SHOW BIZ
Jasmine becoming good fun for local comics

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Trias, by the way, has not received that $100,000 signing offer that Quiet Storm's John Iervolino says he sent her way. (He sent the pitch to Maryknoll, for the record). Iervolino, ever so vigilant in trying to sign and record local talent, believes local is better than national. The reality is: She's had offers, she's eager to record, but she can't sign with anyone until after her "Idol" commitment is over. Maybe he should show up at her graduation June 4. ...

The aforementioned Augie, by the way, did two Guam sell-outs last week and even a gig at the Snow Goose Theatre in Anchorage, Alaska. Starting June 4, the comedy duo of Augie and Lanai launches a 16-week summer run of comedy fun at Dave & Buster's, with 8:30 p.m. Friday shows preceded by music. ...

And a "Comedy Tripleheader" promises triple-threat fun, when Bumatai, Paul Ogata and Frank DeLima collaborate at 8:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, starting June 4 at the Palace Showroom of the Ohana Reef Towers Hotel. DeLima used to have the slot alone, with Bumatai and Ogata following; the combo sounds like a savvy package of strength in numbers. ...

NAME-DROPPING: Nohelani Cypriano has written and recorded a musical jingle, "Come Take a Ride," for European Auto Center. She'll be seen and heard next month when a TV spot debuts, but she's also part of the luxury car dealer's print and radio campaign. Cypriano, a regular aboard the Navatek, will perform at the Jackie Chan benefit screening of "Around the World in 80 Days" June 8 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Her Navatek dancers (Krista Guiteras-Duncan, Lyanna Tumenang, Kehaulani Christiansen and Erin Young) also take the stage. ...

David Gest, Liza Minnelli's estranged husband, dined with a pal at Keo's in Waikiki a few nights back. Yep, he's still in Honolulu. ...

Keola Beamer was not at the Hoku Awards (his "Mohala Hou — Music of the Hawaiian Renaissance" won Best Contemporary Hawaiian Album). He's off to Amsterdam, Netherlands, to perform with a Javanese gamelan orchestra, but he'll pause in San Francisco to finish a CD with jazz pianist Geoffrey Keezer. Before returning home, he'll work in an Alaskan fishing trip. ...

We're just back from a Seattle/Fairbanks trek; thought you'd be interested to know that it was no problem to vote for Jasmine Trias from Alaska. Lines were virtually clear for her code number. ...

SHORTS OF SORTS: Leah Bernstein, president of the Mountain Apple Co., and her lawyer husband, Mark Bernstein, recently returned from a New York visit that included, natch, several musicals. They saw three and loved 'em all — "Gypsy," with Bernadette Peters; "Fiddler on the Roof," with Alfred Molina; and "Boy From Oz," with Hugh Jackman. ...

Ex-Isle deejay Jimmy "Da Geek" Bender and his wife, Tracey, welcomed second son Luke Shoichi Hau'olikamana'o Bender on March 3. He weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces, was 18 inches long and can "cry with the best of them," said Bender. Older son, Tyler, now 2, has adjusted to becoming big brother. Keoni Martin of Halau Hula O Na Lei Mokihana provided the tot's Hawaiian name. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

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