Category: Show Biz

Leo Days, the Elvis Presley impersonator, and Shari Cheri Grubb, a dancer-choreographer in the “Legends in Concert” assembly of pop stars, tied the knot last Thursday (Nov. 4) at Ho‘omaluhia Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe.

No, Days didn’t don his bejeweled costume of The King –he chose a customary tux instead — to  exchange vows with his bride in an intimate gathering.

Al Waterson was the officiant and Gary Kissinger provided music. Nancy Bernal was the photographer and yep, there was a post-nuptial celebration, appropriately at at Rock Island Cafe in Waikiki. …

Congrats to the show biz couple. …

A green Christmas for Zane

Greg Zane, the director-choreographer of Diamond Head Theatre’s recent “A Chorus Line,” will be helming the theater’s holiday musical, “Elf,” opening Dec. 3 (and running through Dec. 19). He was director-choreographer of the earlier staging of the show here, so it’s hana hou time.

Zane, a Hawaii native who has legit Broadway credits, has been associate choreographer of Lincoln Theatre’s “The King and I,” a Tony Award-winning revival that included Hawaii’s Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang, who earned a Tony.

Well, he was to return to the fold to work on a  London run of the Rodgers and Hammerstein evergreen, but that mounting is canceled for now because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Consequently, instead of a potentially white and cold Christmas, Zane will be extending his work-and-vacation agenda in a green and warmer Christmas climate, anchored at his family’s Hawaii Kai home. Sounds good to me. …

Shorts of sorts

Crossing Rain, a local boy band inspired by the K-Pop phenom, is one to watch. The six-member act did a Hawaii Theatre gig over the weekend, and an upcoming tour is on the agenda. Instagram images and videos reflect the harmonies and choreographic influences of Korean boy bands. …

KITV has acquired KIKU TV, and will restore the popular array of Japanese programming. So fans and followers of the array of Nippon shows, can breathe a sigh of relief, when the travelogues and dramas return to the small screen. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

Kudos to Irenio and Lilian Paulo, who recently marked their 70^th wedding anniversary and 90 years of life together, in a celebration at the Kahaluu Pond on the windward side.

You know ‘em better as Rene and Akemi Paulo, veteran entertainers on the show biz scene at a time when talent mattered a lot. He’s always been a wizard on keyboards and she was his trusty sidekick singer.

Their daughter, Kathy Paulo-Hirai, noted in a recent Facebook post, that the ‘ohana gathered to toast and reflect on their rich lives and contributions over the decades. This, of course, has always been a musical family, with the likes of Michael Paulo (a stellar jazz performer himself) among the clan carrying on the show biz franchise.

An astounding and inspiring photo recap of the hoopla is posted online. Though both Rene and Akemi now are part of the wheelchair generation, it’s quite obvious they are a picture of enduring life and love. Belated congrats to the couple, their kids and their grandkids. You don’t commonly find this kind of bonding. Oh, and a belated birthday shout-out to Rene, who just turned 91. …

A Makaha Christmas

Add the Makaha Sons, led by Jerome Koko, to the roster of acts staging a holiday concert.

“Makaha Kalikimaka” unfolds at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 and 18 at the Hawaii Theatre.

Guest acts will include Iolani and Natalie Ai Kamau’u, Marie Raquel Higa (aka Rocky Brown) and Robi Kahakalau.

Tickets: www.hawaiitheatre.com …

And that’s Show Biz. …

Matthew Sato, co-starring as Kai Kamealoha in Disney+’s “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.” — streaming towards its 10^th and finale episode —  has joined the cast of Peacock’s revival of “Saved by the Bell,” premiering its second season Nov. 24

Sato will be seen as Gil, a handsome and somewhat nerdy student council vice president on “Bell,” who catches the eye of Daisy, played by Haskiri Velazquez, as fellow newbies in the hallways of Bayside High.  It will be a recurring role for the Mililani youth.

Thus, Sato is becoming somewhat a junior king of sit-com reboots.  On “Doogie,” he is the older brother of Lahela, the 16-year-old Harvard Medical School graduate who is a youth medic portrayed by Peyton Elizabeth Lee, aka Doogie. The series is based in Hawaii.

In “Bell,” Sato will join returning original cast members Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Mario Lopez, John Michael Higgins, Mitchell Hoog, Alycia Pascual-Pena, Belmon Cameli and Dexter Daren, along with other characters, set in California. …

A Sonic boom ahead

Noteworthy on the Silk Sonic front: the duo comprised of Hawaii’s Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, will drop a new single, “Smokin’ Out the Window,” on Friday (Nov. 5). It’ll be the third track released from “An Evening With Silk Sonic,” not yet available.

The album – teased by two previous singles, “Leave the Door Open” last March and “Skate” in July – was due to be released in 2022, but now is expected to arrive earlier, on Nov. 12. Thus, it appears that there will be some Sonic booms in this year’s Christmas stockings. …

Valentine with strings

Johnny Valentine, who is the uncle of the aforementioned Bruno Mars, will concertize at 7:30 pm. Saturday (Nov. 6) at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace.

The evening, themed “Songs With Strings,” will feature the Na Hoku Hanohano Award winner with guest musicians Daniel Bayot, Valentine’s son, an Emmy Award winner, on cello; Duane Padilla, on viola; and Lauren Holt, on violin.

Dad will also feature another son, Jesse Douglas, on percussion.

The event is sold out …

Off and on switch buttons

That delayed and delayed again Daryl Hall & Oates concert –the most recent rescheduled date was Nov. 13 at Blaisdell Center -– has been canceled again, along with a companion Maui Arts and Cultural Center performance.

The act, known for such treasures as “Maneater,” “Private Eyes” and “Out of Touch,” had sold outs scheduled but decided that a lack of logistical planning time triggered yet another cancellation. Refunds are available at the point of purchase. …

But Filipino American comedian Jo Koy will proceed with his rescheduled gig, a sold-out three-nighter Nov. 26-28 at Blaisdell Concert Hall. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

Comedian Frank DeLima will return to Blue Note Hawaii for a lone show at 7 p.m. Dec. 15.

It likely will be his last appearance till next year.

“I wanted to do just one performance,” he said, declining a twofer for that date. Normally, DeLima would have been doing a yuletide show at the Pagoda Restaurant, but the pandemic has put a lid on such shows.

Thus, if you want to see and hear his fabled “Numbah One Day of Christmas,” his local-style takeoff of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” this will be the only occasion he will perform it. However, with pandemic protocols, he likely cannot haul up 12 participants from the audience to complete his zany tableau.

And yes, his lighted Christmas tree outfit will come out from storage for his “Filipino Christmas” parody based on “Sleigh Bells.”

By showtime, DeLima also hopes to shape a routine, with or without music, about the controversies and challenges of the see-sawing changes in the coronavirus rulebook.

His opening act will be  Cathy Tanaka.

Tickets: $25 to $35, at www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890 . …

Remembering Pratt

Services for DJ Pratt, the guitarist of Kalapana who died Sept. 9, will be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 20 at Kawaiaha‘o Church, according to bandmate Gaylord Holomalia. “I’m sorry it took so long and I didn’t have answers to people asking me about (services) because my main focus was getting a date.” Kahu Kenneth Makuakane had to deal with coronavirus  protocols, still in place.

Pandemic protocols will be in place, with a crowd limit and mask requirements. …

And that’s Show Biz. …