Hawaii
There’s nothing like
April in HawaiiYOU HAVE TO hand it to April Masini. Following in the footsteps of her ex-husband, TV producer Al Masini, April has been tirelessly lining up her clients with work. Fresh from filming his second season of the ABC series, "Last Resort," Kala'i Miller (the "Baywatch" hunk) appears today on Dick Clark's "The Other Half," along with Danny Bonaduce, Dorian Gregory and Mario Lopez. Miller had lots to talk about during and after the show since Gregory and Lopez not only have ties to Hawaii, but to April Masini. Before appearing in the WB network's "Charmed," Gregory was on "Baywatch" and after starring in NBC's "Saved by the Bell," Lopez was the star of "Pacific Blue." Masini was largely responsible for both series' filming in Hawaii ... Tomorrow, Miller appears on "The Wayne Brady Show." Brady also has Hawaii ties -- he's married to a local girl ...
Alice's restaurateur
IT seems that every time I look up, beautiful Alice Inoue is involved in another project. When I first met her years ago, we were stopped on Kalakaua Ave. by Japanese tourists wanting photos -- not of me, certainly, but of Alice. They recognized her as the newscaster who appeared in their hotel rooms reading the news in Japanese. She next starred in an extreme sports show, skydiving, rappeling down walls, etc. Just reading the news was no longer enough. Then at the Hale Aina Restaurant Awards at the Kahala Mandarin a couple of years ago, she was there with chef Alan Wong, sporting an engagement ring. Next I heard, she'd gotten a certificate for conducting weddings and when asked, said yes, she could even do her own. So who pops up on the TV news the other night but Inoue, this time promoting astrology, and making one of those hapless pitches which promotes it as scientifically accurate. I hope she hasn't given up the wedding business, including her own ...THERE was a bit of a stir at Auntie Pasto's Kapahulu the other night, and I don't mean in the marinara sauce. The first customer to walk in the door for dinner Tuesday was Dwayne Johnson, better known in wrestling circles at "The Rock," but who seems ready to break out of that field and into movie making ... Moving to the Islands from Singapore is Vivienne Gan, who takes over as communications director at the Kahala Mandarin. And if any guest speaks only Bahasa Malasia, she'll be there to translate. She's also fluent in Cantonese. Gan also hosted a national morning TV show, "AM Singapore." ...
Cocktails, no breakfast
THE most frequently asked question in Tiffany's Ala Moana store is, "Are the butterflies real?" Yes they are. The butterflies made their way from New York to Honolulu (by plane) as part of a "magical" table display in Tiffany's salute to the Hawaii Opera Theatre's "The Magic Flute." The Tiffany flatware on the display is Audubon, fittingly enough. On Feb. 16, the store is holding a "Meet the Stars" cocktail reception with singers from the opera there to greet their supporters and the enjoy the "magic" of Tiffany ...
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