they're famous on the internet

In his latest "Asian Pop" column, Jeff Yang talks to some of the top Asian American "stars" on YouTube about whether the next generation of ASian Americans will dominate the next generation of media: 'Tube Stakes.

In a crazy way, these personalities are all pioneers—Christine Gambito, Kevin Wu, David Choi. You know and love them online as HappySlip, KevJumba, and um, David Choi. Yeah, don't pretend you don't know who I'm talking about.

Together, these three are responsible for some of the most viewed and subscribed videos on YouTube. Asian Americans may be sorely absent from the mainstream media, but on YouTube, they're stars... and the lines between mainstream and internet seem to be blurring more and more every day. They've gone from zeros to heroes in a relatively short time, all thanks thanks to the power of YouTube.

Check the numbers: HappySlip's videos have been watched over 36 million times. The one-woman video squad is the sweetheart of internet geeks everywhere (I'll admit, I've got a bit of a crush).

And 1.9 million viewers have seen David's "YouTube (A Love Song)," which is awesome. Those are built-in fans he can leverage into his burgeoning music career, and he doesn't even have a record out... yet.

Heck, 17-year-old KevJumba's infamous Stare is a runaway sensation. You know you've hit the big time when you've got people like Baron Davis and Jessica Alba callin' you out. The internet is a crazy place. Too bad none of them ended up on Weezer's "Pork and Beans" video.