It's Here...

"So Necessary..." is up and running on Starbulletin.com!!!

Check out www.sonecessary.tv for the latest news from Clubland. Nothing's changed... this blog will still keep you in touch with Honolulu nightlife. Just from a different location.

See you there...

Big News...

We hit the big time!

Check out the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's online edition tomorrow for your first glimpse of the re-launched So Necessary...

ICON Sport: All In @ Blaisdell Arena - RESULTS

We were more than a little disappointed to find out that Robbie Lawler wasn't fighting in the main event of ICON Sport: All In last night.

Turns out he was suffering from food poisoning and had to join Tyson Nam, who earlier pulled out of the night due to a fractured wrist, on the sidelines at Blaisdell Arena.

Mark Moreno and Scott Junk made up for it though, with a pair of stunning knockouts in the first round of their respective fights.

And it might have only been the third fight of the night, but Richard Desforge's TKO win over Allen Lau was one of the best on the card. You could tell Desforge had very little respect for Lau, but he almost lost the fight in the first round before regaining his composure in the second and getting the referee to stop it after mounting Lau and raining down blows.

Here are the full results from last night:

Devon Chong def. Isaiah Cobb-Adams at :50 in first round via submission (armbar)
Dwayne Haney def. Jay Bolos at 1:26 in second round via submission (triangle choke)
Richard Desforge def. Allen Lau at 2:34 in second round via TKO (strikes)
Justin Bucholz def. Brandon Pieper at 1:07 in first round via TKO (strikes)
Sadhu Bott def. Peni Taufa'ao at 1:36 in second round via submission (rear naked choke)
Kala Hose def. Kekoa Baker at 1:07 in first round via TKO (strikes)
Randy Leuder def. Ron Fields via unanimous decision
Jerome Kekumu def. Mike Balasi via split decision
Mark Moreno def. Sam Jackson at :24 in first round via KO
Bronson Pieper def. Chico Canteberos at 3:23 in first round via KO (Pieper new ICON Sport 145-Pound Champ)
Scott Junk def. John George at :10 in first round via KO
Jeremy Williams def. Derek Thornton at 3:48 in first round via submission (guillotine choke)
Renato Verissimo def. Kris Fleurestil at 2:19 in first round via TKO (strikes)

ICON Sport: All In @ Blaisdell Arena

Here's the final card for tomorrow's ICON Sport fights at the Blaisdell. Note that Tyson Nam and Kolo Koka are NOT fighting, due to injury.

185-lbs 3 x 5 Mins
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler Trevor “ The Experiment” Garrett
Miletich Fighting Systems, Iowa vs. Killing Fields MMA, Ohio

185-lbs 3 x 5 Mins
“Charuto” Renato Verissimo Kris Fleurestil
HMC, Honolulu vs. Reinhardt MMA, Iowa

205-lbs 3 x 5 Mins
Jeremy “½ Man ½ Amazing” Williams Derek Thornton
Legends Gym, Hollywood vs. Freelance, Honolulu

Heavyweight 3 x 5: Mins
Scott “Punk Haole” Junk John George
MMA Development, Kailua vs. Reinhardt MMA, Iowa

145-lb Hawaii State Title 3 x 5 Mins
“The Eastside Strangler” Chico Cantiberos Bronson Pieper
Eastsidaz, Waimanalo vs. Hard Knocks, Waianae

UNDERCARD:

170-lbs 3 x 5 Mins
Mark Moreno Sam Jackson
Bulls Pen, Honolulu vs. Reinhardt MMA, Iowa

150-lbs 3 x 3 Mins
Mike Balasi Jerome Kekumu
Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu vs. Hard Knocks, Waianae

Heavyweight 3 x 3 Mins
Randy Lueder Ron “Killing” Fields
MMA Development, Kailua vs. Killing Fields MMA, Ohio

195-lbs 3 x 3 Mins
Kekoa Baker Kala Kolohe Hose
Fearless Fight Club, Kapolei vs. Bad Intentions, Waianae

145-lbs 3 x 3 Mins
Sadhu Bott Peni Taufa’ao
HMC, Honolulu vs. Eastsidaz, Waiamanalo

160-lbs 3 x 3 Mins
Justin Bucholz Brandon Pieper
Bulls Pen, Honolulu vs. Hard Knocks, Waianae

Heavyweight 3 x 3 Mins
Allen Lau Richard Desforge
Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu vs. Hard Knocks, Waianae

135-lbs 3 x 3 Mins
Duane Haney Jay Bolos
Bulls Pen, Honolulu vs. Animal House, Ewa Beach

140-lbs 3 x 3 Mins
Isaiah Cobb-Adams Devon Chong
Animal House, Ewa Beach vs. Hard Knocks, Waianae

Notes: replaced fighters - Tyson Nam (fractured wrist), Ikaika Choy-Fu (pneumonia), Marshall Harvest (strained neck), Kolo Koka (elbow tendonitis).

