At which point do you decide that you’ve seen too much of an actor?  Is it when they’ve played the same character for 20 odd years on a soap?  Is it when they’ve played two different characters on two different shows on two differentnetworks in the space of two weeks?  Where is that line?

While drama schools appear to be full of aspiring actors and actresses there only seems to be an elite few who manage to land the lead roles in our locally-produced TV dramas.  While one could argue that the talent pool is vast with those seeking a career in acting, for those that actually do have a career, the options in New Zealand aren’t.

With season runs seemingly getting shorter, landing a role on The Almighty Johnsons is really only a 10 week gig in broadcast time which leaves a lot of space for the other 42 weeks of the year. Other than asking if you’d like some fries with that, what other options are there but to audition for every other show going into production?

Next month, TV One will start screening their new drama Nothing Trivial. Its lineup of stars includes Shane Cortese (Burying Brian, Outrageous Fortune, Shortland Street, The Almighty Johnsons), Tandi Wright (This is Not My Life, Out of the Blue), Nicole Whippy (Outrageous Fortune, Jacksons Wharf), Blair Strang (Go Girls, Shortland Street, Kaitangata Twitch) and Debbie Newby-Ward (Legend of the Seeker, The Pretender).

Particularly for Shane, this is his fourth new character since his villain days on Shortland Street – the third in the space of twelve months.  Shane is a much loved actor but does it get a little too much when we see him in so many different roles in such a short space of time?

We had similar questions here when Booke Williams, who played the love of Van West in Outrageous Fortunesuddenly looked to be Axel’s long-lost love Frigg on The Almighty Johnsons.  (Thankfully, the casting folk for Go Girlsmanaged to do a fantastic job in finding some great new talent for their show.)

So where is the line?  How many characters should an actor play in any given time?  Or should we not worry about this and just celebrate talented actors staying in work on our screens?

- Throng

NZ On Air has announced funding for a major new  drama series from the writers and producers of  Outrageous Fortune and Go Girls.

Nothing Trivial is a comic drama based around the five  members of a pub quiz team with one thing in  common: each is unlucky or unhappy in love.

The 13-part series, which is intended to screen at  prime time on TV ONE, will receive $6.9 million in  funding.

NZ On Air said they are excited about the project.
“We’ve been looking for a quality drama to serve TV ONE audiences for a while now, and this one has all the credentials. The series deals with matters common to us all – life, love and the pursuit of happiness – in a witty and quintessentially Kiwi way,” said NZ On Air chief executive Jane Wrightson.

Made by South Pacific Pictures, the series has been created by award-winning writers Rachel Lang and Gavin Strawhan.

- TVNZ

Fong, who is of Korean and Chinese descent, landed the role of the Pink Ranger on the Nickelodeon show, which premiered Feb. 7. Now the actress is smitten with her new home in New Zealand, where the series is being filmed, and the color pink.

“I will be honest pink wasn’t always my favorite color, but it is definitely growing on me,” Fong said from New Zealand where she is busy filming with the other four Power Rangers. “I find myself gravitating to pink items when I shop just because I wear it everyday on set.”

Born and raised in Minnesota, Fong moved to Los Angeles, Calif. in 2004 at the age of 17.  Fluent in Korean and Cantonese, Fong had a huge culture shock when she arrived at California’s Venice High School with a heavy Minnesotan accent.

But she was determined to pursue her Hollywood dreams. The actress was busy balancing auditions, her full-time college schedule and caring for her two younger sisters. Her big break came when she landed the role of Mia, the Pink Ranger who relies on her turtle animal Zord.

She is now one of five Power Rangers who team up to fight evil villains on “Power Rangers Samurai,” which is produced by Saban Brands. The Pacific Citizen caught up with Fong to find out how she’s dealing with her new success and Pink Ranger super powers.

How did you land the role of Mia, the “big sister” to the Power Rangers?
Erika Fong: I auditioned for the role of Mia a few months before I got it. It was a long process and took many call backs to get it. I remember the day of our final call back. They had me stay behind after everyone had left to also read for the role of Emily, the Yellow Ranger. I was the only Asian American going for the role of Mia against many other beautiful ethnicities, and I was proud to represent being the only Asian American there to go for her role. Just days later, when I found out that I got the role, my mother cried and I screamed, ‘I’m moving to New Zealand!’ It’s honestly been one of the best experiences of my life.

How is New Zealand? I understand you’ll wrap up filming there this month.
Fong: I have officially fallen in love with New Zealand and feel so blessed and grateful to be working in such a beautiful country. The people here are incredibly humble and down to earth.

