By Mike Gordon When it comes to expressing himself, actor Mark Dacascos can get the point across with his feet. The martial arts expert has used them with dramatic effect since he was a boy, but never with as large a following as he has now, playing the ruthless terrorist Wo Fat in "Hawaii Five-0."
By Associated Press BANGKOK » A floating mosque and golf course for the submerging Maldives islands. Amphibious homes in the Netherlands lifted to safety as waters surge beneath them. A hospital perched on 400 stilts to protect patients from Thailand's devastating floods and the encroaching sea.
By Mike Gordon From the pier at Kewalo Boat Harbor, just ashore of a weathered teak junk, the argument is muted by the wind. But clearly the two men on the deck of the Intrepid Dragon II are having words.
By Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes / New York Times Flattery will get you everywhere. "The Artist," a love letter to Hollywood, got hugs, kisses and the best-picture Oscar on Sunday at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony. The film also took the awards for best actor and best director.
By Star-Advertiser staff Prove your film savvy in our annual Oscar contest. Pick the winners correctly and you'll have a chance at $200 cash.
By Associated Press LOS ANGELES » The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will headline two weekends of concerts at The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
By Associated Press If you're gardening more but enjoying it less, maybe it's time to add some labor-saving ideas to that list of New Year's resolutions. Those can range from downsizing to mulching, from using native plants to switching to raised beds.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Saturday. The entry deadline has passed.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. See rules here.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner to be announced Dec. 24. The entry deadline has passed.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner to be announced Saturday. Today's finalist: Seth T.K. Balgas, 11.
By Star-Advertiser staff We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. The entry deadline has passed.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. The entry deadline has passed.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. The entry deadline has passed.
“Keiki Kalikimaka” ornaments are drawn by our keiki. We are presenting one each day through Dec. 23. On Christmas Eve, all the published ornaments will appear on the cover of the Today section.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. The entry deadline has passed.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. See rules here.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. See rules here.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. See rules here.
We are presenting one child-made ornament a day as part of our Keiki Kalikimaka contest, with the winner announced Dec. 24. See rules here. Today’s Finalist:
By Star-Advertiser staff Technology eases roasting • Extra blades thin apple slices • Clean corn with stripper • Leaves and candlelight trim a table • Turkey benefits from good brine • Kit creates pretty cookies • Rack bird for fool-proof removal • and more
By Nancy Arcayna The need to help the thousands of residents left homeless in 1900 after officials set Chinatown ablaze to quell an outbreak of bubonic plague spurred the creation of Palama Settlement, now celebrating a century of serving the area's families and immigrants.
By Nancy Arcayna The common thread running through the personal stories of those whose lives were touched by Palama Settlement is that it has provided a strong sense of ohana over the years, a safe haven, a home away from home.
By Burl Burlingame "Damien: The Making of a Saint" » There is no author or editor credited for this handsome, illustrated biography of Father Damien, the Belgian priest who contracted leprosy while serving in the islands. • and "The Queen's Medical Center," by Jason Y. Kimura • "Richard Smart of the Legendary Parker Ranch," by William C. Bergin, D.V.M., and Dexter Keawe‘ehu Vredenburg
By Wayne Harada Rap Reiplinger is back in prime-time television, with the documentary "Rap — Hawaii's Comic Genius," airing today on KHNL and Thanksgiving evening on KGMB.
By Steven Mark Printmaker Laura Smith had been working on a series of prints about swimming, but there are no swimmers in a recent work she submitted for a printmakers' exhibit.
By Burl Burlingame In the classic, century-old sci-fi tale, "A Princess of Mars" — being released as a big-budget movie in a few months — the hero, John Carter, escapes Apache Indians in the Old West by falling asleep in a cave, and then he simply wakes up on Mars.
By Star-Advertiser staff Catch a ride on Pearlridge holiday train • Keiki ornament contest kicks off
By Star-Advertiser staff If you go all-out on your outdoor holiday decorations, get listed in our Holiday Lights guide. Provide a description of your display and include your street address and phone number.
By Star-Advertiser staff There aren't enough meals in a day, or days in a week, to dine at all the places participating in this year's Restaurant Week Hawaii celebration, Nov. 14-20.
