There possibly might have been an alternate clue: Known for uke-strumming, with golden voice singing a famous rainbow song. The answer would be: Kamakawiwo‘ole.
Bruddah Iz
But if that were to be the proper response, there might not have been enough boxes to fully spell out his surname. And how would the ‘okina fare?
Don Ho
Of all the Hawaiian entertainers who became world famous in the past – and there have been several – the only other celeb who migrated into the world of crosswords was Don Ho, in a New York Times puzzle. And this achievement eventually became a trivia question on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” Bruddah Iz must be grinning and comparing notes with Uncle Don. …
Bruno sells part of catalog
Bruno Mars
A day after becoming the first entertainer to achieve Diamond Certification for five single hits, islander Bruno Mars has sold a share of his music catalogue to Warner Chappel Music, a publishing company, according to Billboard.
Mars, 35, has a stake in 232 songs in his entire catalog, sold a share of his catalogue to WCM. The deal was sealed about six months ago and announced recently, through terms were not disclosed.
“At the heart of his immense talents is his incredible songwriting, which he honed for years before he became a recording superstar,” says Guy Moot, CEO of WCM. “Like only a true great can, he’s mastered and transcended multiple musical genres with extraordinary originality and versatility.” …
Eric Christian Olsen, who co-stars as Marty Deeks on CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles,” has frequently spent his off-season with his family in Hawai‘i, and has publicly endorsed the notion of a spin-off established in the islands.
On “Entertainment Tonight” last week, Olsen expressed interest in a cameo on the new sister show, “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” which is establishing roots in the islands in preparation for its debut this fall. Olsen kiddingly said he was open to joining “Hawai‘i” fulltime, but clearly, he’s bound to continue with “L.A.” which will return to its Sunday slot this fall.
But with the island-based show, it’s highly possible that “L.A.” and “Hawai‘i” could option crossover shows, perhaps not in the Pearl Harbor-based newbie’s first season, but sometime in the distant future. “L.A.” did a crossover with “Hawaii Five-0” previously.
Eric Christian Olsen
“Hawai‘i” will drop anchor at 9 p.m. Mondays in the fall, with the mothership show “NCIS,” starring Mark Harmon, switching nights and time slot to 8 p.m. Mondays (moving from Tuesdays) to serve as the lead-in show to the Hawai‘i brand. “L.A.” will be the lead-in for “SEAL Team” at p.m. Sundays. …
The Hawai’i connection
Meantime, Vanessa Lachey, who is portraying Jane Tennent in the “NCIS: Hawai‘i” newbie, is eager to make her mark here. “I’m excited to bring a different layer to this role and hopefully inspire this next generation of young girls and women,” she says of her character, the first in the NCIS brand led by a woman.
Vanessa Lachey
She is half-Filipino and spent some time n Hawai‘i when her military father served here. “I obviously know the first layer that most people know when they pass through and see the beautiful waters and the beaches,” she was quoted in a CBS promo. “But what I’m interested to show is the depth to the people of Hawai‘i. “There’s so much culture here … hopefully I can portray to everyone and show the beautiful side Hawai‘i.” …
A starting point would be to enrich and ensure the scripts with relevant and realistic tales and characters that reflect the culture and pride that make Hawai‘i special and credible. The writers need to learn about the ‘aina and instill these virtues in the people on screen. …
The ‘Bull’ shed
CBS recently dropped TV series ‘Bull’ showrunner, Glenn Gordon Caron, for allegedly creating a “toxic” workplace. Thus, the Michael Weatherly-starring courtroom drama is temporarily healing from in-house drama similar to the Peter Lenkov-led “Hawaii Five-0” and “Magnum P.I.” and “MacGuyver” during the past season.
Michael Weatherly
What’s with these out-of-control TV execs? Are calm and orderly productions a thing of the past? With the unrest and messy tenure, “Bull” apparently is shuffling gears to begin planning a new season this fall. Weatherly himself previously had conflicts with a guest actress that still has left some residue about the resolution.
Perhaps all this brouhaha might have been avoided if Weatherly – still remembered for his Tony DiNozzo character on the Harmon-led “NCIS” – made the leap to the Hawai‘i brand, as fan buzz had wanted. Water under the bridge now. …
Name-dropping
Alex O’Loughlin, the Aussie actor who portrayed Steve McGarrett in the now-shuttered “Hawaii Five-0,”apparently still owns a home he purchased for $3.5 million here in 2011 in the midst of his filming of the CBS show here. That issue, and his worth as an actor and entertainer, was raised by Wealthy Gorilla, which reports that O’Loughlin now is worth $25 million. …
Reminder: Henry Kapono hosts “A Tribute to Jimmy Borges” at Blue Note Hawaii on Thursday evening. John Kolivas and his Honolulu Jazz Quartet also participates….
Fairy tales do come true. Just ask Kevin I, the former Honolulu entertainer formally known as Kevin Iwamoto in the business community.
As a young performer eager to make his mark in the 1980s entertainment scene in Hawaii, he recorded a tune called “Fairy Tale,” a simple but powerful ballad that put him on the map, certifying his professional singing career.