How much of the Pink Ranger’s stunt work do you perform?
Fong: When I first moved to New Zealand, we went straight into stunt training on the second day of our arrival. We were trained by the best Japanese stunt men and women, who have been with Power Rangers all the way back since Mighty Morphin. I remember not being able to move just after the first week, but they whipped us into shape. I was raised learning Tae Kwon Do by my stepfather, who is an eighth degree black belt. It definitely has helped me in many ways.

Were you always a “Power Rangers” fan?
Fong: I was a huge fan of Power Rangers before taking the role. I remember getting off the bus from grade school and I just couldn’t miss the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” Kimberly, the Pink Ranger, was my favorite of course! But I specifically remember watching Mighty Morphin, while eating a snack, and doing homework. It was the highlight of my evenings at that age. It’s quite surreal now and I would have never imagined at that age that it was possible for me to be the Pink “Power Ranger Samurai” someday.

Have you always dreamed of a career in showbiz?
Fong: I always knew I wanted to be involved in film or anything arts related where I could express myself. I’ve had a love for film all my life and knew I had a special appreciation for film at a really young age.

I was the kid that wasn’t allowed to rent the new releases, but we always had family movie nights with some type of interesting film nobody had ever heard of. A night out at the movies with the family would be at an old vintage theater watching a classic Alfred Hitchcock flick. I ended up going to school for fashion and art at FIDM in Los Angeles while aspiring to be an actress as well.

The “Power Rangers Samurai” cast seems to get along really well. Can you share with me any funny behind-the-scenes moments?
Fong: One of the other cast members Brittany Pirtle, the Yellow Ranger, and I were both in this intense scene where she gets hit and is badly hurt. I was running to her and I found myself so immersed in the scene that I thought it was so real. When I was supposed to scream her character’s name, Emily, I screamed ‘Brittany!!!’ and kept running to her and didn’t even realize it. Yeah, that was quite funny.

What are some of the Pink Ranger’s abilities/gadgets that you wish you could have?
Fong: Pink Ranger Mia has the ability to control the wind with her airway control. I think it would be pretty amazing to control the weather for any occasion you needed: perfect surf, a sunny day at the beach or a windy day to sail! One thing that Mia and I do share is our motherly characteristics. I have two younger sisters. And one thing that we do not share is that she is a terrible cook and I can actually cook up a feast.

When you’re not fighting villains on “Power Rangers Samurai,” how do you spend your time?
Fong: I’m such a sucker for sports. I love anything sports-related where I can be a huge tomboy at times. Football season, basketball season, baseball season and hockey — I love it all. I’ve recently just gotten really into rugby, living in New Zealand. I always enjoy being active, surfing, camping, hiking — pretty much anything outside related.

Music is another love of mine. I’ve been playing the piano since I was 5 years old and love to work on new pieces when I get the time. I love to travel and hope to explore as much of the world as I can in my lifetime. On my down time I enjoy sketching, painting, and sewing. I would love to create a line of my own someday. Of course [I also enjoy] having a night on the couch watching a really good film just by myself or with loved ones. I find myself to be such a family person. Taking time to spend with my family is so important to me.

Did you struggle much in your journey to become an actress?
Fong: I was 17 years old and moved to L.A. in the middle of my senior year of high school from Plymouth, Minn. to pursue my dreams. It was definitely a journey driving all the way. It wasn’t an easy move, but I needed to reach my dreams. Boy did I have a huge culture shock ahead of me.

I can only laugh about it now, but wow was that crazy. I struggled with auditions, while going to college full time, working and taking care of my sisters. It wasn’t easy getting so many “no’s” before a “yes,” but the thing is I never gave up. I refused to give up no matter who got in my way and told me I couldn’t do it. I believed. And soon enough things started to turn. I believe staying true to myself along the way has guided me. I remember promising myself eight years ago … to always remember where I was from, to always carry my values with me no matter where I went in life, and to always treat people the way I would want to be treated. I think it’s important to surround yourself with good people, friends and family. That’s what has kept me grounded in this industry.

Image and interview courtesy of Pacific Citizen

The third season of Go Girls went out on a high this week with TVNZ saying its high ratings make it New Zealand’s most popular local weekly drama.

In total, more than 2 million New Zealanders aged 5 years and older have tuned in to Go Girls for this third series, and an average of 708,200 in the same age bracket tune in each week. It is consistently in the top 10 programmes among its target demographic of 18-39s and rates in the top 10 most-viewed programmes on TVNZ Ondemand this month.

Co-writers Rachel Lang, Gavin Strawhan and Kate McDermott say though it takes some time for a series to build an audience, they felt they had really hit their stride this season.

“Some of the stories got quite meaty and emotional. So when we were watching the cuts we were going, yeah, these are bigger, more grown-up stories. Of course all our characters are getting older.”

