I've just moved to Wellington, but before I did a proper move, work sent me up for a few days to get acquainted with things, and while I was there I stayed at the Holiday Inn on Featherston Street.

I was kind of excited because over past 25 years, there have been many hip hop songs with mentions of exciting things that happen at a "hotel, motel, Holiday Inn". What extravagances would await me? Perhaps a party that didn't stop till six in the morning...

Did you know? Craiglist, the hugely successful free online classified, personal ad and listing service has a Wellington site. As an experiment, a few weeks ago I put up an ad for volunteers for the 'V' 48 Hour Film Competition and got a couple of responses (two more than I was expecting).

There are sections on employment, services, personals, community and housing. All listings are free and you can monitor any section via RSS.

Sadly, the signal to noise ratio is not great as most of the entries are a bit spammy but that should change as Wellingtonians start to use it.

Back from an unscheduled layoff, and hopefully in time for the weekend, here’s a run-down of this week’s cinematic openings. At the top of the list is Todd Haynes’ masterpiece I’m Not There. featuring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw as versions of the legend of Bob Dylan. I wasn’t expecting it be as funny as it is but once I recalibrated I enjoyed myself enormously. Paramount, Lighthouse Petone and Rialto.

Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher team up for romantic comedy about two individuals forced to become a couple in order to win a $3m slot machine prize. Dominion Post film reviewer Graeme Tuckett told me by text that he was surprised he liked it, but then he enjoyed Maid in Manhattan too. Vegas is all over the place: Readings, Empire, Regent-on-Manners.

Music Within is an indie American drama based on a true story about a deaf Vietnam veteran (Ron Livingston from “Band of Brothers”) who returned to the States and began a battle with the authorities for support for all Americans with disabilities. Rialto exclusive (and limited sessions due to the building work at the site so check in advance).

Finally, the Penthouse and Lighthouse (Petone) are playing an Irish film, set in a retirement home, called How About You, based on a short story by Maeve Binchy.

I'm Not There. and How About You have already been reviewed at Funerals & Snakes. The other two will appear next week.

On a cold Wednesday night all of the Wellingtonistas had plans or comedy-killing illnesses. So instead I recruited some good friends (Suchern and James) who were dying to see some good comedy, here's their review of the night:

Held in the "medieval wedding cake" the Big Show delivered the Big Laughs. Which is what one should expect when an Irishman, Englishman, Australian and American get together.

Well paced and MC'd by Aussie comedian and Edinburgh Fringe legend Mickey D, complete with a Maori accent obviously picked up in Auckland, kept the near capacity crowd in hysterics throughout. Personal highlight was wise cracking New Yorker Eddy Ifft, who had his very own "bushisms". Laura would not be amused.

Neil Delamere (Ireland) and John Fothergill (England) each with their own take on their homelands, Wellington and the battle of the sexes kept the laughs coming and did not disappoint.

Together the four complemented each other and presented a rare and rip-roaringly enjoyable chance to catch four internationally acclaimed comedians in one night. Not that the best of Kiwi comedians would be outclassed next to them, just that its nice to hear different voices occasionally.

Our only minor cribble, was an over reliance on the easier kind of jokes to make, the dirty/sexual/racial/Palmerston North kind. Only kidding about our wind powered friends, they will always amuse us.

Joke of the night "a quiche is just a pie with egg and bacon, who knew?". Classic.

The Big Show continues nightly until Saturday at the Opera House, get in while you can: The Big Show

Yes, I know it's an old concept, but I couldn't resist. Also, this isn't so much a bar as a café, though it does sell wine. And it feels more like being in a friend's living room, if you had a friend with lots of sexy mid-Twentieth-Century furniture and nice views.

Rather a nice place to sit in the sunshine (presuming you can do so without freezing your antennae off) at the weekend and watch the world go by. But where is it?

White Fungus is an experimental arts magazine based in Wellington, Aotearoa, New Zealand. Produced by a collective of artists, writers and designers, White Fungus is an ongoing experiment in community media art.

The new issue of White Fungus comes out this week. This issue is the strongest yet for experimental music with an in-depth article on the Dead C, an interview by Andrew Clifford with Justice Yeldham (who stunned and shocked audiences throughout NZ last year thanks to alt.music), an interview by Daniel Beban with Annea Lockwood, plus articles on John Wiese, Greg Malcolm and Manuel Göttsching. This issue also features a new 7-page colour comic, Noah, by Tim Bollinger, new art by Richard Killeen, Hye Rim Lee, Yao Jui Chung and Tao Wells plus much more....

And the launch party... my god, the launch party... (more after the jump)

Noone really does any work on Fridays, do they? So instead, tell us a story about one of your most memorable nights out in Wellington in the comments section. We're looking for location, location, location, and what you choose to disclose is entirely up to you. Just entertain us. Thank you. My story will follow very shortly.

