Kiwiblog

I haven’t seen the movie, and only picked up the book at the weekend. I found it very addictive, and can see why it has become so popular.

The way Niffenegger lets the story unfold, starting with the first time Henry meets Clare (but not the first time Clare meets Henry) is superb. She uses the time travel to let parts of their story be slowly pealed back, like an orange.

There are many warm and happy moments in the book, and not not a huge amount of suspense (as Henry and Clare both know parts of the future). The final scores of pages are quite emotional as something inevitable draws closer and closer.

I’d go so far as to call it the best book I have read in the last six months or so (and I read a lot of books!). The movie sounds like it was pretty crappy, but I do recommend the book.

Yep I tuned in last night. I was amused that the “HQ” for the show is at City Life Apartments off Queen Street, as that is my normal hotel in Auckland (I often can get a suite for $150). So I know a lot of the sights they film in the hotel.

I am not sure the show will work well in NZ. The US shows works for several reasons:

1. Working for Trump gets you an amazing network of contacts
2. Trump has presence and an ego, which work together
3. The tasks on the US show often involve working for iconic companies, and meeting heir top officials
4. The treats for the winning team are often amazing

The treat for the winning team last time was to have a dinner at Dine (in Sky City Grand). Now that is one of Auckland’s better restaurants, but hell I’ve had dinner there half a dozen times. This is not a place you have to book six months in advance. Getting to go there isn’t somethng that would be hard to do yourselves.

Serepisos as the boss, did better than I expected.  I liked it when he dissed the person who mispronounced his name. His two off-siders are not a match for George and Caroline.

Julie Jacobson is blogging her take on the series.

Kim Laurenson got fired last night. A pity really as I thought she performed quite well. On the other hand she is a real estate agent (if one more sends me unsolicited junk mail I will go postal) which is a negative, but she also owns a boutique clothing store and does Ironman triathlons.

Vernon God Little was the first play at Downstage that I didn’t really enjoy. There were parts of it that certainly were very funny and had me laughing, but not enough.

The play had 21 cast playing over 50 roles, and focuses on Vernon whose best friends kills 16 bullies at his school, and them himself. The media turn Vernon into a scapegoat, and he flees to escape a possible death penalty as an accomplice.

Most of my issues are with the plot itself (taken from the book), rather than the production. In fact some of the youthful cast from the Long Cloud Youth Theatre did an excellent job in playing their characters, and I would happily see more of their productions in future.

The play was billed as a biting satire of the America we love to hate. Now I love satire – Le Sud was an excellent example of satire at its best. But I thought this got closer to caricature than satire.

The trouble is almost all the characters were “ugly” Americans, and you (or me anyway) need some characters who are likeable.

I also found the play too long, with a convuluted story. The interval didn’t come until 90 minutes into it, and I had to check the programme to work out if this was the end or not. Upon finding we were only half way through I slipped out – the play just had not gained my interest enough, plus I was at risk of being towed if not out by 10 pm (I must check production times in advance in future).

Possibly not by coincidence, I find that Wikipedia says about the book:

Out of 4,000 Britons polled, 35% of those who started reading this book did not finish it.

I seem to be one of the 35%. As I said there was some very talented and funny acting achieved by the cast, and I did enjoy much of it. Possibly it is my own sensitivity to perceived anti-americanism that meant it didn’t resonate with me, and others could well rave about it. I understand an an intellectual level it was in fact trying to combat anti-americanism, but somehow it just didn’t work for me. Maybe if I had seen the second half, it would have.

However for a very different take, John Smyth at Theatre Review gives it high praise:

It’s a long but well-paced production, full of sound, fury and dark comedy that finally delivers the goods, not least with a well-crafted twist that ensures we don’t leave the theatre bereft of hope. While Vernon God Little has been validly described as the new generation’s Catcher in the Rye, its broad satirical theatricality also recalls Dario Fo.

I’d be interested in feedback from others as to how they found it.Or have you read the book and what did you think of it?

Thanks as always to Downstage for the review tickets.

Saw Avatar last night. The best description I can give of it, is that the experience was similar to when I saw Star Wars for the first time.

The film’s visual impact is top class. That by itself is reason to see it.

The plot is a wee bit two-dimensional. Gaia loving tall smurfs battle evil mining company to save the planet. Now that is a wee bit harsh as a summary, but in the end the action and visuals make up for the plot deficiencies.

Just got back from Downstage, where I watched An Adagio Christmas.

