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What the Heck?
John Heckathorn
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COURTESY OF MANOA VALLEY THEATRE
Bree Bumatai and Paul Mitri as Martha and George in Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," opening Wednesday. CLICK FOR LARGE
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All an act: Who's afraid of a bottle of gin?
Give Us a Break: "I drink more than anybody else," says Bree Bumatai. "A bottle and a half of gin every night."
Not to worry. The gin is really water, because Bumatai is on stage as the hard-drinking character Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," which opens at Manoa Valley Theatre Wednesday evening.
Bumatai's hoping the water's good for her skin and kidneys, but consuming such quantities while stuck onstage can be a problem. "I think that's why Albee gave the play two intermissions," laughs Bumatai. "The cast needs the bathroom break."
Road kill kau kau: Right before New Year's, Brother Noland Conjugacion was up early to go pig hunting. Suddenly a friend called. "He told me someone hit one pig on the Pali."
Brother Noland woke his nephews and jumped in his truck to discover two policeman, hands on hips, staring at a dead 120-pound pig on the road, wondering what to do. The driver had taken off. "A hit-and-run pig," says Noland. "Traffic was all backed up. So I said, 'You like I take this?' Those policemen looked relieved."
Noland got his nephews to heft the pig and trucked it home to Nuuanu. With garlic, spice rub, olive oil and some time in the imu, the pig made great eating.
"I guess I'm in tune with the universe," says Noland. "I don't have to hunt anymore. Pigs come to me."
Eating Out Loud: Next week, if you see a blond woman with a microphone in one hand and something to eat in the other, you've stumbled across Lynne Rossetto Kasper. Minnesota-based Kasper will be taping a show on Hawaii food for her nationwide radio program, "The Splendid Table."
"Years ago, when first I came to Hawaii, I had to be dragged," she says. "I always thought there was nothing interesting there. I'd have three mai tais, a day at the beach and want to go home." But she discovered Hawaii "is the most thrilling food destination I've found since Emilia-Romagna in Italy."
"I not sure you appreciate what you have out there," she says. "I now tell people that the three places to eat in the United States are New York, San Francisco and Honolulu."
Snap, Crackle, Pop: You would have thought by now everyone on the planet would recognize Israel Kamakawiwoole singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Not so, apparently. Kellogg's used the "ooh, ooh" part of the song behind three 30-second Rice Krispies commercials.
Kellogg's was deluged with people asking, "What's that song?" Finally, the cereal maker asked permission to put a little MTV-style bug on the bottom of the screen identifying Iz -- which is something even the Rolling Stones didn't get when they flacked for Rice Krispies.
Tiny Baubles: Next Saturday is the Starlight Ball, the Academy of Arts' hippest fundraising gala. You'll be able to get a martini, of course, provided this year by Ocean Vodka from Maui.
In addition, you'll be able to get an Art-Tini. Which isn't a drink. It's a small work of art, no bigger than 7 inches in any dimension. Academy supporter Waileia Roster induced nearly 30 artists, including Don Ed Hardy and Cora Yee, to donate these tiny paintings and sculptures.
Unlike the libations, you have to pay for these. "These works are small enough to be affordable," says Roster. But not too affordable, she hopes, since they'll be auctioned to support the Academy's education programs.
Urban Blues: Grabbing the most attention at an Outrigger Waikiki reception for the Hawaii Grammy nominees were Amy Hanaialii Gilliom and husband John Austin, but only because they brought along 8-month-old daughter Madeline. "She's grumpy today," said Gilliom. "She's teething."
The major news from the Austin-Gilliom menage is that they're moving back to Honolulu. That's partly because Gilliom's at work here on a CD of songs with English lyrics, produced by Allen Sviridoff. "Whenever Amy sings in English on the mainland, people beg us for a CD," says Austin.
But the other reason they're leaving Kauai after all these years? "Oh, my god," he says. "Hanalei has gotten too crowded."
International Thrills: "I know this sounds funny, but it was thrilling," says Kevin Takamori, executive director of the UH Alumni Association. Takamori is just back from Hanoi, where he helped host a UH Alumni reunion that drew more than 200 people. "They were from all over," he says, "Not just Vietnam, but India, Pakistan, Korea, Japan."
UH has more than 6,000 international alumni. To help celebrate the Manoa campus' 100th anniversary this year, the university is planning a Global Reunion Aug. 10-13. Plans are still far from final. "It would be nice to do something spectacular," says Takamori. Any ideas?
Game On: The college all-star Hula Bowl is next Sunday already. Last year's game was preceded by weeks of media hoopla. Don't expect it again. The advertising last year was purchased for the Hula Bowl by a local company, Hawaii Pacific Entertainment, which is still in mediation with bowl officials over an unpaid bill to the tune of $100,000.
The Hula Bowl did pay the $37,000 it still owed Aloha Stadium for 2006 and made a deposit for this year, says stadium spokesman Patrick Leonard. Leonard sent out a press release last Thursday saying the stadium would like to remind the public that there is indeed a game. "It's going to be a challenge to get people in the seats," he said.