SHOW BIZ
Bu La'ia again making noise on comedy scene

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

COMMERCIAL BREAK: Sounds like comic Bu La'ia is on the comeback trail. First, he's planning a new CD entitled "Pidgin 101." He's partnered with Andy Bumatai, with TV projects on the horizon. He's completed a series of radio spots for Maui Tacos, the result of Bumatai's pitch to restaurant owners Mark and Judy Ellman and Shep Gordon. "As soon as I talked with Bu, the idea felt right; it seemed like a natural marriage. Island boy promoting an island business," said chef Ellman. Maui Tacos is on Maui, O'ahu and the Big Island. ...

Cheeseburger at The Oasis, Las Vegas, officially opens March 9 with a Hawai'i touch — a Hawaiian blessing by Charles Kaupu and performances by Barry Flanagan, Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom and Ernie Cruz. In the new Desert Passage mall at the Aladdin Hotel and Casino, Cheeseburger has been doing boomin' burger biz since its soft opening a few weeks back. It's restaurant No. 5 for founders-partners Laren McShane Gartner and Edna Bayliff, whose burger havens in Lahaina and Waikiki have spawned into wildly successful operations in Puerto Vallarta, plus a Cheeseburger Mai Tais and Rock 'n' Roll in The Shops at Wailea. ...

There's a Hawai'i connection to that "The Spirit of America" CD by Daniel Rodriguez, the New York City firefighter who became a hero singing "God Bless America" at the height of the Sept. 11 fallout. Local boy Andrew Hongo, whose parents are Randy and Gay, works at Capitol/EMI/Angel Records, where Rodriguez and producer Arif Mardin did the recording. So when a backup choir was needed, Hongo was tapped. ...

SHOW BITS: Frank DeLima celebrated the successful launch of his Noodle Shop Days show (a Friday and Saturday hit at the Palace showroom of the 'Ohana Reef Towers Hotel) with dinner with manager Millie Fujinaga and Outrigger entertainment director Frannie Kirk at Morton's. Yep, he had a porterhouse steak, but had to forsake his fave, vanilla ice cream, because he's determined to shed a few more pounds. ...

The Outrigger Waikiki's Main Showroom staple, the Society of Seven, will perform at 4 and 7 p.m. March 17 at the Grove Theatre of Anaheim — a nice way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, if you're in the neighborhood. Tickets ($35 and $30) are available through Stonebridge Productions at (714) 639-1007 or the Grove box office (714) 712-2700. ...

RANDOM NOTES: Gene Allen, who has performed off Broadway and in national touring shows, makes his Hawai'i debut as Jackson Pickett Burnside in "Mame," which premieres March 20 with a gala benefit at Diamond Head Theatre (the public debut is March 22). With Rex Nockengust, former cast member of "The Fantasticks" in New York, Allen is partner in their Beach Glass Bingo biz, contributing a silver, crystal and beach glass necklace, one of the silent auction items up for bid. Mindy Tucker and Wendell Wo are chairing the fund-raiser ...

Aw, shucks: We goofed the other day on that date for the East-West Center's "An International Affair," with Willie Nelson donating a guitar and Clint Eastwood a golf cap. It's March 15, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Call 944-7196. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Show Biz runs Wednesdays and Fridays. Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, phone 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.