Weddings his specialty
FOR a guy who is best known for his photographic depictions of Molokai and who even has a book out on the subject, Phil Spalding III has found himself in demand as a wedding photographer. It started when he flew to Toronto to shoot daughter Esta's wedding to a marine biologist named Douglas Fudge. He returned in time to reload for the wedding of Allison and Chico Holland's daughter Taryn. Before he could process those photos he grabbed his Nikon and shot the weddings of Beth (daughter of Martha and David) Laxon, Rosalyn Freitas , daughter of Lewis and Beebe Freitas and Diane Clifford, daughter of Kathy & Mike Clifford. Esta, daughter of Phil and former wife Linda, who is a novelist and partner of "The English Patient" author Michael Ondaatje, was just featured in Maclean's Magazine as "One of 100 Canadians to watch." How come? Esta just published her second book, "Anchoress," a novel-length poem. And Phil Spalding is becoming to weddings what Karsh of Ottawa was to portraits ...
VACATIONING here for two weeks are Poland's Ambassador to the U.S. Jerzy Kozminski, his wife and daughter. They're here at the invitation of the Hawaii Polish Cultural Society and its president Bozena Jarnot. She and husband Boytek had met former Poland president Lech Walesa and when Kozminski mentioned he was traveling to Hawaii, Walesa asked him to say hello to the Jarnots, "that nice Polish couple from Hawaii" ...
THE new release by Keali'i Reichel has made the "hot list" on the FM802 radio station in Osaka, Japan, which means it's played at least eight times a day to an estimated audience of 8 million. So reports FM802 D.J. Kamasami Kong, here on business. While he was showing me the plans for a second Hawaii-themed coffee shop in Taipei (his first, Kona Connection, is a huge success ), his cell phone rang. It was one of his partners, entertainer Richie Walker, calling from Taiwan about the plan. All together: "Small World!" ... Exporting Hawaiiana
MEANWHILE, Willy K and Amy Gilliom did a show the other night in Watsonville, Calif., along with Na Leo Pilimehana. Former localite Alan Hanohano Vierra and Kamehameha grads Redge Roberts and Robert Prestidge drove two hours from San Francisco for the show. Roberts and Prestidge sang in the glee club with the Na Leo trio and hadn't seen them in 12 years. Vierra e-mails that while they knew the trio would be great, all were blown away by Willy K and Amy Gilliom, who he thinks should team up and be billed as "The Dynamic Duo" ...
THE biggest hits at the "Oceanic Sunset Ohana Celebration" at Sea Life Park Saturday were Mickey Mouse and Minnie themselves, who flew in from California. Kds lined up to meet the pair and pose for photos with them. After all these years, they've still got it ... Benihana owner Rocky Aoki offered a Rolls-Royce to Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger to be auctioned for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), but was turned down because the upholstery was leather. (Now about those steaks) ... Jay Leno on the UPS strike: "This could end double parking as we know it." ... Fur goodness sake
Contact Dave by e-mail: donnelly@kestrok.com.