What's Up Hawaii?

   Good Morning everyone! Aloha! What does that word Aloha mean to you? Well, it is a beautiful word, and no one tells it better than Mike. The whole Hawaiian language is beautiful. I always end my Blog with Mahalo, which means Thank You. I appreciate you reading my Blog and feel it is only appropriate that I tell you so. The language IS just that, beautiful. The word Aloha has many meanings. Here is the link to another of his interesting articles. Hope you enjoy it! Aloha...

   http://www.hawaiianlife.com/content/aloha

   How are you all doing this week? I'm here with another look of what is going on in the world of Hawaii! I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day! ;-) I have a rough job! Sigh, talking about Hawaii, and this week I get to mention Johnny Depp! Someone has to do it! Captain Jack Sparrow may not be aboard but it still must have been a welcomed sight to see when The Black Pearl arrived into Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor to prepare for the summer filming of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,". The latest installment in the action-adventure series will be shot on Kauai and Oahu. The Black Pearl rolled into Hawaii early yesterday morning! Talk about a boost for Hawaii's economy. Also with the Winter Olympics underway, many Canadian locals have fled to get away from it all and taken a vacation in Hawaii, for warmer temperatures and that also will be boosting Hawaii's economy!!! At a time when things are rough, it is nice to see something good happen...

                                          *Pirate Ship Black Pearl Arrives On Oahu*

   Ahhh, what is better than filming the next installment of the Pirates Of The Caribbean film series? Filming it in Hawaii of course. What does that mean for the beautiful Aloha state? It will be bringing in millions of dollars for Hawaii's economy!!! That is huge. Even though we are in a very tough economy, state tourism leaders say it is a shining symbol of good things to come and the state tourism offices phones have been ringing off the hook.

   To prepare for the summer filming of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," Walt Disney Pictures is bringing the ship that serves as the Black Pearl to Kalaeloa Barbers Point Harbor. The 130 foot ship will be less evil looking than it did on screen, because Disney needs to go to work and make it the nasty evil ship we all love. A lot of hard work went into getting the film here and the excitement of actually having the Black Pearl in Hawaii, is starting to pour in. The scheduled release of the fourth installment of the action adventure movie series, being filmed in Kauai and Oahu, is slated for summer 2011.

  The Black Pearl, traveling at 10 miles per hour, took its journey from the Bahamas to Los Angeles, and then to Kalaeloa. Even without computer-generated images that complete its look on film, the Black Pearl is not all that it seems. It appears to look like a 17th-century warship but it is actually a floating facade. The ship, which officially bears the name Sunset, was built in 2005 around a 96-foot steel, offshore supply ship by Steiner Shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, then sailed to the West Indies for filming and then to the Bahamas. The voyage to Hawai'i included the stop in Los Angeles. The 208 ton light ship has an engine that can move it along at 9 knots.

   I'm not into men with eyeliner, lol but Johnny Depp can get away with anything. His character, Captain Jack Sparrow , well to me is my favorite Depp role! He is one of those actors that can do so many different roles & change his appearance with the slightest shave, but in my opinion he looks mightly good as Capt. Jack, with all that facial hair!!! ;-) How can you not like Capt. Jack? He's totally adorable! Moving on...

   They are just starting to really see what this project will mean for Hawaii and the whole world. Not that Hawaii needs the attention, but it will definitely let people know that Hawaii is the place to be! Decking the ship and going all out to make her look her lovely evil self, will bring many jobs to some in Hawaii that really need work. The state film office currently runs on a $650,000 budget. They say that's not enough. Production activity driven and built here is so important to keep our economy striving, especially in the tough times. There are currently 15 bills in the legislature this year alone, that hope to grow the Hawaii Film and Television Fund. As I said, the action adventure film should not disappoint and we should be seeing the Black Pearl in summer of 2011.

                   *2010 Winter Olympics Bringing Tourism To The Hawaiian Islands*

   It's that time again! Time for the Winter Olympics, and with the Olympics being held in Vancouver, Canada, a lot of local people want to get away from all the craziness that the Olympics can bring. What better way than to go somewhere with the climate is the total opposite of Canada. Many are leaving all the snow behind for a the more quiet serene waters of the Hawaiian Islands. All the vacationers that come to the islands is just plain good for Hawaii's economy.

   The Big Island has benefited from all of this the most. Many of the vacation rentals at Waikoloa Beach Resort are occupied and the occupancy of the Hilton Waikoloa and the Marriott at Waikoloa Beach Resort are up from 2009. Kolea at Waikoloa Beach Resort, the premiere vacation rental destination is fully occupied. It is all good for Hawaii's economy. Besides, what better way to enjoy a vacation. For people in Canada that are looking for a little break, from the snow, what better way then to enjoy the 80 degree weather of the Hawaiian Islands. In fact this past week, it wasn't only Canada that might have wanted a break from the snow. Forty nine of the fifty states in the US, had snow somewhere on the ground. The one and only state that did not.....Hawaii! ;-)

   Well, I hope you all enjoyed this weeks Blog entry. I myself have had enough snow. In Virginia, we usually get a dusting at best. December brought twelve inches. Then a freak snow storm/blizzard brought fifteen more inches with an additional twelve more inches within that same week, after that! Of course, there is the occasional inch here & there. It is beautiful, but I'd rather be under a palm tree sipping a pina colada, anywhere in Hawaii! ;-) Ahhh, the good life... I hope you all have a great week. Until next time, Mahalo!

Aloha,

Di