Reel News
Oahu doubles for
Congo in ‘ER’ episodeNBC's "ER" returns to Oahu next month for two weeks to film two episodes. Unit production manager Frank Conway and producer Richard Thorpe arrived Sunday to scout several locations that included jungle-like settings, the old downtown post office and some state buildings. In the first episode, Oahu will double for the Congo. The production team, which will stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village during filming, will use several African-American actors for those scenes. No word yet on the second episode's location requirements.
Last spring, "ER" filmed all over Oahu -- Waikiki, Pearl Harbor, Ford Island and the North Shore -- in a highly rated episode in which star Anthony Edwards came to Hawaii to die.
Series creator, director and frequent isle visitor John Wells owns a home on Kauai. ...
The "Lilo & Stitch" DVD was released yesterday, featuring the voices of Hawaii's Jason Scott Lee (David) and Tia Carrere (Nani).
Now, for something completely different: Carrere's physical "talents" are featured in the December Playboy, which hits newsstands today. Carrere is featured both on the cover and in a four-page nude pictorial inside. The 35-year-old, who has eschewed nude scenes and pics in the past, says she shied away from posing in the buff because, as quoted in the pictorial, "I felt self-conscious about my body." Now, she says, she's more comfortable with her body. ...
Bebe Neuwirth has been added to the cast of "The Big Bounce," filming here though the month. Production execs in Los Angeles are keeping their fingers crossed that the pic qualifies for the state's Act 221's major investment credits. The production is currently far down the request list. ...
Signature Theaters founder Philip Harris has been named ShoWester of the Year for ShoWest 2003. He'll be feted March 4 during the annual exhibition trade show in Las Vegas. The annual award honors a person who has, throughout his or her career, demonstrated a dedication to the betterment of the movie exhibition industry and its causes.
Signature is the 23rd largest exhibitor in the United States in screen count: 208 at 25 sites throughout California, Hawaii and Montana.
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Contact Tim Ryan at tryan@starbulletin.com.