Posted on: Tuesday, November 9, 2004
SHOW BIZ
'Saigon' couple expecting first baby in May
By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
BABY TALK: Cliffton Hall, the former Castle Performing Arts Company actor (who has been in "Miss Saigon" and "Les Miserables" since leaving our shores), and his wife Deedee Lynn Magno (whom he met in "Saigon") are expecting their first baby in May. Hall and Magno, you may recall, got married here and also performed in 2002 with Welly Yang's Second Generation company at Blaisdell Concert Hall. ...
Magno, a former "Mickey Mouse Club" regular, has been appearing as Princess Jasmine in the "Aladdin" musical at Disneyland. Aubrey Glover, a local singer-actress, saw the show recently and was delighted to spot the familiar faces in the cast — Alex Selma as Aladdin and other ex-locals Joseph Morales and Sarah Kobayashi in the ensemble. ...
THE LOCAL ANGLE: Interesting exhibit mix coming up Nov. 16 to 27 at the Pegge Hopper Gallery, pairing couture by Takeo and recent mixed-media works by Jason Momoa. The former designs gowns for beauty queens, the latter is the hunk on Fox's "North Shore" who has a creative side. And Momoa apparently will be among In Touch magazine's sexiest men, alongside Jude Law, Brad Pitt, Colin Farrell, Brad Pitt, Jamie Foxx and Nick Lachey. ...
Derek Mio, who played the lead role of Zip in the recent Hawaii International Film Festival short, "Day of Independence," has local ties. His grandparents live in Kaimuki, and other family members also live here; his proud mom, Margie Mio, now a resident of Huntington Beach, Calif., is the niece of noted journalist and author Tomi Knaefler. ...
Dr. Mark Stitham, a sometimes stage and TV actor, just completed filming a role on ABC-TV's "Lost," in which he was type-cast — as an M.D. It was the second time Stitham played a TV medic: Back in 1998, he was a doctor for the Japanese series "Hotel." This time, there were no language barriers. ...
The Makaha Sons and Jake Shimabukuro headlined the "Go for Broke" Educational Foundation's "Evening of Aloha" on Saturday at the Ritz Carlton Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena, Calif.
Former Miss Universe Brook Mahealani Lee emceed; Halau Keali'i O Nalani, led by kumu Keali'i Ceballos of West Los Angeles, also performed. Keynoter was Gen. Eric Shinseki, the retired Army chief of staff, and the kaukau was prepared by Island chefs Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi. ...
AROUND TOWN: When "Grease," starring Frankie Avalon, comes to the Blaisdell Concert Hall Dec. 27 through Jan. 2, there will be a local tie. The national touring show has a former resident, Jason Hill, as its associate conductor/keyboarder. He is a former pianist with the Marine Forces Pacific Band and he did some shows at Army Community Theatre, so he has already contacted
Vanita Rae Smith, ACT producer and Army entertainment director, and she put him in contact with musical pals such as Lina Doo, who conducted ACT's "West Side Story." So expect reunions galore. ...
Congrats to Georja Skinner, who has been tapped to serve an interim term on the Hawai'i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Commission. She's a public relations and media specialist, based on Maui, and has been the kingpin behind the annual Maui Writers Conference and Retreat and earlier was Maui's film commissioner. She's still involved in filmic projects — the latest being "Soul Surfer — the Bethany Hamilton Story." ...
Chef Hiroshi Fukui may have left L'Uraku for Hiroshi's Eurasian Tapas at Restaurant Row (the old Sansei site), but his award-winning cuisine and menu continue to please palates. Miss Hawaii 2004, Olena Ruben, has been a frequent diner, between promotional trips to the Mainland and Neighbor Islands, and Larry Price hosted out-of-town guests there, too. ...
TIDBITS: When we ran into Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann the day after the election, he was tired but all smiles: "The win was for Kalihi," he said of his roots. ...
Presidential candidate John Kerry's daughter, Alexandra Kerry, was thrilled with Aaron's Atop the Ala Moana (she stayed at the Ala Moana Hotel). Ate there two nights in a row; ordered a double Maui Wowie salad to go, for her plane ride. ...
And Congressman Neil Abercrombie and his wife, Nancie Caraway, had their traditional Election Day lunch at Wai'oli Tea Room, after voting. ...
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.
