After four decades of behind-the-scenes direction and action, TV director John Wray is retiring on Jan. 27.
That’s bad and good news.
Bad, because Wray has been a dedicated mover-and-shaker of so many television staples on two stations. Earlier at KGMB, currently at KITV.
Good, because he and I have talked about retirement over the years and stepping down will mean a lifestyle with less stress and a new destination. Wray will turn in his city workaday regimen for a countrified lifestyle as he relocates to Waimea on the Big Island in March, to settle in the family home of his wife, Margo Burlingame Wray.
Betcha Wray will soon bring his ray of sunshine to the active performing arts community and climate there. He hopes to get back into action “in any way I can, " so you folks in Kohala and Kamuela should reach out and solicit his support.
“It’s been a great 40-year ride for me, 16 years at KGMB directing Phil Arnone’s shows,” said Wray. Aside from a five-year gap spent working in Oregon, Wray also put in 20 years at KITV.
You may not have known his name or recognized his face (unless you worked with him on a television project), but you’ll certainly remember with glee and joyh the parade of his varied TV projects.
At KGMB, the CBS affiliate, Wray’s credits include such benchmark shows as “Checkers & Pogo,” “Homegrown” music specials with Ron Jacobs, comedian Andy Bumatai’s “High School Daze,” the youth-oriented “Hawaii’s Superkids” and more. He directed KGMB’s news programs in the era of Bob Jones, Tim Tindall, Ken Kashiwahara, Linda Coble and Leslie Wilcox, plus Joe Moore when he was a sportscaster. There were “Rainbow Basketball” home and road games, plus the popular wrestling matches with Ed Francis and Lord “Tally Ho” Blears, and the first University of Hawaii-Hilo Vulcan basketball series, when “Russ Francis flew tapes of the games back to Honolulu because there was no satellite TV availability,” said Wray. Plus the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards in the era of Krash Kealoha.
At KITV, the ABC affiliate, his legacy includes 18 years of directing “Merrie Monarch” coverage from Hilo, numerous Miss Hawaii pageants, and Keiki Hula competitions. Plus hundreds of local TV commercials, involving “folks who’d never been in front of a TV camera before.”
That’s quite a credit roll.
Share your thoughts of him or his shows here...

“Hawaii Five-0” edged “Castle” to win its Monday slot (Jan. 16) and helped CBS log a victory for the coveted adult 18 to 49 demographics, according to preliminary overnight Nielsen TV ratings.
The CBS procedural drew 10.50 million viewers and a 2.8 demo, compared to its chief ABC competitor’s
9.40 million and 2.3 demo, with NBC’s “Rock Center With Brian Williams” pulling in 5.56 million and 1.3 demo at 9 p.m. (10 p.m. on the Mainland).
Still, the “Five-0” demo was down 3 per cent, compared to its 2.9 figures two weeks ago, when a new episode aired.
“Pu’olo (The Package)” was a bag of old tricks of character revivals, repeating themes. Some thrills, some ills; over-all, a see-sawing, confusing, disappointing hour.
Lauren German (who plays Lori 0000), utters the ultimate review, when referring to a returning baddie, but perhaps sums up the episode: “Clearly, you need some new material.”
The episode featured a truck hijacking/robbery that wasn’t (goods not stolen), the return (via flashback) of Steve McGarrett’s (Alex O'Loughlin) dad John,(William Sadler), threats from the yakuza, the comeback of a nasty criminal from season one, Sang Min (Will Yun Lee), the reappearance of Kamekona’s (Taylor Wyle) shrimp truck (though the hefty one is calorie-counting with five Subway footlongs), the continuation of doubt between McG and his Uncle Joe White (Terry O’Quinn), the rebounding of Danno’s (Scott Caan) preggie ex-wife Rachel (Claire van der Boom) about to give birth and so on.
Through it all, Hawaii looks damn good. If only the story could match the scenics.
The issue and mystery of Shelburne is finally revealed, but it’s a yawn.
But nice to see local faces in prominence: Dean Kaneshiro as Lee Dolan, the dude in the hijacked truck who isn’t killed. His pidgin rants were credible; not so with Sang Min’s. Plus the hearing of John Cruz’s “Hi’lawe” track from the “Five-0” soundtrack CD, with a plug for the album before the final aloha.
Will Carson plays the teen McG in flashback; probably will be reintroduced in future episodes, since that’s the template with the show. A character you know appears when you least expect it.
With the mystery of Shelburne finally solved, or resolved, does this mean this is the last we see of Uncle Joe?

