Hawaii
Twinkle Toes is
grandfather in
‘Nutcracker’FEEL free to call Dr. Phil McNamee "Twinkle Toes." He has quite a history in dance, having appeared in the chorus of "On Mynah Bird Pond" for Ballet Hawaii, and was critically acclaimed -- by wife Carol if no one else -- when he appeared in costume for the Junior League's 25th anniversary gala production of "Swan Lake." Or was it "Swine Lake?" In any case, Dr. Phil is playing the grandfather in Ballet Hawaii's "Nutcracker" Dec. 20 to 22 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. Apparently someone figured music by the Honolulu Symphony and new costumes by designer Anne Namba wasn't enough, so the call went out to Dr. Phil, no relation to the TV guru ...
AN invite to a 70th birthday party went out to numerous VIPs in town, but it failed to mention whose birthday it was. It merely showed a 2-year-old tyke with the question, "Who am I?" So a healthy group of birthday guests, a veritable who's who of Honolulu, met at Oahu Country Club -- what some people won't do for a free breakfast -- and only then did they learn who the birthday boy was. Turned out to be gagster supreme Chico Holland, retired senior V.P. at First Hawaiian Bank. Guests had the last laugh, however, when Holland's cake came with trick candles, which he was unable to extinguish ...
No procrastinator he
IF it took you 30 years to finish a book, people might look on it as procrastination, but not in the case of Gerald Meehl and his co-author, Rex Alan Smith. Meehl is an atmospheric research scientist and was doing climate studies in the Pacific when he got the idea of a book. Nothing to do with the atmosphere, mind you, but a photographic revisiting of every major Pacific site battlefield connected to World War II. He took "now" pictures to contrast with "then" photos. You can meet the authors at a book-signing at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitor Center Sunday and Monday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. ...WHILE Timmy Chang has taken by far the most snaps of the UH quarterbacks, his No. 1 backup, Shawn Withy-Allen, has his own claims to fame. He's been named outstanding scholar-athlete for each of the past four years. During the awards banquet, Withy-Allen was called upon to give the invocation. Adrienne Sweeney felt it quite appropriate. "Didn't he 'take a knee' to end the San Diego State game?" By the way, the backup QB has taken some ribbing over his name. In one sports bar, a patron yelled. "Put in Whitney Houston." Another answered, that's not Whitney Houston -- that's Woody Allen." ...
All that jazz
LOOK for Maui filmmaker Kenneth Martinez Burgmaier on an upcoming episode of "Hawaiian Moving Company." A crew flew to Maui to feature the success of Burgmaier's award-winning TV series, "Jazz Alley TV," seen in over 80 countries, plus the three new TV series the filmmaker is directing and producing for BET Jazz. Incidentally, the Kiho Alu-Keola Beamer documentary has been selected to play the Art House-Wallace Theaters at Restaurant Row Dec. 20 to 28. Says Burgmaier, "Just like a regular movie." ...
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