Kona Carmack / Kent Keith
KONA is percolating! That would be Kona Carmack, the isle girl who went on to be a Playboy "Playmate" and who was named 1997 "Playmate of the Year" in Japan. She's now filmed a new video with Aerosmith, to be played on MTV, portraying a high school girl - she still looks like one - teasing a young nerd. It was on just such an Aerosmith video that actress Alicia Silverstone got her break and went on to "Clueless" and is now portraying Batgirl in the new "Batman" flick. Kona's mom is Billie Gabriel-Zito of Easter Seals, and when she got word of Kona's upcoming video her first question was, "What's Aerosmith?" Despite the generational gap, however, the two remain tight and Kona has agreed to participate in mom's next Easter Seals fund-raiser, a modern-day grape crushing that will be part of "A Taste of Honolulu." Kona will be joining Tom Moffatt and a reunion of ex-KPOI "Poi Boys" in a vat of grapes to demonstrate the crushing on June 27. To the music of Moby Grape, perhaps? In any case, count me in! And remember, you "Heard It Through the Grapevine.." Sip of Kona in Aerosmith video
AT the USC commencement ceremonies Elizabeth Kent had the distinct feeling she was having a "Where's Waldo" experience in trying to find her husband, Kent Keith, in the crowd of 8,000 graduates. But the magic of Hawaii came through, along with the foresight of their 11-year-old daughter, Kristina, who'd fashioned a red and yellow lei - USC colors, naturally - for Daddy to wear. That made him relatively easy to spot. Also, Kent received a "Meritorious Dissertation" award in a separate ceremony - the highest honor given to any School of Education doctoral graduate ...
THE Mauna Lani Bay Hotel & Bungalows has closed for a 10-week renovation but you'd never know it needed it, judging from recent kudos from Gourmet magazine and the Official Hotel Guide. The latter publication has designated the resort "Superior Deluxe," the highest classification it awards and one of just 99 properties worldwide to achieve the honor. G.M. Don Dickhens, while pleased by the accolade, insists, "When we reopen in August we will be even better." ...
THERE'S a new "WaterWorld" premiere on the horizon, and it promises to be far more successful than Kevin Costner's film of the same name. This refers to the union of Atlantic and Pacific and we're not talking supermarkets here. Three-time UH All-American and U.S. Olympic Laser Team member John Myrdal Jr. is in town and introducing his sweetheart, Danielle Brennan of New York, to family and friends as his fiancee. Danielle was the 1993 and '94 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and a top ten contender for the '96 U.S. Olympics team in Women's European dinghies. The young couple met at an Olympics Qualifying Regatta last year and plan to marry next June - on the water, of course! - and begin work to make their respective Olympic teams bound for Sydney, Australia in 2000 ... 'WaterWorld' II
ALL four major network TV stations in Honolulu won regional Emmys at the 26th annual Northern California Area Emmy Awards, in which Hawaii competes. KITV copped two, while KFVE, KHNL and KGMB garnered one each. There were 516 entries and 49 statues were awarded in the region. Doubly pleased was Scott Culbertson, who won an Emmy for his Hawaii Winter Baseball weekly program "Road to the Show." He also made a deal to have the show picked up on KITV this year ...
THE Boston Globe reports that Barbara Lynch, who's preparing a special Italian prix fixe menu at Bali by the Sea at the Hawaiian Village this weekend, left her post as exec chef at Boston's Galleria Italliano "rather abruptly" when word leaked out she'd be leaving soon to open her own restaurant, No. 9 Park in the Thomas Amory House built in 1804. And like Michael Schlow, another Boston chef who was guest-starring at Bali recently, Lynch is balancing all her projects while planning a marriage in August ... Thoroughly engaged
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.