Paying tribute to
Ol’ Blue EyesIT took the death of a musical giant to quell all the hype about the conclusion of "Seinfeld," but that's what happened when Frank Sinatra died. KHNL broke into the middle of what's normally the top-rated show ("E.R."), with the news that the singer had died. I couldn't help wondering, if it had occurred an hour earlier, would they have interrupted the last "Seinfeld" episode with a news flash, particularly knowing so many people were taping it? People nationally and locally were immediately quizzed about their Sinatra memories. Ron Jacobs, who had to react instantly on air to the JFK and RFK shootings, Elvis' death and the John Lennon killing, heard about Ol' Blue Eyes' death before going to bed and was able to scrap his Aloha Friday show (which was to have featured Keali'i Reichel) and do a four-hour Sinatra tribute. One bit of trivia to emerge was when Steve Allen wrapped up remarks about Sinatra with the mention that on a recent trip here he wrote a new mystery novel, "Murder in Hawaii" ...
SOME 150 friends of Andre and Jane Tatibouet gathered at the Halekulani to help the couple celebrate their 30th and 15th wedding anniversaries. Say what? The two had divorced and then remarried, and decided to use the occasion to celebrate the anniversaries of both marriages. And now that he's sold Aston Hotels, I notice that Andre chose to hold the party on a non-Aston property ...
'Shear' murder
THE audience at the preview of Manoa Valley Theatre's "Shear Madness" cheered its approval and really got into the "interactive" give-and-take with the actors about what had taken place on stage prior to an off-stage murder. The play promises to be a big financial hit, something that MVT could surely use, and it was announced it had been held over before it opened. Never mind that the convoluted plot is silly, what was supposed to be witty was witless and often crude, and some of the jokes were so old that Henny Youngman must have heard them from his granddad. Local references were inserted, as presumably they are wherever the vapid work is performed, and whoever added the material here had the sense not to be credited in the program. MVT shouldn't feel bad, however, as I hated "Beach Blanket Babylon," and that's been playing nightly in San Francisco for a quarter of a century ...LET'S hear it for Consita Ogden, just returned from an international "Dance-o-Rama Ballroom Dancing" competition in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The event is held every five years in different exotic locations and Consita, representing Hawaii, won gold medals in every event she entered. Not bad for a spry lady of 73 ... Pianist Don Conover has closed his piano lid at the DoubleTree Alana Hotel and is now performing Sunday nights at Cupid's in the Outrigger Prince Kuhio ...
Reunions
QUITE a gathering as Don Ho hosted a reunion of all his hula dancers from the Hilton Dome days at Matteo's ... Local composers Vic Rittenband and wife Nancy Gustafsson performed before 72 members of the McKinley High Class of 1934, and Vic, 72, noted it was the first time he'd sung at a party where everyone was older than he was ... Foodland celebrated its 50th anniversary at Market City, site of the first Foodland. Employees donned 1950s attire to greet customers while KSSK played music of that decade on site, complete with Elvis, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly impersonators doing their thing ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.