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Gibson will stage
2006 music fest in
Diamond Head Crater

After being dormant for 30 years, Diamond Head Crater will erupt with music again in April next year thanks to Ron Gibson, a part-time isle resident who will produce the International Music Festival there. Ron's crater history goes back to 1971 when the late Ken Rosene was putting on annual crater music blasts. Ron was managing Van Morrison and Ken wanted Morrison in the lineup. That didn't work out but their association did. Later, they brought major acts such as Jefferson Starship, Aerosmith and Boz Scaggs to Hawaii. Ron eventually got involved with computerized ticketing and brought BASS and HITS to the islands ...

Hawaii and a hula dancer played a role on "Boston Legal" Sunday. A member of the "Legal" team wanted to get the Texas governor to hold up the execution of man convicted of murder under questionable evidence. However, the governor was vacationing in Hawaii and was at a luau. Somehow, the convict's attorney, portrayed by James Spader, knew a key hula dancer at the luau. She was asked to help them convince the guv to delay the execution. But it didn't work out and the man was executed. The show ended emotionally with the convict struggling to keep from being strapped to the table for lethal injection. It was a powerful anti-death penalty message. The creator/writer for "Boston Legal" is David E. Kelley, who is married to Michelle Pfeiffer. They have a home here. Think that had anything to do with the Hawaii angle on Sunday's show? ...

Battistetti, Fumagalli were familiar Trattoria faces

Trattoria closes tonight after 35 years. Word of the closing last week brought back memories of the Italian restaurant. The late Sergio "Serge" Battistetti owned and managed the place early in his island career and Luigi Fumagalli was the singing guitarist. Both went on to bigger things. Sergio opened another popular restaurant in Waikiki, named Sergio's, and Luigi has achieved much success as a painter. He is the artist who did all the striking modern art paintings in the Restaurant Row buildings. Fred Livingston, who bought Trattoria from Serge in 1982, has to shut the eatery down because of the Lewers renovation project ... Carla and Jess Lutz sent a postcard from Aspen the other day saying the skiing is great ...

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