wayneharada.com

Another month, another Full Moon Concert.

That’s been the agenda for veteran entertainer Robert Cazimero, who vocalizes and plays piano each full moon night .

And so it was on Sunday (Sept. 19) at Chef Chai’s on Kapiolani Boulevard.

The joyous element is familiarity and form. When Cazimero is stationary and confined to his piano, his personality and ease reign; it’s almost like a living room concert amid friends and family. And that’s the formula: intimate and inviting, like a private party. So yes, the tunes and memories see-saw and evoke smiles and happy remembrances.

On this night, the songfest started with a cluster of familiar faves, including “Molokai Nui Ahina,” “At the Royal Hawaiian Hotel,” “At Home in the Islands,” and “I’ll Remember You.” We remember him, too, with fondness galore. After all, his style is legendary, his live shows infrequent, yet he shows up once a month, and glows like the moonlight.

The tune tour is nostalgic. With “Edelweiss,” he creates images of the Alps, then jumps to “Hawaiian Hospitality,” “Holo Holo Kaa,” and “Only You,” familiar turf with playful hula by Sky Perkins Gora and Bully Keola Makaiau, longtime regulars who add moon-night merriment despite the difficulties of hulaing among diners in a crowded full house.

Yep, there’s always a non-cast guest appearance. On this eve, his sister Kanoe, offers a warm and comforting hula, celebrating her belated birthday, and provides the spectators a gift of dance.

With Cazimero’s fondness of all kinds of music, he shares a true mixed plate, ranging from a nostalgic pop ballad of the past, “It’s Impossible” (think Perry Como), to a sandwich of movie-theme favorites, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dan”  (“Song of the South”),  “Whistle a Happy Tune” (“The King and I”)  and “When You Wish Upon a Star” (“Peter Pan”). The point: his grasp and knowledge of titles and shows know no bounds.

The pendulum swings wide and often, with his comedic “Let’s Have One on the House” contrasting the fragile one of his Brothers Cazimero trademark, “Kuuipo I ka Hee Pue One.”

For his final entry, he whipped out one of his favorite Christmas carols, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” surely out of season but not out of style. It was a gentle reminder of his holiday songfest Dec. 15 through 19 at Chef Chai’s. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

Police everywhere, here and on the mainland, are either loved or loathed.

Like facemask-wearing and vaccination shots, they cause people to take sides, notably if and where there are good deeds or bad deeds.

With happenings within the Honolulu Police Department in recent days/weeks, I felt compelled to post an observation and perhaps spur a discussion about actions and behaviors of our local cops.

Thus, this is a moment of Good Cops … Bad Cops.

On the good side, three HPD members – prior to the 9/11 anniversary on Sept. 11 – released a ‘swonderful version of Lee Greenwood’s patriotic anthem, “God Bless the U.S.A.” And God bless them, indeed.

The video, launched on YouTube, incorporated local places of significance to the mix, making this version by and for the locals.

So bravo, to Officer Taylor Hoopii , Officer Bill Sapolu, and  Officer Cameron Tuitele. You might remember them from the Touch of Gold group, specializing in nostalgic music of the recent past, and harmonies that tug the heart. The musical accompaniment was by Clarke Tuitele. You can view the clip here:   

It’s such an emotional, enterprising video, and many folks call it a keeper, because the joy and pride never stop, when you replay and replay.

On the Bad Cops side, a trio of Honolulu officers on duty in Makaha are facing potential criminal charges for allegedly fleeing the scene of a critical accident, following a high-speed auto chase by the men in blue a few nights back.

A hit-and-run implication possibly exists, since the three officers in District 8  – as yet, not identified – were apparently the ones pursuing a car of youths partying at Maili Beach Park. The vehicle carried a boy, 14, and five others, and the boy is paralyzed from the neck down and is incapable of speaking, with the young driver of the car, one of the five in the vehicle, also hospitalized and on life support. They have not been identified either, but some are being represented by attorney Eric A. Seitz, overseeing legal matters.

