Legends in our own lunchbox

With the film project hardly underway we are certainly whipping the folk of Canturbury into a fenzy over our topic.

Last Friday The Press ran an article about the project and my phone ran hot over the weekend with people coming forward with information. Please click here to read the item in full.

While there were a few dubious stories, by and large we now have a wealth of information and quite a bit of interesting evidence. We have a filming trip booked for the end of this week with a Backcountry guide from Methven. Over Christmas and New Year we will be researching and processing the footage that we have (with a wee bit of a break of course). Early January will be a busy time for the film as we base ourselves in Mayfield and film a lot of the main sequences that will tie the film together. I'll take a stills camera on the next shoot and post some progress photos on the blog afterwards.

Speeding in Denmark-The Speedbandits

At first I thought this was an elaborate spoof, but aparently it is true! I'm not sure it would work in New Zealand as I doubt motorists would grasp the concept . Got to hand it to those cunning Danes, it certainly is innovative. I doubt Danish women are too impressed, what do the authorities have in mind to stop women speeding, male strippers?

Because the video clip caused frustration for persons trying to follow my blog from work computers with over-sensitive obscenity filters, I have put the link here for you to have a look at.

The Danish Speedbandits

Beware, the video clip contains nudity. If you are offended then please visit another blog.

Last Man Standing

My blogging has been a bit lapse recently, so it occured to me that I should use some of my newspaper music reviews to pad things out for those people who don't have access to the O.D.T. Of course, I only plan to feature reviews of albums that are any good, and this one from Jerry Lee Lewis is great.

"Infamous for bizarre behaviour, Jerry Lee Lewis’ undoubted talent has never been in question. However, the same cannot be said for his desire to perform, largely an enigma for the last 25 years. Enticed into a recording studio by lifelong fan and film hotshot Steve Bing, Lewis reportedly arrived at the first sessions in his pyjamas. What a blessing that he did, this album makes a mockery of all the other old rockers still trying to string together a tune for a buck.

Out of the legendary Sun Recording artists assembled by founder Sam Phillips, names like Elvis, Perkins, Cash and Orbison come to the fore as musicians who helped define popular music. However, it is Jerry Lee Lewis who still burns brightly as the ‘Last Man Standing’. If there was any suspicion that Last Man Standing might be a sentimental marketing ploy to rescue Lewis’ finances then the opening salvo of “Rock N Roll” blows that theory away. Spitting out “Let me get back where I come from, the gritty riffing of Jimmy Page is matched by ‘The Killer’ frenetically thumping the keyboards while squeezing every nuance out of his vocals.

The pace rarely lets up, I doubt John Fogerty has performed Travelin’ Band at the pace cooked up by Lewis. Now 70, the performance is explosive, testament to Lewis’ status as the original bad boy of rock and roll. Whatever you think of his chequered past, it’s simply impossible not to smile when Lewis sings ‘That Kind of Fool’ with Keith Richards. Lewis typically upstages his somewhat younger collaborators. The two best tracks on the album are from two of the oldest pairings, Buddy Guy and BB King, proving that age isn’t any hindrance to real talent. Last Man Standing is a great country-blues album favouring Lewis’s love of barroom honky-tonk. Bad luck, bad decisions and badass keyboard playing, Jerry Lee Lewis is a survivor with one hell of a sound".

Rating: 4.5 stars

Stray Cat Strut

Yes, its official Pip and myself are producing a documentary based on the mystery black cat of Mid-Canterbury. This is one story that refuses to die and to date nobody has focused on some of the important facts and asked the right questions. In our research we have uncovered some fascinating information, and are quite excited about the filming that we have planned for the next couple of months. Watch this space.

If anybody reading this has their own experience of alien cat sightings or anything similar then please post a comment wiith contact details and I'll be in touch. Just to whet your appetite here is an image of a cat photographed by Mark Brosnahan in 2003 near Lake Clearwater in mid-Canterbury.