Wishbone have put up the prices of most of its food by $1, so now you will pay $7.50 for their cranberry, chicken and brie sandwich (luckily, next door to my local Wishbone is the Concorde Cafe where I can get a crusty baguette filled with salami and cheese, and a mystical half olive for a bargain $3.50). They say that it is the rising cost of petrol that has forced them into it. We say that maybe if they investigated ways to reduce the ridiculous amount of plastic that their food comes in, the cost of petrol wouldn't affect them quite as much.

PS: Their black plastic boxes are #5, which can't be collected, but you can take them in to Commonsense Organics who will recycle them for you. If you're that dedicated. We think that Wishbone should take them back too.

Registration for this year's 'V' 48 Hours Furious Filmmaking competition closes in only 8 days and organisers are once again looking (somewhat apprehensively) at a record-breaking number of entries. 2007 saw more than 120 teams take part in the Wellington region alone, and this year extra capacity has been made available so no one will get turned away.

There are over $100,000 of prizes up for grabs including a special Wellington-only prize for Best Film Written or Directed by a Woman, donated by WIFT (thanks to the efforts of the wonderful Gaylene Preston). While the attractions of camera-gear, facilities vouchers, travel, movie tickets and guarana-infused fizzy drinks are obvious, most teams enter for the sheer joy of filmmaking and return again and again.

Teams will shoot their films on the weekend of 16-18 May and the Heat screenings (this year free of charge) take place at the Paramount from 20 May. The Wellington Grand Final will be at The Embassy, once again, on Wednesday 11 June.

One of our favourite Gawker websites, Gridskipper is no more. They've been sold to the Curbed Network (and the writers are now whoring themselves out)

Where now, will we get all of our info about the best breakfast in Hollywood? Or where to get free wifi in Paris? Or even what's being born at Wellington Zoo? (check out the "via", yes we squeed at that).

Gridskipper was also the site of Wellington's tremendous victory over Baku (Azerbaijan)

Happy Trails [Gridskipper]

We know that we've mentioned their sales in the past, but we know that you like books, and discounts, and also free wine, and that is why we must let you know that once again, Vic Books is starting its sale of awesomeness.

It starts with drinks, nibbles & great books with ridiculously low prices from about 4pm, Thursday 1st May, in the Kelburn shop. The sale runs in both shops until Thursday 22nd May, and they have two special "discount days": 25% off all non-fiction not already discounted on Thursday 8th May; 25% off all fiction not already discounted on Thursday 15th May.

And remember - if you're too lazy to walk up the hill, you can take the Cable Car, or the numbers 17, 20 and 23 buses to get there, or check out Vic Books down at the Railway Station if you're not so keen on fiction.

This just in from Metlink - Disruption to GO Wellington bus services - Wednesday 30 April 2008

On Wednesday 30 April bus services on all GO Wellington routes will be suspended between the hours of 10am and 2pm.

“The suspension of services is to allow a scheduled union meeting for our people represented by the Wellington Tramways Union,” says Zane Fulljames, General Manager Southern Region. “The union has one meeting each year to discuss union business with its members.”

“We apologise unreservedly for any inconvenience this causes our customers” says Mr Fulljames.

“With advance notice we trust our customers can plan their day’s activities with minimum disruption”

Services will be limited between the hours of 9.00-10.00am and 2.00-3.00pm.

Between 10.00am and 2.00pm, there will be no GO Wellington bus services.

A normal full service on all GO Wellington routes will operate up until 9.00am and will resume from 3.00 pm.

Valley Flyer, Runcimans, train and Cable Car services will not be interupted and will operate as normal.

And now you know

(photo and illustration by, soon-to-be re-Wellingtonian, Robyn Gallagher)

A group of well-bred yet raffish gentleflies embarked on a Chaps' Night Out last night, in search of rare delights and exquisite debauchery. I won't bother you with all the sordid details, but I think there are a few valuable lessons that are worth sharing.

• It's dashed inconvenient to find so many otherwise fine establishments closed on an Anzac weekend.
• When in search of enlightenment and exotic delights from the mystic East, I wouldn't bother with Raki.
• On a night when hordes of be-sneakered young ruffians have been lured into the city by popular music, one has yet another reason to steer well clear of the vulgar hoi polloi of Courtenay Place in favour of more sedate watering holes.
• When Hawthorn Lounge gets busy, the quality of their caiparinhas can slip quite alarmingly, yet they can still deliver an impeccable Crown Jewel Martini.

...

Recently the Wellingtonista were sent an email from "Dave, Designer fella in Wellington" enquiring whether we thought that Wellingtonian Creative Web Design Folk might fancy the opportunity to meet up monthly; to drink, discuss related stuff and network.

Our response was:
"Web people getting together to drink (and talk geek), you have to ask?"

But we thought we'd ask you anyway. We do appreciate that there are many sorts of sub committees that happen organically, but they're all sub styles. So how about it, Web Creative folk? Leave your comments and thoughts here for Dave to collect. And please feel free to contribute ideas for venues and sponsorship while you're at it.