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Entertainment’s old guard reunites to honor Buddy Fo

Chef-caterer Steve Ozark says his savory gravy, commonly served at backstage feasts for visiting stars, is the same one he prepares for the homeless and hungry at downtown’s River of Life Mission, where he volunteers. “It’s a Buddy Fo gravy recipe,” he told me when we talked story at the celebration-of-life event for the late Invitations leader at the Elks Club. “The secret is white wine — something Buddy taught me years ago.” …

The camaraderie at the Fo gathering was old school, with luminaries from the past performing and paying respects (and sharing hugs with Fo’s widow, Sammi). “It’s a shame that we only get together at events like this,” said Nalani Olds about funeral gatherings — a sentiment shared by many others. You name it, they were there: Danny Kaleikini, Amy Hanaiali‘i, Henry Kapono, Marlene Sai, Beverly Noa, Teresa Bright, Imaikalani Young, Brickwood Galuteria, Nathan Aweau, Bernie Ching, Benny Chong and sundry others. Eddie Kamae even performed — a cappella — a tune he wrote for Fo. …

Speaking of Kamae: If you fly Hawaiian Air in June and July to destinations other than interisland, you’ll see his 1988 award-winning documentary, “Li‘a: The Legacy of a Hawaiian Man,” with Jon de Mello interviewing the filmmaker-entertainer in introductory footage shot by Dennis Mahaffay. …

ABOUT PEOPLE: Have you seen those online photos of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez smooching during their recent Maui visit, including one of Bieber grasping her derriere? The locked lips and body contact have aroused explosive responses from camps of both teen stars — hers thinks she deserves better; his thinks she’s a cradle-robber because of her slightly older status. Hmm. …

Kevin Iwamoto, the ex-singer who’s a StarCite exec, speaks to travel biz types at Meeting Professional International’s Prime Pacific Rim conference this week at the Hawai’i Convention Center. …

The 28th annual Universal Show Queen Pageant will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the convention center’s Kalakaua Ballroom. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at Sensually Yours, 1130 N. Nimitz Highway, 599-1655. Boys will be girls in this cross-dressing extravaganza, loaded with extreme costumes and spectacular talent. …

PARADISE ALLEY: Recognize Halona Beach Cove in “Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides,” where Johnny Depp and the pirates search for the Fountain of Youth? It’s one of the key spots where the hit film was shot — the same location of that iconic Deborah Kerr-Burt Lancaster clinch in the waves in “From Here to Eternity.” …

Also spectacular: the Kualoa Ranch landscape — keen, green, mean-looking — where Depp and company traipsed through, with aerial vistas matched only by the recent “Hawaii Five-0” episode (where Alex O’Loughlin slipped and hurt himself). …

WHAT’S COOKIN’: Paul Feng is the new chef de cuisine, joining chef-owner George Mavrothalassitis, at the AAA Five Diamond winner’s Chef Mavro restaurant. Born in New York, Feng’s parents previously lived in Honolulu; Feng earlier was at Postrio and Swell Restaurant in San Francisco. …

Chef-owner Ed Kenney of Town and Downtown restaurants is back from a Monterey Bay Aquarium “Cooking for Solutions” event, where he was one of 16 “Seafood Watch Ambassadors” for his ongoing commitment to serve and educate diners about sustainable seafood. …

And that’s “Show Biz.” …

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Wayne Harada is a veteran entertainment columnist; reach him at 266-0926 or wayneharada@gmail.com; read his Show and Tell Hawaii blog at www.staradvertiser.com.

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