wayneharada.com

It’s not an everyday experience, when the First Lady of Hawaii shares and reads a book by a local artist, with the results posted on YouTube.

That’s what’s happening in literary land, when Dawn Amano Ige, Hawaii’s first lady, read and shared one of island poet Frances Kakugawa’s Wordsworth books, the first in a series of children’s volumes in which a mouse named Wordsworth inspires youths to do the right things in life, tapping poetry to resolve conflicts and problems.

Ms. Ige’s support and reading of Ms. Kakugawa’s popular poetry book hurls the printed word into a new dimension and is a gentle prelude of the University of Hawaii Hilo campus’ forthcoming musical theater launching – based on the Wordsworth character created by

Kakugawa – which will be the focus in the November premiere of a musical showcasing the impact and inspiration of a fictional mouse. A win-win for all involved, with this kind of blissful exposure. …

Much ado at night

There’s a splendid mixture of night life events on the August calendar. To wit:

• “Na Kupuna Night,” an ongoing evening of Hawaiiana, spotlights Jerry Santos and

Friends, at 6 p.m. Aug. 27 at the Hawaii Convention Center. Doors open at 5 p.m. for bar and dinner service; show from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; vendors available from 3:30 p.m., kanikapila music from 4 to 4:45 p.m. Tickets: $79 for dinner,  $49 for cocktails only, available at www.hmpshawaii.com . Presented by the Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society, supporting the kupuna of Hawaii.

• The Shari Lynn Trio makes another appearance at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace,  from 6 p.m. Aug. 27. Featuring Jim Howard on keyboards and John Kolivas on bass. Tickets: $75, includes dinner; doors open at 6 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m. Visit ww.w.tix.com/ticket-sales
• Charlys Ing, longtime advocate of Hawaii Ballet Theatre, is the focus of  “Charlybration –A Summer Concert,” at 7:30 pm. Aug. 20 at the Leeward Community Theatre. Tickets: $45, atwww.hawaiiballettheatre.org/events or www.showtix4u.com/events

• “Tiki in Waikiki 2022,” featuring the Lloyd Kandell-led Don Tiki, the Waitiki 7, and Sherry Shaoling, will be staged at 7 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Hawaii Theatre. Tickets: $25 to $45, at www.hawaiitheatre.com or (808) 528-0506.
• Paula Fuga, popular chanteuse of blues and more, pays tribute to Aretha Franklin in shows at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Aug. 5 ad 6 at Blue Note Hawaii. Tickets: $35 and $45, at www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890.
• Beat-Lele, engaged in ukemanship and The Beatles music, performs at 6:30 and 9 p.m. Aug. 12 and 13 at Blue Note Hawaii. Tickets: $25 and  $35, at www.bluenotehawaii.com or (808) 777-4890. …

‘American Idol’ auditions

      “American Idol” is launching its 21^st season, and the sixth on ABC (Fox was the anchor previously), with “Idol Across America” as the theme of the virtual auditions beginning Aug. 3.

Auditions will be held in all 50 states,  plus Washington D.C ., and Hawaii’s chance is pegged for Aug. 19, where wanna-bes from Alaska, California, Nevada, and Washington scheduled the same day.  

For info on how to schedule a slot, to virtually make that initial audition before a producer, visit www.americanidol.com/auditions…

The first round of tryouts will begin in the spring of 2023. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

They are in the midst of filming the second season of Disney+’s “Doogie Kamealoha, M.D>” here, but word is out that Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Milo Manheim will co-star in “Prom Pact,” a rom-com for youths.

Lee, of course, portrays the titular character of  the teen doctor in the island-based family comedy. Manheim plays Nico, a newbie in the “Doogie” family, and the romantic interest of the young doc.  Coincidentally or not, an off-screen Lee-Manheim dating relationship was the buzz online before the second season filming began.

In “Prom Pact,”  to be produced and directed by Anya Adams, Lee will play Mandy Yang, a high school senior, and Manheim is cast as her beau, Ben, during prom season of the 1980s.

The premise is that the youths are awaiting prom dates, though Yang’s key interest is her anticipated enrollment at Harvard, but she learns she is still on the wait-list of applicants. In the midst of this worrisome issue, she attempts to find a way in, even if it means that she asks for help from the dude she despises, the campus jock all-star, Graham Lansing, to be enacted by Blake Draper, whose father happens to be  Harvard grad and a powerful senator. She signs on as his tutor.

Other cast members include comedian Margaret Cho, as Ms. Chen, a counselor, and David S. Jung, as Lee’s father, Tom. Both have appeared in season one of “Doogie.”…

Filming will be in Vancouver, B.C., and “Prom Pact” will screen on Disney+  in the spring of 2023. …

Wanna party with Bruno Mars?

It’s not easy, nor affordable, to secure tickets for a Bruno Mars concert in Las Vegas, one of his prime markets for in-person shows.

