Author: Wayne Harada

A few changes are forthcoming, when the 52^nd Annual Ukulele Festival – a summertime attraction and destination for locals and visitors alike – unfolds at 7 p.m. July 17 as a virtual event.

New: a title sponsor, Tony Group Autoplex, will strum in this year, making the event possible. Thus, the annual event will be formally known as the Tony Group Autoplex Annual Ukulele Festival.

Unchanged: Through retired, Roy and Kathy Sakuma, co-founders of the world’s largest and most popular uke activity, are returning to jump-start this year’s attraction with plans to keep alive the spirit of the festival’s success.

The Sakumas earlier retired as co-founders of the ukulele festival, when another couple expressed interest in keeping the fest alive, but clearly, the deal fell through, reasons unexplained.

So Sakuma will be aboard, hosting the event along with Hawaii’s most famous and versatile uke man, Jake Shimabukuro.

What’s also new: a free virtual ukulele workshop on July 10, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hawaii time, a week ahead of the virtual festival.

The Sakumas continue their year-round work to train and instruct ukulele students at their Roy Sakuma Ukulele Studios. “That’s what I enjoy most – working with the young kids who want to learn to play the ukulele,” said Roy Sakuma, who, in recent years, returned to host in-person classes himself, becoming part of his studio’s teaching staff. And yes, the kids love him. “It’s so much fun…like the old days,” said Roy.

“We wholeheartedly would like to thank all of the ‘ukulele manufacturers, performers, entertainers, international groups, students, sponsors, volunteers, and the entire community of residents and visitors who came out to Kapi‘olani Park year after year to support the festival,” the Sakumas said in a joint statement.

“The ukulele, so small and seemingly ordinary, touches lives in extraordinary ways, and we will continue to spread the joy of the ukulele,” said Kathy.

Shimabukuro, who earned his chops as an early learner, now serves on the board of directors of the Ukulele Festival Hawaii. “It is because of Roy and Kathy’s work that the ‘ukulele is embraced and enjoyed worldwide today with other ukulele festivals throughout the world, and I salute them for their efforts,” said Shimabukuro. …

A Lightbulb Concerto

Streetlight Cadence, the acoustic group from Hawaii, have a reputation of thinking and playing outside the box, which make ‘em truly refreshing.

Ensconced in a room at Sunset Beach in Pupukea recently, the band had a couple of hours to kill following a concert, so they decided to create something special, and impromptu, and recorded a beaut and posted it online.

If the footage — promptly dubbed “A Lightbulb Concerto” –seems unusually dark, clearly it’s intentional: a simple “ghost light,” that single-bulb lamp traditionally left on overnight, a common practice on a Broadway stage, provided the illumination, as Jonathan Franklin performed on violin, Brian Webb on cello, and Ben Chai on banjo, with friend Clara Stegall guesting on guitar . No word on the whereabouts of Jesse Shiroma, the group’s accordionist, but  maybe he was the cameraman?  Looks and sounds like a winnah! …

Friday filler

So who and what will replace  Jay Hernandez and the “Magnum P.I.” crew on Friday nights this fall, on CBS? Taking over the slot: Max  Thieriot, from “SWAT Team,” heading up an inmates-and-firefighter drama, “Fire Country,” tucked in between “SWAT Team” and “Blue Bloods.” ….

And that’s Show Biz. …

Seems like Hawaii’s keiki o ka ‘aina Jason Momoa is all over the movie map.

The Honolulu native, who is part Hawaiian, will write, star in and executive-produce a straight-to-series, “Chief of War,” for Apple TV+.

The eight-episode project will deal with the colonization of Hawaii, from an indigenous viewpoint, with production likely to begin in the late summer or fall this year.

A general plot outline has not been mentioned, nor cast details revealed yet, but according to Variety, “Chief of War” is a creation of Momoa, and will be produced by Endeavor Content and Chernin Entertainment. Doug Jung will be showrunner, with negotiations under way for Justin Chon (“Blue Bayou”) to direct the first two episodes.

The producing team also includes Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, Francis Lawrence, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and Erik Holmberg.

With its island-roots orientation, hope Momoa can encourage his film-making partners to hire more locals, and some with secondary roles, to truly make this a “made-in-Hawaii” success.

Further, Momoa’s schedule includes:

• Momoa’s Apple TV series, “See,” in which he portrays Baba Voss. The unique show, still streaming episodes, is set in the distant future where a deadly virus has decimated and impacted humans, who are blind or with low vision. Voss has twins born centuries later – with eyesight.
• A  spec project entitled “Shots! Shots! Shots!,” a Universal Pictures acquisition which will star Momoa. It’s described as a family-centric adventure-comedy flick, with Momoa one of the exec producers, along with his partner, Jeff Fierson. Details are lacking, but among the Hollywood names attached to the project are Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich. Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows wrote the spec script.
  
  

• Momoa now is in Italy, filming “Fast & Furious 10,” the Vin Diesel franchise (also known as “Fast X,” in which he’s playing a villain. In an online post, Momoa says, “Gonna be fun; I get to play the bad guy, which I haven’t gotten to do for awhile. A very flamboyant bad boy. A little panache.” To minimize getting recognized, Momoa has fashioned his own disguise – sun glasses shielding his eyes and face, plus a scarf around his head, a la the pic he posted himself.
• His sequel to “Aquaman” is in the can, and that project, dubbed “Aquaman and the Lost Frontier,” will be on screens in March 2023. FYI, the sequel features Amber Heard, Johnny Depp’s ex now engaged in court battles with the actor; she’s blaming media coverage that her role of Mera, intended as a three-flick project, is being downplayed because of the she-said, he-said court fight.

Smooth as silk

That Silk Sonic name is absolutely perfect for Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, whose vocal strokes of rhythm and blues and funk and soul have never been better.

And the silky and smooth harmonies, demonstrated by Mars and .Paak, have once again boosted the emblematic, retro and reflective aura of the smooth soul grooves of the ‘60s and ‘70s. “Love’s Train” is choo-choo charming, a cover of Con Funk Shun’s 1989 recording that Silk Sonic now owns, thanks to the group’s performance of the tune on the recent Billboard Awards show.

From costumes with bell bottoms and choreography reminiscent of all those soul dudes of the past, the delivery of “Love Train” was as good as it comes. “Love’s Train” currently tops Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay Chart, and is destined to emerge as another No.1 hit for Mars and .Paak. Silk Sonic is a nominee in the BET Awards 2022 show airing June 26 on BET-TV. …

Casey comes to bat in ‘Chicago Fire’ finale

For the finale of NBC’s “Chicago Fire” on Wednesday, Jesse Spencer – firefighter Matt Casey on the show – will return to attend the wedding of Taylor Kinney (Severide) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo).

Thus, the windup one of TV’s favorite series will be somewhat sentimental; in the context of the show, Casey exited the show last October to relocate to Oregon to help the Darden’s (a firefighter buddy who was previously killed in action) sons complete high school in three years.

But he’s also making good on his promise to support his Firehouse 51 buddies when they get hitched – and a permanent homecoming is not in the cards since the three-year commitment is not yet over. …

And that’s Show Biz. …