What's Up!

October film premieres Oct. 4: “Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie,” “Red Dragon” Oct. 11: “Below,” “Brown Sugar,” “Knockaround Guys,” “Pokémon 4Ever,” “Spirited Away,” “The Transporter,” “Tuck Everlasting” Oct. 18: “Abandon,” “Formula 51” (above), “The Ring” Oct. 25: “Ghost Ship,” “The Guest,” “Jackass: The Movie,” “Paid in Full,” “The Truth About Charlie”

To beer or not to beer, that is the question. The answers likely can be found in the Castle Resorts Diamond Head Beerfest, on the Diamond Head Greens inside the Waikiki Shell, when more than 90 premium beers, ales, stouts and porters will be available for sampling, along with lagers, bocks, winter and Oktoberfest seasonals. It's all in the spirit of elevating beer to the culinary reverence of wine. Gordon Biersch, Brew Moon, Ryan's Grill and Pipeline Cafe will offer food to complement beer. The Ernie Provencher Quartet provides jazz sounds and Dita Holifield and Ellsworth Simeona dish out classic rock. Because beer will be free and flowing, only those 21 and older will be admitted. Tickets: $28 general, $22 advance; includes beer tastings, soft drinks and coffee and some snacks. Pupu plates will be priced from $4 to $9.

• 6-9:30 p.m. Oct. 4 / Waikiki Shell / 732-6900

CONCERT: Oct. 5

Maria Muldaur, who brings magic to the midnight hour with her hit song "Midnight at the Oasis," returns to the island concert scene with a statewide tour, including a Honolulu stop at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the South Seas Village at the Hawaiian Hut, Ala Moana Hotel. She'll perform with the Red Hot Bluesiana Band in support of her latest "Richland Women Blues" release, No. 25 in her still-sizzling career. Doors open at 8:15 p.m.

Muldaur also tours, as follows:

• Oct. 4, 8 p.m., Royal Lahaina Resort's Ali'i Room, Maui. (808) 661-3611
• Oct. 6, 2 p.m., Kilauea Military Camp Theater, Big Island. (808) 985-7167
• Oct. 12, 8 p.m., Orchid Village Restaurant's Uncle Mikey's Showroom at Waiakea Villages, Big Island. (808) 933-2636

Tickets: $25 ($20 advance).

• 8:30 p.m. Oct. 5 / South Seas Village / 941-5205, hotline (808) 326-9148

CELEBRATION: Oct. 5

Let's hear it for the buoys of island culture! Two long-timers on the local arts scene, George Ellis, outgoing director of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and Jane Campbell, recently retired Honolulu Theatre for Youth managing director, will be honored at the Alliance Awards 2002/Celebrate the Arts event, from 7:30 p.m. at the Hawai'i Theatre. Ellis helped make the art academy a world-class showcase for art treasures, and his interest in the art of the Philippines has prompted the academy board here to name a new gallery, housing Philippines art, for him and his wife Nancy. Campbell has been the backbone of youth theater excellence in Hawai'i and the rest of the nation now knows about it. They'll be entertained by Jake Shimabukuro, a mover and shaker in the 'ukulele world; Noel Okimoto (drummer) and Steve Jones (bassist); the Tau Dance Theater; the Hawai'i Youth Symphony; and Howard and Olana Ai's halau. Tickets: $25, $35 general; $15 for Hawai'i Alliance for Arts Education members; $5 for children.

• 7:30 p.m. Oct. 5 / Hawai'i Theatre / 528-0506

FESTIVALS: Oct. 8-13

Wunderbar — Oktoberfest, Ala Moana Hotel's melange of Bavarian music, food and beer, is a weeklong celebration of fun and froth. The Edelweiss Band will play up German faves, and yes, this is the time to strut to the chicken dance and polka to the oompah-pah sounds. Cowbells, clogs and sing-alongs add to the merry mania for the soul; the buffet boasts everything from knackwurst to strudel, from sauerkraut to Black Forest layer cake. Yum! Tickets: $5 weekdays and Sunday, $8 Friday and Saturday. Drinks and food are extra.

6-11 p.m. Oct. 8-10, 6 p.m.-midnight Oct. 11-12; 5-11 p.m. Oct. 13 / Hibiscus Ballroom, Ala Moana Hotel / 955-4811

CONCERT: Oct. 10

Hard-core punksters Bad Religion come to town for a concert at World Cafe. Tickets: $20, at Tower Records, Cheapo Music, 808 Skate Kailua, the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Campus Center, World Cafe, Foodland stores and military ticket outlets. It's an all-ages concert.

• 7 p.m. Oct. 10 (doors open 6 p.m.) / World Cafe / 526-4400

CONCERT: Oct. 10-11

Journey looms as big now as it was two decades ago — a second night has been added to the rockmeisters' Honolulu schedule. In addition to the original Oct. 10 show at Blaisdell Arena, Journey — whose signatures include "Faithfully," "Don't Stop Believing," "Open Arms," "Separate Ways," and "Any Way You Want It" — now performs at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11, too, with a final gig at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Honolulu tickets: $55, $45, at the box office or Ticket Plus outlets.