That was then.
But now, in 2021, in the second year of the coronavirus pandemic, Kevin – as Kevin I, because that was his abbreviated show biz handle because he worried that some might not be able to properly pronounce his surname – has created unprecedented buzz in the second coming of his singing profile.
His “Fairy Tale” tune, part of a reissue of a virtual album released in December, 2020 and containing his smooth vocals, has become a belated phenom, surpassing 10,000 streams via the Vinyl Frontier Plus music channel on You Tube. And because this has been an online internet release, Kevin has reached an unimagined global audience that keeps growing.
Kevin I — aka Kevin Iwamoto — today.
“The songs are 30 years old,” he says. And yes, he cannot believe the delayed response to his past vocalizing. But back in the day, there was no internet. Regional troupers like Kevin depended on his domestic (Hawaii) audience for support. And radio airplay.
These days, YouTube music channel Vinyl Frontier Plus has 35K subscribers. The site also streams three other titles from his album, generating between 6.5K and 7.5K streams each, but the song that I initially doubted people would like has once again prevailed.
Yep, “Fairy Tale.” Minus the customary princess and prince template. Nor the usual show tour to support the product. The fans and the fuss are virtual.
Kevin I’s digital album, 30 years old, has reached an unprecedented new global audience.
Old is new again
Something old is new again. As a long-time friend and follower of his performing pursuits, I called this phase Kevin I 2.0. The second coming, yes, but curiously, much of the to-do has come from afar.
“Spotify numbers are over 1,000 listeners worldwide,” says Kevin. “Looking at my Spotify and Jango radio streaming data, such interesting cities where listeners streamed my music validates that music is truly universal. So far, I’ve seen Mongolia, Kuwait, Bosnia and Herzegovina, United Arab Emirates, S. Africa, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Montserrat, Malta, Curacao, Albania, Tanzania, Mozambique, Libya, Kenya, Montenegro, Bahrain, Belarus, Serbia, Tonga, Oman, and other exotic and faraway places.
“It’s kind of cool to think my old music is being streamed all over the world,” he says. All this without an olden-day distributor, thanks to the ease and swiftness of the internet.
The French connection
Andre Silva, a deejay in France, tracked down Kevin via Facebook and ordered up two copies of his last vinyl LP, “New Dimensions,” for himself and his cousin, who also happened to be a deejay, too. “They heard the music on YouTube and wanted to mix it for the French and Euro dance crowds,” says Kevin. Even belatedly, the Parisian power is formidable.
With exposure in France, Kevin says a guy named Guillaume and his brother also requested to purchase the same LP.
Since his sound was making the rounds, Facebook has licensed two tracks from “The Best of Kevin I. 1980-1985,” tapping “Let’s Give Love” and “Fairy Tale” for what is described as Promo Music Overlays.
Last February, Pandora released his album, resulting in more than 11,000 music streams from all over the country with a surprising other reaction: “Interest from Hawaii (is) surprisingly lower than the rest of the U.S.”
A feel-good love story
Then there’s a feel-good story from his Facebook feed, demonstrating the marvelous matchmaking momentum of his songs.
“Such an amazing thing happened,” he says. “I was contacted via social media by a young man who just proposed to his girlfriend who thanked me for my music which he used when he proposed.”
Kevin explains further: “Here’s how it went down, he cooked dinner for her then after dinner he played my song ‘Somewhere In My Lifetime’ and asked her to dance. He sang the lyrics of the song in her ear and when it was over, he played my song ‘True Love.’ When it was about to end, he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him and she said yes; they were both crying. His story frankly made me tear up.”
Surely, he says, “the power of love and music combined is such a perfect gift from God. The groom-to-be said when he first heard both songs, he was inspired to use them to propose because the lyrics, music and singing were a perfect reflection of their love and relationship.
He said that they’re also going to use ‘True Love’ as their first dance at their wedding reception next summer.”
The power of branding–and philanthropy
The whole incidence has touched him dearly. “(It’s) such an honor and (I’m) so touched that my songs from 30+ years ago moved a lovely young Midwest couple enough to be part of their engagement and nuptials next year. Music + love is such a wonderful blessing.”
Further, the good fortunes will result in good deeds. “Revenues generated by the digital album and streaming proceeds are going to be donated to designated charities via a charitable foundation I’m in the process of setting up which also includes my Kevin Iwamoto Scholarship Endowment set up under the UH School of Travel Industry Management,” says Kevin. As Chief Strategy Officer of BIZLY, Inc., he remains active and supportive of his training roots in the islands and the business community he continues to serve.
“My business career has afforded me the opportunity to live comfortably and dabble in charitable acts and philanthropy,” he adds. And the inspiration comes from a show biz buddy in Hawai’i and, a committed career fund-raiser. “I guess those years with Carole (Kai) rubbed off on me, LOL!”
Kevin also has learned a simple yet astonishing lesson in assessing his good fortune. “Trust your instincts and stand by your convictions and be who you have always been, authentic and honest. I teach and preach the power of personal branding.”…
Bruno Mars is surging mile high – in orbit – because of his latest honors.
