ALOHA MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS AiAi Delas Alas started out as a comedian but took a detour and gained fame as a film actress, sitcom star and game show host. Now she take wraps up her American Tour, "The Queen of Comedy on Tour: Ang Tanging Ina Sa Amerika!" with a couple of dates at the Dole Cannery's ballroom and a one-nighter at Maui's Baldwin Auditorium on Saturday.

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Filipina star
headed here

Comic AiAi Delas Alas says
she sees humor in everything

Filipina comedian AiAi Delas Alas is in Hawaii to entertain you. An award-winning film actress, sitcom star and game show host in the Philippines, Delas Alas is wrapping up her American tour, "The Queen of Comedy on Tour: Ang Tanging Ina Sa Amerika!" with a couple of dates at the Dole Cannery's ballroom and a one-nighter at Maui's Baldwin Auditorium on Saturday.

Queen of Comedy Featuring comedian AiAi Delas Alas Where: Iwilei Ballroom, Dole Cannery, 650 Iwilei Road When: 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday Tickets: $40 to $60, available at Hawaii International Mortgage USA, Newtown Chiropractic Clinic and the Aloha Wellness Center Call: 349-8201

"Everything can be funny, if you look at it (that way)," Delas Alas said, calling from Las Vegas on Monday.

"I talk about anything -- about love, the country, the people around (me). When we have elections, I do political things, too, but sometimes it isn't what I say that makes something funny, but my gestures or my facial expressions," she continued, adding that being interviewed in English was an unusual experience for her.

Although Delas Alas usually performs in Tagalog and "Taglish" (a mix of the Philippine dialect and English), she's aware that many Filipinos here and on the mainland are Ilocanos. Her American show includes "a little joke" for Ilocanos as well.

Local show publicist Monette Rivera says that the key to Delas Alas' success is her ability to express in exaggerated comic style "the life of the common people and everyday situations."

Delas Alas first gained fame as a comedian, but made a successful transition to films with "Ang Tanging Ina," a drama/comedy about a woman three-times-widowed who is trying to raise 12 children.

"Modesty aside, it is the highest-grossing film ever in the entire history of Philippine cinema ... and thank God," Delas Alas said.

She'll be playing "a step-mom" in her next film. She'll also start work soon on a sitcom about two families who are adopting a child.

So what does she enjoy most: films, television or stand-up comedy? "The salary!" she quipped.

As for her personal life, Delas Alas has three children and is currently single "and happy!"

"I'm still thinking (about getting into another relationship), but I want to rest," she said.