Hawaii
THIS is my final column of the century. That has a certain finality to it, but thanks to circumstances beyond my control, it was to have been the last one a couple of months ago. And when you consider that on Monday you'll merely be reading the first column of the new century, even with the frightening and ominous title, "2000," it doesn't seem like such a big deal. If somebody had told me when this all See you Monday ...
began back in the 60's that I'd still be stringing dots together at the end of the century, I'd have written them off as daft. So let's close out the final 1999 column right here and now, before ending the century itself on my lanai with a bottle of 1990 Dom Perignon, long set aside for the occasion. Never mind that my doctor won't let me drink it. There'll be a merry companion with me who won't mind that a bit and will see it doesn't go to waste ...
THE jet-setting stock broker Al Souza and wife Terri know how to see in the millennium. Twice, in fact. The two flew off to Australia for the year end festivities in Sydney Harbor, where upwards of 100,000 boats can clog things up pretty well. The Souzas are traveling with the man who made millions with Cheap Tickets Inc., Michael Hartley and wife Sandra, and will be returning on the private jet of the CEO of QANTAS Airways, with a 7 p.m. ETA this evening. Then it's off to Aaron's atop the Ala Moana (Souza is co-owner) to see in New Year's for a second time. Coming from Down Under to "Bottoms Up!" ...
Not quite party time
YOU know all about Hawaiian time, right? Always late? (I think Hawaiian Airlines stopped calling itself HAL because it suggested an acronym associated with tardiness.) As Mike Kelly of KCCN sat lunching at Gordon Biersch Wednesday, who should walk in but Brother Noland, and Gaylord Holomalia, keyboardist with the group Kalapana. Gaylord, who's now a producer at Dolly Parton's old recording studio in Hawaii Kai, announced the two were there for the big KCCN party. Kelly had to inform them that they were a full 24-hours early, and that the party was Thursday night. Kalapana returns to Aloha Tower Marketplace tonight to play in the same Irwin Park show with Cecilio & Kapono. Let's hope they get that date right ...WHEN I was in London a few months ago, I saw the latest rendition of Gerald Allesandrini's "Forbidden Broadway," only it was aimed at the foibles of the West End of London as well as the Great White Way. One song they did, to the tune of "Oklahoma," began, "Ooooooooold Revivals." It made fun of the fact there are precious few new musicals around, so everyone is doing revivals, a fact even more in evidence in Honolulu than in London or New York. All this is prelude to mentioning that Jason Scott Lee is heading for Blighty to play the lead in "The King and I" in, yes, a new West End revival ...
Hirsuit village women
THEY call themselves the "Beardstown Ladies," but they would have been known as LOL's to Herb Caen and others of his day and age. The Illinois "Ladies" dispense investment advice that a lot of people heed, and they write books about it which have sold quite a lot of copies. I hope their advice is better than their knowledge of Hawaii. In the current issue of Smart Money, there's a long story on the ladies and one is quoted about her trip to Hawaii. "We went to the Island of Kona," she reports. "I think that's Hawaiian for The Big Island." ... We'll be back in the next century. Have a safe New Year's Eve ...
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