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Production dry spell
hits Hawaii

AFTER last year's record film and TV production revenues of $161 million (thanks to the nearly $100 million spent by ABC's "Lost," NBC's "Hawaii" and Fox's "North Shore"), there's not even a whisper of new productions coming here. Making it more difficult to attract future productions is the state Legislature's recent rejection of increased tax incentives from the current 4 percent to 15 percent that would have just matched some of Hawaii's greatest competition, including Louisiana and New Mexico.

ABC's "Lost" says it will begin filming season two in Hawaii this summer, though nothing has been signed yet. ...

Paris Hilton says it was the producers of "The Simple Life" who wanted to shoot the show's fourth season on Maui "to sex it up, have us more in swimsuits and stuff. I don't know (what we'll do). We could work as lifeguards or work in a hotel or something." ...

Hawaii native Lokelani McMichael will be the host of a new show, "Adventures in Hawaii," debuting in July on the high-definition network Outdoor Channel 2 HD. McMichael is the youngest woman to compete in the Ironman competition and has appeared as a model on the covers of Esquire, FHM, Sports Illustrated, Self, Women's Health and Runner's World. The show will feature extreme sports and recreational activities with McMichael participating. ...

Starbucks Coffee Hawaii is saluting Hawaii's first Grammy award through an agreement with Palm Records to carry "Slack Key Guitar Volume 2" in its Hawaii stores. Starbucks will also sponsor a benefit slack key guitar performance Sept. 17 at the Kahilu Theatre in Waimea on the Big Island. The coffee shops will also host live performances and autograph sessions by the artists throughout the year, with dates and locations to be announced. ...

An old T-shirt bought in a Maui thrift shop for a buck with the name "Tony Takitani" printed on it inspired writer Haruki Murakami to invent a fictional character by that name for a short story published in the New Yorker in 2002. Now the Japanese film version of "Tony Takitani" opens next month in Honolulu and Maui.

The shirt was created for a late-'70s political campaign for the real Takitani (who resides in Hawaii) for his run for the state House of Representatives. ...