John McEnroe, John Denver
IT was supposed to be a very quiet wedding, and by most rock music and superstar sports standards it was, but just try to keep the press away! Only the families and very closest friends of tennis champ turned TV commentator John McEnroe and rocker Patty Smyth were supposed to be there, Bjorn Borg among them. But those pushy paparazzi can sniff out some salable event just about anywhere, so you can look forward to photos of the nuptials. Some photogs, alerted that Helen & Roger MacArthur (of the Bank that Says "Yes") live next door to the wedding scene, managed to get a good look from there. Maui's Beverly Gannon (of Hali'imaile General Store and Joe's Bar & Grill) isn't called "caterer to the stars" for nothing, and she whipped up a feed for the "supposed-to-be-private" affair. But Bev says in spite of the cameras and the pouring rain, it was one of the most beautiful weddings she's ever seen ... Press can’t keep mum
on weddingSPEAKING of Maui, business continues brisk at Cheeseburger in Paradise after singer Jimmy Buffett filed suit against the owners for name infringement. And it didn't hurt that Warner Brothers opened its new studio store in Lahaina directly across Front Street, explaining why the restaurant had banners "welcoming the wabbit" to town. In return, Warner's L.A. based public relations manager Jennifer Hom delivered WB baseball caps to the Cheeseburger employees and sent Bugs and Tweety over to entertain the diners lined up to eat ...
FORMER Star-Bulletin writer Nora Okja Keller continues to get great media attention for her first novel, "Comfort Woman." An excerpt from what Honolulu magazine calls "an astonishing first novel" appears in the April issue, and the author will give a reading from her book Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Art Auditorium at UH Manoa. In addition, she'll appear at a book signing April 7 at Barnes and Noble in the Kahala Mall ...
THE folks at Straub Hospital expressed more than a little surprise when told that Dr. Daniel Newbill appears in "The Buck Stops Where?", the new play by Joe Moore which will be performed April 17-20 at the Hawaii Theater. Then reality set in. Dr. Newbill isn't switching careers in mid-operation, so to speak. But author Moore decided to name the Deputy Secretary of Health in the play after his ear, nose and throat specialist. Actor George O'Hanlon portrays Dr. Newbill in the play, which also features Gary Burghoff, Gina Burghoff, Terence Knapp, Rue McClanahan, Bob Sevey, Bob Whiting and playwright Moore ... Calling Dr. Newbill
YOU don't have to go to Lanai to hear trumpeter Arturo Sandoval perform, fresh from soloing at the Academy Awards show. He'll also be appearing Saturday night at Leeward Community College ... That same night, John Denver concertizes at the Waikiki Shell. Here's a guy who has to look at his passport to tell where he is! He's spent a month appearing in Europe in such locales as England, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands before flying in to Honolulu to appear at the Shell with the Honolulu Symphony ...
SATURDAY evening with singer/actor Cris Groenendaal accompanied by his wife, Sue Anderson, on piano was minimalist theater at its finest. Just the two of them and a piano at the Hawaii Theater with perfect acoustics, a first-rate repertoire of songs ranging from silly ("Sara Lee") to moving ("Bring Him Home" from "Les Miz" and "Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera," the show that first brought him here made for a memorable evening ...
SPEAKING of song selection, Rich Crandall has outdone himself in the tunes he picked for his April 1 solo piano appearance at Studio 6 tomorrow night. Selections will range from "What Kind of Fool Am I," "These Foolish Things" and "Foolish Heart" to "April in Paris," "I'll Remember April" and "April Love." He'll be accompanied only by Tom Artwick on tenor sax. A $5 donation -- no fooling --is requested at the 949 Kapiolani club ... April foolishness
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.