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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, November 10, 2005

SHOW BIZ
Pizza gets in on act at HPU's 'Rosie'

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

ALL IN THE ACT: Kalani Brady, playing Billy Sinfree in Hawai'i Pacific University Theatre's "Aloha Rosie's" at the Windward campus, ordered a birthday pizza for castmate Ethan Okura, not knowing it would be delivered while he was on stage. So one of the "Rosie's" actresses, playing a waitress, simply took the bill to Brady to sign on stage (he added a tip). The audience didn't suspect a thing. ...

Birthdays can be problematic in other ways. Actress Shari Lynn (portraying Rosie) ordered a cake to mark Brady's birthday recently, but no one told him to hang around for a surprise, so he left — but did get a "Happy Birthday" cell-phone sing-out. The cast ate the cake, anyway. With the upcoming birthdays of actors Glenn Cannon (Nathan the Devil) and Jim Tharp (Johnny), anything can happen. ...

ITEMIZATIONS: Karen "Bree" Bumatai, widow of Ray Bumatai, mounted a touching, feel-good celebration of his life last Saturday at Diamond Head Theatre. With Kirk Matthews as emcee, the program was filled with vivid memories of Bumatai as a creative genius gone too soon, whose legacy will live through his creative gems he shared in endeavors large and small. All the music, sung by Loretta Ables, Keoki Kerr, Randl Ask and Katie Doyle, came from his pen, and film, video and commercial clips provided bright reminders of his colorful, creative life. On video, brother Andy Bumatai's tales and Joe Moore's story of his buddy's good deeds reflected the essence of Ray Bumatai: a do-it-all somebody with heart. ...

Dick "The Giant" Jensen now has his own star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars. Ceremonies last Saturday at the New Frontier hotel attracted Gov. Linda Lingle, Tom Moffatt, Englebert Humperdinck and Glen Larson. Jensen has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. ...

Samuel L. Jackson dined twice at Roy's — with a party of five Friday and a party of nine Saturday. ...

Danny Kaleikini sang "The Queen's Prayer" in Hawaiian at the launch of Randy Schoch's Romano's Macaroni Grill Monday. ...

Tomorrow is pianist Ron Miyashiro's last night at La Salle at the Pagoda Restaurant. ...

FINALLY: When Stephen and Eunice Itoga vacationed in Vienna last month, they got SRO tickets for the Vienna State Opera's "Tosca." The University of Hawai'i professor and his retired Noelani School teacher wife were surprised to discover tenor Keith Ikaia-Purdy (as Cavaradossi), and they wonder if the local trouper heard their "hana hou." ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.