Hawaii
MAUI'S Mayor Kimo Apana has vowed his support for the VASH organization, the group that seeks to help visitors who are victims of crime. There's a good reason Apana jumped on board, too. While he and his right-hand man, Pat Nitta, were in Honolulu for meetings, Nitta's briefcase, VASH gains
Maui supportcontaining his credit cards, was stolen from his rental car and several hundred dollars worth of purchases were rung up at one store. Maui's VASH head Penny Dant convinced Apana that such crimes weren't limited to Oahu, and he's agreed to support the organization's goals. Kauai's chapter president Pam Brown says while unauthorized entry into cars is the most common crime against visitors, there's a huge increase on the Garden Isle of illegal entry into hotel rooms while guests are asleep -- most often through lanai doors left unlocked. Hotel guests are being warned ...
LOTS of women are making news these days. Halekulani G.M. Patricia Tam has been named "Hotelier of the World" in a poll taken in Hotels magazine. She accepted her award last week at New York's Palace Hotel ... Emme Tomingbang is branching out into fashion and had intended to introduce her new line at Liberty House this weekend. But Star-Bulletin reporter Betty Shimabukuro called her just as the clothing was going on the floor in the store and broke the story. Emme hastens to add she hasn't given up her day job and will still host TV specials ...
Cho there you have it
HER new one-woman show, "I'm the One That I Want," was a huge hit when it opened last week in her hometown of San Francisco, and now Asian-American comedienne Margaret Cho has finalized plans to bring it to the Diamond Head Theatre for three performances Jan. 20 through 22. Unless she sanitizes it considerably, based on reviews of her S.F. performance, it'll contain some language and situations not normally seen at Fort Ruger ... Speaking of which, a female friend and I went to see "Romance," the French film playing at the Cinerama, and we both puzzled over the title. Romance? This film would be considered hard-core porn by many, though the acting is professional and there are some moments when no gratuitous sex or foreplay or domination or birthing is taking place. Surprisingly, nobody walked out at the performance we saw ...WE had a lovely little dinner at Le Guignol, the intimate French restaurant just a block Diamond Head of the Cinerama Theatre on Kalakaua. It's owned by 24-year-old Shane Sutton (son of the HNA's Dan Sutton) and his mom, Leilani, is the hostess. The restaurant has no liquor license, so BYOB if you like, and be surprised at the reasonable prices. Our dinner for two with tip was less than $55 ...
Bidding bachelorhood adieu
AUCTIONEER Marty McClain and his bride, Wendy Bedard, were wed Sunday at sunset at the Paul Mitchell Estate in Lanikai in a ceremony awash with Hawaiian blessings. A conch shell blower lit luau torches and then preceded the marriage party with a Hawaiian chant. Kahu Julia McKenna Dubin sang the Doxology in Hawaiian and during the ceremony wished the groom "many successful auctions," adding playfully, "I couldn't resist." A gorgeous full rainbow developed over the two islands off Lanikai as if on cue, and an added blessing was the sprinkle of rain that occurred before the finest feast Don Murphy has cooked up yet sated the entourage of guests ...
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