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Tihati staff tickled to see themselves in ‘Just Go with It’

ABOUT 30 Tihati employees dashed to see the 10:25 p.m. showing of "Just Go with It" at Ward Theaters Friday after their Waikiki performance. The Tihati group wanted to see it because a nice chunk of the pic was filmed on Maui and Kauai, and some of them were in the luau scene at Maui’s Grand Wailea. Tihati also provided some stage props. "We had a blast and gave huge cheers in the theater when we saw our segment," said Tihati VP Afatia Thompson. "We had a lot of fun and had a great experience filming in the movie as well as watching the finished product. As always, we at Tihati Productions strive to be the best representation of Hawaii and Polynesia as a whole whenever we’re given the opportunity to share our culture with the world." "Just Go with It," which opened last Friday and was the weekend’s box-office winner, stars Adam Sandler and beauties Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman and Brooklyn Decker. Bailee Madison, 11, is a scene stealer …

…BESIDES AFATIA, Tihati’s fire knife dancers, wahine dancers, musicians and drummers in the film included Anapogi Tevaga, Thomas Thompson, Hoku Garza, Joe Pauole, Jasmine Yoshino, Pilialoha Gaison, Shylenn Hall, Iele Eseroma, Fa’amau Liu and Sa’afiga Foster Jr. Bianca Foster was hired as an off-camera hula instructor for Aniston and Kidman. Their characters were rivals and they competed on camera in a "hula" competition. Both stars needed more instruction. However, Kidman’s Tahitian was easy on the eyes. Also easy to watch was Decker walking out of the ocean at Wailea in a bikini. It was a scene that Ursula Andress first made famous in the 1962 James Bond pic "Dr. No." A scene with most of the principals at Kauai’s beautiful Kilauea Falls was stunning. The waterfall was the star. The movie’s soundtrack, heavy on The Police, lists a number of Hawaii performers. They include Ledward Ka’apana, Jake Shimabukuro, Hawaiian Beach Band, Barry Flanagan, Ekolu, All-Star Hawaiian Band and Herb Ohta Jr. The Beach Boys sang "Hawaii" …

…FORMER ISLE resident KK Clivio brought a group of nine yoga enthusiasts from PURE in New York City here for a weeklong retreat earlier this month. "It was an incredibly special experience for me to share all that I love of Hawaii with my students," the highly regarded yoga instructor said. The group stayed at the Kahala Hotel. One of KK’s students, Google’s Mark Tabry, proposed to his girlfriend, Briana Beckerman, at sunrise following meditation near Makapuu Lighthouse. William Orihuela tossed a reception for the group at his Kahala home. Makana performed, and guest Kristian Lei sang a song. KK’s mom, Mary Clivio, joined her on the trip to visit relatives who live here. Mary is a VP of TD Garden, still called Boston Garden by many. She played her heart out and won a Valentine’s Day golf tourney at Mid-Pac Monday. KK, a former paddler with Hui Nalu, celebrated her birthday Tuesday …

…HAWAII’s Bruno Mars, besides performing in the Grammy show Sunday after winning the best male pop vocal award, was featured Monday night on both "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider" during post-Grammy reports. KGMB’s Teri Okita, who covered the Grammys, was dressed to the nines and looked glamorous. She could have been mistaken for one of the stars. …

—— Ben Wood, who sold the Star-Bulletin on Honolulu streets in World War II, writes of people, places and things Fridays. E-mail him at bwood@staradvertiser.com.

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