Tadd Fujikawa: Professional Edition

Tadd Fujikawa dropped in for a visit, a day after turning pro. We can confirm for you that it is the same Tadd Fujikawa who visited us as the amateur who dazzled the golf world at the Sony Open.

But there was one difference:. Tadd came with just his parents last time around. This time, mom Lori was back, along with his new agent/attorney Kevin Bell (in the dark jacket) and two other people, who I think were Bell’s assistant (on the high chair) and a local publicist (not in the photo; the gentleman in the glasses is the publicist for another guest, which I’ll discuss shortly). I looked at the group accompanying Tadd, and told him, “I can tell you’ve turned pro; now you have an entourage.” His response? He cracked that big smile and started laughing. As for the entourage, they remained pretty much in the background. There was no advice, at least in the studio, on what to say or how to say it, no extra makeup people. They just followed Tadd around, and Tadd’s still Tadd. We wish him luck in his pro career.

Got something to say about the Taddster turning pro? Click on “comments” below.

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The first thing Tadd said to me as he stepped into the studio was, “Oooooh! I smell food!”

This is some of the food from one of the groups that will be at the sixth annual Korean Festival, tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Kapi`olani Park (and the reason for the publicist with the glasses mentioned above). As with good food cooked up on the show, it didn’t get anywhere close to the end of its shelf life.

Andy & Tessa: Behind The Scenes

Here’s just a little more on this morning’s visit by Andy and Tessa of ABC’s The Bachelor. For one thing, they’re very nice people. And I didn’t get to chance to watch the interview segments, but there was one thing that struck me: I don’t think they let go of each other’s hand the entire morning, whether it was on the air:

Or chatting with Mahelani before the interview segment began:

They seem to be holding up pretty well, considering that their entire courtship has been chronicled on national television, and that they had to keep the engagement secret for several months (he actually proposed in March).

Frankly, they’re both very nice, down to earth people, and Tessa didn’t hesitate to give us the local-style hug when we greeted her. When they arrived, it was just the two of them, no handlers or escorts or such. I happened to be near the front lobby so I let them into the studio. I was about to introduce myself (you can never assume) when Andy held out his hand and said, “Hey Ben!” He introduced me to Tessa, and then said, “I watch you every morning!” Personally, it was one of the weirder moments of my life, only because, while the two of them may have been “regular folks” before The Bachelor Andy is now a big-time “you somebody” (as proof, we got e-mail requests from as far away as New Jersey to put the interviews here on the Web site, and they’re currently the site’s most popular videos) It’s called “reality television,” but it’s still television.

By Popular Demand: "The Bachelor" And His Bride-To-Be

Navy Lt. Andy Baldwin and his fiancee, Tessa Horst, visited the newscast this morning for two interview segments. Even before this morning, there were requests to post the interviews on the website, which you can see here and here.

Yes, It’s Jill

Dan and Mahealani are both away this week — and so current weekend anchor Jill Kuramoto is filling in. Here she is talking to Iris Catalani of Finance Factors about a “Shred It Day” the bank is sponsoring this Saturday at the future site of its Manoa Branch (the event itself is from 8 a.m. to noon at 2955 East Manoa Rd.; you can bring up to two filing boxes of documents to shred).

You remember she’s no stranger to these hours, having been the morning anchor before her current gig (she and Paul Udell were the anchors when I joined the morning newscast). But she probably thought she’d never be back! At least, for her sake, it’s not a permanent thing.

In any case, it’s been like riding a bike; you don’t forget how. And, nothing against my current cohorts, but it’s been a pleasant change of pace to be able to work with her again, since I normally don’t get to even see her with our current schedules.

The regular duo will be back next week.

Locks of Love, Live On The Lanai

Aran Higa is one of our crewmembers. And Monday morning, you may have seen him get a haircut, live on the newscast, on the “front deck” (as we sometimes call it). And for charity, to boot.

To explain a bit, more than a year ago, Aran had shoulder-length hair. He was going to get it cut, but then another crew member told him he should keep growing it until it was long enough for the Locks of Love program. It takes donations of human hair to make wigs, which are then given to young cancer patients who have lost their hair during chemotherapy. Long story short, so to speak, he decided it was a good idea, although he probably didn’t think the final result would be so public.

