Gennaula got handle
on futureSHE spends her days predicting the weather, or at least passing along predictions, but KGMB's Kim Gennaula has a story that some feel was a precursor of her ending up in Hawaii. After helping judge a 1999 Hagadone Printing Co. calendar called Malama i ke kai (Taking Care of the Ocean), Gennaula was chatting with graphic artist Melinda Abell, Wyland Galleries' Kristin McEntee and Mona Wood of Ikaika Communications. She mentioned she got into broadcasting in a small way when she was a little girl in Texas and her dad bought her a ham radio. So what did she choose for her "handle" on the air? "Island Girl." She'd never been to the islands, but liked the Elton John song of the same name. Her handle proved prophetic...
AND you can take Mike Sweetow out of the islands, but not the islands out of him. The former isle labor negotiator is now retired and living in State College, Pa., and he recently took in the Nittany Valley Symphony pops concert called "A Night of Tropical Splendor." It was just that for him. The orchestra's longtime music director is Michael Jinbo, who was born in Honolulu and has soloed with the Honolulu Symphony. The second half of the program was devoted to Hawaii, ranging from "Hawai'i Pono'i to a couple of pieces by Jerre Tanner and ending with a symphonic scenario of "South Pacific." The program even included a Hawaiian primer listing the proper spelling of all the islands, the state fish and motto and words to the state song in Hawaiian, which the audience was urged to sing along. It took Sweetow and wife Beth back to the islands for an evening...
The Russians are coming
THE Honolulu Symphony's "Celebration of Russian Masters" continues Saturday at Orvis Auditorium in a program by an Asian-American group. The Ying Quartet will present works by Shostakovich and Arensky, a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov, friend of Tchaikovsky and teacher of Rachmaninov. That Russian enough for you? The Yings, made up of brothers Timothy, David and Phillip and sister Janet, will also work with 150 string students tomorrow morning at Moanalua Intermediate and in the afternoon with older students and adults at Punahou. The Ying's Russian program was chosen, says composer Donald Womach of the Honolulu Chamber Music Series select committee, to compliment the symphony series. Womach may well be hearing more Shostakovich; his wife, Anna, plays viola with the symphony...SPECIAL guests at Havana Cabana's first anniversary celebration at the Nuuanu emporium were Robert Mondavi Jr., who despite his name is the grandson of the famed winemaker, plus former Partagas master cigar roller Angela Chacon and musicians Ken Makuakane and Alden Levi. Also featured were some elegant and tasty pupus created by chef Mahana Akina... Pardon me for mixing up my Watumulls. The couple at the French Festival fashion show Saturday night were Rajan and Wanda Watumull and it's their London home that's being leased to Aussie supermodel Elle Macpherson...
Huge impression
GETTING mucho attention wherever he goes in Hawaii is former sumo phenomenon Konishiki, aka Salevaa Atisanoe. Aside from beer commercials he's filming, Sale is also doing TV commercials and print ads for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. HVCB honcho Tony Vericella was watching the retired sumo star filming at the Kaneohe Bay sand bar and said, "What a great advantage for Hawaii to have Konishiki as our poster boy."...
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.