THE LEFT LANE
Kenny's island kitsch
Advertiser Staff and News Services
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Now Chesney has woven a kitschy Hawaiian strain into the video for his current hit, "When the Sun Goes Down" — winner of the Country Music Television 2004 Flameworthy of the Year Award, six weeks at No. 1 and the title track from his nearly triple-platinum latest album.
He and buddy Unkle Kracker sing the song knee-deep in the ocean, while woefully inexpert "hula-hula"-type lovelies flap their hands and swish fake grass skirts. And is that a shaka he's trying to wave?
The tour is called Guitars, Tiki Bars & A Whole Lotta Love. (Buffett's last tour, which stopped here earlier this year, was about tikis, too, and his hula dancers weren't any more authentic. Bend the knees, girls, and quit bouncing around like Barbie!)
Chesney will resume the tour after performing "When the Sun Goes Down" on the Academy of Country Music Awards show tonight in Las Vegas (7 p.m. Hawai'i time on CBS). He's nominated for entertainer, top male and song of the year. Let's hope he leaves the bogus hula girls at home.
'Idol' inflation on eBay
With prospects of a third show not confirmed (but rumored), anyone hoping to catch "American Idol 3" at the Blaisdell Arena Sept. 28 and 29 may have to pay inflated prices, since all seats were scooped up last weekend.
Scalpers have already launched listings on eBay for the Honolulu concerts by the top 10 finalists, including Hawai'i's Jasmine Trias and Camile Velasco. Starting prices so far range from $179 to $319 for two tickets.
Some Mainlanders are a lot greedier — asking $1,500 for two seats for an Anaheim Arrowhead Pond show (though the stiff tariffs include a meet-and-greet with the new Idol and the other nine). Lesser seats are being offered at $599 for two.
But Fantasia Barrino's hometown venue in Winston Salem, N.C., is a lot more affordable: $199 for two seats.
Check ebay.com for the latest offers and bids.
Enter stage right
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- A 10-week acting course will be taught by Sammie Choy on Saturday afternoons, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., May 29 to July 31, $100.
- A six-session improvisation class will be taught by R. Kevin Doyle on Saturdays from 4 to 5:30 p.m., May 29 to July 3, $75.
- The six-week playwriting class will be taught by Y York on Saturday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon, July 17 to Aug. 21, $100.
- Information: Kumu Kahua, 536-4222.
