Genoa Keawe is
joined by her family in
a celebration of song

For the inaugural offering of its third season of "Na Mele: Traditions in Hawaiian Song," Hawaii Public Television starts off with a bang, and it's a bang that extends across several generations.

Aunty Genoa Keawe, now 82 but with a falsetto that won't quit, is showcased on the popular music series, accompanied by, among others, her sons and granddaughters.

The Keawe matriarch, who by the way is a recent recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, opens the program with a vocal trip down memory lane, singing a medley of "Kuwili," "Ahuli'i" and "Hula O Makee."

But later numbers feature future torchbearers of the Keawe musical tradition. Pomaika'i Keawe, in particular, sings with a voice that is unmistakably similar to her grandmother's, yet has a personality all its own.

The family affair airs at 7:30 tonight and 10:30 p.m. Sunday on KHET/PBS.

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Spring Festival

Ala Moana Center hosts Spring Festival 2001 tomorrow through Sunday, featuring live entertainment throughout the mall, fashion shows and demonstrations. For information, call 955-9517. These are the activities planned for Centerstage:

Friday

"Hawaii Stars": Live taping of the show's finale, 6 to 9 p.m. The center will bid farewell to the popular karaoke TV show hosted by Carole Kai and Kimo

Kahoano. During its eight-year run, "Hawaii Stars" has made stage dreams come true for hundreds of budding entertainers.

Saturday

Festival of jazz bands: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Top high school and collegiate jazz bands perform in a showcase presented by the Oahu Band Directors Association.

Spring is in Fashion Show: 6 to 7 p.m. KITV's Pamela Young and Gary Sprinkle emcee a show featuring fashions from Cache, Celine, Ethel'ßs, Liquid Aloha, Loewe, Pacific Harley Davidson, White House/Black Market, Sephora and Tapestries by Hauoli, with makeup by Sephora, featuring the Body & Soul Collection, and hairstyles by Salon 808.

Sunday

Spring Hair Fling: Noon to 1:30 p.m. How high can they go? Through the magic of hairspray and found objects, students of HCC's School of Cosmetology will stage a big hair demonstration and show some wearable styles on the heads of some of Hawaii's beauty queens.

Click for online
calendars and events.

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