The Curse of Ulva Island

Its been a while since my last post but it would be fair to say that a lot has happened since then. I have started writing film reviews for the ODT, am putting together a shooting script for my diploma film and had an opportunity to spend two weeks on Ulva Island for my Internship.

Is it a curse being offered the opportunity to live on a pristine island for two weeks assisting in the construction of a film? Initially when given the opportunity I was extremely enthusiastic and realistic about how far out of my comfort zone I was putting myself (two weeks without my coffee machine and Green Wing!).

Anyway, three weeks ago I endured a typically bumpy crossing of Foveaux Strait to be met by Scott Mouat at the wharf on Ulva. Scott is a one-man band production house called Elwin productions and has a contract to produce a 50 minute documentary on Ulva Island, in particular the birds. I won't give all the specifics but you can see details of the work in progress if you click here.



Anyway, being met by a guy head to toe in camo fashion with rain blowing sideways I soon realised that this wasn't going to be a simple filming exercise. For the first week it was pretty much a military exercise as we humped film equipment all over the island from sun-up to sun down. Not only was it a test for my fitness, I had to get used to the idea of sitting silent in the bush for hours at a time waiting for animal behaviour. Gee, the island might be teaming with native birds but do you think they will do what you want them to. After week one we decamped to Stewart Island proper for a decent meal and a shower with some well earnt beers at the pub.
That was when trouble started.



On the Sunday afternoon, I took an axe to my thumb when chopping firewood. Determined that it wasn't going to need stitches I started doing a repair job with my new first aid kit when I collapsed on the floor, for the first time in my life I think I passed out. Anyway, this was just the beginning on a fun couple of days, that night I was bitten by some heinous bug that left 4 big welts down my left arm. To keep things interesting the next night I started projectile vomiting and when that subsided 24 hours later I had developed a runny bottom. All this time I continued to act as a pack horse for Scott and keep the shooting schedule up to speed. We actually grabbed some great footage and Scott is well ahead of schedule, if only those damn Saddlebacks would breed!




Midway through the second week the back to nature experience had lost its appeal. The weather was lousy, there is mud everywhere, the hut used by six people was smaller that our bedroom in Dunedin and having a wash outside in a hailstorm is not that much fun. This is nothing on the loo conditions, where the long drop was so full that we almost had to start poking it down with a stick before assuming the position.



Lets just say that going home was such a treat, even if the crossing back to Bluff was rougher than the way over and the car wouldn't start when I got there! My lovely partner Tracy had a great meal waiting for me and a bottle of wine, it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

I have a whole new respect for Natural History Filmmakers and the patience and determination that is needed to collect those couple of magical seconds. Scott was a great guy to learn from, he is very focused and extremely well organised. His shooting script was tight and well constructed and his ability to rough cut footage at night in the hut assisted us no end when heading out the next day to grab some shots. I'm really looking forward to the finished product and think that it will be quite stunning, especially is the sunrise that we filmed is anything to go by.




Ulva Island is a special place to visit and the sights and sounds are quite unique. If only the water was 20 degrees warmer, the sand-flies not so vicious and there was a good coffee cart! Ah well, I can now tell the difference between a Robin and a Saddleback call and know where to look for good Huhu grubs and worms.

Steam is the word-The Trainspotting Files

Steam is the word

Dunedin was steam central on the weekend as the Railway Station celebrated its 100th Birthday. To anybody who has ever visited Dunedin I'm sure the Railway Station will be remembered as the fantastic architectural achievement that it is. If you think I'm over-exaggerating, it has been rated as one of the world's 200 must-see places.

How better to celebrate than bring a whole host of steam locomotives to town. Turning back the clock to a golden age of transport, the city was inundated with train-buffs from throughout New Zealand and overseas. Trainspotter's heaven. 99% male, these guys raced from viewing site to motorway overpass to snap excitedly at the marvelously restored steam trains delivering passengers to Port Chalmers and Wingatui.

Trainspotters

The fun of recording train numbers and dressing up in train gear is not restricted to these guys. Click here for a train spotting simulator.

