For news anchor Moore, acting on stage is an outlet
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
Talk about news anchor Joe Moore long enough and someone is likely to come up with the phrase.
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Two-thousand pound gorilla. As in, where does a 2,000-pound gorilla sit? Anywhere he wants to.
TV news anchor Joe Moore is among a number of local reporters who enjoy stage work for relaxation and exposure.
Moore sits behind the anchor desk at KHON-2, the Fox affiliate, where he has been — for more than a decade — Hawai'i's top-rated, most-watched TV personality.
In the jungle of the living room, he rules, even if his ratings have slipped slightly here and there of late.
Periodically, as he's doing this week, Moore abandons his anchor chair for the stage. His current ticket is Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple," premiering Thursday at the Hawai'i Theatre, where he has enlisted his broadcast friend of 32 years, Pat Sajak of "Wheel of Fortune." The two play the mismatched housemates Felix (the neatnik) and Oscar (the slob) in the enduring stage comedy.
Some people think Moore's penchant for acting (and writing scripts) makes him more interesting and well-rounded. Others say it's not the thing for a profession who is supposed to be above it all, objective, without a ruffled hair.
"The few people I know of who have a problem with me as an actor, are either journalistic snobs or petty, jealous people," said Moore, as usual unafraid to mince words. "Frankly, I could care less. The way I look at it, acting is what I do for fun, on my own vacation time. It's also the way I choose to help raise money for worthy local causes ("The Odd Couple" is a benefit for Manoa Valley Theatre). Every play I've ever done has been for various theater groups, from the University of Hawai'i drama department to Diamond Head Theatre, and other deserving organizations, like Aloha United Way and Hawai'i Public Radio."
The reality is, many folks take in a Moore show because of his news credentials. And certainly, "Wheel" watchers want to cozy up to applaud Sajak, too. But, said Sajak, who met Moore in the Army, "Our goal is to make people forget that we're the guys who deliver the news or spin the wheel."
Some of Moore's peers and competitors think theatrical activities enhance a journalist's ranking in the community. And Moore's not alone in living this double life.
A Neil Simon comedy, produced by Manoa Valley Theatre; a benefit for MVT 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 4 p.m. Sept. 30 Hawai'i Theatre $17.50-$37 528-0506
"I've always loved to sing," said Tina Shelton, now a KHON investigative reporter, who took on the challenge of enacting Eliza Doolittle — yes, with all those vocals and accents and costumes — in her stage debut in "My Fair Lady" at the Army Community Theatre in 1994.
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"The Odd Couple"
"I learned how much work it is to do a show, for no pay," she said. "The thing I enjoyed most was the opportunity to meet a lot of people in different professions. And being somewhat of a TV personality helped, I guess; we sold out that large theater."
Jodi Leong, KHNL-8 anchor, is a veteran of several community productions, too. Her last outing was as Linda Lo in "Flower Drum Song" at ACT in 1996. "By participating in theater, it shows the public we in news have hobbies, other avenues of interest beyond the news," she said. "I don't think it hurts the integrity of a news person."
Keoki Kerr, who covers City Hall for KITV, agrees. "I think ultimately your credibility is determined by the body of your journalistic work, unless you're doing something inappropriate or questionable," he said. "The way I look at it, it shows that a reporter or an anchor has a life, too, and doing something makes me a better reporter because I meet a lot of people I would otherwise not meet."
He expects to be in a pair of Hawai'i Opera Theatre productions next year.
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Bill Spellman, general manager of KHON and Moore's boss, said he endorses Moore's theatrical efforts. "I think it's good; Joe is arguably the best and most successful anchor," Spellman said. "But his breadth and experience outside of the anchor desk is part of his success and part of who he is."
KHON-2 news anchor Joe Moore and "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak team up for the Manoa Valley Theatre production of "The Odd Couple."
And Mike Rosenberg, who was Moore's boss at KHON before becoming general manager at rival KITV, said such outside projects "re-energizes Joe, or any other journalist, and it's good for everyone, including Manoa Valley Theatre (where Rosenberg serves on the board). Everybody can get bored doing only the same thing."
Moore doesn't only act; he writes, too, and his theatrical outings in the past have been performances of his own one-man shows based on the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Will Rogers and Billy Mitchell.
This time, though, he was looking for something he and Sajak could do together. He earlier tried to get Sajak for his film "Moonglow," but it involved five weeks of shooting and Sajak wasn't available for that duration.
Over the holidays last year, Sajak and Moore chatted over the phone about possibilities.
Moore, who had become a father, hadn't had time to write another play. So they decided to give "The Odd Couple" a whirl, writing to Samuel French for the rights.
"The obvious choice was for me to be Oscar, the bigger, huskier guy, but for Pat (a tad more diminutive) to play Oscar and my playing Felix would be going against type," Moore said.
Rehearsal timetables were maneuvered by director Jim Hutchison to take into consideration the oceans separating the two leads. Moore, here; Sajak, splitting time between his Los Angeles and his Baltimore homes, plus "Wheel" tapings.
It's Sajak's first major role, Moore said. "I usually work with a handful of guys I enjoy, like Jim (who got the directorial nod) and Terry (Terence Knapp) and Glenn (Cannon), and Hutch (Hutchison) has a tremendous background in comedy, so he was a solid choice for this project."
"I'll use any excuse to come to Hawai'i. Even working for Joe Moore," Sajak said. "I love coming over here ... because I overdose on pineapple."
Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067 or e-mail wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.
