THE NIGHT STUFF
Speed dating suits singles, not spectators

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

As DJ E-Roc, above photo, spins the grooves at Nick's Fishmarket, a speed-dating game titled "Sex in the City" allows Alika Ward, below, and Kristen Quizon to make each other's acquaintance. The 10-week series of Saturday night matchmaking events ends May 3. Photos by Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

Elsewhere at Nick's Fishmarket, Anastasia Lau, Lola Suga, Tiana Lee and Tasha Souza dig into drinks and conversation.

The women all seemed approachable. Pretty, well-dressed and chatty, they sat patiently while organizers canvassed the lounge for men. Sandra Yanagi, an account manager with KCCN, laughed off the procurement travails and put on a game face honed from four weeks of organizing the event.

"Make sure you write in your column that it was the guys who were afraid to do this, OK?" she said. Done.

Power dating, also known as speed dating, first gained mainstream attention when Kim Cattrall's eternally libidinous "Sex and the City" character Samantha tried it with varying degrees of success in a 2001 episode. Speed dating actually was dreamed up by a Los Angeles-area rabbi two years earlier as a way of matching up Jewish singles in his temple.

The concept is simple. Gather an equal number of men and women, allow them three minutes of conversation with each member of the opposite sex, and have them rate each person's dating desirability on scorecards. Organizers collect the cards and later reveal to participants the identities of individuals who gave them the highest marks. Voila! Rejection no more!

The version of power dating at Nick's Fishmarket, however, seemed more harmless icebreaker and popularity contest than serious matchmaking session. The man and woman with the highest scores tallied from all scorecards received $100 each and the opportunity to come back for a final competition May 3, where a grand prize of $500 would be awarded to the most date-worthy of each sex.

Conversations on the night I stopped by ran the gamut from career-oriented to personal. One woman asked her partner about his feelings about the war with Iraq. "Truthfully, I'm kind of afraid for us," he replied.

Participants seemed to have fun. Timekeepers typically had to pull the couples apart when their three minutes were up. A few continued to chat and dance when it was over.

Sadly, power dating hardly qualified as entertaining a spectator's sport. The whole activity was tucked away in one corner of Nick's Fishmarket while dancing and imbibing went on in another. I was the only one watching.

"I did it mostly for fun and the $100," said Stephanie, a participant who didn't want to give her last name. "I'm dating someone, so it's not like I desperately want to date, but it's fun to just meet guys, you know?

"I mean, how else are you gonna meet six people ... without walking up to them and making the first move?"

Got a night spot or club event we should check out? Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.

What: Sex in the City.

Where: Nick's Fishmarket, Waikiki Gateway Hotel, 2070 Kalakaua Ave., 955-6333.

When: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays, until May 3.

Cover: $10; participation in power dating is free.

Younger than 21 OK? No.

Age of crowd: 20s-30s.

Dress code: Casual evening attire.

Attire we saw: Fairly dressy. On men: dress shirts, aloha shirts, dress slacks, polos, jeans. On women: cocktail dresses, tanks, camisoles, blouses, jeans, heels.

Our arrival/departure: 11 p.m./ 1 a.m.

What we drank: Bombay Sapphire martini, black Russian ($14.25).

Peak crowd while there: About 75-100.

Queue?: No.

Sample music: "In Da Club" (50 Cent), "Jenny From The Block" (Jennifer Lopez), "Work It" (Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott), "Boys" (Britney Spears).

Dancing? Yes.

It's a fact: Power-dating parties enjoyed a second wind earlier this year in Britain, where thousands of clubgoers continue to shell out upward of $30 each with hopes of finding love or at least hooking up.

Worth noting: Nick's entire appetizer menu is available at half price; vodka martinis are $5 each.

Night notes ...

Wind down your spring break with a turntable and vocal set from DJ Fluid and Omega at tonight's OM Records Monthly at W Honolulu and Komo Low's Wonderlounge. Omega's smooth vocals can be heard in the Afro-Brazilian techno soul of San Francisco-based band aFRO-mYSTIK. Fluid (aka Chris Smith, OM's president) leans toward soul and techno/broken-beat rhythms in his set. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Cover is $20.

Globetrotting Spanish turntablist and producer DJ Sammy (he enjoyed club hits last year with "Boys of Summer" and a poppy techno remake of Bryan Adams' insufferable "Heaven") headlines a full evening of local DJs at Club Mist. Doors open at 9 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15.

Matty Liu and Hawaiian Hurricane Production's Hands Up! monthly takes a break from live bands to premiere the surf film "3 Degrees" tonight at The Hawaiian Hut. Doors open at 9 p.m. Get in for $10.