Cameras loaded with film (yes film), these relics of yesteryear (the trains) were a real treat as they reminded those of us old enough to remember to great romanticism associated with riding the rails. Sadly, this has been largely forgotten as we have gone highway heavy.

All Aboard

The city reverberated all weekend to the sound of steam being let off and at one fantastic moment on Saturday morning, all the locomotives sounded off at once. Munching on a bacon buttie, I nearly soiled my pants, but quickly recovered to laugh at all the children screaming and their parents frantically trying to calm them.

Here's to you Mrs Robinson

Once again politicians think they have the answer to societies ills, don't let em have it and all will be fixed. Sadly, this has never worked.

Lets give this blog some context, we have a binge drinking culture in New Zealand that seems to straddle the generational divide. I'm not advocating drinking to excess, in fact I'm getting kinda annoyed about stepping over vomit on the way home from town. However, setting the drinking age at 20 rather than 18 where it is now is rather regressive. It will not solve a few issues, namely:

1.The law is not being administered now
2.Kids will still get access to alcohol, just not in licensed premises
3.We have failed in educating people how to enjoy alcohol, without whacking some poor sod over the head!

In researching this blog I discovered out of the various NZ political parties, only the Greens Frogblog have an element of sanity. I applaud them for their 'less government, more personal responsibility' approach to this issue.
I'm 35, so I'm not too worried that I won't be sharing the pub with 16 year olds, but its not about me. I feel for the music loving fans who want to see their favorite bands and will prevented from doing so by this ridiculous legislation.
But, as with every hair-brained poorly thought-out piece of legislation there is a solution. Pair up with an older partner. Lets face it a bit of experience never hurt
anyone.

Guys, check out that friend of your older sister (tell her that dating you will be serving some form of community good), girls pick up a sugar daddy and let him buy drinks all night. A definite win-win.

However, what do we do about the alcohol binging culture inherent in the youth of today? Well, once again, with a bit of thought a better solution presented itself. Stop selling cheap nasty alcopops and bland beers with an emphasis on quantity rather than quality. These drinks aren't meant to be enjoyed socially, they are mere alcohol delivery vessels. Get pissed quick tools.

Make the kids fork out top dollar for Emersons and see how many continue drinking in huge quantities? Make top Pinots and Single Malts more available and if nothing else we might start to cultivate a culture of 'taste'.

However, people still have a right to get drunk just as long as they don't drive, defecate on the pavement and hurt somebody else, whatever happened to host responsibility and the law against serving grossly intoxicated people? Enough said.

We only have sixty years on this planet

Sixty Years-The Music Video

After a very successful screening of 12 music videos from the NHFC diploma students on Friday I have decided to see what the wider world thinks of this little ditty. Any comments, suggestions, likes, dislikes would be appreciated as I really want to learn what works and of course, what doesn't.

I had a great time making it and learnt a lot in the progress. The whole thing was put together in imovie which is pretty limited but still a pretty cool piece of software that is free for OSX users. If anything, I think the limitations of the editing process stopped me getting distracted from the flow that I was trying to create. I am learning the power of Final Cut at the moment and have instantly seen areas that my creative ideas could have been realised. However, it is really good discipline to put a lot of focus on getting images/sound right in the first place and not relying on fixing problems in post production.

This coming week will be quite interesting as Pip and myself will decide what film idea to run with. We have had no shortage of possible story threads thus far and have narrowed our pool down to three ideas. Watch this space. In the next few weeks I will also be departing for Ulva Island where I will be assisting a film-maker who is compiling a DVD of island bird life. I'm really looking forward to helping out and sapping any knowledge I can. Wildlife activity and animal behavior is totally foreign to me so this will be a good chance to get out of my comfort zone and have a go. Just one thing though, I'm a bit worried about coffee making facilities so I might just pack my mini grinder and a couple of kgs of good beans to keep me going, especially as we are supposed to be rising before daylight and filming birds waking up!

