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The fog that delayed all those flights in Auckland on Friday didn’t seem too bad in the morning. A view from my apartment there:

   I only really noticed it when heading out west for the Ford Focus photo shoot. On the way, I spotted this lovely Ford Consul Mk II:    I couldn’t see any rust on this car: it was beautifully maintained. And no, I have no idea why this place is called Koala Auto Services since koalas are not native to this country.

Australians won’t find this as cool since they’ve had this model for a few months, but it was a treat for me to see the E241 Ford Falcon (or FG series) prior to its official New Zealand launch. These are at Manukau, Ford Motor Co.’s New Zealand HQ, along with a classic Model A in its reception area.
   The models are the top-of-the-line G6E luxury model and the performance hero, the XR8.
   In the metal, they look nice but not that big, especially as the CD345 Mondeo has grown considerably. The slab sides make for a less aggressive look, which I don’t think is that good an idea in 2008, but such gentler shapes will probably be perfectly timed for 2010. The Ford family look is very apparent, as well as VW–Audiesque touches such as the rising feature line in the doors’ lower sills.
   It will have its loyal fans and the cabbies will love the LPG versions, even if the Japanese are moving into that market like crazy.
   I can’t wait to drive it as I hear Ford is on to a winner and dynamically, the Falcon is better than its chief rival, the Holden Commodore. And it’s certainly better than any Ford sedan available in the Americas.
   But if it were my money, and I had to get a Ford, the Mondeo makes more sense considering it’s basically now the same size. I don’t need a big four-litre six or a V8 under the bonnet and while I prefer rear-wheel drive, I’m willing to sacrifice that for the better fuel economy of the Mondeo.

   Finally, a step in to the past:

Finally, a celeb decides to extend a hand of friendship to beleaguered celeb Britney Spears:

http://www.rte.ie/arts/2008/0516/spearsb.html

   Mel Gibson may slag off Judaism and Jews when drunk but it is high time someone showed some kindness to Britney and her family.
   It’s a good move for two celebs who need a bit of a positive boost in the media.

Here’s the full publicity picture from US Life on Mars, including the American Gene Hunt himself (Colm Meaney), Sam Tyler (Jason O’Mara) and Annie Cartwright (Rachelle Lefevre).

   What is American for ‘You great, soft, sissy, girly, nancy, French, bender, Man. United-supporting poof!’?
   Here’s another pic from the network:. Question: who’s the old dude on the left? Is this the American Ray?    And, finally, the trailer, which is of great interest to me. Fans of the original, you’ll notice many things are repeated from the first episode in the UK, except the Americans drive on the wrong side of the road—so Sam stops his Jeep on the right side. (He is, interestingly, struck from left to right, too.) The suspect’s name, Colin Raimes, is the same, Sam’s girlfriend in the present is called Maya, and even the Life on Mars title card looks very much like the original with a few changes for US tastes. IMDB says Edmund Butt, who scored the original, has the same job this time around.
   Gene seems less tough in this incarnation though. Maybe Philip Glenister desensitized us?
   I was laughing through most of it (note the American VO with ‘Back in the nick of time’, used in the second series) but unlike most Brit fans, I am looking forward to this.     Un pub pour la nouvelle série américaine Life on Mars, avec les photographies de publicité. Il y a beaucoup de similitudes avec la série originale britannique du BBC.

At Wyldreams’ suggestion (or inspiration) I have set up a group for idealists on Vox. The premise: if porn, gossip and related crap can so easily get propagated online, why not inspirational messages and idealist thoughts about how our world can be run? And if we all post our ideas there, and others can read them, then maybe we can start effecting some positive change? Please consider joining and posting.
   Note: I know politics may enter it but let’s try to not make things divisive, please.

http://idealists.groups.vox.com

Pass the word!

There is an urban myth that when Scottish Television’s Taggart was aired in the US, it needed subtitles because American audiences could not understand the accent. I’m not so sure, because I understand this is the norm these days on late night TV on CBS and Americans have no problem understanding this:

   What a pity The Late Late Show is not aired in the UK or in New Zealand. I think the Scottish humour works down here better than David Letterman’s. Craig Ferguson’s regular comments about living in the US as a foreigner are very Flight of the Conchords. I have been watching it regularly on YouTube.

Sometimes when you look up, you see some interesting things. First, on the Terrace in Wellington, when I noticed a lovely blue sky in autumn.

   Then, when in Auckland: I was heading down to Simon and Marie Young’s office so I didn’t stop to find out what this was all about. Was it training, a fancy way of washing the building, or fans of Police Rescue doing a tribute?

My name is Sam Tyler. I had an accident and woke up as an American. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time?

Here’s the first official image from the US Life on Mars, photographed by Vivian Zink for ABC. It’s not overly American in the casting department: Irish actor Jason O’Mara is Sam Tyler, Canadian actress Rachelle Lefevre is Annie Cartwright. Not pictured is the other Irish expat, Colm Meaney, as Gene Hunt. What is interesting is the image confirms that Annie is a detective from episode one in the States, rather than a uniformed police officer.

Here is the Ford Focus that I was lent, but these are not the film shots, just low-res phone-camera ones. It looks a lot nicer than the previous model and is better screwed together. From the front, it has the Ford family look that started with the Galaxy and S-Max, and for the first time in many years, there’s now a consistent grille between Focus, Mondeo and Falcon (E241). It’s a typical Ford strategy to make the base model look more high-line at facelift time, and this is no exception. Plus I love the colour.

And here’s another one, letting me come up really close as well. Beautiful—and I still wonder if it’s a sign.