TGIFr!day

Week of Friday, December 21, 2018 | Vol. 6, No. 51

Check da Scene

Grinds & Da Kines For Your Weekend

BROADWAY COMES TO KAUAI Zonta fundraiser features Anne Runolfsson (left)

SATURDAYS 9:30am –1pm

On the Kauai Community College Campus

SHARE HOLIDAYS FEAST-IVITIES

Shop for your Christmas feast. Meet Kauai’s Hawaiian Santa, listen to the Kapa‘a Middle School Choir and Ukulele Band and enjoy cooking demonstrations using Kauai Grown’s fresh local ingredients with the KCC Culinary Students.

PHOTO WITH SANTA

Kaua‘i

Santa Phil Worma will be at the Community Market.

From Farmers Market to Farm Fair The Kauai County Farm Bureau Supports Agriculture | facebook.com/KauaiCountyFarmBureau

2 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, December 21, 2018

BROADWAY COMES TO THE CONVENTION HALL Voices from‘Phantom of the Opera,’ ‘Les Miserables’ set to sing in Zonta fundraiser Jan. 12 JESSICA ELSE TGIFR!DAY

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TOP PICKS FOR THE WEEK HAWAIIAN SLACK-KEY GUITAR AND UKULELE TOUR IMMUNIZATION PUBLIC 3 to 5 p.m. Hale Hanawai Hanalei HEARING Community Center.

2 to 4 p.m. state Department of Songs and stories telling Hawaii’s Health Kauai District Health Office history, gift drawings, family friendly. conference room, 3040 Umi Street, Tickets $25. Info: 826-1469 Lihue The DOH is proposing amendments AUGIE T’S LAST STAND to Title 11, Chapter 157, “Examination Kauai War Memorial Convention and Immunization,” which include Hall, 7 p.m. health examination and immuComedian Augie T Tulba will be joined nization requirements for school by fellow comedians Jose Dynamite attendance in Hawaii. and Daryl Bonilla.

FRIDAY

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auai’s Zonta Foundation is bringing Broadway to Kauai in January Instead of hosing their traditional Eat Desert First fundraiser.

She’s Carlotta from “Phantom of the Opera” and Diva from “Les Miserables.” She’s Roxanne in “Cyrano the Musical” and filled in for Julie Andrews and Liza Minelli in “Victor Victoria.”

Her real name is Anne Runolfsson, and the Broadway star will be singing with her daughter, Tess Adams, on Kauai, along side Kauai performers Elizabeth Kreitzer, Kimberly Hope McDonough and Jessika Cristobal.

“Anne has performed at the cultural center in Maui and in New York. It’s a great opportunity to have someone from Broadway come over here. It’s something different for us,” said Darrellyn Lemke, Zonta representative who is helping to organize the event.

Runolfsson went to school with a friend of Lemke’s and it’s that Kauai connection that is bringing the Broadway singer and her daughter to the island. It sprang out of conversations about Zonta and what the organization does nationally and on Kauai.

Proceeds from the concert fundraiser, which is taking the place of Eat Desert First in 2019, will go toward The Zonta Club of Kauai Foundation, raising money for educational scholarships and community organizations.

Photos courtesy Zonta Foundation

ABOVE: Kauai’s Jessika Cristobal will be joining Anne Runolfsson and Tess Adams for the Zonta “Heroine’s Story” concert on Jan. 12. LEFT: Adams.

ON THE COVER: Runolfsson.

“She’s done research on us and wants to help,” Lemke said. “She’s the one that came up with the title ‘Heroine’s Song’ for us.”

Those attending the “Heroine’s Song” Zonta concert can expect to hear from an all-female band and vocalists with music along the lines of pop and theater genres and featuring songs from “Wicked,”“Frozen” and “Anastasia.”

Zonta’s signature Eat Desert First event had been ongoing for 25 years, showcasing fine desserts made by local chefs — and there will still be a little bit of that flavor in the upcoming concert fundraiser.

That’s because vendors are still making desserts and attendees will be able to have a slice of something sweet during the night.

