135 posts tagged “2009”

New Moon broke The Dark Knight’s single day box office record. Are you planning on seeing this teenage vampire love story? If so: Team Edward or Team Jacob?

Absolutely not. And ever since they said Rachelle Lefèvre was fired from the third picture so that Ron Howard’s daughter could take her place, it gives me more reason not to. I will, however, see Barney’s Version.

In the new movie Harry Brown, Michael Caine (you may remember him from Return to the Poseidon Adventure, The Swarm, Jaws 3-D, The Hand and a couple of other movies) is a retired Marine who gives a bunch of yobs on a housing estate what they deserve after a mate of his is killed. The smart-arse at The Times thinks they should have killed him off, probably because Times readers would have preferred he prevailed if he talked like he did in Zulu. Me: I like a bit of escapism and this sounds like a modern-day Death Wish. (Pity that by the time Sir Maurice got to work with Michael Winner, the director had lost his marbles and they made Bullesye.) Go Michael! Blow them bloody doors off!

Remember last year when I took the mickey out of these in the City Life newspaper?

City Life newspaper typo at top of page

CityLife newspaper typos

City Life—Melbourne Cup 2009 header

City Life—Winners’ Circle 2009

The largest car maker in the land was effectively nationalized. It then killed more brands and product lines, even ones that could have survived.
   Chrysler, hanging on to unloved mainstream sedans such as the Avenger, was in a deep crisis and needed a European manufacturer to take over its operations.
   Ford, resisting the urge to go cap in hand to the government, stayed its course and solidified its market share, despite its own union troubles. It managed to shore things up and grow from there.
   USA 2009? No, UK in the 1970s.
   This is not a political post—it’s just pointing out how history repeats itself. I also have a funny feeling the US scenario will play out the same way as the UK one did.
   British Leyland was broken up further and its “volume” operations—despite making fewer cars than London Taxis International—are owned by the Chinese state.
   Chrysler UK no longer exists. Its plants wound up making Peugeots.
   Ford UK might not be as strong today as in the 1980s, but it still has a good market share.

I somehow think there are fewer big car stunts tonight on Alarm für Cobra 11: die Autobahnpolizei. At 8.15 p.m. on RTL. Looks more like an episode of Water Rats.

The makers of Alarm für Cobra 11: die Autobahnpolizei have a good relationship with many of the local car manufacturers. BMW débuted its X1 on the show, before it even appeared at the IAA (Frankfurt Motor Show), and since it is filmed in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Ford Köln is in the area. So, is this a Ford prototype? It looks like a stripped-down version of next year’s S-Max.

Alarm für Cobra 11 ‘Alte Freunde’ 1

Alarm für Cobra 11 ‘Alte Freunde’ 2

   This episode might have only aired this week, but it was probably filmed before the IAA, where the 2010 S-Max had its début.

Now that I’ve figured out how to watch these on the RTL site, I am very much looking forward to this week’s instalment of Alarm für Cobra 11: die Autobahnpolizei.

I’m having a hard time envisaging the New Zealand version of The Apprentice.
   I rather like the UK version of the show (above). Sir Alan Sugar gives a very different style to Donald Trump, and I hope we Kiwis will give our own take.
   The issue I have with the American edition is that the tasks are somewhere between seventh form and first-year uni in terms of complexity, yet egomaniacs who are not used to getting on with one another fail dismally at them. (This is me generalizing and I specifically exclude at least one friend who has been on this show. And I imagine I have just stated the formula behind the programmes.) All these years, I felt smug about how much better Kiwis—who celebrate teamwork more than individuality—would do given the tasks.
   Now my fears are coming to the surface for one reason: what if we suck just as badly? What if the folks who go on the show are picked because of some level of narcissism and the esprit de corps that Kiwis have as a default behaviour takes a back seat? And then, to make it worse, first-year B-school students think that being an uncooperative moron is de rigueur in the business world?
   And providing these guys are not hired for more than 90 days, I suppose the Kiwi Don will be able to say, ‘You’re fired,’ instead of, ‘We need to go into a consultation regarding your dismissal while you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Employment Tribunal,’ or whatever crap we are supposed to say as bosses.
   So, who will be our Donald? Thérèsa Gattung? C. Rankin? My former economics’ classmate Sir Bob Jones?
   My friend David suggested that Rob Muldoon, if he were not dead, would have been perfect for the role.
   We effectively need a rich guy who is cutting, and chances are the producers will want a white male as well. When I go through the potentials in my mind, there’s not a single person I am afraid of, or think, ‘I would feel intimidated in a meeting with him.’
   One of the few rich guys I admire in this country is Peter Jackson, but I can’t see him being enough of an ass to front this sort of show.
   Any former All Blacks at the top of the financial tree who could at least intimidate a few young Kiwis? Someone who can deliver some politically incorrect comments (which comes back to Sir Bob)? Or a big McDonald’s franchise holder who can assign losers to work on the chips with the phrase, ‘You’re fried’?

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From last Thursday’s Alarm für Cobra 11: die Autobahnpolizei. (Being outside Germany, this is about as much as one can see.)