Don't underestimate the importance of music

In this whole filmmaking process that I am engaged in at the moment, I am learning some really good lessons about how to write for images and importantly how to be tight when editing our own words. The ideas for my diploma film is being shaped at the moment and images are being sorted in my head as I settle upon story threads and get them to paper. However, in all the instruction we are getting and the corresponding exercises, we have yet to work on scoring music for documentary.
Personally, from some of my favourite documentaries (and features) I tend to remember the odd static image after the film has receded from my retina, but it is the soundtrack that I can often recall in more detail. I guess where I am going with this blog is that I am now starting to think about possible sounds that will work with the visual stimulus planned for out diploma film.
This week, I was given The Veils second album to review for the Otago Daily Times and it has the distinction of receiving the first 5 star rating that I have dished out. Quite simply, singer songwriter Finn Andrews is a major talent waiting to occupy the huge void left by Jeff Buckley. Sure that's a mighty big call, but the intoxicating concoction contained on Nux Vomica gave me so many film ideas that I'd love to get this guy to score a film. Perhaps, he could be the next Damon Gough. I have attached the glowing album review below.

Bullshit!

Searching for something decent to unwind with on tv can be quite difficult, especially as the Classic Album series on C4 has finished and Top Gear only screens one night a week. However, Prime have been good enough to repeat the fantastic first series of The Office on Tuesday nights followed by Bullshit, presented by Penn and Teller. I should tattoo somewhere on my body a reminder to watch this as it is really that good. Seeking to pour scorn on all sorts of things, last night they had a go at AA (alcoholics anonymous). It was a hoot, they sent up the overwhelming Christian bias that this organisation uses to 'supposedly' clean up drunks. I say supposedly because they put forward information that demonstrated you have the same chance of cleaning up on your own as you do going to a backwards religious organisation like AA, just 5%. The crux of their argument was to dismiss the idea that addiction was a disease, and I tend to agree. Hell, cancer is a disease, but addiction? It seems that everybody suffering from some weakness in character seeks to absolve personal responsibility by labeling their weakness as a 'disease'. Try telling someone with leukemia that your addiction to over-eating is a 'disease'. Enough said. Watching this argument unfold I couldn't help think about the way Fight Club parodied American fixation with self-help groups and the 12 step process. Making oneself feel weak and worthless just so you can give yourself over to some higher power seems like a crap way to deal with addiction, gee I'd be heading straight to the bar after a meeting with some of those god squad loonies.
Speaking of skeptics, I noticed that the NZ skeptics society had their annual conference last week. Their website is a great starting point for anyone who might be curious. A notable local member is the potter Peter Lange, brother of the late great David Lange. If you see weird things in the night sky over Auckland, chances are it will be Peter and his chums setting off his U.F.O hoaxes.

Montreal Magic

Its not often that I get excited about new music coming out of Canada (Neil Young excepted), but this week I had the pleasure of reviewing a release by a six-piece from Montreal called The Dears. As with previous postings about music the review for The Otago Daily Times has been pasted below. I enjoyed this album immensly as I'm sure my review spells out:

Canada’s latest music revelation The Dears, are somewhat unfairly pigeonholed as an indie band. While this may not be such a bad thing in certain circles, the moniker really does their sound an injustice. Gang of Losers deserves so much more than any simple genre classification.

Fronted by the extraordinary Murray Lightburn on lead vocals, this six piece from Montreal have a real knack for nailing the nuance of instantly memorable pop/rock hooks. The album sounds really familiar, but not in a way that it is instantly apparent. Lightburn does have an uncanny tendency to mimic the best moments of quintessential British lads Damon Albarn and Paul Weller. However, this is not blatant plagiarism, just good fortune.

Incredibly dark lyrical themes are embellished with brutal guitar raking, subtle keyboard washes, and ethereal three part harmonies. Just as every other sensitive artist seems to be commenting on the state of the world at the moment, The Dears are no different. Sure, it would be nice to have rock bands singing about their crotches once again, all this global conspiracy stuff can get a bit heavy. Thankfully, for those so inclined, the lyrics are on the enclosed booklet. Leave meaning at the door and let Lightburn mould the words into great shapes to fit the uplifting beats. When he searches for the upper registers of his vocal capability, the resulting melodies are quite hypnotic.

