So is she coming back? If so, what kind of trouble are the McGarrett kids gonna get into next? After her performance in “Ke Kinohi”, she’s gained a lot more fans in the Five-0 circles. I would love to see her back kicking butt and keeping Steve on his toes. Dentists will also probably love the fact that Mary Ann McGarett is back in town.
Thanks to H50fans for getting the vid capture of the most recent candid couch interview with the cast. I’m guessing this came from CBS, and thankfully Scott Caan says something more than “My butt hurts.” This is a great candid interview!
More coverage of Chef Morimoto and his restaurant, soon to be featured on an upcoming Hawaii Five-0 episode. Go to the KHNL website to see the video report.
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Famed Iron Chef guest stars on Hawaii Five-0
Posted: Feb 17, 2011 3:42 PM HST Thursday, February 17, 2011 8:42 PM ESTUpdated: Feb 18, 2011 1:14 AM HST Friday, February 18, 2011 6:14 AM EST
Masaharu Morimoto
Morimoto (on right) on the Hawaii-50 set with Alex O’Loughlin (in sling) and Scott Caan (center, in necktie)
Click image to enlarge
By Teri Okita
WAIKIKI (HawaiiNewsNow) – Celebrities keep lining up for guest spots on Hawaii Five-0. First it was Nick Lachey, then Sean P-Diddy Combs. Now, the latest star with a guest role – famed Iron Chef Morimoto – who jumped at the offer to make cameo appearance.
Masaharu Morimoto wanted to keep his role organic. No pre-rehearsing for this reality star. Instead, he practiced his lines moments before they yelled, “Action!”
“I’m not an actor. I’m not a singer, so I have to do it natural. This is Morimoto. This is Masaharu Morimoto,” he says
Okay, so this part wasn’t such a big stretch for the Food Network star. He plays a chef … who’s name is Morimoto … who loves karaoke. In the show, he sings the song, “What a Wonderful World”, before McGarrett and Danno interrupt his karaoke session. They’ve come to the restaurant to investigate a fish that could contain evidence of a crime.
And believe it or not, Morimoto sees a lot of similarities between acting and cooking. He explains “I’m performing behind the sushi bar or kitchen. I have an open kitchen, so I make (food) so everybody can see the inside what we’re doing.”
The 55 year old watched the original Hawaii Five-0 as a teenager in Hiroshima, Japan, and when he opened his Waikiki restaurant last fall, he saw the show taping nearby. “I saw the helicopter. They’re shooting, maybe first or second episode, and then, I asked, “What is this for?” and then (the response), “Hawaii Five-0″.
The wheels began turning for a guest spot. Now, after just half-a-day of shooting, the Michelin-rated chef would even consider a recurring role.
I asked him, “So, which do you think is better, then? Having a Michelin star or being a TV star?” Morimoto thought for a second, laughed, and said, “Ahhhh, very political question. Both!”
A Michelin star rating is one of the highest honors in the culinary world, but now, could Morimoto be eyeing an Emmy? Only the Iron Chef knows for sure.
You can see what’s cookin’ when Morimoto’s episode airs on Hawaii Five-0, Monday March 21st.
Copyright 2011 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
USA Today reporter Bill Keveney got the inside scoop on filming for Hawaii Five-0 this past month. Check out Alex’s interview as well! Read the article at the USA Today website. Here’s a little clip:
HONOLULU — Tourists and locals mix on the wharf, some stopping at food stands, others basking on a bench in the warm morning sunlight. A steady breeze tempers the heat.
Boats bob in the nearby marina, with Waikiki’s huge hotels glimmering in the background.
It’s the perfect Hawaiian advertisement, especially for snowbound mainlanders.
And then —Ka-boom!
A 20-foot fireball engulfs a car, black smoke rising into the clear blue sky.
The beauty is Hawaii; the explosion is Hawaii Five-0.
Thanks again to eagle-eyed Undercover Special Agent McPhee in Australia, who provided the link to this great article about Aussie actress Claire van der Boom. Previously not known to American fans, she left a popular and successful Australian show to get a foot into the American market. Notably, she appeared in HBO’s World War II series, “The Pacific”. The article focuses mainly on her role in “Underbelly: The Man Who Got Away” a crime drama based on an Australian “Bonnie and Clyde” couple.
