Hawaii
NOT just because the roles, from Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean (the original in London and New York) to the smallest, were performed by the finest talent available in the world. But the two local hosts, a former Miss Hawaii and a radio D.J., went on and on with the lamest humor and overblown pleas for donations that it actually made me yearn for the good old days of Harry & June Boranian asking for pledges. Give us a break. Just tell us what KHET is giving us for our money and those of us inclined to kick in will. (In the preceding segment the beauty queen mispronounced Victor Borge's name, making the comedic genius sound like the illegitimate son of Lucretia Borgia. At some length, she was told Borge wasn't Portuguese and she corrected herself, although she did call him a singer and on another segment lauded his talent as a "classical violinist" as well, which should come as a surprise to his piano teacher.) ...
BUT say this for Robbs. The pledge segments probably signaled a sales boon for the video. By donating $150 you can get the show without the hosts and pleas, and I'd have to say that's money well spent. And if they do a similar pledge week in the future, they'd be advised to heed the KISS rule: Keep It Short Stupid ...
IF things keep up for Milton Yamanuha, Reynolds Recycling is going to have to retire its "Buyer of the Year" award. He's just won it again - for the 10th time! You've got to like Uncle Miltie. He says he's got a new friend to help keep his recycling center clean. It's an egret! The bird waits for him to open each morning and any bugs in the area are in trouble because he's there to eat them all. "He's become one of the new attractions at my center," says Yamanuha, who appears to have earned this strange bird's trust. When he leaves, so does the egret ...PRIME Sports TV will be on hand for Outrigger Hotels' Hawaiian Mountain tour series of events at Kualoa Ranch Thursday through Sunday. Providing commentary for a one-hour telecast are Peter Graves, an ESPN regular on mountain bike and ski coverage, and Phil Liggett, who's popularized cycling in the English-speaking world with his commentaries on the Tour de France, the Tour DuPont and the Olympic Games. The telecast be carried nationally, in Europe, and in Hawaii as well ...
HAWAII born actress and model Vonnie Rhee - you may have seen her on "Seinfeld" - did some modeling for the North Shore Underground Surf & Snowboard Company without so much as returning to the islands. Now based in L.A. - that's where the work is - Vonnie caught up with the company at a Las Vegas trade show. Joey Libby, a top photog for Surfer Magazine, was hired for the shoot and Vonnie describes the snowboarding experience as "a little like surfing, a little like hula." Vonnie proved once again that she's right at home with a Mike. Or two. Or even three! The owners of NSU are Mike Madelenar, Mike Paz and Mike Botelho ...
