‘Twas the Sunday before Christmas

With Santa still struggling
To finish his omiyage list
To avoid last-minute juggling.

His mission was challenging
Searching all over the aina
For items large and small,
Some majah, some mynah.

A secluded Kailua vacation
For Barack and Michelle;
For the lame-duck POTUS,
So what if he golfs like hell?

For new Gov. David Ige,
An administration with trust;
For Neil Abercrombie?
A book deal seems a must.

For Jason Momoa,
Superstardom awaits;
He’ll do four "Aquaman" flicks
With as many opening dates.

A couple more Honolulu concerts
For superstar Bruno Mars,
Since his "Uptown Funk" with Mark Ronson
Is twinkling like the stars.

More Disney/Pixar voice-overs
For Kuana Torres Kahele;
And throw in some screen time
Of him singing one mele.

For Marcus Mariota,
Our newly crowned Heisman:
Gold, frankincense and myrrh
Delivered by the three wise men.

For alum Janel Parrish
Of "Dancing with the Stars,"
Smooth ballroom moves now
Minus painful rehearsal scars.

For Hy’s Audy Kimura
And jazz singer Jimmy Borges,
New recordings next year
Would unquestionably be gorgeous.

For Frank De Lima and his tutus,
Lifetime passes from TheCab;
For ex-radio deejay Billy V?
Independence? Just fab!

For Eddie Kamae,
Perhaps one more film doc;
Hey Santa, energy boosters
In his holiday sock?

For "Five-0’s" Alex O’Loughlin,
A wish for a season six;
But please, scriptwriters,
Give those wobbly plots a fix.

A shout-out to producer Alan Goldberg,
Creator of "CabaRAE,"
His Hilton spectacle, ol’ chum,
Merits a hearty hip-hip-hooray!

A name-on-back director’s chair
For Loretta Ables Sayre;
She’ll helm Diamond Head’s "South Pacific"
And that’s Bloody Mary fair.

Much appreciation, much applause,
For Olomana’s Santos, Jerry;
His group embraces the heartbeat
Of Hawaiiana. Marv’lous, merry!

For prime-time TV producers
Like Emme and Phil,
A reward from Emmy
Would certainly thrill.

Full restaurants, bon appetit,
For two Alans, Chai, Roy,
For MW, Chef Mavro,
More culinary joy.

For Jake Shimabukuro
And Jack Johnson — two local lads,
Just continue your artistry
And yes, bypass the fads.

For keyboarder Kit Samson,
Sound advice from the docs:
Go easy, take care
Since pain really sucks.

A Honolulu return gig
For Society of Seven;
Hearing Tony, Bert and Lhey
Would surely be heaven.

For Nathan Kurosawa,
That planned graphic novel;
For Tom Moffatt, a Bette Midler show
Would be divine (but don’t grovel).

For Keali’i Reichel,
A periodic live show;
Combining vocals and hula
Is the surefire way to glow.

For magician John Hirokawa,
Just one special trick:
A magic hall of fame induction
Blessed by good ol’ St. Nick?

For Aidan James, uke prodigy,
A gig on a national music show;
He’s still a cute-as-a-button player
But man, how fast he will grow.

For Cole "Bruce Lee" Horibe,
A return to the Broadway stage;
This time in a legit dancing lead
Where he’ll truly be a rage.

For Ron Bright, a gem
In the realm of "Les Miz";
Or heck, just bring it back
With bells, whistles and fizz.

For venerable Jim Nabors fans,
At least one holiday spot
Where fans can hear his "O Holy Night,"
Which is equally cool and hot.

For composer Jay Larrin,
Dual residences here and in B.C.;
It’ll inspire his songwriting
Better than Guam and D.C.

A new musical union
Fusing Manu and Moon;
They must miss the camaraderie
Of singing a group tune.

More visibility and growth
For Ho’okena, Makaha Sons;
And for Nicole Scherzinger,
Plenty "Cats" memories, like tons!

For Lanai Tabura
And his food truck crew,
A brick-and-mortar diner
Seems long overdue.

For Joe Moore and Pat Sajak,
A new stage comedy for summer;
Gotta have heart, gotta have laughs,
Otherwise? A bummer.

For Henry Kapono
And Brother Noland,
More original vibes
For locals to go soulin’.

For Leon and Malia,
Maila and Ben,
For Amy and Willie,
Twosomes OK, den.

For songbirds Melveen,
Raiatea, Nohe and Karen,
One wahine show together?
Garans ball barans!

More writing, more books
For my author friend Fran;
For the problematic UH community:
Transparency. Can?

For Bethany Hamilton,
Oceans of film parts;
For Taimane Gardner,
Ongoing ukulele smarts.

And in memory of Don Ho,
Perhaps, finally, a bio pic?
But finding a singing actor?
That’s a "Tiny Bubbles" trick.

For repotter Jack Cione,
Perhaps a stage play;
For "Puna" Cha Thompson,
A monthly Mo’opuna Day.

For Roland Cazimero,
A red-nosed reindeer
To shine especially bright
On bro Robert this year.

And please, Santa,
This one’s really choice:
Get us a local finalist
On next season’s "The Voice"?

For all you loyal readers,
You Misters and Ms.:
A Mele Kalikimaka greeting!
And that’s Christmas "Show Biz."

Wayne Harada, for better or worse, is a veteran entertainment columnist who annually writes in verse. Reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com.