Sony having
big week on islandSONY is going all out to make the first Sony Open under way at Waialae something to remember. Thursday night Sony had Neil Diamond perform for invited guests at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. The Neiman Marcus store closed early Monday for the Sony Founders Cup Pro-Am Awards dinner in the Mariposa Restaurant. Yoshiko Morita, wife of Sony co-founder Akio Morita, and Makoto Ibuka, son of co-founder Masaru Ibuka, both played in the event. Gov. Ben and Vicky Cayetano, Japan Consul Gotaro and Machiko Ogawa, PGA Tour Commissioner Timothy Finchem and former Hawaiian Open winner Isao Aoki were among the 260 guests. Also attending were Sony Chairman and CEO Norio Ohga, who will be guest conductor with the Honolulu Symphony tomorrow and Monday at the Concert Hall; Nobuyuki Idei, president of Sony Corp., and Ryozo Sakai, head of Sony Hawaii. Japan jazz trumpet player Terumasa Hino was featured with the band. Jai Cunningham emceed. Mariposa Chef Doug Lum prepared a five-course dinner, and manager David Nagaishi used white tablecloths, something new and special for the Mariposa. Sony gave each guest a Neiman shopping card and paid for the first $50 in charges. That's a reason Neiman G.M. Al Tomonari was beaming ...
Vanna turns heads at Bali
VANNA WHITE and husband George Santa Pietra dined at Bali Restaurant this week, near the huge stage at the Hilton Village where she and Pat Sajak were taping "Wheel of Fortune" shows. "Wheel" Producer Harry Friedman and family and many of the Sony execs here for the Sony Open also dined at Bali this week. "Wheel" is a Columbia Tristar show, a Sony company ...ONWARD: Herb and Jennifer Zukerkorn had a group of Ted Souza's Mid-Pac golfing pals over last Saturday to meet the retired Heco exec's fiancee, Amparo Rothchild. She managed the spa at Waikoloa in the late 1980s. Ted, a former Roosevelt and UH athlete, met Amparo in L.A. through a former RHS pal, Dick Peck. Among the guests were Frank Young, owner of K&Y Chevron on Queen Street. Fearless Frankie will drop the price of his regular unleaded gas to 83 cents a gallon from 7 to 9 a.m. Jan. 29 to show what it's like to buy mainland-priced gas. Young often tars the oil industry for Hawaii's high gas prices ...
THE TANGO of Mariko Lyons and Felix Chavez is bound to be a highlight of Jack Cione's "Mardi Grass Follies" at Pearl Harbor's Banyan Club Feb. 19-March 28. Mariko has been flying to L.A. off and on for six months to learn Argentine tango from Chavez, a master tango dancer-teacher. She has had 70 hours of instruction. "It is a very difficult dance," Mariko says, "but after 70 hours of private lessons from Mr. Chavez, I can dance like an Argentino -- I hope." ...
Jazz at Honolulu Club
JAZZ STARS Gabe Baltazar, Azure McCall, Betty Loo Taylor, Rachel Gonzalez, Noel Okimoto, Steve Jones, Jesse Gopin, Danny Otholt, Rob Prestor and Sam Ahia perform at the Honolulu Club Friday and next Saturday . Restaurant manager Alan Takasaki said tickets are $29 for club members and $39 for nonmembers and include two drinks, heavy pupu and parking. Some performers are not scheduled both nights. Call 543-3921 or 372-3250 ... I'm happy "Lateline" is back on KHNL Wednesdays. It's a kick ... Steve Ingledew did a solo dance to Anita Hall's vocal of "Never Stop" last Saturday night at David Paul's with such energy it didn't seem as if he'd ever stop ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets
of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of
people, places and things every Saturday.
His columns appear online every Monday.