Tiki Talk

Hawaii Five-0 reboot theme song thankfully left alone!

Ken Kanaka — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:24:39 +0000

In an absolutely shocking move, the producers of CBS’ reboot of the iconic television show Hawaii Five-O have done the unthinkable: they’ve actually left the theme song alone.

Not only did the show’s composer, Brian Tyler, resist the urge to add synthesizers or rearrange the song to appeal to modern audiences, but he went as far as to bring in players from the original session in 1968!

Watching the video gave me goosebumps. I don’t think fall can come soon enough.

Hawaii Five-O will premiere on CBS on September 20th at 10:00/9:00c.

Tikitz tiki toys invade ComicCon

Ken Kanaka — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:53:34 +0000

One of my California connections, Jennifer Street, attended ComicCon last week in San Diego and sent in a report about Tikitz, a new collectible toy line/animated property about to be launched by Sprite Animation Studios and Toynami.

From the official website site:

TIKITZ is an exciting new entertainment brand from Sprite Animation Studios…Sprite has big plans for the TIKITZ line beyond just toys, though! With each mask having its own unique powers and backstory, we are looking forward to telling the story of the TIKITZ through not only Sprite’s top-quality animation, but also games, books, web, mobile, and other outlets.

The company had two limited-edition toys available for sale at ComicCon. They were so cute Jen snapped up one of each. I concur; these are well designed, colorful tiki toys for today’s era.

Visit the Tikitz website | Thanks, Jen!

Maui Ukulele Festival, Maui, HI

Ken Kanaka — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:14:42 +0000

The annual Maui Ukulele Festival is a full afternoon of ukulele music at the first-class venue, the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. Bring your lawn chairs or roll out a blanket on the lawn and enjoy some of the islands’ favorite ukulele players. Since 2006, the Maui Ukulele Festival has featured Herb Ohta Sr. (Ohta-San), Jake Shimabukuro, Holunape, Raiatea Helm, Manoa DNA, Paula Fuga, Richard Ho’opi’i, Brittni Paiva, Kelly Boy Delima, Derek Sebastian and more, including local kupuna and keiki players! Ukulele door prizes, food booths, and more.

Come and join us in laughter, love and hope!

Sunday, October 17, 2010
1:00 – 6:00 pm
Maui Arts & Cultural Center – Kahului, Maui

For more information, visit the Maui Ukulele Festival website

EPCOT city would have had a tiki resturant

Ken Kanaka — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:37:23 +0000

It’s common knowledge that Walt Disney had elaborate plans to build EPCOT not as a theme park but a true experimental city in the swamplands of Florida. For many years, the plans have been the stuff of urban legend, with collectors trading fuzzy VHS dubs of The Florida Project movie in order to try to get a glimpse of what “The Old Maestro” had his Imagineers working on behind closed doors.

One of the earliest revelations Disneyphiles had is that Walt had been working on ideas for EPCOT as far back as 1966. The second floor of the attraction he created for GE at Disneyland, The Carousel of Progress, contained a massive model of Walt’s city of the future, “Progress City.” Lo and behold, when the plans for EPCOT were revealed to the state of Florida, Progress City was EPCOT.

Over at The Imagineering Blog, in an article covering the current state of the Progress City model (which was cut down and moved to Walt Disney World), they’ve made an amazing rediscovery: EPCOT was going to have a tiki restaurant and bar. It’s still on the model today, but so close to the glass that even though I’ve personally ridden past the model hundreds of times, I’ve never seen it. (Click the image for a larger version.)

As seen on the model, the restaurant would have been situated on a small peninsula in a man-made waterway, accessible by both car and watercraft. A sweeping double A-frame roofline with large glass windows would have afforded an amazing view of both the shopping and entertainment corridor and the city center.

Now I’m even more sad that EPCOT, the city, failed. I could be typing this from the living room of my ever-upgradable, single-family home, with the unnamed bar just a short WEDWay Peoplemover ride away.

See more pictures and read A look at the Progress City model then and now at imagineeringdisney.com

New open edition Haka’iki tiki mug from Flounder and Tiki Farm

Ken Kanaka — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:07:09 +0000

Mug-maker Tiki Farm and the lowbrow/tiki artist Flounder have collaborated on another great tiki mug. Originally available as a limited-edition with a different glaze to celebrate the opening of Bold Hype’s “False Idols” art show, Haka’Iki is now sold as an open-edition item.

Measuring 4.5 inches tall and holding 14 ounces, the Marquesan design mug is the perfect size for a Mai Tai.

