it is beautifully told and rather sad, my daughter and I then watched Oktapodi and totally cheered up, I hope you enjoy this as much as we did

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=badHUNl2HXU

for the purposes of this blog I define ethnicity specifically, eg, Korean as opposed to Asian, New Zealander as opposed to Caucasian (as a side note, I did not grow up with the word Caucasian, I tend it associate the word with white Americans coz I only ever heard it on American tv/movies, in NZ generally the terms New Zealand European or Pakeha are used, personally I prefer Pakeha but that is a whole other blog).

When I came through Hong Kong last year and met up with the AnD crew (such an awesome bunch) and for some reason was talking about Cliff Curtis and Temuera Morrison (I think it's coz Patrick bought up the movie Once Were Warriors).  I mentioned that they often played other ethnicities (not Maori), for instance Cliff often plays Arabs or Hispanics.   Patrick mentioned that Asian American's faced the same problem - being cast as ethnicities other than their own.  I was actally taken aback and didn't know what to say - simply because I have never seen it as a problem.

We Kiwi's are very proud of Cliff (and other NZ actors working in Hollywood) and see their acting as other ethnicities as a mark of their talent and versatility.  It never occured to us that this was a problem (I say us, coz I have never heard another Kiwi speak of it in a negative light).   Maybe it is because we are a small nation (5 million people in a world population of 8 billion) at the bottom of the world on the edge of all things, that we don't really expect there to be roles for Maori or NZers in general or we just view certain things differently.  I don't know. *shrugs*

 Cliff Curtis 

Take for instance Karl Urban, he played Eomer in the Lord of the Rings and has been in various NZ movies and tv shows.  His international roles include a Russian assassin in the Bourne Supremacy, a viking and more recently Bones - the American doctor in Star Trek.  While we are on Star Trek, in the latest movie Simon Peg, an Englishman, played Scotty (who is supposed to be Scottish) but even the original Scotty was played by a Canadian (James Doohan),  WTF does it matter.

Martin Csokas, another Kiwi actor in Hollywood often plays East Eurpean villans (Triple X, The Bourne Supremacy, Evilenko) as well as other non New Zealander roles...

I'm not trying to be insensitive, I'm just trying to understand why it is seen as a negative when it can be viewed in a positive way....

To be clear, I'm not talking about the stereotyping of ethnicities (Asians alway being cast as martial artists or fast food delivery guys) - where the I agree the problem is serious and I can understand folk getting pissed off.  Neither am I talking about whites playing black people or Asian people, like they did in the past which was clearly a racist practice.   

I was perusing my old blogs and found that my Dangermouse - the coolest cartoon hero ever  blog has received 2115 views, this greatly suprised me - though it shouldn't have, Danger Mouse really is the coolest cartoon EVER in the history of the universe and he has some stiff competition.

This was followed by my Trans Tasman Rivalry blog with 1901 views and Kiwi in Korea 6 - Busan with 1591 views.   Pete Sweet (The Mighty Boosh) and RIP Beryl Cook trailed with 796 and 710 views respectively.

What is your most viewed blog and why do you think it is? 

Clearly if Danger Mouse was Antipodean he would be a Kiwi....

Hope you all had (or are having ) a great Halloween

I bought some lollies but only a couple of kids came by, if I had known it was only going to be those two I would have been more generous in my handouts.  Halloween is not traditional here so the neighbourhood is not filled with scores of kids dressed up.  Often parents take kids to organised events as they are perceived (perhaps rightly) as being safer.   So if anybody has a hankering for Fruit bursts or Mackintosh lollies come on over to my place....

I hand out these because they are wrapped, but what is your favourite treat/lolly/sweet/candy/confectionary (whatever the heck you want to call it)

Woo hoo the rugby was on last night (in Tokyo), I didn't stay up to watch it coz I knew the All Blacks (that's the NZ rugby team for the odd person on the planet who may not know) would beat Australia easily *cough cough*.  We did win  (the final test for the Bledisloe cup) and I am taking this moment to gloat unashamadly over the Aussies on here  (it's because they usually beat us at cricket which is a far superior game).

I recently found Crow Zero II on http://www.asizia.com/movie/42/J-Movie-:-Crows-Zero-II-2009.html and it reminded me of how cute Kiritani Kenta is (the mustouched gent in my profile pic).  and Tokio is my fav character.   Here is a couple of other shots (the stache is for a character he played in Rookies, where he looks kinda ridiculous but I don't care, I think he is lufferly - his interests are traveling, drumming and shamanism *sigh*).  

Hi folks

sorry I have been awol for so long, being a AnDholic was interfering with my job searching and I thought I would not come on until I had found full time work, well I still haven't found full time work but I am working part time in a bookshop - which I totally love

I hope everyone has been well, I have missed you all very much!  I don't have much other news - my daughter is learning the accordian, I am learning the bodhran (Irish drum) and penny whistle.  I tell ya, it's the height of cool in my house.  I have acquired another teen who now lives here (as you do) and work on my property is going very very slowly (it's a finance thing).  All is good though and I hope you are all well too.

At the moment it is the Nelson Arts Festival so here is a couple of photos of the Mask parade that opens it (done mainly by local schools).