In this column I'll include any breaking news, such as information on upcoming plot developments, new additions to the cast, or talk show appearances.

Posted on Mon, Jun. 28, 2004

'SHORE' LEAVE

Former Stevenson student hits the big time with new FOX series, 'North Shore'

By KATHRYN McKENZIE NICHOLS

Herald Staff Writer

When Kristoffer Polaha came to Stevenson School as a freshman, he tried out for two activities: the basketball team and a play.

If he'd made the basketball team, his life may have gone in an entirely different direction.

Polaha, now one of the stars of the new TV drama "North Shore," got his start as an actor on the Monterey Peninsula, more than a decade ago, as a stage-struck Stevenson boarding school student.

It's led to a strong career in stage and TV. The hunky 27-year-old has had a string of high-profile television appearances, including the lead role in "America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story," a biopic that aired on TBS last year.

In "North Shore," which launched June 14 on Fox, Polaha portrays the general manager of an exclusive Oahu hotel, struggling both with the demands of guests and the complicated lives of his staffers.

Polaha, in a telephone interview from the set, said it's just great to be an actor making a living at what he loves.

"In a huge way, I'm blessed," he said. "This is everything I've been working toward since I was 14 years old," he said. "I've fought for this and struggled for this on a daily basis since then."

Stevenson drama teacher Hamish Tyler is pleased -- but not really surprised -- at his former pupil's success.

"He's extremely charismatic and magnetic on stage," said Tyler, who has known Polaha since the early 1990s. "When he played Henry Higgins in 'My Fair Lady,' we got standing ovations every night."

Tyler also notes that as a junior and senior, Polaha played the lead in just about every play Stevenson put on.

But getting started at Stevenson was tough before Polaha discovered the stage. He recalls being "miserable, lonely and homesick," his first few months at the exclusive Pebble Beach prep school. A resident of Reno, he had begged his parents for the chance to go to Stevenson. But the reality was that it was an awfully long way from home.

Robert Henderson, then dean of students, suggested that Polaha make a list of goals -- and the young teen did just that. One of his goals: "Get good at something."

This led to his tryout with the basketball team and the audition for a student-directed play. And the rest is history.

Tyler recalls meeting Polaha and being struck by what he called "that Clark Gable look," despite the fact that Polaha was a fairly skinny young man.

The teacher would see his student blossom over the next few years.

"He had lots of lady friends," said Tyler. "He was very charming. But he would drive his fellow actors nuts by paraphrasing lines."

Polaha said he drew inspiration from his fellow actors as well as from Tyler, whom he calls "unbelievably supportive and proactive." To this day, they maintain a close friendship, and in fact, Polaha returns to Stevenson periodically to hold "master classes" for student actors.

"The kids just love him," said Tyler. "He'll spend 25 minutes just talking about how to make an entry on stage. I hope he'll be able to come back in the future."

After acting in almost 30 plays at Stevenson, Polaha graduated in 1995 and went off to New York University. He found he'd learned so much about stagecraft at Stevenson that it made college seem easy.

"I didn't learn anything new about performing the first year at NYU," said Polaha. "They run a really tight show at RLS. I give it 100 percent credit for making me fall in love with acting."

During his senior year at NYU, Polaha did a fair amount of stage work as part of the Provincetown Playhouse group, which specialized in the early plays of Eugene O'Neill. A lead role in O'Neill's "Bread and Butter" caught the attention of critics at major newspapers, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

That led to Polaha getting a manager at the prestigious 3 Arts Entertainment agency, who was able to get him auditions for TV roles. He guested on the TV shows "Angel, " "Roswell" and "Birds of Prey," and also appeared in the independent film "Petty Crimes" and the unaired TV pilot "Third Degree."

In "North Shore," Polaha's aim is to be entertaining.

The nighttime soap opera, touted by Fox as the No. 1 new drama on television, came in a respectable 38th in the most recent Nielsen ratings.

Frothy and fun, it's seen as complementing Fox's hit "The O.C.," another melodrama set in a glamorous land.

Polaha plays Jason Matthews, general manager of the Grand Waimea Hotel, a luxurious playground for the rich and powerful. Jason has plenty to juggle already when ex-girlfriend Nicole Booth (Brooke Burns), the hotel's new guest-relations director, re-enters his life. Also starring is James Remar as the hotel's owner and Amanda Righetti as a scheming concierge.

With filming going on six days a week, Polaha hasn't had much opportunity to leave paradise lately. Not that it matters.

"We're having a blast shooting in Hawaii," said Polaha.

His personal life has also been as eventful as his professional one. Last year, he married actress Julianne Morris, best known as Greta Von Amburg from "Days of Our Lives." They're expecting their first child this August.

