'Hawaii Five-O' better than expected

By • September 20, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

I’ll admit: I did watch the first season of ABC’s “Lost.” But after the cryptic numerology and polar bears that were never fully explained, I lost interest.

But I got the show’s popularity. It just wasn’t for me.

So when CBS announced it was reviving the classic cop show “Hawaii Five-O,” I was skeptical.

Even after the network announced the cast — a nice mix of big- and small-screen actors — I still wasn’t excited about the upcoming season.

Most shows that are filmed here — where Hawaii plays itself — don’t do well. Case in point: “Baywatch Hawaii,” “North Shore” and “Hawaii.” But “Lost,” which used Oahu as a location for a deserted island, worked. There was no need to infuse local culture, multicultural faces or — and this part is always a problem — Pidgin.

But I was pleasantly surprised with last night’s premiere. Credit the great cinematography, lighting and camera angles. No, seriously. Nicely done. The crew made the bridge to Fort Island look super cool.

Most of the reviews call the show engaging, fun and action-packed. All true. But here’s my take on the show:

What I liked:

  • The governor of Hawaii is a woman — who would say, “I can help you find the son-of-a-bitch.” Thumbs up.
  • Scott Caan, who plays Danny “Danno” Williams. The “Ocean’s Eleven” actor is single-handedly making the show. I mean, he called Hawaii a “pineapple-infested hell hole.” That made me laugh — in that uncomfortable, inappropriate way.
  • That the opening credits has some of the same shots as the original series — including the iconic scene of Det. Steve McGarrett (played this time by the talented Alex O’Loughlin) atop the Ilikai Hotel.
  • The chemistry between Caan and O’Loughlin. It worked.
  • The use of the iPhone. Very trendy.
  • That the Honolulu cops looked like Honolulu cops.

What I didn’t like:

  • Kukui High School. I didn’t buy it.
  • That Kono Kalakaua is a woman. Nothing against Grace Park. I just can’t imagine anyone playing the character but Zulu.
  • And on that topic, it’s hard to believe that Park is part Hawaiian.
  • We don’t have yellow cabs here. It kinda bothered me.
  • Daniel Dae Kim or Alex O’Loughlin speaking Pidgin. It was, hmm, hard. I’m just thankful Caan didn’t try it, too.
  • Let’s face it, we don’t have the kind of crime here that would warrant this kind of special task force — or explosives.
  • That Park had to strip down for that one scene. I get why — ratings — but I’m not a fan of gratuitous skin. Yes, even on guys.
  • When McGarrett said, “Book ’em, Danno.” I know, I know. It was just cliche.
  • The name of the group that Chin Ho Kelly (played by Kim) came up with in Hawaiian, which meant, “No task is too big when done together.” It sounded a lot like something from “Lilo & Stitch.”

Anyone else watch it?

***

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sepWDZiynxc
In case you missed it, here’s a clip.

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

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Are you a jerk driver?

By • September 20, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

The other day I was driving through Kahala when an SUV in front of me stopped at a stop sign and signaled left.

Except you can’t turn left at this particular intersection. The driver, however, didn’t care about that.

A line of cars started to form behind me. And after getting frustrated that the oncoming cars won’t letting him turn left, the driver decided to just do it anyway, causing a near accident and inspiring a lot of people to use their horns for the first time.

This is minor in my book of driving infractions.

I don’t get angry too often — but I seem to have zero tolerance for bad driving.

Here are a few bad driving habits that annoys me:

  • When you’re at a red light and the car in front of you doesn’t signal he’s turning left until the light turns green.
  • When you’re approaching a traffic signal light and the car in front of you is driving slower than your daed grandmother — until the light turns yellow and he guns it through the intersection, leaving you at the red light.
  • Drivers who are preoccupied with something other than driving. This can include — and I’ve witnessed them — applying mascara, text messaging, eating a hot dog, discplining the kids in the back seat, rifling through a purse, picking something up from the floor of the car and shaving.

Oh, there are so many more.

AskMen.com posted a list of the Top 10 Driving Etiquette Mistakes, many of which I agree with. Here’s the list:

  • “Nudging” pedestrians
  • Tailgating
  • Driving too slowly
  • Double parking
  • Leaving your brights on
  • Not letting other cars merge
  • Honking at traffic lights
  • “Sharing” your music
  • Not cleaning your car in the winter
  • Not using your turn signals

I wish there was some kind of mandated punishment for bad drivers, a tortuous penalty they would have to face for their poor choices behind the wheel. Like maybe they should take a driving class where they are subjected to their own awful driving. I bet they would change their ways.

