Mock-up of proposed Wellywood sign
Earlier this month, "Lord of the Rings" film director and New Zealand resident Peter Jackson announced plans to install a "Wellywood" sign in the hills in his home city of Wellington (also the capital of New Zealand), a move meant to poke fun at Hollywood (and likely inflate Jackson's ego). Well, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce threatened legal action (it owns the trademark), prompting a lot of overseas publications to put out stories with headlines like this one: "Hollywood angry over New Zealand's plan for a Wellywood sign." The drama is still going on, and over the weekend, New Zealand newspaper columnist Paul Thomas wrote that most Wellingtons are "absolutely bloody adamantly opposed" to the sign, which will make Wellington a "laughing stock." And in a sign of solidarity, Thomas points out a quote given by the president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. "It was left to Leron Gubler, president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, to ask the obvious question: if Wellington is such a hotbed of creativity, why can't it come up with something original?"
· Wellywood Gives Celebrities More than They Deserve [NZ Herald]
· Hollywood Angry Over New Zealand's Plan for Wellington [Telegraph]
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