Keola Beamer, Maui-based singer-composer-guitarist and now a Hawaiian Grammy nominee, has been out of town — and therefore unavailable for comment about his recently nominated "Ka Hikina O Ka Hau (The Coming of the Snow)" Dancing Cat CD. And he's studying Buddhism — at a retreat.

In an e-mail, he recounts the activities of the past few weeks. "Moana (his wife) and I left Hawai'i about a month ago for a series of concerts in Japan," Beamer said. "After the Japan dates, we left for the West Coast and then East for a show at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing ArtsMeymandi Concert Hall in Raleigh, N.C."

Then it was a trek back to California, connecting to Japan, where he learned about his nomination. "I was studying Buddhism at a temple in Tachikawa, Japan, when Dancing Cat notified me of the nomination," he said, prompting him to The Advertiser's Web site posting. ...

He's likely to join the other nominees — Tia Carrere, Cyril Pahinui, Raiatea Helm and compilation producers Daniel Ho, George Kahumoku Jr., Paul Konwiser and Wayne Wong (along with some participating ki ho'alu artists) — at the Feb. 10 Grammys at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. ...

WAY TO GO: Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance, brought 20 dining guests to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House at Waikiki Beach Walk before the band's Friday night concert at Blaisdell Arena. Their visit stoked restaurant employees, since some scored tickets to the show with the band's compliments. ...

Frank DeLima and Na Kolohe packed Pagoda's C'est Si Bon, where his Christmas show included a segment on his Superferry parody off his new "Hawaii, I Like It" CD. The audience fave clearly was his ritual of hauling folks up to each rattle off the items for the pidgin "12 Days of Christmas." He tapped our grandnephew, John Rhoades, 9, to be No. 8 — assigned to utter "eight 'ukulele" — but John improvised with "seven 'ukulele, 'cuz one broken," which threw DeLima into a tizzy, since the kid even grabbed his mike. ...

DeLima's posting of his "Hawaii, We Did It" (www.frankdelima.com) remake — not on the CD, because the lyrics were retooled to rally around the Sugar Bowl-bound University of Hawai'i Warriors — has been getting good response. Wahiawa's Chris Zaklan said: "Thanks so much for the generous Web posting of your song 'Hawaii, We Did It' so us folks not at home can replay it when we have time. It makes me feel like I'm there getting Warrior fever in person, instead of trying to catch the game on ESPN via Armed Forces Network in Afghanistan." ...

AROUND TOWN: Singer Liz Damon (remember the Orient Express and its "1900 Yesterday" hit?) will be home for Christmas to visit family. And while here, she was coaxed by former band member Less Hee (who has a '50s group now) to perform at the Dec. 22 graduation party for Douglas Adachi, a Chaminade University grad. ...

When Rob Hartley of the Tropical Nights barbershop quartet was singing "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," he clearly recognized a former student, Emily Tam, with parents Jim and Linda Tam, and her fiance, Tom Pick. Emily, a Carnegie Mellon grad and former Honolulu Theatre for Youth actress, is the sibling of Broadway's Jason Tam. She plans to open a franchise for My Gym Children's Fitness Center here. ...

When dancer-choreographer-stuntman Nito Larioza was here to dance in and choreograph the C&C Music Factory show last weekend at Pipeline Cafe, he buzzed pal Christine Yasunaga, the one-time "Lion King" dancer and creator of TV's "Destination: Dance Groove Hawaii," for kokua in providing two female dancers for the event. Two "Groove" finalists, O'oe Carr and Nicole Vela-Bailey, responded. ...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Compadres Bar & Grill again will send a salmon taco station to the Blaisdell Concert Hall as part of the opening festivities for Ballet Hawaii's "Nutcracker" Friday night. Others: Romano's Macaroni Grill, Hong Kong Harbor View Seafood Restaurant and Ruth's Chris Steak House. Don Asam, g.m. of Ruth's Chris Restaurant Row, got tickets for the Sunday matinee and gifted them to sister-in-law Claire Asam, a trustee with the Queen Lili'uokalani Foundation, which is treating underprivileged keiki to the holiday production. ...

Bob Snyder, president of Desert Island Restaurants (where ex-localite Randy Schoch is CEO with franchises for Ruth's Chris and Romano's Macaroni Grill), soon marks his first anniversary of living in Hawai'i. With Phoenix roots, he's never lost his craving for New Mex-style food, so he and his wife, Andrea, ventured to Tio's Garage & Taco Station. ...

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.

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