Hawaii
The girls love Jake
for his flying fingersJAKE and bake: There's a new rising star in the Land of the Rising Sun --that would be ukulele whiz Jake Shimabukuro, who's in Japan for a series of concerts and to promote his new CD, "Sunday Morning." Young Jake appeared on the top rated radio show in Osaka, that hosted by former Isle DJ Kamasami Kong aka Bob Zix on FM802. They did a live interview in which Jake allowed that he's 25, single and unattached. That has brought about a flurry of emails, faxes and phone calls from young Japanese girls wanting to get in touch with him, uh, personally ...
WINTERBOURNE Tea Room's Nikki Yasutake has been keeping me up to date on men visiting her tea room since I wrote about how much I liked Michelle Henry's Tea at 1024 on Nuuanu since walking in for the first time and finding myself in the company of 18 women. Yasutake says she could have had a lot more men visiting Winterbourne last week had they known that former Miss Hawaii Billie Takaki was having a photo shoot there for her Hawaii Woman magazine and an upcoming feature ...
I'D guess that "My Wife and Kids" star Damon Wayans, in town to shoot episodes about a family vacation in Hawaii, isn't a tea room kind of guy. Restaurateur Fred Livingston is happy about that since Wayans has been observed at his newest eatery, Don Ho's Island Grill, and Davey Jones' Ribs. Now he's hoping Wayans will find his other Waikiki restaurants, Matteo's and Trattoria ...
Big Island doings
THERE are lots of big doings on the Big Isle these days. They held the annual Foodbank's Headdress Ball at the Hilton Waikoloa and judge Michael W. Perry and wife Vicky were spotted dining at the Kamuela Provision Company at the resort ... I ran into KITV's Pamela Young with husband Gary Sprinkle at the Waimanalo polo match Sunday and though she was wearing one of her trademark large hats, allowed that she didn't go to the Headdress Ball this year. She won first place the year I helped judge the contest ...THE Big Island's 11th annual Kindy Sproat Falsetto & Storytelling Contest will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Outrigger Waikoloa Beach Resort. Many prizes for the 13 registered competitors with the winner getting a recording contract from "Flip" McDiarmid's Hula Records. The Aloha Festivals has 30 events scattered throughout the Big Isle over he next five weeks ... Even Don Ho is Big Isle-bound. He'll perform his show at the Hilton Waikoloa Sept. 7, his first performance on that island in years ... If that's not enough, the "Kani Ka Pila" concert series includes an ukulele festival Sept. 21 and Cecilio and Kapono in concert at the Hilton Waikoloa Sept. 28 ...
Sharing aloha
WHEN Linda Kramer was presented with an undergraduate degree from HPU, she received so many lei from friends that she decided to spread the wealth before leaving for New York to visit family. She walked around Waikiki at 2 a.m. and gave the lei to tourists she encountered. Some Japanese visitors were so appreciative they tried to give her money for the flowers, but Linda explained it was Aloha, a gift of love in the spirit of Hawaii ...
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