CASTINGS: Jolene Kim, who has a master's in communications but ventured into acting, has logged her share of stage and film roles. But her widest exposure likely will come from Fox's "24," the Emmy Award-winning series starring Kiefer Sutherland, on which she made her debut last week, portraying a White House aide. It's a recurring role for the Hilo native, which makes her mom, Helen Kim, and her aunt, Millie Takesuye, mighty happy. ...

Ashley Warling, who portrayed Laurey to Michael Bright's Curly in Paliku Theatre's "Oklahoma!" revival last year, is heading for Disney World in Orlando shortly. She has been contracted to portray Pocahontas in a Disney production, for which she'll have interaction with live animals on stage — as well as sing the trademark Pocahontas tune, "Colors of the Wind." She leaves for Orlando today. ...

NAMES 'N' PLACES: Singer Traci Toguchi will make her first Sheraton Waikiki Esprit Lounge appearance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday. It's part of her ongoing promo for her "Feel the Breeze" CD, but her live band show is much edgier, with a soulful strut that prompted L.A. fans to call her the "Asian Tina Turner." You go, girl! Further, Toguchi launches "Feel the Breeze With Traci Toguchi," a radio talk show, next month on KORL (AM 1180) and also via Digital Cable 882 (statewide) and online (worldwide) at www.korlam.com. ...

Sweetie Pacarro, KSSK's Perry & Price Saturday morning show producer, was in Las Vegas last week, finalizing details for Michael W. Perry and Larry Price's 10th Vegas trip March 31, when their radio show broadcasts from the California Hotel. Well, 10 seems to be a lucky number; Pacarro and hubby Brad Johnson — unable to check into their hotel room — ambled to a slot machine to try the "10 times" slots. After 10 minutes, Johnson hit a $10,000 jackpot. ...

KHON-2 morning co-anchor Kirk Matthews and wife Linda Coble share the same birthday (Jan. 10) and celebrated with lunch at the Waioli Tea Room. Tables away, former Tihati Productions entertainer Alex McAngus (now a Waikiki Beach chaplain), serenaded the birthday couple with a Hawaiian happy birthday song. ...

HERE 'N' THERE: Peter Lawrence, a key Broadway player who was associate director of "Monty Python's Spamalot," has been in Las Vegas mounting the hit show, which previews March 8 and officially opens March 31 at the Grail Theatre at the Wynn resort. Lawrence taught drama at the University of Hawai'i and reviewed theater for The Advertiser years ago. His string of shows includes "Miss Saigon" and "Gypsy." ...

Andrew Meader, Hawai'i Tourism Authority arts booster, and his wife, Arlette, are off to Australia to explore the Sydney Festival. Before their trip, they dined at Romano's Macaroni Grill, where they were able to use publicist Lisa Josephsohn's cell phone to chat with sometime visitor Vicki Jones, who's on the Sydney Festival board, for tips and insights. ...

Gugwana Dlamini, the Rafiki cast member Disney flew here for the press launch of "The Lion King," nearly didn't make it on time, thanks to flight delays. Her costume was missing but arrived in the nick of time. Jack Eldon, a Disney official, quipped: "I thought we'd have to 'do' (create) her (bamboo) fingers." ...

BOOK 'EM, DANNO: Not only is the first season of "Hawaii Five-O" due on DVD March 6, a Jack Lord biography by Michael Hargraves is in the works. Hargraves, a cataloger and historical researcher at the J. Paul Getty Museum's Department of Photographs, hopes the book will be out by the time a film version of "Five-O" hits the screens (one is in pre-production). And when the DVD (with seven discs) is issued, it will also contain the two-hour pilot "Cocoon," plus a 1996 retrospective that was produced by Emme Tomimbang as part of her "Island Moments" special, with James "Danno" MacArthur as host. ...

And that's Show Biz. ...

Show Biz is published Tuesdays and Thursdays. Reach Wayne Harada at 525-8067, wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 525-8055.