Fear made the world go ‘round is not only the standout, but also quite simply one of the single best tracks I have heard all year. Whites Only Party is a trippy little ditty that is somewhat poignant as the black Lightburn sings whimsically, “Don’t say I’m paranoid, it’s more like just annoyed, maybe a bit destroyed”. If there is any justice left in Lightburn’s bleak worldview, then this Gang of Losers deserves to be heard by a large audience. And if that isn’t a blatant plug, then the Australian/New Zealand version of Gang of Losers features a couple of exclusive extra tracks.

Rating: 4.5 stars.

On the catwalk yeah!

In keeping with this midlife crisis that I am going through (buying a motorbike, growing a moustache, and going back to school to be a filmmaker), today I embraced randomness and went totally outside my comfort zone. I guess part of it was due to the fact that I was encouraged by my lovely partner Tracy and I thank her for that, but can you imagine me modeling clothes on the catwalk, come on..
Yes, I queued for well over an hour to be given the once over by a panel of fashionistas who would decide whether I had the goods to grace the catwalk at next years ID Fashion show in Dunedin. It was a really bizarre experience and I'm glad I did it. I figured I might be able to corner the market for geezers with long read curly hair and to be sure I didn't spot any others at the audition, though I seriously doubt that my phone will ring next week with a job offer.
Speaking of geezers with long red hair and models, I happened to catch the classic album series on C4 this week featuring the huge 90s album Stars by Simply Red. Now, I don't own any of their records and I'm not a fan but I have to admit, that Mick Hucknell has a great voice and what's more, a great track record with models. I have unfairly been ridiculed for years based on some supposed similarity in appearance that I have to Mr Hucknell. Yes, I have capitalised on it from time to time and was stalked by a member of the Simply Red fan club but that is another story. I was dismayed to see what he looks like now, gee all that good living eh! Still, even though I'm a bit disparaging, I have to admit, some of the tracks on Stars are great and really took me back to life in London in the early 90s where that radio was saturated with my Mick's dulcet tones.

Do I really look like Mick? Come on!

Spam Film Ideas

While racking my brain recently for potential film ideas I stumbled upon an email that got me thinking. After years of receiving spam with offers of free laptops, cheap mortgages, a bigger penis and unexpected news of many relatives that I never new existed working in government departments in Nigeria, who had all recently perished in bizarre accidents, I received the following:

Dear Friend,
I am Captain Brian James of the US Marine Force on
Monitoring and Peace keeping mission in Baghdad-Iraq.
On the7thh day of July 2006, we were alerted on the
sudden presence of some Terrorists camping in a suburb
not too far from Karbala here in Iraq. After Immediate
intervention, we captured three (3) of the Terrorists,
twenty-six (26) were killed leaving seven (7) injured.

In the process of torture they confessed being
rebels for  late Ayman al-Zawahiri  and  took us to a
cave in Karbala which served as their camp. Here we
recovered several guns, bombs and other Ammunitions
including some boxes among which two contains nuclear
weapons, one filled  with hard drugs(cocaine) and the
other four to my amazement contain some US Dollars
amounting to $7.2M after I and two of my junior
intelligent officers counted them. I however
instructed them to keep this in high secrecy.

I am in keen need of a Reliable and Trustworthy
person like you who would receive,  secure and protect
these boxes  containing the US Dollars for me up on
till my assignment elapses in here in Iraq. I assure
and promise to give you 30% of this fund, however feel
free to negotiate what you wish to have as your
percentage in this business..

Please assure me of your keeping this topmost secret
to protect my job with the US Monitoring and
Peace-Keeping mission. Contact me through my personal
email capt_brianjames7@sify.com

Sincere regards,
Capt.Brian James.

Wow I thought, I'm in contact in Iraq with someone in the military. Not only does this email read like a John Woo script, but this guy has searched out little old me here in Dunedin as his confidant. Gee, my blog must be good! I wonder how much for the film rights?