“We’ll have pupus and alcohol and we’re going to have the desserts at intermission,” Lemke said. “We’re

still having some of our regular vendors come and support us as well.”

In the past, vendors have included Hukilau Lanai, Haole Girl Island Sweets, Passion Bakery Cafe and Dizzy Lizzy.

On average, Zonta’s signature fundraiser brings in about $10,000, and Lemke said the goal is to take in more than that from the “Heroine’s Song” concert.

“We’re hoping to raise more from this event,” she said. “Some years we get bigger donors and we can give more to the girls. The money all goes back into the community.”

The Zonta Club of Kauai Foundation’s “Heroine’s Song” concert is set for Saturday, Jan. 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall. Cost is $75 in advance, $100 at the door.

Tickets can be purchased online at zonta-kauai.org.

TGIFR!DAY | Friday, December 21, 2018 | 3

‘VICE’ IS EXHAUSTING, BUT BALE’S SOMETHING TO BEHOLD JOCELYN NOVECK ASSOCIATED PRESS

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low your nose, and you’ll miss the split-second shot of a younger Donald Trump in “Vice” (two and a half stars out of four) Adam McKay’s exhaustingly entertaining (and entertainingly exhausting) Dick Cheney movie.

Let’s pause a moment to note the obvious: “Vice,” which features a terrifically committed performance

by Christian Bale, is not a neutral biopic in any sense.

It’s more of a political lecture on steroids, using every clever filmmaking device up the talented McKay’s sleeve, much like “The Big Short,” his journey through the 2008 financial collapse.

These devices include broken fourth walls, surreal vignettes, fun celebrity cameos, a mysterious narrator, and — best of all — Dick and Lynne Cheney in the bedroom, plotting his next political move, suddenly launching into iambic pentameter for several minutes.

Macbeth much?

The parallels with the Scottish play are obvious: McKay presents Lynne (Amy Adams, memorable as always) as the ideological force behind the man, her husband’s private coach in every step he takes on the way to becoming a virtual co-president and perhaps the most powerful man on the planet.

But while Macbeth becomes wracked with guilt and paranoia, “Vice” chronicles a man with no guilt or

Shops, Restaurants & Services at Ching Young Village: Matt Kennedy / Annapurna Pictures via AP

Christian Bale is Dick Cheney, left, and Amy Adams is Lynne Cheney, in a scene from “Vice.”

few decades later. doubt whatsoever, and that We first meet Cheney matter-of-fact certainty of in 1963, staggering blind purpose was indeed one of drunk from a car during a the reasons he was able to traffic stop. Fast forward climb so fast, McKay argues: He simply saw opportunities to 9/11, and he’s the guy taking charge of the nation’s and took them. response, with Bush nowhere The weakness here, though, is that we never get in sight. How did we get from A to B, McKay is asking? a sense of what truly drives Well, partly because of Cheney the man. The shiny bells and whistles that McKay Lynne.

Yet he rises up the ranks, employs — because, well, through the Nixon and Ford he’s good at it — detract administrations, eventually from our ability to get to becoming chief of staff. He know his subject. Is McKay’s Cheney merely an opportun- serves six terms in Congress, ist, or is he fueled by a deeper becomes secretary of defense under Bush senior, then purpose, and how? It’s not enters the corporate world as totally clear.

Bale famously gained a lot CEO of Halliburton.

And then we’re done, of weight, and mastered that way Cheney speaks from the right? In McKay’s cleverest moment — we won’t spoil side of his mouth. Bale also disappears so deeply into his the surprise — he shows us balding, portly, pasty charac- that this is how it could have ter that for long minutes you ended, comfortably for all.

But then the phone rings. It’s forget it’s him.

Bush junior.

As for Adams, her Lynne “Vice” is frenetic and fun, is bright, witty and gritty, a woman one imagines might flippant and frustrating (to have become a top politician stick with one letter of the alphabet). herself had she been born a

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4 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, December 21, 2018

FRESH FISH SERVED IN OLD KAPAA TOWN

Mermaids Cafe offers up local fare with pan-Asian flavors

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ucked away along the main drag in Kapaa town is a little outdoor cafe that’s home to the mermaids.

