SHOW BIZ
Kamehameha role sidelined as Rock goes South

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

MOVIE MATTERS: Looks like "Kamehameha," the movie, will have to wait. After filming "Hell-dorado" here last year, wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (who has committed to play the ali'i) has signed on to star in an update of the real-life story "Walking Tall," for MGM/Hyde Park, with production slated to start this summer. It's a retelling of a 1973 cult film that starred Joe Don Baker (as Sheriff Buford Pusser), who used a 2-by-4 timber as a club to rid his Tennessee county of corruption. In the new movie, Johnson plays Pusser as a sheriff who's back home from war, encountering drug lords and more, but using the big stick to bring on his own brand of justice. ...

Island filmmaker Eric Byler, a Moanalua grad, is anxiously awaiting the results of the 2003 Independent Spirit Awards, where his "Charlotte Sometimes" is up for two prizes, the John Cassavetes Best Feature Award and Best Supporting Actress (Jacqueline Kim). He's waiting for the outcome before deciding on theatrical distribution. The movie has been shown three times in local festivals, but has not had a commercial run yet. ...

And a tip of the hat, too, to another Islander, Rich Figel, whose "Inugami" script recently took first place in the Ohio Independent Film Festival (Voices of Color category). He's half Japanese, hence the category, and the screenplay deals with Japanese Americans living in San Francisco. ...

TUBE TALK: "Higher Faster Stronger," the TV series in which local high school teams compete for up to $20,000 of cool gear for their schools, kicked off last week on KFVE-5 (it airs at 7 p.m. Mondays) and KHNL-8 (where it repeats at 10:30 p.m. Sundays). The show has a new director in Keith Kandell, a recent grad from the New York University Film School, who has tweaked the look and the pace with hands-on involvement, delving into scriptwriting and music coordination. He's hired his twin brothers, Aaron and Jordan Kandell, who also are NYU film students, to help out with filming at Kualoa Ranch. Is this the start of a film biz dynasty? (Parents are Lloyd and Sherri Kandell; Lloyd is part of the Don Tiki ensemble). Show host is Tiana Becker, who stars on those Hilo Hattie TV ads, and executive producer is Chris Dey of the Hawai'i Sports Network. ...

HERE 'N' THERE: As he usually does when he visits Maui each winter, New York Yankees manager Joe Torre dined with his family at Pacific 'O in Lahaina. If you recall from a recent column, Pacific 'O cooks Chris Johansen and Keith Parietti are diehard Yankee fans, so imagine their delight when they learned that Torre was dining there, and the ecstasy when they received autographed keepsakes. "Chris had one of his many Yankee caps on," said chef James McDonald. "I offered to see if I could get Joe to autograph it. Not only did he sign the cap, but he personalized two Joe Torre autograph cards for both guys." ...

The Business Travel News Top 25 Most Influential Travel Executives of 2002 is out, and local boy Kevin Iwamoto, the sometime singer, is among those honored. "I was humbled by the company I am in and feel wholly unworthy," said Iwamoto, who handles business travel for Hewlett-Packard. ...

RANDOM NOTES: Raiatea Helm, the songbird from Moloka'i, is 18. An incorrect age appeared here the other day. ...

Maui's still buzzing about 14-year-old violinist Rachel Lee, who played Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in a Maui Symphony Orchestra concert conducted by Stuart Chafetz recently at Castle Theatre at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. The event drew a capacity crowd, considered the best ever for an all-classical bill. ...

And that's Show Biz ...

Wayne Harada's Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach him at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.