Amber-colored gel spices up shower • Treat yourself to a truffle • Munch on supermoist muffins when on Maui • Facial provides fine holiday glow • Sweet autumn tea soothes nicely at bedtime
By Nadine Kam It might not be the most conventional of business decisions to open a lifestyle store across from Oahu Community Correctional Center, the state's largest jail, but Surf Line has never been a conventional company, and second-generation CEO Pua Rochlen is merely following precedent set by his father, operating in the spirit of fun and adventure.
By Nadine Kam Jimmy Au calls himself an accidental entrepreneur, getting a taste of the men's suit business in 1959, when as a student at Church College of Hawaii (now BYU-Hawaii), he completed a marketing class assignment that involved writing 10 pages on how to start a business.
By Nadine Kam Sonny Ching's jewelry draws on isle traditions • Gwen Stefani's kids line debuts at Target stores
By Star-Advertiser staff Nonprofits may request donations • Decorated homes to be listed in guide
By Wanda Adams Thanksgiving is a holiday comprising traditions driven by a fast-fading phenomenon, the stay-at-home housewife.
By Joan Namkoong The changing weather patterns in Hawaii have affected the harvest of local agricultural products — the rain, or lack of it, has had its effect on the quantity and quality of vegetables and fruit.
By Joleen Oshiro It's said food is the universal language, but what's to be done when people from 21 different cultures converge for one dinner?
By John Berger The University of Hawaii at Manoa Kennedy Theatre main-stage production of "Oklahoma!" has a cast and production values that would do credit to any of our community theater companies.
Nonprofit groups that help those in need during the holidays are invited to submit a brief request for donations and volunteers to publish in our “Christmas Acts of Kindness” feature to appear in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s Today section on Nov. 27.
By Paige L. Jinbo / pjinbo@staradvertiser.com For the past eight years, Barry Manilow and Xena the Warrior Princess have shared one thing in common: Jackie Young.
By Nancy Arcayna Drive and determination are often difficult to muster for a typical high school student. When serious issues are added to the mix, it's even harder for teens to succeed.
By Nina Wu Foreign leaders, journalists and other visitors to the Hawai‘i Convention Center this week are sure to notice a new mural near the escalators. The 64-foot-long artwork, which measures 10 feet high, was a collaboration of five Native Hawaiian artists and students from seven schools.
By Associated Press Off Bali's beaten track, past a towering banyan tree and next to an ancient Hindu temple, the world's largest bamboo commercial structure is slowly taking shape: a chocolate factory.
By Star-Advertiser staff Thousands of out-of-towners will converge on Honolulu this week for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings.
By Burl Burlingame APEC is here and you're not invited. But you sense it's your duty to feel internationalist, part of the world family, at least while APEC-apalooza is in swing.
By Joleen Oshiro For Christine Harris-Amos, intaglio printmaking has helped her express herself during life's rough patches. Recently, Harris-Amos produced several haunting photogravure works of aged dolls in various environments, the shadows of light playing across their faces to eerie effect.
By Star-Advertiser staff Koa Gallery at Kapiolani Community College is showing the work of longtime Hawaii artist Yoko Radke through Thursday.
By Nina Wu Ekundu the lion has been taken, along with the cheetah, the penguins, pueo, iiwi bird and tiger, but Rusti the orangutan, an elephant, zebra and giraffe are still available, along with a nene, macaw, hawk and several other birds.
By Nadine Kam If you're looking for an international culinary expedition, look no further than the Maunakea Marketplace Food Court and vicinity where you'll find cuisine from at least 11 of the 21 APEC member nations.
By Nadine Kam Pacific Gateway Center has joined the monthly First Friday festivities and is celebrating one of its success stories this week with "Andy South's Fashion Journey," tracing the "Project Runway" designer's road to success, from working on the family farm to showing his work at New York Fashion Week last fall.
By Steven Mark There are plenty of surfing books in different genres, from how-to to history, from who's who to where to go.
By Gary C.W. Chun The popular food truck Melt has served its last gourmet grilled cheese sandwich. Melt was one of the mobile eateries at the forefront of a growing food truck movement that has since blossomed into the monthly Eat the Street festival in Kakaako.
By Associated Press Hairballs are normal in cats, but they're a nuisance for cat owners to deal with. There are a few things you can do, though, to reduce hairballs and other feline dietary upsets.