Got any pet peeves when it comes to driving?

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

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BETTER THAN FUUD: Thanks to you

By • September 17, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

It’s hard to believe that in three short weeks, our site hit 1 million page views.

I joke that it’s my mom hitting the reload button. But really, we know that it’s because of you, our loyal, inquisitive, discerning readers who challenge us to get better every day.

And while we knew that there were thousands of people out there who are reading our content, perusing our photo galleries and complaining about our comments page — hey, we fixed it, right? — we were still floored by the turnout at last night’s official launch party at Ka Restaurant & Lounge.

Hundreds of you stood in line, took my abuse as you signed in and mingled with other like-minded folks — most of whom had Twitter names on their nametags — to support our site.

And honestly, we couldn’t have done it without you.

We are tickled, humbled and, most of all, grateful for your support.

And for those of you who couldn’t make it, here’s what last night looked like, at least from my perspective:

Daytrips

Image 1 of 28

One of my favorite things about Japan is the ability to jump on a train and be somewhere refreshingly different in a matter of minutes.

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

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Move over, televisions

By • September 16, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Believe it or not, more Americans value their microwaves over their televisions.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, only 42 percent of Americans polled this year felt that their TV was “a necessity.” That’s down from a high of 64 percent in 2006.

Guess what we value more than TVs — microwave ovens, landline phones, clothes dryers and air-conditioners.

This doesn’t mean, however, that Americans aren’t buying TV sets. On the contrary, more than half of American homes have three or more — yes, three or more — televisions. (Including mine — and I live in a small rental!)

What’s going on is simply that people don’t think of TVs as a status symbol the way it used to be. Instead, folks are more apt to purchase — and value — computers, smartphones and iPads. The TV is less and less important.

I was talking with a girlfriend of mine at the Hawaii Kai dog park the other day and she said she never used to watch TV until two things: DVR and Netflix. Now she’s up-to-date with everything from “Bones” to “Glee.” (Now she’s into “Burn Notice” and “Dexter.”)

Even for me, I don’t watch much TV programming anymore, sticking to “Seinfeld” reruns, “The Colbert Report,” “SportsCenter,” “Top Chef” and whatever’s on the Food Network. I’m not sure I’ll even tune into “Hawaii 5-0” when it premieres on CBS next Thursday.

So is this true, that TV isn’t central to your lives anymore, the way it used to be a few years ago? Or are you still TV addicts?

***

Dishers, meet Cat and the rest of the Nonstop Honolulu crew tonight at the Official Launch Party. It’s from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday — that’s tonight, people — at Ka in Ward Center. Free — and yes, there will be food. Or fuud. Come on down!

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

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ASK DR. DISH: Mid-afternoon slump

By • September 15, 2010 • Musings, The Daily Dish

Question: Miss Dish, I don’t know if you deal with these kinds of topics and since you seem to have a lot of energy maybe you can help. I can’t stay awake at my desk past 2 o’clock. I don’t know what it is but I feel like I’m going to pass out. I work in an office setting in front of a computer all day long. My job is monotonous and I guess that does not help. Any suggestions on how I can keep my eyes open for the rest of the afternoon? How do you stay awake?

Answer: (Miss Dish, I like that!) Energy? Me? I’m always drinking Diet Coke. That’s how I stay awake!

But truth be told, many of us experience this mid-afternoon slump. I get it, too, right about 2 p.m. — like you — when the energy boost from lunch turns into a food coma. It’s hard to stay awake, even for me with students roaming in and out of my office all day.

What I do — and this doesn’t work for everyone — is get up and walk around. I get sleepy in my office because 1) it’s dark, 2) it’s air-conditioned and 3) I’m bored and tired of sitting. When I walk around, I feel better, my blood starts circulating, I’m re-energized.

And not just walk around the office — I literally walk around outside, sometimes just sit in the sun. The boost of vitamin D, I’ve read, helps.

Anyone got tips to share?

***

To read all of Cat’s blogs, visit www.nonstophonolulu.com/thedailydish. Follow Cat on Twitter @thedailydish or send her an e-mail at [email protected].

My recent blog posts
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WEEKEND FUUD: Angelo Pietro
FUUD: Mama Woo’s Bar-B-Q in Moiliili
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ASK DR. DISH: Peek and tell
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