Show Biz
'Lion King' player back home to get married

WEDDING BELLE: Christine Yasunaga, the Islander who has been in Broadway’s "The Lion King" ensemble since its inception three seasons ago, is home to get married to Darryl Pellegrina, a drummer formerly with Chuck Mangione. The wedding and reception will be held tomorrow at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental hotel, and the out-of-town guests include three former Simbas from the hit musical. Yasunaga — who was at one time the lone Asian in an otherwise all-black cast — will return to the production . . .

MAUI WOWIE: Holiday star-gazers have had a field day on Maui. Beverly Gannon’s food certainly must be a magnet; her Hali‘imaile General Store crowds in upcountry Maui have included Jason Alexander, Tom Arnold and Richard Chamberlain — at different times, different tables — and notables at her Joe’s Bar & Grill in Wailea have included Dustin Hoffman and his family, and, on another night, Tori Spelling . . .

And Kapalua’s Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar is targeting a Guinness Book of World Record entry when it creates a 100-yard California Sushi Roll. Dozens of volunteers from Maui Community College’s culinary arts program, as well as high school boosters, will put together the mammoth roll prior to the 2001 Rivals.com Hula Bowl Jan. 20 at Wailuku’s War Memorial Stadium. The sushi shapers will kick off at 12:20 p.m., hoping to have enough time to make history before the 3 p.m. game.

And, if you make a donation to the Maui Community College Culinary Arts program, you will be able to get a taste of the sushi, so it won’t go to waste. Overall, it sounds yummy . . .

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Paul Anka, who performed New Year’s Eve at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, was a surprise guest at Mayor Jeremy Harris’ inauguration earlier this week. Even sang a tune . . .

Before heading for Omaha, "Stomp" crew members partied New Year’s Eve at Compadres, with Keith "Wild Child" Middleton and Camille Shuford leading the hoopla. Cast member Randi Rader was in the spotlight, since she was exiting the cast to join the San Francisco company. Localite Ivan Delaforce, in an earlier "Stomp" cast here (and traveling nationally as well as in Europe) was at the party . . .

Ruth’s Chris Steak House owner Randy Schock was at his Restaurant Row eatery on the eve, following the launching of a Ruth’s Chris at The Shops in Wailea on Maui. In his party: Levi Stanley, former UH footballer, and Paul Diller, an "‘Ulalena" producer from Maui . . .

Condolences to Jimmy Borges, whose dad, James Borges Jr., died at age 85 Dec. 28 in Salinas, Calif. "He got me into the biz," the younger Borges said of his father. "At age 1 1/2, he got me singing." Borges dedicated his New Year’s Eve Kahala Mandarin Oriental show to his father — a tough performance to do, in the midst of his grief and a celebratory audience — but Borges hopes to bring some of his father’s ashes back home to Honolulu . . .

On his new CD, "Somewhere in Time," keyboarder Kit Samson has composed a tune for his mother, Celiz Samson, dubbed (what else?) "A Song for My Mother." Samson’s buddy from the Sound Advice days is recovering from triple bypass in San Francisco . . .

John Tussey, an Island-based keyboarder-composer, had one tune, "Healing Peace," peak at No. 1 on MP3.com in Honolulu and throughout the state during December. The tune originates from his "Free Flow" CD . . .

And that’s Show Biz . . .

Wayne Harada writes Show Biz every Wednesday and Friday.

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