Category: Show Biz

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LOCAL LINK IN NEW ‘HEIGHTS’ FILM

Kevin McCollum, an executive producer of the just-released “In the Heights” musical film, brings an island link to the summer’s first hit film.

McCollum, who earlier co-produced “Heights” in its Broadway incarnation, has had a New York career spanning 25 years. He has earned the Tony Award for Best Musical for “In the Heights” (2008), “Avenue Q” (2004) and “Rent” (1996).  In the upcoming Broadway season beginning Sept. 14, McCollum will be represented with “Six” and “Mrs. Doubtfire,” two newbies on Broadway.

He also previously produced “Motown: The Musical,” “Something Rotten,” “Hand to God” and “The Drowsy Chaperone” on Broadway.

Kevin McCollum

His film credit this year will be the new vision of an old favorite, “West Side Story,” directed by Steven Spielberg.

McCollum was born in Hawaii, the son of Sue McCollum Gereben; she  appeared in “Hawaii Five-0” and was active with media groups including the Honolulu Press Club. …

Meaningful numbers

In the aforementioned “In the Heights,”  there’s a bunch of numbers for a hot lottery ticket, and the sum of $96,000 as the amount of the prize.

Jon M. Chu, who directed the film, has a particular interest in figures, so the 96,000 number is the title of the lavish water and swimming pool production number.

But New York Magazine’s Vulture wing also reports the background story on the lottery ticket number: 5-7-16-26-33.

Turns out Chu’s wife Kristin Hodge was hapax with their second son, the film was being shot, and as the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” shared this cooky series of reasons of why those figs were assembled: 5 is his wife’s birthday month; 7-16 is their daughter’s birthday; 7-26 is their anniversary date and also the due date of their son.

“When I showed my wife (the numbers), she was like, ‘You know our anniversary is the 27th, right? And the baby is due on the 27th,” he was quoted. But a few weeks after the shoot, the boy was born … on July 26, “so he had my back,” said Chu. And rightfully, the toddler was named Jonathan Heights Chu. Imagine the story he’ll share when he grows up. …

Fashion focus

Bruno Mars says his fashion muse is Cher.

Bruno Mars

Well, maybe he was kidding when asked whose style inspired him.

InStyle interviewed Mars, the superstar from Hawaii, and Mars credited Cher as his muse. The changed his mind and said he is his own muse.

Amusing? Maybe.

Mars is the inspiration behind his Ricky Regal lifestyle brand, named after his alter ego, and the Lacoste fashion house describes the Mars product thusly: “Inspired by a lust for life and an entrepreneurial Midas touch.”  It’s a luxurious but sporty line. …

The Emmy goes to …

The Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Hawaii News Now, and Ballet Hawaii were bestowed regional Emmy awards recently from the Northern California competition.

HTY’s TV show, “The HI Way,” earned three awards:

  • For Arts/Entertainment – Long Format: “Da Holidays: The HI Way” (NMG Network/HTY), Jason Cutinella, Katie Pickman, exec producers; Eric Johnson, producer.
  • For Arts/Entertainment – Long Format: “Pono: The HI Way.” Same creators.
  • For Informational/Instructional – Long Form content: “Racism: The HI Way,” episode eight. Same creators.

Hawaii News Now won three::

  • For Hard News Report – “On the Frontline: Honolulu EMS,”  KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now. Allyson Blair, reporter; Jonathan Suyat, photographer.
  • For Historic/Cultural – Long Format: “Queen Liliuokalani Keiki Hoike,” KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now,” Guy Sibilla, Wendy Suite, exec producers; Mary Beth McClelland, producer; Josephine Kristine, director-editor; Kennedy Carson and Lacy Deniz, hosts.
  • For Spot Announcement/Campaign – “Ballet Hawaii’s #Arts Beyond Covid,” KGMB/KHNL Hawaii News Now/Ballet Hawaii. Pamela Taylor Tongg, exec producer; Stasia Droze Jost, producer-director-writer-editor; Deborah Glazer, producer-director-writer-editor…

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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‘SUNSHINE BOYS’ POSTPONED A SECOND TIME AT HAWAII THEATRE

Update: After this column was posted this morning, I got an email from Joe Moore, announcing yet another postponement of “The Sunshine Boys.” Thus, the following column has been revised.–Wayne Harada

For the second time since the pandemic shutdown began nearly two years ago, the production of “The Sunshine Boys” — which was listed in an email announcement from the Hawaii Theatre — has been delayed again.

