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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, May 10, 2007

SHOW BIZ
Chef's new specials get rave reviews from stars

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Columnist

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NIGHTSCAPE: The celebs are discovering the culinary wonders of chef George Mavrothalassitis at Cassis, his new trendy French bistro downtown. The glam crowd stopping in for a late-night bite has included three "Lost" stars — Evangeline Lilly (Kate), Dominic Monaghan (Charlie) and Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) and his wife. Lilly raved about the cassoulet (the menu calls it a Portuguese bean stew with garlic herb crust), while beau Monaghan adored the roasted duck and Asian pesto faro risotto. Kim ordered up flounder Grenobloise with crisped Yukon potatoes. So: Chef Mavro has added new vigor to the former Palomino's site. ...

AROUND TOWN: It looked like a reunion of Hawai'i Theatre docents and boosters when folks like Marian Benham, Linda Letta and Bill Petty gathered at Shanghai Bistro to celebrate organist Don Conover's recovery from a bone marrow transplant a few months back in Seattle. Conover, who's been behind the Hawai'i Theatre's organ regularly, brought his sheet music but never ventured to the piano in the restaurant's private room. His partner and caregiver, Ernest Harada, also was there; ditto, Linda's husband Tom Mitrano, and New York performer Richard Vida, visiting again, who had performed with Conover during a "Broadway at the Shanghai Bistro" event last year. ...

Comedian Bo Irvine and a cluster of six laughmeisters from Sharkey's Comedy Club in 'Aiea were front-row watchers when Brandy Lee returned to the limelight in the Sundays-only "Le Bizarre" at the Hawaiian Hut. The comics agreed that Lee is a natural comedienne and offered her a gig at Sharkey's when she's ready to quit singing to do stand-up. ...

SHOW BREEZES: Ron Bright is mounting a dazzling show to mark Windward Community College's Paliku Theatre's fifth anniversary. The event, set for 7:30 p.m. June 8 and 9 and 2 p.m. June 10, will assemble a cast of Bright luminaries. John Bryan, who has been residing in Japan the past year as an assistant choreographer at Universal Studios in Osaka, is returning home to co-emcee with Jodi Leong. They join Jade Stice, Tricia Marciel, Michael Bright, Tony Young, Johnson Enos, Sarah Gamiao Kekuna, Chris Lowe, Nataysha Echevarria, Kris Dela Cruz, Steve Wagenseller, Dane Ison, Tracy Yamamoto, Sonya Mendez, Tiffany Thurston and Sean Jones and others. The program will embrace a cache of Broadway faves, including "What I Did for Love," "Bring Him Home," "Steam Heat," "Bali Hai," "Castle on a Cloud," "Get Me to the Church on Time" and more. Tickets are $50. Call 235-7310. ...

When Tony Ruivivar and his Society of Seven comrades give shows July 13 and 14 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall, they'll feature two divas: Lani Misalucha, their regular songbird at the Flamingo showroom in Las Vegas, and Jasmine Trias, Hawai'i's Season 3 "American Idol" finalist, who surprised her fans — and herself — with a side of her inherent stage life she never knew she had. Ruivivar's guidance and grooming helped Trias and her musical make-over — a must-see for those who only know her from "Idol" competition. ...

And Pops Fernandez, a favorite of films, concerts and TV in the Philippines and the former spouse of Martin Nievera, will return to the Islands for a show at 7:30 p.m. May 25 at the Farrington High School auditorium. Kuh Ledesma will co-star. Tickets — $35, $50, $75 and $100 — can be ordered at 393-7000 or 484-9106. ...

RANDOM NOTES: Hayley Hughes, 16, a member of the Diamond Head Theatre's Shooting Stars, will be off to New York July 7 to Aug. 11 on a scholarship with The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute summer program. Way to go! ...

Hawai'i's loss will be Seattle's gain: The Crud, the alt-rock foursome co-founded by Ben Henry, will move to Seattle to explore the music front there. A free send-off concert will be held May 18 at Anna Bannana's for the over-21 crowd. ...

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.