PIANIST Weber, incidentally, seems to be everywhere. Besides lunchtime at Gordon Biersch, I've seen him recently backing Jimmy Borges at an Esprit Lounge engagement, with Loretta Ables at the Lewers Lounge, and playing country keyboards with Dita Holifield and impressionist Rich Little at the Waikiki Beachcomber ... Little, by the way, is cutting his gig, well, a Little. He's returning to L.A. after Saturday's show to work on another project, but hopes to return to Waikiki in the near future. He was among those attending Planet Hollywood's one-year anniversary along with actor Jason Scott Lee and both encased their handprints in cement. And when the video of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart" came on the giant screen, local vocalist Yvonne Filius grabbed the mike and belted out her own rendition of the song ...
MORE than a couple of people have pointed out that America On Line, of all Internet services, should never have implied Hawaii isn't part of the United States by denying a customer access to e-mail the other day. After all, the head of AOL and its founder is Steve Case, a Punahou grad who's the son of prominent local attorney Ed Case. A sorry Case, I'd wager ...
INSPIRED by celebrity guests like Kevin Costner and Dustin Hoffman, Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows G.M. Don Dickhens has come up with a unique mileage point program for his five exclusive bungalows. Book a five-night stay and you get 100,000 bonus miles. If you book for 30 nights, you'll rack up 1 million miles on either American, Delta, United or TWA. Sure, the rate is $4,500 per night, but as Dickhens points out, it includes food and beverages plus lots of amenities. (Just how many mini shampoo bottles can you fit in your makeup case?) Hoffman and his family enjoyed a 30-night stay in a bungalow and Kevin Costner should never have to buy another airline ticket - he was bungalow-bound for six months while filming "Waterworld." ... DURING one of her first meetings with the media after winning the Miss Hawaii pageant, Melissa Short had breakfast with Tiny Tadani of KITV at the Hungry Lion, and he offered to emcee next year's contest. His reasoning? They could refer to it as "Short and Tiny." Sponsored by Longs Drugs? ... Retired NFL player Rich Miano opened his new Bikini Beach Bar & Grill on Kuhio Avenue under the store called "80 % Straight" last night - don't even ask! But instead of football pictures, he's featuring surfers in keeping with the name ... And Minnesota Viking Esera Tuaolo, who also records on Tavai Records, is giving a private concert tonight at the Wave Waikiki ...
HE was scarcely a celebrity when he lived in Makaha, surfed the North Shore, modeled for Jams and appeared as an actor in "Tour of Duty." But Maurice Travis is now treated like a superstar in some parts of the world. He just defended his title of Thai-boxing light-heavyweight world champion in China and he's mobbed when in Asian cities ...
