Hawaii
HERE'S the kind of guy Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki is. He appeared recently at Club 100, the club of AJA vets from the 100th Infantry Battalion of World War II fame, but it went totally unpublicized because that was a condition he insisted on before appearing. Army chief
goes incognitoGen. Shinseki, who flew to Hawaii to see his family during the Christmas season, agreed to the Club 100 stop only if there were no reporters or news cameras and the gathering was for rank-and-filers only -- no big cheeses from government, military etc. allowed. He showed up in camouflage fatigues and mingled with about 60 of the old soldiers, swapping stories. You think he's not independent-minded? One attendee says Shinseki told him, "When I arrived at the Pentagon, they gave me a schedule of things to be done over the next 48 months. I told him I have my own schedule of what needs to be done -- I'm not using anyone else's." The vets were uniformly impressed with the candid manner of the first AJA to rise so far in the Army, a Kapaa boy out of Kauai High ...
FROM a high-flying general to five "Flying Colonels." Five pro sky-divers will be entertaining Christmas Day bowl game fans in Hawaii when they leap into Aloha Stadium, all dressed like Colonel Sanders. They'll be promoting KFC's five new sandwiches, and two fans selected at random will have a chance to win $1 million by throwing a ball through a 15-inch target from 25 yards away or by kicking a 40-yard field goal ...
Queens galore
THERE were all sorts of beauty queens and beautiful people decked out in brocade, mandarin collars and kimono at the Christmas bash thrown by designers Eric Chandler and Takeo Kobayashi the other night at the Sheraton Waikiki. The theme of the occasion was "When Buddha Sings," explaining the choice of evening wear. Chandler and Takeo design gowns for many crown-wearers and among those in attendance at the bash were former Miss Hawaii winners Cathy Foy-Mahi, Debbie Nakanelua-Richards and Erica Kauffman along with Miss Hawaii USA Michelle Kaplan and Miss Chinatown USA Lori Young. Not all eyes were on the ladies, however. Jason Momoa of "Baywatch Hawaii" was turning heads, even though he was with his "Baywatch" sweetheart, Simone ...SPEAKING of "hunks," actor Jason Scott Lee, who lives part time on the Big Isle, stopped into the Hilo office of motor vehicle registration the other day and was more than a little surprised when clerk Naty Ishibashi handed him a photo of himself and asked him to sign it. "I don't remember taking that photo," said Lee. It was snapped by Big Isle photog Tim Wright during a fund-raiser at the Hilton Waikoloa a couple of years ago, and when Naty saw it she demanded a copy, hoping against hope that one day she'd get it autographed. Now she has ...
Oh, Danny/Bu
JAPANESE comic Takagi Bu filmed a 90-minute special about the Islands for Nippon Television, teaming up with Danny Kaleikini, who's very well known in Japan. Bu, who also teaches ukulele, shot one scene near the Hilton Lagoon. He played the uke and Danny sang "Blue Hawaii." (Or was it "Bu Hawaii"?) Another scene was filmed at the Ko'olina Wedding Chapel with Danny this time singing the "Hawaiian Wedding Song," accompanied by Bu. The show will air across Japan on Nippon Television on Dec. 31 ...
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