Tia Carrere
Island roots
keep Tia
coming back
Her latest project is a film
By Tim Ryan
being shot in South Africa
Star-BulletinTia Carrere is apologizing over and over again from Los Angeles about having to go to South Africa, forcing her to cancel an appearance in Emme Tomimbang's "Musical Holiday Party of the Year" Sunday.
"I was supposed to be in Hawaii so I could do the show with Emme and I am so bummed. But I tried every which way to rearrange my starting date on the film but it was impossible," said Carrere, who's had prominent roles in "Rising Sun" and both "Wayne's World" films.
"As it is, I finish the movie just in time to come back to L.A., change my luggage and go to Hawaii (to sing) at the Aloha Bowl."
Carrere will sing the National Anthem and one song at halftime during the Christmas Day event.
A few tickets remain for Tominbang's show at the Hilton Hawaiian Village starring Amy Hanaialii Gilliom & Willie K., Hapa, Keali'i Reichel, and Na Leo Pilimehana. (For information and reservations call 941-9706.)
Carrere, 31, is off to South Africa for a month to co-star in a film in which she plays a scientist who uncovers the secrets of Merlin's magic.
Besides her acting career, Carrere, who began as a singer, is working on a second album whose message, she said, is "honesty and self revelation." Her first album was called "Dream."
Carrere loves acting, calling it "a wonderful day job, but you can't let go of things that turn you on and singing is very much apart of me."
"Whether I'm singing karaoke at Kengo's or the national anthem at the Aloha Bowl or singing in my shower it's part of me," said Carrere, who hopes her music can mimic her successful acting career. "But you know that the grass is always greener until you get there and find it's Astro Turf."
Carrere and her husband, film producer Elie Samaha, always visit Hawaii at Christmas anyway, so Carrere can be with her family. But living in Los Angeles is becoming more difficult for her because she is constantly surrounded by "the industry."
"I'm at a point where I really want to live and enjoy and just be, and a lot of L.A. is simply achieving and achieving. To really feel at home and not let business overtake my life is a major challenge."
Though best known as the babe-a-licious singer from Wayne's World, Carrere is bent on avoiding the kind of typecasting that befalls beautiful actresses. In the Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster "True Lies," Carrere played a hardboiled, antique-dealing villainess; in the thriller "Rising Sun," she was a computer wizard wooed by Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
She's just completed "Meet Prince Charming" in Toronto, a film she describes as "a modern romantic comedy featuring a strong female character with a biting sense of humor.
"My ultimate goal is to be in a movie like 'Lady Sings the Blues meets Syd and Nancy.' Something about a completely self destructive singer on the down slide."
Born in Honolulu, Carrere was an aspiring singer when she was discovered in a Waikiki grocery store -- shopping for ground beef -- and cast in her first movie, "Aloha Summer."
"A producer's parents saw me and said their son was doing a movie and that I'd be perfect for the female lead."
The film got Carrere her Screen Actors Guild card, and she made some money, so she moved to Hollywood. Her film career was slow to gain momentum and she spent two years on the soap "General Hospital," modeled and did TV commercials. Then, with the 1992 release of "Wayne's World," everything began to gel.
Now, with the help of her husband, Carrere has launched her own production company, Phoenician Films, in an effort to further expand her repertoire of diverse characters. This year, the couple produced about 20 movies, some starring Antonio Banderas, Ed Harris and Ellen Barkin.
Carrere is always in touch with her family, including a sister who lives in Australia; her dad who lives in Samoa; and her grandmother and youngest sister on Oahu.
Visits back to Hawaii are "very food-oriented," she said.
"I have to find my manapua, rice cake, get my grandma to cook adobo, and the hamburger steak plate at Liliha Bakery.
"I work out for my eating habit."
