Hawaii
IT'S not going to rival the "Pearl Harbor" world premiere on the USS Stennis, but a program being held July 25 on the USS Missouri honoring Pearl Harbor survivors should prove fascinating thanks to reminiscences from those who were there in 1941. Among those who've agreed to show up is 101-year-old retired Army Col. Frank Steer, who was head of Hawaii Martial Law activities in 1941. Emcee of the news conference next Wednesday is Dick Spangler, who as a 5-year-old during the attack could only fire his cap pistol at the bomb-dropping planes. His father, who was stationed at Ft. Kamehameha and who was a friend of Col. Steer, was golfing at Schofield Barracks when the attack commenced. Spangler's MilitaryWorld.com is sponsoring a series of such conferences at military museums nationwide until Dec. 7 ... 101-year-old to appear
at USS Missouri eventKUMU Hula Michael Pili Pang is back in the islands after an exhaustive bit of touring that took him and his halau to Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Oregon, Arizona and even Taiwan this year. They're now demonstrating their artistry in Hawaii. Last weekend they performed at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea on the Big Island, and on Sunday at 2 p.m. they'll be on view at the Hawaii Theatre. Pang's hula halau will visit the Maui Arts and Cultural Center on Sept. 22 ...
TV viewers have been following the travails of Rep. Gary Condit ("Why is this man smiling?") as he moves about Washington trying to draw attention away from the disappearance of the intern half his age with whom he was having an affair. Is it just me, or do others also wonder why he always carries his jacket, and rarely is seen wearing it? Innocent enough, I'm sure, but odd nonetheless ...
Phuket junket
PSYCHIATRIST Dr. Mark Stitham, loves it when people ask where he spent his vacation. "Phuket," he says, careful to pronounce it properly as "Poo-ket." It's a resort in Thailand and Stitham was staggered to find he could buy cooked fish in a restaurant for $1! He also got to ride on an elephant, and requests all comments about combining American party symbols be kept to oneself. One of his favorite sights was an elephant with a flashing red light attached to its tail crossing the street. I don't know about Phuket, but the traffic in Bangkok is easily the worst I've seen anywhere, and that includes such traffic hellholes as Manila, Rome, Paris and Mexico City. Stitham has appeared in many plays in Honolulu and is waiting to see if a short film in which he appeared, "They Came to Attack Us," will be selected for the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah ...
Church lady
THE girl with the voice of a woman, Charlotte Church, performs with the Honolulu Symphony on Aug. 11 at the Blaisdell Arena -- she's apparently too big for the Concert Hall. But you can get a preview of Church, who is 15, at the kickoff to the Hawaii Public Television fund-raising pledge week on Aug. 3. The premiere attraction will be "Charlotte Church Live from Jerusalem." Concert tickets at the arena will be available for those pledging support to HPTV ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com