Dustin Nguyen

"3 Ninjas Kick Back" is just as lively and engaging as the 1992 original. Writer Mark Saltzman and director Charles T. Kanganis, neither of which were involved in the earlier film, do a fine job of keeping things happening and moving in an easy yet highly kinetic fashion. Although aimed at children, this smart-looking TriStar release is actually more inventive and better-paced than many a comedy for adults.

Trong Minh, who arrived in the United States three months after the fall of Saigon in 1975, gestured toward the open restaurant door looking out onto bustling Little Saigon and began speaking rapidly in Vietnamese. "He says Little Saigon was once a deserted area but the Vietnamese refugees built it up to this magnificent, very impressive business district in a few years," said Rick Murphy, translating for his friend.

Trong Minh, who arrived in the United States three months after the fall of Saigon in 1975, gestured toward an open restaurant door looking out onto bustling Little Saigon and began speaking rapidly in Vietnamese. "He says Little Saigon was once a deserted area but the Vietnamese refugees built it up to this magnificent, very impressive business district in a few years," Rick Murphy said, translating for his friend.

To the many social terriers who've doggedly pursued good works while having good fun, we offer a hearty wassail (the toast, not the punch): Dyan Cannon and Mellon First Business Bank, who received a Spirit of Hope Award at the H.E.L.P. Group's annual Teddy Bear Ball at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Luke Perry, as Santa Claus, auctioned off a puppy. They raised $250,000 for services to more than 3,500 needy people. . . .

Vital Stats: So where do all the Playboy Playmates go after their month of bare-skinned glory? Well, many of them gathered on the rooftop of the Le Parc Hotel on Wednesday night for the first anniversary reception and dinner of the Centerfold Alumni Assn., a nonprofit organization of former Playmates formed to support the more than 500 models who have graced Playboy's centerfold pages since the magazine began in 1955. And why do Playmates need support?

MOVIES 'Dirty Dancing' Again: Thirteen years after the original "Dirty Dancing" redefined steamy romance, Artisan Entertainment and Miramax Films announced Thursday that they will team to produce and distribute a sequel. But fans who hope to be transported back to the 1960s in the Catskills, where Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey originally got rhythm, will be disappointed.

Dah-link, what ah you doing wees dat leetle basketball? It's hard to imagine what Zsa Zsa Gabor and Laker guard Byron Scott will talk about July 4 when they appear together as grand marshals of the 84th annual Huntington Beach Independence Day Parade. Then again, the pair may not have to do anything but wave. Why these two?

The fourth annual Los Angeles Independent Film Festival will present 24 features, two feature-length documentaries and 31 shorts Friday through Sunday at three nearby Sunset Boulevard venues: the Directors Guild of America at 7930, the Sunset 5 Theaters at 8000 and Harmony Gold Preview House at 7655.

When the news finally came to Little Saigon in Orange County and the end was clear, so many people had braced themselves for the lifting of the 19-year U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam that, apart from a general sense of sadness, the deepest emotions most could muster were regret, resignation and bewilderment. Orange County is home to the nation's largest Vietnamese community, 70,572 people according to the latest Census.