BOOK 'EM, DANIEL

Now if we can just find a good McGarrett ......

Plans to do an updated version of the TV classic “;Hawaii Five-0”; seem to be off to a very promising start.

Daniel Dae Kim, who gained fame on the show “;Lost,”; has signed on as Chin Ho Kelly, a role played in the original cop drama by Kam Fong. Also on board for the pilot are writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who did a stellar reworking of the TV series “;Star Trek”; into a big-screen movie last year.

Now, if they can just get the casting of Steve McGarrett right, hopes are high for another long-running, Hawaii-based hit.

TAKE A BREAK

A long weekend of celebrations

It'll be a convergence of special occasions when no fewer than three—count 'em, three—holidays occur this weekend.

On Sunday, get ready for some champagne and fireworks as both Valentine's Day and the Lunar New Year will be observed. Then on Monday comes Presidents Day, when many workers will get a day off. Many, but alas for us, not all.

READY TO RUMBLE

Legal scholars face off over the Akaka Bill

The potential effect of the Akaka Bill will be dissected during a debate tonight.

Ilya Shapiro, editor-in-chief of the libertarian Cato Supreme Court Review, and University of Hawaii-Manoa law professor Jon Van Dyke will discuss the bill's status under President Obama and debate what its enactment would mean for native Hawaiians.

The event, scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. at the UH law school's Classroom 4, is free and open to the public.

The Akaka Bill, now pending in Congress, provides native Hawaiians a framework to build their own government, similar to the limited self-rule granted American Indian tribes.

Shapiro insists that the bill, if enacted into law, would be struck down as unconstitutional, taking existing programs for native Hawaiians down with it. Van Dyke has described the Akaka Bill as a “;win-win”; for the state and says it can withstand legal challenge.