Looks like "A Merry Christmas With Friend and Nabors," with Karen Keawehawai'i being the "friend" and Jim Nabors, well, being the gollee nice gent, will live anew and briefly (in abbreviated form), when the pair entertains at the Honolulu City Lights launch Dec. 1 at Honolulu Hale. She was part of his 10-year run, till last Christmas, at the Hawai'i Theatre.

Pali, the group led by Pali Ka'aihue, will provide musical support and will perform at the Skygate stage near the Fasi Civic Center, joined by Hana Hou, an Air Force group; plus local faves Kristian Lei, Soulz and headliners Kalapana.

Mayor and Mrs. Mufi Hannemann will preside over the tree-lighting ceremony; there's no word — yet — if he'll sing. ...

The aforementioned Keawehawai'i and hubby Jackie Farias were among the vendors at last week's International Waikiki Hula Conference at the Hawai'i Convention Center, where daughter Tracie and her husband, Keawe Lopes, conducted hula workshops. ...

TRADE WINDS: Chris Lee, founder-director of the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, was in Bangkok last week to keynote the Thailand Animation and Multi-Media Conference, discussing global economic opportunities in digital entertainment — "which is something I see Hawai'i being a part of," he e-mails. Lee has spent months in Berlin while "Valkyrie," the movie he executive-produced, was being filmed, with Tom Cruise starring.

Lee, always eager to help local film wannabes, arranged for his pals at Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. to hold auditions in Hawai'i for Caine, the hapa lead (Asian and mixed ethnicity), in "Kung Fu." "They were only going to look in L.A., Hong Kong and Vancouver, but I convinced the studio to look here as well, and let me run the audition as a 'master class' for our students — quite the real-life opportunity for them."

Thus, male actors who are part-Asian, in their mid-20s and and 30s, may audition as part of ACM 385 Master Class, from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 30 in Crawford Hall 115. There are some requisites; go to www.hawaii.edu/acm/ for details. No phone calls, please. ...

AROUND TOWN: Danny Kaleikini, a veteran of Hawai'i's visitor industry, is emceeing the UH School of Travel Industry Management benefit dinner tonight, at which 25 of the "founding fathers of tourism in Hawai'i" will be inducted into the Hawaii Hospitality Hall of Fame.

The roster includes three deceased entertainers — Don Ho, Webley Edwards and R. Alex Anderson — and scores of hotel-travel icons, like Bick Bickson, Bob MacGregor, Jimmy McKenzie, Mary K. Robinson, Chris Hemmeter, Lyle and Grace Buscher Guslander, Henry Kaiser and Duke Kahanamoku. The dinner is being held in the ballroom of the Hawai'i Convention Center with many friends and relatives of the inductees attending. Among the entertainers for the evening are Nina Ke'ali'iwahama and Joe Recca. ...

When Manoa DNA was performing at LuLu's Surf Club a few nights back, the audience included travel-industry mogul Cal Lui and pals, including Kaleikini. Across the room were Marines celebrating their first night back from deployment in the Far East. Kaleikini approached the DNA trio, took the mike and saluted the heroes, capping the tribute with a "Battle Hymn of the Republic" that had everyone singing "glory, glory hallelujah." A chicken-skin moment. ...

Skip Lambert, formerly of Aaron's at the Ala Moana Hotel, now is associated with LuLu's, the old Denny's at Kapahulu and Kalakaua avenues, where he is involved with event planning and marketing. He says The Travel Channel's show, "Ten Things You Don't Know About Hawai'i," will air the week of Dec. 17, and LuLu's will be part of the mix — in a segment about the unique place Spam plays in Island life.

Food broker Hoagy Gamble recounts how his father, Les first brought Spam to the Islands during World War II; LuLu's g.m. Nick Prioletti and sous chef Jasper Manuel talk about three LuLu's Spam staples. ...

WHEE, THE PEOPLE: Look for Jake Shimabukuro, the uke kingpin, who will be on ABC's "Good Morning America" this Friday — specific time unknown. ...

Miss America 2001 Angela Perez Baraquio Grey is flying in for the Thanksgiving weekend with husband Tini and their two sons. She'll join her eight siblings in a performance at noon Friday to launch The Baraquio Family's "Lost and Found" CD. ...

Mel Tanioka, of Tanioka's Seafoods and Catering, brought more than 200 employees to catch "Stars in Concert" at the Waikiki Lau Yee Chai, largely to support the show's presenters, Jack and Cha Thompson of Tihati Productions. ...

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.