Hawaii
CUMMING and goings: Surprise local angle in "Eyes Wide Shut," the final Stanley Kubrick film, came when Broadway actor Alan Cumming, playing a gay desk clerk, asks an inquiring Tom Cruise, "Are you with Five-O?" ... Charo is packing up her maracas and heading for L.A., where her son is attending college. Hawaii loses cuchi-cuchi
For many years she ran a restaurant on Kauai and performed her "cuchi-cuchi" routine at the Tropics Showroom of the Hilton Hawaiian Village ... Mari Wong and daughter Kourtney are back from Las Vegas where the 7-year-old won a bronze medal in the Junior National taekwondo competition in the 62-pounds and under division. Mari's brother, actor Randy Stone, flew in from Vancouver, where he's making a movie, to wish her well. Conspicuously absent was her dad, Dickie Wong, still engaged in a battle of his own to regain his Bishop Estate trustee seat ...
RESTAURANT Row has had its problems keeping eateries there out of red ink, and a great many locales have closed more than once. Word along the Row Bar is Mystique's days are numbered, not so much from lack of business as to a conflict between operators and the landlord. Some properties continue to flourish, however, notably Sunset Grill, Ocean Club and Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. G.M. Al Hosoi of Ruth's is even contemplating an expansion ... Can you imagine a duo of Carlos Santana and Kenny G? Neither can I, except that they were each in for dinner at Carelli's on the Beach in Maui, sans instruments ...
Whole hog for UH
YOU can help out the UH Rainbow Warriors football program by attending Don Murphy's fourth annual "Pigskin Pigout" at his Merchant Street eatery Thursday. When Murph first began the cocktails and heavy pupu evening four years ago, $38,000 was raised for the team. Last year it hit $62,000 and this year the goal is $75,000. There are lots of items to be auctioned off -- more than 200 are in and another 50 expected, so there should be something for every prospective bidder. Your $75 contribution covers food and drink, and you can bid for various collectibles or tickets to the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, entry into VIP headquarters at the big Daytona race and even hot laps around the Hawaiian Super Prix course. Coach June Jones and his football coaching staff will be on hand and if previous years are an indication, it'll be a lot of fun for a good cause ...
First, last and auwes!
VICTORIOUS skipper Roy Disney with wife Patti and local pals Dick and Prix Grimm celebrated the first place arrival of Disney's Transpac boat, Pyewacket, with dinner at Matteo's. Roy was especially thrilled since he broke the record set by his son, Roy Patrick Disney, in another Pyewacket two years earlier ... And while the two-man sailboat Vapor came in last in the Transpac, skipper Bill Boyd and his navigator, Scott Atwood, had no quit in them. Not until they were presented the "Tailend Charlie" award by Ruthann Quitiquit and her staff from PACT (Parents and Children Together.) More than 200 people helped greet the pair at the Hawaii Yacht Club as they arrived complete with broken rudder. But shame, shame -- someone stole a box marked "Transpac Banner" that belonged to PACT. The nonprofit group would love to get it back from whatever prankster walked off with it, no questions asked. Leave it at any yacht club, preferably with a note saying, "I'm sorry." ...
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: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com