Will Danny get back together with Rachel? Let the debate begin!
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Risky business for van der Boom
Source: Colin Vickery, Darren Devlyn, From: Herald Sun, February 16, 2011 12:01AM
Claire van der Boom’s move to the US seems to be paying off. Picture: Manuela Cifra Source: Herald Sun
A GAMBLE is paying off for Claire van der Boom, write Colin Vickery and Darren Devlyn.
WHEN Claire van der Boom quit Rush to go to the US at the end of 2008, some thought she was crazy.
Most Aussie actors work for years before they even think of trying their luck in Hollywood.
Van der Boom chose to base herself in Los Angeles after less than 12 months on the Channel 10 action drama.
For many cynics, it was an adventure certain to end in disappointment. Surely, they thought, a humiliated van der Boom would be back home within months.
Somehow, van der Boom has managed to conjure success in the US and Australia a mere three years after taking the biggest risk of her life.
Last year was a monster year for the 27-year-old, who shone in wildly disparate roles in US mini-series The Pacific and the ABC’s Sisters of War.
Van der Boom also landed a recurring role in Hawaii Five-O and is set to star opposite Josh Hartnett in Roland Joffe’s (The Killing Fields) big-budget US movie Singularity.
In Australia, she stars in Underbelly: The Man Who Got Away and has a guest role on City Homicide.
“I wake up in Los Angeles and pinch myself that I’m giving it a go,” van der Boom says. “It (leaving Rush to go to the US) was pretty controversial at the time.”
Van der Boom admits that 2009 was the toughest year of her life. If there was any glamour in Hollywood, she wasn’t seeing it.
“I was nannying and getting up at 6am to drive out to Malibu to work at a rehab centre,” she says.
“I was so exhausted dealing with that world and a car that was breaking down.
“I started wondering what I was doing in LA without my family. I’d get on the phone to my parents and they would go, ‘Are you OK? You know you can come home and do nursing. We’ll support you if you want to go back to university. When is this going to stop?’ ”
Van der Boom kept the faith, even though the endless auditions started to undermine her confidence.
“In America you’re expected to go in there and hit it because they’ve got 400 other people coming through. They know in the first 20 seconds if you’re right for the role.
“Initially I put a lot of pressure on myself to get it (the audition) right. Then I realised I had to let it go.
“It’s out of your control. It (rejection) literally could be because you’re too tall for the leading guy.”
Underbelly: The Man Who Got Away shows a different side of van der Boom. She plays Clelia Vigano, the daughter of respectable Melbourne restaurateurs, who hooks up with drug trafficker David McMillan (Toby Schmitz).
The pair are a 1970s version of Bonnie and Clyde, juiced up on heroin, rolling in money, searching for thrills.
McMillan and Vigano’s audacity made them a target for the police, who set up the Operation Aries taskforce.
The dream turned into a nightmare and Vigano was sent to Fairlea Women’s Prison, where she died in a fire in 1982.
“They were both adrenalin junkies. They didn’t know where the brakes were,” van der Boom says. “What I could relate to most was her sense of fun and her need to have it.
“I strive to live life to the fullest, but use instinct to pull back when needed.”
Schmitz plays McMillan, who as a student at Melbourne’s Caulfield Grammar was renowned for his flair and intellect.
As a boy, he hosted the Junior News show on Channel 9. In his teens, it became obvious conformity was not for him and that he would become a serious risk-taker.
He tried to smuggle hashish from India in an old radio and was let off with a warning when busted by a customs officer.
“He was addicted to smuggling, addicted to feeling fear,” Schmitz says. “This is really an ‘at large’ telemovie a bit of catch me if you can.”
—–
Underbelly: The Man Who Got Away, Channel 9, Monday 8.30pm
“Hawaii Five-0” dropped in on Masaharu Morimoto Thursday morning in search of hidden evidence behind the sushi bar at the celebrity chef’s Waikiki restaurant.
Cast and crew hustled around the outskirts of the light-filled space as cameras trained on Morimoto, playing himself. And then the music started: an instrumental karaoke track to “What a Wonderful World.”
Standing in the dining area of the restaurant, Morimoto looked relaxed as he softly launched into the song, though his voice was slightly roughened, whether by the vog that has settled over Honolulu or the multiple takes of each scene he’d repeated since early that morning.