The decision to bring Amy, played by Anna Hutchison, back on board this season has met interestingly mixed reactions.

“It’s been hard for some of the audience to accept that she’s back, but that’s not surprising in a closed group of friends. Ironically she’s in the same position Olivia was in when she came on board, but things will move on,” McDermott says.

She slotted nicely into the script with Matt Whelan who plays Brad leaving to work on feature film My Wedding and Other Secrets half-way into the season.

The fourth season, which is in early-production stages now and is due to be shot later in the year is expected to follow the same tried and true quest formula and this week’s dramatic cliff-hanger has left the writers with plenty to play with. It is due to screen early next year.

TVNZ’s Commissioner of Drama, Kathleen Anderson, says she sees that audiences can relate to the storylines and characters. “I always knew that Go Girls was going to be a big hit with Kiwis as the characters are so loveable and their quests are similar to some of our own goals in life.”

Jane Wrightson, chief executive of NZ On Air says the ratings are a credit to the local television industry and show it is able to produce drama series that equal the best international shows.

Meanwhile TV3 is celebrating high ratings for its new prime-time shows 111 Emergency and Drug Bust which are into their third week in the schedule. Mediaworks’ director of programming Kelly Martin says the network knew reality crime shows would sit well with the audience but the show blew their expectations, becoming the top-rating TV3 shows by a long shot.

111 Emergency reached an 11.5 rating and a 25.8 share in the 25-54 age group this week while Drug Bust hit a 15.7 rating and 34 share. To put that in perspective, TV3′s average ratings are now about a 7 or an 8 and their average share is about 20.

“Those numbers are massive, that’s the biggest on our schedule by a country mile,” Martin says.

She says programmers knew audiences liked watching real people get into trouble on television but the numbers far exceeded expectations.

The shows replaced Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger and repeats of Million Dollar Catch.

- Nz Herald

The big news that fans of the hit Starz original series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, have been following since the first season ended long ago was the loss of star Andy Whitfield after he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and his eventual replacement with Liam McIntyre.

What many fans might not be so aware of, is that another popular actor from the first season also departed from the show during the lengthy delay. Lesley-Anne Brandt, who played top slave girl to Lucretia (Lucy Lawless), Naevia, decided during the delay to accept a job on CSI: NY. Now it’s being reported that Starz has found their new Naevia with the casting of Cynthia Addai-Robinson.

Addai-Robinson has mostly done TV work with gigs on Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, CSI: Miami, Numb3rs, CSI: NY, ironically, and FastForward. She’s also set to appear in the upcoming movie Columbiana with Zoe Saldana, recent addition to The Hunger Games, Amandla Stenberg, Cliff Curtis, Callum Blue, and Michael Vartan.

The second season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand is currently in production and set to arrive at some point early next year.

Business leaders and celebrities hope a global telethon for the Christchurch earthquake will revitalise fundraising.

The 12-hour telethon will be held on May 22, exactly three months after the devastating earthquake, will be broadcast by Maori Television from studios in Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, with links to the regions and overseas.

Funds raised by the telethon, Rise Up Christchurch – Te Kotahitanga, will go to the Christchurch earthquake appeal.

All Blacks Richie McCaw and Dan Carter joined the launch by video link from Perth and urged people to get behind the telethon.

“We still see a lot of devastation on the people’s faces. They’re really still finding it a big challenge,” Carter said. “As time goes on, things seem to get tougher and I think it’s important that we really reboot our support and Rise Up Christchurch is a perfect opportunity to do that.”

New Zealand Stock Exchange chief executive Mark Weldon said as time went on the focus on Christchurch had started to fade and the telethon would help re-energise support.

“For two to three weeks everyone is there, but as time goes on everyone is just getting on with their life. That’s where we are now and that’s why this event is so important,” he said.

Mr Weldon said about $60 million had been raised so far, more than half of which came from outside of New Zealand, and more could be raised.

“We should banish the idea of donor fatigue,” he said.

Dairy giant Fonterra will contribute $500,000 towards production and administration costs so that all other funds raised will go directly to the earthquake appeal.

“We thought this was a great way to keep momentum going,” Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier said.

Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker said the telethon would be a huge boost for the city.

“It seems lately we’ve been taking three steps forward and one step back but we’re holding our heads high,” Mr Parker said.

“We also want to bring home to Kiwis everywhere, especially those living in other parts of the world, that Christchurch is going to need ongoing support.”

Prime Minister John Key welcomed the telethon in a statement today.

“In the wake of both September’s and February’s earthquakes, there has been a huge number of people and organisations volunteering their time to help Christchurch.

“This event characterises that generosity, and I know a lot of people are donating their time and expertise to make the event a success.”

