SHOW BIZ
Acting renews its grip on ex-Hawai'i resident
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor
TUBE TALK: Lou Richards, former radio personality here with local ties (he is the brother-in-law of disc jockey Michael W. Perry), has been doing national commercial voice-overs in recent times. But he's resurfacing as an actor, with parts in myriad TV shows, including "The Practice," "The X-Files," "JAG," "Providence," "Maybe It's Me," "Resurrection Boulevard" and "The Amanda Show." He's also got a small role in "The Hulk" movie, based on the comic book character, which is being directed by Ang Lee. Richards plays a pediatrician who examines Hulk as a baby. "What a goofy way to make a living," said Richards, who left the comfort of Hawai'i to seek fame and fortune 24 years ago ...
When early reports hit the KHNL-8 newsroom that the NBC affiliate's 10 p.m. newscast was No. 1 in the latest Nielsen ratings, reporter Marvin Buenconsejo saw colleagues flashing "1" fingers, thinking that the station had a 1 rating, which would have put them last. Actually, KHNL had become the first station in nearly two decades to top Joe Moore's KHON-2 late news, and did it by one ratings point, attributed to carry-over viewership from the network's Olympics coverage ...
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TROPICAL TOPICS: Comedian Brett Butler — a constant fave on Comedy Central — was at Sunday's brunch at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider's Banyan Veranda. Singer Jimmy Borges also "sang for his supper," so to speak, when he joined the Banyan Serenaders on three numbers ...
Let's hear it for the boy: Composer Dean Pitchford is No. 1 in the hearts of the Saint Louis High School cast members, who recently did sell-out performances of his stage musical, "Footloose." (Pitchford was the creator of the smash movie and Broadway production by the same name.) According to director Kyle Kakuno, the Saint Louis alumn not only addressed the cast and signed autographs following the gala benefit, but also express-mailed a letter for Kakuno to share with performers for the closing performance. The note expressed school pride and encouraged the youngsters to cherish the moment and evolving new friendships. ...
Pianist Kit Samson has made remarkably quick progress in his heart bypass surgery; the operation was Saturday, he was released from St. Francis Monday and is recuperating at home.
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ITEMIZATIONS: The Aluli 'ohana will pay tribute to the late Auntie Irmgard Aluli from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Ward Warehouse stage. Look for Maile Meyer (Native Books and Beautiful Things founder), cousin I. Mihana (aka Mihana Souza), Kahala Moon (the singing duo that includes Mihana's daughter Mahina) and cousin Elena Hollinger Martinez (dancing hula) to share music and aloha ...
Classical pianist Lorin Hollander gives a free recital at 4:30 p.m. April 6 at The Lodge at Koele's Great Hall ...
Jocelyn Fujii, who profiles mom-and-pop businesses in Aloha Airlines' Spirit of Aloha in-flight magazine, has been awarded the 2002 Small-Business Journalist of the Year prize, thanks to the efforts of Eric Abdullateef of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. The laurel, from the U.S. Small Business Administration, is impressive in that Fujii not only won the state prize, but the regional one (the turf included California, Arizona, Nevada and Guam) ...
And that's Show Biz ...
Wayne Harada's Show Biz runs Wednesdays and Fridays. Reach him by e-mail at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, phone 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.
