Category: Updates

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MEDEIROS BIOGRAPHY DUE IN FALL

Most folks know Glenn Medeiros as a singing idol, when he recorded  “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love for You,” which  spiraled to the Top 10 on the pop charts. His cover of the George Benson love ballad enabled the Kauai High School student to sing his hit on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” where host Johnny Carson interviewed him.

Glenn Medeiros

The recording enabled Medeiros to tour nationally and internationally, a journey that was just one chapter of his multi-career, as depicted in his inspirational  memoir, “From One Stage to Another,” due to be released this fall. With the foundation of a  show biz career, Medeiros  – still adding accomplishments to his dossier  – evolved into a compassionate hyphenate who excels in life, as a son, an athlete, a student, a father, a husband, a teacher, an educational leader, and now, an emerging author.

In the book, Medeiros displays a keen skill in storytelling, with a conversational tone in his text.  Clearly, family was important in his formative years, and his earnest desire to succeed is obvious.

The book will explore the many stages of Glenn Medeiros.

FYI, I read a provided manuscript, and it’s obvious that when doors opened, he was ready to mount a few new chapters in his life.

Of course, the book includes chapters of his teaching career, which led to his current position of president of Saint Louis School. Talk about a climb! An enviable achievement.

Confession: As a former journalist covering entertainment, I’ve tracked Medeiros’ early triumphs as an entertainer, reviewed him in Waikiki shows when he co-starred with comedian-singer Frank DeLima in a revue mixing music with comedy. It’s that stage of his career that I know him best.

 I have talked stories and shared laughter in frequent lunches with Medeiros and DeLima. Simply put, pocho punch lines were plentiful, when two Portuguese sons  of Hawaii – both divine Catholics — convene.

It is with cheerful anticipation that I wish Medeiros blessings  and good fortune in his new endeavor as an author. You go, guy!…  

And that’s Show Biz…

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‘LILO & STITCH’ AIMING $1 BILLION

Disney’s blue alien from outer space, initially a cartoon figure but now a live-action feature star, is a red-hot commodity among film-goers.

“Lilo and Stitch,” the live-action film shot in Hawaii last year, looms to become the first Hollywood title of 2025 to join the $1 billion box office club. The feat could be accomplished over the Fourth of July weekend.

Maia Kealoha

And the film is enjoying enormous success without the benefit of a big-name Hollywood star. Maia Kealoha, who portrays Lilo, is the discovery playing opposite the dog-like Stitch character, the alien who needs no introduction.

In its sixth week at the cinema, the film has already logged $401 million taking kids to see it, and in some situations, a second outing to watch the movie. R-rated features are customarily one and done.

Disney’s “Frozen” was able to break the billion-dollar mark, accumulating just shy of $1.3 billion globally. Currently, “Lilo & Stitch”  has earned $948 million worldwide, with every likelihood to pass the billion-dollar count.

The blue alien Stitch: Aiming for $1 billion at the box office.

The live-action picture already  has out-grossed the entire $273.1 million global of run of 2002’s animated  “Lilo & Stitch”  and the tally has not  been adjusted for inflation. 

Tom Cruise smartly did not anticipate his  “Mission: Impossibe,”  which opened the same day opposite “Lilo & Stitch,” would exceed his action film, and he certainly didn’t anticipate the little girl named Lilo and her blue pet named Stitch would unseat his 2022 feature  adventure “Top Gun: Maverick” ($160.5 million) as the biggest Memorial Day opener of all time.

Oh, the power and  prowess of the Hawaii-groomed flick…

Whee, the people

Manoa Valley Theatre’s “Manoa Marquee” event, at 7:30 p.m. July 23 at MVT, will feature Jerry Santos, the legendary island entertainer.

Jerry Santos

Henry Kapono is hosting the program, also featuring Kailua Moon, as part of an ongoing Kapono/MVT series of a variety of shows.

Tickets start at $25, available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35307/production/1211148?performanceld=11513542 …

Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro will appear at Blue Note Hawaii in a two-night stand July 22 and 23.

Jake Shimabukuro

His accompanists will be Jackson Waldhoff, bass; Michael Grande, keyboards; and Shawn Pimental, drums.

Shimabukuro then heads to the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan.

Showtimes are 6. and 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 and 8 p.m. for beverage and food service.

Tickets are $55 for premium seating and $45 for bar area.

Reservations: www.bluenotehawaii.com or 808-777-4890…

“‘Wicked’ still topping Broadway gross list

The leaders led — in the weekly list of Broadway show grosses — for the week ending June 29. Thus, “Wicked” was the hot ticket.

But two newcomers made their first appearance on the Top 10: “Maybe Happy Ending,” at No. 9, and “Just in Time,” at No. 10.

The Top 10:

1–“Wicked,” $2.435 million

2—”Glengarry Glen Ross,” $2.230 million

3—”The Picture of Dorian Gray,” $2.092 million

4—”The Lion King,” $2.067 million

5—”Hamilton,” $1.939 million

6—”Sunset Blvd.,” $1.851 million

7—”Aladdin,” $1.376 million

8—”Death  Becomes Her,” $1.355 million

9—”Maybe Happy Ending,” $1.307 million

10—“Just in Time,” $1.279 million

The complete list, courtesy of the Broadway League:

And that’s Show Biz…

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A PIN-NACLE FOR LILO & STITCH

I was able to secure a bunch of Lilo and Stitch decals a few weeks ago, just prior to the launch of the summer’s live-action blockbuster film, “Lilo & Stitch.”