Meanwhile, “Five-0” principals Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan, emanating macho, with matching prop guns holstered at their sides, stood waiting for their cue to stride in on the chef and enlist him in their investigation.
Each piece of the scene had been rehearsed and re-rehearsed. For O’Loughlin and Caan this was familiar territory, while for Morimoto, it was a dramatic first.
Yet the chef was relaxed, often seeming on the verge of a smile.
As the chef, owner and host of several high-profile restaurants, Morimoto is used to working under pressure. And as a longtime star of Japan’s “Iron Chef” and the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America,” Morimoto has been followed closely by cameras for years.
However, this was his first time appearing on a dramatic series, and he clearly enjoyed it. Ad-libbing with Caan in rehearsal for a second scene, as they looked for clues behind the sushi bar, Morimoto subtly played the good guy to Caan’s attitude-laden Danno, bringing out a cheerfully rude response in return.
In other parts of this scene, as Danno and O’Loughlin’s Steve McGarrett traded barbs, Morimoto subtly smirked, enjoying the actors’ chemistry.
After filming was done, he said: “Would I do it again? If they asked me, yes.”
IN A BREAK from filming, Morimoto guessed that producers chose to shoot him singing karaoke because he’s well-known for loving the practice.
During the Sony Open, he had a high-profile karaoke moment that may have attracted the attention of “Hawaii Five-O” producers: Providing dinner for a private event featuring a concert by Earth, Wind and Fire, Morimoto took the microphone and sang an a capella song in front of the crowd of 1,000.
“I prefer singing in Japanese,” he admitted. That makes sense, as the Hiroshima-born chef speaks Japanese as his first language.
He conducted the interview with a translator sitting nearby, but had no problem answering questions on his own — although he did ask the interpreter to explain “intimidating.”
He’d been asked if he was an intimidating character, because in the sushi bar scene, he explodes with a shouted command to his staff.
In response, Morimoto said that, yes, he has been known to shout, if a matter needs to be handled. But he doesn’t do it for effect.
“It is always real,” he said.
THE LIGHT was good — at least the vog helped with that, though outside the restaurant, the air was thick and hot.
That didn’t prevent O’Loughlin from strolling out of Morimoto’s restaurant to stand around outside the sunbaked pool at the Waikiki Edition during breaks in the action, where he joked with crew members and posed for photos with curious hotel guests.
When the camera wasn’t rolling, O’Loughlin appeared cheerful, flashing star-quality smiles at onlookers.
Caan seemingly stayed in character, jokingly giving crew members heat, holding himself as if ready for a challenge and aiming piercing looks at those who cruised into his line of sight.
The crew was always in motion: measuring camera distances; shifting lights, screens, heavy cameras and the track used to roll a camera from one angle to the next; helping actors with lines.
When necessary, the actors also got feedback.
During the sushi bar scene, Caan’s Danno lifts up a fish that could contain evidence to the crime he and O’Loughlin’s McGarrett are investigating. And perhaps Morimoto looked slightly too amused during the take.
The word came down: “Morimoto (the character) gets pissed off when he sees that. … This is serious business.” ———
“Hawaii Five-0” airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on KGMB. The episode featuring Chef Morimoto is scheduled to air March 21.
Recently I stumbled upon the Facebook profile pages of three of the primary cast members of Hawaii Five-0: Alex, Scott, and Grace. These stars were sending personal messages and commenting frequently to wall posts that fans were putting up.
After taking a look at the pages, the red flags were all over the place that they were phony:
1) The profiles didn’t say “official”.
2) Poor English grammar and misspellings throughout the page.
3) Photos that these “stars” supposedly took themselves were actually photos gleaned off the internet.
4) More subtle was the fact that these were personal pages (like the ones that anyone can create) and not “Fan Pages”, such as Daniel Dae Kim’s official Facebook page or my Hawaii Five-0 Undercover Facebook page.
If you search”Alex O’Loughlin” or “Scott Caan” on Facebook, a whole bunch of profiles come up. How do you determine what’s real and what’s fake?
1) Go to the celebrities’ official home page or the network page. All social networking links should be there.
2) Go to a trusted forum and ask around if a page or profile is legitimate. This isn’t usually the best way since a whole bunch of people can be duped, but at least multiple people are on the lookout.
