The Dublin Event Guide, King Kong and the Koalas of New Zealand

Email sent by blather.net to the Dublin Event Guide:
“Your writer, Paul Byrne, needs to get his geography and natural history up to scratch. In his article about Peter Jackson, he claims that Jackson has almost replaced the koala bear as the national symbol of New Zealand. New Zealand’s symbol is actually the Kiwi – there are no indigenous land mammals in New Zealand at all. In fact, the koala is an Australian marsupial. And the Australian national symbol is the kangaroo anyway…”
The interview is online:

Indeed. For his ‘King Kong’, Jackson has 2,200 computer-generated shots, but he also had twice as many miniatures built as for all three ‘Lord Of The Rings’ films combined. That Jackson has created his own mini-Hollywood in his native Wellington — where he has three production companies, WingNut Films, Weta Limited and Three Foot Six, along with the expansive Stone Street Studios complex — has seen the 5’ 6″ filmmaker practically overtake the koala bear as New Zealand’s national emblem. The national airline has a ‘Lord Of The Rings’ logo painted down the side. Arrive at the airport, and there’s a statue of Gollum. Go walking around Wellington, and there’s a mosaic portrait of Jackson in the town square.
Film Interview – Peter Jackson / ‘King Kong’ »

daev

Chief Bottle Washer at Blather

Writer, photographer, environmental campaigner and "known troublemaker" Dave Walsh is the founder of Blather.net, described both as "possibly the most arrogant and depraved website to be found either side of the majestic Shannon River", and "the nicest website circulating in Ireland". Half Irishman, half-bicycle. He lives in southern Irish city of Barcelona.