Hawaii
IT was a festive gathering at the Portlock home of Linda Fernandez -- the home once occupied by new Mrs. Hawaii Sydney Fernandez Fasi. Linda spoke for everyone when she said the only bad thing about the evening was that her late husband, showman Kane Fernandez wasn't there to enjoy himself and doubtless burst with pride. Sydney danced a couple of hulas in such a graceful manner that one has to assume that'll be her talent when the Mrs. America contest takes place at the Hilton Hawaiian Village next month. Her auntie, Nalani Olds, sang, and then Sydney danced to what she said was her father's favorite song and mine as well: Andy Cummings' "Waikiki" ... A Portlock celebration
draws Fernandez clanAMONG others at the party was Tiare Finney, who'd just returned from Kane's favorite Canadian fishing spot and where his ashes were scattered. She'd caught a 65-pound salmon, which caused her extremely competitive husband John Finney (who co-founded the local Burger King franchise) to grouse that it was 10 pounds bigger than his largest catch. A real "whopper" one might say ... Whenever you saw a group of young women with mouths agape at the party, you knew they were with local magician Bobby Acoba, who continues to amaze with his close-up magic ...
COMPARING pads were neighbors Cal & Teri Lui, who are building a new Diamond Head home with both pool and tennis court -- what, no golf course? -- and hotelier Andre Tatibouet, who simply tore down what was a magnificent home near the Luis ("But it needed a lot of work," he explained) and is nearing the completion of the closest thing to Clivedon, the ancestral home of the Astors in England, now a luxury hotel. Appropriate that the founder of Aston Hotels builds a home resembling that of the Astors in England ...
Mr. Hawaii
THE guest of honor said she was thrilled to wear the Mrs. Hawaii crown, though her husband, attorney David Fasi, was tired of being called "Mr. Hawaii" by his peers. Does this make his dad, former mayor Frank Fasi, "Grandfather Hawaii?" Fasi, looking as fit as a Stradivarius, said of son David, "I'm his clone." And, I asked, will his campaign slogan be, "Send in the clones?" Fasi was back to back with another mayoral hopeful, Mufi Hannemann, and I faked a paparazzi pose and said, "Can I get a shot of 'then and now'?" "What do you mean?" Fasi asked? "This is my bodyguard." The 6-foot-7 Hannemann guffawed ...
Nothing shy about Lefty
WHEN Al "Lefty" Leftwich joined a large group of buddies to take in the David Copperfield "Portal" show at the Blaisdell Arena, he had no idea he'd be picked to go on stage. But suddenly there he was with 11 others holding flashlights and standing behind a curtain on stage. And when Copperfield yanked away the curtain, nobody was there. They were all in the balcony, waving their flashlights. His pals could hardly wait until after the show when they could get him to explain how the trick was done. "Sorry," he told them. Apparently the magician had told the group his success was due to people like them and to please tell nobody how the illusion was done. Lefty stuck by his guns, despite much cajoling ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com