REMEMBERING NEWSPAPERING, WHEN EARLIER CONTENT MATTERED

The daily paper ain’t what it used to be.

If you haven’t been a subscriber or reader of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in recent years, you’d be stunned with the three-section oddity with former stand-alone sections conjoined and consolidated like Siamese twins.

Happily, sports finally and deservedly has its own a stand-alone section. ;

The coronavirus pandemic, now into its third year, has dramatically affected advertising revenues, triggering downsizing of the paper’s space and staff; survivors earlier experienced “furloughs” reflecting a 20 per cent paycut.  And since last fall, the Star-Advertiser newsroom was virtually shut down, with most reporters working from home, saving office space costs for their employer.

It’s a worrisome challenge about what’s happening at the daily paper.

The Wednesday food tabloid — with earlier take-out restaurant offers– now is back to dine-in options, with the Sunday Dining Out tab (which was Dining In at the height of coronavirus) also resuming to peddle on-site dining.

For more than a year, a Saturday print edition was eliminated, so print signees have to navigate an online edition. It takes an effort to call up stories and the site boasts a recap of the Friday edition of USA Today.

The strangest calamity is Sunday’s Detours/Travel; it’s a features section with marginal focus, with some local articles, plenty of wire stories and puzzles. Since travel is returning as more planes fly, the pics of those travelers who’ve discovered a Hawaii shop or restaurant is the best link to life in the new normal.

As a lifelong print reader and a career journalist, I’m simultaneously concerned and dismayed that perhaps someday, the Star-Advertiser may become exclusively on-line.  It is simpler to manage, easily updatable, and likely an option to reduce further costs.

Longtime subscribers (me included) are largely seniors — old habits are hard to eliminate — and it’s no secret young folks don’t read newspapers. Repeating: Young. Folks. Don’t. Read. Newspapers.

Book buffs can relate; turning pages and enjoying the scent of a new volume is akin to flipping pages of a paper smelling like newsprint ink. Online and tablet-reading may be convenient but is not user-friendly.

Reading habits have dramatically changed over time. Remember when families could easily share sections— main news, sports, features, business  — because they were stand-alones. No more, however.

When the potential staff cuts were announced in the midst of the pandenmic, I was stunned to learn two columnists —Lee Cataluna and Christine Donnelly — were on the endangered list, but Cataluna revealed on her Facebook page that she chose to voluntarily exit the paper, to spend the summer completing writing projects (she’s a somebody, of course, in playwrighting) then joined the staff of Civil Beat in the  fall to resume her reportorial skills. Their win, a loss for the paper.

Donnelly’s retention meant that her Kokua Line column, which resolves and covers a myriad of community and governmental issues particularly important in these coronavirus times, continues. Smart move.

That Cataluna and Donnelly even were on the potential cut list in the first place was astonishing. They are essential in the content of a metropolitan daily. They bring daily sunshine into dark corners, providing the essence what a paper does. Inform, sometimes amuse; educate, sometimes entertain.

Content matters because it reflects who and what the paper is. In that sense, content should reflect the community, too,

From the perspective of someone who’s been part of the paper for nearly 60 years, 45 of which as a full-timer, it hurts personally to see the state’s lone paper is struggling. There used to be two, remember, the Honolulu Advertiser and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Competition was essential in reportage; today, a monopoly rules.

As a cub reporter, at the smaller Advertiser morning publication, I was humbled to work and compete with the evening Star-Bulletin, which championed the race for a time. But the Advertiser, which for decades was a locally-owned and operating paper thanks to its late publisher Thurston Twigg-Smith, eventually surpassed the SB to become the dominant print voice in the state. The Advertiser also built a new press in Kapolei, shuttering the ancient behemoth on Kapiolani Boulevard and eventual vacating the premises now occupied by a business. Sad day for us oldtimers.

I think the Advertiser became the paper of choice over time because of its content, its diversity, and its esprit de corps.  It was always a fun place to work, with writers and columns that nurtured the publication’s growth.

Ironically, while in high school, I won a Star-Bulletin-supported scholarship to attend the University of Hawaii, and after I graduated, sought a job at the Bulletin. But there were no openings then, but the Advertiser did, and I was hired.

It was thrilling to be in the circle of local talent that filled the pages of the Advertiser. Surely, you remember Bob Krauss, who wrote about his family a lot (in the old days, his column was titled “In One Ear”) but he chronicled trends and notables in the community thereafter.  The paper hired a married couple, Ele and Walt Dulaney, who put a spin on local advice for youths —diversity in action, since she was Japanese and he was haole.

