What's Up!

Local favorite Chili weather in August Chili fans, gather 'round at Kaka'ako Kitchen's Chili Recipe Challenge, 6 p.m. Aug. 31. Buy a $10 ticket and sample the creations by 15 finalists; you also get two Heineken draft beers and can cast your vote for your favorite. A portion of the proceeds benefits programs to prevent child abuse in Hawai'i. Kaka'ako Kitchen is at the Ward Centre.

The Actors' Group opens its 2003-2004 season with "The Guys," directed by Brad Powell. The play is a memorial of words to the Sept. 11 attacks, telling the true story of a fire captain who contacts a writer to help him craft eulogies for the eight men he lost in the World Trade Center attacks. That writer, Anne Nelson, is also the author of the play. Tickets: $10.

• 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays Aug. 27-Sept. 28 / Yellow Brick Studio / 722-6941, taghawaii.org

CONCERT: Aug. 29

Bobcat Goldthwait brings his comic act to Honolulu as the end of summer nears. The New York native's numerous guest starring roles on TV include "The Simpsons," "ER," "That '70s Show" and "CSI." Local funnyman Paul Ogata opens. Tickets: $25 for table seating and $20 for general admission. Goldthwait also appears at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center at 8 p.m. Aug. 30; tickets are $10, $20 and $30. (808) 242-7469.

• 8 p.m. Aug. 29 / Pipeline Café / 926-3000

CONCERT: Aug. 30

1043 XME has got just the thing to help you cool down during the hot season: The End of Summer Luau. The all day and all night event kicks off with games, prizes and entertainment from 10:30 a.m to 5 p.m., followed by a concert from 6 to 10 p.m. National recording artists Frankie J and Stagga Lee will perform, along with local acts Zacc Kekona and The Next Generation. California-based Frankie J is known for his sexy hit "Don't Wanna Try" while rapper Stagga Lee's hot song "Roc Ya Body" fills dance floors across the nation. Tickets are $33.99 general or $22.99 kids for the all day and night event, with discount coupons available at the radio station's Web site. Admission to the concert only is $7.

• 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Aug. 30 / Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park / www.1043xme.com

CONCERT: Aug. 30

All you blues lovers out there, listen up: The 3rd annual KIPO Blues Marathon is coming up at the end of August with 13 hours of non-stop blues. Seventeen local blues acts will groove on two stages, ending with an All-Star Jam at midnight. The lineup includes Blue Fuse, Jeff Said No!, Slim Mango, Biker Blues Band and Bluzilla with Keahi Conjugacion, right. Advance tickets are $20 general, $18 for members of Hawai'i Public Radio. At the door, tickets are $20 before 1 p.m., $25 afterward. Doors open at 11:30 a.m.

• Noon-1:30 a.m. Aug. 30 / Kapono's / 955-8821

MULTIMEDIA: Aug. 31

Girl Fest hosts the second of four multimedia fund-raisers this year with "Speakeasy, Speakout!" Following the theme of the Roaring '20s, this event promotes women's voices and is an educational forum to stop violence against girls and women. Spoken-word artists include Rebel Girl, Hawaiian Ryan, Kealoha and Selah Geissler. Modern dance performances include Christine Berwin, Sequoia and The House of Chandelier. Missing Dave, Sisters in Sound (including Marloca, left), Rea Fox and other performers add the musical entertainment. Film and videos will be shown from Women Make Movies, Kara Herold and Wendy Fong. Photojournalist Nobuko Oyabu and photo artists Elea Dumas and Kim Kinard will have expos all night. Doors open at 8 p.m. Cover: sliding scale of $7-$20.

• 9 p.m. Aug. 31 / Studio 1 / 945-0996

STAGE: Sept. 4-20

Army Community Theatre kicks off its 2003-2004 theater season with "Gypsy," a musical fable featuring Shari Lynn. Joining her in the cast will be David Farmer as Herbie, Kate Ryan as Baby Louise, Marcela Biven as Baby June, Mato Jakara as Older Louise, Bryna O'Neill as Older June and Euphrosyne Rushforth as the Queen of Burlesques. Go back to the Roaring '20s and take a peek into show business while enjoying popular songs such as "Let Me Entertain You," "You'll Never Get Away From Me" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses." Tickets are $14 and $17 for adults and $8 and $10 for children.

• 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4-6, 12-13 and 19-20 / Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter / 438-448

CONCERT: Sept. 5 and 7

The Honolulu Symphony's popular Halekulani MasterWorks season opens up with violinist Midori. This classical music star will perform Brahms Violin Concerto during two concerts. Midori has performed throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S., including Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Born in Japan, Midori now lives in New York City with her two dogs. Samuel Wong serves as conductor. Tickets are $16, $28, $33, $44, $59.

• 8 p.m. Sept. 5 and 4 p.m. Sept. 7 / Blaisdell Concert Hall / 792-2000

STAGE: Sept. 10-28

Manoa Valley Theatre starts off its 2003-2004 season with a showing of "Bat Boy: The Musical." Based on a story in supermarket rag The Weekly World News Ledger, this comedy/horror show is about a half boy/half bat creature discovered in a cave in West Virginia. This off-Broadway hit is full of laughs and gasps. Tickets: $30.

• 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 4 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 10-28/ Manoa Valley Theatre / 988-6131

COMING UP:

• "Green Eggs and Ham & Gertrude McFuzz," a Honolulu Theatre for Youth production, Sept. 6-21, Hawai'i Theatre
• Aloha Festivals Downtown Ho'olaulea, Sept. 12
• Aloha Festivals Floral Parade, Ala Moana Park to Kapi'olani Park, Sept. 13
• Cinema Paradise Film Festival, Sept. 19-25, The Art House at Restaurant Row
• Steel Pulse, Sept. 26, Volcanoes on Nimitz Highway, also Sept 25 Kaua'i, Sept. 27 Maui, Sept. 28 Hilo
• Yes, the '70s rock band, with the Honolulu Symphony, Sept. 27, Blaisdell Arena
• Steely Dan, Oct. 10 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center; Oct. 11 at Blaisdell Arena
• "The Paper Bag Princess and Other Stories," Oct. 25-26, UH-Manoa Kennedy Theatre
• LeAnn Rimes, Nov. 1, Blaisdell Arena

BUZZING ABOUT:

Music, maestro: The Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the group that performed in the soundtrack of the "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" film, will concertize at the Blaisdell Concert Hall in September— in the midst of symphony season. Details to come.

A Hawai'i blast: Dave Alvin, the folk and blues artist who recently completed a European tour with The Blasters, will give a solo concert Nov. 15 at the Hawaiian Hut. Details are forthcoming.

Big-screen "Phantom: "Gerard Butler (co-starring with Angelina Jolie in "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life") is the likely masked man for director Joel Schumacher in the much-delayed film version of "The Phantom of the Opera." Emmy Rossum will be Christine, Minnie Driver will be Carlotta, Miranda Richardson will be Madame Giry, Patrick Wilson will be Raoul, Alan Cumming one of the theater owners.

Guitar man: Besides appearing at the annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival Sunday at Kapi'olani Park, Doyle Dykes, a master acoustic guitarist, gives a workshop at 7 p.m. Monday at Island Guitars.

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.