When local entertainer Junior Kekuewa Jr. makes his showroom debut at the Princess Kaiulani Hotel this weekend, he'll accomplish a feat that's been in the works for nearly 45 years.

“;I refer to it as the 'Don Ho Model,' and I have the template,”; he said. “;The 'Don Ho Model' worked in the '60s at Duke Kahanamoku's, and it worked at the Polynesian Palace in the '70s. It worked at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in the '80s, and it worked at the Beachcomber in the '90s.

“;Now, I'm not Don Ho. I'm Junior Kekuewa Jr. There are a lot of key differences, but there are some similarities since I've been listening to Uncle Don since I was 5 years old.”;

Joined by a small cast of entertainers and dancers, Kekuewa will realize his childhood dreams with tonight's launch of “;Junior—'LIVE' in Waikiki”; inside the Ainahau Showroom. Along with his brand of Hawaii-style comedy, guests will be treated to live music, hula and more during the weekly cocktail show.

BORN Paul Lujan and raised on Kauai, Kekuewa graduated from Kapaa High School and is the son of former Kauai Mayor Maryann Kusaka. After a chance encounter with Ho in Waikiki at the age of 14, he returned three years later to begin following in his childhood hero's footsteps.

“;I got the feeling no young people were interested in what he was doing,”; Kekuewa explained. “;And this was during the Hawaiian renaissance!

“;The kids in those days were at the Sting and the Point After, doing the disco thing. Nobody was singing 'Suck 'Em Up,' nobody was singing 'Never Had a Chance,' nobody was singing 'My Darling' at shows.”;

Kekuewa faithfully attended Ho's gigs for years, sitting in the back and trying to learn as much as he could from watching his idol perform. Even after taking odd jobs to make ends meet, he would continue his “;education”; with Ho, and later with Uncle Sam Kapu.

“;My mentors were Don Ho and Sam Kapu,”; Kekuewa said. “;I also learned a lot from Melveen Leed and from watching Jimmy Borges.”;

As time progressed, he began to establish himself in the local entertainment industry. Kekuewa had a small role as a mailman on the legendary “;Checkers & Pogo”; program on KGMB; he went on to work as the first non-Filipino on-air personality at Filipino radio station KISA-AM and spent about six years at KCCN-FM in the '90s. He was also the lead commentator for World Pacific Wrestling when it aired on KITV in the mid-'90s and appeared in recent years on OC-16's “;Da Braddahs”; and “;Dis-N-Dat TV.”;

THE Junior Kekuewa Jr. personality came about in 2000 when he was hired to fill in for Gregg Hammer on KIKI-FM. Longtime friend Rory Wild invited him to be a part of the morning drive on the radio station.

“;You gotta understand, Rory Wild has gotten me all my moneymaking gigs in my life,”; Kekuewa said. “;I got into radio so that people would be familiar with my name.”;

Over the ensuing decade, Kekuewa has stuck with Wild through a switch from KIKI-FM to KDNN-FM and an increasingly hectic schedule of his own. His “;Junior Kekuewa Jr. Road Show”; has been a staple at baby luaus, graduation parties and other celebrations on Oahu.

“;The local people are responsible for what you see in front of you today,”; he said. “;They hire us for their parties, and we've made great friends. I can't do what I do without the local people ... (and) it got us ready for what we're going to do in Waikiki.”;

According to Kekuewa, the new “;Junior—'LIVE' in Waikiki”; production will be a true variety show, with singing and dancing to go with his comedy. He also promises to surprise fans by adding instruments like a violin and trumpet to the mix alongside his guitar.

Kekuewa will be joined during the 90-minute performances by singers Samjam Spencer and Jasmine Indica; Keaulani Mento and Jaime Pua Chang have also joined the cast as hula dancers. Drummer Salaam, percussionist Rolando Sanchez and musical partner Wayne Borje are also part of the production.

“;I am very thankful and very grateful that what I envisioned and fantasized about as a kid—'One day, I'm going to be like Uncle Don!'—is actually happening. I thank God for Rory Wild, Clear Channel Hawaii, Chuck Cotton and James Avis.”;

But come later tonight, he'll also spend some time thinking about the legend who continues to inspire his creativity and willingness to help another generation of local entertainers.

“;I think he would be proud there was this one kid who would make sure people would realize who he was,”; Kekuewa said of Ho. “;Junior's grown up, and he's matured and is more refined.

“;I've known since I was 5 years old that this is what I wanted to do.”;