Hawaii

By Dave Donnelly

Monday, April 21, 1997

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Branscombe Richmond, Pam Kimura

Bows’ woes
make the going slow

WELL, it wasn't a happy Saturday for a lot of ball fans in Hawaii. First and foremost, the UH volleyball team was knocked out of its tourney and season after leading BYU two games to none. The Cougars came back after losing their best player, Ryan Millar, who was injured and wheeled off on a gurney. They had a team prayer on the court and went on to win the match without Millar, which certainly didn't hurt the proselytizing of Mormonism. As for the ailing Bows, if you were to capsulize their woes, you could do so in two words: Service Errors. It seemed like every time they won a point, the server would get pumped up and serve long. Now they've got lots of time to practice . . .

AND we'll no longer have to listen to the belly-aching of the St. Louis Cardinals, who wailed at having to fly 11 hours to come to Hawaii, rest a day and then take on the San Diego Padres in a double header. The fact they won both games Saturday may have put them in a better mood . . . Incidentally, I was asked shortly after it was announced that the series between the Cards and Padres would be held in Hawaii what I thought attendance would be. I guessed immediately between 35,000 and 38,000. Saturday's attendance was announced at 37,832 . . . While here for the games, Padres first baseman Steve Finley went under water with Vehon's Aquatic Lifestyles and filmed an episode of "In the Zone" for Fox Sports, which will air next month . . .

AND finally, since we often gig announcers for mispronouncing words, especially at sporting events, we must also laud Jim Leahey who correctly pronounced "forte" with one syllable during the UH-BYU struggle in what lots of local folks might refer to as the "fort' game." . . .

EYE on the 'I'

FILMING for the "Hawaii Five-O" pilot is in the can and cast and crew members from the mainland have already begun their exodus. The film folks decided to recreate that sweeping shot atop the Ilikai penthouse which introduced Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett, but they're hoping to keep it a secret who'll be seen standing atop that balcony. And how will they do that? They shot two versions using two different cast members. One may make the cut . . . By the way, Branscombe Richmond played a heavy in the "Five-O" filming and was so enjoying his stay at the Ilikai with wife Lei Maa, the former Miss Hawaii, that they stayed on a couple of extra days after his role was pau. Also staying there were co-exec producer Jo Swerling and director Branford May . . .

I MADE a spontaneous stop at the hotel myself last week for a dinner at Sarento's at the Top of the I, where owner Aaron Plackorakis greeted us warmly and then asked when we'd be visiting his uncle Nick Nickolas' newest restaurant in Philadelphia. His brother Yanni is continuing Nick's "All in the Family" concept by managing that restaurant. Yanni, you may recall, was once engaged to actress Julia Nickson (ex-wife of David Soul) but is now soul-mates with another ex-Miss Hawaii, Pam Kimura . . .

THE May issue of Seventeen Magazine has a feature on Kalani High picturing about 50 of the school's 1,200 students in a six-page pictorial. The article calls Kalani "your typical American high school," while admitting "the 50th State really does have a culture of its own." . . .

Last Hurrah

FAMILY and friends of Disabled American Vet Arthur Frank Sr. tossed a big bash for him on his 84th birthday at Wong & Wong's Restaurant on Maunakea St. National and local politicos from Bill Clinton on down sent autographed pictures and congratulatory letters to Frank. He was a civilian employee at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and didn't get home for a week after the attack. He now has both Alzheimer's and cancer, and his family made sure this "Last Hurrah," as they put it, would be memorable. Among those attending: Gov. Ben Cayetano, Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, Mayor Jeremy Harris, State Sen. Rod Tam, State Rep. Quentin Kawananakoa and City Councilman Jon Yoshimura . . .