Many gave to
make holidayBY now, everyone in Hawaii must be sated with turkey, even those unfortunate ones who don't often have festive meals. Many contributed to those people, far too many to mention here, but a few should be singled out. Once again, as is their custom annually, employees of the Hard Rock Cafe donate their time and a big turkey dinner was provided for the elderly at 11 a.m. and the homeless at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, the Sunset Grill donated over 100 pounds of turkeys to the River of Life Mission, and Anna Miller's, celebrating its 25th anniversary at Pearlridge, gave more than 200 pies to the Salvation Army's big Thanksgiving dinner at the Blaisdell Center last night, surely the biggest such event in town ...
DID you happen to catch the UH Rainbow Dancers on CBS' All-American Thanksgiving Day Parade yesterday? The troupe, led by Stacy Archer-Little, is very impressive. People who were held up in traffic in September while Michael Garguilo's crew from the Aloha Week Parade filmed them on Kalakaua Avenue should admit it was worth it ...
Model behavior
WHILE we're giving thanks, hooray for the E! television network, which showed its "Sexy Swimsuits" segment Wednesday. It also showed the beauty of the islands. It didn't hurt that Tyra Banks and Kathy Ireland were in the shots, either. They were each shooting swimsuit calendars on the Big Isle, and the cameras even caught a Park Ranger about to give them and their photography crew citations for trespassing. When the Ranger learned who was doing the modeling, he took back the tickets and said, "I no can do dis" ... On the same program were local swimsuit designer Malia Mills and Gena Lee Nolin of "Maui and Sun," each showing off their lines ...STILL on the Big Isle: When Clint Eastwood asked for a lift from the Hilton Waikoloa to the King's Golf Course, longtime hotel employee Haddon Wong Yuen jumped at the opportunity and proceeded to drive Eastwood -- to distraction! Making conversation, Eastwood asked Wong Yuen what he thought of a wrestler winning the governorship in Minnesota. His reply, "It can't be as bad at that actor guy who got elected mayor of Carmel, Calif." Eastwood cracked up. And as they pulled up to the course, a group of golfers in the parking lot started to cheer. Wong Yuen quipped, "You know, Mr. Eastwood, this always happens to me. Would you mind leaning back so I can wave to my fans?" Clint's game was a little off after that ...
planning is underway for the Honolulu Symphony's second annual Symphony Ball. The theme is "An Evening in Vienna," so naturally Marie-Claire and husband Hans Strasser are official advisors. Hans is the Austrian Consul General in Hawaii and spends a good amount of time in Vienna ... Hawaii Theatre manager Burton White had to explain to his stage crew how to make "snow" for one of Na Leo Pilimehana's Christmas numbers. He was amused when, after the show, four keiki came to the stage door asking to see the white stuff close up. Sorry, kids, it's not real ...
Holidaze
With Thanksgiving over, you'd think Christmas would be on everyone's mind. Not at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. They're looking beyond Christmas, New Year's, Martin Luther King Day, Chinese New Year's, Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, Girls Day -- even St. Patrick's Day, for heaven's sake -- and sending out press releases on Prince Kuhio Day, March 26. Get back to me on that one ...
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.