Hawaii
HISTORY was made this week when "Alone in IZ World" hit the No. 1 slot on Amazon.com's top sellers list. That had never happened for a release from Hawaii. That Israel Kamakaiwo'ole CD hit No. 1 at the same time his "Facing Future" CD made it to the No. 6 spot on Amazon.com. The two CDs are No. 1 and No. 3 respectively on the independent top sellers list, out-ranking many top selling artists like Bruce Springsteen, Eminem, Alanis Morissette and more. The records took off after Iz's moving rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on "E.R." as well as the films "Finding Forrester" and "Meet Joe Black." He's also featured in People (last month) and Parade last Sunday ... That was the Iz that
was with ‘IZ World’WHEN Na Leo Pilimehana holds a party to celebrate the release of its new CD, it'll be their last personal appearance for a time since Lehua Heine is going on maternity leave. The release party will be July 21 from 5 to 9 p.m. July 21 at Gordon Biersch ... From the current to the vintage -- Jesse Kalima will be the subject of Harry Soria Jr.'s "Territorial Airwaves" show from 5 to 6 p.m. Sunday on KINE-FM. The retrospective goes back to when the Kalima Brothers (known as "1,000 Pounds of Melody") performed at the venerable Palm Tree Inn, now just a footnote in Hawaiian musical history ... Jesse once told me how a drunken sailor at the Palm Tree was taking great glee in peppering the brothers with ice cubes during their set. One Kalima, Jesse said, enticed the man downstairs where he grabbed him by the leg, dragged him to the door and reintroduced him to the invigorating weather outside. Ah, the Palm Tree ...
Openings
THE 2002-'03 theater seasons get underway tonight when Manoa Valley Theater presents Martin McDonagh's comic-yet-tragic Irish play, "The Cripple of Inishmaan." A week from tonight, it's TAG's turn when "Anna," a play by Nancy Moss about Russian poet Anna Akhmatova opens at the Yellow Brick Studio on Keawe St. July 17. The Big Island will see Suzi Bond's production of "Man of La Mancha" in both Hilo and Kona. The musical, starring Leslie "Buz" Tennent in the title role, opens Friday and plays through Sunday at the Palace Theater in Hilo. It opens a three-day run at the Aloha Theater in Kona on July 19 ...
Aloha, Herb
IT'S my unfortunate task to report the death in Las Vegas of Herb McDonald, who has lost his battle with cancer. Herb, who was 83, had many Isle ties, though his roots were in Vegas where he was a pioneer in the hospitality business dating back to the El Cortez Motel in 1946. After raising a family, McDonald met and fell in love with a kimono-clad entertainer from Hawaii calling herself Masako -- real name Darlene Yoshimoto -- and Herb went head over heels. They got married and had a daughter, Kimberly, who still lives and works in Vegas and who has been caring for her dad. Darlene was killed some years ago when, in a characteristic gesture, she pulled her car over to help another motorist, was sideswiped by a third car and killed. Some may recall that McDonald managed the Kuilima Hotel (now Turtle Bay Hilton) for developer Del Webb. I'll miss him ...
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