K’Rd show finds place to stand

K’Rd Strip: A Place to Stand Okareka Dance Company, Downstage, Wellington, until July 13 Raw, crude, joyful, outrageous, funny and sad are words that describe Auckland’s iconic Karangahape Rd perfectly. They are also a perfect fit for Okareka Dance Company’s thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking show, which has “the strip” as its pulsating heart

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How Terry Gilliam saved Heath Ledger’s final movie

Is there a filmmaker in the world with worse luck than Terry Gilliam? He was directing Heath Ledger in "The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus," when the actor died — and it’s not the first time he has lost a leading man. Jean Rochefort didn’t die eight years ago, but Gilliam had to abandon “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” after a few days when 70-year-old star Jean Rochefort became seriously ill and a flash flood washed away the entire set.

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‘Museum’ fun to film for cast and crew

When a film cast includes names like Ben Stiller, Robin Williams and Owen Wilson, a bit of improvisation on set is to be expected. “I think the movie is really only 25 percent scripted, maybe even less than that,” said Shawn Levy, director of the new film “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian,” which boasts those comedic actors and several others. “It just so happens that the scenes that get some of the biggest laughs are the improvised scenes, so it feels like more than that, but we had a very good script and it’s still very much there.” The sequel to 2006’s “Night at the Museum” welcomes back the trio and director as well as other original cast members, including British actor Ricky Gervais, while also adding fresh faces such as Hank Azaria (as a villainous pharaoh) and Amy Adams (as Amelia Earhart)

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