Posted on: Friday, April 25, 2003

What's up!

May film premieres

• May 2: "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," "X2: X-Men United" (left)
• May 9: "Daddy Day Care," "The Quest"
• May 15: "The Matrix: Reloaded"
• May 16: "Down with Love"
• May 23: "Bruce Almighty," "The In-Laws"
• May 30: "Finding Nemo," "The Italian Job," "Wrong Turn"

CONCERT: May 2-3

Get a taste of Broadway right here in the Islands when "Barbershop on Broadway" (or The Phantom's Phinal Pholly) comes to town. Hear favorites from such hits as "South Pacific," "Guys and Dolls," "Mame," "Annie" and "The Music Man" performed by Tropichords, Diamond Head Theatre's Shooting Stars, Revival and The Sounds of Aloha Chorus. Come early, at 7 p.m., and relax to the melodies by John McCreary on the Robert Morton theater organ. Tickets are $12 upper balcony, $18 balcony and $25 orchestra and loge, with a $5 discount for students, seniors and military.

• 7:33 p.m. May 2-3 / Hawai'i Theatre / 528-0506

COMEDY: May 3

Laughter is the best medicine, so get giggling to cure those ills! "Make Me Laugh," a comedy relief concert, will cure those stresses and relieve any worries with a laugh-a-minute roster of local comics Mel Cabang, left, Bo Irvine, Da Braddahs, Bula'ia and Jaz Kaner. Hosts Jeff Kino and Pipi from KCCN FM 100 add to the funnies. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

• 9 p.m. May 3 / Hawaiian Hut / 735-0292, ext. 206

CONCERT: May 3-4

Got jazz? It's time for the 7th Annual Great Hawaiian Jazz BlowOut as local and Mainland artists strut their stuff. The two-day bash showcases an extensive list of musicians including Gabe Baltazar, Bill Beimes, Dan Del Negro, Bruce Hamada, John Kolivas, Noel Okimoto, Les Peetz and Robert Shinoda. Vocalists on the roster are Jimmy Borges, Keahi Conjugacion, Shari Lynn, Azure McCall and many more. Groups scheduled to perform include Bluzilla, Third Degree, PBS Big Band, Slim Mango and the Honolulu Jazz Quartet. Tickets: $15 one day, $25 both days.

• Noon-midnight May 3, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. May 4 / Kapono's / 734-0397

CONCERT: May 5

They've been on Conan O'Brien, Craig Kilborn and all over MTV. They've toured with Blink-182, Offspring and Social Distortion. And now this Canadian-based pop-punk band is headed for Hawai'i to rock some sense into the Islands. Sum 41 burst onto the music scene a few years back and is already ruling the airwaves with such hits as "Fat Lip," "Motivation" and "In Too Deep." Their newest CD, "Does This Look Infected?" became an instant success. Now's your chance to get infected with their brash punk-metal sound live. Tickets to this all-ages show: $20.

• 7 p.m. May 5 / Pipeline Cafe / 526-4400

FESTIVAL: May 10

Mabuhay! It's time for the annual Filipino Fiesta and Parade, themed "Kaibigan Tayo — We are All Friends." The celebration begins with a parade at 9 a.m. through Waikiki and continues throughout the day at Kapi'olani Park. Get friendly with the entertainment, games and cultural exhibits. Of course there will be lots of shopping opportunities and tasty munchies on site to provide fun for all. Free.

• 9 a.m. May 10 / Kapi'olani Park / 548-0335

EXPO: May 10-11

Calling all animal lovers! Whether you have a dog, cat, bird, fish or Micropet, come on down to the Hawaii Pet Expo 2003 to see the latest in pet products, check out the live animal demonstrations and browse through the educational displays. Pets are welcome, but dogs must be leashed and pets must be under their owner's control at all times. Free, but nonperishable food donations for the Hawaii Foodbank will be accepted.

• 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 10-11 / Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall / 845-1762

STAGE: May 14-June 1

Analyze the world of numbers through the drama "Proof," the Pulitzer prize-winning play that explores love and the mysteries of mathematics as a young woman copes after the death of her mathematician father. The arrival of her estranged sister and the attentions of a former student of her father's complicate matters. The discovery of a proof among the mathematician's belongings digs up questions which his daughter struggles to answer. Tickets: $25.

