David Reno, left, belts his heart out during an April 1 taping of "Hawaii Stars" for hosts Carole Kai and Kimo Kahoano and the Ala Moana audience.
‘Stars’ gets an
attitude adjustment
Long before "American Idol" and its British progenitor, "Pop Idol," became a television ratings boon, Aloha State audiences were privy to the sunny, lighthearted spectacle of "Hawaii Stars."
In 1993, KHON introduced island viewers to a weekly succession of aspiring homegrown crooners whose live CenterStage performances at Ala Moana Center were rated on a scale of one to 10 by a cast of tolerant hometown judges.
'Idol' tackles Miami sound
As for "American Idol," Hawaii's Jasmine Trias and her fellow five surviving contestants tackle the music of Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine tonight.Tough one. See them sweat at 7 p.m. today on KHON/Fox. Vote your piece, then come back at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow to see who goes home next.
It was seen as a pleasantly innocuous, if somewhat syrupy, karaoke-style contest. Though generally well received during its initial eight-year run, at its peak of popularity in 2001, executive producer Carole Kai, who also served as the show's co-host, felt it was time to retire the show.
"I said, 'I don't want to get kicked off the station; I would rather go off the air on top and have people go "awwww!"' So we took it off ourselves."
After two years away from the public eye, KHON General Manager Rick Blangiardi, keen to the ascension of "American Idol" on his station, had designs on resurrecting "Hawaii Stars."
"He wanted it to dovetail with 'American Idol' because when 'American Idol' was over and people felt a void, they would have 'Hawaii Stars' again."
Whereas the old "Hawaii Stars" cultivated a rosy, feel-good vibe in which every competitor, regardless of performance, was showered with praise and made to feel like a world-class performer, the revamped series endeavors to replicate the dramatic turns of "American Idol," with several noticeable differences.
"We used to have three different judges every week, and they would all say, 'Oh, you're a very nice singer; I'll give you a 9.8.' But every judge was nice, and if any of them dared give somebody a seven, it was like, 'Ahhhh,'" Kai explained, with a mock gasp. "But that was a different time; it was before 'American Idol' hit the scene. If we did that now, they'd laugh us off the stage, yeah?"
With its newfangled format, "Hawaii Stars" auditions on Kauai, Maui, the Big Island and Oahu attracted more than 1,000 entrants, who were pared down to a manageable 45 for the televised portion of the second season of competition. "Out of the 45, I would say 41 are exceptional, and any one could be a winner," says Kai.
During the first nine weeks, the contestants are arranged in groups of five, with one singer eliminated each week. From there, the sing-offs will feature four contestants, with two eliminated on each show. As contestants advance, they will be placed in groups of six, which will then compete each week to a musical theme until one "Hawaii Star" remains.
Twenty percent of the vote tally comes from the viewing audience, who phone in their choices a la "American Idol," with the remaining 60 percent split between three judges. Among the prizes up for grabs are a $7,500 photo portfolio, a trip for two to Las Vegas and a recording contract from the Mountain Apple Co.
Formerly, members of the judging panel were either prominent community members or culled from "Hawaii Stars'" pool of sponsors. Now, resident judges Tony C. and Sonya Mendez, both accomplished local performers, are joined each week by a guest arbiter with genuine musical experience.
This time, says Kai, the judges aren't afraid to critique the aspiring stars. "There's a little controversy now when the judges give their true opinions," she said. "And if a person was not very good, they're going to say it. But when the judges do something I don't like, I give a stink face and I go, 'Well, I didn't agree with them.'"
"It's definitely a lot more interesting with the similarities to 'American Idol,'" enthused "Hawaii Stars" finalist Reno David, of Mililani, who, despite making it past "AI's" initial auditions the past two years, was the first singer cut in the local competition. Still, he said, "I had a really good time, and it kind of reminded me of my 'American Idol' experience, except this time I actually got to do a full performance. I feel like I did the best that I could and you never know how it's going to go, but any time I get to perform, I enjoy it. It was really cool."
Although "American Idol" singers must be between 16 and 24, "Hawaii Stars" requires its contestants to be at least 18 years old. Additionally, there is no ceiling on the competitors' age. "We even have one person who's, like, 55 years old," says Kai. "Why limit the show when Hawaii has such a wonderful variety of talent?"
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