Michael Emerson — who plays Benjamin Linus on ABC's "Lost" — found his way to Manoa Valley Theatre's "Frost/Nixon" Saturday night, and congratulated Bill Ogilvie (Nixon) and Ned Van Zandt (Frost), saying it was the best theater he'd seen in Hawai'i. Emerson and Van Zandt have previous ties: they appeared together in a Broadway production of "The Iceman Cometh" in 1999. ...

Makeup artist Lon Bentley is home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, after working with Tom Selleck on another "Jesse Stone" show in Canada (Selleck helped write the Robert B. Parker-originated story, airing on CBS in March). When Bentley and Selleck paused in New York, they heard "Tom Selleck" amid a swarm of Secret Service types at their hotel. Turns out ex-President Clinton, whom Selleck had earlier met, spotted the ex-"Magnum, P.I." star and said he "liked everything you've been doing," meaning the Stone series. Bentley got to meet Clinton, too, and noted, "When he talks to you, he looks you straight in the eye." ...

NAME-DROPPING: Terry and Nina Dowsett are back from New York, catching daughter Jackie (Punahou '98) as a Rockette in the Radio City Music Hall's fabled Christmas spectacle. She'll be participating with the Rockettes in today's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade; mom says she'll be the girl in the middle of the formation. Jackie ran into Diamond Head Theatre's John Rampage outside the theater when he was visiting. ...

A job-swap deal between KHNL8 anchor Diane Ako and KSSK producer Sweetie Pacarro meant Ako did Pacarro's gig at a recent Michael W. Perry-Larry Price brunch show at John Dominis, and Pacarro did Ako's KFVE and KHNL newscast. ...

MAUI WOWIE: Cecilio Rodrigues happened to be at the new 'Umalu restaurant, the beachfront facility that used to be the Pavillion at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa at Ka'anapali; and with a houseful of diners, he took the stage to perform a song ... which became a set. Wonder if that serves as an audition for future employment there? ...

Maui's own "Flyin' Hawaiian," Shane Victorino of the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies, and a large group of friends gathered last Thursday at Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar in Kihei for a night of karaoke. ...

HIGH SOCIETY: We took in Army Community Theatre's "High School Musical" last weekend, and the crowd was an equal mix of adults and tweens, the latter group the target audience for the Disney phenom. The local cast, led by Kyle McCraw as Troy Bolton, the basketball team captain, and Jana Souza as Gabriella Montez, the new girl at East High, looked very age-appropriate, and why not? They actually are high schoolers: he at Moanalua; she at 'Iolani. The ensemble of Wildcats — with Colby Benson as Sharpay and Vincent Fitzgerald as Ryan — also are young, spirited, with energy to spare, just like the origs on the tube and the big screen. For fans of the franchise, this is a slam-dunk winner, playing Fridays-Saturdays through Dec. 6. ...

"High School Musical" also runs Dec. 12-21 at the Aloha Theatre, a presentation of the Aloha Performing Arts Company's All-Teen Theatre, with the husband-and-wife team of Diego and Cherish Rodrigues as Troy and Gabriella, and BriAnna Johnson as Sharpay and Micah DeAguiar as Ryan. ...

AROUND TOWN: Justin Young's concert at Señor Frog's last Friday was a bona-fide biggie — with the crowd gathering early for Pili'oha's 8:30 p.m. set (this is the trio featuring Glenn Mayeda, Gary Kalehua Krug and Kamuela Kimokeo) that preceded Young's appearance. Young, a local fave on a brief hiatus from the Colbie Caillat tour, practiced one night at the Kalihi garage of Kata and Janet Maduli, the honchos at Mt. Kalihi Productions, and his makeshift band included Kata Maduli, Pi'i Miguel, Michael Grande and Konrad Kendrick. Young shared his signatures, some newbies off his new CD, "All Attached," and even tossed in a nibble of Caillat's "Bubbly" hit. ...

Meanwhile, J-Boog and B.E.T. take this Friday's spotlight at Señor Frog's. ...

Leslie Wilcox, PBS Hawai'i honcho, and singer Jimmy Borges and pianist Betty Loo Taylor made an appearance at the Arcadia last Friday. Of course, Borges sang to Taylor's music, as the two were an iconic Waikiki duo in earlier times, delighting the "senior" crowd. The gig was a pitch and a prelude for PBS' pledge drive in December. ...

And Borges is among the guests of the "Emme's Island Moments" Thanksgiving special airing at 9 p.m. tomorrow and 4 p.m. Saturday on KHON2. Borges sings while Kit Samson plays keyboards in a segment filmed at the Samson home. You'll spot notables, too. ...

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.