New performance dates are June 16 through June 26…in 2022.

The comedy, by Neil Simon, will feature Joe Moore, Hawaii’s longtime most-watched news anchor on KHON-TV, and his one-time Army buddy, Pat Sajak, the host of the wildly popular syndicated “Wheel of Fortune” game show.

“Mighty kind of you featuring ‘The Sunshine Boys’ in today’s Show Biz column online…and I hate to disappoint, but for the second year in a row, the Covid pandemic has forced us to postpone the show for a year,” said Moore in an email. “Large gatherings are still not allowed under the state’s restrictions, so rather than perform the show to a widely spaced, one-third capacity audience who might might not feel comfortable in a large crowd yet,  Pat and I along with Greg Dunn, head of Hawaii Theatre, decided it best to postpone the benefit run as we want to raise as much money as possible for the theatre.”

Joe Moore

On a family note, the play also will mark the professional acting debut of Bryce Moore, son of the newsman. Bryce previously co-starred in “Under the Blood Red Sun,” a made-in-Hawaii film.

The supporting cast also will include Therese Olival, Robert Duvall, Jeanne Wynn Herring, Matthew Mazzella,  Bart DaSilva, and Robert Doan.

Moore and Sajak have frequently performed together on stage in Hawaii. Because one lives here and the other on the mainland, rehearsals are frequently done virtually.

Pat Sajak

Moore portrays Willie Clark and Sajak is Al Lewis in the play about the reunion of vaudevillian vets tapped by CBS to do a TV special. Willie Clark’s nephew (Bryce Moore) attempts to bring the duo together, but longstanding grudges and friction resurface, and the question of ageism raises doubt about whether the duo can succeed and mend the broken bridges of the past.

Rob Duvall, a multiple Po’okela Award winner, will direct.

Performances will be at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, with additional matinee shows at 2 p.m. Saturdays, through June 27.

Tickets; $30 to $75, available at www.hawaiitheatare.com.

Chai opens newest, KALO, with Hawaiian food

Chai Chaowasaree, owner-chef of Chef Chai’s, has opened a new restaurant, KALO: Hawaiian food by Chai’s, in the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Waikiki Beach, at 400 Royal Hawaiian Avenue at Kuhio Avenue in Waikiki. Spada Bar and Restaurant previously occupied the site.

Chai Chaowasaree

KALO offers a range of Hawaiian small plates, side dishes and entrees including a Hawaiian sampler, pineapple lobster curry, grilled rib eye steak and oxtail soup, served from 4 to 10 p.m.

“I chose the name KALO because it honors one of the most important staple foods among native Hawaiians,” said Chaowasaree of taro, the iconic diet item among Hawaiians.

A breakfast menu – with variations of eggs and Portuguese sausage, pancakes, poke bowls topped with fried eggs, beef stew with rice – will be served beginning July 1 , from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Reservations: 931-6222…

And that’s “Show Biz.”…

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TWO MORE JOIN ‘NCIS: HAWAI’I’ CAST

“NCIS: Hawai‘i,” scheduled for a Sept. 1 launch on CBS, continues to name subsidiary cast members.

The latest additions:

  •  Tori Anderson, who will portray Kate Whistler, an ambitious agent with the Defense Intelligence Agency with goals to rise up the professional ladder. Her feisty goals will become evident as the CBS series progresses.
  • Kian Talan, who will play Alex Tennant, the oldest child of team leader Jane Tennant, enacted by Vanessa Lachey. He is 16, strong-willed, mature beyond his age, who is struggling with the effects of his parents’ divorce, but a good child nonetheless.

Whether a locally hired actor snags perhaps the seventh key role is yet to be seen. Ya never know, of course, till it happens.