The performance was very silly, but very very very funny. It was a superb hour of entertainment, and I really can’t think of anyone who would not enjoy it – from kids to grandparents.

I won’t talk about the plot, because there isn’t really one. It is more a collection of acts, woven together with humour and skill. Instead I’ll rave about the company.

Mason West and Rowan Heydon White were the two circus artists. They do everything but fly through the air as they use poles, ropes and scarves to perform. They both have incredible muscle strength and do stuff that really should be impossible such as holding themselves almost at right angles to the pole with their arms. Any thought of women as the weaker sex would disappear after watching Rowan.

Angela Green was wonderful in her myriad roles from strugling author (her metaphors make you groan) to bolshie puppet.

Jenny MacArthur appeared to be a grumpy old woman, but transforms literally into a fairy. She was hugely entertaining.

Asalemo Tofete was the big guy who was the butt of several (politically incorrect) jokes.

And Rosemary Langabeer and William Henderson provided the zany music.

Part of why the show was so enjoyable, was that you could see the company were enjoying it also. It was funny, cheeky, a bit sensual, and very manic.

Downstage could offer a money back if you don’t like it guarantee on this show, and be confident they won’t have to pay out a cent.

In a fit of good timing, the review night for Collapsing Creation at Downstage was the night before I flew out, so went along at 6.30 pm. They started early so people could make the fireworks afterwards at 9 pm.

Collapsing Creation is about Charles Darwin, and has a cast of five. Darwin himself, his wife (who incidentally was also his cousin) Emma, Alfred Thomas (an all too zealous supporter based on Alfred Wallace), John Roberts (his former agent who turns on Darwin as the consequences of his theories become clear) and the comic servant, Joseph Gardiner who brings much light relief.

The Roberts character is based primarily on Robert FitzRoy who served as the second Governor of New Zealand, after Hobson. FitzRoy captained the HMS Beagle, which with Darwin on board, visited New Zealand in December 1835.

The play is more a drama, than a comedy (but there are many light moments). The star for me Catherine Downes as Emma Darwin. She played so well this devout religious wife, whom nevertheless supported the work of her husband despite the revelations of his theories of evolution, and his eventual agnosticism.

It is hard to imagine today, when not even the Pope literally preaches creationism, what it was like in 1859 when Darwin’s publication of On the Origin of Species was published. He was a latter day Galileo in some regards.

This cartoon (credit Wikipedia) from 1871 is typical of much of the reaction to Darwin.

But the play is not so much about the larger battle over the book and is theories, but more about the relationships between the five cast members. Not just Charles and Emma, but his friend turned opponent, and his supporter turned outcast.

The play last two hours, and could be a bit shorter. The first half hour was relatively slow moving, but overall it was a very enjoyable play.

I went to the premier of Miranda Harcourt’s Biography of My Skin at Downstage last night. It was (largely) a one woman show about Miranda’s life, but written by her husband.

I was a bit apprehensive going into the play, as I wasn’t sure if I would like it. I tend to prefer plays with character interactions, with a plot, with surprises. I was not sure that I would find anything interesting or amusing about the life of a actress as seen by her husband, and would have to write a review about how it was boring tripe (I get free tickets for the purpose of review).

I needn’t have worried. It was superb. I loved it. Most of all I had forgotten what a wonderfully talented actress Harcourt is. There is such a difference between an actor or actress who is good, and those who are great. Harcourt’s voice and presence dominated the stage. Not everyone can do a one person show, but she definitely can.

Miranda is not quite alone on stage. We see video interjections of various friends and families, and I also advise people to keep an eye on the suitcase. It is not just a prop!

At times the play is very poignant, as we see photos of her father dying of cancer, and spreading his ashes. Even sad moments can turn humourous though as Harcourt tells the tale of trying to get the Karori Cemetery to cremate her son’s (named Peter after he father) placenta to mix it in with his ashes. You want to both laugh and cry. And I won’t even tell you my reaction at the video of her giving birth via c-section. But it all forms part of a memorable play.

At the heart of the play is the love story between Miranda and her husband Stuart McKenzie. It is never soppy, and often hilarious. The highlight must have been her reciting of when a cop pulled Stuart over for driving without his seatbelt on. By the time the cop got to the car, the seatbelt was on, and the offence was denied. And then the cop asked Miranda if he had been wearing it, and she told the truth. She gets evicted from the car, as he tells the kids in the back seat (including the one month old) that Mummy has to walk home as she had been bad.

