3 posts tagged “patriotism”

Further to my moan about Ride with the Devil’s timeslot when, say, Friends re-runs enjoy a better one, why is Serial Killers, starring Robyn Malcolm, on at 11.30 p.m. on TV One? I catch it occasionally and find it quite a fun satire on the TV business—and the occasional revelation about the BS of mass media.
   Patriotism can’t be in that short a supply, surely?
   I then Googled the series and discovered it aired in 2004 and that the ones shown now are re-runs. That explains one thing, but it raises another issue. I have never heard of it—which might suggest a lack of confidence in promoting the series the first time round.
   Google does show, in its cache, a New Zealand Herald report which states that the series aired at 9.30 p.m. on TV One—yes, this is more acceptable, but how come regular Joes like me are only discovering it now?
   The report itself doesn’t have great things to say about the state of affairs of our networks. It opens, ‘Commercial fear and a gutless Government funding agency are behind the dearth of major local productions on TVNZ, says actor Robyn Malcolm.’
   It continues, ‘She won the best female performance award at the New Zealand Screen Awards last month for her part in Serial Killers, a show she claimed was effectively killed by the state broadcaster.’
   But wait, there’s more.

   “[NZ On Air] paid all this money and then watched as [TVNZ] killed it,” said Malcolm. “If you put that much time and money into a piece of work, why not place it in a slot at the pinnacle? Surely you want it to succeed?”
   The former Shortland Street stalwart said the broadcaster was more interested in maintaining revenue than helping to build a local production industry.
   “It’s always cheaper to buy [a US comedy like] Friends than to fund another series of Serial Killers.”
   Malcolm was equally critical of the support offered to the drama Mercy Peak, another show that features on her acting CV.
   “It went off air last year after three series and I thought that was a terrible shame. The third series was getting extremely good, it should have been something [TVNZ] should have shown confidence in. But it was like the better it got, the worse the timeslot it was given.” 

   To be fair, the Herald does give TVNZ’s defence: that Serial Killers was commissioned for a 9.30 p.m. slot (still doesn’t answer my promotional criticism) and Mercy Peak was shifted to avoid a clash with a rival domestic series. 
   I still argue that it is 2007: our programmes are not miles behind foreign stuff. Yes, I do not have great things to say about Close to Home or Country GP or even the non-Ian Mune-directed Letter to Blanchys. But when we churn out things such as Doves of War, The Market, The Insiders’ Guide to Love, Street Legal and others, haven’t our lads and lasses proved themselves worthy of broadcast in their own country at a decent timeslot?
   Is TVNZ’s best defence to this criticism that at least Karaoke High enjoyed a decent scheduling?
   Go to most European countries and they are happy to put their own programmes on during prime-time; ditto many parts of Asia. Anyone been in a hotel room in Japan when they are showing the umpteenth part of a badly filmed, studio-shot period drama, or in France where there is some godawful talk show?
   It may be junk, but at least their broadcasters aren’t apeing the United States. With respect to the many American readers of this blog, I am simply saying that New Zealanders enjoy seeing New Zealand programmes on their TV sets, just as Americans enjoy seeing American programmes. But if you look at our TV-land, you will think that somewhere along the line, we became the 51st state.

Laural

I hadn’t expected a gambling newsletter to be a place where I could find my name, but these folks are laying odds presently on Laural Barrett’s (and others’) chances in Miss Universe on Monday.
   The Online Wire in Fla. has reported my comments (I like how they portrayed me as a politically incorrect loudmouth) defending Laural in early April as a Kiwi–Aussie rivalry thing, but I want to add that that wasn’t the case. It was, more accurately, a side-swipe at foreign-owned media and their “patriotism”.
   The interesting thing is that the Online Wire has done a better job of reporting the so-called “incident” that Laural and her sister Sharaine were allegedly involved in than the newspaper which originally broke the non-story.
   It also asks:

Meanwhile reports from Mexico indicate that Laural Barrett appears to be getting along with Aussie sad beauty Kimberley Busteed. Could it be that these two young women are showing to be far more mature than their fans/supporters?

   In a word, yes.

When I think about the case of Bruce Robinson, the New Zealander in jail in Poland, I contrast it to the case of Australian David Hicks.
   Why hold a New Zealand passport at all, if your Foreign Minister doesn’t measure up to his Australian counterpart’s efforts when you are chucked into prison?
   Whether Downer has been effective is one thing, but note: he has been talking to the President, to Condi, to Alberto, and to Bob Gates (and presumably Don Rumsfeld). Now, I’ll be impressed if our Foreign Minister-outside-Cabinet has talked to the same parties in Poland.
   Cripes, I might travel on my Pommy passport next time.