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What the Heck?
John Heckathorn
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Democrats planned lavish inauguration
Welcome Back: Had Randal Iwase won last month, there would have been up to $100,000 in tax money to pay for his inauguration. But Linda Lingle got zilch, notes her communications guru Lenny Klompus.
The Legislature was so little glad to have her return that it appropriated nothing at all for an inauguration if the governor-elect were an incumbent.
It's been widely reported that Lingle will spend $55,000 of "governor's funds" on her inaugural banquet. Not so. The banquet, as usual, is paid for by private donations.
The $55,000 will pay for the inauguration ceremony tomorrow, starting at 9:30 a.m. "We had to come up with the money out of funds the governor would normally have to run her office," says Klompus.
It's a free public event. You can go, should you be happier about another four years than the Legislature is.
Deferred Gratification: It was announced in March that megachef Nobu Matsuhisa would open a Waikiki Parc eatery in December.
It's December. No Nobu. "There's so much going on in Waikiki," says Halekulani President Peter Shaindlin, "it's been impossible to get inspection and permitting."
Shaindlin shows off the architect's drawing for the rich brown, red and gold interior. Work's started, he says. He's hoping for a spring opening.
Next to Nobu's, in the front of the Parc, will be a rent-a-car stand. Not just any rent-a-car. For $200 a day, you can drive a quick, fast Lotus Elise, but only if you're a registered guest at the Parc or Halekulani.
Right Tulle for the Job: Choreographer/dance teacher Ahnya Chang is back where her career began. In second grade, she was a Bon Bon in Hawaii Ballet Theatre's "Nutcracker." Twenty years and a college degree later, she's back, in HBT's 26th production of the "Nutcracker," Dec. 9-10 and 16-17. Chang appears as a Flower, a Spanish Chocolate and a Snowflake.
For decades, HBT's Snowflakes have been appearing in the same tutus, originally made in 1977 and inherited from the Honolulu City Ballet. "Think of it," she says. "Thirty years of sweaty dancers."
This year, there's money for new costumes. Says Chang, "We're talking miles of sparkly tulle. Untouched! Virgin! Pure! Never been in storage in Mapunapuna! If that's not excitement, I don't know what is."
Labor of Love: John Tsukano, who died last year, was a Renaissance man -- a champion swimmer, a 442nd veteran, a published author. One of his achievements was recording a group called the Hilo Hawaiians.
In 1960, the Hilo Hawaiians had a hit with an album called "Honeymoon in Hawaii." They were even invited to perform on Ed Sullivan, only to turn him down because they'd committed to play for free for victims of the Hiroshima bombing.
Named as one of the 50 Greatest Hawaii Albums of all time by Honolulu Magazine, the album has been unavailable for two decades. But when his father died last year while listening to the album, his son, John Tsukano Jr., went on a mission. He's brought the music back in an anniversary CD edition. For a copy, e-mail hilohawaiianscd@yahoo.com.
20 Seconds of Fame: Tomorrow, VH1 is airing a show on Jackie Chan's celebrity empire, and the producers needed video of Jackie's Kitchen in Honolulu. They found it on Kutmaster Spaz's OC16 show "Dis-N-Dat."
VH1 is not paying for the footage, says the Kutmaster. "But they're using only about 20 seconds, so we'll settle for the national recognition."
Final Cut: Janu Cassidy's Pacifika Film Festival in New York becomes a bigger deal each year, drawing as many as 2,000 people from up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Last year, the president of Tahiti, Oscar Temaru, flew in for the occasion.
Cassidy's looking for Hawaii and Pacific films for this year's festival, the fifth, but you need to get done by Feb. 1. If working on a film, hurry up and finish.
$100,000 Cats: Ran into attorney Steve Elisha downtown, wearing a shirt that said, "CADR, Community Alternative Dispute Resolution." Alternative? As in nobody has to pay lawyers?
Elisha was involved in a suit at a Maui condo that burned up more than $100,000 in legal fees. "You know what it was about?" he said. "Cats. Could have been mediated in two hours."
He's now a believer in mediation for condo owners. So's the state Legislature, which passed a law saying if any party in a condo dispute wants mediation, everyone has to try it.
"If you live in condo, don't sue," he says, "because no matter who wins, everyone stays angry and you still have to live together anyway."
Slipping into History: It was only a month ago that Tom Brokaw committed to speaking at the Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor ceremonies. But his appearance was years in the making.
In 2004, during a photo shoot for Men's Journal, park historian Daniel Martinez took Brokaw to the USS Arizona Memorial. When he saw how deeply it affected him, Martinez made a pitch for him to return for the 65th anniversary, the last official reunion in Hawaii of Pearl Harbor survivors.
Popular among veterans for his book "The Greatest Generation," Brokaw spiked attendance. Only 400 Pearl Harbor survivors remain, but they're bringing 1,400 friends and family members with them. They'll travel to the ceremonies Thursday in 40 buses.
Even if you're not a survivor or an invitee, you can go, but only if you catch a boat leaving the Arizona Memorial at 5:45 or 6:45 a.m. You may wish to stay home, since the ceremonies will be broadcast live on KHNL.