SHOW BIZ

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

DATELINE HAWAI'I: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, the Kaua'i resident now before the NBC-TV cameras as Capt. Terry Harada on the "Hawaii" series, is on the ascent. With the role of The Baron coming his way, in Rob Marshall's "Memoirs of a Geisha" (based on the Arthur Golden book), he feels like he's at the starting gate for the second half of his acting career. Best of all, the movie won't dramatically conflict with the TV role.

"I'm excited to be doing 'Memoirs' with Ken Watanabe and the 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' actors," said Tagawa. His earlier films include "Pearl Harbor," "Planet of the Apes" and "Rising Sun," and he's completed 20th Century Fox's "Elektra" with Jennifer Garner, expected next February. He was on TV's "Nash Bridges," with Don Johnson, but "Hawaii" enables him to portray a thinking cop with a distinctive local flavor, meaning periodic utterance of a pidgin line or two.

Tagawa also is trying to complete a series of health and sports training spots for KHNL-8, which have been in the works but delayed; they were supposed to coincide with the launch of "Hawaii" on the NBC affiliate here. ...

SIGHT 'EMS: Mackenzie Phillips, who starred in "The Vagina Monologues" at the Hawai'i Theatre a few years ago, has been ensconced at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel with son Shane, before he begins his senior high school year back in Los Angeles. Phillips just finished an episode of "NYPD Blue" and another of "Animal Planet," and completed a month in Scotland shooting "The Jacket" opposite Oscar winner Adrien Brody. She met up with publicist Lisa Josephsohn for dinner at Compadres, where the the party included Rex Nockengust and Gene Allen of Beach Glass Bingo; they'd met when Phillips was here before. ...

The Learning Channel's Frank Bielec ("Trading Spaces") and Chase Dakota ("While You Were Out") stopped by the Michael W. Perry and Larry Price Saturday brunch show recently at John Dominis, when Price quipped to Bielec, "Where'd you get that gay aloha shirt?" Bielec gasped somewhat, and Price clarified, "I mean, it's so vibrant and bright ... where did you find it?" Bielec said his wife helps him acquire vintage aloha shirts. ...

And when Mrs. Hawai'i U.S. 2002 Joni Redick appeared with Perry & Price to plug "Broadway Mixed Plate 2004" recently, she was in a bright red dress but wore black heels, apparently a fashion faux pas. Not to worry: Sweetie Pacarro, producer of the Saturday morning show and a latter-day Imelda Marcos who always dons a pair from C. June, found out that Redick had the same shoe size, 5 1/2, so she lent her red footsies to Redick. ...

NIGHT WATCH: Balletomanes and Broadway buffs alike should find a lot to applaud at Ballet Hawai'i's "Black and White Ball: The Big Easy," Sept. 25 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom. Jim Hutchison has lined up stellar entertainment. John Barbour (last seen on Broadway in "Assassins" and earlier in "Beauty and the Beast," "Carousel" and "Urinetown") will headline. The slate of performers also includes Stan Chandler, who was in "Cabaret" on Broadway and "Forever Plaid" off Broadway, plus his wife Kirsten Benton Chandler, from "Ragtime," "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Sweet Charity," plus Eileen Barnett, whose Broadway credits include "Nine," "Footloose" and "Company." And localite Matthew Pedersen, who was in "A Chorus Line" and "Miss Saigon" on Broadway years before settling here, has been added to the show. Call Ballet Hawai'i at 521-8600. ...

RANDOM NOTES: Juggler Greg Gabaylo, who has ventured into the realm of comedy, said he'll be on Duane Chapman's "Dog the Bounty Hunter," premiering today on A&E. Gabaylo's constantly trying to reinvent himself — as a hypnotist, too. ...

At PBS Hawai'i's recent on-air fund drive, Manoa Valley Theatre's "My Way, a Musical Tribute to Frank Sinatra" cast performed for the studio audience and at-home viewers. Sherry Chock Wong, Elitei Tatafu, Jamie Rolfsmeyer and David "Kawika" Vega did "Strangers in the Night," among other tunes, with director Jim Hutchison and musical director Cory Overland also on hand, joined by hosts Becky Dunning of the PBS affiliate and John Rampage of Diamond Head Theatre. All told, $11,000 was raised for PBS. "My Way" premieres tomorrow night at MVT. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

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