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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, May 3, 2007

SHOW BIZ
Salsa Hawaii gains new lead with Pedro Haro

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

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WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Pedro Haro, who also goes by Pedro Haro-Arvizu, will be the new face and voice of Rolando Sanchez's Salsa Hawaii. Haro, a theater regular who has starred in such shows as "She Loves Me" and "Little Shop of Horrors," will make his formal debut in the Latin mode when he appears with Salsa Hawaii at the Hawai'i Latin Music Festival on May 19 at the Ala Moana Hotel. ...

But that's not all: Look for him, too, in a cameo appearance in Army Community Theatre's "Grease," starting May 10 at Richardson Theatre at Fort Shafter. Haro will sing the "Hand Jive" number as Johnny Casino. Waikiki show-goers may spot him several times a month as an opening act for John Hirokawa's "Magic of Polynesia" at the Ohana Waikiki Beachcomber hotel. Further, Haro and Yvette Nii are duet champions on the current "Hawaii Stars" on KHON 2. ...

RANDOM NOTES: Two members of The Others from ABC's "Lost" meandered to the Holokai Grill of the new Waikiki Beach Walk on Saturday and enjoyed the food and the environment. Michael Emerson (Ben) and Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) signed a Holokai Grill menu for the excited staff. ...

A common theme emerged when Hoku's chef Wayne Hirabayashi of The Kahala resort swapped jobs with KHNL 8 anchor Howard Dashefsky last week. Dashefsky — er, Da-chef-sky — chopped onions and prepped 'opakapaka for dinner; Hirabayashi was on TV to introduce the "Job Swap" segment. Both learned that teamwork is essential in running a newscast and serving 150 for dinner. "It was a great experience, but I'll stick to the cooking," said Hirabayashi. ...

Helen Berger, a model and former Mrs. Thailand, celebrated the imminent arrival of her third child with James Berger, with dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill recently. Their kids, Hayley and Java, already are calling the boy Bamboo. If you're New York-bound, you can see Berger in a huge Broadway billboard promoting an upscale development in Thailand. ...

DINING NEARBY AT MACARONI: Big-wave surfer Laird Hamilton, sitting at the "fire" pit with his buddies. ...

Jerry "The Shark" Tarkanian, former head coach of the UNLV basketball team, dined at I'o a few nights back, and he was sporting his championship ring, according to chef James McDonald. "He said this was by far the best meal he's had on the island and had wished he'd been in sooner," said McDonald. "Before leaving, I had him autograph chef Sean Christensen's basketball, which had been in the kitchen waiting — a little 'perk' for my chef who works so hard." ...

HERE 'N' THERE: Pilioha, the group led by Glenn Mayeda Jr., just wound up shooting a music segment for a Discovery Channel show titled "Black Canvas," about the art of tattooing around the world. The band was selected for filming because Mayeda's cousin, the group's rhythm guitarist Gary Kalehua Krug Jr. (who has body tattoos), is an apprentice with master artist Keone Nunes. Pilioha is off to Maui on Saturday for an appearance at 11:30 a.m. at the Little League Carnival at the War Memorial Stadium and a CD autograph session at 2 p.m. at Borders in Kahului. ...

Lolly Susi, a Honolulan who has been living and working in London, is houseguesting with Bree Bumatai while here to direct Manoa Valley Theatre's "Over My Dead Body," opening Wednesday. She's been a true Brit, so to speak, writing, directing, acting and brushing elbows with the biggies. She's acted with Helen Mirren, Joan Plowright, Amanda Donohoe and Stuart Townsend; her directors have included Franco Zeffirelli, Nicholas Hytner, Terry Johnson and Ian Rickson; her stages have included the Royal National Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse; her projects have been with such notables as Gwyneth Paltrow, Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley. MVT, thus, is a return to her roots, where it all started, a place to look back at the past while contemplating her future. ...

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.