By Ben Wood This is a tribute to you," Gov. Neil Abercrombie said to Jimmy Borges Monday night at The Pacific Club as a crowd of 140 stood and cheered. Jimmy was honored by the Hawaii chapter of the National Society of Arts and Letters, which assists promising young artists.
Tia Watson was admitted to the Mensa worldwide high-IQ society when she was just 4 years old, will witness Wednesday's rocket launch at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
By Ben Wood BACK IN 2010, chef Edwin Goto's little "farm to fork" restaurant, Village Burger in Waimea, Hawaii island, was named one of USA Today's "51 Great Burger Joints" — one for each state and the District of Columbia.
By Ben Wood Congratulations to accomplished Hawaiian hala lei-maker Roy Benham, who turned 90 on April 19. A surprise birthday party was held for him at Native Books/Na Mea Hawai‘i in Ward Warehouse, where he is known as "Uncle Roy."
By Ben Wood An open house and sunset reception was held Saturday for neighborhood residents of Shangri La, the late Doris Duke’s fabulous Diamond Head property.
By Ben Wood Waikiki Beach and The Royal Hawaiian hotel received major plugs in the two-hour "Mad Men" season 6 opener Sunday night on AMC.
By Ben Wood Two Hawaii newsmakers, Bette Midler and Manti Te'o, are featured in Vanity Fair magazine this month.
By Ben Wood Being a devoted Tina Fey fan, I went to see her new movie "Admission" last weekend. It was OK. Fey is funny and her acting as Portia, a Princeton admissions officer, is worthy.
By Ben Wood I was pleasantly surprised when I went to Murphy's for a tasty Irish burger shortly before St. Patrick's Day and was seated across the aisle from my longtime pals Al Harrington, Jimmy Borges and Cal Lui. They invited me to have lunch and join their conversation.
By Ben Wood After learning the movie "Emperor" was about Gen. Douglas MacArthur's important role in Japan following the Japa­nese surrender in World War II, I put it on my must-see list, as it brought back many memories about the great warrior and Medal of Honor recipient.
By Ben Wood The late, great Alfred Apaka's 94th-birthday celebration will be held March 17, 3 to 7 p.m., at Hilton Hawaiian Village. The singer's son Jeff has, as usual, lined up a long list of singers, musicians and hula dancers.
By Ben Wood Sunday night’s Oscar show, heavy on music from hit movies, was a winner. I would have enjoyed it more had it not run so long. KITV started screening red-carpet arrivals at 6 and began the awards show at 7:30 p.m. It ran until shortly past 11.
By Ben Wood Spoiler alert! Being one of millions who are devoted fans of "Downton Abbey," I was upset (to use a polite word) when a friend told me that Dan Stevens, who plays Matthew Crawley on the British show carried by PBS, is not renewing his contract and would likely be killed off.
By Ben Wood Hawaii's Bruno Mars captained an all-star team in a tribute to Mr. Reggae Bob Marley in one of the brightest segments of the Grammy Awards Sunday night.
By Ben Wood HAWAII Five-0" regular Daniel Dae Kim has teamed with Honolulu Theatre for Youth to present and produce the off-Broadway show "Hold These Truths," a story of Japanese internment activist Gordon Hirabayashi, Feb. 21-March 2 at Tenney Theatre.
By Ben Wood Town & Country magazine lists its top 50 bachelors, a survey of what it calls the most eligible men in the world, in its February issue.
By Ben Wood Photographer Michi Moore has helped out many Hawaii entertainers with photos, and now they are stepping up to help the uterine cancer survivor with her medical bills.
By Ben Wood A RECEPTION with Gov. Neil Abercrombie and promoter Tom Moffatt was held at Washington Place Sunday to recognize the people from Elvis Presley's Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tenn., and those involved in the 40th anniversary celebration of the "Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii" concert screening.
By Ben Wood Romano's Macaroni Grill GM Kunani Blake and his staff took good care of two VIPs, Malia and Sasha Obama, who came for dinner with eight other people last Friday night.
