What's Up!

Local favorite Cherry Blossom heritage Japanese food, music, dance, crafts and more will be part of the Cherry Blossom Festival Heritage Fair, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 16 at Kapi'olani Park Bandstand. Demonstrations of koto, taiko and obon will take place throughout the day; "extreme fun" inflatables will be there to entertain the keiki. Admission is free. 627-8522.

Kenny Rankin, the romantic vocalist whose hits include "Haven't We Met," "Peaceful" and "Blackbird," performs at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hawai'i's Maile Ballroom. 8 p.m. Feb. 15. $35, available at the Blaisdell box office and Ticket Plus outlets. 526-4400.

CONCERTS: Feb. 15-16

Christian recording acts True Vibe, Stacie Orrico and Nikki Leonti, will give a pair of concerts with Hawai'i's own Jan Brenner at the Hawai'i Theatre. True Vibe was formed by ex-98 Degrees member Jonathan Lippmann; the group's single, "Jump Jump Jump!" — off the CD "Now and Forever" — topped the Christian airplay charts. The Dove-nominated Orrico also has claimed the No. 1 spot with the single "Don't Look at Me"; her CD "Genuine" topped Billboard's Heatseekers chart in its first week of release. Leonti, 18, has a few hits, too, including the single "Everlasting Place" off her "Shelter Me" CD. Hawai'i's Jan Brenner is a top entertainer whose latest CD is "Trust Him." 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15-16. $10, $20, $29.50 and $35; available at the box office, Agape Shoppe, Showers of Blessings, Logos Bookstore and The Giving Tree. 528-0506.

CONCERT: Feb. 16

Pop diva Janet Jackson returns to Honolulu for a concert and HBO television event at Aloha Stadium. Jackson recently was named Favorite Female Artist in the pop/rock category of the American Music Awards. She also was recently nominated for three Grammy Awards, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Someone to Call My Lover"; and for Best Pop Vocal Album ("All For You"). 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16. $35, $45, $65, available at Blaisdell box office, Ticket Plus outlets and the stadium box office. 526-4400. (The cable TV special — "Janet Jackson: All for You: Live in Concert from Hawai'i" — is scheduled to air Feb. 17.)

CONCERT: Feb. 17

Oldies but goodies alert! Three pop-rock names from the past — Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp and Hawai'i's own Yvonne Elliman — offer a concert in the Blaisdell Arena. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17. The hit-makers:

• Checker, is legendary for his trend-setting "The Twist" in the 1960s and other dance faves such as "Let's Twist Again," "The Pony," "The Fly" and "Limbo Rock." With Dee Dee Sharp, Checker also had a hit in "Slow Twistin.'"
• Sharp's signature hit is "Mashed Potato Time," along with "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" and "Do the Bird."
• Elliman, a Roosevelt High School graduate who portrayed Mary Magdalene in the stage and film versions of "Jesus Christ Superstar," is known for the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/Tim Rice ballad "I Don't Know How To Love Him." Other chartbusters include "If I Can't Have You," "Love Me," "Hello, Stranger" and "Love Pains."

$25 for upper-level seats; $35 lower-level and loge seats, available at the box office and Ticket Plus outlets, including Foodland and Sack 'N Save stores, Tempo Music on Maui and the Big Island, the University of Hawai'i Campus Center, MWR Kunia, Brigham Young University-Hawai'i, JCB Waikiki, the Honolulu Club, Pearl Harbor, Marine Corps Base Hawaii and other military locations. 526-4400.

PERFORMANCE ART: Feb. 21, 22, 23

Avant-garde performance/recording artist Laurie Anderson is bringing her latest solo theater piece, "Happiness," to three islands. Details:

• Feb. 21: 7:30 p.m., Maui Arts & Cultural Center's Castle Theater. $20 general, $10 kids 12 and younger. (808) 242-7469.
• Feb. 22: 8 p.m., Kahilu Theatre on the Big Island. $28, $21, $14. (808) 885-6868.
• Feb. 23: 8 p.m., Leeward Community College Theatre. $40 for limited reserved seating, $35 for general seating, $25 for seniors, military and students. 455-0385.

CONCERT: Feb. 23

The award-winning Borromeo String Quartet, — Yeesun Kim, cello; Mai Motobuchi, viola; William Fedkenheuer and Nicholas Kitchen, violins — will perform classical works from Beethoven to Mozart at Orvis Auditorium at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. The Boston-based ensemble, quartet-in-residence at the New England Conservatory of Music, takes its name from an area in Italy where the members first performed together. 8 p.m. Feb. 23. $24 general, $15 students; available at the UH Campus Center ticket office. 956-6878. Also: The quartet will be available at a free question-and-answer session at 7 p.m. in Music Building Room 36.

CONCERT: March 2

Beatlemania Live!, with host Louise Harrison, sister of the late Fab Four member George Harrison, comes to World Cafe with its revival concert act. The group of four recreates the look and sound of the Beatles, an icon in the halls of rock/pop music. 7:30 p.m. March 2; doors open at 6:30 p.m. $30 general, $27.50 advance; available at Tower Records (Kahala, Pearl Kai), Tower Video Ke'eaumoku, World Cafe box office, Hungry Ear Kailua, ITT Kaneohe MCBH and Pearl Harbor Block Arena. 585-2877.

FESTIVAL: March 8-10

"Come Together in the Pacific" is the theme of the 8th annual Honolulu Festival, which promotes cultural understanding between the people of Hawai'i and Japan. About 5,000 participants from Japan will offer arts and cultural events throughout Honolulu, including Honolulu Hale, the convention center, Ala Moana Center and the Kapi'olani Park Bandstand, culminating in a parade from 5 p.m. March 10 along Kalakaua Avenue, ending at the bandstand. Admission to all events is free. 926-2424; 596-3327, effective Feb. 19, honolulufestival.com.

COMING UP:

• "Spring Footholds" dance concert, Feb. 20, Kennedy Theatre, University of Hawai'i-Manoa
• Chinese Festival, part of the city's Hawai'i Ethnic Heritage Series, Feb. 22, Honolulu Hale
• Crystal Gayle, March 14, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• International Taiko Festival, March 16, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Glen Campbell, in a Honolulu Symphony Pops concert, March 22-23, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Sarah Chang & Tchaikovsky's "Winter Dreams," with the Honolulu Symphony, March 24, 26, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• •Shaolin Warriors, April 4-7, Hawai'i Theatre
• Lyon Arboretum's Spring Plant Sale, April 6, Blaisdell Center
• Keali'i Reichel, a Honolulu Symphony Pops concert, April 12-13, Blaisdell Concert Hall
• Merrie Monarch Festival, March 31-April 6, Edith Kanaka'ole Stadium, Hilo

Submit information for

The Great Index to Fun (TGIF) four-week guide at least 10 working days before the event. This planner appears weekly, featuring major events only; others are listed in the weekend and daily calendars.

Write: TGIF, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802, or fax 525-8055.

Schedule is subject to change.