Yasmine Al-Bustam, as Lucy; Jason Antoo, as Ernie; and Noah Mills, as Jessie; were previously announced in key roles, providing, so far, an ensemble of six major players to date.

Tori Anderson
Kian Talan

The team behind the scenes include two execs from the now-shuttered “NCIS: New Orleans,” Christopher Silber and Jan Nash as executive producers and showrunners, with Matt Bosack from “Seal Team” part of the team.

Lachey, the first female to lead an NCIS unit, will be overseeing and exploring crimes and mishaps against the backdrop of Pearl Harbor, with competing familial issues as well. …

Talk about people

Wearing facemasks, Justin and Hailey Bieber popped into TJ’s Sports Bar & Grill one recent night, surprising locals who were there, including entertainer Kekoa Kane, who was singing there. Kane was able to get photos taken with Bieber, who previously has spent time on the Neighbor Islands, renting high-profile, extravagant accommodations. Well, you only live once. …

Bright Kid scholarships

As part of the education core of the I Am a Bright Kid (IABK) Foundation, academic scholarships are awarded to deserving theatrical students.

Grace Rogers, Kalaheo High student, earned the IABK Foundation Performing Arts Award and a cash scholarship of $1,500. She will attend Emerson College this fall, pursuing a BFA in theater education and performance, and is a former participant in the IABK Summer Program in 2020.

“Theater connects people,” says Grace. “That connection is so much more valuable than any silly insecurity I may have, and I love performing because it allows me to experience that brief and beautiful feeling over and over again. I never knew Mr. Bright, but I believe that he shared this belief. As an educator, I can only hope to leave a fraction of the impact that Mr. Bright left on his students and his community.”

Ty Souza-Martinez won a $500 scholarship in the performing arts category and is currently studying vocal performance at Colorado State University in Pueblo.

And Taysha Paige of Kapolei High was awarded $500 and will attend the University of Hawaii West Oahu this fall, and commented, “I know that the rewards lie in the lives I change and the hearts I touch.”

Five years ago, Katie Yoshioka (Baldwin High School, ’17) won an IABK scholarship and completed her BA in education at Pacific University in three years. She graduates this month with a master’s in teaching and will teach kindergarten at West Union Elementary in Hillsboro, OR. “I am very excited to have my own classroom and complete my goals,” she says. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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LOCAL ACTOR IN ‘SIMPLE MAN’ FILM

Steve Iwamoto, a Hawaii resident and a late-blooming actor, stars in
“I Was a Simple Man,” which has been acquired by Strand Releasing for North America screenings.

Turns out that Iwamoto is the first cousin of singer-turned-business-guru Kevin Iwamoto, aka Kevin I, the singer.

“You can clearly see the family resemblance,” says Kevin. “He’s the son of my dad’s older brother.”

Steve Iwamoto

The fact that cousin Steve stars opposite Constance Wu in this film was a mild surprise. That it had its premiere this year at the Sundance Film Festival was joyous.

Kevin Iwamoto

“I always thought for years that I was the only one in the family with the creative gene, but my cousin proves it existed, albeit later in life,” says Kevin.

The film, by Christopher Makoto Yogi, is described as a lyrical ghost story set in an Oahu countryside. It is rich in familial struggles with terminal illness, caregiving, obligations, but wider elements like respect and mortality. Steve plays Masao, whose sunset years are fading due to failing health as estranged family members strive to provide the support and care he needs.

When Masao is visited by his deceased wife Grace (Wu) where the ghost strand unfolds, he is forced to face the decisions of his past.

The multi-generational film features an ensemble of Asian American and Native Hawaiian actors beyond the two leads, including Kanoa Goo, Tim Chiou and Chanel Akiko Hirai. Its simplicity, with the ghost-story element, provides serenity as well as suspense.

Wu might be remembered for her roles in the zany hit film “Crazy Wild Asians” and the TV series “Fresh Off the Boat.”

No indication yet if “I Was a Simple Man,” clearly more art film than blockbuster summer fare, might be shown here. …

Lee Cataluna has a bold pace this summer

Lee Cataluna

No rest for Lee Cataluna, a former colleague from our newspapering days, this summer.

