Hawaii
YOU can find a local angle nearly anywhere. Take the new film "We Were Soldiers" directed by co-screenwriter Randall Wallace from the book by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore, who lived the story of the battle of Ia Drang Valley in Vietnam in 1965. It stars Mel Gibson, but Gen. Moore is quick to congratulate the behind-the-scenes guys, too. People like Kalani High grad Guy Feldman, son of adman By Feldman and ex-Miss Hawaii B.J. Feldman. Guy, who works for Full Scale Effects in Hollywood, spent a month prepping the mountain set in Northern California with wiring for hundreds of explosion effects. Three deaths were reported -- all rattlesnakes ... Speaking of former Miss Hawaiis, Kanoe Miller dances hula nightly except Sunday at the House Without a Key and has the same shape today as she did when she won the crown ... And singing Fridays and Saturdays in the Halekulani's Lewers Lounge is Sonya Mendez, who was Honolulu Lite columnist Charley Memminger's girlfriend in high school. She's come a long way, baby ... Local Guy sets up blasts
for ‘We Were Soldiers’SPEAKING of singers and large, purplish creatures, KHET picked two families as winners of the "Barney Song Contest." Making their TV debut during the station's 2002 membership challenge tomorrow night will be the Sanders Family, Cheryl, Kimi (7), Ariel (5) and Keiko-Ann (3) and the Arima Family of Kaneohe, Linda & Ken, Kylee Ann (7) and Amber (2). They'll sing Barney's "I Love You" song and repeat it at Barney's Beach Party at Sunset on the Beach April 27 & 28 ... That was Auntie Pasto's Ed Wary (and not Rick Enos) who told pals at the Golden Corral home office about Riley Wallace and UH basketball's superstitious team that seems to win after eating there. Now they get the golden treatment ...
25 years of Sweeneys
IT hardly seems possible that it's been a quarter of a century since Ray Sweeney and Jerry Sweeney decided to celebrate St. Paddy's Day together and sought to seek out other folks named Sweeney as well. Thus began the Sweeney Party, which celebrates its silver anniversary tonight at Murphy's. Folks named Sweeney from throughout the islands and the Mainland show up annually for the party and to participate in the Paddy's Day Parade. The parade began 33 years ago after Ray Sweeney and two fellow Irishmen, Bill McCarthy and Zock Clahan, were stopped in the act of painting a green line down the middle of Kalakaua (which ran in two directions in those days) by police. Mayor Frank Fasi instituted a parade in its stead and the Irish have been marching ever since ...
Ho Ho Hotoke
LONGTIME director of the Kailua Madrigals, Shigeru Hotoke, is turning 75, and the Gleemen Plus, some of whom are Madrigal graduates, are holding a birthday luau for him on Saturday at the Community Church of Honolulu in Nuuanu. Hotoke is a member of the choir at the church and volunteer director of the Gleemen Plus. When he ran the Madrigals, Hotoke took them all over the world on numerous occasions, opening up the opportunity for several of its youthful members to find careers in the field of music, entertainment, education and travel. Anyone interested in attending the luau can call 533-2104 ...
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