Sideswipe

Chloe Sevigny of 'Boys Don't Cry' and 'Melinda Melinda' fame (see story below).

The New York Daily News asked Chloe Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry, Melinda Melinda) which is she more scared of, subway bombs or avian flu: "Doesn't avian flu affect old people more? I'm young and healthy. I have a strong constitution. My mother breast-fed me for years," she says.

* * *

Nova Gibson was at Pak N' Save, Alderman Drive, Henderson, and saw a sign above their deli advertising "Half Cooked Chickens". She says, "I envisioned bloody juices still incubating salmonella, oozing out of a half-cooked, half-raw chicken ... Cooked Half Chickens sounds much more appetising don't you think?"

* * *

More Great Moments in TV Weather Reporting: Al Roker reports for the Today show on hurricane Wilma from Florida earlier this week. The camera pans out to show how Al is being held in place by a cameraman who has literally wrapped himself around Roker's leg to weigh him down. The camera stays on this odd lovefest, and a few seconds later Al proceeds to topple into the ground, more or less on the cameraman. Cut back to the studio and the female anchor says, "Wouldn't it have been easier to just hold on to the rail fence behind him?"

* * *

Ron Bakir's company Schapelle Corby Pty Ltd was deregistered on Sunday and summed up in the Sydney Morning Herald. "The final chapter in the tale of a selfless Gold Coast businessman who went in to fight for an innocent abroad, a story that might have interested Hollywood except for the fact that Schapelle is still stuck in an Indonesian jail, Ron is facing questions over the collapse of companies linked to the mobile phone business he founded, and the two sides no longer talk".

* * *

Built for comfort, not for speed: A press release from Bike NZ, issued October 24 and marked "For immediate use", was about a cycling conference held 10 days earlier in Hutt City. The message was that all road users should back cyclists as everyone benefits from less congestion and a better environment. Not to mention the health benefits to cyclists, who as well as avoiding obesity, seem in no danger of stressing out over deadlines.

* * *

The Auckland Philharmonia is trying to raise some cash and has stooped to the proletariat's black-economy-generator, Trade Me. The fundraiser, known as the Symphonic Auction in Four Movements, is a series of four 10-day auctions of mostly luxurious item of aspiration befitting of the brand. But the first series included an empty Magnum of Moet, drunk and signed by Nigel Kennedy on his 1995 tour, which went for $51 and the second series, which runs until November 3, is auctioning the opportunity of becoming the Auckland Philharmonia's roadie for a day, lugging tubas on to trucks and the like. To view other auction items go to Trademe's website (link below).