By Burl Burlingame Seventy-five years ago, after several brief flirtations, Hollywood arrived in Hawaii in a big way. Film crews for "Waikiki Wedding" showed up to film exteriors for the Bing Crosby musical. When it was released in early 1937, it became one of the most popular movies of the year.
By John Berger Several thousand miles of ocean separate Hawaii and the Republic of Vanuatu, an independent Melanesian nation northeast of Australia, but "Port Vila mi lavem yu (Port Vila I Love You)," an exhibition at the East-West Center Gallery, shows there are some similarities.
By Burl Burlingame 'Kauai: 100 Years in Postcards' -- Picture-book publishers Arcadia have tried something new here, telling a community history through the use of postcards. • plus 'Surfing in Hawaii: 1778-1930' and 'Buildings of Hawaii'
By Nancy Arcayna Kailua author Petronella Evers created and constructed the critters featured in her new book, “The Little Greenies, Manu the Seabird” (Table Top Productions, $16.95).
By Star-Advertiser staff Wet ’n’ Wild clownin’ around • Homeless need school supplies
By Burl Burlingame U.S. Air Force bases, as you might imagine, are known for their airplanes. Their yacht clubs, not so much. But Hickam Field, established in 1935 and nestled in between the Army's Fort Kamehameha and the Navy's Pearl Harbor, has one wet toe firmly in the Pacific Ocean.
Animal tags mark your territory • A sweetheart of a fragrance • This dog dreams big • It’s “poh-kay” not “poh-key” • Tanks a bunch
By Nancy Arcayna Style is the typical driving factor when shopping for shades, but equally important is the UV protection the lenses provide, the reason sunglasses were developed in the first place.
By Nadine Kam It’s that time again. Season 9 of “Project Runway” debuts tonight on Lifetime, starting with the casting special, “Project Runway: Road to the Runway” at 5 p.m., followed by the inaugural episode, “Come as You Are,” at 6 p.m.
By Haiya Sarwar
Special to the Star-Advertiser Yamamay, the Italian lingerie and beachwear brand, is the latest fashion label to find inspiration in Hawaii’s sun-kissed shores, dramatic naturescapes and mai tai cocktail culture.
By John Berger "Cherchez la femme" is the take-away from the Hawaii Shakespeare Festival's production of "Two Noble Kinsmen." The phrase, which translates as "look for the woman (as the cause)," describes the experiences of two noble cousins whose friendship is destroyed when they fall in love with the same woman.
By Joan Namkoong A radish is the root of a plant in the mustard family. When we say radish we usually think of those bite-size bright pinkish-red balls with white interiors that possess a peppery crunchiness.
By Nancy Arcayna Working out with weights five times a week and managing two days of cardio with additional Pilates, yoga and tennis sessions, Mark Laakso of Honolulu would have been considered fit by most standards.
By John Berger Hawaii residents who saw Kumu Kahua's production of Lee Cataluna's comedy "Folks You Meet In Longs" in 2003 will find this revival — a fundraiser to help finance the 2011-2012 season — a comfortable return to popular material.
By Steven Mark For all that Solina Wilhelm has been through, she might be excused if she comes across as rather shy. Over the phone her high-pitched voice quavers as she speaks, uncertain of her words as she talks about a life filled with trauma.
By Sjarif Goldstein Any vacation takes planning, but it seems like a Disney trip puts even more of a premium on preparation. When you travel thousands of miles and spend thousands of dollars, you don't want to leave feeling you've missed something essential.
By Sjarif Goldstein Maybe even more than they were looking forward to Disney World, my wife and son were anxious to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a must for fans of J.K. Rowling's books and the movie adaptations.
By Star-Advertiser staff Star-Advertiser staff offer our take on the classic "what I did on my summer vacation" essay with these travel tips. Hopefully, you can benefit from our fun finds and missteps.
By Burl Burlingame It's a delightfully ironic title, "Page One: Inside the ." In this vérité documentary of the working life of the "Gray Lady," editors and reporters dicker and discuss and maneuver their pieces, and the winners get prime real estate on the front page of the paper.
By Nina Wu Former Aloha Airlines pilot Michael A. Stiber, 42, never knew he was a writer. But he's been published — on iPhone, that is.
