Hawaii
YOU'VE heard of people dying of exposure -- usually in some awful snow-clogged place like Buffalo -- but in Hawaii, folks are dying of embarrassment over exposure. Take Kelly Ripa, getting away from Regis to spend the holidays in Lanai while he rode alone in the Rose Parade. She and her son were playing in the sand, she told talk-show host Jay Leno, when a guy nearby struck up a conversation. Unaware, perhaps, of the gravitational pull, it wasn't until the guy introduced himself as actor Scott Baio and she belatedly recognized him, and she rose to have a conversation with him, that she realized her left breast had completely come out of her bathing suit. Baio should get an Oscar for pretending not to notice until Kelly was on the way back to her room ... Celebs lose their tops
and bottoms in HawaiiONE of television's best sitcom writer/directors, Ken Levine, spent his holidays at the Grand Hyatt Wailea, eschewing his usual holiday hangout, the Kahala Mandarin (and before that the Kahala Hilton) when he tried to book rooms in May and was told he'd be put on a wait list. Au contraire, said Levine -- or perhaps "Oy Vey" -- and he opted for his first holiday on Maui. Oh yes, exposure. He went largely unrecognized, being a behind-the-scenes type of guy ("Everybody Loves Raymond," "Frasier," "Becker," etc.) but he did bump into Seattle Mariners relief ace Jeff Nelson frolicking in the ocean when one huge wave pulled him down, not to mention his bathing suit, affording the Levines a moon they felt sure was intended for the New York Yankees, rather than them ...
Celeb spotting on Maui
MUCH of the celebrity "convention" going on this week on Maui has been brought about by the Mercedes Championship of golf with Tiger Woods, et al. In and around the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua were Kelsey Grammer who, with his wife, just built a multimillion-dollar home in Kapalua. He was brunching at the Terrace Restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton, electing not to fix anything at home for himself. Also there was Joe Torre of the Yankees, as well as one of his star hurlers, Andy Pettitte. Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens played in the Pro-Am and two such diverse actors as Clint Eastwood and David Faustino, Bud on "Married With Children." And despite the fact there is a quartet of horny women on "Sex in the City," two actors from that series, Kyle MacLachlan and John Corbett, who play Trey and Aiden respectively, turned up at the hotel with none of the "Sex" actresses in tow ...
Isle trip postponed
THE former Chaplain of Waikiki Beach, Bob Turnbull had planned a visit to Hawaii this month to speak, with wife Yvonne, at the New Hope Kapolei Church and to officiate at the Waikiki Beach chaplaincy breakfast hosted by current chaplaincy director, former entertainer Alex McAngus. Now his trip had to be postponed due to a key staffer turning ill and having to take a leave of absence. Turnbull is now pastor of Family Life at the Mclean Church in the Washington D.C. area, a 7,000-member church. Among those frequently attending his church is AOL honcho (and ex-Punahou student) Steve Case. And one of his Sunday School teachers is former Bill Clinton prosecutor, Ken Starr ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
The Week That Was recalls items from Dave's 30 years of columns.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com