By APA Staff

The Wonder Girls make music with the Jonas Brothers, Masi Oka is our Defender, and will Vera Wang kick up her celebrity dancing shoes? All this and more in the latest edition of News Bites.

The Wonder Girls Touring With the Jonas Brothers
 
Sun, Yenny, Yubin, Mimi and Sohee, or better collectively known as the Wonder Girls, are making their debut this summer in the United States as the opening act for the Jonas Brothers' world tour. They will be singing English renditions of their most popular songs. While the Jonas Brothers are hitting 53 cities, the Wonder Girls will only be performing at 13 concerts and 7 locations, from June 27 in Portland to August 22 in Atlanta. To find out more about the Wonder Girls and other tour dates visit their myspace here. --Kristie Hang

Masi Oka's stars in The Defenders

Masi Oka, better known as Heroes star Hiro Nakamura, has a project under way with Dreamworks. Oka has been given the okay for his story of a group of teenage gamers who must meet in person in order to save the world and become real-life heroes. The film will be titled The Defenders and directed by D.J. Caruso. Gary Whitta is also on board as the writer, while Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen) will be producing. It has also been said that Dreamworks will be releasing a video game based on the film. It's not yet clear who will be cast or when shooting will begin, but one thing is sure: Masi Oka is moving onto to bigger challenges beyond saving a cheerleader. --Megan Chun

New York premiere of Children of Invention

Tze Chun's Children of Intervention will be playing at the BAMcinemaFEST festival in Brooklyn, New York this week. The film is about a brother and sister, Raymond and Tina Cheng, who are left to fend for themselves when their mother becomes entangled in an illegal pyramid scheme and then disappears. Children of Intervention is Chun's first feature film as both writer and director, and the story is inspired by from his own personal experience growing up. The film  touches on the financial hardships that many immigrant families face coming to America and how the lure of fast, easy money –- a shortcut to the American dream -– will not always prove promising. --Michael Lom

Joe Hahn directs new Linkin Park video featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Most notable for his dexterity and ingenuity as Linkin Park turntablist, Joe Hahn showcases his directorial skills with the music video for Linkin Park's latest single "New Divide." The song has been featured prominently alongside the Transformers advertisements. As the official theme of the summer blockbuster sequel, the music video is sure to get its share of views, filled with what fans can only hope will be images of robots, explosives, and the illustrious Megan Fox. Directing is no new task for Joe Hahn, as he's directed a number of Linkin Park's music videos, including "One Step Closer", "Faint", and "Crawling." --Timothy Natividad

Kollaboration competition kicks off on June 27

Kollaboration hits New York Saturday, June 27, at the NYU Skirball Center. Competitors such as Alice Hu, Bollywood Axion, Marie Choi, and Project D, will be in the running for a $2000 prize. Guests Elliot Chang (Comedy Central) and Nelly Yuki (Gossip Girl) will also be in attendance. Focusing on up and coming Asian Pacific Islander American performers, Kollaboration hopes to introduce new artists into the mainstream. Click here for more information. --Megan Chun

Kelly Choi relives Padma Lakshmi of duties as Top Chef

Say goodbye to actress/model/do-everything hostess Padma Lakshmi on Bravo's Top Chef television series. Replacing her as host of the tournament-style chef challenge show is former model Kelly Choi. The Korean American model is most notably known for her multiple-Emmy nomination performance on NYC TV. This season showcases 24 world famous chefs, including Anita Lo, owner of New York's Annisa and Rickshaw Dumpling Bar consultant. Those of you still hankering for some Padma Lakshmi can wear your love with pride here. --Timothy Natividad

 
Alexa Chung, Host of MTV's It's On With Alexa Chung

Alexa Chung, a former fashion model and television host for Britain's Channel 4, ITV1 and BBC, has joined MTV to host It's On With Alexa Chung, MTV's take on a new daily music talk show which incorporates web content from social networking and messaging sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It's On continues the trend of traditional networks such as MTV using web content to create new entertainment shows. Along with Chung's high profile as a model and television host, MTV hopes the content and positioning of It's On will recapture the attention of young audiences, and convince them to return to television. The show is envisioned to be a successor to MTV's Total Request Live. It's On With Alexa Chung first aired on June 15 and runs weekdays at noon. --Michael Lom

Vera Wang considering Dancing with the Stars

Fashion designer Vera Wang has reportedly signed up to compete on the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. The show, which will be in its ninth season this coming fall, has hosted talents such as Lil Kim, Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple), and season six winner, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi. While known for her work as a design director of Ralph Lauren, Wang competed in the 1968 US Figure Skating Championships and was a former editor for Vogue magazine. Now with her own label, Wang has earned a large degree of fame in the fashion world, especially through her wedding gowns and outfits for figure skaters. Neither representatives for Wang nor ABC have yet to confirm publically her participation. Wang will be 60 at the time of the September 21st premiere. --Frederick Steihl

So You Think You Can Dance's Asuka Kondoh Dances to BoA's Song
 
Asuka Kondoh highlighted Korean pop star BoA's hit single last week and garnered her some brief exposure on FOX's hit dance show So You Think You Can Dance? She and her fellow competitor Vitolio Jeune were forced to dance for their lives as a result of being one of the bottom three couples from Week 1. Asuka selected BoA's "Did Ya" for her dance routine, which significantly boosted the song's popularity on iTunes just mere hours after the show was broadcasted. --Kristie Hang

James Kyson Lee in TV movie, Star Runners

Heroes star, James Kyson Lee, played the hero in the recent Sci Fi Channel television movie, Star Runners. Filmed in Bulgaria during the writers' strike, Lee jumped at the chance to shoot a film in a country he had never been to. Starring alongside Star-Trek: Enterprise's Connor Trinneer, Lee played the role of a smuggler with a mysterious crate who ends up on planet full of killer bugs. Star Runners premiered on Saturday, June 13. Perhaps not the most moving and significant piece of art, fatal face-offs with massive space bugs are always a big plus. --Megan Chun

Obama's manhwa biograpy released in US

Dasan Books, a publisher based in South Korea, has shipped an English translation of their Korean graphic novel (manhwa), The Obama Story, which of course, is based on Barack Obama's life, from his childhood in Hawaii to the 2008 US presidential election. It comes as the first in a series of the Great Hero line written by T.S. Lee. Furthermore, 50 Great Hero manhwa biographies are planned for publication over the next 18 months, including ones for Charles Darwin, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Gates. -–Kanara Ty
 

Published: Friday, June 19, 2009