Leslie Wilcox Blogs

Molokai Fish Ponds

2013-05-21T19:18:02-10:00

I flew over Molokai in a small commuter plane and got a bird's eye view of Hawaiian fish ponds along the coastlines.

A lot of work was put into these ponds over many years. The coastal waters along here are beautifully clear, but at other places, dirt run-off chokes the water.

THURSDAY: Family Ingredients

2013-05-21T19:01:32-10:00

Did you know that talented Hawaii chef Alan Wong was born in Japan? In fact, he's half-Japanese. And he's featured in a new show making its broadcast premiere at 9:00 pm Thursday, May 23, 2013 on PBS Hawaii. With this program, Wong's fellow Isle chef Ed Kenney (TOWN Restaurant) makes his debut as a TV host.

Blending food, travel and genealogy, PBS HAWAII PRESENTS Family Ingredients traces Wong from his roots in Japan to the rural Oahu town where he grew up, Wahiawa. With Wong, Kenney introduces us to organic farmers, tofu makers, sushi chefs and others who help to connect cultures through food. In Wahiawa, they take us to the oldest tofu manufacturer in America, Honda Tofu Factory, and the Petersons' Upland Farm, 100 years old, still producing eggs for the community.

Blogger Catherine Toth attended a premiere party:

www.thecatdish.com/food/foodies-you'll-love-this-show/

Heather Giugni is Executive Producer; Dan Nakasone is Producer; Ty Sanga is Director; and Todd Fink shot much of the video. Kudos!

Happiest Dog I Know

2013-05-21T18:14:18-10:00

What's not to be happy about? Here's Zara, a German shepherd/chow mix, beating the heat on a slope of Kapalua, Maui, in her owners' swimming pool.

And here's her daily view. She's a much-loved dog in the Valkirs family, with the run of her owners' organic farm, and happiness seems to run through her veins.

TONIGHT: My 12 Seconds on Hawaii Five-O

2013-05-20T10:21:18-10:00

Here I am, in front of a TV "green screen" for insertion of visuals, ready for filming of my small role in tonight's (Mon., May 20, 2013, 9:00 pm) season-ending episode of Hawaii Five-O on CBS/KGMB Honolulu.

I play a San Francisco news anchor reporting on a thwarted bomb attack at Fisherman's Wharf. I'll be on camera for a couple of seconds, and then you'll hear my voice for 10 or so more seconds as the action shifts to the crime scene.

This is the dressing room assigned to me in the parking lot of the old News Building on Kapiolani Boulevard. I was only in here for 10 minutes, quickly trying on three sets of news-anchor clothing from Wardrobe. Didn't have time to turn on the TV or sound system, much less use the fridge, microwave, etc.

It was a 6:00 am call time, and just as I was wishing I could lie down for a bit on the couch, there was a knock on the door. Standing outside was the person from the dressing room next door:

It was great to see my former news colleague and friend, Diane Ako! Now a public relations director at the elegant Halekulani in Waikiki, she was there for a news anchor role in an episode that recently aired. She aced it!

After our respective shoots, we were invited to watch a scene underway involving actors Alex O'Loughlin (Five-O Chief Steve McGarrett) and Mark Dascos (bad guy Wo Fat). It was a long dolly shot on a set that looked just like the inside of a maximum security prison. The actors and the camera crews were "on it"--and the long continuous scene went seamlessly as planned.

Can't wait to see what my episode is all about tonight. I only saw one page of script, the page that had my 12 seconds of copy on it...

TOMORROW: We can dream of Venice...

2013-05-17T13:49:04-10:00

A trip to Europe is costly in time and money, so instead, board your virtual flight on PBS Hawaii to Venice: City of Dreams.

On RICK STEVES' EUROPE (Sat., May 18, 2013, 7:30 pm), we'll sort through the monuments of a powerful past and trace the city's decline from Europe's most powerful city to a center of hedonism.

We'll cruise the Grand Canal, luxuriate in a café, savor fresh fish and ride a gondola under the moonlight. All within a half-hour and without getting our toes wet.

Newest Keiki Club Member!

2013-05-16T13:03:53-10:00

Check our PBS Hawaii characters carefully and you'll find our newest PBS Hawaii Keiki Club member, 3-year-old Suhaa!

This Honolulu resident came by the station with her mom and calabash uncle and was delighted to join her familiar TV "friends" in our lobby. She's thrilled she will be receiving fun mail and invitations from the Keiki Club addressed directly to her. After all, she's getting to be a big girl, entering pre-school!

The PBS Hawaii Keiki Club

TONIGHT: Craig Stutzmann on Leahey & Leahey

2013-05-15T04:50:25-10:00

From Rob DeMello, producer of PBS Hawaii's weekly Leahey & Leahey program, airing tonight at 7:30 and 11:00 pm, comes this word:

Tonight's scheduled guest is former University of Hawaii football slotback Craig Stutzmann.

Craig is now an assistant coach at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and is one of the few players to have played for the UH under its full changing array of team names: Rainbows (1998); Rainbow Warriors (1999); and Warriors (2000-2001).

If you aren't able to watch tonight on PBS Hawaii, you can always catch the show online at www.PBSHawaii.org

TONIGHT: Jessie Higa, Hickam Historian

2013-05-14T08:33:15-10:00

Jessie Higa calls herself an "old soul," and she's not referring to her age. She loves the stories of elders and she has made it her life's work to learn about the people who once lived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, in modern wartime and in ancient times. The child of parents in the service, now the wife of a military officer, Jessie is a volunteer historian at Hickam. You'll hear some of the remarkable information Jessie has collected, when you tune into the next LONG STORY SHORT (Tues., May 14, 2013, 7:30 pm) on PBS Hawaii.

So much I didn't know about Hickam's past!

I also was struck by her answer to this question: "What are you grateful for?" She spoke about her parents: "They taught us how to be resilient. They taught us how to make friends easily, no matter where we went. And I watch my mom and my dad, how they interact with people--the generosity, the sincerity. This is what I think I learned the most from my parents, and I'm just so grateful."

You can also watch LONG STORY SHORT episodes online at:

www.PBSHawaii.org/ourproductions/longstory.php

Last Look Inside Old News Building

2013-05-10T18:14:18-10:00

Today I was in the old News Building on Kapiolani Boulevard for what may be my last time. It happened to be a moving day for current occupants, workers who support the Hawaii Five-O show. I thought of how many times I'd walked up and down these steps as a rookie reporter for the former Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

The facade of the building will be kept; the rest will be knocked down to create a condo tower. This was a building of detail and character, show place and work horse. It was the home base of two daily newspapers, with reporters hammering out copy on manual typewriters. Back then, the law allowed smoking in buildings, and boy, did most reporters smoke! In the air there also was the nervous sweat of news deadlines. That probably doesn't sound so attractive, but I loved the work, got a kick from the adrenaline, and I enjoyed my 4-1/2 years there. Decades after leaving the job to move to TV news, I can rattle off the address without thinking: 605 Kapiolani Boulevard. Soon it'll be a lot of people's home address.

Two Teachers Dominate in Video Contest

2013-05-09T14:55:10-10:00

Congratulations to the student winners and participants in HMSA's Teen Video Awards, handed out last night at the Hawaii Convention Center!

PBS Hawaii's HIKI NŌ team couldn't help but notice that when students were called up to accept awards, there were two teacher advisers whose names were heard again and again: John Allen III of Waianae High and Jennifer Suzuki of Maui Waena Intermediate.

Both teachers also are HIKI NŌ teachers, with students taking part in our statewide student news network.

The auditorium was full of creative teachers and students, and it was great to see them using their talent to create public-service messages.