I hope readers forgive the spoiler, but it gives a great example of the play. We also hear about her younger days when her and a friend would rob a bar by having one of them make out with the barman, while the other helped themselves.

The play is called Biography of My Skin, and you do get to see a fair bit of Miranda’s skin, as she changes outfits on stage. I think Miranda is around 47 years old, but let me tell you her body was the envy of every woman in the audience aged over the age of 25, and the admiration of every man aged over 16! She is a stunning beauty.

A moving part of the play was by coincidence very topical. It was about the guilt when Steve Williams killed step daughter Coral Burrows in the Wairarapa in a manner not dissimiliar to a film they produced, in which he had been an extra. Williams killed her after he had been up all night smoking P.

The play runs at Downstage until the 31st of October. I found it a great night out, and from the audience reaction so did everyone else.

Went to see the UP movie last week. It’s a 3D movie and I have to say wow the technology has got massively better over the last 20 years. It was my first 3D movie for years and years. The glasses are less geeky and the effects were very well done.

The movie itself is like Nemo – a story for kids that adults can love also. It is a cute wee film that almost everyone would enjoy I’d say.

The beginning of the film has a young boy meet a young girl, and they share a passion for adventure. You think he is dreaming after it quickly flashes forward to them kissing, them getting married, moving in together, her pregnancy and miscarriage, their travels and eventually her death.

When you realise it is not a dream and he is indeed now an old grumpy widower, it is actually quite sad. In fact parts of the film are quite poignant – but the ending is of course very happy.

It is all about his life long desire to move his house to Paradise Falls, and the people he meets on the way. There is of course a villain also.

If you take your kids to it, be warned they will want a toy Kevin the snipe for their next birthday or Xmas. Dug may prove popular also.

It has a 97% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Definitely a film worth seeing.

Myself and Auckland Girl got to see the opening night at Downstage of Jo Randerson’s “Good Night – The End” play, as I got two tickets for review purposes.

It was a quirky little play, based on the interactions between three Grim Reapers during their off duty time between shifts.

The first thing I noticed was the wonderful set, with the stage as a 1970s style house with garish colours, and skulls wallpaper. And the opening is nice and dramatic with one of the grim reapers appearing suddenly and pronouncing doom in a mega-amplified voice.

The play is essentially about the interactions between the three Grim Reapers, with some comic interludes with their Italian supervisor.

There isn’t a lot of a plot to the play (there is some, which I won’t give away) – it is very much based on the character interactions. It struck me at times as a cross between Seinfeld and Kath & Kim. Lots of random, funny conversations that don’t lead anyway, but are still amusing.

Randerson herself plays the grumpy uptight Harvester of Sorrow. You also have the slightly dim and overweight Unavoidable Destiny and the geeky (and male) Transitional Friend. They abuse each other, play pranks on each other, and live a very mundane life for Grim Reapers. Randerson’s character is also dodging the affections of her Italian boss.

Overall it was an amusing evening. I thought the play did go on a bit too long though, especially as it was hard to tell if one was getting near the end. A few patrons actually ducked out before it ended. A pity for them, as the last couple of minutes of the play were wonderful, and worth waiting for.

The best parts for me was the finale, the set, the basic concept of three grim reapers in their spare time and the ability of the actors who played their characters so well. I did however find the script a bit lacking, but that might just be my fairly literal approach to drama where I like clear beginnings, middles and ends.

The play continues on at Downstage until the 3rd of October and started on the 11th of September. It was an enjoyable way to celebrate my birthday.

Went to see District 9 at the Embassy last night.

It’s produced by Peter Jackson and set in South Africa.

The film is basically about two million aliens turning up in a damaged spaceship, and being housed in temporary camps which turn into slums. There are obvious parallels to apartheid era South Africa.

However the film doesn’t put the politics on the pedestal, and mainly focuses on telling a good story focusing on the very likeable Wikus van de Merwe. He is a somewhat bumbling bureaucrat and at first in the film you think he is going to do something very stupid that ends in disaster. He only got the job due to his father-in-law.

However over the film he transforms into the most unlikely of heroes, And I mean he literally transforms.

I really liked the film, and it is a good one to see on the big screen. It also has some very cool weapons!

My criticism though would be the weakness of parts of the plot. Without giving too much away, there is no sound explanation for why the aliens didn’t tell the humans what was wrong with the ship and that once they get it fixed, they could go.