By Ben Wood THE BIG STARS of "Wood Craft 2012" include five local boys and a sensational wahine volleyball player from California with Hawaiian roots. The five are: President Barack Obama, U.S. Sens. Dan Inouye and Daniel Akaka, Manti Te'o and Bruno Mars.
By Ben Wood Town & Country's January 2013 issue lists four getaways in its Beach Guide section that it recommends as prime locations to shake off the winter cold. Hawaii island is the only U.S. beach destination in the section.
By Ben Wood NO HAWAII political leader has done more for the islands than Sen. Dan Inouye. The Democratic senator and Medal of Honor recipient for his World War II heroics with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team died Monday at 88.
By Ben Wood AS I WAS walking toward the Neiman Marcus exit on Dec. 7, a man called my name. He was Jie Sing "Sonny" Chun, one of the kids I grew up with in Makiki when I attended Lincoln Elementary.
By Ben Wood Barkeeps Don and Marion Murphy, a well-liked couple, celebrated the 25th anniversary of their Murphy's Bar & Grill Nov. 16. The popular downtown spot on the corner of Merchant and Nuuanu has held some of the state's biggest block parties.
By Ben Wood Hotel Lexington's Hawaiian Room, a popular New York City nightspot that opened 75 years ago in 1937, showcased hula and song by Hawaiian entertainers for 30 years.
By Ben Wood Tiffany & Co. at Ala Moana held a reception Nov. 15 to showcase its renovation, an upgrade that has the sparkle of a prized gem. Guests were greeted by John Geppert, director of Tiffany's Oahu market.
By Ben Wood Former Hawaiian Airlines DC-3 hostesses threw another fabulous party at the Ala Moana Hotel Saturday night. The women of Koa‘e Kea("high-flying bird") are talented: Many of them danced hula as they did in the '40s and '50s on neighbor isle flights.
By Ben Wood It was a dark and spooky night when Catherine Cruz took some 40 friends, including Denby Fawcett and her husband, Bob Jones, on a pre-Halloween tour of Oahu Cemetery Oct. 27, led by cemetery historian Nanette Napoleon.
By Ben Wood Who does "Hawaii Five-0" call when it needs a lawyer? Michael Green, that's who. But the high-profile attorney is not called for legal services; Mike is called to play a lawyer on the show. He will make his second appearance in the series in late November.
By Ben Wood The EuroCinema team and Moana Surfrider management and staff deserve an award for putting on such a great awards party under the stars on the hotel's Diamond Head lawn Oct. 19.
By Ben Wood With the Hawaii International Film Festival presented by the Halekulani going strong this week, it's a good time to talk about movies.
By Ben Wood THE 2012 Medal of Honor Convention wrapped up last weekend with two major patriotic events. A block party was held outside Murphy's Friday night and the convention ended Saturday with a Patriot Award Dinner aboard the Battleship Missouri.
By Ben Wood A REUNION of Kahala Hilton employees who served there from 1964 to 1995 when it was a Hilton International hotel drew 130 people to what is now called the Kahala Hotel & Resort on Sept. 22.
By Ben Wood IT WAS joyous at Annie Leihulu Ikuwa Kaaa's 100th birthday party Sept. 16 at Masa's Cafeteria. She is also called Ane, Tutu and Mrs. Clean. Some 250 people showed up to wish Annie well.
By Ben Wood HAWAII MODEL Genevieve Rokero of the Kathy Muller agency was busy in New York during Fashion Week, Sept. 5-13. Besides working the catwalk, she was on the cover of The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 9.
By Ben Wood I was unaware that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, 69, was scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention. The former four-star general and Army chief of staff from Kauai took the stage on the second day of the gathering and spoke strongly about what he said was the president's "sincere and steadfast devotion to veterans."
By Ben Wood A crowd of 230 turned out to support Lee Donohue and the 10th annual Taste of Kick Start Sunday in the sprawling outdoor area of Hawaii Kai Towne Center behind Maile's Thai Bistro.
