Our Picks for the Weekend Star-Bulletin staff

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MUSIC
Honolulu Pops celebrate the city that never sleeps

The apparently tireless Matt Catingub -- who never met a melody he couldn't arrange -- has pulled out his tails, white tie and top hat for "Give Our Regards to Broadway!," the second installment of this season's Honolulu Symphony Pops season. It's described as a "celebration of all things New York City."

We're talking "Hello Dolly," "Miss Saigon," "The King and I," "Phantom of the Opera," "A Chorus Line," "State Fair," "South Pacific," Rogers & Hammerstein, Frank Loesser, Marvin Hamlisch, Cole Porter and, and, and ... we're out of breath.

Catingub will be joined by guest vocalists Jimmy Borges, Rocky Brown and Jordan Segundo, as well as the HSO Chorus. It all starts at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

Admission is $12 to $75. Call 792-2000.

FAMILY
Marching bands kick off tournament season

You've heard that song by Saving Jane, in which Jane complains about how poorly she compares to the "Girl Next Door"? The chorus: "She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band. She is a cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands ..."

Hey Jane, have you seen the girls in the marching band? They're fit, they're tan (from all that drilling in the sun), they have ambidextrous minds that can play music from memory while executing precision field work.

As good as a prom queen, any day.

See for yourself: Hundreds of marching girls and boys take the field at Saturday's Menehune Classic, although in their unisex uniforms they'll look pretty much alike. Still, it'll be a showcase of big-band pageantry.

The classic, at 6 p.m. at the Moanalua High School football stadium, is the kick-off event in the high school marching band tournament season. Performing their half-time shows will be bands from Aiea, Kailua, Kahuku, Kapolei, Mililani, Punahou, Roosevelt and the host school, Moanalua.

Tickets are $6 adults; $3 students; children under 5 free. Call 220-9360.

CULTURE
Hawaiian music series starts at Hawaii Theatre

Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom kicks off the Hawaii Theatre's "Hana Hou" Hawaiian Music Series on Friday, with the theme of "Generation Hawaii."

The theater's artistic director, Burton White, produces the series, with performances into the spring. Coming up:

» "Hawaii's Songbird: A Lena Machado Tribute," featuring Holunape, Jan. 26
» "Ho'ike Hapa Haole," with the Brothers Cazimero, March 9
» The annual "New Traditionalists" concert, April 27
» "Hawaii Calls," May 25

All concerts are at 8 p.m. at the theater, 1130 Bethel St. Tickets are $33, available at the Hawaii Theatre box office. Call 528-0506 or visit the Web site, www.hawaiitheatre.com. Season subscriptions also are available.

MOVIES
See Burton's 'Nightmare' in 3-D on the big screen

Looking for something else to do on Halloween besides the usual trick-o-treating?

Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," an animated tale depicted with ghoulish delight as only the director can do it, is in theaters this Halloween season in 3-D.

A refresher on the 1993 film's plot: Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King and ruler of Halloweentown, happens upon Christmastown.

Skellington wants to put his own Halloween twist on Christmastown, so he kidnaps Santa Claus and enlists his resident goblins to help him deliver his "special" gifts to unsuspecting children.

Catch the film at Dole Cannery, and have a safe and happy Halloween!

FOOD
Chiba-Ken

468 Ena Road / 941-2800
Chiba-Ken is a gem of a small restaurant, both stylish and contemporary, without playing with food and without trying too hard to be cool, the very definition of cool.
While many newer Japanese restaurants have focused on niches such as robata cooking or oden, Chiba-ken takes a broader approach. Sushi is its mainstay, but those seeking variety will also find grilled and deep-fried specialties. In spite of its Waikiki address, Chiba-ken can be affordable if you stick with rolled sushi and a few appetizers and grill items.
Nigiri sushi runs from $3.25 for your basic tamago to $8.50 for sea urchin or amaebi. A menu of daily specials is always worth checking. Always seeking ways to respond to customer demands, the menu will expand next month to include teishoku dinners.
Open 5:30 p.m. to midnight Thursdays to Tuesdays. About $25 to $35 for two without drinks.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro

Hokua, 1288 Ala Moana Blvd. / 596-4710
When I heard that P.F. Chang's China Bistro was coming, I was perplexed. Why would anyone bring pseudo-Chinese food to a landscape already saturated with the real thing? But, not everyone would recognize or care about the difference, as long as they can sit in a beautiful, clean and air-conditioned room with a full bar. The restaurant will also find an audience among those who moved here from the mainland, for whom local-style Chinese fare might seem odd after growing up with P.F. Chang's.
Food is not bland, but it's not nuanced, either. Meats are similar in their lacquered, candied, salted coating -- the better to keep drinks flowing. Appetizers of Northern-style spareribs are $8.50. It's $8.25 for shrimp dumplings stripped of real Chinatown flavors of cilantro and green onions. The priciest items are the meat and seafood entrees, ranging from $13.95 to $20.95, and meant to be consumed as individual, rather than family-style dishes. Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.