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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, March 22, 2009

SHOW BIZ
Her right leg may be in a cast, but Sai can still sing

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

Singer Marlene Sai has been hobbling along — first on crutches, then in a wheelchair, and now with a walker — all because she broke her right foot in a rainy-day incident nearly a month ago. Her right leg is in a cast up to her knee.

"My doctor said it wouldn't affect my voice," said Goofy (her nickname), with playful dismay. "So I had a singing gig; he told me to put my weight on my left foot."

Sai — famous for "Waikiki" and "I Love You" — has become the butt of some good-natured jokes from her friends. Frannie Kirk, Outrigger entertainment director, said with a giggle: "Maybe Goofelia can get a 50 percent off deal on a pedicure." Ouch! ...

MUSEUM PIECE: Joe Moore's new play, "Righteous Revenge," will be staged in a dramatic reading of the script, at 7 p.m. April 18 at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor.

The museum is hosting the premiere to mark the 67th anniversary of The Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. The play, which the KHON2 anchor has been researching for the past two years, "tells the true story that until now has been only partially told of America's first strike at Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor," said Moore.

Of course, he is part of the cast, which has a bevy of notable Island names, including some broadcast colleagues: Bill Ogilvie, Kirk Matthews, Allen Cole, David Farmer, Justin Cruz, Don Stroud, Paul Mitri, George O'Hanlon, Matthew Pedersen, Rico Tudor, Bob Whiting and Don Pierce. Reservations are required; call 441-1008. ...

SIGHT 'EMS: Wolfgang's Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener, the new steak emporium at the Royal Hawaiian Center, has settled into a nice pace after a whirlwind opening attracting 600. Since then, Mayor Mufi Hannemann hosted a party of eight, Outrigger Hotels' Richard "Doc" Kelley convened his own party, and Duane "Dog" Chapman was among the first-nighters who returned last week. ...

Kimo Kahoano showed up with Leilani Marino, handsomely clad but fashionably late, one day after the grand opening. Not to worry: g.m. Amir Ibrahim and restaurant manager Bill Nickerson hosted them to a "grand-opening party for two" so they could enjoy what the guests the night before enjoyed . ...

Sighted at the Wolfgang launch: Hollywood producer Chris Lee, Lt. Andrew "The Bachelor" Baldwin, KGMB9's Howard and Bernadette Dicus, KHNL8's Diane Ako and husband Claus Hansen, "Lost" star and The Counter co-owner Daniel Dae Kim, Miss Hawaii USA Aureana Tseu with mom Iwalani Tseu, fashionistas Takeo and Eric Chandler, Miss Hawaii Teen USA Ashley Moser, restaurateur D.K. Kodama, show presenter Tom Moffatt, Aesthetic Vision Center's Dr. Hugo Higa and O'ahu Visitor Bureau's Les Enderton and wife Sherrie Strausfogel, among others.

HERE 'N' THERE: Congrats to Jo Pruden, who, with her Manoa Valley Theatre "Doubt" cast and director Vanita Rae Smith, ventured to Sacramento recently to participate in an American Association of Community Theatre regional festival, in which she took silver (second place) among best actress contenders for her Sister Aloysius role. ...

Five actors from prestigious British classical theater created stage magic with the words of Shakespeare recently at Paliku, under auspices of Actors From the London Stage, in cooperation with the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Outreach College. Local students from Kalaheo, Radford, Pearl City and Waipahu high schools filled the theater and discovered the marvel of The Bard without the benefit of costume finery. Actors shared a Shakespearean monologue, sonnet or song prior to entering the theater. ...

Makeovers are not usually time-friendly for morning show anchors, so when KITV4's Mahealani Richardson and Dan Meisenzahl — joined by weathercaster Amber-Lynn Hyden and new traffic reporter Yasmin Dar — showed up at Joe Randazzo's J Salon, they had to step out of their comfort zones to be "redesigned" with a hipper, fresher look. Richardson's coif got highlight treatment; Dar acquired bangs; Hyden earned a sleek style; and Meisenzahl not only got a coif trim but eyebrow waxing, yielding some wise-acre comments from his colleagues. ...

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