SHOW BIZ
Movie producer takes some Hawai'i with him
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
THE LOCAL ANGLE: Chris Lee, the Iolani grad who is a Hollywood producer (he was in town last week for a film-industry forum), is back in 32-degree weather in Vancouver, British Columbia, where his film for Warner Bros., "Ecks vs. Sever," is in production. He wanted to film in warmer Honolulu, but opted for B.C. because of a better financial climate. In his elevator at midnight, en route to his hotel room, he bumped into Harry Hamlin, who is in Vancouver to do an "L.A. Law" reunion show, in yet another instance of a runaway production that should've been shot in Los Angeles. ...
"If I can't make a movie in Hawai'i, I'm gonna have Hawaiians on the set," said Lee, whose crew includes Kamehameha's Doug Nam, Iolani's Keala Asato and his "good luck charm," Brooke Lee (former Miss Universe), who is the girlfriend of Kaos, the film's director, originally from Thailand. "They met at one of my Mainland lu'au," Lee said. He's hoping to complete "Ecks vs. Sever" (in which Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu appear as competing spies) by November, so he can be here for the Hawai'i International Film Festival ...
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WEEKEND WRAP: Charlaine Katsuyoshi, the localite in the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago company, was rhapsodic to be performing for a hometown crowd last Saturday and Sunday at Leeward Community College Theatre, and because her famous grandmother, Helen Chock, owner of Helena's Hawaiian Food, got up on stage on opening night to dance a bit with the company. It was a segment with audience participation (Chock was in the house), but to Katsuyoshi's surprise, all the dancers dropped to the floor — except Chock. "And she's 85," crowed Katsuyoshi. ...
Jack Cione's "Mardi Gras Follies" was a sellout Thursday and Friday night at the Royal Hawaiian's Monarch Room. Adding legit talents like Cathy Foy, Kalani Brady and Jes Robbins (a Neil Diamond impersonator) added zip to the show. Randy Smith (who brought along showmate Debra Canada) was frosting on the cake, with his Frank Sinatra tribute. ...
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SIGHT 'EMS: That mammoth Star Princess, the largest cruise ship (2,900 passenger capacity, 109,000 tons and the size of an aircraft carrier that stands 15 stories high), has been docked at Honolulu Harbor. Aboard ship: Gavin MacLeod, who played Capt. Stubing on the long-running "Love Boat" TV series. ...
That was Steve Tyler of Aerosmith, enjoying a visit with his family at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. They did the dolphin encounter thing and took a cruise through the hotel's main lagoon on a solar-powered Sun Cat. ...
And Jon Lovitz, the actor, was cast as a tourist, relaxing in the sun a few days back at Duke's Waikiki. ...
Singer Joy Woode, performing Thursdays with the Betty Loo Taylor Trio at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental's Veranda, was pleased to see two-thirds of her Joy Woode Trio from her Hy's days in the audience: Byron Yasui and Ernie Mariani. ...
Remember when the Punahou Variety Show included a Don Ho impersonator last month, only to have Don Ho himself show up and witness the tidbit? At that time, the Waikiki Beachcomber star invited the cast to his show, and J.P. Lam, who was Ho in the Punahou show, even took to the keyboard to sing "Tiny Bubbles." Great night, since the students all wore "Oh No Don Ho" T-shirts to commemorate their show and his. Most had never been to a nightclub show, so it was a treat. One of the adults in the Punahou group was Louise Lanzilotti, musical director of the variety show and newly-named Honolulu Theatre for Youth executive director, who mentioned that she and her sister were part of Ho's "string section" when he starred at Duke Kahanamoku's. Ho remembered. ...
And that's Show Biz ...
Wayne Harada's Show Biz runs Wednesdays and Fridays. Reach him by sending e-mail to wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, phone 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.
