What the Heck? John Heckathorn

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Takamine delivers hula lesson to Kyla Grogan in Vegas

Ti Leaf Surprise: Kyla Grogan does the morning news on KLAS, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate. She's kind of like Manolo Morales,* out in the field, sending back live reports. At 5 a.m. Thursday morning, she got an on-camera hula lesson at the Bally pool from Vicki Holt Takamine. Takamine, musicians and dancers were in Sin City to do the Vegas edition of the Hapa Haole Hula Festival, with 10 mainland halau.

In between TV gigs, Grogan toured in musicals, including "Starlight Express." She picked up some hula moves quickly. "I love it," she said. "It just flows."

Her only puzzlement: "They gave me a skirt made out of some kind of leaves. I'd never seen anything like it."

Are You Experienced? John Noland goes back on the airways tomorrow. For the first week of his new morning talk show on AM1080, he's booked Gov. Lingle, Mayor Hannemann, UH prez David McLain and football coach June Junes.

It's hard to name a station where Noland hasn't worked previously. He's done sports for KITV, KHON, KFVE, OC16, radio on KHNR and KGU. "Yeah, I've been bounced around," he says cheerfully. "In any other business, that would be negative. But in media, it's no hindrance, just typical experience."

What's In a Name? Director Andrew Meader has assembled an energetic young cast for his new Manoa Valley Theatre musical. But at Thursday's Arts with Aloha reception, more than one cast member was shy about saying the show's title: "Urinetown." "Could we just call it Shi Shi Ville?" asked one.

Meader made up cast T-shirts which read, "Urinetown. The No. 1 Musical in Town. (Not No. 2)."

Saw the show on Broadway a few years ago. Weird premise, but enjoyable nonetheless. Opens Sept. 6.

Oscars on Maui: The Maui Writers Conference kicks off next Saturday, with the major festivities Labor Day weekend. Founder John Tullius is bringing in both 2006 Academy Award winning screenwriters -- Diana Ossana, who won for the screen adaptation of "Brokeback Mountain," and Bobby Moresco, whose film "Crash" earned the award for best original screenplay, as well as best picture.

Also in attendance is Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Powers, whose current bestseller, Flags of Our Fathers, is likely to break big this summer when the Clint Eastwood-Steven Spielberg film version is released.

Remarkably, Tullius is hoping attendance will be down from the usual 2,000 wannabe writers. "We've put a more serious tone on our marketing," he notes. "We don't want somebody who arrives with a first book under their arm and expects to be in People Magazine a few months later, posing in front of their new mansion. We want people to understand that writers have to work hard, just like everybody else."

Home on the Range: Neil Murphy spent 25 years cooking in New York, at such eateries as the River Café, Aureole, La Côte Basque and Park Avenue Café, where the New York Times called his food "exuberant and completely confident."

So what was his next restaurant?

Merriman's in Waimea, in Big Island paniolo country. "I wanted a complete change," says Murphy. "Now, when I sit out on my lanai with a beer and cigar, the only thing I hear is cows mooing."

Hey Nineteen: Last Wednesday night at Compadres was a fundraiser called "Young Artists Helping Young Artists." Drinks, pupu and art for sale. The young artists, mainly college students, got half the proceeds. The other half went to Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific and its art program for patients.

At the event was KUMU's Frank B. Shaner, who, though few know it, is also a serious painter. He surveyed the student work, noted how good it was. "These damn kids," he said. "Who the hell do they think they are? They're discouraging their elders."

Anxiously pacing the room in a leopard print dress and haku lei was Natalie Parker. Parker thought up and organized the whole fundraiser, now in its second year. Last summer she worked as hostess at Compadres, which explains the venue. This summer she worked at Mountain Apple, which explained how she booked professional entertainers like Brother Noland and Grammy award-winner Jeff Peterson. Parker is only 19. So what did you do this summer?

Oh Say Can You See: Jake Shimabukuro's new album, "Gently Weeps," is mainly solo material, reflecting the solo shows he does in between gigs with Jimmy Buffett. With Buffett, Jake was simply part of the Coral Reefers band -- though occasionally Jimmy would push him out on stage first, all alone, to play "The Star-Spangled Banner" on his uke. "A small crowd for Jimmy is 20,000 people. Often, it's 50,000 or 60,000," says Jake. "It could be a little intimidating."

Shimabukuro took off Thursday night for Colorado. He returns to Hawaii today, off to Japan tomorrow. You can catch him next in Hawaii at the Convention Center Sept. 30.

CORRECTION Tuesday, August 22, 2006 » Manolo Morales is a reporter for KHON-TV. His last name was misspelled in the "What the Heck?" column on Page A2 Sunday. Please see the applicable Corrections Page for more information.