Then there was the dean of the three-dot column, Eddie Sherman, who dropped bold face names of the famous and infamous, an inspiration in my eventually destiny at the paper.

And there was the unlikely but fabled Sammy Amalu, the only ex-con columnist in Hawaii’s history, who shared his love particularly of things and themes Hawaiian.

Harry Lyons was the resident editorial cartoonist (OK, the Bulletin had a dandy, too, in Corky Trinidad) and both artists created powerful cartoons — with politicos eager to purchase their original cartoons that appeared in the editorial pages (or accompanying news or features in both papers). When both died, their slots were not filled.

You remember the queen of household hints, Heloise? She authored the Hints from Heloise column in the Advertiser —a feature so popular, it was syndicated —and certainly the most famous of the Advertiser alumni.

And my buddy, Scoops Casey Kreger, authored the Ms. Fixit column, which competed with the SB’s Kokua Line originated by Harriet Gee. These Q&A columns probably were the most popular in the paper’s content because they tackled everything from governmental red tape to complaints about potholes to wee-hour noisemaking.

Among other notable Advertiser columnists was Cobey Black, whose profiles and interviews of the rich and famous were part of the feature section.

That was the community I knew in my early years at the Advertiser. It was Buck Buchwach, a managing editor who became editor, who tapped me to become the Advertiser’s first and only entertainment editor-columnist. He nurtured and shaped Sherman’s column, thanks to his interest in the Hollywood scene prior to his Hawaii residency, enabled a local boy to carry on the tradition.

Regular entertainment news and features are a rarity these days; while theater and clubs are beginning to bloom and rebuild, movie screens have reopened with mostly scanty titles and the occasional blockbuster like “Spider-Man” and “The Batman.”  What the pandemic has done is to impact movie-going is clear. Most folks stopped going to a theater during the crisis and got accustomed to streaming films on TV instead. Old habits don’t die, but they kill businesses attempting to reestablish old hangouts.

The performing arts have been a stepchild in recent years, battered by the pandemic, but have never had the muscle, or moolah, to become a resonant and relevant voice in the community. Artists and their expression are vital in media; the paper’s role in this process has been erratic and dismal during the pandemic, Remember TGIF, the weekly tabloid over the decades? It was aborted before the pandemic and replaced with a broadsheet, which was halted during the cutbacks and never restored. Sad.

But when you’re the only game in town, you’ve got power and prowess to set your own rules.

Notice? If you call the paper or a reporter these days, there’s a security tier that blocks your access unless you have had previous minimal clearance.

It’s no longer easy to communicate, even if communication is the core and the heart of a thriving publication.

SALESPERSON HONORS FOR MUFI AND CHA

Two prominent figures in the island’s hospitality industry will be saluted as Salespersons of the Year on April 28.

The honorees:

  • Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Assn.
  • Cha Thompson, co-founder of Tihati Productions.

The Sales and Marketing Executives, which annually hosts a luncheon event to tap one of the community’s top salesperson, this year is staging a double bill twosome because of the pandemic over the past two and a half years that put a pause on the award. 

Hannemann is the

Mufi Hannemann

2019 year recipient, and Thompson is the 2021 winner.

This year’s event will be a dinner, and save-the-date postcards have been mailed to prospective attendees. However, an updated reminder will be issued, since the initial announcement of the SME winners contains outdated information; instead of the planned ‘Alohilani Resort, the event has been moved to the Sheraton Waikiki ballroom because of a larger audience.

The SME award is bestowed to a community member who has enhanced the image of Hawaii and is committed to uphold the quality of life in Hawaii.

Both honorees have extensive background and accomplishments in community endeavors, past and present, involving public service, volunteerism, and leadership.

Cha Thompson

Hannemann is a former mayor of Honolulu, serving two terms from 2005 to 2009, and is known as an executive and professional consultant with a penchant for improving the visitor experience in Hawaii. Honolulu-born and Harvard-educated, he has been an all-star athlete in football and basketball. A towering figure because of his height, Hannemann is a leader in the Samoan community with a keen understanding of both the political and business aspects due to his service in these fields.

