The pandemic has sidelined many entertainers, for obvious reasons – many clubs statewide have not been retaining performers largely because patrons have not been plentiful.
But for Brittni Paiva, the 33-year-old Big Island ukulele whiz, the past two years –embracing the coronavirus lockdowns — have had a profound impact in her life..
Brittni Paiva
In a Facebook post, Paiva revealed her triumph amid challenges.
“In a little over two years, I went from alcoholic and drug addict, to now sober and moving to Los Angeles to actually live my dream. I’m pretty damn proud of how far I’ve come.”
In her prime and while living in Hilo, Paiva became one of the Big Island’s favorite troupers, collecting awards from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts, the Hawaii Music Awards, and the Big Island Music Awards.
Her last album was “Tell U What.”
Paiva has not disclosed what her “dream” in L.A. entails, or whether she will resume her career as a multi-talented ukulele artist. While she was a piano-trained musician, picking up the four-stringed uke was a life changer. As she has said, it was “love at first touch.”
Whatever her path, we wish her well in the next chapter of her life. …
Monday night TV
Monday night’s TV viewership had the usual 1-2-3 leaders, though numbers were slightly less than previous weeks.
Mark Harmon
So:
CBS’s “NCIS,” attracted the most viewers, 7.6 million, with a 0.6 in the 18 to 49 year-old demographics.
NBC’s “The Voice,” drew an audience of 7.2 million, with a 0.9 rating in the age-accented demos.
CBS’ “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” with 5.4 million viewers, logged a 0.4 demo rating.
Storylines may sway and tilt the scale, and a rotating door of actors may exit and enter, but the mothership ”NCIS” — with Mark Harmon as Leroy Jethro Gibbs — concluded last night with a surprising show-closer: a glimpse of a tombstone with his name and birthdate, with a blank place for a death date.
Was that merely a teaser, or a preview of what’s to come? Gary Cole, meanwhile, is now a regular as special agent Alden Park, a buttinski who seems to be the logical lead agent, should Gibbs terminate by choice or by script.
Further, with the “Hawai‘i” spin-off still a work-in-progress and in see-saw mode, it may be the right-show-in-the-right-time savior for the NCIS brand. Simply, it could emerge as this season’s newbie with the best chance of becoming the first of this year’s crop to be rewarded with a second-season pickup, even with its No. 3 ranking. It boasts behind-the-sceners from the cancelled “NCIS: New Orleans” eager to make this one last. …
Henry Kapono and Friends’ mammoth concert Nov. 6 at the Tom Moffatt Waikiki Shell – a highlight of the fall music calendar – has been postponed till June 18, 2022, organizers announced today (Sept. 28).
The uncertainty of the prevailing cloud of the coronavirus pandemic was the reason for the postponement.
“We are all due for some Good Times Together, an epic celebration,” said Kapono, an award-winning singer, composer, musician and organizer of the event. But now is not the time, hence the pushing of the pause button.
The announcement alluded to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, with see-sawing protocols that change from day to day, week to week.
Safety is the bottom line of the decision to reschedule the concert.
Henry Kapono
“We all need it, we all deserve it,” he said of performing. “But not until the current COVID-19 crisis and uncertainty is behind us and we can all be safe and comfortable together again. Let us always aloha together.”
Generally, outdoor events like this one at the Shell can be staged, probably at half-the-house capacity, with spectators donning facemasks and sitting socially distanced – with empty seats separating patrons, similarly like the guidelines for indoor movie theaters.
The spacing would require a reconfiguration of the seating plan if the show went on as originally scheduled. General admission lawn seating would have to be monitored, with space between gathered show-goers.
All tickets previously purchased will be honored and transferred to the new date, according to the announcement. Those who cannot attend the new June 22 date may seek refunds by contacting the Blaisdell Center box office, at https://blaisdellcenter.com/ticket-refunds/ by Dec. 31, 2021.
New concert tickets may be purchased online beginning today (Sept.28) at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0A005AF0F1353054 or at the Blaisdell Box Office from Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by calling (808) 768-5252.
Formally billed as the “Home in the Islands With Henry Kapono & Friends,” the show will assemble an all-star lineup of Hawai‘i’s most iconic and emerging musical artists together, celebrating the soundtrack of Hawai‘i. Presumably, an updated roster of participants will be announced at a later date.