Movie-makers have been agonizing over the box office decline last year and a Christmas-New Year season that was lackluster, with the exception of the surprise performance and success of Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.”
Who or what’s to blame?
Not an easy question to dissect, but a good issue to discuss as the awards season is under way.
I don’t know about you, but I attend at least one film a week, but often two and occasionally three. On the average, I believe I cough up admission for seven to nine films a month.
Luckily, I pay a senior rate now. That helps ... and softens the pain.
Frankly, admission prices are soaring, films are often redundant, and a been-there, done-that mentality prevails. So for many, economics is a major factor.
But 3-D, which is plentiful and costs a premium to partake, is turning off some viewers (cost again is an issue) because the quality level has diminished. And since theaters have designated 3-D screening space, the industry is saturating the marketplace with 3-D.

So join the discussion:
• Movies are extremely costly. Agree? A date night can be expensive, but what about a family of four going to see a first-run attraction? Prices continue to rise, not as bad as gasoline and airline add-ons, but you practically need a king’s ransom for a simple flick outing.
• Munchies are expensive, too. From bottled water to popcorn, concessions — which are what the theater operators depend on to keep their doors open — are way too pricey. As outrageous as airport food prices, with fewer choices.
• It’s been a dubious season for 3-D flicks and this feature is turning off a segment of the movie-going population. As good as a “Harry Potter” mainstream film might be, there’s every reason to question the necessity for a “Kung Fu Panda” to boast the extras of the third dimension; even Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin,” while laden with Indiana Jones-style chase template amid a motion-capture action format, was a modest tale that could have been told solely in 2-D. I paid the extra to see it pop; at least it won a Golden Globe as Best Animation Feature. You pay more because of the technology and the requisite glasses; the issue with 3-D is that there hasn’t been a universal blockbuster like James Cameron’s “Avatar,” which delivered a whole new world of action, adventure and artistry with a storytelling technique that justified 3-D...an Event Movie which established a model very difficult to match. Cameron, of course, is delivering an anniversary edition of his legendary “Titanic” film in a 3-D version this April; after all, nothing succeeds like success, or excess; just ask Disney, which put a 3-D imprint on its majestic “The Lion King,” to reboot the classic animated film while attracting fans who saw the original and introduce a new generation that was too young to see the original, even if a family had a DVD version on the shelf. And “Beauty and the Beast,” the animated Disney classic, is just out in its 3-D debut, too. The bottom line: you always reach a new audience each time.
• Too many numbers in a movie title, also known as a franchise, a sequel, and, yes, a prequel. While “Mission Impossible 3” has jump-started Cruise’s career and audience approval level, do we really need versions 4, 5, and 6? Think about it:
From “Twilight” to “Potter,” from “Star Wars” (which juggled the chronology) to “Superman” (which is reinventing the wheel), the big ill prevails” — sequelitis, reboots, prequels. The sequence matters little anymore. “Superboy” was a TV staple, but “Superman” flies again this year. “Batman” and “Spider-man” have had different actors interpret the iconic characters. “The Incredible Hulk” worked best on TV, but two failed feature films followed. Remaking a familiar title or reinterpreting a favored character is a Hollywood plague. Add “Police Academy” — which is destined for a comeback — to the should-not-revive-reboot-re-do list, yikes. The clutter will includes extentions of the likes of “American Pie.”
What do do? You can’t avoid the trafficking but there are some ways to pay less for a first-run flick.

It helps to be a senior citizen, since admission is discounted; if you’re a young adult or not-yet-senior status movie-goer, one consideration is the matinee screenings, which are cheaper.
Or buy those discounted coupons to Consolidated theaters and wait till after week three to see a current film; those coupons are barred from early viewing, but going later means less crowds. But the coupons are not eligible for 3-D or IMAX releases.
You could go the Netflix route if you don’t mind seeing a biggie in the first wave of the buzz, but there is an upside of the movie-going experience at the top-tier price and early viewing timetable: there’s nothing like being part of an audience responding as one soul, shrieking at frightful moments (think “Jaws”) or gasping at cliff-hanging segments (think “Mission Impossible 3”). Watching a high-tech, high-impact film, which cost an arm and two legs to make, isn’t as powerful an adventure if you’re doing a solo viewing or with your spouse/partner/family at home on your flatscreen.
The psychology and dynamics of film-going truly require that mass-crowd element. And, alas, that comes with a hefty price. It’s not the same feeling, too, if you’re mixa bag of arare into your home-made popcorn; that is a theater ritual.

Short and sweet: Actor James Caan will join son Scott Caan in a “Hawaii Five-0” episode in Februrary.
It’s not a total surprise — more a matter of when, not if — since the notion of twinning the veteran acting dad to do a role with son, who portrays Danny “Danno” Williams on the filmed-in-Hawaii procedural.
Specifics were not revealed; no date, no details on role, no plot info.

