Hawaii
YOU have to wonder if the young Stardust desk clerk who asked Gov. Ben Cayetano for his passport in Las Vegas still has a job. The embarrassment to the hotel, which has been actively lobbying for Hawaii business, has been great, even though the governor pooh-poohed it as manini. The hotel was even more red-faced when chef Sam Choy, in Vegas for the same Hawaii promotion as Cayetano, was given a card to open the keyless door, entered the room and found two people having sex. Wrong room! But why Choy was so upset remained a mystery to some Las Vegas residents, who point out that usually you pay extra in that city for such fare ... Your papers, please --
Mr. uhhhhh ... Governor?AMONG those collecting lei to make sure every grave in Punchbowl has one on Memorial Day is Don Murphy of Murphy's Bar & Grill and -- soon -- the All Star Cafe. As if he doesn't have enough to do, he called his friends at Cindy's Lei Stand and reserved 500 lei for that weekend. He put a calabash in Murphy's for anyone wanting to help make sure no shortage occurs ... Designer Mai Scherelle was thrilled to see Alicia Michioka win the Miss Hawaii USA 2003 contest. She helped the young lady with her wardrobe and was her fashion consultant ...
HEARD for the first time in years from ex-isle broadcast exec Bob Fox, now with the Clear Channel giant broadcast company in Toledo, Ohio, wife Bonnie's home town. I'll never forget Fox because it was at his Honolulu home that he, Don Robbs and I had gathered to watch "Monday Night Football" when the crawl across the bottom of the screen announced Beatle John Lennon had been shot and killed. By Mark David Chapman, no less, who lived in the apartment across the hall from Robbs ...
Golf links
AT first, Ruth's Chris Steak House GM Al Hosoi thought newscaster Howard Dashefsky was dining there, but it turned 0out to be a look-alike, investment counselor Doug Slagle. He was enjoying a steak with the Hawaii Theatre's Victoria Okada, who'd beaten him on the golf course and won the dinner at Ruth's Chris as her prize ... Sorry to hear of the death of surfboard shaper Mike Diffenderfer. He was a super golfer and once held the 27-hole scoring record at Princeville. Once, when I was on a getaway to Princeville, I called Mike and invited him to play golf. He said he'd been so busy shaping surfboards he hadn't played in six months. Still, he showed up, and in our 18-hole match he shot 72. "I should lay off more often," said Mike ...AFTER attending a fund-raiser for Mufi Hannemann, Scruples owner Fred Piluso headed for the Kahala Mandarin for dinner. There he met old friend Robert Conrad ("The Wild, Wild West") and one of my favorite actors, James Earl Jones. He'd never met Jones and was impressed with that magnificent voice, and by that, what a nice man he was. I'll never forget Jones from "Field of Dreams" ...
Concert at Ko Olina
Tomorrow night, you can take in what's being billed as the first concert at Ko Olina. Held on the Great Lawn will be Kai Mele, featuring Kapena, Sean Na'auao, Imua, Chant, Ka'ala Boys and Honolulu. The concert is part of the second annual Hawaii Boat Show & Ocean Expo ...
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