Thompson opens Atherton lectures

Hawaii Public Radio's Atherton Performing Arts Studio is usually home to intimate concerts and tapings of its popular local literary program “;Aloha Shorts.”; But starting Thursday, a unique series of three monthly lectures will begin, co-hosted by Burt Lum, producer and co-host of KIPO's high-tech talk show “;Bytemarks Cafe”; and HPR's talk shows executive producer Beth-Ann Kozlovich.

Titled the “;Wayfinder Lectures,”; the first guest lecturer will be executive director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society and science education advocate Nainoa Thompson. Social engineering expert James Koshiba will follow on Aug. 20, and on Sept. 17 it will be bio-energy research expert Paul Zorner.

(Koshiba is the co-founder of 3Point, a local firm that helps nonprofits, businesses and governments help society by using analytical precision, organizational effectiveness and political momentum. Zorner is president and CEO of Hawaii BioEnergy.)

Lum said the series of lectures “;will feature key visionaries in Hawaii who are innovative, motivational and engaging. Each has a profound understanding about where we've been, and each has the passion to deliver ideas about where we're going.”;

All lectures will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will last between an hour and an hour and a half. Admission is free, but reservations are highly recommended as seating in the studio is limited. Call 955-8821.

'HONK' musical at Hawaii Theatre

“;HONK! “;a musical about Hans Christian Andersen's “;Ugly Duckling,”; will play at Hawaii Theatre this weekend, presented by Hawaii Education of the ARTS. Shows are at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday.

This family show stars Kaena Kekoka of Windward Nazarene Academy as the Ugly Duckling, Erik Norseth of Kamehameha Schools as The Cat and Gabrielle Awai of Hakipu'u Learning Center as The Female Cat.

Tickets range from $13 to $25. Call 528-0506.

Color downtown street sale green

Go green with Honolulu Weekly on Friday when the sidewalks between King and Hotel streets will house several eco-conscious vendors from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Look for Segway demonstrations, organic sorbets, a plant sale, fruits and vegetables, composting worms, $15 haircuts (proceeds from the haircuts will go toward environmental causes) and more.

For those looking at ways to go green in the workplace, there will be a green office tour from noon to 1 p.m. Registration for the tour is required. Call Gail at 587-3802 or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Movie preview

Opening Friday:

”;G-Force”;: Jerry Bruckheimer presents a live-action/animated 3-D movie about an elite team of guinea pigs, trained to be spies for the U.S. government, who are the world's last hope against an evil plot to take over the world. Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Penelope Cruz and Tracy Morgan give voice to the cute little critters, with Will Arnett, Bill Nighy and Zack Galifianakis heading the real-people cast. (PG)

”;Orphan”;: A mourning couple decides to adopt a child, only to discover that the seemingly sweet and angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Peter Sarsgaard, Vera Farmiga and Isabelle Fuhrman star. (R)

”;The Ugly Truth”;: The sparks fly between Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler when a romantically challenged Sacramento TV morning-news show producer and a boorish personality are paired up to boost ratings. He promises to talk candidly on the air on what makes men and women tick. (R)

STUFFS

LOOK » “;Ruby & the Rockits”; debuts at 8:30 p.m. on ABC Family.

LISTEN » New albums out today: Aimee Allen, “;A Little Happiness”;; Susanna Hoffs & Matthew Sweet, “;Under the Covers, Vol. 2”;; Kenny Loggins, “;All Join In”;; Demi Lovato, “;Here We Go Again”;; Jordin Sparks, “;Battlefield”;; and Sugar Ray, “;Music for Cougars.”;

DO » Tickets go on sale tomorrow for Shaolin Warriors, a group of 22 Buddhist monks from Shaolin Temple who perform high-flying martial arts and acrobatics. Shaolin Warriors will perform at Blaisdell Concert Hall from Sept. 23 to 27. Tickets range from $30 to $60 and are available at Ticketmaster or call (800) 745-3000. Discount tickets available. Opening night tickets are all $35 with proceeds going to the Palolo Chinese Home.