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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, September 4, 2007

SHOW BIZ
Reichel adored in Japan; West Coast tours next

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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TRAVEL LOG: Keali'i Reichel has been on the road — he just wound up a Japan tour of Tokyo and Osaka, where a fourth show had to be added to his sell-out schedule.

After a brief return home, he starts another series of tours — hitting Tacoma, Wash., on Sept. 29; San Diego, Oct. 18-19; Pleasanton, Calif., Nov. 2-14; and San Diego again on Dec. 8 (as a guest of The Makaha Sons, in a Christmas concert). In between, Reichel has at-home performances on Maui and in Kona. ...

And his "Kukahi" high-definition DVD is down to final edit, and should arrive in plenty of time for Christmas shopping. ...

Keith and Carmen Haugen are Japan-bound to participate in a Sept. 30 concert marking Japanese slack-key wizard Agnes Kimura's 30 years in Hawaiian music. Kimura will be releasing a new CD then, "Ho'omana'o," which will include two Keith Haugen compositions, including "Mokupuni Hui," which she learned from three versions recorded by Ledward Ka'apana, which indicates the song's appeal. ... Singer Jeffrey Apaka, who is community relations director at the Waikiki Community Center, is just back from a 72-hour trip to Holford, England, where he performed for Lady Norman Powers' birthday with the John Little Band from Dubai. She's the wife of Kenneth Powers, of the British Nuclear Group at the Combe House Estate. ...

Rolando Sanchez, the sultan of salsa in the Islands, will trek to Latin America and his native Nicaragua for three weeks, departing Sept. 12. It'll be his first time home since arriving in the U.S. (San Francisco) in 1966, so the trip will enable him to reconnect with his family and a chance to let everyone know about the bustling salsa and Hispanic profile in Hawai'i. ...

HITHER 'N' YON: Prior to the University of Hawai'i's season-launching game last weekend, quarterback Colt Brennan did a bit of carbo-loading at Romano's Macaroni Grill at Ala Moana Center. ...

Sen. Daniel Akaka lunched at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort on the Big Island while attending hearings on veterans' benefits and wound up a food critic. Of the 'ahi tuna wraps he had at the Manta Ray Bar & Grill, the senator dubbed it "good grinds." ...

Pilar Walsh, a veteran actress, is home after a 26-year stint on the Mainland, where her many roles include playing Liza Minnelli in a "Mad TV" sketch opposite Alec Baldwin, and a movie, "Running With Scissors," with Annette Bening. She's part of the ensemble of Manoa Valley Theatre's "Musical of Musicals — the Musical," premiering tomorrow, in which she is a multitude of Abbys — Mother Abby, Dear Abby, Abby von Schtarr and Fraulein Abby, in the spoof of beloved Broadway musical composers. Calvary by the Sea Church members know her as a choir soloist. ...

Dan Kamin, the internationally acclaimed mime (often compared to the likes of Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Marcel Marceau, Andy Kaufman and Steve Martin) has been visiting daughter Hester Kamin here. She heads the educational programs at the Hawai'i Theatre, working with apprentices for the April production of "The Tempest." But father and daughter managed to take a Big Isle trek to check out the eruption and visit the historic Palace Theatre in Hilo. ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Joy Abbott, the widow of Broadway legend George Abbott (whose creation "Pajama Game" is at Paliku Theatre), took in the musical and told director Ron Bright how pleased she was that the musical was staged as originally scripted. She was presented one of Gayle Harimoto's trademark lavender crown flower lei, and Abbott sought her out to express gratitude. Abbott and Broadway pal Davis Gaines will co-star in "Broadway Reflections: An Enchanted Evening," at 7 p.m. Sept. 22. ...

Comic Rip Taylor, who winds up his vacation this week, had to turn down a cameo in "Jackass 2 1/2," a straight-to-DVD release. Actor Johnny Knoxville called him a few days back for Taylor's usual confetti-tossing finale but he was here and not in L.A. ...

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.