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays / Manoa Valley Theatre / 988-6131

CONCERT: May 16

The Derek Trucks band will make its first visit to Hawai'i with a multi-island tour of Maui, O'ahu, Hawai'i and Kaua'i in May as part of the 7th Annual Rhythm and Blues Mele. Just off of an East Coast tour, the band will promote its latest release, "Joyful Noise." The jazzy world-music group consists of Trucks (guitar), Kofi Burbridge (keyboards, flute and vocals), Todd Smallie (bass and vocals), and Yonrico Scott (drums, percussion and vocals). Tickets: $28 advance, $32 at the door.

• 8:30 p.m. May 16 / Hawaiian Hut / 941-5205

CONCERT: May 17

Grammy- and Oscar-nominated Stephen Bishop makes his way to O'ahu for an evening of pop music. The clarinetist-turned-acoustic-guitar-player is known for his hits "On and On," "Save it for a Rainy Day" and "It Might Be You." His songs have been sung by artists including Phil Collins, Barbra Streisand and Eric Clapton. Also on the bill that night will be local 'ukulele wonder Jake Shimabukuro. TIckets: $20 advance, $25 at the door.

• 7:30 p.m. May 17 / Honolulu Academy of Arts, Doris Duke at the Academy / 532-8700

STAGE: May 21-25

Eve Ensler's phenomenon, "The Vagina Monologues," returns to Hawai'i for a series of performances. Based on an array of interviews with women, the show explores the humor, power, pain, wisdom, outrage, mystery and excitement of the female reproductive organ. And the shows are not just for women: Men, too, will discover the wonders of this international cult hit. Tickets: $20-$45.

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 5 and 9 p.m Friday, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday / Hawai'i Theatre / 528-0506

CONCERT: May 27

The hottest rapper on the airwaves right now is in the money and planning to take Hawai'i by storm. Street smart and confrontational, 50 cent brings his tell-it-like-it-is approach to music to rock this rock. His latest album, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" includes hits like "Wanksta," "What's Up Gangsta" and "Patiently Waiting" featuring Eminem. Brooklyn native Fabolous brings his up-tempo party vibe to the bill as special guest. Tickets: $36.50 and $39.50.

• 7 p.m. / Blaisdell Arena / 526-4400

buzzingabout ...

• Rock from Little Rock: Evanescence, whose album "Fallen" has been a recent staple on the Billboards hit list, is heading this way for an all-ages concert at 7 p.m. July 11 at Pipeline CafŽ. Tickets — $20 — go on sale tomorrow at the Blaisdell box office, UH Campus Center, Pearl Harbor Bloch Arena, MWR Kunia and Foodland stores. (877) 750-4400.

• Van's the man: Van Morrison ("Gloria," "Moondance," "Brown-Eyed Girl") will be the Honolulu Marathon's lu'au concert headliner Dec. 12 at the Waikiki Shell. With early registration for the Dec. 14 run starting tomorrow at Niketown in Waikiki, concert tickets will be $15 apiece (plus $15 for registration); six additional tickets may be purchased for $20 apiece. The discounted rate will continue through May 31.

• War zone: How will the Iraqi war play at the local cinema? Don Brown of The Art House at Restaurant Row finds out when he screens "Marooned in Iraq," a film dealing with the Kurdish refugees on the Iran/Iraq border, at the start of summer. The movie premiered last year at the Cannes Film Festival.

• Aloha award: An "Aloha Is" award, honoring the late Moe Keale, will be launched by the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts, which will pay tribute to a tireless community ambassador of aloha who best exemplifies the spirit of duty and giving as Keale did. Nominations may be made with HARA; the award will be announced at the May 28 gala at the Sheraton Waikiki's Hawaii Ballroom.

• Pau hana: The Gala Food Bank Headdress Ball, an annual summertime funfest and fund-raiser for the Hawai'i Island Food Bank, is no more. The contest, a Carmen Miranda-inspired thing in which contestants don imaginative head gear, ends because of the "retirement" of the one-two punch that drove the activity, Gene and Connie Erger. It was a lot of fun while it lasted.

— Wayne Harada,
Advertiser entertainment writer