Newtown – it’s a bit festive
The Newtown Festival is happening again, and you can find out more about it on their official website.. I am personally most looking forward the Newtown Festival Street Fair on March 8 – just a warning – it’ll shut down most roads in the area. I remember last year I’d had a pretty horrible experience having to be in the Viaduct in Auckland, and then I flew home hungover, lay on my bed, and could hear my band – the Phoenix Foundation playing just down the road in my suburb. <3
Fundraising for Project Matauranga
Some of us Wellingtonistas make no bones about that fact that we suffer from a variety of mental illnesses, which is why we’re always pleased to support people who are working to support the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. So we were really encouraged when we heard from Pete Barton:
I am currently running a community project to raise awareness of depression and mental illness in New Zealand and I would like to promote a charity movie night on Tuesday 10th March.
Lars and the Real Girl will be screened at the Paramount Cinema, Courtney Place at 6.00 pm. I have some great spot and raffle prizes to give away including a $600 interislander ferry voucher.
Ticket price is $20.00 which enters ticket holders into spot prize draw to win an interislander voucher. There are a number of other great prizes to be won from Bunnings, Shoe Clinic Wellington, Bike Barn Wellington, Reading Cinemas, Ben Lind Massage Therapy and Karori Sanctuary.
Proceeds from the evening will go directly to the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
Auckland, Wellington and Madeleine Sami’s awesome biceps
You may have seen the cover of March issue of Metro magazine. Madeleine Sami, hanging off the Sky Tower, looking all glam while holding a miniature Peter Jackson/King Kong. "Auckland rules OK! How Wellington’s losing the cultural wars" the headline reckons.
And the winners are…
The Fringe is over for another year, nicely polished off with an awards ceremony at The Paramount tonight. A full post will be on its way, but for now here’s the list of winners:
Best Comedy: Improv – The Secondary School Musical
Best Dance: Perforum – Footnote Dance
Best Music: Adam Page Solo
Best Outdoor: Frogs under the Waterfront
Best Theatre: The Intricate Art of Actually Caring
Best Visual Art: This is Where I Live – Fleur Wickes
Best Newcomers: Binge Culture Collective – Drowning Bird, Plummeting Fish
Marketing Award: A Most Outrageous Humbug
Best ‘One man band’/solo show: Adam Page Solo
Best production design: Faust Chroma
Most orginal concept: This is Where I Live – Fleur Wickes
Stand-out performer: Julia Milsom – Self Portrait
Open Studios People’s Choice: Alex Rodriguez
…and finally, the big and special awards after the jump…
The Hutt knows how to throw a party
The Petone Fiesta has gone from strength to strength, and this year looks like it will be a bit of a stunner.
The action kicks off at 6pm, 7th March, with the The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra.
The Woolshed Sessions also play, and if you fancy something a bit louder to waggle your dags the Wellington Batucada will be out in force.
Check the full line up here.
Flight of the Conchords – Sugalumps
Man, we haven’t had any Flight of the Conchords for aaaages.
So, here ya go…
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtbQaJzZh1k]
Cinephilia: Opening This Week
Another light-ish week of cinema releases to report: Readings have so much confidence in the new Rob Schneider prison-comedy Big Stan that the only evening sessions are at a deadening 9.20pm at night. According to IMDb this is the first film directed by the Deuce Bigelow star which means we now have the phrase "a film by Rob Schneider" to terrify and depress us. Also Sky City Queensgate.
Heavenly Navigation
Fuse Circus have joined The Fringe with The Navigators, a new outdoor show under the sails at Queens Wharf.
If you haven’t seen their previous shows, Heavenly Burlesque or Gravity and Other Myths, then get down there right now! If you have, then while a few of the moves may be familiar, it’s still wonderful entertainment. The "narrative" may be little more than an flimsy framework from which to suspend yet more biophysical impossibilities, and there’s a touch of pantomime goofiness that detracts slightly from the inherent hotness, but there will still be plenty to make you gasp, laugh and wonder.
As someone who sometimes struggles to stand upright in the morning, let alone balance several people on one’s limbs while doing so, these guys will always be a source of amazement. They perform most evenings until Saturday the 7th of March, so you have no excuse for missing them.
Do not mail. Do not call.
Not particularly Wellington-centric, but useful nonetheless. Apparently you can get yourself taken off the directing marketing database.
Be interesting to know if this works. (Who knows? It may just be an underhanded ruse to gather even more names, numbers and addresses!)
From KnowIT, via Miramar Mike.
Review: Turbine
Wind farms seem like a really good idea. They use wind (a good thing) and they’re a farm (another good thing) so anyone who complains about it should just shut up and think of the polar bears, right?