Hawaii
Reminiscing
with RickyLIVING "La Vida Loca" in Osaka, Japan these days is former isle D.J. Kamasami Kong, who interviewed hot Latino singing sensation Ricky Martin on his FM802 program Monday night. Martin isn't so "Loca" that he doesn't have a fine-tuned memory, however. He recalled a previous interview Kong had with him when doing the evening show at KIKI in Honolulu, then a Top 40 station. Martin was in town with the teeny-bopping supergroup, Menudo, and blushed at Kong's remembrance of the young island girls going gaga over him and his fellow teens in the group. Tom Moffatt had promoted the concert, and Martin remembered him by name with no prompting. Kong revealed that the station, on a budget, made a deal with the group's hotel after they checked out and had on-air giveaways of such items as their pillows, shower soap and even used soda bottles. Martin was enthusiastic about his upcoming 21-city tour and said he'd love to play Hawaii again. Is Uncle Tom Moffatt aware of this? ...
FOR about six months now, agents for BB Shawn have been trying to drop the initials from his name, and just call him Shawn. Trouble is, nobody knows who "Shawn" is, minus the initials. How about taking a page from TAFKAP and call him "The Shawn Formerly Known as BB." ... Hawaii Prince Hotel G.M. Ted McAneeley, a retired National Hockey League star, is off to attend the Edmonton Oilers Alumni Association where the "Great One," Wayne Gretzky, will be honored for his achievements. He's created a package to be auctioned off at the reception, Prince's "99 Holes of Golf," in honor of No. 99 himself, Wayne Gretzky ...
Noel in August
KNOWING he'd be in New York for a week, pianist Don Conover clipped out an item here about Sheridan Morley's musical tribute to Noel Coward and Gertrude Lawrence, "If Love Were All." The show stars Twiggy and Harry Groener and in Conover's estimation, "It was wonderful." The pianist knew about half the songs in the piece and said, "I can't think of a better way of being introduced to the others." After noting a cousin he'd never met, Rob Conover, was technical supervisor for the show ("small world") Conover headed for Vegas, about as far from Coward as one could get. He was researching ("Really!") for his new gig at the Texas Rock 'n' Roll Sushi Bar in the Hyatt Regency, watching similar shows at Vegas piano bars ...SO who was that pig-tailed sunbather screaming while careening down the Westin Maui's "Miracle Slide," a 128-foot slide that contains a pair of 270-degree turns? Surprise: It was country star Willie Nelson, who weekended at the hotel ...
Arts supporter
FLYING in from his San Francisco home this week to attend both concerts of the Asian Youth Orchestra (Friday at the Shell, Saturday at the Concert Hall) is one of the most generous benefactors of the arts, Dr. Jess Shenson. He and his late brother, fellow physician Dr. Ben Shenson, have visited Hawaii on numerous occasions and donated their Theodore Wores' painting, "The Lei Maker," to the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The doctors Shenson were supporters of the 10-year-old Asian Youth Orchestra from its inception, and Dr. Jess said he had intended to join the group in Hong Kong, but fell in his driveway and broke a hip. That won't stop him from being here this weekend, however, where and he his late brother will be honored ...
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