As she announced on Facebook, the prolific playwright when she’s not writing for Civil Beat, faces a busy two months. So  she’s on leave as a journalist till Aug. 1.

This is her agenda of projects, by numbers:

1 — She’s been commissioned by the San Francisco Playhouse to write a play.

2 — There’s an upcoming play reading with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

3 — She’s working on another play, from a ReImagine grant.

4 – She’s prepping an anthology of four of her works, to be published next year.

5 – She’s committed to do a piece for Dramatic Publishing and Childsplay.

So the next two months will be extremely fantastic and productive.

You know, if you know me, that Lee wrote “You Somebody” with me in mind, which was produced twice in sell-out productions at Diamond Head Theatre.

And yes, I recall our conversation when she yearned to be in my “Show Biz” column, print edition, some years before she ultimately became a “somebody” herself.

So Lee, this is my first online column that mentions you. In usual boldface, of course. And enjoy your fruitful summer …

Trump’s blog site is history

One dude who won’t have a happy summer is former President Donald Trump. His blog – established after social media sources such as Twitter and Facebook banned him because of untruths he posted, alleging the election was stolen from him  – has been permanently shut down less than a month after it was established.

The blog, titled “From the Desk of Donald J. Trump,” is history, according to online sources such as CNBC and Variety. The site had a lukewarm response and was mocked by some sources.

“It will not be returning,” his senior aide Jason Miller said on CNBC. He added that the website blog was part of an auxiliary plan “to the broader efforts we have and are working on.”

Trump was effective with his online rants, until he was suspended, then ultimately banned, on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Google over his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, a charge the ex-pres has denied, claiming “free speech has been taken away from the President.” …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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LORETTA AND DAVID WELCOME KAMUELA

There’s a new addition to the Sayre household in Mililani Mauka. Loretta Ables Sayre, the entertainer, and David Sayre, her publicist hubby, have welcomed Kamuela Sayre, whose pitter-pattering around the house is music to the ears.

Kamuela is 7, so somewhat of a senior, and he is a black lab mix “that is all love,” says Loretta. “We weren’t looking for a senior dog after losing Kaimana so recently,” she says on Facebook. “But when we met Kamuela and couldn’t get him out of our minds, we knew he needed us.”

Kamuela Sayre, dressed to thrill, is, a new member of the Sayre household in Mililani Mauka.

It’s been a mutual admiration relationship since. So the Hawaiian Humane Society is one dog short, and Kamuela’s constantly wagging tail means he’s happy to find a home.

Kamuela loves cooked rice, and is “77 lbs. of solid love,” says Loretta. “Our hearts are full again.” …

A Willie remembrance…

Since June is Willie K Month on Maui — and there’s no rule that we can’t salute Willie Kahaiali’i in Honolulu — thought I’d share a reflection from one of his fans on Oahu.

This was from an email I received today; the writer prefers anonymity:

Willie K, at one of his many appearances at Blue Note Hawaii.

“Before he was really well-known, a young pre-school teacher in our Alpha Delta Kappa educational sorority got him to entertain at our Southwest Conference at the Sheraton Waikiki because his child was in her class.  He liked her so much he did it for free.

“On the evening of our banquet he walked onto the stage with wild, bushy hair, aloha shirt, short pants and no shoes.  Seated next to me was a special guest from Washington, DC.  She was not a classroom teacher but an out-spoken woman who trained executives.  Taking one look at Willie K’s, she expressed her outrage at his appearance.

“Then as he talked and started with ‘local’ songs, she continued to complain.  However, she was silenced when he sang an operatic selection, and at the end of the evening she wanted to thank the pre-school teacher.”  

Willie often startles or even offends folks who’ve never seen or heard him, but inside this rough, perhaps sometimes crude exterior lived an artist who mostly let his music tell his story. Yes, he often wore slippahs and appeared on stage with a comfy disposition. But when he sang, he reigned supreme — a book that might have a tattered cover, but a soul with pages of significant power and compelling storytelling brilliance. Simply, he has been a cultural pioneer with hard-to-beat versatility. Imua, Willie, and yes, Hawaii and the world miss you dearly…

And that’s “Show Biz.”…