Hawaii
Short bound
for stardomNO sooner did Mrs. Utah, Starla Stanley, win the Mrs. America crown at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tuesday night than a wag quipped, "I wonder if she had the support of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee organizers." You know, the ones accused of bribery? Unfair, of course, and I'm sure she'll be a fine choice. Former Miss Hawaii Melissa Short had given some pageant advice to Mrs. Hawaii, Dede Guss, but she didn't win. Melissa wasn't even able to take in the pageant herself, since she was busy onstage at Diamond Head Theater at a dress rehearsal of "Cinderella," which opens tomorrow night. Members of the cast of Manoa Valley Theater's "1940s Radio Hour," were invited by director John Rampage to attend the rehearsal, since the MVT show will be running every performance "Cinderella" is as well. Even though it was a dress rehearsal you got the feeling that you were watching a star being born. While the music is hardly Rodgers & Hammerstein's finest, and title role requires only the most rudimental acting skills, Short looked so good, moved so well and sang so professionally, that she showed great promise for future stardom ...
The pot thickens
GOT $3,000 to spend on New Year's Eve and willing to take the chance that all the surprises encountered will be good ones? Then Gold Herringbone Productions has just the millennium party for you. The company is calling the evening, "Above the Maddening Crowd" (complete with a capital "R" indicating it's been registered) which may or may not have anything to do with the classic novel, "Far From the Madding Crowd" with no "en." Even if there is a great demand, the guests list will be topped off at 200, giving them $300,000 to toss a humdinger of a party. A press release describes the $3,000 as "just pennies per day." Say what? "... for each day of the last century." Ah! It'll be held at "a multimillion dollar estate," the location of which is being kept secret until 72 hours prior to the event. A hint: Partygoers are promised "an ideal vantage point for observing the lighting of Diamond Head and the fireworks." Who's preparing the food? They don't say, except that it'll be served by "top physical trainers and models of the Pacific Rim Area." What, no trained waiters? Entertainment is promised, and featured will be "New York heartthrob Tom Postilio." He's touted to be "the voice of the millennium and the crooner whose star is rising to the stratosphere of a Sinatra or Crosby." Of course, that could be Tina and Bob. ...
Let's hear it for TheBus
YOU hear people knock both TheBus and the Zipper Lane, which raised hackles on the back of Bill Haig, customer services manager for TheBus. So he dreamed up something of a race -- comic Augie T, a regular bus passenger, got on the express bus from Mililani's "Kiss 'n Ride" locale, and KSSK's Sweetie Pacarro left simultaneously in her station's van. They aired reports on the air as they breezed along, obeying all laws. TheBus used the Zipper Lane and Sweetie's van the normal freeway lanes. She arrived at Tamarind Park at 7:45 a.m., exactly 31 minutes after the bus, which wheeled in a minute ahead of schedule. KSSK had to buy breakfast for Augie and TheBus staffers as a result of losing the bet, but proving a point: TheBus ain't a bad way to go ...
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