AFTER DEADLINE
Stories about ordinary people among our favorites

By Dave Dondoneau

Sometimes, quotes stay with you in this business for years. One of my favorites popped up last week when "American Idol" contestants Jasmine Trias and Jonah Moananu stopped by our office to talk with entertainment writer Wayne Harada.

I didn't see Moananu come in, but I heard him give a quick sample of what's to come Tuesday when he started singing during a photo shoot. By the time he sat down to chat with Wayne, puka shells around his neck, Moananu's smile couldn't have been any wider.

And Trias? Flower in her hair, bright smile, and lots of family and friends accompanying her and capturing every moment in the building on video.

Were it not for the "American Idol" phenom, few would get to know either contestant, or Maui's Camile Velasco, for that matter.

That would be a shame, because getting to read about them in our Island Life section and following their journey on "American Idol" reinforces what retired Louisiana State University men's basketball coach Dale Brown once told me: "Sometimes, the most ordinary people are the most extraordinary people."

Dale would love what's going on in Island Life right now.

We're getting to know a waitress, a part-time teacher and a student. Their descriptions sound ordinary. The people behind them, we're finding through Harada's stories, are extraordinary.

How many people have gone to the IHOP on Maui where Velasco worked, ordered up a short stack of pancakes and never given a second thought to who was waiting on their table?

How many patrons, today, wish she would have signed their bill when it was laid on the table?

Moananu, a huge man, teaches kids at Farrington High. He has an embracing boom-box deejay rap schtick and has been a camera favorite for the "Idol" show since auditioning last fall.

And then there's Trias. We haven't seen or heard her perform yet, but the mystery girl is already gathering support.

There aren't a lot of shows that bridge generations, or give an entire state something to cheer for.

But this year's "American Idol" has, with three Hawai'i residents in the final 32.

We ask Wayne to cover a lot of things — TV, music, entertainment — and even though he'll garumph if asked, I would say getting to know our local Idols has been one of his most enjoyable tasks.

"They're all homespun," he said. "Real people, no pretensions."

In Velasco, he sees a rather shy, withdrawn performer driven to succeed, "so that makes her a strange candidate for Idolhood."

In Trias, he found a very focused and gentle person. "A learner. An achiever with poise and polish that goes beyond her 17 years." He thinks singing in her church has had a nurturing effect on Trias, and that her strong family foundation helps her confidence.

And then there's Moananu.

"The huggable bear. Music also is his friend. He works well with audiences and kids ... perhaps not as gifted as a singer as the two women, but he brings earnest and honest intentions to the plate. Being a Samoan, he is a good role model, but shuns the race card, preferring to think of himself as a Hawaiian — not a Native Hawaiian, but one who lives in Hawai'i."

Ordinary people. Extraordinary stories. We'll follow their "American Idol" journeys and keep introducing you to more extraordinary people from the Islands along the way.

Dave Dondoneau is Island Life deputy editor. Reach him at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8036.