Hawaii
WHO says "War is Hell?" Not in Hollywood, it would seem. "Pearl Harbor," despite tepid reviews, has brought in millions of dollars. And now Francis Ford Coppola is re-releasing a new version of "Apocalypse Now" with a great deal of footage that was cut from the original. And producer Barry Levinson has approached Mel Gibson to play Capt. Charles Butler McVay in a feature about the USS Indianapolis, a story we in Hawaii are quite familiar with since the late Kimo McVay spent much of his later life trying to expunge the name of his father, blamed by the Navy for the ship's being sunk by a Japanese sub. He was eventually exonerated, but Kimo died of cancer before it happened. Another feature about the Indy is also in the works in Hollywood, and on the NBC "Today" show this week, surviving crew member Giles McCoy was promoting a book he wrote about the incident, and stressed how Captain McVay was unjustly made a scapegoat by the Navy. With Hollywood getting into the act, we haven't heard the last of it ... Mel Gibson offered
role of Capt. McVayNO sooner did we item about visiting star Jennifer Lopez dining at Alan Wong's with fiance Cris Judd than another Hollywood beauty, Isabella Rosselini shows up with friends. She's in town promoting a new cosmetic line, "Manifesto." She's the daughter of Ingrid Bergman and Italian filmmaker Roberto Rosselini, and in the parlance of another day, a real looker ... Both Isabella and J.Lo also found their way to La Mer in the Halekulani for dinner, albeit at separate tables ...
Hu's there?
SHORTLY after winning the Miss Teen USA pageant in 1985, Hawaii's Kelly Hu set a pretty ambitious schedule for stardom for herself, and while she never became the full-fledged movie star she aspired to be, Kelly has done quite well. She won the 1986 Miss Hawaii USA pageant and soon thereafter was playing Kirk Cameron's girlfriend on "Growing Pains." This led to better things, including a recurring role in "Nash Bridges" until her character is killed off, and a slot on "Martial Law." She's bright as well as beautiful and has appeared on Bill Maher's "Politically Incorrect," where you'd best be ready to defend your beliefs. She was on again last week and has completed filming for "The Scorpion King," featuring the half-Samoan wrestler calling himself The Rock. Kelly can be seen talking story with Emme Tomimbang on KGMB Saturday on "Emme and Friends." Other "Friends" on that show will be Keola Beamer and his family ...
Keep it up, boys
WHEN the Rolling Stones did their dynamite "Bridges to Babylon" tour here, it was billed as their final go-round, but I predicted then and stand by it that sometime this decade they'll set out again on an "Against All Odds" tour. Earth, Wind & Fire, another group of non-Backstreet Boy type, is calling their 2001 outing the "Cool Blue Summer Tour." Believe it or not, it's sponsored by that little blue pill, Viagra. If you have to ask, don't. Pfizer, the company that manufactures Viagra, will have a booth at all the group's concerts, but don't expect free samples unless they beef up security ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com