Pro Bowl Weekend 2007

It's Pro Bowl time in Honolulu once again, which means lots of parties with the players and the fans who want to hang out with them.

The fun started last night at Zanzabar with Tony Touch, and continues tonight with Little Brother (above) and Jin the MC at Pipeline Cafe. If you're a hip-hop fan, there's lots to do all weekend. Hope you've got deep pockets...

If Little Brother and Jin aren't your speed, head to Fashion 45 where DJ Green Lantern (left) will be the special guest on the decks... Warren Moon is doing his annual Pro Bowl Party with Tony Gonzalez at Pearl Ultra Lounge... And you can bet Rick Rock will have some tricks up his sleeve that night at Zanzabar...

On Friday, there's Bob Fest '07 at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park with Lauryn Hill, Capleton, Dawn Penn and Pepper... The All-White Event goes down at Lotus Soundbar... Artist Groove Network hosts the Wonderlounge: Pro Sexy Edition at the W Honolulu...

Saturday brings DJ Clue (right) to Pipeline Cafe... The Pro Stars Bash jumps off at Don Ho's Island Grill... The Red Carpet VIP Pro Bowl Afterparty is at Lotus... Peter Maharaj will host the Pro Bowl Afterparty at Pearl Ultra Lounge...

And don't forget to finish the weekend off with Stone Groove Radio, Sundays at midnight on 102.7 Da Bomb. If you like local hip-hop, you need to tune in to this show...

Ill Valley - "Old School Toyota"

We first heard of Ill Valley a few months ago, and finally had a chance to meet Hoku Haiku and Patrick John at the O Lounge during FLOW last Friday.

"Seeds and Stems" is the 10-track EP that's out now in advance of their upcoming full-length album, "Straight Out Da Ill Valley," due later this year.

Here's our favorite track off the EP, "Old School Toyota."

AIGA 10-Year Anniversary @ NextDoor

High Chief XL... what can we say about the dude? He's got flow and the dance moves to match. Plus, he's been on the hip-hop grind on Oahu since the 80's... straight veteran, in our opinion.

Anyway, check out the video, then visit Stone Groove Radio's MySpace page to hear what it sounded like over the air.

And don't forget... the AIGA 10-Year Anniversary is Thursday at NextDoor. Get there early.

What's Old Is New All Over Again...

If you happened to pick up a copy of last week's Honolulu Weekly, you might have seen this story about The Deep End in Waikiki.

It cracks us up, however, when the guy who wrote the piece mentions that you may have never heard of that bar before. Why does it make us laugh, you ask?

Because if you had been a regular reader of the Barfly column in the Star-Bulletin, you would have known about The Deep End... YEARS AGO.

As in 2003.

It's like deja vu all over again...

Guru @ Pipeline Cafe

DIG Lifestyles and Echelon Entertainment done did it again... Guru is the latest hip-hop heavyweight to sign up for a gig in Honolulu.

Pre-sale tix should be available soon...

Flow @ The O Lounge

Local hip-hop artists now have another platform to get their music heard in a club environment. "Flow" is a new monthly showcase at the O Lounge that will feature different artists every month, plus an open mic session at the beginning of the night and a freestyle battle at the end.

This week's debut will feature performances by Krystilez, J-Sac and T-Qron. Big Mox and some dude named J. Blaze will split hosting duties...

Three For Thursday...

Okay, there's actually FOUR items for Thursday, but whatever.

Christmas means more kids in the clubs... so of course, the 18+ nights sprout up around this time of year. Come this time next month, most of those same parties will have disappeared.

Reggae seems to be a popular music choice, following in the footsteps of the established "Redda Fire" weekly at the Living Room. At The O Lounge, Island 98.5's Big Teeze hosts "Da Party," which will feature live performances by bands including Next Generation, Hot Rain and Most High.

Over at Pipeline Cafe, Rick Rock hosts the "Winter Roots Reggae Jam," with live performances by Humble Soul, THC, Irie Souls and Country Fire. Doors open at 9 p.m.

And yes, as the flyer says... it's 18-and-over too!

Not really feeling the reggae beat? Or maybe you're one of those college kids still dipping in the high school talent pool? If so, Detox is another option.

The 808 Scene Zine is hosting a "Battle of the Bands" for the next three Thursdays, with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. Five bucks gets you in, as long as your 16 or older.

So that's three... the last party we're going to mention is for the hip-hop heads out there. An old favorite from the days of the Velvet Lounge... "Connect 4" returns to Keawe St. this week, with all the familiar faces from the Direct Descendants crew.