By Ben Wood SAM and MARY Cooke had quite a celebration to mark the 101st anniversary of their historic home, Kuali‘i, on Aug. 7. Sam's cousin Lynne Johnson had another cousin, Sasha Cooke, and Sasha's husband, Kelly Markgraf, from Chicago to sing opera arias and songs from Broadway musicals.
By Ben Wood Don't let the absence of Matt Damon keep you away from "The Bourne Legacy," because Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross, like Bourne, is another superhuman spy and does just fine.
By Ben Wood In chatting with Brownie Williams Monday, I learned Olympic gold medalist Misty May-Treanor is a part-Hawaiian athlete who was born in L.A. and is related to Brownie's late husband, Alex Williams, formerly of Williams Photography, as well as late First Hawaiian Bank prez Johnny Bellinger.
By Ben Wood Former Police Chief Lee Donohue, a karate expert, will be inducted into the national martial arts Masters Hall of Fame, based in Costa Mesa, Calif., at an awards dinner Saturday night.
By Ben Wood The premiere of Hawaii Film Partners' "You May Not Kiss the Bride," a romantic adventure comedy filmed in Hawaii, will take place Aug. 31 at Consolidated Theatres.
By Ben Wood A selection of seven Hawaiian travel and tourism posters of the 1930s, '40s and '50s will be offered for sale Wednesday.
By Ben Wood Bumped into Philana Bouvier at Neiman's Espresso Bar on Saturday and learned she has two big days coming up soon.
By Ben Wood DESIGNING 007: 50 Years of Bond Style," an exhibition of some 400 items from the James Bond films, went on display July 6 in London.
By Ben Wood BAREFOOTED Billie Gabriel presented President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama with maile lei after laying a wreath at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., during a Memorial Day ceremony.
By Ben Wood WHEN Melveen Leed was 19, she started drawing crowds to the Hilton Hawaiian Village Garden Bar singing with a combo.
By Ben Wood HAWAII'S Michelle Wie is featured in the June 11 Women in Sports issue in ESPN The Magazine. A large photo shows off her hair, which writer Molly Knight describes as "neon-pink-streaked."
UH MED SCHOOL professor Dr. Alson Inaba, 51, helped kick off National CPR Awareness Week in New York City in an event that had Hollywood flair.
By Ben Wood LAST WEEK was one of the most emotional weeks in Jimmy Borges' life.
By Ben Wood Not every Army doctor has three bands playing at his promotion-to-colonel party, but Tripler's Eric Crawley did, thanks to his wife, "Skinny" Lynnie Crawley.
By Ben Wood Jack Black deserves an Academy Award best actor nomination for his remarkable work in "Bernie," the true story of the murder of a really mean, wealthy, East Texas widow.
By Ben Wood JIMMY THOMAS, one of my Roosevelt class of '49 football teammates, sent me a letter after reading in my May 4 column that PBS Hawaii was to film a pledge program at ‘Iolani Palace.
By Ben Wood WOW! When it comes to action, both high-tech and ordinary knock 'em down, drag 'em out battles, "The Avengers" takes the cake.
By Ben Wood PBS HAWAII will shoot what should be a blockbuster pledge program inside ‘Iolani Palace. Musical performances will be shot in the Blue Room, Throne Room and around the Grand Staircase.
By Ben Wood GEN. COLIN POWELL'S announcement promoting the "Call for Photos" of Hawaii service personnel who were killed in the Vietnam War is running on TV.
By Ben Wood NORA MEIJIDE-GENTRY walked up to the Dalai Lama Sunday morning at the Kahala Hotel and shook his hand. Later she was among the large crowd that saw him at the Stan Sheriff Center, as she is among his great admirers.
By Ben Wood Roy Essoyan, who died March 22 at age 92 at his home in Pupukea, got his U.S. citizenship in Hawaii but was truly a citizen of the world.