Morris is taking a leave of absence from acting to be a full-time mom.

"She's infinitely talented and gorgeous," said Polaha.

Morris might be his No. 1 fan, but Polaha has plenty more out there. In fact, a woman in California has created a fan Web site in his honor, praising him as a "Talented, Handsome, and Sexy Star." There's also plenty of buzz on "North Shore" message boards.

This is slightly freaky, Polaha admits.

"It's an honor, but really, people don't even recognize me on the street," he said. "The element of celebrity does make things weirder."

But occasionally, he'll read some of the postings online.

"Fans are my bread and butter," he said. "They're your lifeline as an actor... but you also can't take (the comments) too personally."

Johnson excited about 'North Shore'

By Ann Keyes
For the News-Leader

Maybe it's his sparkling blue eyes. Maybe it's his muscular, 6-foot-tall frame. Or maybe producers were blown away when he nailed his scheduled one-time part. Whatever it is, Springfield native Jay Kenneth Johnson has made his way to "North Shore," and a permanent role on the new Fox prime-time show premiering at 7 p.m. Monday.

"I'm excited. I'm out here for about five months," Johnson says from Hawaii. "I don't know if I'm ever going to want to leave."

Even a few days in the 50th state would have suited the 26-year-old Kickapoo High School graduate.

But his portrayal of Chris Remsen in the first episode impressed show executives, and Johnson earned a spot alongside the rest of the show's steady cast.

"He did a guest star on the pilot and they fell in love with him and made him a series regular," says Mara Santino, Johnson's talent agent in Los Angeles.

Johnson may have garnered attention for "North Shore" with his small part on the final episode of Fox's hit "The O.C.," a show also filled with a young cast focused on romance, adventure and drama.

Johnson explains "North Shore" this way: "(It) takes place in a hotel on the North Shore. ... It's about what happens upstairs and downstairs in the hotel, kind of the goings on of what happens at a hotel."

Johnson's character, a former Midwesterner, owns an extreme adventure business. He introduces hotel guests to Jet Skis, rappelling and hang gliding.

"I'm kind of showing off Hawaii," Johnson says.

He has a "love interest," too, played by Nikki DeLoach, who appeared alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake on the "Mickey Mouse Club."

The rest of the cast includes Brooke Burns ("Shallow Hal"), James Remar ("Sex and the City") and Kristoffer Polaha ("America's Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story"), among others.

Johnson, set to appear in at least seven of 13 scheduled episodes, still has time left on his calendar to play. He's been riding waves and doing some of his own stunts.

Having time for fun is new for Johnson because his three-year stint on the daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" saw his character, Philip Kiriakis, front and center the entire run. He was part of a soap super couple, but left the show at the end of his contract to pursue other projects.

Johnson's been off the radar since giving up the part a year and a half ago.

"Last summer was actually really slow. I just took some time off. I'd audition here and there," says Johnson. He enjoyed his turn on "The O.C.," and regrets he missed playing opposite show-stopper Mischa Barton.

"Unfortunately, I did not get to work with her," Johnson says, laughing.

Laughter comes often from Johnson, who's always been easygoing, says Santino.

The agent says Johnson's upbringing (by mom, Janice Johnson, and dad, Ken Johnson) influenced his pleasing character.

"I don't think he's changed at all, like some actors do. He's still the sweetest, humble guy. And very grateful for his opportunities. ... He always has a smile on his face and is always so sweet," Santino says.

"North Shore" will open a lot of feature film opportunities for Jay, Santino adds.

Johnson has high hopes for the new show.

"I don't want to jinx it or anything, but I really think that this show is going to do really well. ... And I think people will like to see everything that Hawaii has to offer. They're really going all out for this. I'm excited for everyone to see it."

'North Shore' Splashes onto FOX

HOLLYWOOD (Zap2it.com) - - Perhaps Oahu can do for "North Shore" what Orange County did for "The O.C." last summer -- have gorgeous young things propel their pathos into a major hit for FOX.

Premiering Monday, June 14, the one-hour drama is " 'Gosford Park' for 'The O.C.' set," says executive producer Chris Brancato. "What we are really doing is focusing on a luxury hotel in Hawaii where people from the mainland come to escape their problems. Oftentimes, the downstairs contingent of the hotel gets involved with the problems and helps solve them."

The downstairs contingent, the workers at The Grand Waimea, are general manager Jason (Kristoffer Polaha, "Tru Calling"), guest-relations director Nicole (Brooke Burns, "Baywatch"), waitress MJ (Nikki DeLoach, "Longshot") and lifeguard Gabriel (Corey Sevier, "Black Sash").