Creed Chameleon is probably the most-recognized face of the group, but don't sleep on Jonah the Whale, Seph 1 or Risup. Throw in some b-boys upstairs and $3 Long Island Iced Teas and Heinekens all night, and you've got quite a party.

Even more to come this weekend... keep an eye on the blog for all the scoops.

Two For Tuesday...

We're still seeing a lot of U2/Pearl Jam action going on in our logs... just in case you missed all the coverage, here's a link that will help get you caught up.

Oh, and that bootleg we downloaded of Pearl Jam's Blaisdell Arena show? Worth every penny of the $9.99 price tag.

Moving on to a couple of picks for Tuesday... first up, there's something going down at Brew Moon for those who want to meet some new people in a non-nightclub environment.

Meet In Honolulu does this monthly thing, where they go and have drinks/pupus at various spots around town. December's gathering takes place at Brew Moon on Tuesday, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday is also the last time Honolulu will see Linus the Band perform live for a while, according to one of its members.

From a MySpace event posting for Tuesday's "Kaleidoscope" gig at NextDoor:

"This will be the last Linus show for awhile, as we focus even more intensity on our 2nd album."

So... yeah. Go see them in Chinatown, or else you're SOL.

Also performing at NextDoor on Tuesday: Pimpbot and Starscream, with DJs Vagina and Ross Jackson on the decks between sets. Cover is $7; doors open at 9 p.m.

Hot Import Nights @ Blaisdell Center

The other big event (other than the U2/Pearl Jam concert) going on this weekend is Hot Import Nights, taking place on Saturday at the Blaisdell. Almost as big as the event itself are all the afterparties. Check out Friday's In the Mix for more on what's planned for that night.

Also, for those of you who know Bryan from the door at Ocean Club or the Living Room, or as one half of B-Tyte Productions... we hear he's celebrating his birthday at the LR's Faded 5 Sundays party this weekend. Stop by and wish him a happy birthday if you've got the time.

And as always, Stone Groove Radio goes off Sunday at midnight on 102.7 Da Bomb. Check out the website for previous shows... you can download a .mp3 to put on your iPod, or burn a CD to listen to in the whip...

U2 In Honolulu: Luau, Parties Planned

We've noticed a lot of search engine traffic for U2-related events in Honolulu this weekend. Throw in Hot Import Nights on Saturday and the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday, we're looking at a lot of tourists in town.

So for all you U2 fans here in Hawaii and flying in from around the world, here's a quick rundown on what's going on before and after Saturday's big concert at Aloha Stadium.

On Friday, a special luau is planned at Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park. Rosario Dawson, from the movie "Sin City," will host the event, which will also feature a performance by Matt Easter and Vertigo USA, a U2 tribute band. Admission is $49.99.

On Saturday, the fun moves to Waikiki, where two parties are planned at the Hard Rock Cafe. The first is a pre-concert party, hosted once again by Dawson and featuring another performance by Easter and Vertigo USA. Ticket prices start at $68.

After the concert is pau, the Hard Rock plays host to the official afterparty. Cover is $10. Just around the corner at Osake, Mark Farina will be spinning a special guest set at "DFX Saturdays."

Maxim Magazine Exposure Party @ Pipeline

There's no word about this on Pipeline Cafe's website, but we stumbled upon this Craigslist posting and got a little curious.

It seems that Bud Light and Maxim Magazine have partnered up for something called the Maxim Exposure Party. The picture above is from an earlier installment in Los Angeles.

Stop looking at the girl for a minute. Notice the bottle? That's called Product Placement.

Here's some info on Tuesday's "casting call" for local hotties, scheduled for 7 to 7:30 p.m. at the club:

We’ll hire 2 party hostesses, 6 go-go dancers, 2 pillow fighters and 1 performance artist or runway walker. You must be at least 21 and up to 27. We’re seeking women with the look that Maxim Magazine likes. You should bring a bikini and heels to the audition. At the party some of you will be wearing lingerie or bikinis, so you need to feel comfortable modeling in front of a crowd of men and women.

JOB DESCRIPTIONS: Two of the women will act as Hostesses greeting people, handing out free Bud Light bottles and posing for pictures with folks as they enter. Six will perform as Go-Go Dancers, and must be able to dance the majority of the 4 hour night. They will have a couple of breaks. Two others will be Pillow Fighters at a display called “The Bed of Roses”. They’ll continually have playful pillow fights and tickle each other. And finally one Performance Artist will walk around the party changing costumes every hour or so. All the talent will work 5 hours.

Wait, wait, wait. Read that again.

FREE Bud Light? AND local hotties in bikinis? We're so there.

The party itself is supposed to happen on Wednesday night. Doors open at 8 p.m.

Check this out for more details, including an e-mail address you need to RSVP to in order to get in.