Thompson, the self-proclaimed Queen of Kalihi, married her Farrington High School sweetheart, Jack Thompson, and they co-founded Tihati Productions more than 50 years ago. The Thompsons via Tihati Productions produces Polynesian productions statewide, providing authentic Polynesian shows that have become a cultural resource and amenity that have entertained visitors from all over the world. A full-time mother, wife, grandmother and great-grandmother, Thompson also is a hula dancer, businesswoman, sometimes actress, a former police commissioner and a steadfast supporter of the visitor industry. Afatia Thompson and Misty Thompson Tufono , son and daughter of Jack and Cha, now oversee Tihati. Information: info@smehonolulu.org

Mom’s the word

Frank DeLima will star in a Mother’s Day comedy brunch show at 1 p.m. May 8 at Blue Note

Frank DeLima

Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel. Doors open at 11 a.m. for brunch and drinks; menu items range from quiche to a luau plate, from biscuits and gravy to a musubi sampler with three dippings. Call (808) 777-4898 visit www.bluenotehawaii.com


Arashi anniversary film

Arashi, one of Japan’s boy band faves and now dissolved, will be seen on the big screen of the Hawaii Theatre.

Arashi

The group’s “5×20 Film: Record of Memories” will be screened in a one-night-only concert attraction at 7 p.m. March 23 in Consolidated’s theaters at Ward Center, Kapolei, Kahala, Mililani and Pearlridge.

Arashi disbanded following the completion of the group’s s 5×20 anniversary tour. Its members include Masaki Aiba, Jun Matsumotoa, Kazunari Ninomiya, Satoshi Ohno and Sho Sakurai; the film was directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi.

Tickets will be available at each participating theater. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

LIKE PRIMETIME BACK-T0-BACK TV?

Just asking…

Are you regular fans of network TV programming of back-to-back episodes on specific week nights?

Referring to procedurals that tackle crime and punishment, aid and rescue of the injured or ill, embracing car accidents, highrise fires or rampant drug-related crimes?

If so, which of these back-to-back shows do you like best?

Monday on CBS, two procedurals reign: the flagship “NCIS,” the Mark Harmon original, which this season precedes “NCIS: Hawai‘i,” the island-based spin-off.  We watch, though miss Harmon (he’s retired, but his name and image appear in the opening titles), even though it’s no longer the hot show it was for much of its 19 seasons.  The Monday scheduling is a wise lead-in to the Hawaii-shot spiff-off,.

Tuesday on CBS, a trio of investigative shows are intensive, savvy projects:  “FBI,” “FBI Most Wanted,” and “FBI International.” Great casts, with some crossover moments; fresh, incisive scripts.

Wednesday on NBC, it’s must-see TV, the best of triple-threats set in the crime-heavy Chicago, and unbeatable in relevance and timeliness: “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” are often gritty but grand, and the hospital setting unsettling but intriguing,  the firefighting front and the police station daunting but challenging. The mix is the stuff of episodic drams: ER tension, smokey highrise, dangling vehicles over the river, and unexpected flying bullets or bombs bursting. Everyday drama never has been so visible and jammed with fictional stories that demonstrate and spotlight such emotional wallop. And, yes, giving first responders a positive image.

Thursday on NBC, law and order prevail: the original “Law and Order” favorite, Sam Waterson, is back and holding court in a reboot, and time will tell if it has staying power. “Law and Order SVU” still features Mariska Hargitay’s Olivia Benson and remains a powerhouse hour that’s a whole lot better than the third entry, “Law and Order: Crime” which has Christoper Meloni’s Elliot Stabler  attempting to get a handle to outlast and outpower his weekly antagonist.

Friday on CBS used to be the slot for the now-shuttered “Hawaii Five-0,” where “Magnum P.I,” the Jay Hernandez reboot shooting here, preceding the network’s popular “Blue Bloods,” which still stars Tom Selleck, the original Thomas Magnum.”

Incredibly, Dick Wolf is the creator and executive producer of all the “Law and Order” series, all the “Chicago” brands, and all the “FBI” titles, a credit few others can claim. Indeed, he’s the king of the best of the TV franchise shows.

And most of his trademark programss are in syndication, so reruns provide a world of entertaining dramas, on such venues as USA, iOn, We and a few other spots on your TV dial.

With so many heavyweights from the traditional networks, it’s tough to surf the streaming services of Netflix or Disney+ or Amazon Prime. The aforementioned series left the airwaves during the coverage of NBC’s “Winter OIympics,” but happily, regular programming has returned … though most series are approaching their finales for the season.

