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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Friday, February 7, 2003

Why show riles Leahey

By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Jim Leahey is boycotting so many things he says he has a hard time keeping track.

Top of his list is the ABC series "My Wife and Kids." Ever since the Damon Wayans sitcom launched its third season with a three-part series shot in Hawai'i, Leahey has refused to watch the show. "The show is terrible," he says. But what really got him steamed was a line of dialogue that referred to King Kamehameha as "King Ka-ka-doo-doo." Once Leahey heard that, the show was permanently off his list.

Leahey, the venerable voice of University of Hawai'i sports, is also boycotting France for conducting underground weapons testing near Tahiti until 1996. How does an individual boycott France? No French products, he says, though he has granted french fries a special exemption. As for television boycotts, he's nixed the shot-in-Hawai'i series "Celebrity Mole" and "that other one," which covers a lot of ground. Those are almost as bad as "My Wife and Kids" he says.

Leahey, who once boycotted an assistant coach by refusing to say that person's name, has also recently boycotted this column, mostly because no mention was made of his boycott of "My Wife and Kids" in a timely manner.

"The Kyles Go to Hawai'i" Parts I, II and III of the sitcom aired in September 2002. The show's official Web site includes the following descriptions of the story line:

• Michael (the father) tells Janet she's packed enough to enter a witness-protection program and he disapproves of Claire's flossy bikini.

• The family's luggage gets lost and they're forced to take an expensive master suite because their reservation expired.

• Jay wants to get to know the place, and drags the entire family on a historical tour, which the kids hate. (This is where the offending line of dialogue came in.)

• Junior has a memorable night on the beach with Leilani, a native girl.

Leahey isn't alone in his feelings about the show. There are many entries on TV-viewer Web sites that compare the three-part season opener to the infamous and despised "Brady Bunch Comes to Hawai'i."

On jumptheshark.com, there are detailed arguments that the show jumped the shark by coming to Hawai'i. (Jumping the shark refers to the moment when you know that a television show is on the decline. The expression refers to an episode of "Happy Days" when Fonzie jumped his motorcycle over a shark in a tank.)

In the interest of supporting realistic and respectful portrayals of Hawai'i on network television; of rising up against hapless, clueless, shameless use of Hawai'i and things Hawaiian to bolster another failing TV series; and in the hopes of getting one of those Leahey french fry exemptions, there it is. Even worse than Greg with the tiki and Vincent Price.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.