By Dave Donnelly
Thursday, February 27, 1997
Sen. Dan Inouye, Chris Lee
Sen. Dan Inouye, Chris Lee
IT'S chump change compared to what high rollers are dropping for a chance to have a cup of java or a sleep-over at the White House these days, but some 350 folks ponied up $1,000 each to attend a party at the home of First Hawaiian Bank chairman Walter Dods. And that included Bank of Hawaii's Larry Johnson! The money was earmarked for the coffers of Sen. Dan Inouye and longtime supporter Dods threw open his Wailupe Circle home for the occasion, though it's believed that no one not named Dods slept over. And did Sen. Inouye sound like someone ready to retire? He quipped to one party goer that he had a few more appropriations to get and a few more terms to serve. Anyone waiting for him to step down had best move on ... People pony up
for Dan the ManCHEE whiz: Locations president Bill Chee is calling January his best sales month in five years. It sounds like real estate is, at the very least, on the "road to recovery." ... John Radcliff of the UH Professional Assembly - a fancy name for "union" - long has eschewed pagers. Even though he finally allowed himself to be talked into one by pal Red Morris, he won't wear the kind that "chirps," opting for one that vibrates instead. When he got his first call - from Morris, checking it out - the vibrator provided a new sensation for Radcliff and he nearly had an accident ...
THERE was a San Diego resident with a Hawaiian name on Jay Leno's "Tonight" show the other night, setting a world's record by going high up in a cherry picker and breaking many ice slabs with one forward thrust of his head onto the top block of ice. He didn't mention it on the show, but Samuel Kuoha is a 1964 graduate of Farrington High who moved to California fresh out of school and became a cop. He's now a martial arts grand master and teacher. His Hawaiian connection came courtesy of his sister, Helen Torco, who revealed the information at a Farrington High reunion ...
MARKING her return to KHON-TV last night was Emme Tomimbang, though they didn't do her any favors by scheduling her first show opposite the final hour of the Grammys telecast. Among those she interviewed were Iolani grad Chris Lee of Tri-Star Pictures, executive producer of one of the hottest films around today, "Jerry Maguire." Aside from Lee's involvement, there are numerous other isle ties to the film. Kelly Preston, a Punahou grad, plays the fiancee of title character Tom Cruise, and did you know that Cruise's real-life wife, Nicole Kidman, was born at Tripler Army Medical Center? ... If you didn't blink, you might have seen me in the same "Island Moments" episode. I was standing arm in arm with the legendary Quincy Jones and singing "Happy Birthday, Uncle Tom" to promoter Tom Moffatt at the Michael Jackson concert. The show will be rebroadcast Saturday at 4 p.m. ... More isle ties
ISLE expatriates in the San Francisco area will be gathering for Hawaiian music and kaukau Saturday at the eighth annual benefit for the Kapalakiko Hawaiian Band. The saimin will flow and various guest artists will provide entertainment, including singers Kawai Cockett and Moe Keale, Naomi Kalama's hula halau and the Kapalakiko band itself. Its name is Hawaiian for "San Francisco." ... Kam Fong, who played Chin Ho Kelly on "Hawaii Five-O," was floored when appearing at the Hawaii Collectors Expo '97. One picture he was handed to sign was of him in an HPD roll-call lineup in the early '50s, when he was a real cop ...
U.S. GOLD medalists Shannon Miller, Amanda Borden and Jaycie Phelps flashed smiles and shaka signs for Planet Hollywood patrons the other day when they vaulted in and tumbled out with lots of Planet merchandise, including beach towels and sunglasses. Looked like they had a day on the beach in mind ... Chuck Frankel asks why, in this day of political correctness, we have "no-host bars" without also "no-hostess bars?" Simple: You're expected to pay in no-host bars, but in hostess bars you're expected to pay through the "No's." ... Best in Planet
