Hottest spot
west of HavanaYOU never know who you'll run into at Havana Cabana, the cigar emporium, luncheon and bar filled nightly with what tabloids call BPs -- the Beautiful People. I ran into actor Jason Scott Lee lunching there last week, having wrapped filming on a new film in which he appeared with Kurt Russell. He has a special reason for liking the Cabana since his brother, Stuart, is one of the owners. Jason didn't sound too excited about the Russell flick ("Coming to a TV near you soon!") but may soon be entering into a commitment with can't-miss director Steven Spielberg ...
THE Cabana was really rocking Friday night with the first of what is hoped to be a regular "Nuuanu Nights" gathering on Pauahi between Bethel and Nuuanu. Indigo served up food and four bands played, including the versatile Second Hand Smoke, the regular Havana Cubana Friday night band. Also getting good response was Bluzilla, a reversal on the norm with females playing bass and drums and all the singing done by the two young men in the group, who also played guitar and sax. Hapa added their sound to another portion of the program, which moved inside at 10 p.m. where the cleverly named D'Funked filled the dance floor ...
AMONG the many people I saw taking in the block party were Honolulu magazine editor John Heckathorn, artist Pegge Hopper with daughter Lauren, City Councilman Jon Yoshimura and Hawaiian activist attorney Hayden Aluli. The latter was with an old schoolmate, a young singer named Betsy Curtis, there on a buswoman's holiday from the Hapuna Beach Hotel where she regularly entertains. She reminded me that I'd written about her many moons ago (circa 1970) when she and a fellow high school girl, Chris Rolseth, calling themselves Betsy and Chris, went to Japan, had several gold records and became huge stars. Then, alas, they grew up. Kind of like Menudo in that respect. She still looks like a kid ...
Faux paw
EVER wish a hole would open up under your chair causing you to drop from sight. It's usually after uttering something meant to be innocent that turned out to be potentially devastating. The other night I was seated with some folks I'd just met, and one young woman I knew, Holly Pontes, was munching on a chocolate dessert that had a strawberry included. She asked a friend seated next to her, general contractor Kevin Wolfley, if he'd like to try her dessert. He reached out for the strawberry and she reacted by raising her fork. "Careful," I admonished, "or you'll lose a finger." He responded by holding up his hand, "Too late." Three fingertips were missing, the result of a lawnmower accident. I couldn't buy him drinks fast enough to keep up with my apologies ...
Seinfeld's the opening act?
IF you caught the David Letterman show last week, you saw not only Jerry Seinfeld plugging his HBO special and Broadway appearances, but following him was young Hunter Scott. You may recall him as the young man who has lobbied far and wide to get the U.S. Navy to set aside the court martial handed down to the Indy's skipper Capt. Charles McVay. He even visited Hawaii as the guest of promoter Kimo McVay, the late captain's son. A bill in the U.S. House to strike down the court martial now has 88 co-sponsors and just may get passed this session. Incidentally, Hunter must have another agent besides Kimo -- I don't think he could have booked him to follow Seinfeld on Letterman's show ...
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: donnelly@kestrok.com.