By Jason Genegabus

Courtesy photo

I’ve never been a fan of the television show America’s Next Top Model, but it looks like I’ll be tuning in when new episodes are broadcast next month.

According to multiple sources online, former Hawaii resident Sheena Sakai has been selected as one of 14 finalists this season. She’ll make her first appearance on Sept. 3, when a two-hour casting special kicks things off on the CW network (channel 93 on Oceanic digital cable).

Wait a minute… the CW is on a digital channel?

I’ve got analog cable at home. Lose money!

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By Jason Genegabus

Three members of No Bare Feet are back in town this week, but the former Hawaii residents won’t be playing any gigs while they’re here.

Brothers Matt (pictured) and Josh Baker are making the trip along with the band’s drummer, “Thrash.” All three are now part-time youth soccer coaches in addition to their musical endeavors.

Matt Baker got in touch a few weeks back to give us the scoops.

“A few of us coach a girls under 13 soccer team who took top two in the state of California in our State Cup,” he wrote via e-mail. “(We) qualified for (the) Far West Regionals … in Hawaii this year. The games are June 16th-22nd at the Waipio Sports Complex.”

I’m told NBF also made an appearance on Star 101.9 to talk story and share the band’s new single. They didn’t send me a .mp3 copy of the song, so I’m unable to share it here, but you can visit their MySpace page to listen to some music.

Visit breakaway07.com for more details about the girls soccer team they coach.

By Jason Genegabus

Image Courtesy Complex Magazine

Here’s an odd couple: Will Ferrell and Andre Benjamin sat down for an interview with Complex Magazine to promote the movie “Semi-Pro.”

I just love this commercial Ferrell did for Bud Light, by the way.

Back to the article. It’s an interesting read; you can tell the two have become friends, and Ferrell even displays a bit of Outkast knowledge at one point.

(via Nah Right)

By Jason Genegabus

Local boy Jack Johnson scored his first Rolling Stone cover last week. The issue should be in stores now, and the RS website has an excerpt of the full story posted online.

Additional pictures of Johnson are posted as well.

One interesting note: Rolling Stone also reports that Johnson sold 179,545 copies of “Sleep Through the Static” during its second week of release, enough to keep him on top of the sales charts despite an assault by winners from this year’s Grammy Awards.

It looks like Kokua Fest tickets are going to be even harder to come by this year.

Link:
“The New Issue of Rolling Stone: Jack Johnson” (Rock Daily)

By Jason Genegabus

I haven’t heard much from the folks at Hart and Huntington Tattoo Company since I covered their grand opening in January 2007.

According to owner (and freestyle motocross legend) Carey Hart, however, business at the tattoo shop on the fringe of the International Marketplace has never been better.

“Hawaii has turned out to be an extremely good location for Hart and Huntington Tattoo,” Hart said in a statement. “Our upscale atmosphere draws in the tourists as well as the locals.”

Hart will return to the islands next month for a pair of public appearances. He’ll sign autographs at the shop on March 1 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. before heading to an anniversary party at Lotus Soundbar later the same evening.

But I don’t think his wife, national recording artist Pink (pictured above with Hart), will be making the trip. News broke today that she plans to file for divorce, after Hart was seen in public with another woman.

This really hasn’t been a good year for Pink – her bulldog drowned in January, and now she’s getting divorced?

I wonder what will happen to her in March.

By Jason Genegabus

Just in case you need some inspiration to get off the couch and check out Questlove at Pipeline on Saturday, take a look at the above video of the drummer from the Roots during a freestyle jam session with Travis Barker.

More details about Saturday’s concert in my column, “In the Mix,” which appears in HiLife this afternoon for subscribers as well as tomorrow’s print and online editions.

Link:
“Video: ?uestlove vs. Travis Barker Drum-Off” (Nah Right)

By Jason Genegabus

What a finish. Even if you’re not a Giants (or Patriots) fan, Super Bowl XLII was definitely a game worth watching.

Also worth watching – not surprisingly – were the commercials.

Who would have ever thought MySpace.com would partner with advertisers to make every single commercial available online?

Check out my favorites after the jump.

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By Jason Genegabus

Big Island MMA fighter BJ Penn has the opportunity to become just the second person to hold UFC titles in two different weight classes when he faces Joe Stevenson tomorrow.

The first person to do it? Randy Couture.

Tomorrow’s pay-per-view will be broadcast from the United Kingdom, which poses a unique problem for fight fans that live in Hawaii. Starting time is scheduled for 10 a.m. and a lot of people head to local bars to watch the action.

But what if your favorite watering hole is closed at 10 a.m. tomorrow? Robbie Acoba has got you covered at Eastside Grill.

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By Jason Genegabus

A couple of months ago, I was stuck in traffic on the freeway near Bishop Museum and started to think about the last time I visited the local landmark.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit it might have been intermediate school when I last roamed the grounds, or maybe even elementary. There are vague memories of the big whale skeleton in Hawaiian Hall, and I think I remember spending some time in the planetarium there.

So I got pretty excited when I received an e-mail about the Museum’s “Research Seminar Series,” a monthly forum held every second Thursday. January’s speaker was Dr. Patrick Moser, a professor at Drury University and the author of the upcoming surf anthology “Pacific Passages.”

Moser’s presentation, “Surfing: Alive and Well in the Islands, 1840-1907,” sounded like an intriguing exploration into a time period that appears to have been misrepresented by some historians.

While conducting research for a college course he teaches about the history of surfing, Moser discovered a “continuing tradition of (Hawaii residents) riding waves despite declining native populations and profound social changes.”

Check out the video to find out more about this surfing professor (yes, he does rush ‘em every once in a while) and his upcoming book, along with a sampling of first-hand accounts from the late 19th and early 20th centuries he uncovered while researching the project.

Video:
Low-Res Version (YouTube)
High-Res Version (Vimeo)

By Jason Genegabus

One of the things I’ve learned watching “Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels” is there are a LOT of products that carry his band’s logo.

At one point during his keynote speech at the annual Small Business Hawaii conference last week, Simmons pulled out his wallet to show the audience his Kiss platinum Visa. Besides the credit card, I’ve heard about official “Kiss Kasket,” and even Kiss-branded condoms.

Rolling Stone posted a list of the 15 best “Kiss Kollectibles” on their website today. The “Kiss Kasket” is at the top, followed by a couple of other items you wouldn’t believe people actually pay money for.

Links:
“Rock List: Fifteen Best Kiss Kollectibles” (Rolling Stone)
“Gene Simmons in Honolulu [VIDEO]” (So Necessary…)