Vegas, Hawai'i entertainers try trading places | The Honolulu Advertiser

Comment, blog & share photos

Vegas, Hawai'i entertainers try trading places | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper

Posted on: Tuesday, August 19, 2003

SHOW BIZ
Vegas, Hawai'i entertainers try trading places

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

MAGIC KINGDOM: John Hirokawa, Hawai'i's "Magic of Polynesia" star, has been checking out Las Vegas acts for years, but his local backup for the past 14 years, Michael Viloria, had never been to Sin City — until recently, when he accompanied Hirokawa for his first look-see. "In four days, we saw 12 shows — matinees, evening, you name it," said Hirokawa. "We saw Celine Dion, and the magician shows, and Siegfried (of Siegfried and Roy) invited us backstage, a thrill for Michael and me," said Hirokawa. The Vegas superstar, who was in Hawai'i when his IMAX film was launched, snuck into the Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel showroom to get a glimpse of Hirokawa. So how could Hirokawa and Viloria both be away at the same time? Keith Kabasawa also is a pinch-hitter and held court. ...

Hirokawa has resumed his two-a-night shows, seven nights a week, indicative of improved visitor counts in Waikiki . ...

• • •

AROUND TOWN: Don "Geezer" Humphrey is best known as a guitar-strumming singer who fronts the country band The Geezers, but he's also a deejay, hosting an afternoon drive show 3-5 p.m. Fridays on KUMU-AM 1500. Yep, he plays country. ...

Keola Beamer was so inspired on his recent tour with Taj Mahal & the Hula Blues Band, that he and his mom Nona Beamer and wife Moanalani and hanai brother Kaliko all took solo turns dancing during one tune, "Livin' on Easy." Don't be surprised if similar impromptu happenings emerge when he plays here Saturday at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College and Aug. 30 at Diamond Head Theatre. ...

Winemakers like Bob Lindquist of Qupe, and celebrity chefs, like "Iron Chef" Hiroyuki Sakai (with a party of 10, even) already have found their way to D.K. Kodama's Vino in Kapalua, Maui. The new eatery features comfort and contemporary Italian cuisine with a vast selection of wine considerations assembled by master sommelier and Vino consultant Chuck Furuya. ...

• • •

NAMES 'N' PLACES: With schools in session, Frank DeLima has been on the road, doing his morning commute to visit various campuses and do his bit for literacy. He's also gearing for his annual fall trek to the West Coast and Las Vegas, with gigs Oct. 25 at the Chinatown Holiday Inn in San Francisco, a Nov. 1 date at the California Hotel, and three shows Nov. 7 and 8 at the Normandie Casino. Thus, he'll be at his Friday-and-Saturday gig at the Ohana Reef Towers' Palace Showroom through Oct. 18, returning Nov. 14. ...

Good thing on-the-go Robert Cazimero sleeps aboard the plane. From Hawai'i, he jetted to a Boston Pops performance, then to Osaka for another gig. Does the Japan hop couple of times a month. ...

Earl and Ellie McDaniel popped into town last week for the 20th anniversary of Michael W. Perry and Larry Price on KSSK, the station Earl once managed from the era of J. Akuhead Pupule. ...

Hawaiian music thrives in Diamond Head, Miss., according to WQRZ-FM Radio's station manager Brice Phillips, who called the Mountain Apple Company for local music updates. At Diamond Head, the senior population is plugged into Hawaiian sounds — not surprising, since all the streets in the community have Hawaiian names. ...

There was an Elvis sighting in Hilo recently when Dawe Glover did his Presley shtick at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo, opening for the Makaha Sons at a Japanese Chamber of Commerce event. Glover flew back to Honolulu in time for an evening performance of "Henry IV" at Paliku Theatre's now-pau Shakespeare Festival at Windward Community College. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos