Hula’s Bar & Lei Stand will go cabaret from 5 to 8 p.m. today when singer Shari Lynn (backed by pianist Jim Howard) guest-performs in a sunset whoop-de-doo. Here’s the rub for Shari: She will do an opening segment, then she’ll take requests, hollered from the audience. "I’ll have about 200 songs on lists that will be at each table, and I’ll take requests all night," said the daredevil. Shari’s song bag embraces show tunes, standards and more — fueled by her powerful pipes! Donations will be accepted for Gregory House. …
Of course, Shari is a teacher at La Pietra by day, and has recruited the suave and savvy Jimmy Borges for this year’s "Sunset Jazz at La Pietra" at the school’s Great Lawn on Sept. 11. "It’ll be a ‘back from the bed’ thing for Jimmy (his first singing gig since having a cancerous growth removed from his liver this summer) but will include a tribute to New York (because of the play date)," said Shari. (And remember, she subbed for Borges in summer’s "Wildest Show" at the zoo.) Others, like John Rampage and Mary Gutzi, are also participating. …
UPDATE:Remember last year when singer Elika Santos, then a member of the classic Society of Seven, abruptly disappeared and was a no-show for rehearsals and subsequent gigs with the popular show group?
The buzz was that he opted for a career as a cruise ship performer. Local residents Lyn Yee and her husband, Rick, encountered the entertainer aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam in sailings from Venice to Croatia, Greece and Turkey in July and August. Santos is a soloist in a dinner presentation on the Holland America Cruise liner, but he also has solo turns in a lounge.
"He was awesome," Yee said. Santos performs power ballads (think Journey) and opera, and his stage experience (he was Enjolras in Diamond Head Theatre’s "Les Miserables") didn’t hurt. "The audience was impressed with his performance; he made us Hawaiians proud … a true ambassador of the aloha spirit." But his unprofessional exit could haunt him forever. …
WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Local boy Kevin Iwamoto, a former entertainer and a renowned global leadership professional, can now add "author" to his portfolio. He edited, wrote the introduction and contributed to a just-out business book, "Strategic Meetings Management Handbook: From Theory to Practice," and his chapter contribution already has been published in Business Travel News. Iwamoto was in town recently, and we enjoyed a leisurely lunch together. He crisscrosses America and circles the globe as vice president of enterprise strategy at StarCite Inc. and is a widely respected visionary in business travel circles. …
Dennis Carroll, a director and theater professor at the University of Hawaii, retired June 30 and will be feted by colleagues, actors and students at 5:30 p.m. today at Dave and Buster’s at Ward Centre. Carroll is known for orchestrating the complete three-part "Oresteia," by Aeschylus, staged over five hours with a dinner break. Carroll also was a shepherd of Kumu Kahua and established the Late Night Theatre at Kennedy Theatre. Admission is $65 and includes dinner. Call Marty Myers at 956-2602 or go to www.hawaii.edu/kennedy/dennis.aloha.pdf. …
TRADEWINDS: With "Conan the Barbarian" finally giving Jason Momoa film-star creds, the one-time islander now is filming "Bullet to the Head," directed by Walter Hill, due in 2012. Sylvester Stallone stars; Momoa portrays a character named Keegan. Wonder if they have had a who-has-the-best-pecs contest on the set?…
At a Manhattan club recently, isle singer Bruno Mars‘ latest girlfriend, Puerto Rican model Jessica Caban, allegedly was harassed by a Mars fan who wants her out of his life. Caban was quoted in the New York Post that she’s "scared for her life" because of heat and hisses from haters posted via Twitter and Facebook. ‘Tis the kind of reaction Justin Bieber received when he was cozy with Selena Gomez. …
And that’s "Show Biz."
Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist; reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com.
