Hawaiian shirts
are shaka chicTHEY'RE being referred to as "Hawaiian shirts," minus the "aloha" description, but the isle-style flowered shirt is making a comeback both in films and on the streets of L.A. My mention here of Nicholas Cage being told he looked like Don Ho in the film "Snake Eyes," because of his dress, prompted a reader to send along a magazine article on "Going Hawaiian." The article from Entertainment Weekly begins, "Not since the heyday of 'Magnum, P.I.' has Polynesian apparel packed so much punch." Besides Cage, the piece points out that Matt Dillon wears an aloha shirt in his role as "a real sleazeball," according to the costume director of "There's Something About Mary." Likewise, David Schwimmer wears one as a "laid-back lout" in "Six Days, Seven Nights," filmed on Kauai. California retailers say despite the fact that most people wearing Hawaiian shirts on screen are unsavory, it hasn't damaged their chicness with real people ...
RETIRED Judge Jimmy Shigemura read a piece in Newsweek about staying plugged in to what's going on in the world with e-mail, voice mail and fax. One hypothetical situation began this way: "You're on a remote beach in Waikiki; you've got mail." Asks the judge -- and you can just hear his gavel banging -- "Where in hell is this?" ... A shopper at Foodland on Beretania was browsing through the R. Field section there and watched as a customer bought what looked like a fine picnic spread, honey-glazed ham, Swiss cheese and a bottle of red wine. Cash was needed for the wine, but the rest was paid for by food stamps.
Dancin' in the streets
TONIGHT will be the first ever "Nuuanu Nights" celebration. From 6 to 10 p.m. Pauahi Street between Nuuanu and Bethel will be closed off for a street festival featuring the music of Secondhand Smoke, the band which normally plays on Fridays at Havana Cabana. In addition to the music, there'll be food, cigars and the various art galleries in the area -- Pegge Hopper's, Sisu, etc. -- will stay open for people to tour and enjoy. And Doug Young is opening his "Cyber-Realism" recent works at the Art Boom Gallery around the corner on South Hotel. Not everything comes to a halt at 10, incidentally, as the band D'Funked will be playing the rest of the night away at Havana Cabana on the corner of Nuuanu and Pauahi ...PERHAPS I'm reading too much into this, but it seems appropriate that Corinne Ching, a teacher at Ma'ema'e Elementary School, is opening her campaign headquarters in her race for a State House seat at 1242 N. School St. Especially since it's on the corner of Aupuni Street. Aupuni means "government" in Hawaiian, so it's fair to say that Ching's headquarters is where "education" meets "government." ...
A friend indeed
THE adage about a friend in need being a friend indeed has it backward. Someone who comes to the aid of a friend in need is a friend indeed. So it was with Kaiser Permanente Hawaii's human resources director Kaki Jennings. She was on a well-deserved European cruise when she befriended an elderly woman who had suffered a severe back injury in a freak accident and was unable to leave Portugal. Turns out the woman was a California Kaiser member. Jennings skipped the rest of her cruise and stay with the woman until she was able to fly home. Jennings' selfless act somewhat extended Kaiser Hawaii's mission statement, "Caring for Hawaii's People Like Family." Kaiser should give that woman a bonus. Or at least a medal...
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.