HASSELHOFF CELEBRATES NEW YEAR AT SHERATON: Michael "King Michel" Sponberg, left, promoter of Cyndi Lauper's SRO New Year's Eve concert at the Sheraton Waikiki, welcomed David Hasselhoff, Christine Camp and Steven Ai to Lauper's after-party. Hasselhoff, in town with his daughter for the holidays, was accommodating about signing autographs and posing for photos, as was Lauper when she arrived with her musicians shortly afterward. Whether her concert is counted as the last of 2007 or the first of 2008, it was one of the season's best. See Burl Burlingame's two-part review (Jan. 2 and 3) for details.

 
QUEEN EMMA HONORED AT HULA GRILL: Mark Yamakawa, executive vice president and COO of the Queen's Health Systems, represented Queen's on Wednesday at a commemoration of the 172nd anniversary of the birth of Queen Emma, co-founder of the hospital in 1859. The observances began at the Royal Mausoleum and continued with a formal afternoon tea at Hula Grill, where MidWeek Managing Editor Yu Shing Ting joined him for a "cuppa."

 
"MIKE G" PROMOTED: Michael "Mike G" Gravatt, center, recently promoted to program director of 95.5 FM "The Fish" and 97.5 FM KHCM "Hawaii's Country Radio," celebrated with Kevin Jones, left, Jamie Hartnett, Dita Holifield and Kathleen Herbst Dec. 27 at E&O Trading Co. Time was when Gravatt was "just a lower-case g" working as a gofer at another station, but as program director for two stations, he is now "a big G," or, as KHCM morning star Holifield put it, "My God! He's my boss!"

 
SEAGAL HOSTS A LUAU: Steven Seagal hosted a year-end luau Dec. 29 in East Honolulu. Estelle Green, left, and 'Iwalani Walsh Tseu were among guests who enjoyed a lavish buffet and a Polynesian revue by Malu Productions. The show included performances by Green's daughter, hula dancer Liana Ortiz Green, and granddaughter, recording artist Brittney Anelaikalani Jennings. When Jennings' father, Foa Jennings, was called up to perform, he showed that he is still one of Hawaii's "A-list" Polynesian dancers.

 
CYNDI LAUPER VISITS RUM FIRE: Cyndi Lauper, second from left, was guest of honor Dec. 28 at a pre-opening party for Rum Fire (formerly Esprit, formerly the Prow Lounge) in the Sheraton Waikiki. The event was a benefit for the Sex Abuse Treatment Center at Kapiolani Hospital, and the facility's executive director, Adriana Ramelli, left, concert promoter "King Michel" Sponberg and Sheraton Waikiki GM Kelly Sanders were among the lucky guests who joined her in the VIP area.