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Wood Craft
DELL-FIN POAHA, the lovely and talented Miss Hawaii of 1950 who won the beauty title during her Roosevelt senior year, has released a CD, "Heart to Heart." Dell-Fin plays piano, uke and drums and sings on the CD. Technology has made it possible for her to sing five-part harmony on the ‘Old Blue Eyes’
surprised Poahasongs. Dell-Fin lays out a mixed bag of tunes, including Hawaiian, hapa-haole, Korean, Filipino, Japanese and even sings "Your Cheating Heart" in Chinese, by golly. Pierre Grill is on synthesizer. "I'm particularly grateful to Aunty Genoa Keawe for her advice and blessing," Dell-Fin said. Much of Dell-Fin's career was spent on the mainland. With the help of columnist Walter Winchell -- she was his protege -- she was booked in New York's Copacabana in the late 1960s. She has also performed for four U.S. presidents: Truman, Bush 1, Nixon and Ford. While performing at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas in the early '70s, Winchell told Dell-Fin he had someone to sing for her. "I told him we have a singer. But he said to give this guy a chance." Then she heard Frank Sinatra singing "To You Sweetheart Aloha." She got out there fast and has a treasured photo of her dancing hula and Sinatra singing on stage ...
Samson has strong following
PIANIST Kit Samson's new CD, "Somewhere in Time," is a work of art in more ways than one. Besides Kit's marvelous stylings, the attractive CD package features caricatures by Star-Bulletin cartoonist Corky Trinidad of some of the celebrities Kit performed for during his many years at the Kahala Hilton. The stars include Barbra Streisand, Cheryl Ladd, Roger Williams, Lani Hall, Burt Bachrach, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Kit now performs at the Ala Moana Hotel ...Sam Choy and Vanna White will mix it up in a cooking demonstration for the wives of Sony Open golfers Tuesday in a tent on Waialae Golf Course ... Wes Zane conducts a wine tasting with pupus at Choy's at Diamond Head Friday; $20 ... Guests at Sunday's Honolulu Symphony concert featuring conductor Giuseppe Cataldo and pianist Marisa Tanzini, both from Palermo, Italy, received more of a taste of Italy than they expected. Italian wines were available for tasting at the Concert Hall entrance. Mark Milton's M&S Brokerage provided the vino ...
ISLE show-biz stars will take part in the celebration of life for carnival king Kane Fernandez tomorrow, 5:30 p.m., at the Royal Hawaiian. Don Ho, Frank DeLima, Tom Moffatt, Tony Ruivivar, Nalani Olds Napoleon and others will participate. Kane's death Tuesday of a heart attack was shocking. I'll be surprised if Punahou does not dedicate its carnival this year to Kane, a Pun grad. Kane, 64, often spoke to me about doing something in memory of our late UH track coach, Moses Ome. He's up there talking with Moses now ...
Cheers to Barbara and Laurie
FORMER isle resident Barbara Jean Strekow, now living in Las Vegas with her husband, retired HPD Sgt. Robert Strekow, turned 50 something on Jan. 4 and flew here to celebrate with family and friends. Robert tossed a dinner party for her and 35 others Tuesday at Pah ke's Chinese Restaurant ... Laurie Breeden Callies of Baby Face Productions is marking her birthday today. Laurie is 40 something. One of the gifts from her husband, UH Law Professor David Callies, was tickets to Elton John's concert last night at the Blaisdell Arena. Elton also cuts loose in the Arena tonight ... The off-Broadway comedy "Vanities" plays the Hawaii Theatre Friday, next Saturday and Jan. 21 ...
Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets
of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of
people, places and things every Saturday.
E-mail him at bwood@starbulletin.com