Amy Hanaiali‘i and Willie K are making merry music together, rekindling their recording partnership with a new album expected in the months ahead.
If you recall, she and he were powerful single acts before becoming a romantic couple, but they never married. Now they are a professional twosome again, as Amy and Willie — Na Hoku Hanohano Award winners and multi-Grammy nominees — make a bid as a recording duo.
Neither a timetable nor an album title has been announced, though the project is a definite go. …
Speaking of the Hokus: Preliminary balloting is under way, but some would-be contenders already are describing themselves as "Hoku nominees" in promotional material and on CDs circulating to voting members of the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts as reminders for a vote consideration. Some artists are wrongly describing themselves as nominees; a nominee is someone who makes the final ballot cut, and that won’t be announced for a few more weeks. …
NAMES ‘N’ PLACES: Singer Lani Misalucha and husband Noli were back in town recently, dining at Romano’s Macaroni Grill with local pals Al Waterson, Nancy Bernal, Jordan Segundo and Jason Kina. She spent the past three months in the Philippines after her show at the Holiday Inn Waikiki Beachcomber Hotel closed, opting to do TV and concerts in her homeland. She’s moved on to Las Vegas but expects to return to Honolulu soon. …
The aforementioned Segundo is back on KHON2 Thursday mornings, providing commentary and sharing chit-chat about this year’s "American Idol" competition on Fox. It’s a gig he’s been doing since becoming Hawaii’s first "Idol" contestant years ago. …
Jack and Cha Thompson are on a Down Under escapade, a vacation that will take the Tihati Productions honchos to Auckland and Queensland with pals. No business, just recreational fun — sounds wonderful. …
NOT-SO-HIGH ‘FIVE’: USA Today critic Robert Bianco wondered about last week’s"Hawaii Five-0," where Duane "Dog" Chapman and wife Beth, plus Christine Lahti as Steve McGarrett’s mother, Doris, appeared briefly with dubious success. "It’s unclear which is worse: That Lahti, who is one of our finer actors, is forced to share a bill with Dog, or that she’s appearing on this dog of a remake, period — but neither speaks well for the medium," said the critic. …
The CBS show’s stagnant ranking — second in its time slot, belowABC’s "Castle" and above NBC’s "Deception" (to be replaced Monday by the return of "Revolution") — makes one wonder whether the network really will pick it up for another year, despite the TNT syndication deal already in place.
CBS just locked "CSI" for its 14th season; that show has averaged 11.9 million weekly this year, compared with 10.9 million for "Five-0." …
Join the discussion in my online blog. …
MARVELOUS MARS: Bruno Mars again is a cover boy, this time for GQ’s annual April "Style Bible" edition, out Tuesday. Decked out in a tuxedo jacket by Neil Barrett, a Salvatore Ferragamo fedora, trousers by John Varvatos and patent leather shoes by Brunello Cucinelli, he looks as dapper and radiant as his contagious music. …
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.