$13.95

Buy the Haka’iki mug at Tiki Farm

Tonga tiki carver finds life’s work in San Mateo

Ken Kanaka — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:27:24 +0000

San Mateo’s Daily Journal ran a nice story last week about Tualau Tauheluhelu, a tiki carver that’s been plying his trade for 30 years. Originally from Tonga, the 56-year-old moved to the United States when he was 18 and made his between-class hobby into a full-time job.

“I’ll carve anything, you name it,” chuckles Tauheluhelu between tapping his mallet and ferule on his current project. He’s making a series of Tiki idols to adorn the walls and banisters for a soon-to-open bar and grill on B Street in downtown San Mateo.

Read Tiki carver finds natural locale for his work at The Daily Journal

Help fund a CD release of Bill Tapia’s 100th birthday concert

Ken Kanaka — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:12:48 +0000

Ukulele great Bill Tapia celebrated his 100th birthday in 2007 by playing a concert in San Pedro, California with a slew of special guests, including Earl Allen, Frank DeVito, Kristin Korb, Abe Lagrimas Jr., King Kukulele, Smokin’ Menehunes, Polynesian Paradise Dancers, and Jim “Kimo” West. The show was recorded, but funds weren’t available at the time to mix, master, and release a CD.

Now the organizers, Paniolo Productions, are using Kickstarter.com to raise money to make the CD a reality. So far, they’ve got over $4,000 of the $13,000 they need pledged with 20 days to go.

There are multiple levels of sponsorship available, from $5-$6000+. There are nice benefits that go along with each level; everything from stickers to a copy of the CD to handcrafted, signed ukulele worth $5K.

For more information or to donate to this worth cause visit A Live Album of Ukulele Legend and Jazz Guitarist Bill Tapia’s 100th Birthday Concert at Kickstart.com

Phineas and Ferb’s Hawaiian Vacation debuts July 9

Ken Kanaka — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:46:31 +0000

Everyone in our house are big fans of Phineas and Ferb, the incredibly smart and funny cartoon from Disney that extols the virtues of creativity. If you’ve never heard of the program, the show is incredibly hard to describe concisely. The two title characters are step brothers who want to make the most of each day of summer vacation by doing something fantastic, such as building a backyard roller coaster, going into space, or finding a lake monster. The boys’ older sister Candice is constantly trying to catch the them in the act and show their parents what Phineas and Ferb have done; a plan that constantly backfires as the boys’ pet platypus Perry (who is actually a secret agent) inadvertently activates a device build by the evily-silly Dr. Doofenshmirtz, destroying the boys’ handiwork at the last possible moment.

See..told you it wasn’t easy.

The show has made several nods to tiki culture in past episodes, but a new episode, Phineas and Ferb’s Hawaiian Vacation, debuting this Friday on the Disney Channel, is sure to be tiki-filled. The plot is a clear nod to the infamous Brady Bunch 3-part episode, Hawaii Bound/Pass the Tabu/The Tiki Caves:

During a Hawaiian family vacation, Candace finds a cool lava rock necklace and is plagued with bad luck, so a native tells her she must take it to the top of a volcano, which spoils the cool, calm vibe she learned from a Hawaiian yoga instructor. Phineas and Ferb go with Candace and along the way, they ride a few waves with pro surfer Laird Hamilton. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is also at the same volcano, trying to make the population less intelligent with a “de-evolution-inator.”

The episode debuts Friday, July 9 (9:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel. The episode will also air on Monday, July 12 (7:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney XD.

Update: Not surprisingly, the episode has been uploaded to YouTube.

Watch Part 1 | Watch Part 2 | Watch Part 3

$400K Echo Park bungalow comes with a tiki bar

Ken Kanaka — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 16:17:22 +0000

Back in April this property, which includes a free-standing tiki bar in the backyard, popped up for sale in Los Angeles, California. It’s been under contract several times, but so far no one has been able to seal the deal. Any takers?

At only 601 square feet, you don’t get a lot of room, particularly in that bedroom, which’ll bring dorm room flashbacks–and all the awkward collegiate memories of trying to have romantic encounters in a coffin-like space. Last sold in 2002 for $100,000, the home is now listed at $419,000.

Read and see more photos of Tiny But With a Tiki Bar in Echo Park at Curbed

Tiki at Target, Summer 2010 edition

Ken Kanaka — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:04:04 +0000

Once a year or so, each of the major retailers trot out a small line of tiki-themed items, usually to correspond with the summer season. Target is a pretty consistent player and this year is no exception: at the end of the stationery isle right now you’ll find tiki-themed paper goods fit for a backyard luau.

For this season, you’ll find a tiki pinata (pictured), cup, plates, paper leis, napkins, tablecloths and a couple of other small items.