The images were all over the map – dark, funny, illusional, whimsical – and I wasn’t certain how best to utilize these images as lapel pins. Each pin tells a story, but you have to create and shape the tale; the collection had attitude, if you know what I mean; Stitch and his cohorts reflect a range of emotion.

Not a Disney product, I surmised. Some pins had Japanese katakana words, perhaps embracing and reflecting anime motifs.

So, what to do?

Decided to mount each image to create a pin. But who should be the recipients?

There are slogans like “‘Ohana Means Family,” “Alien Encounter,” and “Out of This World..” Hmmm, sounded like fodder for T-shirts.

I had nearly 50 images and decided to save several for a friend with two sons, and saved a couple for myself. I wound up packageing a gift bag with the bulk of the pins, destined to the Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus, whose voices are heard –  lovely and reflecting pride — in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” film. There aren’t enough pins for all the keiki, but choir director Linell Bright will find a way to distribute these pins.

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UPDATE: TWO FILIPINO TONY WINNERS

Turns out there were two Tony Award winners with Hawaii roots in Sunday’s telecast from Radio City Music Hall in New York.

We knew and applauded one, Nicole Scherzinger, who picked up the trophy for Leading Actress in a Musical, for her powerful  portrayal of Norma Desmond in “Sunset Blvd.,” which also was the coveted winner of the Best Revival of a Musical.

Nicole Schwerzinger

Scherzinger, of Hawaiian, Ukrainian and Filipino ancestry, also earned the unofficial Tony for being the first bare-footed  singer  to perform her featured tune, “As If We’ve Never Said Goodbye.”

What we didn’t know, until this morning, that Hawaii can claim another Tony winner in Darren Criss, who earned Tony as  Leading Male in a Musical, for his role of Oliver in “Maybe  Happy Ending.”  He claims Filipino roots, since his family lived here when he was young.

The media in the Philippine have been pouring out the hurrahs for Schwerzinger and Criss.

Call this response Pinoy Pride.

Darren Criss

Schwerzinger has long mentioned her multi-racial roots while  being the leader of the Pussycat Dolls. She mentioned her mixed- blood extractions when excepting her Tony, revealing that the win made “a little girl from Hawaiian, Ukrainian and Filipino roots see her dream come true.”

She added, “Growing up, I always felt like I didn’t belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong, and I have come home, at last.”

Criss credits his Filipino heritage in shaping his foundation. Criss is Filipino on his mother’s side; his mom, Cerina Bru, was born in Cebu, in the Philippines, and is of Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish descent. Although Criss was born and raised in the U.S., he has embraced his multicultural background and is proud of his connection to his Filipino roots, especially through family and food. His family resided in Honolulu from 1988 to 1992, and colleagues recall he attended St. Clement’s School for pre-school/kindergarten, but his primary education was in schools in the San Francisco area.

Criss also is the first islander to pick up two trophies the same night – one  for Leading Actor and a second for being a producer of “Maybe Happy Ending,”  voted Best Musical. which was judged 2025’s Best New Musical. No ifs or maybes here, since the show was the evening’s big winner of six awards, including best director (Michael  Arden), Best  Score (Will Aronson and Hue Park), Best Book (Aronson and Park) and  Best Scenic Design (Dane Laffrey and George Reeve)…

The scoop on Clooney play

George Clooney’s’ “Good Night, and Good Luck” closed Sunday, with two performances – a matinee and evening show – prior to the Tony Awards June 8. The finale was that taped performance

Some factoids:

  • Clooney was paid $1 each for writing, directing, and acting in ‘”Good Night, and Good Luck.”
  • He took a pay cut; originally, his fee was $3 each for writing, directing and acting.
  • It cost $7.5 million to make.
George Clooney
  •  Due to a spinal injury he received on the set of  his film “Syriana” a few months earlier, Clooney could not pass the tests to be insured. So he mortgaged his own house in Los Angeles to make the film.
  • The play recouped its $9.5 million capitalization in just over seven  weeks.
  • The play broke Broadway gross records, posting $4 million-plus figures each week.
  • It played to 100 per cent capacity, at the Winter Garden Theatre, which has a capacity of 1,508 seats—  1,001 orchestra seats and 507 mezzanine seats.. .
  • Average ticket price was $339.
  • A CNN telecast of the play had viewership of 7.34 million – and setting a record in the process, of being the first live performance of a play on TV.
  • Clooney was nominated in the Best Actor category, but did not win…

The Top 10, for the week ending June 8:

1—”Good Night, And Good Luck,” $4.331 million

2—“Othello,” $3.807million

3—“Wicked,” $2.413 million

4—“Glengarry Glen Ross,” $2.358 million

5—”The Lion King,” $2.002 million

6—“Hamilton,” $$1.983 million

 7—”The Picture of Dorian Gray,” $1.367 million

8—“Death Becomes Her”, $1.347 million

9—“Aladdin,” $1.286 million

10—“Sunset Blvd.,” $1.261 million

The complete list of the grosses, for the week ending June 8:

And that’s Show Biz…