Da Kine Star-Bulletin staff and wire services

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Romance Festival ticket sale starts on Valentine's Day

Pay attention: Valentine's Day is Thursday. Two days from now. Need a gift idea? Conveniently, tickets to the 2008 Hawaii Romance Festival go on sale Thursday.

The festival takes place May 2-11 at the Waikiki Shell, Hawaii Theatre and Blaisdell Arena, hosted by Matt Catingub and his Orchestra of Hawaii.

Highlights include the May 10 "Rhythm of Romance," with R&B legend Gladys Knight, soul singer Aaron Neville and "American Idol" finalist Kimberley Locke, at the arena. Also on tap: Sergio Mendes, Nick and Nina Clooney, Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, Smokey Robinson and a host of local stars.

Tickets for Shell and Arena events will be available through Ticketmaster outlets, the Blaisdell box office and online at ticketmaster.com. Tickets for Hawaii Theatre performances are available through the theater's box office or hawaiitheatre.com. For a full schedule visit www.HawaiiRomanceFestival.com.

Critters on stamps

Lucius Eldredge presents images of animals used on stamps in "Philatelic Phylogeny," at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Bishop Museum, as part of the museum's monthly Research Seminar Series. Free. Call 847-8256.