The TV special "Emme's Island Moments: A Moment of Thanks" includes hops to Manila, now served by Hawaiian Airlines, not uncoincidentally; New York, where a local Filipina is making an impact on Broadway; and Honolulu, where a veteran jazz singer has played to an appreciative fan base for more than four decades. The show is part promotion for Island tourism, part travelogue.

The Hawaiian Air section is part commercial, part culture, with Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian CEO and president, speaking of the carrier's commitment to serve Filipino communities. Emme Tomimbang travels to Makati and other locations where tinikling (the bamboo dance) and hula can co-exist, where halohalo is the shave-ice-like dessert of choice, and where a pub called The Hobbit, inspired by the Tolkien tome, employs little people as servers.

Loretta Ables Sayre, starring as Bloody Mary in a hot-ticket revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "South Pacific," tells of her gratitude for her good fortune. She defines Bloody Mary, a wartime souvenir hawker, as "a single mother ... desperate to make a better life for a daughter she loves." Backstage with host Tomimbang, Ables Sayre's humility — and honesty — shine through.

Tomimbang talks story with Sharon Cuneta, a Philippines superstar, after being interviewed herself for Cuneta's Philippines TV show. After three decades of as an entertainer, Cuneta connects the dots with folks in the Filipino community. "I like to be a global ambassador," she says with pride.

And at 73, jazz legend Jimmy Borges is like fine wine, all the better with age. He is a local son who went away to San Francisco and other ports to make his mark, but returned home to connect with his roots, and his people. Wherever he sang, including such now-gone places as Keone's and Trapper's, where nights were rich with song, joy and memories, you never knew who'd come in and join the party.

Borges reflects on a bygone Waikiki era, when each hotel had a major star. Many of Borges' colleagues, shown in footage Tomimbang assembles for the special — Don Ho, Alan Naluai, Loyal Garner, Dick Jensen — are gone.

Finally, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, chef Alan Takasaki of Le Bistro in Niu Valley prepares a feast using turkey leftovers. Watch carefully, as he doesn't provide recipes, or you may have to visit his restaurant to secure them — and to say thanks in person.