Nathan Kurosawa, writer and director of the highly regarded 2003 film "The Ride," is preparing his next project, a graphic novel. So he said earlier this month while working as a flight attendant on my Hawaiian Airlines homebound flight from Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport. (No, he’s not a kin of famed Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, and, yes, he pretty much keeps his airline life apart from his artistic life.)
"The Ride" won the Audience Award at the 2003 Hawaii International Film Festival; I watched the film a second time last year on a Hawaiian flight returning from New York. …
It was fellow flight attendant Patsy Derby who mentioned to me that Kurosawa was aboard. Derby’s father-in-law is Terrence Derby, a high school pal from Farrington (class of ’59) who worked in The Honolulu Advertiser’s press room during the time I was the paper’s entertainment editor-columnist. …
JAPAN JOTTINGS: It was my second Nippon visit with wife Vi to Kyoto and Tokyo. We traveled with Honolulu friend Claire Sato on sort of a crafts tour. We were lucky to get a local’s perspective and guidance from Geoff Ng, a Hawaii native who has been residing and working in Japan for two decades as a teacher and translator. Ng, the son of Sam and Carolyn Ng of Kalama Valley, is fluent in Japanese and helped us during the Tokyo part of our visit, sharing insights. …
He made arrangements for us to savor a kaiseki dinner at Hana Hansho on the Park Hotel’s 25th floor in Tokyo and provided tips on what trains to take and where to transfer, where to slurp the best ramen, where to score a super izakaya meal, and pointed us to a few craft/paper shops. And he enlightened us on how user-friendly a convenience store is. Beyond sundries and over-the-counter meds, you can purchase train and concert tickets, postage and lots more at sites such as Family Mart and Lawson. …
And a splendid discovery: Gusto, a modest joint in Nihonbashi, suitable for lunch or afternoon ocha (tea) or comfort-food dinner. The twist: For about $3, you can have unlimited drinks (if you also buy a snack or meal) and the choices include coffee, tea, soda, cocoa and Welch’s grape juice. I believe our party had at least 14 glasses and cups during an afternoon pause, and it’s where I ordered an unusual grape jelly dessert. …
NAME-DROPPING: Matthew Morrison ("Glee" on TV and "South Pacific" on Broadway) tied the knot with Renee Puente last weekend in a private ceremony in Kihei, Maui. According to People magazine, 50 guests attended. There were island touches: The bride wore a head lei, the groom a maile lei. Further, the newlyweds did a hula — and why not? Morrison, if you recall, was once a member of Don Ho‘s show in Waikiki. …
Islander Janel Parrish, the "Pretty Little Liars" star competing on ABC’s "Dancing With the Stars," had a full-page spread in last week’s People magazine, surrounded by glam garb in her fave place — her closet — in the Los Angeles home she shares with boyfriend Payson Lewis. …
New Zealander John Rowles, in town for a concert Friday night at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, was a surprise guest singer at Saturday night’s Malama Palama event at The Royal Hawaiian hotel’s Monarch Room — the same room he played three decades ago. …
HONORABLE MENTIONS: Peter Hernandez Sr., dad of Bruno Mars and leader of the Love Notes, was inducted into the Doo Wop Hall of Fame Oct. 12 in Boston. No word if Bruno was on hand for the honors, but certainly, the superstar’s roots are in doo wop, since he performed with Dad’s group from age 2 1/2 till he was 17. And not surprisingly, Bruno’s debut CD was dubbed "Doo-Wops & Hooligans." …
An encore screening of Michael W. Perry and Larry Price‘s TV special, "Perry & Price: Voices of Hawaii," will be at 7 p.m. Sunday on KHNL. Learn why they often are dubbed the "masters of disasters," why "Perry on the left, Price on the right" is their slogan, and how "Never fear, the posse’s here" was born. It’s a fun- and fact-filled focus on radio’s unbeatable No. 1 morning-drive team for three decades. "Long hours but not hard work," Price says of the gig. "Grueling," retorts Perry. The show is yet another feather in the cap of producer-director Phil Arnone. …
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.
