers her initial meeting with Brenda and the way the actress lit up any room she walked into. “She’s completely engaging, and you want to spend time with her,” Taylor says. On top of that, Taylor recognized that even at age 14, Brenda was a talented actress who was great with comedy.

But eliciting laughs wasn’t Brenda’s only skill. As a young girl, Brenda’s mother wanted her and her brother to participate in extracurriculars. Brenda begged to take ballet, while her younger brother Timmy was set on taekwondo. However, “my mom only wanted to take us to one place,” she says. And since it was unlikely that Timmy would join ballet class, Brenda had to tag along to taekwondo. “I cried all the way through my first class,” she says. But eventually, she fell in love with it—while Timmy quit halfway through, Brenda went on to get a black belt. Her unique athletic ability made her a prime candidate for her first starring role in a movie as Wendy Wu, a girl who revisits her Chinese heritage and uses martial arts to save the world. According to Lydia Look, one of the script’s cowriters, the directors of Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior were having trouble finding a suitable actor with both the comedic presence and taekwondo ability to play the main character, originally named Kenny Lu. “Brenda was originally brought in to play the [supporting] monk’s role,” says Look. “We started training with her in martial arts, and that’s when we realized that she should be Kenny Lu.” They quickly switched things around and offered Brenda the lead in the movie. “She had the perfect combination of wit and martial arts,” said Look. The movie was such a hit that a sequel—in which Wendy Wu returns to China—is currently in the works.

Brenda’s agenda doesn’t stop there, though. After a successful run on The Suite Life as hotel heiress London Tipton, she has a starring role in its spinoff, The Suite Life on Deck. As one of the more seasoned actresses on set, Brenda has taken on a sisterly role, serving as a mentor for some of the younger actresses such as Debby Ryan, who is five years younger than her. At their first meeting, Debby remembers being starstruck and nervous about sharing a stage with someone she had watched on TV growing up. “She teaches me new things every day,” says Debby. She adds that Brenda’s calm presence keeps the younger actors grounded on the set. “She watches out for us, and I can’t think of a better female coworker to have.”

While acting is Brenda’s first love, she loves to read, cook, and bake in what little spare time she has. She separates her professional and personal life by making a conscious effort to draw a definitive line between the two. “I’m 20 years old,” says Brenda. “I want to go have fun, to be able to go to the movies with my brothers.” Most of her free time is spent with her family, especially younger brothers Timmy, 18, and sous-chef Nathan, 12, whom she affectionately calls Nay-nay. Though the two drive her insane—like all little brothers do—all three are extremely good friends. When Timmy turned 18 and graduated from high school in the same week, Brenda remembers tearing up at the idea of her younger brother growing up so quickly. Luckily for her, he’ll be attending college in California, close to the family.

As for Brenda, she manages to squeeze in courses at UC Berkeley while the cameras aren’t rolling. Her best friend Danielle Panabaker, who she met on the set of Stuck in the Suburbs, had taken courses in psychology and suggested the same for Brenda. Brenda fell in love with the subject after taking an elective in high school and now plans to get her bachelor’s degree in psychology. “It works hand-in-hand with my acting,” says Brenda. “It teaches you why people do certain things, and it helps me get into character.” Brenda’s dad is a secondary school teacher, so the importance of education has been drilled into Brenda since she was young. “It’s a personal endeavor for me,” she says. “Education is the one thing that no one can take away from you. It’s what you learn, and what you take from it.”

Understanding the importance of education isn’t the only thing Brenda’s learned from her parents. Brenda is half Hmong and half Thai, and while she loves being American, she’s also very attached to her parents’ native cultures. Her dad only speaks Hmong at home, so Brenda has picked up the language. “I speak it with a little bit of my valley girl accent,” she jokes. “It’s such a close-knit culture, and very family-oriented. As with many Asian cultures, no matter where you branch off, you’re family.” Brenda also laughingly admits that her favorite part about the Hmong culture is the food. “There’s a chicken drumstick dish where they stuff it with noodles,” she says. “It’s my favorite dish.”

Like many others, growing up as an Asian American was both a challenge and a blessing for Brenda. “Being an actress is difficult,” says Brenda. “Sometimes they won’t look at you because you don’t have blue eyes and blond hair, and it’s 10 times as hard to get through the door.”

But Brenda is realistic about the industry. “Sometimes they’re just not looking for an Asian actress,” she says. “That was difficult when I was younger, but it’s all part of the job.” And in true Brenda style, she takes everything in stride. “At the end of the day, it makes you a better person. You can’t think of yourself as an Asian American actress. It’s not about what you look like, it’s about what you do … and who you are as a person.” Though Brenda doesn’t believe that she’s faced much discrimination as an actress, director Elizabeth Sung thinks that isn’t the case for most Asian American actors. “Brenda is a special case,” she says about the young girl she discovered in 1995. “Her talent cuts through all doors—it just knocks them down. It’s credit to Brenda’s unique talent.” Even at six years old, Brenda told Sung on the set of “Requiem” that she wanted to be a director one day. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s a show-runner one day,” says Sung. “She will be the role model that inspires a lot more young Brendas to come.”