This was the Twitter message shared today by CBS and CBS studios:

EXCLUSIVE CASTING ALERT! Aloha to James Caan who will join his son Scott on #H50 in February! #TCA12

Book ‘em, Danno!

Another crossover —pairing CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles” with “Hawaii Five-0” — hits the tube for the May sweeps.
It’ll be the second one this year, as Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Sam (LL Cool J) get a taste of aloha when the team from the No. 2 procedural drama (mothership show “NCIS” with Mark Harmon is No. 1) journeys to the Islands to join McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) and Danno (Scott Caan) to fight crime in paradise.
The two-night exchange, with “Five-0” on Monday and “NCIS” on Tuesday (dates not yet announced), will reveal that Sam and McG — both former Navy SEALs — know each other and thereby get involved in a storlyine involving biological weapons with impact on Honolulu, where the rebooted “Five-0” is based, and Los Angeles, home of the “NCIS” spinoff.
Earlier this season, Kensi (Daniela Ruah) was here earlier for a crossover yarn, even taking the “Five-0” season’s kick-off hoopla at Sunset at the Beach. Kensi’s visit was mentioned — and questioned — just this week on “NCIS: Los Angeles.”
Could be a fun outing; or not. No mention which writing team — “Five-0’s” or “NCIS’s” — is creating the framework for the overlapping themed episode.
Online sites quote Peter Lenkov, the “Five-0” executive producer, thusly: “What happens is there is a case that has ties to Los Angeles and we bring in LL and Chris to Hawaii and then it expands itself when suspects takes us to Los Angeles, so we are going to be on their turf and we are going to end the story there.” And from the “NCIS” exec producer Shane Brennan: “I am calling it a high-octane story. It cranks up and it starts and it doesn’t stop on both shows.”
The Kensi guest slot wasn’t exactly a big deal; perhaps if partner Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) came along to paradise, there might have been a bit more chemistry and action. Kensi had no one to play off.
Brennan adds: “You don’t have to watch both to love what’s going to happen.”
Since “NCIS” has a bigger audience base, “Five-0” could benefit; the Hawaii show has struggled in the Nielsen ratings this year vs. its freshman year, where it was regarded as the No. 1 new show of the 2010 season. This year, its appearance on the weekly Top 10 viewership roster has been scarce.
If “Five-0” learns from “NCIS” franchise — tighter writing, with less emphasis on story arcs and fewer complications from characters’ backstories, which has become baggage for “Five-0” — the association could become an uphill climb to begin reclaiming chart supremacy.
Well, we can only hope.
Clearly, “NCIS” and its L.A. spinoff, have their ducks in a row, starting with the key leader. Gibbs (Harmon) is a take-charge guy, always defending his team (Michael Weatherly as DiNozzo, Cote de Pablo as Ziva, Sean Murray as McGee), commonly stern but with bursts of sunshine smiles. On the “Five-0” said, McGarrett is overshadowed by his underlings (notably Scott Caan as Danno), often indecisive, surrounded by elements of suspicion; no wonder he’s more squinty than smiley. “NCIS” (the original) retains the ongoing business of the neck-head slaps by Gibbs to DiNozzo or McGee and the hate-love see-saw between DiNozzo and Ziva, akin to the “Book ‘em Danno” utterance (infrequently retained) and the rants between McG and Danno of “Five-0.” On the L.A. front, the team answers to Hetty (Linda Hunt), an operations manager who has become somewhat of a cultish break-out star, because she’s interesting and unpredictable, unlike the starchiness of the governor on “Five-0” and the director of both “NCIS” shows. Audiences adore and regularly expect some of the silly or giddy shenanigans, and character quirks (think Pauley Perette as Abby and David McCallum as Ducky on “NCIS”), which become part of the fabric of the show, and “NCIS” does a better job here than “Five-0.”
Already, fans from both camps have swiftly responded to the planned cross over association.
Excerpts from early posts:
* “They need to investigate the theft of my time for that waste of Kensi in ‘Five-0.’”
* “I hate, hate, hate, hate crossovers.”
* “Crossing over ... kills the magic. No magic lately for ‘H50.’ Way too violent. Members of the team act like thugs...definitely want to skip the cross over.”
* “I can’t wait, I’ll watch ‘NCIS: LA’ for Steve McGarrett for sure.”
* “CBS is desperate to get some viewers in the hideous ‘H50.’ Keep ‘NCIS: LA’ away from that crappy ‘Hawaii Five-0’ remake. ‘NCIS; is a great show with great actors; ‘Hawaii’ had to add Terry (O’Quinn) to the cast because the acting was a big 0.”
Ouch!
Which camp are you in? Like crossovers? Hate ‘em ? Pro or con, re “NCIS” or “Five-0”? Share your sentiments.