Painted in a mural that spans the building next door, the mythical creatures intermingle with local fish, dolphins and jellyfish next to a little surf-shack-style kitchen.

If that wasn’t enough to catch attention from the street, Mermaids Cafe boasts bright yellow umbrellas cover glossy picnic tables. Further back, a bar stretches back into the alley, seating four or five people next to an orange water cooler.

Open from 9 a.m to 9 p.m. daily, it’s situated between Olympic Cafe and Java Kai coffee shop.

The breakfast menu boasts wraps, sandwiches and quesadillas — all loaded with combinations of eggs, chorizo, cheese and vegetables.

Lunch, served all day, includes things like the coconut curry plate with a choice of chicken, ahi or tofu; the sesame stir-fry noddle plate with ginger, garlic and shoyu; and the peanut satay plate with a special Mermaids peanut sauce.

Photos by Jessica Else / TGIFR!DAY

LEFT: The Kapaa tacos are just one of many fresh, island-inspired items on the menu at Mermaids Cafe in Kapaa. ABOVE: Mermaids Cafe is tucked away in old Kapaa town and slings a variety of fresh foods including tacos, salads and breakfast. The lounge offers an out-of-the-way place for postbeach grinds.

Burritos and wraps are popular at Mermaids Cafe, and the ahi nori wrap is one that’s gained popularity with residents and tourists alike.

Seared ahi is the staple of the dish and is rolled in a spinach wrap with brown rice, cucumber, nori, wasabi cream and shoyu.

The black bean burrito can come with seared ahi as well, and wraps black beans, brown rice, organic greens, Mermaids salsa,

GiƆ o f Go lf

cheese and the establishment’s Aloha Sauce into a spinach tortilla.

For Taco Tuesdays, Mermaids pulls out all the stops and slings six different kinds of tacos with two types of fish to choose from, ahi or ono. Black bean tacos provide vegetarian options and there are keiki burritos for the kids.

Prices average $15 for lunch plates, burritos and tacos, and $10 for sandwiches. Drinks range from

$4 for coffee to $6 for fresh juices.

Surrounded by boutiques and clothing stores, gift shops and a jewelry store, Mermaids Cafe is a shaded spot to rest and refresh after the beach or during an afternoon of shopping.

And when the sun goes down, Mermaids is a spot to watch the people and vehicle traffic weaving their way through downtown Kapaa — or to meet up for a night

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on the town at nearby bars like The Local.

The flavors are pan-Asian, the recipes are Kauai-originals, and ingredients are fresh and locally-sourced when possible. Catering and delivery are options for parties.

Vegan options are available.

••• Jessica Else, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@ thegardenisland.com.

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TGIFR!DAY | Friday, December 21, 2018 | 5

‘WELCOME TO MARWEN’ IS A FANTASTIC MISSTEP LINDSEY BAHR ASSOCIATED PRESS

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ighteen years ago, a man named Mark Hogencamp was brutally beaten by five men outside of a bar in Kingston, New York. The assault put him in a coma for over a week and left him with permanent brain damage and little memory of his previous life.

To cope, he constructed an elaborate miniature World War II-era Belgian town where he would create fantasy sequences with dolls representing himself, his friends and even his assailants, and photographed them. He called the town Marwencol and the eccentric and fascinating scene caught the attention of the art world, the media and eventually became the subject of an acclaimed 2010 documentary.

Why Hollywood and an always innovative filmmaker like Robert Zemeckis would

Ed Araquel / Universal Pictures via AP

Steve Carell, left, and Merritt Wever discuss reality in a scene from “Welcome to Marwen.”

be drawn to this inherently dramatic, emotional and fantastical story is hardly a mystery. The head-scratcher is how it ended up as such a disaster. Yes, “Welcome to Marwen” (one and a half stars out of four), despite what I believe were the best of intentions, is cloying, jaw-droppingly sexist and oddly lifeless. It’s not that it’s a poorly-directed movie. It’s just stunningly ill-conceived.