Now, with my curiosity significantly raised, I'm afraid to say that I started to smell a rat. Hey, this guys email account is with some organisation called 'sify'. Could it be possible that this should read 'sifty'.
Good to see that our friends in the spamming world are getting inventive and generating some quite amusing creative writing.

Frank Zappa Genius

Zappa on Crossfire - 1986

For anyone not familiar with the genius of the late great Frank Zappa then please watch the very amusing video clip below. Slightly outdated sure, but for anyone who remembers the debate concerning censorship of music in the 1980s this was serious stuff. Just cause Al Gore is doing the rounds with a nice little film about environmental issues that doesn't excuse him for marrying Tipper and being associated with her insane ranting that is politically recognised as the PMRC.
In homage to his art, I have even decided to grow the Zappa moustache for Movember, but I'm unsure that my follically challenged face will play the game.

Sixty Years-The Music Video

One of the assignments that seems to be creating quite a few column inches in my classmates blogs is the music video that we are all working on. When signing up for this course, I was really excited about the opportunity to be creative with a song of our choice. Given the thousands of songs that I could have deliberated over, I chose to keep things simple by focusing on one of my first musical loves, Rockabilly. The choice then was relatively straightforward as I selected Brian Setzer as my artist. A long time fan of The Stray Cats and Brian's various solo projects I tuned into his 2003 solo release Nitro Burnin' Funny Daddy.

The cover for Nitro Burnin Funny Daddy

The opening track Sixty Years is an absolute rock n roll tour de force. With an infectious drum beat and classic Setzer riffs, the song lent itself perfectly to the visuals that had been forming in my head. What's more, after studying the lyrical content I was able to refine my sequences accordingly. While, the song is liable to get you a speeding ticket and is incredibly upbeat, Setzer wrote it to say goodbye to his good friend the legendry Joe Strummer of The Clash who passed away in 2002.

Brian posing with one of his many Gretsches.

As Brian sings on the track: "Saint Peter didn't put you here/ For no reason at all/ So when it time to go/ Oh brother stand tall"

This is the most personal album I've ever done,Setzer has confessed. Lyrically, I go into areas I've never touched before,relationships, spirituality. I just wanted to let my whole life out, more than just the hot-rod rockabilly side."

For anyone not familiar with this genre of music and is curious to hear what the track sounds like click on the following link for Sixty Years. I'll post some visuals from the music video once I have it ready to go.

Emersons Triumph Again

Two weeks late I know, but the recent Brew NZ awards in Wellington confirmed what many in the South have known for quite sometime, that Emersons is a damn fine drop. All 12 Beers entered won awards and three beers were awarded the coveted status of 'Best in Class'. What a haul, major brewer Lion Nathan with its stable of four brands only won 14 trophies and the news was even worse for the other giant DB with just nine awards. Once again, taste came to the fore with two other boutique brewers (Limberg and Epic) also doing well. Thankfully, Emersons have very kindly put some of their festival beers on tap in a couple of Dunedin Bars. I am anxiously anticipating the fantastically named Pandora's Bock, the Anniversary IPA and brewer Shaun Ancell's tribute to his late father, the Ancellator.

Perhaps the genius of Richard Emerson is not only his super-sensory taste buds! It seems that Scottish scientists have put forward the notion in a recent study that geniuses are less likely to suffer from Hangovers! Or, could it be that people with higher IQs realise that its not always wise to binge drink? I know for a fact that one of my very intelligent colleagues (Sarah) does not suffer hangovers. However, that's probably due to the fact that she is teetotal, imagine that, an Irish girl who doesn't drink!

Post Script: I have just heard that the chairman on Young's Brewery in London. Mr John Young C.B.E has passed away aged 85. I have long had a soft spot in my soul for Youngs after discovering their product working in a West End Pub in the early 90s. The publican of the Ponterfract Castle was a real ale enthusiast and insisted that the staff drink Young's Special with him. I took a real liking to it, and progressed from there onto many of the other fine Young's products. Fortunately working in North West London for a couple of years I had to pass the great Young's establishment the Grand Junction Arms every day on my way to and from work. Situated on the Grand Union canal many summers were spent savoring the chocolate stout next in the beer garden next to the canal.