Just got back from seeing Le Sud at Downstage. It is a wonderful politically incorrect play that pokes the borax equally at New Zealand, French amd Maori culture.

In this political satire, New Zealand does not exist. North Zealand was colonised by the British and South Zealand by the French. The North Zealand Prime Minister (think Jim Bolger and Fred Dagg combined) is accompanied by his two coalition partners (a female Hone Harawira type Tuhoe activist and a young nerdy fiscally conservative Freedom MP) to negotiate new power prices with South Zealand.

The South Zealand Prime Minister and Deputy are classic Frenchmen and women, with all the traits captured well. Their other Minister reminds me of Tuku Morgan – a likeable pin striped suit wearing, golf playing Maori who uses his culture to rort money whenever possible.

As I said, it is a very politically incorrect play, and the audience was laughing throughout. Not only was French, Kiwi and Maori culture mocked but in one auducious scene the North Zealand PM greets the President of the United States in a unique way.

The play was most topical also. They obviously updated it in the last 24 hours as there was one scene where the Tuku Morgan type character is advising someone down South on how to sell his property to his wife, and then rent it back at double the previous level.  Was all in good humour.

Best of all Palmerston North also got mocked, but I can’t say how as that would give away too much of the plot.

The first five minutes I didn’t find very good – mainly because there was a lot of French speaking at first. I was worried I was not going to get most of the jokes and enjoy it, but soon after that it really hit its strides and I was so glad I went along.

It’s a political satire but you don’t need to be a political junkie to enjoy it. Anyone who vaguely follows current affairs will find lots to laugh at.

The cast played their roles well. Nick Dunbar and Heather O’Carroll were more French than the French. O’Carroll especially could have passed for a native Frenchwoman just by the way she walked in, in the opening scene.

The play carries on at Downstage until the 22nd of August. I can thoroughly recommend it as a play you don’t want to miss.

My thanks to Downstage for the tickets, for the purpose of review. Without them, I might not have got around to going, and that would have been my loss.

I recognised several dozen people from the media and political arenas at the screening of In the Loop at the Film Festival last night.

It is a hilarious film about spin, about war, about MPs and their staff and the dialogue is just superb. The PM’s head of Communications is obviously a take off of Alistair Campbell.

Political satire does not get much better. It has a 95% rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Here are a few of the quotes:

Within your ‘purview’? Where do you think you are, some fucking regency costume drama? This is a government department, not some fucking Jane fucking Austen novel! Allow me to pop a jaunty little bonnet on your purview and ram it up your shitter with a lubricated horse cock!

That was the PM’s Comms Head (Malcolm Tucker) to a departmental comms person.

Your swearing does not impress me. My husband works for Tower Hamlets and believe me those kids make you sound like… Angela Lansbury!

Her response.

“Climbing the mountain of conflict”? You sounded like a Nazi Julie Andrews!

To the Cabinet Minister who departed from “the line”.

Oh, great. Meeting my constituents. It’s like being Simon Cowell, only without the ability to say, “Fuck off, you’re mental”.

The Minister, Simon Foster

I gotta say, I don’t understand how my parents’ limited reproductive ability reflects badly on me. I’m the sperm that made it!

Chad a staffer after he is called an only child.

Go see the film or get it on DVD.

For those who like Japanese cusine, I can recommend a new restaurant.

The Shonobi Sushi Lounge is next to the old Original Thai Restaurant at the corner of Vivian and Tory streets. Had dinner there on Sunday night – their second night of business.

The dishes were first class, and very reasonably priced. If you go along, I recommend you try the Ruapehu Rocket – divine.

Make sure you are good with chopsticks – they have no cutlery available, even if you are uncoordinated with the sticks!

I was with friends of the chefs, so it might not be typical, but the service was very friendly and good.

Definitely a restaurant I’ll go back to. Japanese is probably my second favourite cusine after Italian.

Just got back from seeing Bruno at the Embassy. I laughed throughout most of it – at times with tears, but around half a dozen in the theatre walked out after half an hour!

While it was very very funny, I would agree it is not quite as good as Borat. Borat had much more original humour, while Bruno sort of plays the same joke over and over – seeing people react to such a camp character.

There are graphic sex scenes in the movie – not a film for the squeamish. The initial sex scene with the midget was eye opening – and the first appearance of the bicycle powered dildo!

