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Hawaii
AS if Hawaii hasn't been in the news a lot lately, what with Angela Perez Baraquio being named Miss America and both Mrs. More of Hawaii
in New YorkAmerica and the December Playboy "Playmate" being from Hawaii as well, not to mention the New York Mets' Benny Agbayani. Now Hawaii will have a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade for the first time this year. Maui's Old Lahaina Luau will take along two dozen hula dancers to ride on the float with tikis, a grass hale and confetti-erupting 26-foot volcano. The parade will air on NBC from 9 to noon on Thanksgiving Day ...
YES, I said not to mention Agbayani, but I'm going to anyway. Did you hear how his parents got tickets to the World Series? No, not from Benny! The players only get five tickets and four went to his sponsors and the fifth to his wife. Ah, but Benny's mom, Faith, works for Verizon Hawaii and when honcho Warren Haruki heard of her plight he got hold of Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg in New York. A return message said Seidenberg was "on the case," and the next day Faith and hubby Ben, had their tickets. How? "Don't ask, don't tell," came the answer, but keep the Faith. It's nice to know that when you're just one of 260,000 Verizon employees, the company president goes to bat for you so you can watch your son play ball. Maybe it stems from the fact that Seidenberg began his career as an assistant cable splicer under the streets of New York, learning the telecom business from the ground up ...
Celebrations galore
HAVANA Cabana on Nuuanu was a busy spot Saturday night, even as its going through some large renovations. Co-owner Stuart Lee (slightly lesser known brother of Jason Scott Lee was celebrating a birthday in one room while his parents and those of his partner, Bryan Uy lounged in another. The club is hoping to have renovations completed by Wednesday when it celebrates its third anniversary. In another area, Kyle Chock was enjoying a bachelor party thrown by pals (including his ex-boss, City Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura a week before he takes Cari Galesano as his bride ... Fans of Na Leo Pilimehana will be celebrating the birth of Malia, born Friday to Lehua Kalima Heine and husband Kalama ... Readying a walk down the aisle Saturday are Carol Ai of City Mill and Hawaiian Electric CEO T. Michael May. Not necessarily out of superstition, though it doesn't hurt, is that the nuptials are slated for 11/11/00, all binary numbers, and it's under a full moon, taking some pressure off the Electric Co. ...
Powerful stuff
THE Kumu Kahua production of "Dead of Night," the Ed Sakamoto drama dealing with unionism and brotherhood, was first class. And while the language may be shocking to some, it was totally necessary to establish the seven characters, all of whom were craftily selected and directed by Jim Nakamoto. It was especially a pleasure to come away admiring both the drama and the direction, since Sakamoto, Nakamoto and I go way back together. The former recalled that his first play, "In the Alley," was on the same bill of one-acts at UH nearly 40 years ago as one I wrote, "The Door," an Ionesco-esque comedy. A second play of mine, "The Puppet Master," was produced the following year, and that was it for me. Sakamoto, meanwhile, has gone on to be perhaps Hawaii's finest dramatist, and in "Dead of Night," he's at the top of his game ...
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