By Star-Advertiser staff Dragon slayers! • Help kids in Wahiawa get supplies for school • Lunch brings dads, kids together
By Steven Mark Time and distance have doomed many a friendship, but Gary Yoshida of Honolulu and Shoji Kamikubo of Hiroshima have maintained theirs for more than 40 years and across thousands of miles. For that, they have the YMCA to thank.
Copper sconces age gracefully • Converted bodyboard is waves of keiki fun • What's inside counts with these cups • Baby-name book has plenty of back story • Rainier cherries worth price
By Nancy Arcayna Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece is a regular at the Paris couture shows of Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel and other top fashion houses, made Vogue Daily's best-dressed list for the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and is a member of Vanity Fair's international best-dressed hall of fame.
A key ingredient in Mediterranean cooking, sun-loving sweet basil always seems bigger leafed and more pungent in the summer. A caprese salad and pesto benefit greatly from sweet basil’s licorice and clove flavors.
By Nadine Kam The last time I was in New York, I was on a quest to find a restaurant to replace the shuttered Payard as one that my love and I could call our own.
By Nina Wu Fumi's Kahuku Shrimp beat out all the other local shrimp trucks as one of the best lunch spots in Maxim magazine's 2011 Food & Drinks awards, which includes restaurants across the U.S.
By Nancy Arcayna When Daniel R. Ward was in his 20s, one of his favorite pastimes was riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
By John Berger Two talented stars, a tremendous supporting cast, colorful costumes and, yes, all those wigs are key ingredients in Diamond Head Theatre's snappy summer production of "Hairspray."
Get the latest reports, features and photos from Comic-Con International 2011 in our special Web section.
By Nancy Arcayna The Drums Alive class at the Still and Moving Center was all fun and games.
By Burl Burlingame It's not true that, south of the equator, ceiling fans rotate in the opposite direction. But it's true that in Hawaii, where architecture is often designed around the tradewinds, ceiling fans are popular for adding to interior breezes.
By Nina Wu Approaching Daniel Anthony's home in a Kaneohe valley, you can hear the rhythms of rock on wooden boards in a regular cadence, as the smell of steamed taro wafts into the air from pressure cookers set up outside.
By Nina Wu Koji Toyoda's exhibit, showing at Chinatown Boardroom through July 29, depicts the joy of surfing through stick-like figures who seem to be looking forward. Smiley faces are incorporated into the paintings, whether in a cloud, a sun, or tree.
By Burl Burlingame What does a surf-crazy and movie-mad kid do during summer vacations in Southern California? When Brian Gillogly wasn't hitting the beach, he was showing surf movies in SoCal's high school cafeterias.
By Nancy Arcayna "Merrie the Little Hula Dancer," written and illustrated by Maureen Quemada (Mutual Publishing, $14.95), is a quaint tale that teaches children how to count to 10 in both English and Hawaiian. Merrie, a lonely hula dancer, makes wishes to enlarge her halau. One by one the dancers are added to the group until Merrie is satisfied.
By Star-Advertiser staff Robotic basics • Let’s dance! Keiki bon dance • Price is right at PCC and Sea Life Park • It's all about families
By Star-Advertiser staff The Salt Lake-Moanalua Public Library is bringing back bingo for the final days of summer vacation with a "Back to School BINGO!" night.
By Steven Mark There are few careers in which having sight in only one eye would be considered an advantage, but Karl Johnson has managed to find his calling and make the most of it.
Dengue Fever’s cool in Khmer • Shave ice on Kona Street? Ailana! • Hey noni, noni, smooth my skin! • Buy a bracelet, boost a nonprofit • ‘Slippahs’ book fits keiki right
By Star-Advertiser staff Turn off the tube, power down your laptop and ditch your other digital devices for some old-fashioned family fun at Talk Story Camp 2011 featuring top storytellers from Hawaii and the mainland.
By Associated Press LOS ANGELES » "Mad Men," the sharply observed drama of a changing 1960s America, captured 19 Emmy nominations Thursday to lead the series pack, with the melodramatic miniseries "Mildred Pierce" starring Kate Winslet grabbing a top 21 bids.
By Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle Ten years, eight movies, four directors, two screenwriters, four composers, two Dumbledores, countless broomsticks and one — just one — Harry Potter. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. The Kid with the Lightning Bolt Scar.
Daniel Radcliffe • Emma Watson • Rupert Grint