IF all the people who've agreed to be at the Maui Writers at the Grand Wailea Aug. 30 to Sept. 2 show up, it'll be a sterling group indeed. Thus far, Ron Howard, director of "Apollo 13" is among those who are slated to be there, along with screenwriters Jackie Collins and John Saul. In addition, a married couple, each of whom has won a Pulitizer Prize, will be there: Neil Sheehan, who won for "A Bright Shining Lie" and Susan Sheehan, who won her prize for "Is There No Place on Earth for Me?" will perhaps find just that on the Valley Isle. Others who've been announced are novelists Dan Millman, Ann Rule, Terry Brooks and Sue Grafton, plus folk singer and children's book author Tom Paxton. There have been some no-shows during past conferences due to scheduling conflicts, but with nearly three dozen writing celebs due to appear, there should be an excellent turnout ...
Don Robbs
ONE of "Les Miserables" producer Cameron Mackintosh's top assistants, Richard Jay-Alexander, will be in town next week to make "an important announcement for Hawaii," and one can only guess that the show may be returning for another engagement here, possibly at the sparklingly refurbished Hawaii Theatre ... KHET boss Don Robbs is planning another pledge drive next month and once again, the concert version of "Les Miz" will be screened locally. That's the one-night-only blockbuster sell-out at Royal Albert Hall in London last October that I was fortunate enough to see. Since I'd criticized the local pledge drive on the show's maiden voyage here, Robbs informed me he'll be hosting the August showing. In a moment of weakness, I volunteered my services to be on the telecast with him, perhaps to relate some first hand observations, and he accepted my offer. The first pledge drive was a rousing success. I see no reason why the second showing shouldn't reach a new audience. After all, the top people ever to have done the show, both in London and on Broadway, were all gathered under one roof for a singularly momentous evening. I watched my copy of the video again last night ...
THE director of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, Brian Issell, has been Hawaii's highest paid state employee at $181,536 per year. Now he's notified UH he'd like to return to research, but will stay on until a new director can be found. Issell can leave with head held high - he brought the center back from difficult straits, winning $7 million in grants to supplement the center's annual state appropriation of less than $2 million...