Particularly memorable scenes were:

• Bruno with a Lebanese terrorist chieftain, talking about how Osama is so 2001, and now just looks like a dirty old man – the look in his eyes as the translation was given to him was wonderful – amazing they survived!
• The market research focus group on Bruno’s proposed new show. Hilarious scene as they write down comments like “This is worse than cancer”
• Telling the all black audience that he got his (black) baby for an iPod and gave it the traditional African-American name of OJ. Superb scene.
• The psychic who summoned a spirit, and then having Bruno make out with the spirit – while the psychic looks on in horror as Bruno gives the spirit head!

This won’t be a movie for everyone, but I had a great time watching it. Still can’t believe he did not get killed or seriously assaulted during the filming.

The final episode of Battlestar Galactica screened last night. I’ll do spoilsers over the break, but will say it is a great ending and pretty much all the plotlines get wrapped up.

CTV has a slideshow of 23 great moments in Battlestar Galactica.

One reason I like the show so much (apart from being sci-fi) is the issues it has portrayed. You’ve had coups and counter-coups. An occupation and rebels. Are the rebels justified in killing collabators? This is one reason the UN had some of the cast fascilitate a discussion at their headquarters on human rights. The show got people thinking about these issues.

The only spoiler I’ll let out before the break is that the final scene is set on modern day Earth. But not as people might expect.

So what happened in the final? Click over the break.

(more…)

The Times has a list of 20 sequels they say were better than the original. Such things are rare indeed, most sequels like Police Academy destroy any worth the original had. The list in reverse order is:

1. Bride of Frankenstein
2. Magnum Force
3. Dawn of the Dead
4. Clear & Present Danger
5. Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
6. French Connection II
7. Back to the Future II
8. Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn
9. Superman II
10. After The Thin Man
11. From Russia with Love
12. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
13. Before Sunset
14. The Bourne Supremacy
15. Aliens
16. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
17. The Empire Strikes Back
18. Dark Knight
19. Mad Max 2
20. The Godfather, Part II

The franchise that does sequels best is James Bond, in my books. When you consider that we are actually up to James Bond Part 22, it is am amazing run. The films are the most profitable series of all time.

Hat Tip: Whoar

Watched last night the Jackass No 2 movie. The funniest (or stupidest) part to me was when they were in ring with a very aggressive bull, on a see-saw.

As the bull would charge one of them, the other would drop down to raise the target just above the bull. The bull would then charge the other person, and so they kept going up and down to avoid it.

Eventually though the bull got one of them, of course.

The rocket powered shopping trolleys looked much more fun!

Greer McDonald has a review of Yes Man:

I went and saw Yes Man on the weekend. Not being a Jim Carrey fan but having seen an interview with Danny Wallace, the guy who wrote the autobiographical book that it is based on, I was keen to splash out my hard-earned dosh to see if it was any good.

I cringed at the start, not only was Carrey up to his face-pulling, can’t-act-to save-himself mode, he was also incredibly old. Like, wrinkly and stuff. When did that happen?

The movie did get better, namely with the introduction of Rhys Darby’s character. The role was perfect for him, he was essentially channelling his role of Murray the manager of Flight of the Conchords and doing a mighty good “cringe coz it’s so Kiwi” job of it.

I also saw the movie last week. Greer is right – Jim Carrey does suddenly look old. And I am not sure he fitted the role of a social recluse who neer wants to socialise or go out.

But overall the movie was worth seeing as a light and fluffy comedy. Murray the manager was hilarious, as was his Harry Potter party.

The scene with Carrey’s elderly neighbour was hilarious. It was sick and wrong, and I winced, but it was funny. Remember this is a film about Carrey having to say yes to everything.

I thought Zooey Deschanel did well as the love interest – she was quirky.

The ending was a bit lame and flat, but overall it wasn’t a bad watch. More a movie to watch on DVD though than the big screen.

For the first time in decades, I watched the classic 1959 movie Ben-Hur. It is close to four hours long but never gets boring. Charlton Heston just dominates the screen in a way few actors can do today.

It is one of only three movies to win 11 Academy Awards.

The plot may be unfashionable to some, but I found it a great story of friends turned enemies, redemption and forgiveness. The chariot race was thrilling of course, but the naval scenes were also well done.

The movie cost $15 million in 1959, which is $110 million in today’s dollars. Luckily for MGM, which was facing bankruptcy, it grossed $75 million – equal to $550 million.

