'North Shore' debuts

•	Hawai'i gives Fox drama an early thumbs-up
	Did you see the show? Tell us what you think

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Fox's "North Shore" may not be the Hawai'i many locals recognize, but then again, its luxury resort setting isn't real, either.

The fictional Grand Waimea is an exclusive resort where rich, beautiful tourists foist their problems onto the well-conditioned shoulders of the less than rich but no less beautiful hotel staff.

In tonight's series premiere (at 7 on Fox), the hotel's general manager Jason (Kristoffer Polaha) gets a rude shock when Nicole (Brooke Burns), who broke his heart two years earlier, is hired as director of guest relations. Side stories include an allegation of rape by a hotel guest against Gabriel (Corey Sevier), an aspiring surfer who works as the hotel's lifeguard, and a promising flirtation between Jason's feisty gal pal MJ (Nikki DeLoach) and Chris (Jay Kenneth Johnson) a Chicago transplant who runs an extreme-sports business.

Jason Momoa, the only Hawaiian in the cast, plays Frankie Seau, the hotel's friendly, connected bartender.

The episode is generally likeable, a hit-or-miss introduction to the series, with solid performances, a few predictable plot turns, and plenty of long, loving looks at Hawai'i's natural environment.

Don't blink or you'll miss cameos by KITV-4 newscaster Robert Kekaula and comedian Andy Bumatai.