• I loved the costumes - amazing attention to detail and they were absolutely breathtaking.
• I loved the use of sound - you'll understand when you see it.
• I loved the cast - Jean Dujardin is the perfect 1920s movie star. Bérénice Bejo (also Mrs The Director) sparkles and is absolutely gorgeous. I want her wardrobe. She doesn't have the 1927 silhouette (she has an amazing figure but her arms are too toned for the time in my opinion). John Goodman is great as the cliche movie mogul and James Cromwell was restrained but excellent as the every loyal Clifton. Special mention must go to Uggie, who beats out Tintin's Snowy for Dog of the Year. The news today is that he's retired from showbiz but his brother Dash is ready to step up. He has appeared on Graham Norton's couch and I can't wait to see that when it gets here.
• I loved the story, the visuals and the things people said - even silently.

Just got this in the inbox. Please buy a ticket, bid on an auction or just make a donation to support this. Chur to the journos and others who are making it happen.

- JC

It’s not an easy road being a freelance journalist. When you’re reporting an event overseas, the fee for your work sometimes doesn't even meet the cost of getting to the story. Prize - winning journalist Jon Stephenson is returning to Afghanistan before Christmas 2011 to cover a number of stories, and a bunch of his friends want to give him a bit of support.

To this end that a group of fellow journalists and broadcasters have banded together to create a unique fundraising event: Gone By Xmas, to be held on Tuesday 13th of December and MC-ed by Hard News blogger and media personality Russell Brown. Alongside good music, a silent auction and the ubiquitous meat pack raffle, the event will also host the world’s first “Journalism Idol”. In this brutal and hard-hitting competition TV3 News journalist Mike McRoberts will fight it out with broadcaster Mikey Havoc, comedian Rose Matafeo and fellow TV3 reporter Tova O’Brien to see who can deliver the news under pressure and claim the title of “King Journo”. Of course no talent show is complete without a panel of uncompromising judges, so the trio will be assessed by veteran current affairs journalist and Media7 producer Phil Wallington, Kiwi Fm’s Wammo (Glen Williams), and New Zealand Herald columnist Tracey Barnett.

The silent auction will offer a very special range of items including framed photos taken by Jon in Afghanistan, a special edition of the Phoenix Foundation’s Buffalo with a one-off cover by cartoonist Tom Scott, tickets to Lawrence Arabia’s Town Hall gig, a tour of the TV3 newsroom escorted by Mike McRoberts -followed by a meal with Mike-, and a set of poster art from 95bfm.

If you can’t make it along on the night but would like to bid on any of the items, potential bidders will be able to check out the items on the event website and put in a bid by email.

Capacity is strictly limited at the event so to avoid disappointment early purchasing of tickets is encouraged.

About Jon:

Jon is an Auckland-based journalist who's spent much of the past decade reporting on America's “war on terror” - particularly the 2001 US-led war in Afghanistan and 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the ongoing violence in those countries. He's also reported on the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon, and from Gaza, East Timor, and Zimbabwe, as well as on natural disasters such as the 2004 tsunami in Asia-Pacific region, the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, and the 2008 earthquake in China's Sichuan Province. His articles and commentary have appeared in publications like the Sunday Star-Times and Metro magazine, and on broadcast media including 3 News, 60 Minutes, TVNZ's Media 7, and Radio New Zealand.

Event details:

Gone by Xmas: A fundraiser for journalist Jon Stephenson
6.30pm - 9pm, Tuesday December 13
The Horse and Trap Bar, 3 Enfield Street, Mt. Eden, Auckland
Tickets: $20 on the door or from:
http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2011/gone-by-xmas/auckland/mt-eden
More information: http://gonebyxmas.tumblr.com
Donations can be made to:
ASB Bank 12 3066 0361128 00