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Isle residents will see
more of Olena Rubin

Her schedule is already packed with personal appearances, but Honolulu residents will get to see a lot more of Olena Rubin starting this week.

Tune into OC-16 tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. for the debut of "Countdown Hawaii," a program that puts a local spin on all those top 10 lists you see on various national cable channels. Produced by Hot 93.9 morning jock Rory Wild, the decision to use Miss Hawaii 2004 as the show's hostess was a result of her days working at the same radio station.

Compared to some of the other shows making it to broadcast these days, "Countdown Hawaii" definitely has the potential to be a hit ...

BESIDES THE closing set by Jack Johnson, it was Ozomatli who got the crowd worked up the most at Saturday's sold-out Kokua Festival.

Although the guys were on stage long before the sun went down, they turned in a high energy performance that ended with a foray out into the audience. For a good 10 minutes, the band paraded across the lawn and held an impromptu drum circle with fans.

And have you ever seen a Japanese tourist dressed like a hippie? I did, complete with dance moves that dated back to Woodstock ...

YET ANOTHER reason to buy an iPod: As I scanned my radio presets while driving in traffic last week, Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" was playing on not one, not two, but three frequencies -- all at the same time! ...

GOT something to get off your chest? Check out "Rock-n-Flow April" at the Jupiter Cyber Cafe on Kapiolani Boulevard. All types of spoken word artists are invited for an open mic session, with a live band to provide background music. Participants will also be filmed for possible inclusion in "Na Mele Huliau O Hawaii," a documentary about audio-visual artistry in the islands. Doors open at 7 p.m. tomorrow for this free event. Call 226-4839 for more information, or visit www.namele.net ...

IF YOU can't wait for the weekend to party, head over to the Hard Rock Cafe tomorrow for "Humpaskank Wednesdays" with Hawaiian Hurricane Productions and Island 98.5.

Doors open at 10 p.m. for this 21-and-over party, with Bud and Bud Light on special for $2 all night long. Can't go out on a Wednesday? Head back there on Saturday for a special performance by Barrington Levy ...