Among the other celebrities supporting the telethon at the launch were Opshop musician Jason Kerrison, broadcaster Pippa Wetzell and Olympic gold medallist Hamish Carter.

Actor Martin Henderson and model Rachel Hunter also appeared by video link at the launch from Los Angeles.

“Now is obviously a time where New Zealanders at home and abroad can come to support Christchurch, and no way is too small,” Henderson said.

People will be able to pledge money on the night by a toll-free phone call or online.

NZ Herald

Christian TV hunk Ido Drent, who plays teenage lothario Daniel Potts on Shortland Street, is engaged.

Typically it was announced on Facebook. Drent proposed to girlfriend Mandy Hodges and the pair have set the date: December 9.

It’s a rather quick hop to the “I dos” for Ido. The talented young actor met the buxom blonde at a celebrity poker tournament at SkyCity only a few months ago.

Could the rush to the alter have anything to do with the charge to cast off his virginity?

Friends say the TV star has signed up to a magazine deal, so expect to see the whole romance – engagement, wedding, honeymoon – splashed across the pages of a glossy. That will go some way to paying for the nuptials.

Also expected to reveal her good news in the glossies is former TV3 weathergirl Toni Marsh, who gave birth to a baby girl by caesarian section last week.

Sources tell me Marsh and her husband Paul Gunn are thrilled with their little bundle, as is Marsh’s father Barry who is delighted with his first grandchild.

Another friend of the pay-for stories, Miriama Kamo, who bleated to a rag that she was high-tailing it to Germany and to another that she was staying put, is facing a challenge on Sunday nights from her nemesis Mike McRoberts.

TV3′s 60 Minutes current affairs show will move from Wednesday to Sunday to compete against TVNZ’s show on that night – unimaginatively called Sunday. It will be McRoberts Vs Kamo and we know who our money will be on.

McRob, who anchors TV3′s nightly news, is the television broadcaster women most lust after. Whether in a flak jacket in a war zone, a designer suit in the studio or strumming a guitar for charity on Telethon, let’s face it, McRob ticks all the boxes.

Also doing her bit for charity is Rachel Hunter, who is tipped to make a surprise appearance at the Telethon for Christchurch event on May 22 alongside some of our biggest global exports.

Anna Paquin, Kylie Bax, Helen Clark, Jonah Lomu, Jemaine Clement and Martin Henderson are rumoured to be beaming in on love crosses from around the globe, which will undoubtedly add much star-studded glamour to the televised event.

Mayor Len Brown will also be participating in the Telethon next month, despite the discontent that continues to quietly brew among his ranks.

Six months on in the life of the Auckland Council and it appears Brown still has the numbers but chances of a power play are growing. Sources tell me Waitemata councillor Mike Lee is fast becoming Auckland’s real powerbroker, superseding Waitakere’s career councillor Penny Hulse, who is Auckland’s Deputy Mayor.

Lee, the former leftie chairman of the Auckland Regional Council, is reportedly working well with the council’s left and right. Some are saying he would have the numbers to mount a challenge to be deputy mayor.

But Hulse is on the warpath. She apparently refuses to deal with the likes of Lee and the Citizens & Ratepayers councillors, and her inner circle and influence is shrinking.

She has locked herself away in the Auckland Town Hall while all the other councillors are based across Aotea Square in the Civic Administration Building.

With former running champ and right-winger Dick Quax likely to win next month’s local body byelection for Howick, Hulse and Brown’s headaches will only get worse.

The gloss may be coming off the Auckland mayor, but he maintains a majority around the council table.

The big surprise is the fact that his political allies beneath him are now turning on each other.

NZ Herald

Star of ‘Xena: Warrior Princess’ and ‘Spartacus’ is transforming her New Zealand property into a garden of Eden.
Lucy Lawless is about to add some serious green space to her Auckland, New Zealand, estate.

The 43-year-old “Spartacus” and former “Xena: Warrior Princess” star is converting half of her current property into a 17,000-square-foot eco-friendly garden. Landscaping experts who have reviewed the plans estimate that the final cost will be in the hundred of thousands of dollars.

According to the New Zealand Herald, the new space will include “a large raised stone vegetable garden, poultry house, rainwater tank, rolling lawns, a glass conservatory and courtyards.”

In an interview last year with Good magazine, Lawless urged readers to follow her example. “Plant something! Anywhere you can, plant something! I am digging up my tennis court and putting in native trees to encourage the native birds to come in,” she said. “We have bees which I highly recommend. Makes the garden go off.”

“I know we don’t all have tennis courts to dig up, but we can all plant a window box or a tree,” she added. “Just consider the kind of light and drainage and the mature size of the tree. Make sure you can live with it in the long term.”

Lawless’ garden plans are currently under review by the city council.

Taken from MNN