Passing Mentions of Hawaii in Non-Hawaii Books, TV, Other Media

[BKHale2007]

I'll start this thread by noting that, in last night's Will & Grace season premiere, Karen (Megan Mullally) had written a song over the summer. Karen said she and "Rosie" (her maid Rosario) went to Hawaii and stayed at the Halekulani. Karen also mentioned Rosie's ukulele-playing.

[pzarquon]

Fun! My wife and I do this all the time. Every time someone mentions Hawaii, we go, "Cha-ching!" Imagining some seedy underworld of marketing payoffs.

Just off the top of my head, Hawaii's name has recently been dropped on Sesame Street (some magic ukulele sketch), one of the CSI franchises (a throwaway line about where a character had recently been), one of those reality shows (as a prize), and more than a few TV commercials ostensibly for other consumer products but selling the islands as well as some ideal goal or reward for success (i.e. credit cards).

So yes, let's hear more! There'll be too many exhibits to count, I'm sure, after only even one month of heavy media consumption.

[Miulang]

Heeheehee! Even if Linda Lingle and her administration do nothing else for you guys, you can thank her and www.gohawaii.com (HCVB) for bringing you beaucoup more touristas and their kala...now if you were smart, you'd also have signs at HNL airport saying, "We love your money, please enjoy your stay but don't even think about living here!" (Hey, it worked in Oregon for awhile).

Miulang

[craigwatanabe]

product placement...typical marketing ploy but in this case it's image placement.

[BKHale2007]

Today's (Oct. 12) "Luann" comic strip: Aaron Hill, on whom Luann has had a longtime crush, tells her he's moving with his family to Hawaii.

[Linkmeister]

Today's (Oct. 12) "Luann" comic strip: Aaron Hill, on whom Luann has had a longtime crush, tells her he's moving with his family to Hawaii.

Aargh! I'm three weeks behind in my comics reading, and you tell me that? :D

[pzarquon]

Here's the big announcement (http://www.comics.com/comics/luann/archive/luann-20041012.html). And Link, you can always catch up in one marathon browsing session (http://www.comics.com/comics/luann/)...

[BKHale2007]

Aaron specifies where he'll be living: Kailua on O'ahu.

[pzarquon]

Interesting detail. "Sounds romantic... You'll fall for an exotic bikini beauty with a flower in her hair and I'll never see you again." Heh. I suppose this is still writing Aaron out, though. I don't know how a LDR would play in comic book form.

[BKHale2007]

What's an LDR?

[Glen Miyashiro]

LDR = long distance relationship / romance.

[helen]

Wednesday's Pearls Before Swine has one of Rat's friends that he ignores writing from Waikiki.

Friday's JAG and Dr. Vegas had passing references to Hawaii in the epsiode.

[BKHale2007]

Actually Alphonse the porcupine called from Hawaii.

http://www.comics.com/comics/pearls/archive/pearls-20041013.html

Thanks for posting the PBS, JAG, and Dr. Vegas mentions, however.

[BKHale2007]

In today's strip, Brad unintentionally reminds Luann of Aaron's moving to Hawaii when he talks of "hose lays."

[BKHale2007]

This isn't a passing mention but an in-depth article about Niihau:

"The Paradox of the Last Untouched Island on Earth: Another Look at Niihau" by Jennifer Margulis, Ph.D., Gauntlet Magazine 24, pp. 35-42.

http://www.gauntletpress.com/MagazinePDF/Issue24.pdf

[pzarquon]

I'm a bit late with this, but the October issue of National Geographic actually featured Hawaii as its cover story: "Red Hot Hawaii (http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature1/index.html)."

[Glen Miyashiro]

Heh. In today's Luann (http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/luann/), they give out Aaron Hill's new Hawai'i email address, aaron@hulagirl.net. I sure hope that's not a real address; it's going to get scads of pings from curious readers.

[pzarquon]

Well, there's no website at that domain, but hulagirl.net was registered last year by Norman Stafford in La Plata, Maryland. He's going to get some interesting messages!

[kupomog]

Not sure if you count it as a passing mention, but Sharon, Ozzy, and Jack Osbourne's Hawaii vacation aired in their MTV show recently. They stayed on Oahu. At one point, they had this luau and you could see Dog the bounty hunter there. Hawaii was also the second to the last stop in the game on the "Amazing Race" season that just ended, but they mostly stayed by the airport.

[LikaNui]

Hawaii was also the second to the last stop in the game on the "Amazing Race" season that just ended, but they mostly stayed by the airport.

And parachuted onto the sandbar in Kaneohe Bay.
Very pretty scenes, and I'm sure a lot of mainlanders were oohing and aahing!

[zztype]

And parachuted onto the sandbar in Kaneohe Bay.
Very pretty scenes, and I'm sure a lot of mainlanders were oohing and aahing!
Heck, I was watching and wishing I could do that!!! And I live a few miles from Honolulu airport!
Blaine

[pzarquon]

Hawaii was also the second to the last stop in the game on the "Amazing Race" season that just ended, but they mostly stayed by the airport.I did not know that! Awesome. I saw a promo of the hangliding, but I just assumed those gorgeous mountains were in Brazil or something. Yay for the Ko`olaus!