‘MAMMA MIA!:’ GREEK EXPECTATIONS

‘MAMMA MIA!,” at the Joseph Rider Farrington Auditorium at Farrington High School, is fun and inspiring, brimming with love and loaded with character.

It ends a two-weekend run, with final shows at 7:30 p.m. today (Saturday, March 5) and 2 p.m. tomorrow (Sunday, March 6). Go if you can.

It’s a production lean on resources but keen on desire and pride. Led by director Miguel Cadoy III, a music teacher who also oversees an eight-member live orchestra, the show readily radiates and resonates with energy and purpose as, if you’ll pardon me, the adored Castle High School Performing Arts Center agenda launched by the late Ronald Bright, over the decades of his illustrious career. He was a mentor of Cadoy, who’s carrying on that spirit, planting seeds as he goes, but yes there are some rough edges here. No matter; “Mamma” exudes with personality and community vibes, indicative of the growth, acceptance and progress on this Kalihi campus.

Yo, Mamma! Many performers are first-timers to the FPAC stage, including Kaupali Aipoalani-Wong, who portrays Donna Sheridan (impressive, with a commanding voice and take-charge attitude), the mother who is the centrifugal force in this popular stage musical that has provided two films including a sequel.

However, its plot is razor-thin, involving daughter Sophie Sheridan (Janice Galiciano, also making her FPAC debut, and delightful with energy to spare), who is a bride-to-be who discovers mom’s diary containing info that one of three of her three suitors 20 years ago, just might be her dad. So natch, she secretly invites the daddy candidates to the Greek island site of the wedding, where all hell breaks loose.

The melodies are memorable pop and disco fodder composed by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (with some tunes with Stig Anderson), the pillars of the ABBA discography and legacy, and yep, the urge to sing along and dance is constant. Infectious is the operative word.

Some critics of “Mamma Mia!” have been unnecessarily cruel, simply because the show is lightweight in character development but loaded with familiar songs generally described as a jukebox musical. But so what? Many know and can sing or hum along to such titles as “Dancing Queen,” “Super Trouper,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Money, Money, Money,” “Mamma Mia!.” Audiences are wholly engaged in the phenom of ABBA, and we all know this isn’t Rodgers and Hammerstein and the “Sound of Music.”

Thus, a review of this production has to include a mention of the devoted audience, dominantly Kalihi-centric (school peers, family and friends, constant cheering and applauding for a favored performer or song, extending howls and hoots normally restricted to super stars. You’d think Meryl Streep was onstage.

Then again, several cast members – like Keith Kryzzler Cabbab as Harry Bright, Bernielle Isidro as Bill Austin, and Isaac Liu as Sam Carmichael, the trio of the possible father – generate isolated hurrahs for their musical numbers. That they have this kind of rapport and trust of spectators is amazing.

It’s a joy to spot budding talent in the lineup. Like Axle Munoz, as Eddie, an eighth grader at Kalakaua Middle School down the street from Farrington. He’s a charmer and focused in his supporting role, but displays dancing as well acting skills. You’ll recognize him, since he’s the shortest in the cast, and you’ll recognize his ability and agility, the kind of esprit that will enable him continue to grow and lead to major roles as he matures.

As a production staged in the era of the pandemic, it’s also worthy to note that the cast has a challenging accessory while on stage: the face mask. Everyone wears a plastic mask, clearly a safety measure, but  this provides another layer of safety for all. From the audience, there’s another reaction: the plastic masks often reflect a shiny brightness due to the stage lighting.

It’s possible this is the first all-masked cast on any stage. So bravo, FPACers, for being pacemakers.

Justin Garde is musical director of the ork, located centerstage in the back, and yes, live is better than pre-recorded tracks, so give the company a bonus point. Aubrey Lee Staley is choreographer, with the arduous task to make non-dancers dance. Costumes by Nadia Amian, Rachelle Ramirez and Jade Glover reflect Hawaii on occasion (think surfing shorts) and the ABBA-style gear (scalloped bell bottoms, oversized capes); slim budgeting disallows more of the kind of elegant and vintage costumes inspired by the Swedish group.

The set – two structures with stucco-style Mediterranean architecture — provide a warm suggestion of sun-kissed Greece. And it works, though shuffling a bed on and off stage is no easy chore. These are minor issues considering the outpouring of joy from the stage and the aloha extending to the stage, even from way up in the back of the auditorium.

