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Hawaii
THE attractive young girl lunching with designer Takeo at Havana Cabana, right across the street from his design studio, smiled "Hello" when I walked in and sat down. It isn't every day a Travel wears well
on Carmackbeautiful young woman does that, so I took notice, even though she looked to be about 14. Turns out it was model Kona Carmack, who is all of 24. In fact, her Miss February Playboy centerfold was in 1996 so she was just 20 then, but looks even younger today. She's back from Israel where she's been modeling and attending an international school, learning Hebrew fluently. Her mother, Easter Seals' Billie Gabriel-Zito came in to join the two, and it was immediately clear where Kona got her youthful genes. The waiter said later that had Carmack ordered something other than coffee he'd have had to card her, not suspecting for a moment that she was of drinking age, let alone a Playboy centerfold ...
THE Celtic group Irish Hearts has something of a cult following from its every-other-Friday musical stylings at O'Toole's Irish Pub downtown. But nobody was sure how they'd draw in a somewhat more sedate, concert setting at the Honolulu Academy of Arts Theatre. The answer was immediately clear when the 300 seats were filled and well more than 100 others who arrived without tickets were turned away at the door. If the group appears there again soon -- and I'd be amazed if they didn't -- do yourself a favor and get tickets early. They're flat out terrific with a sound system where you could hear every syllable and each rich and poignant note of the fiddles, guitar, mandolin, concertina and pennywhistle ...
All shook up
MAKING his first Las Vegas appearance since he uttered a hip-shaking "I Do" to the Elvis impersonator who married him and wife Vicki 13 years ago is Jimmy Borges. He's not sure if Rev. "Elvis" Ducro will be on hand for his next performance on Saturday. Jimmy Gomes of Team Aloha, a civic-minded group of Hawaiians living in Vegas, is flying the couple in to do a show for Hawaii expats now calling Vegas home. It'll be a reunion, too, for Jimmy and Anna Lea, the songstress with whom he shared a stage at the Kahala Hilton many years ago. She even goes back as far as San Francisco, when Borges performed as "Jimmy Jay." Anna looks a good 20 years younger than she is -- even younger than the eternally youthful Borges -- and they'll be backed by her significant other, Mike Montano and his quartet. You may remember Montano as the musical conductor for John Rowles at the Monarch Room of the Royal. Also performing for Team Aloha will be emcee Kimo Kahoano and singer Palani Vaughan, plus a halau based in Las Vegas ...
Art finds new homes
COLLECTORS of Hawaiiana and Far Eastern antiques and art work filled the Kakaako showroom of auctioneer Marty McClain, and another 100 or so watched on TV monitors from outside. It was the extensive collection put together over the years by the late Charlie Pietsch III, and it took the auctioneer a good five hours to find new homes for all the merchandise. Some of it will end up in antique and art shops, although one shop owner I spoke to bought nothing because the prices got too high ...
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: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com