Lyndon Hood - pretender, Wellington
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
New Hood: Hood: Govt Struggles to Overreact to Tragedies
Here's something extra, from Extras, found on I Am Bored and put here as an experiment in multimedia goodness:
It gives me the urge to explain why acting is actually quite difficult. That acting is tricky is of course part of the reason the above is so Sir-Ian-ously funny. So I'll leave that on the 'to do' list.
Gandalf will be appearing with the RSC in King Lear and Checkov's The Seagull in Wellington and Auckland in August.
Here's something extra, from Extras, found on I Am Bored and put here as an experiment in multimedia goodness:
It gives me the urge to explain why acting is actually quite difficult. That acting is tricky is of course part of the reason the above is so Sir-Ian-ously funny. So I'll leave that on the 'to do' list.
Gandalf will be appearing with the RSC in King Lear and Checkov's The Seagull in Wellington and Auckland in August.
Labels: acting, extras, Ian McKellen, Ricky Gervais, satire
Lyndon Hood - Classi-to-the-shiz-icist
Sunday, May 20, 2007
I would blog of the media awards, except I'm suffering from factors. Here's something I mostly prepared earlier.
You might recall my previous comments on New Zealand First's uneasy relationship with the classics.
Well, I don't want to indulge in intellectual chauvanism. And I don't want to do anything to discourage people who try to bring a broad range of thought to bear on legislative debate.
So, rather than personal criticism, I'd like you to think of this as a indulgent comment on the fallibility of humanity.
I happened to be listening to Parliament the other day, due to failing to turn it off after question time (I've been hanging out for the Hansard to come up). Defending his SeniorGold card from anti-microchip and related doomsayers he explained how completely innocent it all was and followed up with this...
It's a common enough, in fact it's something of a cliché, to describe uncredible doomsayers as Cassandras. Which misses a critical point.
Cassandra's curse, as the story goes, was to prophesy doom accurately and not be believed. Which was just the start of her trouble. This kind of cheerful malice on the part of the gods might be considered the Greek's way of saying that life kind of sucks sometimes.
Anyhow, my point is, to call people who think you actions will have bad consequences Cassandras is not precisely a killer hit.
As I say, indulging human frailty. Indulge, indulge.
Though the way Winston went on to say
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New Hood: Lyndon Hood: Budget Crisis - Lack of Nickname
You might recall my previous comments on New Zealand First's uneasy relationship with the classics.
Well, I don't want to indulge in intellectual chauvanism. And I don't want to do anything to discourage people who try to bring a broad range of thought to bear on legislative debate.
So, rather than personal criticism, I'd like you to think of this as a indulgent comment on the fallibility of humanity.
I happened to be listening to Parliament the other day, due to failing to turn it off after question time (I've been hanging out for the Hansard to come up). Defending his SeniorGold card from anti-microchip and related doomsayers he explained how completely innocent it all was and followed up with this...
It is not too difficult, and I hope that member has finally got it, instead of being some doomsaying Cassandra, as Ron Mark says...As it happens, Winston may have been let down by his wingman on this one.
It's a common enough, in fact it's something of a cliché, to describe uncredible doomsayers as Cassandras. Which misses a critical point.
Cassandra's curse, as the story goes, was to prophesy doom accurately and not be believed. Which was just the start of her trouble. This kind of cheerful malice on the part of the gods might be considered the Greek's way of saying that life kind of sucks sometimes.
Anyhow, my point is, to call people who think you actions will have bad consequences Cassandras is not precisely a killer hit.
As I say, indulging human frailty. Indulge, indulge.
Though the way Winston went on to say
...But she does not know what the word "Cassandra" means or where it comes from, and never will know.is kind of the icing on the cake.
--
New Hood: Lyndon Hood: Budget Crisis - Lack of Nickname
Labels: classics, cliches, satire, seniorgold card, Winston Peters
Lyndon Hood - watcher, Wellington
Monday, May 07, 2007
The Magic of Television
I saw the new post-being-found-out Ribena ad. One bit confused me as to whose tests they thought were wrong, but the critical moment for me was the assertion that (in saying the berries they make Ribena out of have more vitamin C than oranges) it was "never [their] intention" to imply Ribena had more vitamin C than orange juice.
That is a difficult assertion to support. Even more so because I had previously happened across this porfolio page from Animation Research who, while being neither the client nor the agency, did do the animation and it sound like they're quoting their brief:
--
I'm please TV3 has someone to France for the election and all, but I'd prefer it if it was someone who didn't pronounce Segolene Royal's first name 'Segleoney'.
I saw the new post-being-found-out Ribena ad. One bit confused me as to whose tests they thought were wrong, but the critical moment for me was the assertion that (in saying the berries they make Ribena out of have more vitamin C than oranges) it was "never [their] intention" to imply Ribena had more vitamin C than orange juice.
That is a difficult assertion to support. Even more so because I had previously happened across this porfolio page from Animation Research who, while being neither the client nor the agency, did do the animation and it sound like they're quoting their brief:
The first commercial was created using our in house software, it told the story of “No artificial additives”. The second commercial was created using 3d Studio Max, this commercial told that there is more vitamin C in Ribena than oranges.Why not just 'fess up and apologise?
--
I'm please TV3 has someone to France for the election and all, but I'd prefer it if it was someone who didn't pronounce Segolene Royal's first name 'Segleoney'.
Labels: advertising, media
Lyndon Hood - spankable, Wellington
Friday, May 04, 2007
I was increasingly concerned that it would suddenly become a breach of the law not to write a blog post about the Sue Bradford's Section 59 bill. I had a few thoughts that I hadn't seen represented much, but I think I managed to cram them in below. And more.
This was of course before everything got sorted. I have to say I'm most impressed with Helen Clark, but John Key has passed up unsavoury political expediency, for what seems to have been principle.
Even though I don't believe understand it. Though I've added a few nuances since, I'll stand by my initial reaction: "The amendment! It does nothing!"
Think about the following just now it occurs to me I should have put something about "getting hammered".
New Hood: "Anti-Shoving" Debate Nears Climax
In recent years a number of anti-violence campaigners have decried the "reasonable force in the pursuit of beer" defence for assault under the Crimes Act. They claim that it constitutes explicit acceptance of violence in society, and further, that it has been used in court to justify actions that were entirely unreasonable, some causing serious injury.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0705/S00009.htm
This was of course before everything got sorted. I have to say I'm most impressed with Helen Clark, but John Key has passed up unsavoury political expediency, for what seems to have been principle.
Even though I don't believe understand it. Though I've added a few nuances since, I'll stand by my initial reaction: "The amendment! It does nothing!"
Think about the following just now it occurs to me I should have put something about "getting hammered".
New Hood: "Anti-Shoving" Debate Nears Climax
In recent years a number of anti-violence campaigners have decried the "reasonable force in the pursuit of beer" defence for assault under the Crimes Act. They claim that it constitutes explicit acceptance of violence in society, and further, that it has been used in court to justify actions that were entirely unreasonable, some causing serious injury.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0705/S00009.htm
Labels: drinking, nz politics, satire, section 59
