Curtain lifted
on ‘Hawaii’

WAIKIKI GOT a taste of Hollywood over the weekend as NBC pulled out all the stops for its sneak preview of "Hawaii" on Sunday night.

While some critics have chosen ABC's "Lost" as the show more likely to succeed, I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw: plenty of action, a pretty good effort at including local terms and customs (for the first episode, at least) and even a bit of skin, courtesy of Aya Sumika. You can catch the series premiere on KHNL tomorrow night at 7 p.m.

Following the public screening, the cast headed over to Tiki's for a VIP party. Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa walked across Kalakaua Avenue with his family in tow, while Peter Navy Tuiasasopo stopped to take pictures with fans. I also saw director Aaron Yamasato on the beach, and KHNL's Cindy Paliracio in the station's news van eating dinner while things wrapped up.

Upstairs at the party, Eric Balfour wandered around with a camera crew, hamming it up as he interviewed his co-stars and invited guests. Sharif Atkins showed up sporting a long-sleeved button-down shirt and slacks, and a group of ladies trailed the star as he made his way through the crowd.

Also spotted at Tiki's: Chris Lee, Flash Hansen, Bill Wyland, Sondra Barker, Kawika Kanae, Frank B. Shaner and Zana Tsutakawa. KHON News reporter Kirk Fernandes was there, too, but was "doing a favor" for a friend by working with one of the camera crews as a sound tech ...

AFTER TWO decades of success as Hawaii's top female group, Na Leo starts another chapter with today's release of "Find Harmony."

Among the album's 11 tracks are "Sophisticated Hula," "Ku'u Hoa" and "Hawaiian Lullabye." I also liked "In Your Smile," one of the originals written by Lehua Heine for the album, and "Jungle Rain" brought back memories of Tropical Knights, a favorite band of mine from the early '90s ...

ISLAND SURFING star Robby Naish made history last weekend, traveling with fellow Maui residents Adam Koch and Chris Gilbert to Texas in search of the ultimate amount of hang time.

They found it onboard the USS Lexington, a retired Navy aircraft carrier, where the three took off on their kiteboards.

"By far, this is the craziest thing I have ever done," said Koch. Employees provided encouragement as the guys made jumps into water 60 feet below ...

HEAD DOWN to All Star Hawaii tonight for some of the best independent music Honolulu has to offer.

SoundHouse and Dead Monkey Music present "The Sound of the Underground," featuring Black Square, Direct Descendants, Dub Phylum, Hosana, linustheband, Nomasterbacks, Space Catalog and Tinkle Potty. DJs Big Barr and Monkey will also be there.

Five bucks gets you into this 21-and-over party; call 384-5706 ...