So an alternative site, if you’ve got the inclination or loot, might be a super duper vacation splurge in the Bahamas, complete with a Labor Day weekend pool party.

Mars, an island native, will appear in a luxe Pina Colada Pool Party celebration Sept. 1 through 4, at the SLS Baha Mar. The centerpiece will be a Mars performance with his Silk Sonic partner, Anderson .Paak, on Sept. 4

The venue’s website has details. …

And that’s Show Biz. ….

Chris Cuomo, the former CNN news anchor fired nine months ago because of ethics concerns relating to investigations about his older brother Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, is returning to the cable news primetime gallery this fall.

But while his new job, on NewsNation, will enable him to return to his craft, it will be minus the lofty gleam of CNN, where he was a popular resource on “Cuomo Primetime,” where his viewership of about 2 million a night at his peak.

NewsNation’s Dan Abrams made the announcement earlier this week.

Though it’s a step much lower than CNN, Cuomo will now have a huge task in reinventing himself, as a reporter-anchor with rich skills. He likely won’t have his brother Andrew on the new venue, since the sexual harassment scandal led to Chris’ suspension, then dismissal, at CNN, where the fallen politico Andrew made frequent appearances in 2019 and 2020.

And with the robust number of Capitol Hill political issues still prevailing amid the ongoing pandemic, there’s enough newsy topics he could explore as he wiggles into the race with resilience…

Crossing Rain, crossing ocean

Fresh from winning the Favorite Entertainers of the Year award at the recent Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in Honolulu, Crossing Rain, Hawaii’s k-pop boy band, will give a concert Aug. 13 at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood.

The venue, dating back to the 1970s,  has been a popular site for career-building, with such troupers as Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joe, Smokey Robinson and Temptations concerting there.

Band members are Monarch, Asher, Jorden, Haru, Devin and Shotaro, launching in 2021. And with school reopening soon, Crossing Rain – aka XR – will be juggling school work with song-and-dance rehearsals to prep up for their Los Angeles debut.

XR also will give a show at 7 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Palace Theatre in Hilo. For the local gig, tickets are $65 for VIP seating, $45 for general admission, available at www.hilopalace.com . …

Broadway grosses, for week ending July 24

As expected, the hot trio of largest-grosses on Broadway, held on to their steady ranking for the week ending July 24.

The top three: No. 1, “The Music Man,” at $3.016 million; No. 2, “The Lion King,” at $2.434 million; and “Hamilton,” at $.250 mill The figures are courtesy of  the Broadway League:

Kylie Kuioka, 12, former Iolani student, is the voice of Emiko in “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank,” in theaters now. Thus, she’s in good company: the animated flick features the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Ricky Gervais, George Takei, Michelle Yeoh.

Kylie’s family earlier relocated to New York, where Kylie’s Broadway break came when she was one of the children of the King of Siam, in Lincoln Center’s revival of “The King and I,” several years ago. A Mainland residency opened the door a skosh wider, when seeking roles…

The voices of two more island actors will be featured in “DC League of Super Pets,” opening this week. Among the stars providing the voices – Hawaii-reared Dwayne Johnson  and Keanu Reeves, along with other notables like John Krasinski, Kevin Hart, and Kate McKinnon. …

Oh, and add isle native Jason “Aquaman” Momoa, to the voicing pool; his will be the voice for an unnamed heroic lead, in an upcoming film entitled “Minecraft,” based on a popular video game, directed by Jared Hess …

Manoa melodies

The Honolulu Jazz Quartet, led by John Kolivas, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at Medici’s at Manoa Marketplace. Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner.

Other members of the foursome: Tim Tsukiyama on saxophones, Dan Del Negro on piano, and Noel Okimoto on drums. 

The gig will feature tunes from “Straight Ahead,” a recently-released CD, including originals and new arrangements of the 60s and 70s hit,  “Summer Breeze”.

Admission is $75, which includes dinner. Reservations: (808) 351-0901 or or https://medicissupperclub.com

HJQ also will concertize at 6:30 and 9 p.m.  Sept. 4 at Blue Note Hawaii, at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel. Tickets: $35 and $25, at (808) 777-4890 or https://www.bluenotejazz.com/hawaii/

The Shari Lynn Trio returns to Medici’s, at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26. Doors open at 6 p.m. for dinner service.

Singer Shari will perform tunes from the Great American Songbook, along with jazz classics and likely will tap numbers from the Broadway spectrum.

Her trio will feature Jim Howard on keyboards and the aforementioned John Kolivas on stand-up bass.

Admission: $75, and includes dinner.

Reservations:   (808) 351-0901 or https://medicissupperclub.com …

Traffic tipster

The voice of  Danielle Tucker is highly recognizable, thanks to her helpful drive-time traffic reports during  morning and afternoon commutes.

Now she’s getting TV exposure, too, as KITV4’s traffic reporter.

But she continues to provide part-time iHeart radio alerts, too. …

And that’s Show Biz. …