By Ben Wood CORKY TRINIDAD, the legendary editorial cartoonist for the Star-Bulletin who died in 2009, is still reaching readers with his mighty pen. Corky’s cartoon of Mark Felt, the shadowy FBI official who revealed himself as the Watergate source “Deep Throat” in 2005, is the jacket cover art on the newly released book “Leak: Why Mark Felt Became Deep Throat,” by Max Holland (University Press of Kansas).
By Ben Wood The late Shigeru Hotoke was Kailua High's "Music Man." Saturday, the school's music building will be named the Shigeru Hotoke Music Building in his honor. The program will run from 10 a.m. to noon.
By Ben Wood Jimmy Borges will sing anywhere, anytime his musical spirit moves him. This started when he was 6 years old on a Honolulu trolley bus on the way to school at St. Louis and he sang to a little girl.
Bill "Maggie" Maguire, 82, who retired after serving many years as branch manager for Carrier Air Conditioning in Hono­lulu, died Jan. 13 in Kirkland, Wash.
By Ben Wood After watching the Academy Awards and being floored by “The Artist,” a silent (except for music), black-and-white picture from France winning five Oscars, I had to see the film.
By Ben Wood It was fascinating to watch father and son James and Scott Caan (shown below) whenever they were on camera together in Monday’s “Hawaii Five-0.”
By Ben Wood EDWARD “SKIPPA” DIAZ received honors the legendary athlete, coach and teacher certainly deserved at his 68th birthday luncheon Feb. 17 at the Willows restaurant.
By Ben Wood Former National Basketball Association all-star and occasional guest on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” Detlef Schrempf lightened up the crowd at Mid-Pacific Institute’s M Club Athletic Hall of Fame Gala at the Ko‘olau Ballrooms Feb. 4.
By Ben Wood KANANI TITCHEN, 37, a 1992 La Pietra grad who will graduate from Jefferson Medical College in May, will soon be heading to Haiti with a medical team. The 2010 earthquake left 220,000 dead and 1.6 million homeless in the poor country.
By Ben Wood SERGEANT IS A SHOE-IN: Sgt. Ashleigh Berg’s passion for high-heeled shoes may have had something to do with her being seated in first lady Michelle Obama’s box with Jill Biden and other VIPs during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address Jan. 24.
By Ben Wood Many of Hawaii's top athletes have come out of Farrington High. Right up there with the best of them is Edward "Skippa" Diaz, a legendary football player, coach and teacher, who will be honored on his 68th birthday Feb. 17 at a Willows luncheon, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
By Ben Wood The last two awards of the night at the Golden Globes Awards went to “The Descendants” star George Clooney, for best actor in a drama, and “The Descendants” for best dramatic picture.
By Ben Wood HOLIDAY LEFTOVERS: Arriving home after a pre-Christmas board meeting, Waikiki Community Center exec director Mike Lee realized that in his haste he had scraped decorations for a buche de noel, the French name for a cake shaped like a fireplace log, into the trash along with cake leftovers after board members had their fill. Mike made the cake and wanted to save the decorations that included two chickadee replicas. A red glass that was given to him along with the little chickadees was also accidentally trashed.
By Ben Wood WE WIND UP looking back on events receiving ink in Wood Craft in 2011 by taking in happenings from the first half of the year. One of the biggest news stories was Japan’s horrendous March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The goodness and generosity of Hawaii’s people, entertainers and businesses were clearly shown as they kept participating for months in fundraising efforts for victims …
By Ben Wood HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2011 wound down on a high note for University of Hawaii fans when local boy Norm Chow, who has sterling coaching credentials, was named UH head football coach.
By Ben Wood Sandy Gomes, one of State Farm's finest, celebrated his 80th birthday Dec. 14 with about 100 family members and friends at Oahu Country Club. Sandy was a live wire at the party, greeting guests, moving from table to table to chat and cutting a rug on the dance floor.
