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In The Mix
Jason Genegabus
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Wyland holds resort preview
A SELECT group of VIP guests got a sneak peek at the new
Wyland Waikiki Resort and Spa on Saturday, as the former Ohana Waikiki Surf finishes up $10 million worth of renovations before its scheduled reopening in June.
I was impressed with the attention to detail in the guest rooms, which I got to see first hand thanks to a brief tour by former Wave Waikiki staffer Elaine Codilla. A plasma screen television and clock radio with iPod docking cradle will come standard in all 404 rooms, which also feature curved wall edges and other aesthetic touches to help with the marine life motif. The custom-made Wyland Dreamer beds (similar to the Ritz-Carlton's Heavenly bed) are another nice touch.
Mayor Mufi Hannemann was among those in attendance treated to a poolside performance by Henry Kapono, followed by live painting by Wyland himself. Local promoters Flash Hansen and Matty Boy Hazelgrove were on hand to assist with event coordination, and are in talks to host parties there later this year.
My thanks to SMART magazine's Sarah Honda and Molly Watanabe for keeping me company, and for not laughing too hard when I confused Wyland, the artist, with his businessman brother Bill Wyland ...
CONGRATS TO local stand-up comic Cathy Tanaka, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday at Bar 35 in Chinatown.
The evening's host was mixed martial artist Jason "Mayhem" Miller, who had just defeated Stefan "The Giant" Gamlin the night before during the ICON Sport event at Blaisdell Arena. Luckily, it only took Miller 46 seconds to lock in a submission, which kept Gamlin from inflicting any visible damage to his handsome face.
Along with Miller and "K5 Comedy Block" cohort Nolan Hong, Tanaka's former high school classmates Tiffany Ahuna, Summer Kiambao, Kara Jo Nishikawa, Erin Okita, Elisa Wong, Michelle Yamashita and Julia Yoshimoto were there to help celebrate ...
AFTER RECENT announcements that Howie Mandel and Jay Mohr had canceled upcoming performances in Honolulu, it looked like Laugh Factory Hawaii was going through a spell of bad luck.
But that couldn't be further from the truth, as evidenced by Friday's announcement that Eddie Griffin will perform July 7 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Tickets go on sale Monday ...