THE LEFT LANE
Whither the zither?

You know the zither, right? The Bavarian/Austrian 30- or 40-stringed rectangular-shaped soundbox invented in 1850 that you play over your knees or on a table? It's from the same instrumental family as the autoharp, dulcimer and koto, and can either sound like a harp, mandolin or several other stringed instruments depending on your preferred method of plucking. Yeah, we didn't know that, either. But retired HECO electrical engineer Metz, 73, charmed us with an e-mail about his quest to find local amateur zither players as fond of the instrument as he is.

Metz plays host to the Yoda of zither players, Freddie Golden, when the Dutch master comes to town for a few Honolulu zither seminars in October. "It's actually a bit lonely not knowing if there's anyone else here who plays it," said Metz, who learned the instrument as a teenager. "The zither is such a great instrument to play with others." If you've been looking for other zither players too, call Metz at 739-2953.

Switching genres

Fans of his intricately choreographed style may mourn, but John Woo says he's finished with the action film.

After two decades as a master of the Hong Kong action flick and almost 10 more years on explosive Hollywood pictures, Woo wants to emulate the American films he loved growing up in Hong Kong, focusing on serious drama, hopefully a Western, maybe even a musical.

Violence might still factor into his films, as with his new World War II saga "Windtalkers," but Woo said the emphasis no longer will be action.

"That's pretty much done," said Woo, 56, director of U.S. films "Mission: Impossible 2," "Broken Arrow" and "Face/Off."

More evidence that preppy posturing is back: monogramming — on Swarovski crystal-encrusted lingerie from Victoria's Secret, on barbecue branding irons from Williams-Sonoma, even in liquors drizzled on cocktail drinks.

But this time, trend-watchers say, the personalized push is about edgy style, not Ivy League ego. A block of initials "could be perceived as serious and off-putting, but it's really playful," says Manhattan event planner Francesca Abbracciamento.