Lea Kunipo, 16, who was Miss Nanakuli Teen America, is the 2008 Miss Hawaii Teen America.

Besides copping the crown, in a field of 15 contestants, Lea also was named Miss Photogenic and placed second in academic excellence.

Lea moves on to the Miss Teen America competition in Nashville next July. Her prizes include a $50,000 college scholarship from Upper Iowa University and Nova Southeastern University Florida and a roundtrip ticket to the nationals.

TAM GOING ON TO 'NIGHTINGALE'

Jason Tam, who originated the role of Paul San Juan in the current Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line," will portray a young Chinese emperor in "The Nightingale," a new musical described as "a chamber piece for a string quartet and harp," which is being workshopped in New York. Another Hawai'i actor, Kaitlin Kiyan, plays a servant girl in the mostly Asian cast.

The work is being mounted by the creative duo of Duncan Sheik and Steven Satar, the one-two punch behind the Tony Award-winning rock musical "Spring Awakening" of last season. It is based on a Hans Christian Anderson tale and is being directed by James Lapine, book writer for such Broadway hits as "Sunday in the Park With George," "Into the Woods" and "Passion." "The Nightingale," being workshopped in affiliation with San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre, could ultimately be launched at ACT.

— Wayne Harada, Advertiser entertainment writer

HEART INFECTION SIDELINES NEWTON

LAS VEGAS — Wayne Newton has been sidelined with a recurring heart infection.

The Las Vegas icon and "Danke Schoen" crooner has cardiomyopathy, a viral infection of the heart muscle, said Deanna Pettit, a spokeswoman for Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Pettit said yesterday that Newton had been previously treated for the virus.

The 65-year-old singer has canceled a two-month holiday engagement at Harrah's Las Vegas and won't be performing on the Nov. 27 finale of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," Pettit said.

"I really want to apologize to the fans that were going to see me in those shows," Newton said in a story posted on People magazine's Web site. "I'm terribly apologetic. And for those who want to paint this situation with a black brush, they're not going to get their wish. I'm going to be fine."

NOT-GUILTY PLEA TO THURMAN STALKING

NEW YORK — A former psychiatric patient pleaded not guilty yesterday to stalking Uma Thurman for nearly two years.

Jack Jordan, 35, has been held on $10,000 bail since his arrest in October. A felony complaint said he had tried unsuccessfully on Nov. 8, 2005, to get into Thurman's trailer on a movie set in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.

Authorities say he also sent Thurman e-mails and letters, followed her and threatened to kill himself if he saw the 37-year-old actress with another man.