The event is a partial benefit for the Henry Kapono Foundation, with $1 from every ticket and a portion of the show’s proceeds, going toward helping the many musicians, stagehands, audio engineers, lighting technicians, and backstage crews that lost their jobs over the past 18 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. …
‘NCIS: Hawai’i’ in third place again
The overnight ratings are in for Monday (Sept. 27) night TV, with numbers down from a week ago:
CBS’s “NCIS,” the mothership led by Mark Harmon in the franchise, was Monday (Sept. 27) night’s most-watched show, continuing to rule the airwaves. It drew 7.8 million viewers and a score of 0.7 in the key demographics between 18 and 49 years old.
NBC’s “The Voice” attracted 6.7 million viewers, placing second, but led the coveted demographics with a 0.95 rating.
CBS’ “NCIS: Hawai‘i” newbie was third again, pulling in 5.4 million viewers and a 0.5 demo. …
Jeremy Kama Hopkins
Virtual ukulele workshop
Jeremy Kama Hopkins will present “Nā Tutua Heleuī,” a one-hour virtual ukulele session, at 1 p.m. Hawaii time on Oct. 2. You can learn a Hawaiian Halloween song entitled “Nā Tutua Heleuī,” with lyrics and translation sent to you once you sign up by 6 p.m. Oct. 1. Fee is $25, with registration at Venmo @Jeremy-Hopkins-4 and on PayPal at paypal.me/kamakane73. The session also will provide simple ʻukulele chords. Type “Nā Tutua Heleuī” in a note at the time of registration; a confirmation will be sent to you. …
You only live once, and perhaps now is the time of your life to make a point and make a difference.
How about Lifetime Tickets to The Actors’ Group?
TAG has made that option possible, with different prices for difference ages. No matter if you’re a TAG newbie or a TAG patron for decades. Remember the Yellow Brick Studio era?
Here are the options:
$1,000 per person if you’re 65 years and older.
$1,500 per person if you’re between 40 to 64 years old.
$2,000 per person if you’re under 40 years old.
Think about the convenience of not having to purchase a ticket for the rest of your life. Whatever your price/age entry level, you’ll be part of the TAG family for life.
Since TAG’s playhouse, the Brad Powell Theatre at Dole Cannery, has limited seating, betcha you’ll get priority dibs for seats when you need ‘em.
Lifetime tickets are not transferrable, for obvious reasons. Your name will be on your tickets till you die so this is something you can take to heaven. And like life, this is a limited -time offer and will, um, terminate .
We haven’t seen ’em yet, but while Al Harrington is gone — the actor-entertainer died Sept. 21 — his last acting gig is yet to be seen.
“I wanted you to know that Al Harrington’s last role was in ‘Doogie Kamealoha, MD,'” according to consulting producer Chris Lee, of the Hawai’i-based comedy now streaming via Disney+. Harrington plays Jason Scott Lee’s uncle “and has some very moving episodes later in the season. It was an honor to have him on the show,” said Lee (no relation to the actor). Harrington portrays Uncle John and we all should anticipate these appearances. …
Channel hopping
While the world wrestles with coronavirus and the delta variant, Daniel Dae Kim (does he still live in Hawai’i, when he’s not working?) soon will be seen battling anthrax threats in “The Hot Zone: Anthrax,” part of National Geographic’s anthology based on factual incidents.
Daniel Dae Kim
In this one, Kim portrays an FBI agent named Matthew Ryker, said to be a composite of several agents, who investigates post 9/11 issues with anthrax-laced letters to media and politicos following the terrorism and the toppling of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. His partner in crime fighting is Tony Goldwyn, playing Dr. Bruce Ivins, an actual microbiologist whose work involved analyzing the deadly mailings.
Good to know that Kim, one of the pillars of ABC’s “Lost” and CBS’s “Hawaii Five-0” reboot, misses us in the islands. You see, “Anthrax” filmed in Canada during the pandemic crisis, and as he told Entertainment Weekly, “The Toronto winter, combined with a strict lockdown, made it one of the most challenging on-location experiences I’ve ever had. It certainly wasn’t Hawai’i.” Atta boy; Hawai’i no ka oi. …
The series bows Nov. 28 and a preview now is airing. …
Rosa Navarro Harrington, widow of entertainer Al Harrrington who died Tuesday (Sept. 21), has issued a compassionate statement about her loss, saying “he was my regal Polynesian King.”
