Brown Bags contest opens
LOCAL high school talent contest "Brown Bags to Stardom" kicked off its redesigned format this week, with a new half-hour television show that debuted Sunday on OC-16.
It's been five years since high school students could participate in "Brown Bags," which used to travel to schools in search of top musical talent. Now, students film and produce a music video, with viewers deciding via text messaging and online voting who should win the $2,000 cash prize for first place and get a chance to perform at the Blaisdell Arena on March 24.
Of the videos that aired this week, my favorite had to be an acoustic track by Kamehameha's Colin Kanemoto. Other students' videos featured included Farrington's Lyrical Krew, Aiea's Flying Four, Waianae's Kourtney Ka'aihue and Maui's RJ and Leslie. Kamehameha's Jo Takewara and Hannah Thomas serve as the show's hosts.
You've got a couple more chances to catch the first episode of "Brown Bags" before a new one airs Sunday at 7 p.m. Tune in tonight at 10 p.m. or tomorrow at 4 p.m. ...
IF YOU'RE planning on visiting "The Listening Room" this week, my advice is to make sure you eat something first.
While the concept is sound -- an upscale venue showcasing some of Honolulu's top musicians in an unplugged format -- the execution, especially by the kitchen at the Hanohano Room, leaves something to be desired.
When we first walked into the restaurant, there was nobody there to explain where to sit (when I go to "SKYLiNE" there, almost every table is reserved) or bring us a drink. And I was disappointed to learn that the kitchen staff had prepared most of the food early so they wouldn't have to stick around all night.
That meant that once certain items on the half-price pupu menu were gone, we were out of luck. And the food we did order was incredibly disappointing. As one of my cocktail companions noted, we would have been better off buying pizza rolls or bagel bites from an ABC Store downstairs and snacking on those with our $8 drinks ...
DON'T FORGET about the Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company grand opening Thursday.
Motocross superstar and shop owner Carey Hart will be at the new Waikiki location from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with "Inked" stars Clark North, Lacey McClellan, Joshua Petty and Joey Hamilton visiting from Las Vegas. A second event will be held the same night at Osake, with a Sensually Yours fashion show and DJ Bewon on the decks starting at 10 p.m. ...