Facemasks are required and usual admission protocols remain; vaccination cards and picture ID. Seating is assigned as you enter, with social distancing spacing.

Tickets: $10 adults, $5 students 5 to 17, $3 Farrington students with ID; available at the door at showtime or in advance at SHOWTIX4U.COM

And that’s Show Biz. …

M & M: SURPRISINGLY SWEET TWINBILL

That Martin Nievera/Michael Paulo concert last night (March 3) at the Ala Moana by Mantra’s Hibiscus Ballroom, was a surprisingly sweet double bill of two locals who previously had never performed together on the same stage.

One exudes sexiness and charm, in his ballads; the other is all about the sax, a hoot of a tooter.

The pair have common backgrounds. Nievera is the son of Roberto Nievera, the late featured balladeer with the Society of Seven, and is Manila-born and Hawaii-raised. Paulo is an island native, the son of a singing mom and pianist dad who were known as Rene and Akemi Paulo in their heyday; his siblings are performers, too, and Paulo’s smooth jazz and pop riffs were part of the Kalapana legacy.

Incredibly, the twain never met till now. Nievera etched a career as the “concert king of the Philippines,” as a singer and TV host, and Paulo as a renowned jazz musician focused on his awesome saxophone tooting.

Clearly, this M&M union won’t be the last.

Martin Nievera and Michael Paulo: A surprising sweet M&M collaboration.

The sellout Ala Moana gig seemed to bring out each artist’s best. Nievera has always been a crooner of a tuner, like his dad, creating an imprint of love ballads mixed with slightly upbeat originals rendered in English and Filipino, signaling his wide international following. Paulo never sings a note, but sax’s the thing for him; his fingers work magic with the instrument, which emits eloquent sentiments without the arc of traditional language, but a vocabulary that reflects a variety of moods. He also is mobile and magical, traipsing through the crowd, never missing a note.

Paulo: A master in sax-speak.

How the pair would share the stage was the question.

So: Paulo offered a nearly hour-long set of jolting, expressive jazz tunes, incorporating his unique brand of hip-hopping prancing choreography, reflecting his joy and savvy in sax-speak, to coin a term; and he even jumped onto a table to show his socko involving power as an unrivaled risk-taker.

After an intermission, Paulo’s musicians became the house band for Nievera.

Nievera is never known to disappoint; he is witty, playful, inventive and totally in control,  belting out the familiar like “Corner of the Sky” and “I Love You More Today Than Yesterday,”

with confidence and charm. He adores adulation, and always makes an impression, this time jumping off stage to parade amidst the fans, utilizing a Plexiglas frame to suggest pandemic protocols. Unconventional, but a thrill for the audience.

One of the sweetly satisfying but unexpected duet was on Al Jarreau’s signature tune, “Mornin’,” with Nievera providing the voice and Paulo emoting the saxophone riffs, recalling the era when he was a sideman in Jarreau’s band. The sax accompaniment was otherwise sparing, thus effective.

Nievera: Approaching 40th anniversary.

Nievera, a composer when he’s not singing, shared two touching originals that showcased the depth and breadth of his sentiments. “Sacrifice,” inspired by the frontliners (first responders, hospital workers), reflected the themes of service and oneness – “we’re in it together,” as one phrase suggested. The other sentimental journey, “I’m Be There for You,” promised attention and love for the singer’s three sons, two in their 30s and making their niches in life, the third age 15 with special needs.

Clearly, Nievera has matured over the decades, and realizes he is a veteran and a likely role model for future wannabes. After all, he will mark his 40th year next July 5 as an entertainer; to anticipate the upcoming milestone, he did a reflective medlley that collated the memorable “Be My Lady” and “You Are My Song,” signatures in his repertoire.

Paulo’s sizzling band included Tateng Katindig, keyboards; Johnny Valentine, electric guitar; David Inamine, bass; Michael Grande, keyboards; Garin Poliahu, drums. For his segments, Nievera tapped two backup female singers and a trio comprising a horn section (sorry, identities unknown).

The M&M bill attracted quite a celebrity crowd, including former Governor Ben Cayetano and gubernatorial candidate Vicky Cayetano, Ginny Tiu, Jack and Cha Thompson, Danny Kaleikini, Melveen Leed, Augie Tulba, Emme Tomimbang, and the aforementioned Paulo parents.

Technically speaking, the lighting was erratic, lacking brightness for much of the evening, and the audio occasionally was uncomfortably louder than necessary.