Arts

McHale is a comedy all-rounder. He hosted The Soup on Channel E in which he satirised the entertainment industry and pop culture from 2004 until 2015.

He’s also a comedian, actor, (he plays Jeff Winger on the sitcom, Community), writer and TV producer.

McHale is in Auckland this September for a one-off show and he told Jesse Mulligan he likes to keep busy.

“If I’m not working I go faintly bonkers,” he says.

McHale has skewered many a celebrity, so does he have to avoid the Hollywood party scene?  

I explained that the symposium, in part, responds to those who doubt the wealth, breadth and quality of modernism in this region. She laughed, knowing all too well the criticism that Middle East art practitioners face.

As an arts writer, I've heard the uninformed allegations countless times.

"The Middle Eastern art scene is a bubble."

"Its art arena is five minutes old."

"There is no institutional interest or acquisition."

With the help of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been running workshops to educate performers about how to protect their livelihoods.

The Ministry's Director of Culture, Dennis Marita, says many need to be made aware of their rights and how to benefit fairly from the tourism dollar.