Vincent (James Remar) owns the hotel. "I'm the grown-up," Remar says. "You stay in this business long enough and you get to be the grown-up instead of the rebel without a cause."

In the pilot (a tape was not available at press time but the script was), Vincent explains how his father bought the land in 1948 for $18,000. Twenty years later, the dad wanted to cash in for $300,000 and Vincent begged him not to. Vincent took it from a cheap tourist trap to a world-class hotel and recently was offered $200 million for the property. He refuses to sell.

The twist here is that the man offering the major bucks is Nicole's father, a hotelier, whom Burns describes as "Trump-esque." "She doesn't want to be under his thumb," Burns says of her character's decision to launch her career in Hawaii, far from Dad. "She wants to learn the hotel business in her own way without being the owner's kid."

Nicole and Jason have a steamy past, and it's clear from the start that it was an ugly breakup from which neither has fully recovered. Nicole has a new fiance, but she still loves Jason.

"He is very mellow but very ambitious," Polaha says of Jason, who was raised on the island by a father who was a world champion surfer and who makes surfboards.

Polaha is learning to surf for this show. "It is strenuous," he says. "Your neck is lifted up and you're paddling out. It's a blast."

With a hotel as the focal point, the show is perfect for guest appearances. Justin Guarini, runner-up from "American Idol," has a cameo in the pilot. Brancato says he is mulling over "celebratious" guests, those who are famous for being famous, such as reality show contestants. Trista and Ryan from "The Bachelor" will be on. Brancato nixed an appearance by Omerosa of "The Apprentice," although he wants Donald Trump in a guest role.

"North Shore" plans on taking advantage of Hawaii, including the surf culture of Oahu, the Waikiki tourist industry, Honolulu's financial district, and Buddhist temples around the island, Brancato says. Working on stages built for "Hawaii Five-O" and used for "Magnum, P.I." and "Baywatch," "North Shore" built a $1 million set of a lavish hotel lobby.

"It's going to be amazing television," Polaha says, boosting his first steady gig. "Everyone should watch it twice a week. Call your grandparents. We are going for the kids, the old folks home. It is going to be 'Masterpiece Theatre' meets 'American Idol.'"

Carpenters booked
for series set

The grand hotel facade and lobby
for "North Shore" cost $850,000

By Tim Ryan
tryan@starbulletin.com

If you're having a hard time finding lumber or a carpenter to work on your home improvement project, chances are both are on the "North Shore."

The Fox TV series filming here for 13 episodes through September is building the largest and most expensive set, at $850,000, in Hawaii production history inside the 17,000-square-foot Hawaii Film Studio soundstage.

The hotel drama is about a fictional resort, the Grand Waimea, its staff and the wealthy guests who visit. While the production is filming part of the series at the Ihilani Resort & Spa at Ko Olina and the Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore, the Grand Waimea's facade and lavish lobby are in the soundstage.

Emmy Award-winning set designer Michael Hanan had only one order from Fox network executives about the design: Make a grand hotel lobby.

"I didn't have another hotel in mind and wanted the set to represent Hawaii's basic elements of water, stone, sky and greens," Hanan said.

He also wanted the lobby to be so scenic and tropical that there would be little need for false photo backings behind the windows. From conception to drawings, it took Hanan -- set designer on several films and TV shows, including "The Punishers," Ronin and the NBC pilot "Eyes" -- about two weeks to complete the design.

As many as 100 carpenters in two around-the-clock shifts, seven days a week, have spent nearly three weeks building the lobby to have it ready for filming on Monday. Wood purchases have been enormous: 800 16-foot-long two-by-fours; 200 12-foot-long two-by-fours; hundreds of 8-foot beams and plywood sheets.

"We've bought out a lot of hardware stores," said foreman Bobby Mara.

The main soundstage loading entrance on the Ewa side will serve as the Grand Waimea's entrance with a porte-cochere about 80 feet wide by 25 feet high, comprising concrete, glass, stone, waterfalls and trees. Four glass doors in two sections will serve as a "guest" entrance.

Just inside the doors will be two L-shaped tile ponds with fountains. Also featured will be three fake lobby elevators and a check-in area with three pukas in its rear wall for fish tanks housing koi. The lobby walls will be covered with African mahogany that costs $50 for each 4-by-8-foot sheet. Lobby floors will be of bamboo and Italian tile. Some of the walls will feature man-made stone.

A semicircular bar will be bordered by "The Skyway," two curving stairways leading to a second floor of fake offices and conference rooms. The bar's surface is covered with Formica that looks like rice paper.