[malia]

Yes, they even went to Pu'u 'Ualaka'a State Park ("Tantalus"--they used the Hawaiian name though, so that was good! Even though they massacred it greatly...same with all the pronunciations of "Kalakaua"...). We were just there for a field trip! They stood at the lookout to get the clue so you could see all Diamond Head and Honolulu down below. But the thought that came into my mind as they were driving there from the airport (they showed them driving by the Punchbowl cutoff) was ... wow, NO traffic! Must've been a Sunday or something, because it looked to be about 8-9 in the morning, but no gridlock at all. When they first gave the clue, I thought ha, they will definitely get caught in traffic and watch all the grumbling begin. But I was surprised. Even when showing them going to Hilo Hattie or the paddling one (was that Ala Moana?), no traffic. And then, yes, it ended with the skydiving into Kane'ohe Bay, before returning to the airport.

I know quite a few people on several forums were upset at the American Airlines counter guy for lying to Kris and Jon about the earlier United flight, which allowed Kendra & Freddy to win. They were talking about coming down here, finding that guy, and slapping him silly (joking, of course). :D

In past seasons, there were a few stops in Hawai'i (I remember Maui and Big Island, as stops...maybe O'ahu too...stereotypical thing as getting blessed by a "kahuna", going to the volcano, things like that...), but I don't ever remember them ever having to do a roadblock & a detour on those past seasons! It was good to see all that. :)

[Glen Miyashiro]

Heh. In today's Luann (http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/luann/), they give out Aaron Hill's new Hawai'i email address, aaron@hulagirl.net. I sure hope that's not a real address; it's going to get scads of pings from curious readers.Picking up on this old thread... in today's strip (http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/luann/archive/luann-20050801.html) Luann wins a trip to Hawai'i.

I always resented that if I won that kind of contest, all I'd get would be a couple of nights in (woo hoo!) Waikīkī. :p

[kimo55]

yea. funny.... she wins a trip to Kailua, Hawaii. does that mean a plane lands in kailua?!

[Glen Miyashiro]

In today's strip (http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/luann/archive/luann-20050811.html), Luann goes to her friend Aaron's house in Kailua, 1306 Kahili Street. Heh heh heh. That's actually the real-life address of Dave Thorne, local cartoonist. Nice inside joke. :p

[kupomog]

I was watching TV with my mom last night and she stopped on Blind Date, where one of the dates took place on Maui. The mayor popped up in the beginning, pretending to be her date. At some point, the show spelled wahine as "wahini" for one of their little pop-up joke things, and the couple went to the Royal Lahaina Luau where the mayor popped up again. There were a lot of "Vote for Kimo!" jokes added throughout the date, as well.

[helen]

For Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the episode where the Moonites were gathering all of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force bad guys into one group so that they can beat up on the heroes.

They got to their house, no one was home so they went next door to Carl's house and he mentions that they (Shake, Frylock and Meatwad) moved to Honolulu (they were actually in Carl's house).

[Palolo Joe]

yea. funny.... she wins a trip to Kailua, Hawaii. does that mean a plane lands in kailua?!
No, it means an outrigger canoe will deposit her on the sand at Kailua Beach Park.

Wonder if people think the planes land in Waikiki when told they've won a trip there...

[lilin]

Sherman's Lagoon (http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/comics/sherman.shtm) is doing a storyline featuring the humuhumunukunuku`apua`a, and without using her name, Governor Lingle is also getting a mention in today's strip. The Victoria Advocate updates the page daily, so click fast if you want to see Jim Toomey's version of our State Fish.

[Miulang]

In Test Drive Unlimited, a much- anticipated multiplayer videogame from Atari, players can take a break from the races to go shopping. The Internet-based title will feature at least ten real-world brands (including Lexus and Hawaiian Airlines (amex: HA - news - people )) when it comes out in September. Players will be able to zip around on Ducati Supersport motorcycles and visit a virtual Lamborghini dealership. Ben Sherman, a men's apparel retailer in London, will allow gamers to buy clothes in a 3-D replica of one of its real-world stores. It paid less than $500,000 for its in-game outlet. "This is a new route to our market," says Suzanne Egleton, head of marketing at Ben Sherman.

Hmmm...wonder how much Hawaiian had to pay to have that placement? And what would gamers be able to buy from Hawaiian? A "slightly used" Boeing 717? :confused:

Miulang

[pzarquon]

This isn't a Hawaii mention per se, but in the series premier of USA Network's new series Psych (http://www.usanetwork.com/series/psych/) (starring James Roday and Dule Hill), the main character's father (Corbin Bernsen) has a boat parked in his yard named "Kanaka."

[Pomai]

In the film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, a brief scene shows a strategically-placed Hawaiian Airlines poster kiosk ad depicted on a street in New York. Perhaps HAL comp'd free flights for the traveling film crew?