Posted on: Thursday, July 15, 2004

SHOW BIZ
Camera captures celebratory grand jetés

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Travel log: It might've looked peculiar, but Peter Rockford Espiritu, the mainstay behind Tau Dance Theatre, has been jumping before the cameras at some national landmarks recently. Like, leaping, with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, during a San Francisco visit; and a similar pose at the Space Needle in Seattle and Disneyland in Los Angeles. ...

One reason he's been air-bound: Tau Dance Theatre is officially a nonprofit organization, newly reorganized, with an exec board that allows health, medical and dental insurance — and, best of all, a salary! Espiritu's recent travels included a tour with the Kamehameha Schools symphony orchestra, with whom he staged several dances. The trek included a reunion in Seattle with David Cruz, former executive chef at the Kahala Moon; he is scouting for a new restaurant location, with wife, Carla, serving as a national manager rep for a wine company that deals exclusively with Spanish and German wines. In San Francisco, Espiritu caught "The Lion King" and connected with his aunt, Ruth McDonald, who lives with hubby Jim in

Sonoma. They plan to retire, however, in a just-acquired house in Waimea, on the Big Island. In the City by the Bay, Espiritu also saw Suzie Koga, the ex-Islander who has moved from New York, but still represents such acts as Roberta Flack; Koga is a new mother, just adopted a daughter. ...

In L.A., Espiritu visited former 'Aiea resident Carolyn Omine, the only woman writer-producer-director on Fox's "The Simpsons." He and three students were able to witness a closed reading for a new season show; each received scripts that they asked actors to sign, with a firm warning not to re-sell them on e-Bay. ...

Whee, the people: Tino Ibach and his Tino & the Rhythm Klub will be the opening act for singer Michelle Branch's July 29 concert at the Waikiki Shell. With a new CD out, TRK should be sizzling. ... Harpist Pumehana Davis stopped by the Perry & Price Saturday brunchfest last week at John Dominis to promote this Saturday's Rehab Hospital "Joy of Food and Wine" event at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Prior to Davis performing a tune, Larry Price quipped, "If you don't go to church every Sunday, playing the harp is the quickest way to get to heaven." She responded by performing Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" on her harp. ...

Rusty Warren, veteran comedian (and a 1960s groundbreaker for female stand-ups), stopped by to catch Paul Ogata, Andy Bumatai and FrankDeLima a few nights back at the Ohana Reef Towers' Palace Showroom. ...

Itemizations: Jack Johnson's concert Aug. 11 at the Hawai'i Theatre was an immediate sell-out, setting a record and adding a new wrinkle for ticket queues. Burton White, theater manager, said a guy was in line 24 hours before the box office opened; he was paid by a diehard Johnson fan to get the best seats possible. ...

Partners D.K. Kodama and Chuck Furuya hosted a preview party at their new Little Vino on Monday night. Corporate chef Tom Selman and three of the most respected names in Italian cuisine in America — Nunzio Alioto of the legendary Alioto's on San Francisco's Fishermen's Wharf, Suzette Gresham of S.F.'s Acquerello, and Celestino Drago of Santa Monica's Drago — prepared the luscious goodies. Master sommelier Furuya was joined by three of his MS colleagues, too: Larry Stone of Rubicon in San Francisco, Fred Dame of San Francisco, and chef Alioto, who is a master sommelier as well as a master chef. Show biz names there included Tom Moffatt and Yvonne Elliman. The buzz: Chef Drago's bite-sized mushroom ravioli in foie gras sauce were to die for! Little Vino, adjacent to Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar at Restaurant Row, resembles a Tuscan village and is sure to become a hot hangout. ...

Sight 'ems: Martin Nievera, the former resident who's still a superstar in the Philippines and a frequent Las Vegas marquee draw (at the Golden Nugget), was seen on Fox's "The Casino" on Monday night. He sang one of his signatures, "Say That You Love Me." ...

And Britney Spears donned a chapeau and was in the pink (a bikini), in two photos in a recent People magazine. Was sunning with fiancé Kevin Federline during a July 3 hiatus at Maui's Fairmont Kea Lani. ...

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.