KEY POINTS:
The Government is about to pull the plug on the state-funded screen lobby group designed to boost the film and television business.
The Screen Council - which includes big players in the production business - has always had a limited lifespan. But it also got caught in the crossfire between two Government departments - the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) which funded it, and the Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH).
It has clashed with the MCH whose agencies - New Zealand on Air and The New Zealand Film Commission - also advise the government on the film and TV world.
The Screen Council is being discontinued while the production industry awaits the outcome of its swansong project - an attempt to convince the Government to match generous new film and TV subsidies in Australia.
The state-funded lobby group was a legacy of Jim Anderton and the days when he was Economic Development Minister after pushing through the Large Budget Screen Production Grant.
The grant - offering a 15 per cent rebate on local spending for big budget film and TV - has been good for Hollywood and Peter Jackson.
It has also helped the companies that service them, but not New Zealand films and TV shows.
The MED with its business viewpoint has clashed with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage with its focus on arts.
An industry source said the Screen Council had questioned the commission and questioned whether its approach would lead to growth.
On the other hand the commission has questioned whether the Screen Council, with its business background, represents the reality of the film industry.
Other sceptics of the Screen Council also note that many of its members aiming to boost New Zealand production are overseas-owned or controlled companies.
But nobody doubts that the Screen Council has achieved goals.
It lobbied successfully for increases to the Large Budget Screen Production Grant, and other issues such as tax.
The Screen Council has also launched Screenmark, which records the film and TV schools that are respected by the industry and whose graduates get jobs.
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment promoters can rest easy after a court judgment for the actor cum Maori activist Tame Iti last week.
Even if your star performer is facing firearms charges - as Iti is after the police raids in Ruatoki last October - the High Court will intervene on your behalf. You could be excused for believing the judgment is another example of Iti's charmed status as a media cause celebre.
You might remember that Iti's role as media favourite came to a crunch during Waitangi Day when TVNZ admitted it gave Iti's family some petrol vouchers so they could attend Waitangi Day celebrations.
The decision last week amends bail rules, allowing Iti to play his role in Tempest II by dance troupe MAU which is set to play at European arts festivals in Brussels and London.
The decision was attacked by New Zealand First MP Ron Mark who questioned how someone facing serious charges can be allowed out of the country for a show.
The Tempest II producers are naturally pleased because the future of the tour has been in doubt since Iti's arrest. But isn't law built on precedent?
Theatre troupes or film companies whose stars come unstuck with the law will be able to point to the Iti case.
The High Court judgment was made on matters of law, but the upshot is that arts buffs can say it's proof of the high profile and value placed on the arts in New Zealand nowadays.
MAU choreographer and writer Lemi Ponifasio said his version of the play addressed issues of unlawful detention in a post 9/11 world.
The High Court registry said that the application for bail amendment allowing Iti to access his passport was opposed by police.
MAU and Iti must be chuffed. But you'd imagine that Iti would be clutching that court order tightly so that he could show it to European immigration officials, wouldn't he?
MAU Dance Company was given $35,000 from Creative New Zealand's July 2007 project funding round towards airfares and freight to tour Tempest II to Belgium and the UK this year.
ON THE LINE
This column reported that TVNZ had some success in March with its late show Tonight passing TV3's Nightline in its key demographic of 18-49 year olds.
TV3 was quick to point out yesterday that in April Nightline was back on top, watched by 21.3 per cent of people compared to Tonight's 21 per cent.
That is pretty marginal but TV3 says in Auckland for the 18-49 demographic Nightline for the month got a 24 per cent share compared to Tonight's 11.1 per cent.
RADIO VETERAN DIES
Phil Armstrong - the producer for Newstalk ZB breakfast host Paul Holmes - has died after a 21-year partnership on the show.
He was 55 when he passed away on Tuesday. Holmes lamented the loss of one of radio's great characters who joined Newstalk in 1987 at a bad time.
"We simply weren't getting the interviews - everything we planned was falling over and ratings were in a nosedive," Holmes said.
"Phil was from Palmerston North - had a job in Auckland that hadn't worked out and he was only available for a few weeks. Twenty-one years later we were still together."
Holmes says he and his longtime producer - who famously walked around with bare feet for most of the year - were very different.
"He had a calming presence which I so needed back then when I was talking in a stream of consciousness.
"We respected each other and became genuine friends, but we left each other alone. It takes something special when you meet up each day at 4.45am, greet each other civilly, and become and remain friends. Phil and I were probably regarded as the funny old buggers at Newstalk ZB - going out together for a smoke during the news. We confided in one another."
Holmes said that Armstrong had suffered a swift decline since being diagnosed with cancer, but Newstalk ZB people were chuffed when Armstrong made it to the recent Radio Awards, where their show received accolades and colleagues gave him a standing ovation.
LISA PALMER
Phil Armstrong is not the only loss from the radio world. On February 8 the executive producer of National Radio's Nine to Noon show - Lisa Palmer - passed away suddenly due to a suspected aneurism. She was 48.
WALLINGTON OFF
Radio New Zealand has dropped Phil Wallington from his role as media commentators on its Nine to Noon spot because of his decision to produce TVNZ's Media 7 show.
RNZ spokesman John Barr said Wallington was leaving due to RNZ's "stringent policy on conflicts of interest".
The limitations would also apply to him working elsewhere at RNZ.
Wallington has held the National Radio media spot for 2 1/2 years.
