SHOW BIZ
Sansei chef Kodama going to the Super Bowl

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

SUPER CHEFS: No matter which two NFL teams make it to Super Bowl XXXVII, one certainty will be great food from award-winning Hawai'i chef D.K. Kodama of Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar of Honolulu and Maui. Kodama will be the first isle chef to participate in "Taste of the NFL," a mammoth fund-raising (and food-munching) event Jan. 25, the night before the big game, at the Town and Country Resort and Convention Center in San Diego. Kodama joins top chefs from each of the 32 NFL cities; he will be representing the Pro Bowl and its effort to raise money for food banks and other organizations nationwide that feed the hungry and homeless. More than $3.5 million have been raised since "Taste" was launched 11 years ago. If you're game-bound and would like to add the foodie gala to your itinerary, call Jim Little at (952) 835-7621 or visit www.tasteofthenfl.com ...

HOLIDAZE: Actor Branscombe Richmond and wife Lei are reuniting with family and friends. Richmond just wrapped up episodes for the year for the Sci-Fi Channel's new "Tremors" series, which begin airing Jan. 10. The show was filmed at the new Fox Studios in Baja California and it was a reunion for Branscombe with his pal Christopher Lloyd ("Back to the Future" films); they battle the big worms together. Production resumes January through May. Richmond says there may be a couple of two-hour "Renegade Reunion" shows in the offing, too, with co-star Lorenzo Lamas. ...

Jim Lapidus is on hiatus from "24," the Kiefer Sutherland hit Fox show, and the rest is needed because "this year's show is five times bigger than last year." Lapidus, who dresses everyone from head to toe, said that two episodes are shot simultaneously. Recently, Sutherland fell and suffered a leg injury, causing delays and filming of future scripts around his injury. ...

Also holidaying here: the Don Strouds. They had so much fun during a fall visit, they had to spend the holidays back home. But his mom, Ann McCormack, isn't on this trek. ...

ITEMIZATIONS: Singer-actress Loretta Ables-Sayre and husband-publicist David Sayre are back from New York, where she fulfilled a longtime dream: watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade live from the Columbus Circle area in 29-degree weather (with 14-degree wind chill factor). "Need I tell you that for the rest of my life, I will be very happy to sit on my couch with a hot cup of coffee and watch it on TV?" she said. At the Essex Hotel, she spotted Robert DeNiro walking out; he and Billy Crystal were doing promos for "Analyze That." Then Julia Roberts checked in; she's in the Big Apple to do a film with Julia Stiles, whom Ables-Sayre talked to nearly daily. And yep, they did the New York Christmas thing — took in the Radio City Music Hall spectacular. ...

The Sayres were among first-nighters (Makana was there, too) for Marlin's "LUMA" show last week at the Hawai'i Theatre — a definite eye-thriller and -filler. A post-show party at Ruth's Chris Steak House, hosted by g.m. Al Hosoi, attracted cast members, show presenter Tim Bostock and sponsors. ...

By the way, Ables-Sayre will be the opening act for the Beach Boys in their New Year's Eve concert at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Coral Ballroom. ...

And that's Show Biz ...

Wayne Harada's Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. He prepared this column before going on vacation; an end-of-the-year Show Biz will be published Tuesday.