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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, June 19, 2007

SHOW BIZ
Sumo-sized appetites descend upon Sasabune

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser
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SUMOTORI FEAST: Deejay Lanai had a reunion with his sumotori friend, Musashimaru (Wai'anae's Fiamalu Penitani), at Sushi Sasabune recently in the company of Jonidan-Koryu (Eric "Fats" Gaspar), Erin Rutledge and Kihei, Fats' brother. "They ate two rounds of chef's menu," Lanai said of owner-chef Seiji Kumagawa's Tokyo-style omakase, the meal the chef creates, depending on what's available, and you eat whether you like it or not. "The bill was almost $1,000," said Lanai, whose bigger fear was not the check, but whether chef-san had enough food for the sumo-sized appetites. ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: John Langan, assistant g.m. of Romano's Macaroni Grill, knew actor Daniel Dae Kim wasn't "lost" when he and his family found their way to the Ala Moana Center restaurant last week. Kim isn't shy about blending into community life; I've seen him at the Koko Marina theaters, too. ...

It's a girl: Olivia Kamelekamaha'o Mei Ling Hansen, born June 4 to Diane Ako, weekend anchor at KHNL-8, and hubby Claus Hansen. "She's healthy and happy; she eats a lot," said Ako. "All the nurses say she has a super healthy appetite, which scares me, since I am going to breastfeed for a year. I'm already in the 'ow' stage."

Olivia weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces and measured 19 inches; she must be a tad heavier by now. ...

Greg Behrendt, TV-show host and best-selling author of "He's Just Not That Into You," stopped by Don Tiki's show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Tapa Bar on a recent Thursday night. He enthused to his host Shelley Coscina, of Mountain Apple Co., "Thank God I wasn't forbidden to enter the world of Don Tiki. Total sexy retro fun!" Greg and wife Amiira are here to complete their third book on dating from Broadway Books; it's due in January. The exotic Don Tiki performs at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays this month. ...

AROUND TOWN: On a "Hawai'i Stars" poster in the KHON-2 lobby, featuring co-hosts Carole Kai and Kimo Kahoano, the latter was "beheaded" by the former. Here's how Kai explains it: "My picture had me smiling, but Kimo looked like he was sucking on an egg! What to do? We stuck another picture of a smiling Kimo on his old body. ... So Kimo was beheaded for the sake of promotion." ...

Tomorrow's Na Hoku Hanohano Awards at the Hawai'i Convention Center has a rigid dress code in place. Black-tie is OK, but slippers and T-shirts are out. Better don a conventional shirt — with shoes. ...

SHALL WE DANCE?: Mahiai Kekumu, who most recently was Chistery in the Tony Award-winning "Wicked" in Chicago, is home for a few days. You may remember him from "Aida" on Broadway. (He also played Ramires in a Saint Louis production at Mamiya Theatre.) Anyway, he's home to do a couple of dance master classes (the next one is at 6 p.m. Monday at Diamond Head Theatre), and comes here via New York, where he'd been working as a personal trainer at the Manhattan Sports Club. The visit is timed to the wedding of his good friend, Michon Suyama, the daughter of Pearl City High School principal Gerald Suyama, who is getting married to David Browner on Sunday.

"Red," the color of danger, heat and passion, is the theme of 24-VII Danceforce's summer concerts at 7:30 p.m. June 29, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. June 30 and July 1 at Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College. Choreographer-director Marcelo Pacleb will assemble 120 dancers from Danceforce, plus the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior Dancers and the University of Hawai'i Drumforce, in a 22-number program tapping hip-hop, jazz, breakdancing and more. Veteran choreographers-dancers Mark Kanemura, Ry'n Sabado and Preston Meneses contributed to the show, but will not participate because of other commitments. Tickets: $15 pre-sale, $18 after June 28. Call 235-5141 or visit www.247danceforce.org.

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.