SHOW BIZ
Initial hit helps propel LMNT's debut release
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
HOT STUFF: Finally, LMNT's debut CD (the group's name is pronounced "element"), is out and titled "All Sides." This is the group that includes Islander Ikaika Kaho'ano, son of entertainer-broadcaster Kimo Kaho'ano, and three chums he met during the making of "Making the Band," the TV reality series that gave birth to the group O-Town. Ikaika opted to withdraw from the TV show and connect instead with Bryan Chan and Mike Miller; last September, he invited Jonas Perch into the ranks of LMNT. The disc, on the Purple Leopard label, is being distributed by Atlantic Records. "Juliet" appears to be the initial hit. ...
Daniel Bess, the local actor who just finished one season on Fox-TV's "24," has been involved in heavy auditions in New York and Los Angeles this month, according to publisher dad Benjamin "Buddy" Bess. He's dubbed a "babe" in a Teen online interview (www.teenmag.com/starstuff/whosthatbabe/Daniel Bess), which must make him blush. ...
Diamond Head Theatre's "Titanic," extended through June 16, could easily be the high-water mark for this venue. Directed and choreographed by Jennifer Waldman, the Broadway Tony Award-winner is unequivocally the best thing DHT has mounted in years, "Mame" and "Carousel" included. An incredible ensemble is the reason — the voices are so stirring and the characterizations so precise, the show is perfection. I've seen the original Broadway entity and, yes, yawned through much of its high-tech wonderment. Everyone connected should take an extra curtain bow. ...
• • •
TUBE TALK: After her final Morning News show on KHON-2 last Friday, Leslie Wilcox treated cast, staff and crew (about 75 in all) to a hot breakfast catered by Bruce Watanabe. She marked 10 years as co-anchor of the No. 1 wake-up show on television, and over the years, it expanded from an hour to 3 1/2 hours. "I'll be giving Bernadette Baraquio (her successor) a basket of early-morning 'must-haves,' " said Wilcox. The goodies included an alarm clock, coffee, and eye-whitener drops. On July 1, Wilcox and her former morning co-anchor, Ron Mizutani, will launch the Fox affiliate's new 5 p.m. newscast, meaning finally, all stations will have "early" news. ...
KHNL-8's John Fink, who likes to stick it to the competition, proudly proclaims that his station was first on site when Mayor Jeremy Harris stunned the local political world with his announcement last week that he was pulling out of the governor's race. "KITV and KGMB followed," said Fink. But Channel 2 had a news crawl during Oprah's show. So much for 'news leader'". ...
• • •
ITEMIZATIONS: Honey Ho (real name, Emily), who is Don Ho's mother, turns 90 in July. When the Waikiki entertainer told his mom that this column inadvertently referred to her as "the late" last week, Grandma Honey was concerned about what her friends would think. She's healthy, keeps busy by checking on family members' well-being, and making sure her original recipes, used by Don sometimes, are respected ...
The Kingston Trio, in town for shows last night, tonight and tomorrow at Punahou School, are staying at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel with good reason: Bob Shane, one of the founding members of the folk trio, is a classmate of Richard "Doc" Kelley, whose family has built the Outrigger hotel chain into a major player here and abroad. Kelley had a reunion with Shane when the trio played Denver recently, and the hotelier noted that the audience "looked like mature veterans of the Flower Power days of the '60s." ...
The recent Ballet Hawaii "Night in Italy" fund-raiser at Sergio's, marking the company's 25th anniversary, raised $20,000. And wasn't opera singer Leslie Goldman's brief appearance a crowd-pleaser? ...
And that's Show Biz. ...
Correction: Jennifer Waldman is the director of "Titanic," the musical being staged at Diamond Head Theatre. Her name was incorrectly misspelled in a earlier version of this story because of a reporter's error.
