IF there was ever any doubt, the rest of the United States must know by now that Hawaii is the prettiest girl at the prom. The Hawaiian Open, as usual, showed off the sun and beauty of the islands for folks who've probably already made quick plans to escape the snow and rains of their area for a little R&R in the islands. The Open came on the heels of the Pro Bowl, another sunfest, and before that the Hooters Hula Bowl and even some UH football games telecast back to the mainland. The various sports channels have produced other shows emanating from Hawaii, mostly from the beach. And coming up should be a huge show for the islands. CBS has engaged isle resident Al Masini and wife April to produce the Miss Universe pageant here. Masini's credentials are solid as the guiding force behind "Entertainment Tonight," "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" and "Star Search," to name but three. And with Miss Universe contestants appearing all over Honolulu, beauty will once again be the byword ... State struts
sunny finery
ANOTHER Valentine's Day is in the books. Let's hope you didn't find yourself in the same boat as Paul Reiser's character in the "Mad About You" re-run that night. In it, he tries to explain to wife Helen Hunt that the reason he gave her a present the year before but not this year was that a year ago he was wooing her and this year they're already married. "It's very tiring," he explained lamely, "you woo and you woo and you woo and then you gotta say 'Whoa!'" Let's hope not too many guys bought into that one ...
Foster Gardens
IT'S a pity the name Foster's Lager has already been used, as it has a nice ring to it. In fact, it would make a nice name for one of the beers localite Laurie Foster will be selling at her new Brew Moon Hawaii. She just signed a lease to open a new restaurant and microbrewery at the ewa end of Ward Centre and again Ed Wary and Barry Silverman (Dixie Grill, Auntie Pasto's, Rodeo Cantina) are consulting partners for the place. Laurie is the daughter of Mary and the late Bill Foster, owners of Malia, the clothing line. She hopes one day to open Brew Moons in Asia -- Japan would seem a natural ...GOLFER Robert Gamez got his taste for Mexican cuisine sated when he dined last week at Jose's in Kaimuki ... Retired Senior V.P. for Pepsi Frank Rupp would seem to prefer isle music to that of the Rolling Stones, who Pepsi brought here to perform. An impromptu concert for Rupp broke out as he celebrated his 70th at the Big Isle Steakhouse in the Aloha Tower Marketplace. Royal Hawaiian Band conductor Aaron Mahi broke out his ukulele, wife Cathy Foy and Claire Johnson sang and Kanoe Miller dance the hula in honor of Rupp's love of the islands ...
Say, aren't you...?
TWICE in the past two weeks, Elroy Chong, a former Iolani All-Star quarterback, has been mistaken for the "Ambassador of Aloha," Danny Kaleikini. Chong, now a successful physical therapist, was dining at the Kahala Mandarin when a tourist from Minnesota came over and introduced himself with, "Remember me? We always used to catch your show here. Where are you singing now?" Chong played along, "I'm retired now." As he walked away, the Minnesotan called, "Aloooooha." Then at the Hawaiian Open, where he was a tee announcer, a man who had seen Kaleikini and Chef Sam Choy in the pro-am, came up to Chong and asked, "How was it playing with Sam Choy?" Chong replied without missing a beat: "Terrific. Sam's a great golfer." ...
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.