He’s now got the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Hot 100 for a second week, sharing the laurels with Silk Sonic partner, for their “Leave the Door” hit.
But it’s his earlier singles that are making news. The multi-Grammy-winning Hawaii native has collected five Diamond Status Singles laurels, the most ever won by an individual. First, “That’s What I Like” and “When I Was Your Man,” were certified by RIAA (Record Industry Association of America) for sales of 10 million units, according to Deltaplex.com. That’s the best in the league right now. The tally includes sales but also online streaming.
Two other sparklers —“Just the Way You Are” and “Grenade” – have made the Diamond tier, along with a third, “Uptown Funk” (with Mark Ronson collaborating).
Bruno Mars
Thus, Bruno’s five Diamond singles are the most awarded among other living artists, and only 60 have been so far.
In a statement, the RIAA honcho said, “What Bruno has accomplished is just extraordinary.”…
Farm tour
Musician George Kahumoku Jr., a stellar slack key guitarist, has been dubbed a “Renaissance Man.”
With reason. On Maui, where he calls home, the Kahumoku Family Farm Tour is a Saturday attraction at his farm at the Cliffs at Kahakuloa.
George Kahumoku Jr.
Each Saturday, Kahumoku opens up his farm for a fascinating visit embracing cultural, nutritional, artistic and historic elements.
Visitors learn about the benefits of raising your own veggies and fruit in your own garden.
You pick vegetable to share in a lunch cooked and served by Kahumoku.
You visit his small flock of sheep and his three miniature horses.
There’s an art project, too, where you learn in a make-and-take activity, creating a souvenir to take home.
Further, there are sessions on culture and mythology, of the Hawaiian staple of life, taro; you hear about the moon calendar and when it’s prime time for planting; you learn of soil – preservation and restoration.
You get to lunch together, then join Kahumoku in sing-alongs. Sounds like a visitor-targeted activity, but locals will learn a lot about lifestyles.
Thus, it’s a memory-laden opportunity for visitors and families alike. With the easing of travel protocols, it’s easier plan a trip for a visit.
The program, presented by Mahele Waiwai LLC, is a four-hour activity, from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Those attending are asked to wear covered shoes, comfy clothes, and provide sun protection. And because of coronavirus protocols, attendance is limited to a party of two.
“You Had Me at Aloha,” a rom-com filmed in Hawaii, will premiere June 5 on the Hallmark Channels.
It features Hallmark regulars Pascale Hutton as Paige and Kavan Smith as Ben in a familiar template of the collision of romantic and occupational friction before a happy ending.
When a popular travel show host resigns, the network taps Paige (Hutton) as the replacement host for the coming season in Hawaii. But she doesn’t know that the network also hired Ben (Smith) who becomes a thorn in the picture. The two co-hosts clash with each other over opposing ideas but eventually learn – in Hallmark tradition – that co-existence in side-by-side jobs can wind up happily.
Hutton and Smith, in “You Had Me at Aloha.”
Other actors include Jennifer Asplund as Millie, Valen Ahlo as Luis, Sebastian Siegal as Todd, and Marysa Carr as Leimomi.
The production is directed by John Putch with screenplay by Rick Garman, and the Hawaii landscapes – the falls at Waimea, the tropical turf of Kualoa Ranch, the frolicking beach moments, the charm of a farmer’s market and the resort glamor of the Kahala resort – are visual postcards that will connect with viewers.
In online promos, Sutton rightfully opines, “Hawai’i is the most beautiful place on Earth.”
Looks like a hot summer run for Hallmark fans. …
Knock, knock, who’s there?
Who knew there’d be a portentous reality in “Leave the Door Open,” the hit song by Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak, DBA as Silk Sonic.
The door was ajar, indeed, for the tune to rebound to sneak into the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top 100 this week, after earlier slipping to No.2. It previously was perched at No. 1 for the first time on April 17.
It’s not that common for a song to reign atop the charts, then zoom back up a month later.
Good job, dudes! Silky sonics work! …
Name dropping
Henry Kapono and the Honolulu Jazz Quartet will prevail at “A Tribute to Jimmy Borges,” at 6p.m. May 27 at Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki. Tickets: $35 at bluenotehawaii.com. Live screen option $20 at bluenotehawaii.com …
Jimmy. Borges
And Johnny Helm & Friends take the spotlight at 6 and 8:30 p.m. May 28 at Blue Note Hawaii. Also featuring Nic Kalei and John Cruz. Tickets: $30 premium, $20 loge, at bluenotehawaii.com …
And that’s “Show Biz.” …
‘NCIS: Hawai‘i’ lands Monday slot
According to CBS, the “NCIS: Hawai‘i” spinoff will be screened at 9 p.m. Mondays, piggybacking with the mothership show, “NCIS” (starring Mark Harmon), this fall.
That’s an indication that someone at the network – perhaps Harmon himself – wanted to kokua the newbie production, which likely will follow the lead-in Harmon show, which has been a Tuesday staple for years—as well as being the No. 1 procedural and a ratings blockbuster for most of its livelihood on CBS …
