Music video on Obama has Hawaii ties

A new Spanish-language music video about Barack Obama is getting plenty of attention on YouTube. Even though it rallies support in the Latino community (admittedly in short supply here in the islands), there is -- as always with Obama -- a local tie. In this case it's director and videographer Eric Byler, who hails from Hawaii.

But lots of people had a hand in "Si Se Puede Cambiar" ("Yes We Can Change"), composed and performed with an acoustic guitar by Andres Useche, with English subtitles. In the extensive b-roll that supplements the music, local favorite Kelly Hu, Ken Leung (the new freighter guy on "Lost") and actor Kal Penn all make brief appearances.

The Star-Bulletin profiled Byler in 2005 around the premiere of his feature films "Tre" and "American Knees." Buzz about the filmmaker started when critic Roger Ebert gave a thumbs-up to his 2002 film "Charlotte Sometimes," which drew attention at the Hawaii International Film Festival that year.

Depending on your political leanings, the music video could be considered a simplistic attack on Republicans and the war in Iraq, or a charming, folksy song asking for nothing more than a bit of change. Decide for yourself at www.youtube.com/UnitedForObama.

Chef, author and television personality Anthony Bourdain visited Hawaii in December to film an episode of his show "No Reservations." While he was here, the often acerbic, always witty Bourdain invited local writer and editor David Choo to be his "Spam sidekick." It seems that Choo escorted Bourdain to a place he might never find on his own: New Uptown Fountain, a down-home Kalihi eatery noted in Choo's "Lunch Break" dining guide. According to Choo, Bourdain consumed all of his Spam musubi -- along with Choo's leftovers. The episode airs at 8 p.m. Monday on the Travel Channel.

Oahu now has a "Movie Tour Map." Dubbed "Hawaiiwood," the fold-out color guide features 150 film locations from a long list of movies and television shows, including "50 First Dates," "Blue Crush," "ER," "Hawaii 5-0," "Jurassic Park," "Magnum P.I.," "Pearl Harbor," "Tora Tora Tora," "From Here to Eternity" and, of course, "Lost."

Each location contains an address and description of the scene filmed there. Manoa Valley Inn, for instance, has played a role in several episodes of "Lost." It served as Charlie and Liam's childhood home in England as well as the house of the psychic Claire visits in Australia, and the Australian office where Eko meets with the undertaker. Kualoa Ranch and Kaaawa Valley seem to be the most popular locations, judging from the long list of productions associated with them.

A fun memory: Coconut Island off Kaneohe was featured in the second and third seasons of "Gilligan's Island" in the 1960s. The project is the brainchild of Minette Lew-McCabe of Radio Tokyo Productions and Luella Costales of High Standard Hawaii LLC. The map is sold at Borders and Barnes & Noble and at www.welcometotheislands.com for $9.99.

"Screen Time" is an occasional feature in the Today section. E-mail knichols@starbulletin.com.