Pham Duc Nghiem, Monk on Fire, Asians in Hollywood

Stumbled across this great article from about a week ago down at VietNamNet on producer Pham Duc Nghiem (The Rebel) and his thoughts on the Vietnamese movie industry, Dustin Nguyen's new project Monk on Fire, as well as being Asian in Hollywood:

Twenty years ago, Jackie Chan produced many films in Hong Kong and brought them to the US, but failed. He had to return to Hong Kong and only after again becoming famous at home did he return to the US. I want to do the same. Here in Vietnam there is more opportunity for me than in the US.

Read the full article here.

Dustin Nguyen and "Monk on Fire"

Cool. According to some info down at BeyondHollywood.com, Dustin Nguyen is looking to make his directorial debut with the Vietnamese movie "Monk on Fire" which is "an Asian western with bikes instead of horses, swords instead of guns and super powered monks".

Newsbits: Olbermann, Nguyen, Asian Health

Some links and stories from around the web and blogosphere:

Olbermann Slams Malkin for Daring to Question Clinton Straw Donors

MSNBC’s Keith “Chicken & Waffles” Olbermann attacked conservative blogger Michelle Malkin for “ethnic profiling” of Chinese restaurant dishwashers in New York City who donated to the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Of course, running off of the liberal Media Matters script, Olbermann failed to note that Malkin’s problem is not with the donors’ ethnicity per se, but that it’s highly suspicious when low-wage earners pony up a few thousand to give a political candidate.

‘21 Jump Street’ star Dustin Nguyen is back in action

Flash back to 1987. “21 Jump Street” was one of the hottest new shows on television, showcasing the talents of young heartthrobs Johnny Depp and Dustin Nguyen. For Depp, already a rising star, it would be a launching pad for enormous big-screen success. For Nguyen, who played Officer Harry Truman Ioki, it was a rare opportunity in the national spotlight during a time when there were hardly any Asian Americans on television or in the movies.

Coverage, Access and Quality Asian-Americans Express Concern About SCHIP Veto, Program’s Future

According to recent U.S. Census Bureau data, 15.5% of Asian-Americans and about 21.7% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are uninsured. Other Asian-American subgroups such as Korean-Americans and Vietnamese-Americans also have a large percentage of uninsured. However, because some subgroups have relatively higher incomes and education levels and are labeled as the “Model Minority,” the groups’ need for access to health care often is overlooked, the Pacific Citizen/New America Media reports.