Obviously, this was a case of a speeding vehicle (which careened into two properties) chased by three officers, who apparently didn’t stop to give aid … until someone called 911, according to one area witness on Hawaii News Now.

This clearly smells a court case in the making, and surely a black eye for HPD. …

Happy talk

Actress Vanessa Lachey, who makes her debut as Jane Tennant, agent-in-charge of “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” when it premieres Monday (Sept. 20 on CBS), has posted an Instagram video, sharing an emotion-charge response the moment she learned she landed the role several months back.

“I’m in the car and I just found out I got the job,” Lachey says through her sobbing tears. “I couldn’t take a video because I was on the phone. I don’t know what to do; I don’t know what to do. Thank you. I’m so happy.”

Phoenix, her 4-year-old son with husband Nick Lachey, was in the back seat. “He doesn’t know what we’re happy about.” …

Also happy news: CBS has finally included the ‘okina in its “NCIS: Hawai’i” logos. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

After 20 years of top-tier service, a prominent hospitality executive with Hawaii ties will retire as CEO of BWH Hotel Group. His departure means a huge void in AAPI presence in the realm of hotel management leadership.

David Kong, a graduate of the TIM school at the University of Hawaii, will retire at the end of 2021. His successor will be named at the BWH convention Oct. 7 in Las Vegas.

BWH is the acronym of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, where Kong had served since 2001 and became CEO in 2004. 

He has been the hotel industry’s longest tenured CEO, an indication of his leadership and savvy in shaping the Best Western brand into a major global competitor and player in travel and hospitality. Under his watch, Best Western has expanded from one to 18 brands in a spectrum of service that taps a range of accommodations in all price brackets.

“What (Kong) has been able to do with Best Western is really create the consistency of the highest level of performance,” said American Hotel & Lodging Association president and CEO Chip Rogers in a statement. “David has created an environment at Best Western that encourages its owners to be their best and to create the best products.”

Kong’s bio often mentions that he entered the hotel business as a dishwasher and busboy and is leaving a legacy of caring atop the peak of an industry. His dedication and reputation of serving and mentoring his colleagues and staff teams and delivering on his promises makes him a one-of-a-kind.

Kevin Iwamoto, a colleague at TIM and also a key player in hospitality trade, said of Kong, “I have so much respect for him; he’s achieved so much but is so humble, soft spoken and a nice human being. He has risen to the highest ranks of the industry and is a role model for Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) who aspire to lead the industry in senior executive positions of influence.  His retirement and departure from full time work will leave a tremendous void for API diversity in the executive ranks of the hospitality industry.” 

Iwamoto, who is chief strategy officer and head of Bizly Inc., a leading meetings technology company, himself is planning on retiring sometime soon.

“The story of me and David Kong is connected forever because we both graduated from UH’s Travel Industry Management School – David in 1971 and me in 1977—and we both were inducted into the 2013 UH TIM Hall of Honors,” said Iwamoto.

Though Hong Kong-born, Kong was educated at UH.  “Our careers intersected in both the business travel and meetings/events worlds of the industry,” said Iwamoto. “We currently both serve as UH TIM Alumni Association Board members”…

Name-dropping

Kudos to Tom Holowach, former honcho at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College. His first screenplay, “The Kaliikak Crusade,” is a finalist in the UK Page Turner Awards. …

Drew Bright, son of Michael and Jade Bright and grandson of Ron and Mo Bright, will be portraying the role of Dimitri in Castle Performing Arts Company’s “Anastasia,” a Broadway music filled with rich tunes that resonate. Could this be the Hawaii premiere of this jewel, at the Ronald K. Bright Theatre on the Castle High School camps? Performance times and ticket details will be forthcoming. Surely, Poppo (what his family calls Ron Bright) also must be anticipating the rise of the curtain from his orchestra seat in heaven. …

And that’s Show Biz. …