Politics and Filmmaking

Now I know that this blog is ostensibly about the filmmaking process, but events in the political life of New Zealand have really taken my interest recently. The bitter mud-slinging taking place between the two major political parties is farcical and both of them look silly, nothing too strange there. However, the entry into the fray of 'super sleuth' Ian Wishart from Investigate magazine really has me wondering about the journalistic focus in this country. Thankfully, Mr Wishart was taken to task in fantastic style by Sean Plunket who showed him up for the weasel that he is. Indeed, as one political commentator (whose name escapes me) was heard to say:
"If Ian Wishart told me the sun was shining I would go to the window to check it out. Even then if I discovered that it was indeed shining I would assume that Mr Wishart had rigged it!"
Who cares if our Prime Minister doesn't have children and has a partner that is a bit odd? Even if Peter Davis is unsure about his sexual orientation, who really cares? Well, it seems the Exclusive Brethren do and they are really scary. For a religious group determined to ostracise themselves from society as we know it, they really have taken to politics with a great deal of fervor recently. What's worse, they are anti just about everything I hold sacred! They are anti-environment, pro the Present USA regime, anti-cinema and media, anti-computers, homophobic and the list goes on. So, its scares me that they seem to have a political voice in the form of the National Party.

Tag Teams have been decided

One of the major hurdles of this film course is the knowledge that we won't have sole creative control over our films, we will need to work in pairs. Well, this issue has been sorted and I am pleased to announce that my partner in creative crime will be Pip Walls. All the way from
Hawera (Taranki), Pip shares with me a love of character driven documentaries. Both of us have media focused training/education so I wouldn't expect at this stage that we'll end up churning out a hard science flick. A cursory read of Pip's Blog will give you an idea of some of the ideas that we will be throwing around over the next week. Film ideas are still being subjected to the pitching process so no ideas have been given the green light yet. We need to have an executive producer assigned to our project first.

* Pip on the left with Lesley during a research trip to Macraes Flat.

Trouser Shakedown

Today, a collegue of mine very kindly emailed me a URL that I simply had to share. As a long time fan of Spinal Tap I had often wondered what would happen in a modern airport with paranoid security measures, if Derek Smalls had attempted to smuggle a large cucumber down his trousers. It seems I am not alone in my curiosity, but there is no way I could possibly have imagined that it would create the sort of comedy that John Hargrave writes about. This is genius with a capital 'G' and deserves to be read, re-read and emailed to others. Thanks Alistair for bringing this to my attention.

All Hail the Troll- Lukas wins Rockstar

Supernova did what I expected them to so and named a midget Canadian as their lead singer. What a slap in the face to all the girls. If this reality concept is going to keep people interested they will have to stop ignoring the untold talents of the females that apply and give one of them a go. Chicks can rock and Dilana is amazing, it is unfortunate that fans were probably put off by her naive comments to the press about her fellow contestants.

Last night both her and Magni outperformed the others. Magni's rendition of the Hendrix classic 'Fire' was my favourite moment, he really looked the part with a Les Paul slung around his neck completely monstering the track. Magni's biggest fault was having a wife and child, very un-rockstar apparently. If only he could have hooked up with a porn-star while in L.A. and craashed an expensive car coked to the gills!

As for Toby, back to the Melbourne bar-band bro, nough said!

In the INXS show I thought Sweet Suzie was the most talented performer and Dilana was by far and away the best thing to happen to the Supernova show. In fact, if it wasn 't for Tommy Lee's bias and support of Lukas I'm sure Gilby and Jason would have preferred Dilana. Its great to think that both Gilby and Dave Navarro will have some input into her solo album. I doubt Supernova will come to much and the victory by a relatively unknown Punk Band to the rights for the name suggest troubled times ahead. I have a lot of time for Gilby Clark and he went up in my estimation last night based purely on his choice of guitar, a burgundy Firebird!!