Howie Long, Sydney Revere
SOME people insist President Clinton is going to Helsinki in a Handbasket. While one normally associates Helsinki summits as the place where you begin the plummet downhill for the Gold, in today's headlines we read that Clinton began his downhill descent in Greg Norman's house in Florida, slip-sliding down the stairs virtually on the eve of his departure to meet with Boris Yeltsin at the Finnish line. Clinton will steer clear of the ski slopes while in Helsinki, but even after the accident he still insisted he had to make the trip. Well, the President isn't the only one who feels a trip to Helsinki must be made. Localite Andi Simpson has been invited there, too. Not with Clinton, to be sure, but as the winner of a Golden World Award for Excellence from the International Public Relations Association. The BHP exec was the only winner in her category, given the award by an international jury of 20 leading public relations practitioners from 12 countries for the public service campaign package containing Eddie Kamae's film, "Words, Earth & Aloha." Quite a coup, and Andi's been invited to the black tie gala dinner in Helsinki on June 17 to collect her BHP gold ... After prez, Andi
off to HelsinkiHE has ties to Fox Television and he has ties to the NFL, but former Oakland Raider Howie Long has few ties in his closet. Or so it would seem from his pre- and postgame appearances at NFL football games. He does have quite a handsome collection of turtlenecks, however. Now he has a custom-made Planet Hollywood Maui leather jacket, which he picked up when he stopped by the Lahaina eatery to have dinner with his wife and three sons. Tailors worked Long and hard on the jacket to make sure it would fit. For the record, it's a XXXL. Long, naturally ... Makeup in reverse: Sydney Revere, who plays Marilyn Monroe in "Legends in Concert," has taken on a new look in order to play Kitty in the Diamond Head Theatre production of "Six Degrees of Separation," which opens Friday. Revere, whose husband is legendary rocker Paul Revere (like Howie Long, ex- of the Raiders), was glued to the KITV screen to watch "Pets & People in Paradise," since her little dog Noodles was featured on it ...
LAST night was the gala dinner at the Hilton Hawaiian Village to honor 90-year-old retired Sen. Hiram Fong and to benefit the Fong Endowment at the UH College of Arts and Sciences. Significantly, 90 tables were sold for the event. And Fong arranged to join Gov. Ben Cayetano and UH President Kenneth Mortimer this morning as the governor marks the -- are you ready? -- 90th anniversary of legislation establishing the University of Hawaii. The first class of five (5) students enrolled early in 1908 with a faculty of two (2). Fong credits his years at UH with his considerable lifetime achievements. Four score and 10 years ago...
NOW I've heard everything, or almost: There'll be a unique offering of brews from 6:30 p.m. today at Sunset Grill in Restaurant Row, presented by Red Hook Ale and Starbucks Coffee. Featured will be something they call Double Black Stout that's "a thirst-quenching blend of Starbucks coffee and beer." Just don't get the idea that the odd combo means you can drink all you want and drive home soberly. Anyway, the double brew will be sold thanks to Red Hook Ale's Kaala Shae and Starbucks' Gordy Thompson ...
THE stick-to-it-iveness award for 1997 has to go to Seirosa Bursey, who won a new car in King Auto Center's "Hands on a Neon" contest by keeping both hands on a 1997 Plymouth Neon (with brief breaks for obvious reasons) for 62 hours. There were 44 contestants starting off at dusk on Friday, and three nights later, at 8 a.m. Monday, the only other contestant threw his hand in, so to speak, and Seirosa was declared the winner. Honcho Charlie King escorted the groggy winner to her new two-door, five-speed Neon, only to find she couldn't drive a stick shift. I'd have said, "Too bad," but King simply upgraded the prize to the four-door automatic she'd clung to for all those hours ... Hands-on experience