Why is it important to be vigilant? If you “friend” someone on Facebook, they have access to a lot of your personal information- email, family members, high school and college information, place of employment, etc. With that info, they can potentially do damage with identity theft, so I highly encourage everyone to watch who they “friend” on Facebook and who they follow on Twitter.
Finding out the Scott Caan you friended isn’t really him surely feels the same way an eight year old feels when he discovers there’s no Santa Claus. But don’t waste any valuable time chatting with fakers when you could just as easily be doing something more productive like getting your “arm porn” or “Grace in a bikini” fix.
I contacted CBS’ local Hawaii Five-0 publicist Erika Kauffman who provided this official list. A few names may be missing from the list, specifically the writers who recently joined Twitter. But if one of the show’s writers is encouraging you to follow a fellow writer, I’d say you’re pretty safe.
Note that Erika confirmed that Scott Caan and Grace Park DO NOT have ANY social networking accounts. Any Scott Caan or Grace Park account that you see is not theirs!
I’ll say this again: SCOTT CAAN AND GRACE PARK DO NOT HAVE ANY SOCIAL NETWORKING ACCOUNTS.
Twitter:
@CBarbee1 – Carol Barbee, writer
@BobOrci - Roberto Orci, executive producer
@tarynmanning – Taryn Manning, “Mary Ann Magarrett”
@PLenkov – Peter Lenkov, executive producer
@danieldaekim – Daniel Dae Kim, “Chin Ho Kelly”
@jrorci – J. R. Orci, producer/writer
@JM_Live – James Marsters, “Victor Hesse”
@michelleborth – Michelle Borth, “Catherine Rollins”
@CHTagawa – Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, “Hiro Yoshimuri”
@Harimoto – Kyle Harimoto, writer
@danecook – Dane Cook, “Matt Williams”
@erikakauffman – Erika Kauffman, publicist
@H50net – affiliate fan site
@mark_dacascos – Mark Dacascos, “Wo Fat” (account disabled by Mark)
@dwolkove – David Wolkove, writer
@33Edge – Kelly Hu, “Laura Hills”
Generally speaking, most of these Five-0 folks post regularly to Twitter.
After some lucky late night sleuthing, I’ve found that the closing song of Monday night’s episode is “Leave to See” by Trent Dabbs. Get the sample here on amazon, and check out his official webpage. His album “Southerner” comes out February 22.
"Excuse me miss, thanks for bringing Johnny home, but can you tell me what song is playing on the overhead speaker?" Photo: CBS
Here’s audio of my Hawaii Five-0 talk story session with Mike Buck yesterday on AM 830 KHVH. We talked about the storyline, the scenery, “Mr. Aloha” and Tongan pirates, and Hawaii’s crime problems.
"Yo ho ho and a bottle of Kona Brewing Company Fire Rock Pale Ale!" Photo: Jack Mynah
I feel robbed. As in robbed by a burglar, but thankfully not shanghaied like a pirate. The whole build up to the episode was that we’ll see pirates- the scourge of the seas, maiming and pillaging poor hapless tourists and locals. And not just any pirates, Tongan pirates, the worst of the bunch! Much more worse than the Samoan, Fijian and Micronesian pirates. Abandon all hope all ye who ply the Hawaiian waters!
Alas, piracy was nothing but a red herring for the viewers and the Five-0 team, from the mind of writer Joe Halpin (who I hear is a former police officer). Piracy was the cover for an elaborate kidnapping and ransom plot, concocted by former boy band front man Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees as Tyler, and his conniving fiancee Susan, played by Vanessa Minnillo.
What saved the somewhat predictable plot was the dialog, photography and some unpredictable moments. I loved the cargument that Danny and McG had outside of the Mercury Marquis, while pushing the monstrous car (formerly belonging to Jack Lord) up the hill. Danny was on a roll further along the episode, busting Kamekona’s chops: “Waitaminute, did he just say training bra?”. We definitely heard a lot of the Danny dialog that we got used to at the beginning of the series, which was toned down just a little during the middle stretch of the season.