She was at his side when he died at age 85. Harrington earlier suffered a stroke.
Her statement, released today (Sept. 22), reflects how inseparable the couple was.
“I have had the honor of loving Al, whom I called ‘Harrington’ for 20-years,” she said.
Al and Rosa Harrington; photo by Kat Wade, special to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser
“We were an inseparable team; best friends and he was my regal Polynesian King. Al embodied the purest, life-giving values of aloha and began each day with a smile.” She described their routine: “We were early risers, and long before the sun would appear over Manoa Valley’s Ko‘olau Mountain Range, Al would have already thanked me for creating our humble yet adventurous life together in the islands. Oh how he loved Hawai’i and would remark on its beauty throughout the day…from one holoholo to the next, like a never ending swell of gratitude within him.”
To know him was to love him, said Rosa.
“Al was truly a gift from God. A noble, compassionate, patient and gentle man with a witty sense of humor and a larger-than-life laugh that will echo in my heart until we are reunited. He was generous, quick to forgive, a hard worker, a provider and always ready to talk-story. He loved his community and even more, his culture. It was his greatest honor to represent his people on-screen, and to serve them off-screen. To know him was to feel seen, loved, safe and welcomed. As an Icon for Hawai’i, our islands and her people are mourning his loss.”
And she offered her mahalo for his giving ways. “Harrington, it’s my turn to thank you, for inviting me along the most extraordinary ride of life! I promise to rise each morning with gratitude, and to honor your legacy by living each day to its fullest with a commitment to health and vitality.”
A Punahou football star as a student, Harrington returned to campus as a school teacher, though show business became his ultimate profession.
Harrington as Ben Kokua.
His stint playing Ben Kokua on the original Jack Lord-starring “Hawaii Five-0” from 1968 to 1980), enabled him to become the South Pacific Man, starring in a Polynesian revue in Waikiki. The acting gig helped buoy his nightclub stint, the last of the locals hired to play a recurring role on a network (CBS) TV, dissolving the general prevailing assumption among casting directors who felt Hawaii didn’t have the talent to succeed in co-starring roles.
As Harrington 2.0, he appeared in another wholly locally-produced “Doogie Kamealoha MD,” portraying Uncle John, in the current Disney+ series now streaming.
He also played Mamo Kahike in the Alex O’Loughlin reboot of “Five-0.”
He made his network TV debut on “To Tell the Truth,” viewable on YouTube, in which he played himself with two other imposters, with a panel of judges trying to name the real Al Harrington. The real dude also demonstrated that he could twirl a knife in a common Samoan staple in visitor productions here. In fact, he was a fire knife dancer before he starred in his own revue here.
He had a string of guest roles in a range of other TV series and logged a roster of film roles that didn’t utilize the depth of his talent.
Harrington’s agent, Gregory David Mayor, also offered a reaction to the actor’s passing.“It has been my utmost pleasure to have served as Al Harrington’s theatrical agent for many years. More importantly, Al became a close friend and mentor to me in my own career and life,” he said. “ Al uplifted me to find my faith again….and for that alone, I am truly grateful. Admiration, respect, humor, peace, and joy are those attributes that one can ascribe to Al Harrington. Truly a special child of God.”
Besides his wife, Harrington is survived by sons Alema and Tau, daughters Cassi Harrington Palmer and Summer Harrington and several grandchildren.
With the launch of a new TV season Monday (Sept. 20), and “NCIS” mothership switching to the lineup from its long-time Tuesday perch, the newbie “NCIS: Hawai‘i” appears to benefit in the ratings, thanks to its slot following the original show’s 19th season lift-off.
A new franchise — this one filmed in Hawai’i — can always use a helpful boost.
Here’s how the evening played out in the ratings:
— No. 1 – CBS’ “NCIS,” the Mark Harmon foundation of the franchise, attracting an audience of 8.5 million viewers and 0.7 rating in the coveted 18 to 49 age demo, a skosh lower than last season’s debut on a Tuesday night.
— No. 2 — NBC’s “The Voice,” with 7.2 million viewers, topping the demos with a 1.1 rating. Its audience of younger fans reflected the uptick in the demo.
— No. 3 – CBS’“NCIS: Hawai‘i,” with 6.6 million viewers and a 0.5 demo rating. Not bad for the newbie.
