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Reel News Tim Ryan |
NBC’s ‘Hawaii’
looks like a hitHOLLYWOOD >> I can't say too much right now, but what I can say is that NBC's "Hawaii" pilot not only looks sensational, but the acting is top notch, the dialogue honest, and the action a strange mix of fun and serious. The story is a bit busy with subplots, but this first episode establishes character hierarchy, primary locations and hints of future conflicts.
Creator/executive producer Jeff Eastin's dialogue is realistic and, where needed, funny, with little stereotyping of locals. Interaction between the main characters is convincing: Actors Eric Balfour and Ivan Sergei bring a young and brash attitude to their roles and are on track to make "Hawaii" a real buddy show. Michael Biehn and Sharif Atkins as the veteran detectives add a sense of maturity and experience.
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa plays it straight as the cop shop's top officer in a character that hopefully gets more writers' attention and dialogue. Aya Sumika is convincing as an officer hoping to advance more on brains and hard work rather than her looks.
Series filming in Hawaii resumes July 15 ...
Fox's "North Shore" series will get more aggressive romance-wise with two cast additions. According to a network source, Josh Hopkins ("Ally McBeal") and Dylan Bruno ("Where the Heart Is") now have recurring roles on the show.
Last year, Bruno starred in the John Stockwell ("Blue Crush") Fox pilot "The Break" that filmed on Oahu. Hopkins will appear in at least four episodes as Morgan Holt, fiancé of Brooke Burns' character, Nicole Booth. Holt completes the love triangle with Nicole and former lover and current co-worker Jason Matthews (Krist Polaha).
Bruno plays a former boyfriend of waitress MJ Bevans (Nikki Deloach) and Amanda Righetti (Hailey Nichol on "The O.C.") debuted last week as Tessa Lewis, scamming her way from vagabond to assistant concierge in an hour's time ...
Kauai shark attack victim Bethany Hamilton continues to expand her 15 minutes of fame. During recent surfing competitions in Southern California, the 14-year-old only talked to reporters -- including the mighty Los Angeles Times -- through her L.A.-based agent.
Hamilton isn't allowed her to talk directly to the media because she has a book deal and, sources said here, a possible TV movie-of-the-week ...
And here's how Variety described the just-completed Maui Film Festival: "While short on premieres, and to the extent that it interests Hollywood, fest seems to work best as an additional word-of-mouth platform for specialized summer releases, along with an enticing getaway"...
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Contact Tim Ryan at tryan@starbulletin.com.