By Ben Wood CARE TO SEE a good Hawaiian Christmas show that won’t cost you a dime? If so, take in the annual program by kumu hula Shirley Recca on Sunday, 6 to 7 p.m., at Kuhio Beach’s hula mound near the Duke Kahanamoku statue. Shirley’s husband, Joe Recca, their daughters Elan and Delys, and Shirley’s Halau Hula ‘o Namakahulali will participate. Shirley, Joe and Delys took part in designer Nake‘u Awai’s holiday fashion show Dec. 3 at Ko‘olau golf course clubhouse. Marlene Sai, Vicky Hollinger and Toni Lee, former Kamehameha schoolmates, celebrated Marlene’s and Vicky’s birthdays at the fashion show. Toni is the mother of former Miss Universe Brook Lee. Brook will sub for vacationing hula queen Kanoe Miller at Halekulani’s House Without a Key Monday through New Year’s Eve …
By Ben Wood THE LAST TIME I saw Bill Tapia perform was in August of last year at the Halekulani’s House Without a Key when Puamana was the guest group. Hawaii-born Bill, who had a remarkable career playing ukulele and guitar and singing, died last Friday at his home in Westminster, Calif. He would have turned 104 on Jan. 1.
By Ben Wood “THE DESCENDANTS,” starring George Clooney and filmed in Hawaii, is a terrific movie. Thank you, Kaui Hart Hemmings, for writing the book from which the film was adapted. Clooney was absolutely brilliant and could win the best-actor Oscar for his role as attorney Matt King, the descendant of a Hawaiian princess and a Caucasian banker.
HULA REIGNED supreme Saturday at the annual reunion of Koa‘e Kea, the organization of retired Hawaiian Airlines hostesses who flew in the 1940s and ’50s. The love and warmth that flowed at the dinner party was overwhelming. Some 145 people attended the bash at the Ala Moana Hotel’s Garden Lanai room.
By Ben Wood WHEN Rap Reiplinger’s body was found in Maunawili in 1984, a victim of substance abuse at only 33, my sadness was mixed with anger. Not only did the great comedian die, but all of the marvelous characters he created and those he would have developed died with him. Producer Phil Arnone gave us another look at Rap’s characters last Sunday on KHNL in “Rap — Hawaii’s Comic Genius.” He was a genius.
By Ben Wood HAWAII ACTRESS Christie Brooke (“Soul Surfer” and “The Descendants”) was a celebrity judge when Hallmark’s “Hero Dog Awards,” was taped last month in Beverly Hills. The Castle High grad was alongside celeb judges and presenters Betty White, Whoopi Goldberg, Ewan McGregor, Peter Fonda, Faith Ford, Kristin Chenoweth and others. Hosted by Carson Kressley and taped before a live audience at the Beverly Hilton, the “Hero Dog Awards” paid tribute to eight remarkable dogs and their handlers. The show airs tonight at 6 on the Hallmark Channel. …
By Ben Wood MY 80TH-BIRTHDAY party Oct. 26 at Neiman Marcus’ Mariposa was full of fun, warmth, dear friends, good food, wine, women, song and love. What more could a geezer ask for?
By Ben Wood KOA‘E KEA, the organization of retired Hawaiian Airlines hostesses who flew in the 1940s and ’50s, is calling on colleagues in the HAL ohana and other people interested to join its annual dinner party Nov. 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Ala Moana Hotel’s Garden Lanai Room.
By Ben Wood How does one of the town’s top attorneys, Michael Green, get involved in trying to land one of the greatest fights of all time — a bout between Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather — for Aloha Stadium?
By Ben Wood STARS TURNED out for a gala art exhibition opening Sept. 24 at Hamilton Gallery in Santa Monica featuring the work of Honolulu’s Madeleine McKay along with four other classic realist painters, including actress Brook Adams. Tony Shalhoub, who starred in the TV series “Monk,” had to show up because he’s married to Brook. Also making a splash at the event were Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Lisa Kudrow, Laura Linney, Neil Patrick Harris, Conan O’Brien, John Slattery and French Stewart.