Steve Carell plays Mark,

and his WWII action-figure alter-ego Hoagie, who we meet first. Hoagie is handsome, assured and unflappable in wartime.

A plane crash? No problem. Shoes on fire? He’ll just wear a pair of heels instead. A Nazi holding him at gunpoint? He’ll talk to him with no fear. And if he gets in over his head, no worries, a cabal of beautiful, machine-gun-toting and scantily clad women will

come to save him. This is his fantasy, so they all love him, of course, but he tells them to keep their distance because there’s this bluehaired Belgian witch named Deja Thoris (Diane Krueger, who is probably thankful to be hidden behind the animation) who gets jealous and kills women who get close to him. Seriously.

In the real world, however, Mark is a mess, living in a semi-permanent mobile home, popping pills like candy, and avoiding human interactions wherever he can — especially those that remind him of the assault,

which is why he’s doing everything he can to get out of attending the sentencing hearing for his attackers despite his lawyer’s pleas.

His PTSD manifests in his fantasy world. When he feels attacked, suddenly there’s machine gun fire being sprayed throughout the bar in Marwen.

“Welcome to Marwen,” co-written by Zemeckis and Caroline Thompson (“Edward Scissorhands”), wants to be both childlike and adult in ways that the film is not equipped to examine in any sort of serious way, making the whole thing

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creepy and discomforting.

It’s one sci-fi twist away from being a full-on “Black Mirror” episode, and poor Nicol, who quickly becomes his new obsession, bears the brunt of these unwelcome affections.

You’ll get whiplash trying to reconcile how the movie is consistently trying to tell you it’s feminist while also so blatantly objectifying every woman in sight.

The animation is really something stunning, however. It doesn’t look too digital or too uncanny valley. If only the movie could have been as evolved.

6 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, December 21, 2018

‘MORE THAN YOU REALIZE’

Child abuse survivor writes children’s book on the topic

worthy,” she said. “I know that survivors JESSICA ELSE struggle with these TGIFR!DAY issues, many all of their lives, and never ost dogs, new friends and get to recognize flying messengers all carry and remember their Jenae the adventure story in Debbie value and potential.”

Jenae’s new book “If Roses Were The point of writing a children’s Blue,” but amid small triumphs and book about the topic is to help childish secrets is a real war that those going through child abuse the author herself waged. to feel less alone, to know that The story targets the topic of there’s help, and “to know the child abuse and is about a college abuse does end.” student who is sure her younger “(I wrote) the book 30 years sister’s friend is keeping a secret ago, ” she said. “I didn’t publish it — the main character helps this survivors of child abuse because until last year.” child work through her abusive of her experience living through She also did all of the artwork situation. and surviving abuse when she in the book, which peppers the was a child.

Written for children ages 8-14, pages throughout the story.

“I was a very shy and quiet child and for adult survivors, Jenae Jenae lived on Kauai for nine and often felt invisible and unsaid the book is meant to inspire

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years and is now living just north of Santa Barbara, California. She spent her time on the island processing memories of abuse that occurred years prior in Michigan, and eventually moved back to the Mainland when her daughter relocated to California.

“Kauai is very special to me,” Jenae said. “I am a very spiritual person and Kauai was a remarkable place for me to heal.”

At the end of the book, Jenae has lists of important phone numbers, websites, ideas and messages for adults, and more resources.

She also has tidbits about some of the locations and characters in her book — like Grandmother Tree, which is modeled after a tree in Hawaii.

Overall, the message of If Roses Were Blue is “you are so much more than you realize” — and that message is reiterated many times over and in many different ways in the story.

“There was so much I didn’t learn about life and love as a child.

My recovery brought that and so much more in truly profound ways. I want to share that world with others to help them on their journey and to remind them of the ever-present goodness in the world every where and all the time — that aloha spirit,” Jenae said.

••• Jessica Else, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0452 or jelse@ thegardenisland.com.