Most of the material was purchased here, although some teak, African mahogany and plaster was brought from L.A., Mara said.

Home owners, don't worry. In a few days, construction will be over, and hopefully, the home improvement stores will be restocked.

Posted: Sun., Mar. 21, 2004, 3:09pm PT

Fox sails to 'Shore'

Hawaii-set drama gets 12-episode order

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

HOLLYWOOD -- Picking up its first drama series of the season, Fox has traveled all the way to "The North Shore" of Oahu.
Network on Friday ordered 12 episodes (in addition to the pilot) of the Hawaii-set drama, which comes from 20th Century Fox TV. As part of the production go ahead, Chris Brancato and Bert Salke ("Boomtown") were named exec producers and scored a separate, blind put pilot commitment from Fox.

Show, which has also been referred to as "Oahu," revolves around the staff at an exclusive resort on Oahu's North Shore. Fox exec VP Craig Erwich said the web picked up "North Shore" after viewing a 15-minute presentation reel.

"It felt like a show that delivers on good characters and relationships, along with a huge dose of wish fulfillment," Erwich said.

Scribe Peter Elkoff, director Peyton Reed and Kevin Falls had already been attached to the show, which stars Rob Estes, Kristoffer Polaha, Rachel Shelley, Nikki Deloach, Navi Rawat, Corey Sevier, Jason Momoa and Michael Ontkean.

Brancato and Salke will fill the showrunner position left by Falls, who had signed up only to produce the pilot. Coincidentally, Elkoff and Salke were college roommates.

"Peter wrote a great script," Brancato said. "It was a fun show, and we're more than happy to go to Hawaii then to try to do a show somewhere like Alaska."

Erwich said the early start might give Fox a leg up over the several other Hawaii-themed dramas in the works at rival webs, including NBC's "Hawaii" and WB's "Rocky Point." (ABC's "Lost" -- set on a deserted island -- is also being shot in the state.)

Pickup comes a day after Fox greenlit its first comedy series for next season, the untitled Method Man/Redman project. With both projects, Fox hopes to emulate the success it enjoyed last season with the early pickup and launch of "The OC."

Salke said he was also excited at the prospect of getting a jump on production.

"Everybody was impressed with the launch of 'The OC.' It got those eyes in the summer," he said. "So we're psyched on that level."

"North Shore" reps the latest in a long line of Hawaii-based series; the last, "Baywatch Hawaii," wrapped in 2001.

"This is a very blue-sky locale," Brancato said of the race to produce the next big Hawaii-set hit. "It's very reassuring in a turbulent world. Turn on the TV, see good looking people and sunshine... it's idyllic."

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/a...0/ln/ln22a.html

Posted on: Saturday, March 20, 2004
North Shore backdrop for new Fox TV series

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

O'ahu's North Shore will be the scenic backdrop for a new Fox Television series that will begin airing this summer.

Filming for the hourlong drama about life at a luxury hotel will start in May, with 12 episodes scheduled so far, said the show's producer, Harry Bring. The pilot completed filming last week.

For now the show is called "O'ahu," but that may be changed to "The North Shore," Bring said yesterday.

It's the first of several dramas being filmed in Hawai'i to commit beyond a pilot show. NBC is filming a police drama called "Hawai'i" crews filmed a chase through Waikiki on Monday and WB plans to start filming "Rocky Point" on the North Shore in June.

And an ABC pilot called "Lost" begins filming at remote locations on O'ahu next month.

The last high-profile series to film in the Islands was "Baywatch Hawai'i," which was canceled in February 2001 after two years and lackluster reviews.

The new Fox Television drama will air on Mondays starting with the pilot on June 14, Bring said. The summer schedule is unusual. Most series typically begin in late September or early October.

Much of the filming will take place at the Turtle Bay Resort.

"It is about the young people who work here and the guests that arrive and the interaction and who's in love with whom and who's backstabbing who," Bring said. "It's all that stuff rolled into a workplace."

A dozen episodes would take the show to early October and if it's successful, Fox Television could schedule nine more episodes to complete the season in May 2005.

The show will star Kristoffer Polaha and Rachel Shelley, Bring said. He expects to use several local actors; a dozen local actors were used in the pilot.

So far, the look has been fantastic.

"It's beautiful," he said. "The people are great. The weather is great. We wanted to create a show where people would look at it and say 'I want to be there and I want to be talking to that person.' "

'SHORE' LEAVE

Carpenters bookedfor series set

The grand hotel facade and lobbyfor "North Shore" cost $850,000

Carpenters booked
for series set

The grand hotel facade and lobby
for "North Shore" cost $850,000