The guest stars shined, with Vanessa Minnillo doing a great job of playing the hapless victim and sneaky conspirator. Nick Lachey however wasn’t given enough to run with, seemingly anyone could have played that role. My favorite character though was Saloni “I’m Mr. Aloha”, played by Native American actor Branscombe Richmond. He definitely had the local look, attitude and dialect down. Notable also was actor Ray Wise, of “Twin Peaks” fame (no Laura Palmer was not on the party boat).
Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo, or "Bonnie and Clyde" as Alex O'Loughlin reported. Photo: CBS
I think the director of photography may have taken a few pages out of the Jerry Bruckheimer/CSI Miami playbook. The ocean scenes showed deep blues, and the day scenes glowed a gorgeous yellow. The show still does make Hawaii look good. Noticed how the interior of the warehouse floor (the money exchange scene) was wet? A trademark Bruckheimer signature gimmick.
The best scene in the episode was McG’s and Danny’s attempt to sweet talk the pawn shop owner in giving in to an unwarranted search. McG has been definitely channeling his inner Schwarzenegger lately, with Predator mud face paint and traps, and Commando attitude last week. This week we get The Terminator:
McG: I’ll be back.
Danny: I’ll be back!?!? What are you gonna do, drive a car through here…?!?
Of course he comes back with a grenade from the glove box (don’t we all keep one there?) and demolishes the door. Door opened, problem solved. Next week, the writers might lighten up the mood and pull references from “Kindergarten Cop” or “Twins”.
Disclaimer: Any allusion to the height difference between Alex and Scott is purely coincidental. Photo: Universal Studios
The coolest stunt executed was when Justin Sundquist (Alex’s stunt double) vaulted through the warehouse window, then jumped from the trunk of a car to a trolley pulling away, resulting in McG getting off three shots lying down, hitting Tyler square in the chest. If that isn’t badass, I don’t know what is.
So I enjoyed the episode. The clever dialog, extra guest star power and the photography elevated what could have been an average episode to a pretty good episode. A lot of people on the net have been stating all day that while it was a good stand alone episode, it definitely wouldn’t be one of their favorites of the season.
ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHH there pirates in Hawaii?
Thankfully, pirates do not ply the waters of Hawaii, and I want all of you who’ve emailed me that you’re coming here to know that you will not be hijacked while on a pleasure cruise, fishing trip or dinner cruise.
99.999% of the people of Hawaii will embrace you, welcome you and go out of their way to help you visitors out…but Saloni the Tongan pirate confessed something that local criminals believe: “I rob people. People who could afford to take the loss. Rich tourists who have no respect for these islands. I rip them off, but I don’t hurt them.” Criminals use this ridiculous excuse to target those visiting these islands, people who we invite, and quite honestly it makes me sad and ashamed. Because we are the Aloha state, American and international tourists victimized by crime do have assistance, even if they’ve lost everything and are thousands of miles away from home- the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii. This non profit group’s sole purpose is to help tourists in need, which reinstills my pride in the people of Hawaii.
And now, Things We Learned About Hawaii From Hawaii Five-0, Episode 17, “Powa Maka Moana”:
1) There ARRH no pirates in Hawaii (I’m gonna beat that joke till the end, folks).
2) Grenades are more effective for executing searches than a warrant, so just open the door next time for the nice officer holding the grenade.
Did you notice…?
Actor Cody Gomes (Moku the bartender) had a small part in “Lost” as a Swan station construction worker who’s big line was “What’s the serial number for this hatch?” (thanks @hawaii for the tip).
The pawn store was also used as the “HOFFS DRAWLAR Funeral Parlor” for John Locke’s service in “Lost”.
Actor Taylor Wiley (Kamekona) actually did dabble in sumo and mixed martial arts earlier in his career.
McG and Danno were pushing the car up Round Top Drive and were at Tantalus lookout, not the Pali Highway as Danno stated.
McG and Danno met Kamekona in front of the Hale Koa hotel, a military hotel, which explains why men and women in military uniform were walking by. This of course is unlikely in actuality since they would be on vacation and not on duty.
The cut scene of lava hitting the ocean is from the Big Island, Volcanoes National Park. In the same cut scene, we see all the other water sports Hawaii has: boating, fishing , parasailing.
“Powa maka moana” literally translates to “one who steals on the ocean”, or simply, “pirate”.
Click image to enlarge
helps to support the blog, mahalo!