AUSTRALIAN COMEDIAN HANNAH GADSBY HAD BREAKTHROUGH 2018 MIKE CIDONI LENNOX ASSOCIATED PRESS

“Nanette” is the 40-yearold Gadsby’s latest stage show, which debuted in 2017, and enjoyed critical annah Gadsby says and commercial successes she knows it’s meant as a compliment to be during its runs throughout Australia, at the Edinburgh chosen as one of the year’s Festival Fringe, in New York Breakthrough Entertainers

by The Associated Press. But, and Montreal.

But it wasn’t until late as with many things, the June that the “craziness” Australian stand-up comic began. That’s when Netflix and actress sees the honor released a filmed version of from a variety of perspecthe show, and Gadsby went tives.

“Like, what happens after from known Down Under to global phenomenon. ‘breakthrough’?” Gadsby Many critics were blown asked. “Like, I could be a away by the way Gadsby one-hit wonder or I go on seamlessly segued from to being a deserved star?” hilarity to humanity — She notes: “I think I was quickly getting deep and doing really well before dark about some harrowing all this craziness around experiences as a lesbian ‘Nanette.’”

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Chris Pizzello / Invision via AP

Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby poses for a portrait in Los Angeles earlier this month.

and as a woman.

And while “Nanette” was written before the start of the #MeToo movement, Gadsby apparently felt it coming. In “Nanette,” she takes direct aim at straight

white males and sexual abuse.

What Gadsby didn’t expect was that so many would get her. Since 2006, she’d made a name, and a living, as a stand-up comic

and actress in Australia and New Zealand.

Gadsby said she expected that her candor in “Nanette” would divide, not conquer, audiences.

“What the magical thing was, what I realized, was, ‘Oh, a lot of people are thinking this.’ And what I thought was making me a marginalized figure — you know, sort of a niche human — actually, by being completely truthful about it, has given me the unexpected realization that I’m not at all.”

In “Nanette,” Gadsby says she’s giving up stand-up comedy. But, with the success of the stand-up special, she’s now reconsidered

that, noting future shows will be something closer to performance art.

Just about the only thing that’s certain: Gadsby won’t be going Hollywood, at least for now. She said that world “would require a substantial erosion of independent thought.”

So, what is next?

“Oh, the phone has been ringing,” she said, with a grin. “But I’m slow. I’m a slow person. So, I need to make my decisions slowly.

They say that ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ But I’m more like the tortoise, but with the hare’s game plan. So, I’m moving as slowly as a tortoise, but napping like the hare.”

CHECK DA SCENE

TGIFR!DAY | Friday, December 21, 2018 | 7

DENNIS FUJIMOTO TGIFR!DAY

Thomas Nizo, Curt Pantohan Momi Gampong, Irinia Edrada

Cameron Kesler, Lisa Thompson, Melissa Thompson

MAKING MERRY T

Cory Rita, Cade Rita Ohu, Candace Boxer

Norman Hashisaka, Naoko Ho

Casey Agena, Linda Olores, Michelle Young

Taelor Sagucio, Kari Correa

Liz Kua, Liz Thompson

Antonio Pope, Eli Pope, Christel Pope, Kealohilani Valente, George Valente

he West Kauai Business and Professional Association hosted thousands of people in Waimea to view the annual Waimea Lighted Christmas Parade Saturday.

The parade is the culmination of holiday-themed events that started with the Waimea town lighting ceremony that signalled the start of the street front decorating contest.

The results of that effort sparkled brilliantly to enhance the moving caravan of lighted vehicles and marching units.

Additional excitement came in the form of the Friends of the Waimea Public Library used-book sale that attracted a record number of shoppers, and the Rotary Club of West Kauai distributed even more books through its parade float.

The Ayau ohana, and the return of P and P Malama, was celebrated by everyone with free refreshments and entertainment at Hofgaard Park, the end point of the parade. The musical entertainment lineup picked up the excitement where it left off following the parade.

Esther Estes was the parade chairperson.

Pua Kaohelaulii, Hua Duncan, Kahaipule Lang, Loed Pantohan, Ruth Beniamina, Kukui Lang

8 | TGIFR!DAY | Friday, December 21, 2018