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Peter Hernandez Sr., father of Hawaii superstar Bruno Mars, is certain to ride a wave of his own fame when his book, "From Brooklyn to Mars," is published later this year. A catchy title, agree?
Brooklyn is his hometown, and, of course, Mars is his Little Elvis son who is the hottest young star in the pop universe now. "The book will look at four generations of Peters in our family," said Hernandez, who was named after his father and whose grandfather’s brother was a Peter, too. Bruno is Peter Jr. but uses a stage name.
The book will include intimate details about Bruno’s quest to make it in showbiz, a journey that began in Hawaii.
Hernandez splits his time between Hawaii and California, where the family has relocated, and is now in the islands — at least through his son’s three concerts at Blaisdell Arena on April 18, 19 and 21. Dad still is glowing about Bruno’s Super Bowl halftime gig, when he sat in a private box next to the likes of Whoopi Goldberg and John Travolta. "Incredible," he said.
Meantime, Hernandez, who is founder-leader of The Love Notes, the doo-wop group he fronted for years (and with whom a young Bruno learned his chops), will earn laurels this fall. "We’ve just been accepted into the Doo Wop Hall of Fame, to be held Oct. 12," he said. "They were trying to reach me, but I was in Europe where Bruno was touring." …
NAME-DROPPING: Maggie Q, the Hawaii actress who recently wound up four seasons of her "Nikita" drama on the CW, has been tapped to star in the pilot of an untitled CBS drama by Kevin Williams. She’ll play Detective Beth Davis, a somewhat obsessive and opinionated captain of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Threat Assessment Unit, a division focusing on stalking incidents, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Her co-star will be Dylan McDermott ("Hostages"). Williams, the show’s creator, is known for "The Following" and "The Vampire Diaries." Maggie also stars as Tori in the just-out "Divergent" film and will be in the upcoming "Conspiracy on Jekyll Island." …
HERE ‘N’ THERE: Andy Bumatai is hosting and leading a fundraising motorcycle ride (100 riders expected) for the Bobby Benson Center on Saturday, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at Montgomery Powersports, 550 N. Nimitz Highway, and finishing at noon at the Benson HQ at 56-660 Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku. Music, food and festivities follow. Information: 293-7555. …
Team Dennis, a group supporting entertainer Dennis Kamakahi‘s battle with lung cancer, will hold a benefit from 6 to 9 p.m. March 31 (his birthday) at the Willows. Entertainers include Raiatea Helm, Bryan Tolentino, Ledward Kaapana, Mike Kaawa, Herb Ohta Jr. and others. Admission is free; a portion of the dinner sales will go to the prolific guitarist-singer-composer. Details: www.teamdenniskamakahi.com. …
AROUND TOWN: Entrepreneur Tom Moffatt vacated his Nuuanu digs last year to downsize to an Ala Moana condo, so his vast collectibles will be on sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of his offices at 1232 Waimanu St. Might find a vintage poster, picture or other memorabilia, dating back to the 1950s. …
Island author Frances Kakugawa, a Pahoa native now based in Sacramento, Calif., has been visiting for a series of lectures and workshops on caregiving for seniors and Alzheimer’s patients. An advocate on aging with dignity, she embraces poetry writing, journal writing and storytelling as part of her caregiving equation. Her books, including her award-winning "Wordsworth Dances the Waltz," address these issues. …
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.
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