The beat goes on

Out of the Maori Innovation Fund will come Brown Bruthas , for prime time TV3. Taungaroa Emile plays one of two characters who are running a fictitious South Auckland recording studio. The show will provide fresh comedy - and be combined with the release of new music onto real radio.

Sky High

Aaron Ward has been making quite an impact as the SKY Guy. "It's been an interesting professional challenge' he said. "A lot of thought and discipline go in to building a character who represents the style and personality of an organisation".

The actor and his art

Matt Davison has been painting since 2005 and has already made a name for himself as a quality expressionist artist. His work has a strong following in Auckland, and art collectors as far away as Scotland and Canada have acquired Matts work. 'Large colour bursting imaginative pieces that are inspired by moments, memories and beautiful landscapes' (Herald Sun Aus). Matt's impressionist expression hooks and captivates the viewer in ways not often seen these days. For those interested in viewing artworks: e-mail davisonnz@yahoo.com.au

Tracking Tem

Tracker , in which Temuera Morrison co-stars with Ray Winstone, is well in to post-production and the official website has been launched: http://trackerthemovie.com

And Tem Morrison is to appear in a major US production of Green Lantern , Also announced was Taika Cohen (Taika Waititi) of 'Boy' and 'Eagle vs Shark' fame. High hopes are held for this DC Comics classic on the big screen, due for release mid- 2011. The Kiwi connection is strong. Director Martin Campbell has enlisted Grant Major for Production Design and Ngila Dickson for Costume Design. Tem last worked with Martin Campbell on Vertical Limit

WWWonder

The always versatile Craig Walsh-Wrightson has gone viral. Craig provided the voice for a cleverly animated Colenso BBDO spot for the New Zealand Book Council, which was heading for 750,000 views on YouTube at the time of writing and was a Museum's Choice winner at the International Film Festival of Cut Paper Animation hosted by the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_jyXJTlrH0

Smarter than the average actor..?

Fraser McLeod has already had a big year. He survived the cutting room to get a moment of screen time in Avatar.. ..and bouncing around the landscape in the persona of cartoon legend Yogi Bear. The movie will be a blend of live action - shot in NZ - and animation. Fraser's performance will be the foundation of the animated hero, who will be voiced by Dan Aykroyd. It was more than going through the motions. "The producers insisted on it being a real performance, so it wasn't enough to be tall" said Fraser (194cm). "So the auditions were pretty tough." Playing opposite Fraser as Boo Boo was the other Kiwi actor on the shoot, Jimmy the Dwarf. Yogi Bear is due for release later this year.

And now for something completely different

Two tales from the technological frontier: Alongside his acting life, Stephen Beale is one of the creative collaborators doing amazing things with neon costumes and multimedia productions. Check it out at http://www.vospertron.com And lending their voice talents to a Kiwi innovation producing humorous animated 'snack movies' for handheld devices are David Weatherley and Andrew Clay . More about JokeToons on Facebook.

Southern men

Owen Black is hard at work with his partners in crime, completing their South Island 'Western'. Netherwood is a 90 minute digital feature, created in North Canterbury, that "will bring all the beauty, power and drama of rural New Zealand and its people to the big screen".The whole remarkable story is available at Netherwood - Official Site

Robert Bruce memories

On 5th March, the anniversary of Robert's funeral service, Robert Bruce Agency artists, casting directors, members of the NZAAG and other industry figures with a long association with Robert and the Agency, gathered at St Matthew-in-the-City. It was the opportunity to celebrate Robert's life and achievements that many had been waiting for after the suddenness of events last year. Mark Hadlow did MC duties with his usual aplomb and some great memories were shared. Gabriella Larkin-Bruce spoke of her deep appreciation for the support and encouragement she has received since stepping in to the agency. She noted that the people in the room represented not only the whole history of the Robert Bruce Agency, but the next 30 years as well.