By Ben Wood OH BABY! Twenty years ago last month I wrote a column item about Sherri and Mark Rigg speeding to the hospital as Sherri was ready to give birth. They made it to the Queen’s hospital parking lot, but Sherri couldn’t wait any longer and Mark, fortunately a paramedic, delivered baby Leiney in the back seat of their car. Fast-forward 20 years: Today, Leiney is in rehearsal for her role of Audrey, one of the starring roles in Manoa Valley Theatre’s “Little Shop of Horrors.” The show opens Oct. 27, just in time for Halloween, and runs through Nov. 13. Call 988-6131 or go to manoavalleytheatre.com for tickets to see “Horrors” and the grown-up back-seat baby …
By Ben Wood A GLEAMING red Ferrari from JN Exotics parked on the sidewalk fronting the Kahala Hotel set the stage for the Cinema Italiano in Hawaii jurors’ reception in the hotel ballroom Sept. 21. Two Iona dancers in colorful costumes added flash to the delightful party as they eased through the crowd of about 100.
By Ben Wood Al Masini, whose many shows won more than 35 Emmy awards over the years, was among those in the TV industry who died last year and were honored in a segment of Sunday night's Emmy show.
By Ben Wood HAWAII has captured Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter's enemy. Actually, the Big Isle has cast its spell over English actor Tom Felton, who portrays Malfoy.
By Ben Wood MORE THAN 200 people jammed the front and back lawns of the Bayer Estate Sunday for the ninth annual Taste of Kick Start. The fundraising goal of $30,000 was exceeded for Kick Start Karate, a program headed by former police Chief Lee Donohue to keep youngsters on the right path.
By Ben Wood PBS HAWAII chief Leslie Wilcox has landed singer Jimmy Borges for her “Long Story Short” program. No doubt Jimmy will have much to say as he recently had a huge cancerous tumor removed from his liver. He came through the surgery with flying colors and is continuing to do fine, he said this week. Leslie didn’t have much trouble landing Jimmy for the program as he is a member of PBS Hawaii’s board of directors. The program will be taped on Sept. 26 and shown about a month later.
By Ben Wood MEMBERS of Roosevelt High’s Class of ’49, who have turned or are turning 80 this year, decided to have an 80th birthday party instead of waiting for their 65th reunion. Some 120 people showed up, some from the mainland, for the Hale Koa party on Aug. 14 to reminisce and talk about the good old days on the Makiki campus.
By Ben Wood TERRY PLUNKETT, 78, has been sort of a fixture at Kamehameha Schools as a student and football player, class of ’51, and as a coach on and off for three decades. About 70 former football players gathered at the campus home of Kamehameha President Mike Chun, a former gridder, on July 23 to pay tribute to Terry.
By Ben Wood HAWAII’S “Voice Coach to the Stars” Neva Rego and PBS Hawaii President and CEO Leslie Wilcox will tie in the station’s live pledge program at 8 p.m. Sunday with the premiere of a PBS “Great Performances” special, “Jackie Evancho: Dream With Me In Concert.”
By Ben Wood IRENE HIRANO INOUYE, president of the U.S.-Japan Council and wife of Sen. Dan, will keynote the University of Hawaii/Pacific Command’s upcoming Pacific Rim Disaster Risk Reduction and Resiliency Workshop Aug. 7 to 9 here. Irene is the perfect keynoter because she happened to be in Japan when the March earthquake and tsunami struck and was interviewed by CNN.
By Ben Wood JACKIE SMYTHE, owner of Smythe & Associates PR firm, had quite a time getting to the Prince Hotel July 28 for the Koa Anvil Awards, presented by the Public Relations Society of America’s Hawaii Chapter. She planned to get to the awards at 5 p.m. but had to pick up her dog at doggie day care first.
By Ben Wood THERE IS NO LETUP in fundraising in Hawaii for Japan earthquake and tsunami victims.
By Ben Wood "SOUL SURFER" was much better than I expected. The story of Kauai's Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm to a shark in 2003 when she was 13, and her rough road back and becoming a professional surfer, is extremely well done