Lord Waterford attends Jany Cataldo's Oscar party

LORD WATERFORD is in town and attended Jany Cataldo's Academy Awards party Sunday in her spacious Colony Surf apartment. Also there were Lennie Sorenson, Larry McKenzie, Keiko Miyanaga, Richard Diehl and Amanda Abe. Amanda marked her birthday Feb. 18 at a Michel's dinner party with a dozen friends, organized by Jany. Brits Amanda and Jany are both women of high fashion and sometimes share clothing with each other ...

IT IS UNFORTUNATE that the Bistro, a fine restaurant in Century Center, shut its doors for good Feb. 18 over a lease dispute with the landlord. Cliff Laughton, Jackie Takeshita and chef Rodney Uyehara had a good thing going. The food and live piano music were excellent in the comfortable setting. I'm looking forward to the Bistro opening at a new location soon ...

EDWIN CORL was a young Marine on his way home from Japan to Lebanon, Pa., in 1946 and his ship docked in Honolulu. He went to a King Street restaurant in Chinatown -- he doesn't know the name and a bank is there now -- and met waitress Betsy Tokuda, who also lived on King Street. Betsy mailed a card to Corl's home address, letting his parents know he was en route home. Corl, 80, who still has the card, now lives here and is upset he never thanked Betsy for her kindness. He would like to do so. So Betsy, if you are out there and read this, Edwin's phone number is 521-8540 ...

It's all in the ohana for Hawaii Opera Theatre

THE HAWAII Opera Theatre's season has family talent. "Madama Butterfly," which opens Friday, has two family pairs. Quinn Kelsey and his mom, Debbie, share the stage with father and daughter John and Megan Mount. The earlier "Samson and Dalia" production had mother and son Phyllis and Erik Haines. "Butterfly" also plays Sunday, Tuesday and March 8. Tickets are hot as Friday and Sunday are sold out ... Singer-actress Shari Lynn, La Pietra's school for girls' music teacher, is taking the school's select choir to Italy March 14. The 17 girls will visit the La Pietra estate outside Florence, the inspiration for the site of the former home of Walter and Louise Dillingham. The girls will also do joint concerts in Florence with Anime Voices and with Corale Palestrina in Carpi. They return March 25 ...

Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin in the streets of downtown Honolulu during World War II, writes of people, places and things in our Hawaii. E-mail him at bwood@starbulletin.com