Wood Craft Ben Wood

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‘Casino Royale’ stars Craig as a rough and tumble Bond

After my colleague Stephanie Kendrick raved about the new "Casino Royale" and Daniel Craig as the new James Bond, I went to see it at Ward theaters on Thanksgiving Day, before getting stuffed like a turkey at OnJin's Cafe. Stephanie called it the best Bond picture ever and rated Craig even better than Sean Connery as Bond. She may be right. The ruggedly handsome Craig is definitely a tougher, rougher Bond with a great physique. Women will love him. The stunt men and women really earned their paycheck in this one as the action was wild and thrilling. The special effects were outstanding, as was the photography. The story, along with Craig and his strong supporting cast, held my interest throughout. Whether I agree with Steph and will rate both "Casino Royale" and Craig as best-ever is a tough decision. My favorites have been Connery and "Goldfinger," with the late Harold Sakata as Oddjob. Harold was a local boy and a good friend who won the silver light-heavyweight weightlifting medal in the 1948 Olympics and became a wrestler known as Tosh Togo. In "Goldfinger," Oddjob was a killer wearing a British bowler hat with a steel rim that he threw at men's heads with deadly accuracy. He gave me a replica of the hat -- without the steel rim. My friend from Niihau named Hawaiian Kaneapua was sitting behind me Thursday during "Casino Royale." His comment on Craig, "No can beat Sean" ...

Hawaiian Language group honors Don Ho

Don Ho will be 'Aha Punana Leo's Ne'epapa I Ke O Mau (Moving Forward Together) honoree at the organization's annual dinner celebration of the Hawaiian language Dec. 15 at the Sheraton. 'Aha Punana Leo was founded in 1983 to revive and revitalize the Hawaiian language. Call 1-800-498-4979 ext. 404 for $250 tickets ...

Crown Council Dentist Wilfred Miyasaki raised more than $4,000 to help children facing serious health and educational problems. Crown Council is an organization of dentists in North America. Each year for four months they offer teeth whitening at reduced prices and donate the proceeds to help kids. Half of what Miyasaki raised went to Parents And Children Together for use here. The rest went to singer Garth Brooks' national Teammates for Kids Foundation ...