Isle company helps
people anywhere in
the world to relax

THERE'S a new, Hawaii-produced way to de-stress at work or home. It's a relaxation DVD series.

"Natural World" is the first DVD of "The Biophilia Effect" series produced by Nature's Chalkboard, a division of local company 2 Reel Pictures LLC.

Biophilia means an appreciation of life and the living world, so the series will feature nature scenes accompanied by music. Mililani's Derek Suzuki composed the music for the first disc, though the footage is all from the mainland.

"Everybody's working and don't have time to relax and smell the roses," said Neulet Sevilla, Nature's Chalkboard vice president.

The DVD is sold via www.natureschalkboard.com for $19.99. Feedback from buyers has largely been positive, Sevilla said, and people have encouraged the company to produce a local version with Hawaii scenes.

Steve Barber, president of 2 Reel, is shooting footage for the second DVD in the series here at home. The DVD should be released within the next month or so, Sevilla said.

In the meantime, the company is working to get distribution into retail stores and to human resources executives for stress management programs.

New wake-up crew

Chris Reiser and "Sista" Sherry Clifton are joining the ranks of radio hosts who have to drag themselves out of bed at oh-dark-thirty to help listeners start their days entertained, informed and with a smile.

Reiser was recruited to return to KRTR from the East Coast and is to arrive today, according to Mike Kelly, vice president and general manager for the station's owner. Clifton has hosted KRTR's "Love Songs" from 7 p.m. to midnight for the past three years, a job that Ola Souza will assume.

Former KRTR morning man Dan Cooke, who left the show Aug. 28, can now wake up at a more reasonable hour as he's renewed his real estate license to join the sales team of Centex Destination Properties at Ko Olina. The company is developing Ko Olina Kai Golf Estates & Villas and is proposing other developments on Oahu.

"The bottom line is, it was a great opportunity for me," Cooke said. Operations Manager Wayne Maria has been handling the show in the interim.

Cooke had replaced Reiser last September when Reiser's show was ranked No. 2 among adults 25 to 54. Cooke was also No. 2, topped by Michael W. Perry and Larry Price on KSSK-FM 92.3/AM 590.

"Chris and Sherry are going to be great. They're going to have a fun show and I'm sure it's going to be very successful," Cooke said.

Separately, Cooke has bowed out of this year's "Gridiron," a variety show staged as a fund-raiser by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Gasp! Who will play Gov. Linda Lingle? (Cooke has donned a wig, pumps, a dress and the requisite padding to portray Lingle for at least the last three years -- to the guffaws of sell-out crowds.)

"The pumps are in my closet and the blue dress is hanging in there, ready for next year if that opportunity arises," he said.