More than a year later, Aran’s hair was long enough to be donated. Locks of Love needs a donation of at least ten inches of hair; Aran’s ponytail was 14 inches long. And Monday morning, stylist Richie Miao of the Chop Salon in Restaurant Row dropped by to cut it off, live on the air.

Iolani School Senior Sarah Matsui is one of the people spearheading the effort. She displays Aran’s donation.

Also, Richie stayed around long enough to style Aran’s remaining hair, free of charge.

Richie’s Chop Salon (500 Ala Moana Blvd.) will be taking donations for Locks of Love through Thursday. Again, hair has to be at least ten inches long. As for Aran, for now he likes having shorter hair.

The Superferry

Whether you want it to or not, it looks like the first Hawaii Superferry will be arriving in the islands next month, with service to begin in July.

I got to interview Superferry spokesman Terry O’Halloran. We talked about the issues surrounding the interisland ferry’s startup, including demands from some citizens that the ferry’s operators have to file an environmental impact statement, addressing issues such as humpback whale avoidance, and whether unwanted species could be transported from from one island to another (the coqui frogs on the Big Island being one example).
I got so much into the issues that I completely forgot that O’Halloran brought a brand new model of the Superferry, a miniature replica so detailed that it even had the new ferry’s name, Alakai. I was completely fascinated with the model before the interview, but once we got underway, I competely spaced on it. We ran out of time before we could talk about the ferry’s actual size some of the amenities that will be available aboard, including, according to O’Halloran, movies, refreshments, and something you don’t get on an airplane trip — lots of room to walk around. The model would’ve been handy for all of that, but….

Coach Nash

Bob Nash paid a visit to the newscast this morning for the first time as the head coach of the University of Hawai`i men’s basketball team. He talked with Dan about his new job, including his decision not to renew the contract of assistant coach Alika Smith. The longtime assistant and member of the famed “Fabulous Five” also discussed recruiting. You can see the video here.

Where’s Alan Greenspan When You Need Him?

This morning we had a segment higlighting the 2007 Island Insurance Economics Challenge, a high school competition designed to showcase outstanding economics students in Hawai`i. More than 200 students are entered from eight schools. And we’re competitive nationally: `Iolani School has taken the national championship two years in a row.

As the competition’s subject may suggest, the questions are not exactly the easiest. Try your hand at these (which Dan and I failed miserably). Answers are far below. Don’t cheat by scrolling down. And remember, high school students are supposed to be able to answer these.

1. “Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket.” This adage suggests that a portfolio’s risk can be reduced by what?

2. The interest rate that banks pay when they borrow from the Federal Reserve is known as what?

3. A mutual fund that keeps a portfolio of stocks designed to match the performance of a stock market is known as what?

4. Decreasing long run average total cost as quantity increases, indicates the existence of what?

5. In the market for umbrellas, what kind of shifts could cause an increase in the price of umbrellas? (Think of a graph.)

The Economics Challenge will be held Thursday, April 5 at the University of Hawai`i Campus Center Ballroom.

And now, the answers:

1. Diversification.

2. The discount rate.

3. An index fund.

4. Economies of scale.

5. An increase in demand (shift to the right) OR a decrease in supply (shift to the left).

So, how’d you do?

Back, With a Silver Medal

Two months ago we had the McKinley High School robotics team on the newscast (see earlier post). They came back this morning, with the silver medals the team won at the regional competition in San Diego the weekend before last. And they also brought in “Hot Lava,” the robot they used in competition.

The point of the contest was to put the inflatable rings onto a rack in the least amount of time. They demonstrated this, and then let Dan and Mahealani try their hand at it. Let’s just say the kids were better. But they’re the ones who had the second place showing. Congratulations!

We Are The Robots

In the process of getting caught up, an update: Members of the McKinley High School Robotics Team are in the San Diego Regional First Robotics Competition this week. You may recall that they were on the newscast back on February 7th with their robot, Nai`a V. I’ve had various celebrities do the weather with me, but I’ve never had a robot do it.

I got these photos from their Web site, where you can find out more about how they built their robot and got into San Diego and other robotics competitions. The site also includes videos of their appearance on the show. We wish them the best of luck this weekend.

Ben.

ben@kitv.com