Mark Harmon as agent Gibbs.
In fine fashion, there was Harmon, as lead agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, recovering from his boat explosion from last season’s finale, and finally connecting with his team including special agent Timothy McGee (played by Sean Murray). Sure, Gibbs is an often threatening bossman, who often smacks the back of the heads of his agents, but he has their back, and vice versa. That rapport is a two-way street; respect for the honcho, and support for the chief. That camaraderie has been the spine that has kept NCIS on the straight-up as the No. 1 procedural for nearly two decades.
Vanessa Lachey, appearing as Jane Tennant, the first woman leading an NCIS team, must not have gotten the memo, or its script writers didn’t, in the first episode of the “Hawai‘i” installation. Her I’m-the-boss tone quickly created friction with a Navy Capt. Joe Milius, portrayed by Enver Gjokaj, with her colleagues awkwardly jostling for relevance. Leaders need to have mutual respect and sensible work ethics to co-exist and succeed.
Vanessa Lachey as agent Jane Tennant in “NCIS: Hawai’i.”
Tennant is a single mother, so is tasked to shape a comfortable home front while juggling her chores as a head agent. She is called from a soccer match to proceed to a plane deliberately pounding into a mountain, so the mission’s finally launched. At best, Lachey has potential to get that chip off her shoulder and lead the team effort. Might take two or three more episodes for this niggler to settle. Alex Tennant ([portrayed by Kian Talan) is the elder son of the lead character and Julie Tennant (played by Mahina Napolean) is the young sister and both logically can anticipate to be more visible in future episodes when the mother meter ticks.
The Hawai’i investigative team is a quirky lot. Lucy Tara (played by Yasmine Al-Bustami), eager to please and curiously swift to proclaim her standing, has an unexpected lesbian embrace, suggesting future LBGTQ themes down the line.
Kai Holman (played by Alex Tarrant) is a junior squad member returning to Hawai’i to serve, still trying to forget or escape his Waimanalo roots; he looms as a key figure, but seems unsettled about where to set anchor. He looks local/Hawaiian (he’s Maori, Samoan and Niuean) and orders kalua pig, manapua and loco moco from a food wagon, but clearly can’t feign the real-local ways. Yet. One of his issues is in doubting his dad, realistically portrayed by Moses Goods, a keiki o ka ‘aina. You can quickly recognize the legit in the first few utterances and moments. Yep.
Jesse Boone (portrayed by Noah Mills), is a homicide detective settling into a new job in the islands, and has the look and physique that could develop into a popular and major sidekick.
Kate Whistler (played by Tori Anderson) also is an outsider from the Defense intelligence Agency hoping to find her niche in the Pearl Harbor realm and seems to have a path for her own rise on the ladder of investigation—and possible revisit her eyebrow-raising smooch with Agent Tara.
And Ernie Malik (played byJason Antoon) is the sometimes goofy techie /intelligence guy – all procedurals have one – who has to dig up investigative files in quick moves.
When a franchise has four shows total (“Los Angeles” and the original still exist, ‘New Orleans” went to TV heaven), it’s tough to differentiate one from the other, except by setting. The military or cop jargon remain the same, but landscape matters. Problem is, “NCIS: Hawai’i” still has competish from locally-filmed “Magnum P.I.” (aerials, surf, hotels, green mountains when it rains), and frankly, reflecting back to the original “Hawaii Five-0,” “Magnum” and other Hawaii series as “Jake and the Fatman” and “Five-0” reboot, the novelty of sea-shore-sun is long gone. The major difference will be in the art of storytelling, and perhaps some day, bona fide Hawaiians, Asians and Pacific Islanders as principal cast, not secondary backgrounders. (Current fave: “Doogie Kamealoha,” the Disney+ creation, with lots of local faces and manners).
At least in the premiere, the newbie had the smarts to embrace local music in the soundtrack, notably “Island Style.” Words and sounds — meaning our cultural tunes — will boost and establish atmosphere, and further enhance and propel the images.
If nothing else, Lachey’s Tennant character has gusto and guts, speaking her mind, and totally immersing herself in island waters (well, clearly, her stunt double did that finale scene). The best bet going for her, and the island-based show, is the fact that it airs here at 9 p.m., following the mothership at 8 p.m. Mondays. Now it has to earn its own stripes. …