A really fun weekend. Saturday afternoon had a friend’s 30th. I knew her when she was a first year, so that made me feel really old, but still was a fun do. A few of the people there worked in the Beehive up until recently, and I was greatly amused that they had a list of people whose jobs they were keen to have reviewed by the new Cabinet Committee on Expenditure Control

Then later on had the 4th annual pig-athon put on by Ash and Hamish. The food was as great as last year’s, and was very relaxing.

The following day went to see The Day the Earth Stood Still with Accident Girl. It was ok, but not great. Even though it was a two hour movie, the plot didn’t explain things enough, and it jerked around. The first half was better when there was more mystery about the film, but then it turned into a preachy “Look after the planet better or the nasty alien will wipe out all the humans”.

After the movie read the SST, and highly amused to see the Ginga Ninja featured with his girlfriend in the lifestyle section, with their home.  It told the infamous story of how they met (he was pretending to be a Louis Voitton salesman and she picked him up in a bar) and their first words to each other the next morning, which were along the lines of “Shit, You’ve got tatoos” and “Fuck, you’re a ginge”. Their wedding is in March

I phoned them up to hassle them on profile, and by total coincidence they were at a flat warming next door to Reading Cinemas, where I was. So three minutes later I am enjoying this view.

This flat has a stunning inner city view. The balcony goes all the way around and we had a great bbq and party up there. Half the flat are professional chefs, so no complaints over the food! The flat really has to be seen to be believed but it would be one of the nicest ones in the CBD. I’m hoping they have a New YearEves Party there.

Finally after that headed off to dinner at Hazel at Mt Victoria. Well it was meant to be dinner, but somehow I had a conference call scheduled during it, so had to step outside and by the time it finished they were on dessert as I was having my main reheated. Still food was damn nice, so will go back there again sometime.

All up, was pretty pleased with five social functions/activities in the space of around 30 hours. Need more weekends like that!

Danyl writes:

I can unhestitatingly guarantee that Four Weeks, Three Months and Two days is the best film about getting an abortion in Ceausescu’s Romania you’ll see all year.

Possibly not such a great first date movie.

Heh indeed. That reminds me of a story from a friend. A guy took her to a film festival film on a date. The film basically was about how both the female and male leads were raped, and how it affected their relationship. Eventually the male lead blew his brains out. I think it may have been the worst possible date movie ever!

Aaron B blogs:

Americans have taken to emailing Nigerians warning them that if they get offers to put money into an American bank – don’t do it, because it’s a scam.

Heh.

Homepaddock praises Wotif for finding places to stay. I agree – it is a great site and I use it all the time.

No Minister has a list of false statements made by Joe Biden in the Vice-Presidential debate. I’m waiting to see what Fact Check makes of the claims from both sides.

I confess to loving the Australian version of Who wants to be a millionaire. Eddie McGuire is brilliant in that role.

The HoS has an article on the NZ version, with a contestant saying:

Washington’s criticism wasn’t confined to the questions. She found Hosking “arrogant” and “off-putting”.

Hosking said his role was not to help or hinder any contestant and it was “impossible” for him to be off-putting.

“I ask a question, I give you four options, answer one or not, or use a lifeline or not. What else can I do?”

The fact Hosking is asking the question, answers it. Hosking is a very talented news and current affairs interviewer but a game show host is about empathy and warmth. He has not displayed it to date and I am not sure if it is something you can learn. Watch Eddie McGuire and you see him bond with the contestants, get a bit blokey with them sometimes, chat Aussie Rules of course, and he helps make the show.

The other aspects of the article focus on whether the initial questions are too hard. Again I think they may be. The first five questions should be incredibly easy so everyone gets at least $1,000. People don’t like a show where too many people leave with nothing. The second set of five should be moderately challenging and the final five incredibly challenging.

To go along with the new hi def 42″ flat screen, I figured I should invest in upgrading the My Sky box to My Sky HDi. It was a good investment, as Pat Pilcher states in the Herald.

New features include:

• Movies, Sports and TV3 in high def
• Dolby Digital Audio
• HD doubled to 320 GB
• Four tuners, allowing three to be used for recording and viewing, and the fourth for the programme guide
• An Ethernet port, allowing downloading from the Internet at some future stage
• A USB port, which may allow you to add on additional storage one day

Pilcher’s recommendation:

MySKy HDi is more of an evolutionary improvement than just an upgrade to its non-HDMI sibling. HD video, proper surround audio and what appears to be some serious future-proofing makes buying MySky HDi a definite no-brainer.

