Good news: Jim Brickman, a composer-pianist associated with romance, will make an appearance at 1 p.m. Oct. 24 at Barnes & Noble Ala Moana to promote his latest CD, "Beautiful World." Fans can get autographs, participate in a Q&A. Bad news: there's no related concert planned by Mr. Romance here. ...

Great gig: Islander Joseph Morales has joined the first national tour of Broadway's Tony Award-winning musical, "In the Heights." The show, a brainchild of Tony recipient Lin-Manuel Miranda, and produced by Punahou alumnus Kevin McCollum, is in rehearsals in New York and will play the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Oct. 27 through Nov. 27. "No plans on touring to Hawai'i yet, but maybe with enough buzz, we might," says a hopeful Morales, a Leilehua High grad who has done shows at Manoa Valley Theatre and Lisa Matsumoto's 'Ohi'a Productions. Christina Black, a Mililani High grad, also is on the tour. ...

CALENDAR CUES: Hapa, the duo comprised of Barry Flanagan and Nathan Aweau, returns to The Kahala resort with a dinner show Oct. 9 in the Maile Ballroom. A buffet dinner starts at 5:30 p.m., with music from 7:15 p.m. Tickets: $65. Call 739-8760. ...

Look for Del Beazley from 6 to 9 p.m. today and again Oct. 11 at Kani Ka Pila Grille at the Outrigger Reef on the Beach. And Cyril Pahinui, who plays at Kani Ka Pila Wednesdays, will teach Pahinui-style slack key Oct. 26, Nov. 30 and Dec. 21 at Bishop Museum. E-mail him at cyril@cyrilpahinui.com. ...

RANDOM NOTES: While we were lunching at Maile's Thai Bistro a few days back, who should pop in — casually chic, with hair tucked beneath a baseball cap — but Hawai'i Kai resident Josh Holloway. He was picking up a takeout order. You know him as Sawyer on ABC's "Lost." ...

Marking his 50th anniversary in show biz this year, Eddie Kamae (of the Sons of Hawaii) has logged another milestone. He's finally launched his own Web site, www.sonsofhawaii.com, where you can hear clips from his new — and best ever — CD, "Yesterday and Today, Vol. 2." And yep, the site is notable for the group's palaka motif. ...

Talk about dizzying: Members of Ho'okena arrived home from Japan a few days back, then did a quick turnaround to return to Japan, where their latest CD, "Nani Mau Loa," is off and humming. "When we did a concert in Japan the CDs sold out before we even went outside to sell and autograph them," says Horace Dudoit. One reason: One of the tracks is a poignant Japanese tune called "Friends," about the dearly departed. ...

ROAD TRIPS: Kristian Lei has settled in Hong Kong, where she portrays Princess Nala in Hong Kong Disneyland's "Festival of the Lion King" theme park show. Seating for 2,000 per performance means extreme exposure for the Islander, the first local hired as a principal in an extravaganza that also includes floats, pyrotechnics and fire knife dancers "that send chills down your spine; that part reminds me of home because of our Polynesian boys from Samoa, Tahiti and Maui," says Lei. ...

Jamie Hartnett, formerly of KSSK and Clear Channel here, is tour manager for singer Anuhea, who is on the Armed Forces Entertainment circuit with stops at U.S. military bases in Japan and Guam. When Anuhea and her band paused at Yokota Air Force Base, it was a homecoming for guitarist John Pa "J.P." Kennedy, who was born there 23 years ago while his dad was stationed there. J.P. is the son of Jon Pa, assistant fire chief at the Honolulu International Airport station, and the nephew of David Kennedy of The Mana'o Company. Anuhea and J.P. are both 2003 Kamehameha grads. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...