Hawaii is calling

My friend Sandi has a travel blog called Hawaii FYI that features places, attractions and restaurants you may want to visit when you are in Hawaii. From time to time, I will be guest posting on her blog about my remberences of Hawaii as it has been ten years now that I have been away from home. Here's my first...

The re-boot of Hawaii Five-0 is calling me! How thrilling must the Hawaii Film Office be that not only is the location identified as Hawaii but in case you missed it, it's in the title! The trickledown effect must be sending waves of "chicken skin" down the spine of the local economy including the hospitality and airline industries not to mention the locals. Another reason to proclaim, "Hawaii No Ka Oi!"

How well I remember the Five-0 of old, the golden years 1968 through 1980. In 1968 the state's first McDonald's opened in Aina Haina (I know I was there) and Hawaii Five-0 began a 12-year stint that September. How crazy was it when McGarrett would radio that he was traveling on Kalakaua when clearly he was out by Sandy Beach! We locals always had a great chuckle over things like that!

Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett

Jack Lord was my homeboy; we lived in the same neighborhood. In 1968 Kahala Mall was still called Waialae Shopping Center later changing to the trendier Kahala Mall in 1969. Lord and his wife Marie could always be found at the mall and the surrounding area. They were always nice and very approachable. Jack Lord says he was frequently asked 'Do you like Hawaii?' and his response was always, 'No, I love Hawaii.'

Such was Lord's love of the islands that he continued to live in Hawaii long after the series went off the air. He died in 1998 at his home in Kahala and his wife Marie followed in 2005.

Jack and Marie Lord - 1968

The estate of Jack and Marie Lord was divided among twelve Hawaiian nonprofit educational, cultural and medical institutions. A remberence of Lord, a bronzed bust, now sits outside the mall where he interacted with local kids like me all those years ago.

Hawaii Five-0 debuts on CBS Monday night, September 20. If you are lucky enough to be in Hawaii on September 13, there will be a special screening of the pilot on Waikiki Beach when the sun sets. Cast members will be in attendance so you should get there early to stake out a spot.

The new cast of Hawaii Five-0


So good luck to the new cast and crew of Hawaii Five-0, you have pretty bigs shoes to fill but the buzz and excitement of your return is palpable. Imua!, and you know I have to say this...Book 'em Danno!

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For my UK friends, Bravo UK secured the rights to air Hawaii Five-0 and is expected to start airing it at the same time as the US airing. Canada's Global TV will premier the show in Fall 2010.

Here's a link you call follow to view Five-0 trailers: www.cbs.com/primetime/hawaii_five_0/

And here is a glossary of words and phrases you may not be familiar with in the post:

• Chicken skin: local equivalent of goose bumps
• Hawaii No Ka Oi: means number one or the best
• Kalakaua: the main drag in Waikiki named after the Hawaiian monarch King David Kalakaua
• Imua: to go forward

Aloha!