Hawaii
By Dave Donnelly
Tuesday, April 2, 1996
Emma upstages topless sunbather
THE competition was eye-boggling, if not mind-boggling, but it was Emma Veary who won a standing ovation for the show she put on at the Royal Hawaiian Monarch Room Saturday evening. The competition for attention came from a buxomy, bare-breasted blonde catching the final rays of the sun on Waikiki Beach and sending pulses racing at the same time. But it was Emma who stole the show. All those on hand for the Alzheimer's disease fund-raiser agreed she was in excellent voice. And KGMB's Russ Francis, no longer in NFL shape, got applause for running all over the room delivering pies and cakes that were auctioned off by emcee Kimo Kahoano. At times he looked as if he were being chased by Lawrence Taylor. Or perhaps that blonde ...
Melanie Mito
COMING home for Hawaii's 1996 Cherry Blossom Festival was a particular treat for two local residents. Both Melanie Mito and Tasha Kobashigawa attend college on the mainland and are the 1995 reigning queens of San Francisco and Seattle, respectively. Since most court members visiting from S.F., L.A. and Seattle had not been to the islands before, Mito decided a luau would be a good way for them to experience true Hawaiian hospitality. So they visited the Paradise Cove Luau, took hula lessons and posed for pictures with a gorgeous sunset as their backdrop ...
Judi Andersen
THERE'S something about the letter "J" in the Andersen household. Joan Andersen of Princess Kaiulani Fashions and husband Jack will be presenting a fashion show on Good Friday at Kahala Moon. Their three daughters, Judi, Jill and Jaye will model. You may remember that Judi Andersen is a former Miss USA ... Francois Nars, whose NARS cosmetics were formerly available in America only at Barneys, New York, now can be found at Body & Soul Waikiki. Francois Nars himself will be there doing make-overs April 26 and showing off the cosmetics used by Isabella Rosselini, Madonna and Cindy Crawford ...
A new Dave
THE resurgence of Jay Leno in the ratings has spurred Dave Letterman into taking some measures toward reclaiming what was once his. He now has a new set, and while it looks like he's sitting on a rooftop, the old one was getting a bit seedy. He has a new producer, who promises to inject some new blood into the show. Just last week he instituted a couple of new bits that caused me to laugh out loud. One was when Dave stopped a stranger on the street and asked if he'd be his best friend for a day. The result was a film montage of the two of them out on the town with sometimes hilarious results. Like when they called the guy's wife to ask if it would be OK for him to go to a strip bar with Dave. "No way," the wife said, "he's not allowed." Next shot: The two of them sitting in a strip bar with three dancers undulating on stage. It was funnier than it sounds. The second bit was called "Weird guy on an elevator" and featured a normal looking chap raising his arms and shouting, "Touchdown, touchdown." ...
THAT Consita Odgen is one fancy dancer. Representing the local Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Consita flew to Vegas to compete in national competition and came way with nine awards. Not bad for a 70-year-old hoofer ...
Recycled speech
THE folks at Hawaii Metal Recycling really believe in what they're doing. That's why company manager Jim Bani-gan agreed to do double duty during Earth Week. His twin daughters, Maureen and Megan, enlisted him to speak about recycling to their second-grade class. Trouble is, one goes to Iolani and the other to Sacred Hearts Academy. That's easy: Banigan will recycle the speech ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968. His columns run Monday through Friday. Contact Dave by e-mail at donnelly@kestrok.com.
Hawaii by Dave Donnelly is a daily feature of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
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