Actor Miles Teller, best known for his movie “Whiplash,” was assaulted at a Maui restaurant last week, putting a damper on his island vacation with wife Keleigh Sperry Teller and a celebrity couple.
As reported by TMZ, Miles was punched in his face outside of the restroom of the Monkeypod Kitchen on Maui last Wednesday evening. Apparently, the incident was unprovoked, and is under investigation.
The Tellers were on vacation and dining with the actor’s “Divergent” co-star and friend, Shailene Woodley, and her high-profile fiancé, MVP QB Aaron Rodgers of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Instagram photo postings reflect the two couples’ peaceful vacation that included hiking and swimming on Maui and some golfing.
Keleigh Speller Teller, Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley and Aaron Rodgers amid Maui’s forestry and waterfalls.
The diners were also involved in karaoke singing and dancing before the attack. Reports indicated that the vocals included “Shadow” (the hit song from “A Star Is Born”) and “Stand by Me.”
Teller’s film credits include “War Dogs,” “The Fantastic Four,” “Insurgent” and “The Spectacular Now.” He will be seen in the upcoming “Top Gun: Maverick” with Tom Cruise and the yet-to-be-released “The Flag,” co-starring Woodley.
Woodley has previously filmed in Hawaii, when she had a leading role opposite George Clooney, in the 2011 hit movie, “The Descendants,” a kamaaina story based on the novel by local author Kaui Hart Hemmings. Her other films include “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Insurgent.”
The assailant, allegedly a wedding planner, accused Teller of owing him $60,000 for earlier services for the couple’s 2019 wedding. …
Recording notes
It’s taken a year for entertainer Willy Falk, a New Yorker with Hawaii roots, to complete recording and mastering his first two island melodies.
Willy Falk
He collaborated with guitarist Jeff Peterson, to put his own stamp of two popular Hawaiian ditties: “Hawaiian Lullaby” and “E Maliu Mai.” We got a preview listen. Superb! Seductive! Satisfying!
The key challenge in getting the songs mastered “because post-production studios were closed.”
But they’re now on YouTube: “Lullaby” at
and “Maliu” at
Indeed.
With the pandemic messing up everyone’s career and interrupting normal life the past year and a half, Falk is pondering the fate of the annual Buff N Blue Punahou Reunion Weekend and alumni lū’au coming up June 11. Because of coronavirus, it will be the second year in a row without an Alumni Tent of 2,000 people. “I will be home in front of my laptop for five hours … I am DEEP into being at the helm for my Punahou 45th virtual reunion,” he said in an email. “I am literally on board to host all four events at my laptop here in New York. Weird, but we are trying to make it fun.”Tough to stage this one virtually. …
Silk Sonic, the duo with Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, are nominees for two BET Awards, set to be announced June 27. The first single, “Leave the Door Open,” is the reason that Sonic is quite the tonic, nominated for Group of the Year and Video of the Year. …
Three “names” with island ties have fascinating tales in the May issue of The Magazine, the
AARP publication for seniors.
In a story dubbed Finding Their Heroes, the mag spotlights folks of local interest:
Olympian Greg Louganis’ hero as an athlete was the late Duke Kahanamoku, the celebrated Hawaiian free-lance swimmer-surfer who won three Olympic gold medals. Louganis, who collected four gold trophies himself, is part Samoan, was adopted as an infant, but met his biological father Fouvale Lutu some years ago, and learned he had a half-brother and two half-sisters with Hawaii ties.
Kingston
Kahanamoku
Amy Tan, author of the revered “The Joy Luck Club,” credits local author Maxine HongKingston and her “The Woman Warrior” book for inspiration that Asians could publish stories they know. Tan notes that Kingston’s life wasn’t just her own – it was a turning page for other authors of color to open the door, or book, to share their tales.
Mink
If there was no Patsy Mink, there might not have been a Mazie Hirono, because Mink was the first woman of color to serve in Congress in the 1960s and ‘70s, serving 12 terms. She created such trend-setting legislations like Medicare and co-authored the Title IX law for equal-sex opportunities. “I’m grateful that America offered me many opportunities,” says Sen. Hirono, an immigrant (born in Japan) who was a lieutenant governor of Hawaii who earned a seat in Congress in 2013 and the nation’s first Buddhist to serve.
These separate stories reflect the power of minorities beating the odds and becoming models for generations to come. …
Whee, the people
KoDee Martin
Local boy KoDee Martin has been cast as Ferdinand, King of Navarre, in Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” a July production in Central Park. It’s his New York theatrical debut, so if you’re in The Big Apple this summer, go visit. Martin was part of the “Allegiance” cast when the Manoa Valley Theatre staged the Hawaii debut of the show at the Hawaii Theatre. …
Singer Shari Lynn and hubby Michael Acebedo head to New York shortly – beginning a five-week vacation-celebration of their 45th wedding anniversary, but one year tardy because of last year’s pandemic. If the Tokyo Olympics can stage a belated to-do, why not the Kailua couple? Bon voyage – and a shout-out for a happy 46th. …
Isle actress B.K. Cannon has a featured role in “Why Women Kill,” streaming on Paramount + this summer. She filmed her Season 2 role from last October till last April, in the height of the coronavirus pandemic; it’s a 10-episode, dark comedy series set in 1949, with requisite period costumes, cars and set, from Marc Cherry, who created “Desperate Housewives.” …
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.”…
