THE KING RETURNS IN HISTORIC CONCERT
Jan. 14 will be the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s landmark "Aloha from Hawaii" concert at what was then the Honolulu International Center. The show was broadcast live via satellite to more than 40 countries, and that was a big deal back in 1973 when broadcasting anything "live via satellite" — let alone a full-length concert — was newsworthy.
The sold-out concert was an international hit; Elvis described it later as the biggest thing he’d done. The soundtrack album eventually sold more than 5 million copies.
The excitement of "Aloha from Hawaii" — an entertainment milestone for Hawaii, for Elvis fans and for the entertainment industry in general — will be re-created exactly 40 years to the day with a screening of "Aloha from Hawaii" in a high-definition, remastered video projected on multiple screens with Dolby 5.1 surround sound audio in the Blaisdell Arena. The screening will cap a week of Elvis-related events being presented here by Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that represents his estate.
Events include a tour of locations seen in Elvis’ movies, a question-and-answer session with people who worked with Elvis, Elvis-themed parties and a visit to the USS Arizona Memorial, which Elvis played a key role in funding.
The week of events leading up to the "Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii 40th Anniversary" screening will focus Elvis fans worldwide on Hawaii and give us all an opportunity to reflect on Elvis’ ties to the islands.
The rock ‘n’ roll icon loved Hawaii; he performed here several times between 1957 and "Aloha from Hawaii" in 1973, and filmed three movies here.
For information visit www.elvis.com/aloha.
— John Berger
ADVENTURES IN FOOD CONTINUE AT TASTE
After earning her stripes producing the wildly popular "Eat the Street" food truck festival, local entrepreneur Poni Askew has taken her affinity for scrappy, up-and-coming chefs and turned it into a groundbreaking enterprise that’s already changed the way we look at eating out in Honolulu.
With help from her husband, Brandon Askew, and Pili Hawaii’s Amanda Corby and chef Mark "Gooch" Noguchi, Taste opened at 667 Auahi St. during the fall as a learning lab for food truck operators and other culinary entrepreneurs. Under the direction of Noguchi, various partners each rent out the kitchen one day a week to serve up breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner to adventurous diners with the social media skills to track things using Twitter, Facebook and the Taste website (www.tastetable.com).
Recent weeks have seen Taco Tuesdays, courtesy of Zaratez Mexicatessen; Petit Suisse Crepes setting up shop on Wednesdays; and Boom Musubi serving a variety of gourmet sushi on Thursdays.
Other partners include pop-up veterans Pig & the Lady and "Top Chef" alumna Lee Anne Wong, who partners with Noguchi to host "Drunch," a dinner based on the idea of drinking and munching small plates concocted by the pair.
As the ultimate goal for Taste is to serve as a springboard to bigger and better things, don’t be surprised if we see an influx of restaurant openings in 2013 and beyond, all stimulated by the creativity blossoming in a rejuvenated storefront in Kakaako.
— Jason Genegabus
HULA COMPETITION HITS 50-YEAR MARK
The venerable Merrie Monarch Festival will celebrate its 50th year in Hilo, March 31 to April 6.
The festival committee plans to bring back the barbershop quartet and King Kalakaua beard contests that took place in 1964, and the coronation pageant will once again be held at the Hilo Armory.
"I wanted to bring back what happened 50 years ago and to honor all those who made it happen," said festival director Luana Kawelu. "I don’t want to forget our past. It’s a special tribute to all the kumu hula, past and present, who have dedicated their lives to hula."
The 2013 Hoike will feature halau that participated from the start, including 1971 overall winner Hau‘oli Hula Girls, as well as Robert Cazimero’s Na Kamalei, the first kane winners, and the Men of Waimapuna.
Kumu hula Aloha Dalire, the first Miss Aloha Hula (1971), will perform, calling up all the former winners to join her on stage.
The Edith Kanaka‘ole Tennis Stadium, which has hosted the hula competition over the decades, is expected to undergo major renovations for the first time in many years. A new multipurpose building to serve as dressing rooms, upgraded restrooms and a larger lobby should be completed before the festival’s start.
The Merrie Monarch Festival’s origins date to 1963, when Helene Hale, Hawaii County chairwoman, was looking for a way to bring tourists to the island. The event debuted the next year.
Five years later the late Dottie Thompson (Kawelu’s mother) volunteered to take over as director of the foundering festival. She enlisted the late Uncle George Naope to invite the best hula dancers from around the isles to compete in honor of Kalakaua.
The hula competition itself was introduced in 1971, then a one-night event.
Today the weeklong festival with three nights of competition draws audiences from all over the globe while focusing on the same mission of keeping hula, the heartbeat of Hawaii, alive.
(The 2013 festival T-shirt is already available for purchase at merriemonarch.com.)
— Nina Wu
