It may be the most bilingual event in Hawaii, every word from the stage in English matched by two in the state's other official language, Hawaiian.

It was the 25th anniversary of 'Aha Punana Leo, celebrated with a dinner at the Hilton last Sunday. I'm not sure I expected to see this day.

Nearly 25 years ago, I wrote an article called “;Can Hawaiian Survive?”; 'Olelo Hawai'i, as we've finally learned to call it, was in bad shape. There were fewer than 50 people under 18 who spoke it, most on Niihau. Teaching in Hawaiian was still banned in public schools. When the next generation doesn't acquire a language young, it's on its way to a silent goodbye.

Along the way, I met a group of language activists - Kauanoe Kamana, Pila Wilson, Larry Kimura - who were beginning Hawaiian immersion preschools, “;language nests,”; they called them, 'Aha Punana Leo. I doubted that would work.

Wrong. At dinner, I sat next to Charlie Toguchi, who headed up the Department of Education during the Waihee administration. Toguchi heard what 'Aha Punana Leo was up to. “;The law changed, and it was obvious what we needed to do,”; he says.

In addition to 11 Punana Leo preschools, there's now public education in 'olelo Hawai'i all the way from kindergarten to graduate school. The result: 3,000 young Hawaiian speakers in the state. It seemed like hundreds of them were at the dinner, their ancestral language tripping easily off their tongues.

The general manager of the Ala Moana Hotel, Grant James, who arrived here only 18 months ago from his native Australia, stood up to speak. Most of his speech was in English, or whatever Australians speak. But he concluded by ripping through a couple of lines in excellent Hawaiian. In the audience, Pila Wilson broke into a broad smile.

Just Desserts

It was remarkably how pleasant the 'Aha Punana Leo dinner was, filled with hula, chant and Hawaiian warmth.

There was also, in that great Island tradition, more Hawaiian food than anyone could possibly eat. At the meal's end, the waitresses came out with stacks of clamshell take-out boxes, insisting people take food home.

DJ Kimo Kahoano loaded into a clamshell an entire chocolate haupia cake. “;Don't put this in your column,”; he instructed me.

“;It's OK, Kimo,”; I said. “;Everyone already knows you take the cake.”;

When Cultures Collide

Read with some interest the recent book by Christina Thompson, editor of the Harvard Review, about what happened when 18th- and 19th-century Western explorers first contacted Polynesians.

The history's mixed with a love story. As a grad student, Thompson married a rural Maori tradesman - “;a man who could not have been more different from me if we'd set out to embody the principle of Opposites Attract.”;

The book's mainly about the Maori, though there are chapters set in Hawaii (Thompson worked in the '90s at the East-West Center). Still, you'll be intrigued by her insights into cultures colliding in Polynesia.

And you have to love the title, a Maori greeting to the first Dutch explorers: “;Come On Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All.”;

Lost on Alakea Street

If you were stuck in gridlock on Alakea Street Wednesday, you were lost. That is, “;Lost.”; The TV series was filming a short scene with Evangeline Lilly driving a gray Volvo.

To get a few moments on film, it took nine vehicles, three tents full of equipment, a couple of dozen techs and production assistants, and a host of extras dressed in dark suits.

Ran into award-winning radio producer Heidi Chang, dressed in an uncharacteristic navy blue pantsuit. “;I'm an extra, an office worker,”; said Chang. “;I don't have any lines. I've spent the morning walking back and forth.”;

Chang has been in every Island-based series since “;Hawaii Five-O.”;

Which was her favorite? “;Oh, I miss 'Magnum,'”; she said. “;Tom Selleck was just such a Hawaii guy.”;

Dog Loose in London

Despite “;Lost,”; Hawaii's most recognized TV personality is the often in-the-doghouse Duane “;Dog”; Chapman.

After taping the Second Annual Fox Reality Channel “;Really Awards”; in L.A. last Wednesday, Dog and Beth Chapman jetted off to London.

Since his show is in the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, Dog will find himself honored on the floor of Parliament. Then he'll drop by Scotland Yard to discuss some cases. Really.

Only problem, says one insider, is that the trans-Atlantic flight is likely to be torture for the reality TV star: “;He can hardly fly to Denver without a cigarette.”;

Model Polynesians

“;Every time I see an ad or a brochure about Hawaii, the model is Japanese or Filipino,”; says Ralph Malani. Malani, an Aveda stylist with both Hawaiian and Samoan in his background, decided to fix that by establishing a new agency, Hawaii Polynesian Modeling and Talent.

“;There are so many beautiful Polynesian women - and men - here,”; he says. “;You see them on the street and they don't know how beautiful they are.”;

Should you feel your Polynesian beauty needs to be discovered, you can reach Malani at 398-4944. He wants women, men, kids, old and young.

Join Me in a Cup of Coffee?

Dustin Sellers of ProService and Hawaii Business magazine publisher David Tumilowicz did the morning news on KHON Wednesday, standing in an oversize coffee cup that said “;I (Heart) My Job.”; All to help sign up companies for the magazine's annual Best Places to Work survey.

Sellers apparently enjoyed it so much he carted the enormous cup out to Kalanianaole Highway to wave at commuters Friday morning. Deadline to sign up a company was last Friday, but given the grande, perhaps venti, burst of publicity, it's been extended until tomorrow.