'Journey' winning honors for busy producer
Producer Stuart Yamane is filming a documentary on Kamaka 'Ukulele with Alpha Media.By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
HERE 'N' THERE: Producer Stuart Yamane is filming a documentary on Kamaka 'Ukulele with Alpha Media. Yamane, best known for "Journey of Honor," his film about the extraordinary spirit of the AJA veterans who returned to the World War II battlefields of Italy, is also awaiting a green light to accompany Saint Louis School's drama department performers to Edinburgh, Scotland, where "Aida" will be staged at the Fringe Festival. Since its local premiere, Yamane's "Journey" has won a regional Emmy Award (documentary), was shown at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and had a Memorial Day re-telecast on PBS stations. ...
Alford Paraz, father of Society of Seven Las Vegas' drummer Freddie Von Paraz, has received a Purple Heart 50 years after his heroism in the Korean War. The elder Paraz, now a resident of Fremont, Calif., was a Marine infantryman who was hurt in combat but aided a Navy medic to bring injured soldiers to safety on March 26, 1953. Paraz also was a Waikiki entertainer, working with Hilo Hattie, Loyal (and Kimo) Garner, Al Lopaka, Clem Low and sundry others. ...
Lani Misalucha, the Filipina songstress who brought glamor to the original Society of Seven in Las Vegas, continues to collect hurrahs. Commenting on her Bally's performances with the SOS, Vegas columnist Len Butcher said, "Lani Misalucha is better than Whitney Houston, a match for Celine Dion and as good as Barbra Streisand." High praise. ...
TRADE WINDS: KSSK's "Coach" Larry Price received a Special Service Award from the Hawai'i Interscholastic Athletic Directors Association at the group's annual conference at the Kaua'i Marriott. He was recognized for his longtime support of high school athletics. ...
Speaker of the House Calvin Say and Rep. Ken Hiraki were on Moloka'i recently, checking on the ancient tradition of salt making. Hawai'i Kai Corp., the lone company in the state harvesting fresh gourmet salt, has announced a program in which selected Moloka'i residents who undergo comprehensive training will be able to make salt at home and sell it back to Hawai'i Kai. And an increasing number of notable chefs are using it, including James Beard Award winner David Pasternak of New York's ESCA Restaurant; Wayne Hirabayashi, executive chef at Kahala Mandarin Oriental and Maui's Mark Ellman. "Soul of the Sea" is available at Hilo Hattie (Nimitz and Kihei stores), at Sur La Table outlets on the Mainland, and will be featured this fall at Williams-Sonoma. ...
Linda Coble, former radio-TV personality, recently was named the 10th Rotary Treasure by the Rotary Club of Honolulu. Coble, one of the first women Rotarians in Hawai'i (she joined the Hono-lulu Club in 1987, shortly after membership was opened to women), was the first woman president of the club and the first female district governor of District 5000 (Hawai'i). When the Rotarians' district conference was held at the Turtle Bay Resort, "Hawaii 9-0" was the theme (because it was the group's 90th anniversary), so "Hawaii Five-O" regular James MacArthur was emcee. As part of a brief play, Coble's husband, Kirk Matthews, made the supreme sacrifice: He shaved off his mustache, to portray mustache-less Rotary founder Paul Harris, during a Channel 2 Morning News telecast. "I had never seen his upper lip," said Coble. "I love him for making the sacrifice." To this day, Matthews has maintained a nude upper lip. ...
PERSONALITIES: Stan Egi, the local stand-up and actor, is planning a Kahala Mandarin celebration. He's getting married to Annie Yee, former Los Angeles Laker Girl and Rams cheerleader. ...
Photographer Russell Tanoue's 10th Annual Birthday/Project Celebration, "Angels on the Rock," this Saturday at the Ocean Club, will feature Jordan Segundo, Jennifer Hera, Tani Lynn Fujimoto, Cathy Tanaka, Laka Carpenter, Hypersquad Dance Company, former Miss Hawaii Olena Rubin and more. Admission is $20, benefiting the American Cancer Society of Project Shine. ...
Robert Shinoda and Penny Valenta, masterminds behind the Honolulu Club's Wednesday jazzfests, have been packing 'em in, and the music-makers have been top-notch. Folks like songstress Azure McCall, dueling saxophonists David Choy and George Young, drummer Adam Baron, keyboarder Rob Prester, bassist John Kolivas and guitarist Shinoda have been wailing, from 6 to 9 p.m. Hump Day. A $5 cover is waived for Honolulu Club members. ...
And that's Show Biz. ...
