Comedian Augie T tried but failed to score tickets to Bruno Mars‘ upcoming concerts here April 18, 19 and 21. He realizes many locals are in the same boat, so Augie will take on this problem when he and funnyman buddy Rex Navarrete present an all-island fundraising tour to help victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
"I know so many people, like me, couldn’t buy tickets to Bruno’s shows, since they went so fast," Augie said. "So I’m going to give them a taste of Bruno."
He’s hunting for a fedora like the ones Mars wears, along with a gold lam jacket replicating the superstar’s halftime appearance at the recent Super Bowl. "And I’m writing new lyrics for Just the Way You Are,’" he said.
It won’t be an impersonation but more of a comedic observation and reaction to the singer and the ticketing problem.
How it all plays out, however, remains to be seen. For sure, Augie will share the moment at his Honolulu fundraising finale March 22 at Blaisdell Arena. Inclusion on his island-hopping tour is up in the air.
"All seats are $15 (in advance)," he said of the affordability of his "Laugh for Relief" fundraiser. "Not like Bruno’s shows," where top seats were nearly $100.
Navarrete, a popular visiting stand-up working on his "Rex in the City" series for MTV Philippines, is taking a pay cut to help Filipino victims still struggling to recover from the November typhoon. Monies raised will help a reconstruction project in Ormoc City, a sister city of Hawaii, said Augie, easily the state’s No. 1 comedian who has done sold-out shows at Blaisdell, stars on "AugieTV" on KFVE and boasts five No. 1 comedy albums.
For support, Augie tapped the construction alliance comprising Hawaii Masons Union Local 1 and Local 630, the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, Laborers International Union of North America Local 368, and Operating Engineers Local 3 along with other sponsors.
The island tour is exhaustive: Friday at the Kauai War Memorial in Lihue, Saturday at the King Kamehameha Hotel in Kailua-Kona, March 13 at Paddlers’ Inn on Molokai, March 14 at the Lanai High School cafeteria, March 15 at Edith Kanakaole Stadium in Hilo, March 21 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s McCoy Studio Theater, and March 22 at Blaisdell Arena. Admission is higher for the Maui show ($20 advance, $25 at the door); Blaisdell tickets are $15 to $30.
THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE: The Academy Awards are Sunday, and the competition clearly will be among five flicks: "12 Years a Slave," "Gravity," "Dallas Buyers Club," "American Hustle" and "Blue Jasmine." Here’s how we call ’em in seven key categories:
» Best picture: "12 Years a Slave"
» Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"
» Best actor: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"
» Best actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
» Best supporting actor: Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"
» Best supporting actress: Lupita Nyong’o, "12 Years a Slave," in a tie with Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
» Best Song: "Let It Go," from "Frozen"
AROUND TOWN: Gabrielle Chock just took the bronze medal in the South African International Ballet Competition, while fellow dancer Halle Lum won first place in the Arizona Open Call competition along with the Black Diamond Award there. Two other Ballet Hawaii students, Raven Matsushita and Christiana Oshiro, both made the cut in "The Lion King" auditions here.
Las Vegas showgirls Adria and Amy, from the "MJ (Michael Jackson) Live" production at the Rio, stopped by the "Na Kane:The Men of Paradise" show at the Pacific Beach Hotel to catch up with buddy Shawn Dean, Na Kane choreographer. With Missy Cochran of Missy Cochran Entertainment, the group partied with the cast at M’s. Dean and David Abrams, Na Kane show manager, are former Chippendales dancers
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.