How does Brenda feel about being a role model to young girls everywhere, from budding Disney stars to young Asian American girls with dreams of acting? “Oh goodness,” she says. “I hope I can set a good example. If I can do it, anyone can. I’m living my dream every single day.”

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Even though singer-songwriter Vienna Teng has been making music since she was five, it was only a couple of years ago that the sultry songstress was a software engineer working a nine-to-five in a cubicle by day and uploading her acoustic mp3s to the web by night.

Classically trained in piano and composing original pieces since she was six, Vienna (born Cynthia Yih Shih) put her musical aspirations on hold while she attended college. At Stanford University, Vienna was originally on the pre-med track, but later switched to pursue computer science because she considered a career in music impractical.

Three albums and several tours later, Vienna, presently 29 and a veteran of the indie music scene, can now safely acknowledge that her talent and creativity trumped practicality. But like many other Asian American artists, she initially wavered between the seemingly tethered life of socially acceptable career paths and the growing tendrils of her own creativity.

“My dad was the one who encouraged me [to pursue computer science in college],” said Vienna, “but my parents were surprised that I chose it. They thought I’d go into history or English or something.” She chose computer science precisely because it was a field that she could pursue, but also leave at any time.

“I knew all along it wasn’t what I wanted to do,” said Vienna. “I thought maybe I had a real shot at doing music.” Vienna describes her sound as “chamber folk,” which is “anchored in the pop world and the ‘70s music” that she listened to as a child.

She joined an A-Cappella group at Stanford, composing original music during her free moments away from classes and exams. Continuing to straddle her creative and professional ambitions after graduation, Vienna took on a job as a software engineer at Cisco Systems, creating and playing music whenever she could in her downtime.

“I was working during the day in a cubicle, doing open mics at night, and putting my mp3s on the web,” she says. “Like a lot of people, I worked my day job until I got a break.” That break came along in 2002 when Virt Records, an independent record label based in Seattle, approached the sultry-voiced musician to join the label and go on tour. Having spent two years as a software engineer, she decided it was finally time to pursue her dream full-time.

Since then, Vienna has never looked back, and her family has been more than supportive.

Although her parents worry about her well-being as an independent musician living in New York City, Vienna said, “My parents were just sort of resigned to the fact, like, ‘We kind of saw that one coming, and we know that you’re happy, so that’s the important thing,’” As a female artiste and a minority, being a musician can sometimes come with added obstacles. However, in Vienna’s case, she says that has never been a problem.

Describing the mainstream response to her music as “overwhelmingly positive,” she said being Asian American “has never ever been a liability.”

“I was surprised because there’s nothing particularly Asian American about my music,” she said. “I don’t talk about Asian American issues or cultural heritage, but mainstream readiness to see minorities is here. And within the Asian American community there are enough pioneers for it to be legitimate to go into the arts. It’s something that has got enough visibility where you can tell your parents about it.”

Having completed her eco-friendly Green Caravan Tour last April, Vienna is currently working on her fourth album with co-producer and percussionist Alex Wong.

Tracks on this new album will push the envelope and vary more than her jazzy 2006 album, Dreaming Through The Noise, though it will include the usual classical and chamber influences. It is set to be released in early 2009 by Zoë/Rounder Records, after which, who knows? Vienna might consider going back to academic grind after all, especially after her efforts on her 2007 tour.

“[The tour] wasn’t just about music and playing shows, but getting involved in the community,” she said of the Green Caravan Tour, during which she and her bandmates volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and sold organic products such as organic cotton totes and t-shirts, and other products made of recycled material.

“I’m hoping to go back to school and study sustainable development and environmentally friendly solutions,” said Vienna. After the promotional cycle for the upcoming album, she is interested in possibly returning to her alma mater in California for business school and focusing on social entrepreneurship.

This is likely relieving news for her grandmother. “[She] worries about me a lot, since I work in an uncertain field,” said Vienna. “It’s not something her generation considers a real career.”

Vienna is currently working on a track called “Grandmother Song.”

“My grandmother tells me to go to grad school and find a man. At first I sort of rolled my eyes, but then I realized where she was coming from,” she said. “So I turned it into a song. I hope she doesn’t kill me.”

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Just two years ago, Justin Nozuka was recording an album, performing in Europe, and…being a teenager? Born in New York City and raised in Toronto, the 20- year-old singer/songwriter has already accomplished what many simply dream. His debut album, “Holly,” was released in the U.S. this past April, and his first single, “After Tonight” has quickly sold over 125,000 downloads. What’s more, his music video for the single was the most played video for nine weeks straight on VH1, where he has also been named a You Oughta Know: Artist On The Rise. He has been nominated for a Best New Artist JUNO award (similar to a Grammy, but Canadian) and won the Emerging Artist Award this past summer from the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities: Campus Entertainment Awards. Justin has even shared the stage with John Cale, Crowded House, and Ziggy Marley. Without a doubt, he is one busy and buzzworthy guy. VH1 got it right when they said he was an artist you oughta know.

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