I agree.

Went to World of Wearable Arts last night with Accident Girl. I’ve been every year for four years now, and it really does get better every year.

This is not just some fashion show. It is a spectacular mixture of dance, music, acrobatics, models, art and fashion. I doubt there are any tickets left, but it really is a must see.

This year we managed to get tickets for the awards night. Managed to guess most of the winners correctly, including the supreme winner above (photo from Dom Post). Was nice to see the designers come up and get their prizes. Helen Clark presented one of the awards and spoke briefly. She is very comfortable at these things and did speak well, with some real passion. I was tempted to try and start a chant of “Sack Winston” in the TSB Events Arenda, but managed to resist the urge. I do wonder how many I may have got to join in though

NZPA Images has a great photo gallery of some of the art works.

This was a crowd favourite. The shadow is in fact another person, but at times you wouldn’t have known.

A walking public health campaign!

This design was also very popular. What I spent some time puzzling over is whether the model inside was crouched over. I suspect they must have been.

The Bizarre Bra section is always colourful!

The play “On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me as Her Young Lover” has returned to Downstage, as people may see from the advertisement on the right.

When I first heard about this play, I thought I would rather play lawn bowls than go see it. But then just as the season in Wellington was ending, I started to hear good things about it. Then I read Che Tibby’s review and rang up to try and get tickets on the final night. They were all sold out. Che said:

The play is extremely well-written, extremely well-acted, and contains more gems, illuminations, satire and outright slap-your-knees-you’re-laughing-so-hard moments that you’ll feel rewarded just for turning up. Unless you work in Parliament, in which case you’ll want to perhaps wear a disguise, so as not to be seen laughing at what is a very heavy satire of the Labour Party and incumbent government.

The political jokes run thick and fast in this lecture, along with a number of outright lewd references to many people who are not Helen Clark (they don’t actually cross that line). There are even some fantastically arcane political science jokes in there, which only me and the two people sitting next to me (whom I did not know!) got.

So, there’s something in there for everyone. It’s extremely not-PC, it’s fast moving, and it’s actually funny.

I was pissed off I missed seeing it. But then it opened in Auckland. So I extended one of my trips to Auckland to stay on for it. And it was fucking hilarious. Don’t be mistaken by the title into thinking you will not enjoy this is you are right of centre. There were National MPs in the audience laughing as hard as anyone.

The star is commanding as he takes the audience through his powerpoint presentation on why Helen Clark should take him as her young lover. He comes across as so earnest and sincere (the scary thing is he may be just that) about the proposition that it is just hilarious. I liked the play so much I got a copy of the book and got him to autograph it.

Downstage have asked me to include this letter from Richard Meros below, which I’m delighted to do so. If I have the time I’m going to go again, and I really do recommend it to anyone who has a robust sense of humour. You will not stop laughing. Remember it is on this week only until 20 Septmber 2008.

Kia Ora Tatou, I’m Richard Meros and I have a Dream.

Our proud nation has laboured too long under a barely discernible pendulum wobble from Labour to National, National to Labour, so on ad nauseum. Yet we yearn for, and deserve, something greater. Through meticulous research I have drawn an inescapable conclusion: that only my personal engagement with the electoral process – and with our noble Prime Minister - can herald the glorious future of our South Pacific Utopia.

My acclaimed pamphlet of romantic political philosophy, On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me as Her Young Lover, provoked howls of acclaim when published in 2007, and I have committed to share the “powerpoint” version of my book the length and breadth of New Zealand before Election Night 2008. Why? Because I care.

This life-changing lecture has toured across Aotearoa; enlightenment comes now to Wellington.

I encourage you, your friends, hapu, colleagues, book-groups, iwi and families to attend my presentation at Wellington’s Downstage Theatre (from 12-20 September) where my vision for a New New Zealand under a New Helen Clark, Warrior Princess, will be presented using the latest exciting digital communication technologies.

The engagement is strictly limited to 10 lectures only, and to encourage your passionate participation in the democratic process I am offering a complimentary bottle of Montana Brut Cuvée, (whimsically liberated from a recent National Party Conference) to every party of six or more who books.

Every vote counts.

Richard Meros

As an added bonus, I will be launching my newest book, “Beggars and Choosers: The Complete Written Correspondence Between Richard Meros and Creative New Zealand Volume One” after the first lecture on Friday night.

Book online now at www.downstage.co.nz (or telephone 801 6946). Our operators are standing by.