• 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10-11 / Blaisdell Arena / 526-4400

CONCERT: Oct. 12-13

Nobody does it better than Jim Brickman when it comes to contemporary love songs, and his aptly-themed "Love Songs & Lullabies," at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 and 4 p.m. Oct. 13, is aimed at the romantics. You know his calling cards — "Valentine," "The Gift" and so on — and you can swoon along. The show also will include tunes from his recent public television special, taped live at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Connecticut. Tickets: $30, $35; $125 Golden Circle seats available.

• 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 and 4 p.m. Oct. 13 / Hawai'i Theatre / 528-0506

CONCERT: Oct. 18-19

Pianist-vocalist Michael Feinstein, a darling of the New York concert and cabaret circuit, brings his chic artistry and his Americana songbag (he is the unparalleled interpreter of tunes by George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, Duke Ellington and Harry Warren), to the Honolulu Symphony's Hawaiian Airlines Pops Series, at 8 p.m. at Blaisdell Concert Hall. Find out why he's dubbed "America's Ambassador of Song." Tickets: $15-$57.

• 8 p.m. Oct. 18-19 / Blaisdell Concert Hall / 792-2000

FILM FESTIVAL: Oct. 18-19

The 'Ohina Short Film Showcase, which gives local indie filmmakers an opportunity to expose their works to the community, will be held at the Doris Duke theater at the Honolulu Academy of Arts. 'Ohina means "the gathering" or "coming together," thus allowing filmmakers to connect with audiences.

• Time to be announced, Oct. 18-19 / The Doris Duke at the Academy/ 951-4413

CONCERT: Oct. 19

John Prine shares his country songs in a one-nighter at the Hawai'i Theatre; his themes typify the genre, centering on loving, losing, leaving and cheating. Tickets: $33, $37.

• 8 p.m. Oct. 19 / Hawai'i Theatre / 528-0506

The Ahn Trio, right, a Korean-American ensemble of talented sisters, performs at 11 a.m. for a youth audience and 7 p.m. for the community at Blaisdell Concert Hall. The group includes Lucia Ahn on piano, Angella Ahn on violin and Maria Ahn on cello, and their Ahn-plugged concert style has earned them worldwide raves. Tickets: $27, $32, $42 and $57 for the evening shows, $15 for the morning show.

• 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Oct. 21 / Blaisdell Concert Hall / 526-4400

STAGE: Oct. 25-26

"Photo Enforced," the theme of the 2002 Gridiron Show, will poke fun at headliners, newsmakers and dubious-achievement folks. It's a benefit, at Diamond Head Theatre, with parodies and potshots written by and featuring print, broadcast and stage personalities. Anybody who made news — and then some — can expect to be skewered. Start with traffic van cams, add politics, and stir in some vulnerable names like Rene Mansho, Andy Mirikitani, Jeremy Harris. Hey, it's all in the spirit of fun. Tickets: $45, $55; discounts for Society of Professional Journalists members. $10 bento dinners, available at 5 p.m. each night, will raise funds for the Asian American Journalists Association.

• 8 p.m. Oct. 25, 26 / Diamond Head Theatre / 545-4300

COMING UP

• Unwritten Law, Oct. 25, World Cafe
• "Lysistrata," Oct. 25-31, Nov. 1-3, Kennedy Theatre
• Easter Seals Haunted House, Oct. 25-26, Easter Seals 'Ewa Office
• Goldfinger, Oct. 30, World Cafe
• Hawai'i International Film Festival's Fall Film Festival, Nov. 1-10 on O'ahu, Nov. 8-10 on the Neighbor Islands
• Dashboard Confessional, Nov. 5, World Cafe
• B.B. King, Nov. 8, Blaisdell Arena; also, Nov. 7 on Kaua'i; Nov. 9 on Maui; Nov. 10 on the Big Island
• "Death of a Salesman," Nov.8-Dec. 8, Hawai'i Pacific University
• Art Sale 2002, Nov. 10, The Contemporary Museum
• Honolulu City Lights, annual tree-lighting ceremony and Electric Light Parade, Dec. 7, City Hall
• Quiet Riot, Dec. 7-9, Gussie L'Amours
• Gingerbread Festival, Dec. 8, Blaisdell Exhibition Hall
• "Cookin'," Dec. 11-14, Hawai'i Theatre

BUZZING ABOUT

• Two-gether: Cliffton Hall, whose family still lives in Windward O'ahu, and DeeDee Lynn Magno, a former Kim in "Miss Saigon," will appear together in "Hello Broadway," the musical revue slated for 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. There's a backstage story, too: They're engaged. No word on when the wedding bells ring.
• Makana and friends: Makana, the singer-composer-musician, will do yet another pair of Hawai'i Theatre performances, at 8 p.m. Nov. 8 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Also aboard: Willie K, Peter Rockford-Espiritu and the Tau Dance Theater and Honolulu Symphony musicians.
• Changee: Jiro and friends, from the "Kikaida" TV series, will leap into the DVD realm Oct. 15, when JN Productions issues five segments — with more to follow — for those who like to watch the show with the latest technology. Mountain Apple Co. will distribute the discs, and watch for more Kikaida public appearances.

Submit information for

The Great Index to Fun (TGIF) four-week guide at least 10 working days before the event. This planner appears weekly, featuring major events only; others are listed in the weekend and daily calendars.

Write: TGIF, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802, or fax 525-8055.

Schedule is subject to change.