Hawaii
Dods as gov:
Trial balloon
or lead zeppelin?THE trial balloon for Walter Dods as a gubernatorial candidate has finally been publicly launched after floating around for some time like an entry in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Several folks have asked me for an opinion on the popular banker's viability in Washington Place -- a comedown from his personal residence -- and my response usually got a blank expression. I thought he'd be a powerful candidate, I informed these people, providing he ran as a team with Nainoa Thompson as a running mate. I don't know Thompson personally and have no idea if he'd even be interested, but he's a handsome, well-spoken Hawaiian who has impressed me giving public service announcements on TV, and can't you just hear the symbolism of his navigating Hawaii's move into the 21st century? He'd be a wonderful representative at public functions both here and on the mainland, but so far, I'm the only one who seems to be aware of his existence. After hearing gubernatorial hopeful Mazie Hirono at the Morton's opening talking about how our lives changed "after September 13th," I started thinking about other Democratic candidates ...
Rock of ages
HEY, if Jesse Ventura can be elected governor of Minnesota, why shouldn't Dwayne Johnson, a k a "The Rock," run for the top slot on the ticket here? Oh sure, he'd have to move here, but he'd have a natural running mate in actor Bruce Willis, with whom he's been running around anyway. Willis, hero of "Hart's War," showed up at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park last Saturday with kids in tow, and they enjoyed themselves so much, they returned on Father's Day for more. "The Rock" didn't accompany Bruce on Sunday, because "Johnson fit the battle of (Chris) Jericho" the night before at Blaisdell Arena, but Johnson's family did show up with him ...
Klutzes a pair
PUBLICIST Mona Wood has become a true "moanuh" after tripping backstage at the Tiny Tadani concert at the Blaisdell and watching her right foot develop into a purple balloon. David Copperfield couldn't make such a reconfiguration. And now former radio program director Jeff Kino has one-upped her, or should I say one-downed her. If his staircase were a radio, he'd have just moved from 1600 to 600 on that dial when he tripped on a shoe and tumbled down a dozen steps or so, wrenching his back severely. A week after that not-so-smooth move, Kino was shopping at Foodland, Market City, when he slipped and fell again. He hit his already damaged head, wrenched his still ailing back and watched as the grocery cart fell on him. Asks the recently fired Kino, "Is someone trying to tell me something?" ...NO sooner do I get a note from Joli Kansil, who began the State Backgammon Championships 30 years ago, that Saturday's competition at the Elks Club will be the last with him at the helm, than I'm walking into the Four Seasons on Maui and run into Joli's ex-wife, Princess Karla Kansil of Indonesia, whom I hadn't seen for years ... And I bumped into Honolulan Jeff Davis with a pretty girl at the "Abbey Road" concert. "Busted in Maui," he groused ...
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