Alex Casey 
With Treat Her Right campaigning to implement the Equal Pay Act of 1972 and close the wage gap in New Zealand, Alex Casey compares the progress of the bill to the career of Karl Urban, also born in 1972. The year was 1972. Karl Urban was born. House parties everywhere were enjoying delicious cheese hedgehogs. … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Tash Keddy and Harry Dickinson of Shortland Street about how the soap consistently progresses LGBTQIA representation like nothing else on local television. Even if you haven’t watched Shortland Street in years, there’s no denying that Ferndale hit a home run last week. All it took was The Cloud, an iPad and … Read more
The only place on the internet you need to be for the best ‘please tell me that is not your penis’ memes, inspired by what might already be the local TV moment of 2017. All it took was one simple sync of Harry’s iPhone to the family iPad on Shortland Street to break both Chris … Read more
Panic! At The Disco returned to New Zealand earlier this month, 11 years after their debut concert at Auckland’s St James. Reformed emo Alex Casey was there for both. In 2006, there was nothing I loved more than thrashing Panic! At The Disco’s much-loathed album A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, and thinking crushingly earnest … Read more
Alex Casey chats to Lisa Fa’alafi and Busty Beatz from the theatrical experience Hot Brown Honey, an extravaganza of stereotype-smashing, hip hop politics and costumes that would make Beyoncé jealous. Coming to New Zealand from Australia as a part of the Auckland PRIDE festival, Hot Brown Honey is a sizzling celebration of loud, proud women … Read more
Following the Women’s March and the hellish weeks since, Alex Casey reached out to people across the country to make this list of actions and organisations you can lend help to here in New Zealand. It is almost impossible to comprehend that New Zealand led the rest of the world during the Women’s Marches less … Read more
New Zealand woke up to the presence of a huge new internet celebrity this week thanks to the controversy around Jimi Jackson’s ‘blackface’ imagery. But a gross reply to a woman who commented on the image suggests his attitude to women is disastrous too, says Alex Casey. Who would have thought it would only be … Read more
Alex Casey recounts the harrowing experience of waiting to interview Quentin Tarantino during his Hateful Eight promo tour earlier this year (scroll down for part one of the video interview at the end). Originally published January 21, 2016 “Oh, Aaalex!” he exclaimed. “You’re a girl! What a surprise!” I laughed louder than I’ve ever laughed … Read more
TVNZ has pulled a story about Kmart from its site after The Spinoff obtained emails showing two online ‘influencers’ received undisclosed payments to appear. The revelations raise fresh questions about the murky and unregulated world of the influencer economy. Alex Casey investigates. This post was first published on November 15, 2017. Two prominent online “influencers” … Read more
Alex Casey wheels out a holiday favourite in the celeb-studded feature-length finale of Extras. Christmas is a time for traditions and rituals, for dredging up old articles about Love Actually and fighting with strangers online about whether the movie is good or bad. Although Hugh Grant dancing to ‘Jump’ is indisputably good, I would like … Read more
Alex Casey chats to Chris Parker and Tom Sainsbury about putting on The Basement’s now-institutional Christmas show, and how to survive the holiday season. Unlike Santa’s darkest truth, it’s no secret that writers and performers Chris Parker and Tom Sainsbury are two of the funniest people in Auckland. At any given moment, their comedic powers … Read more
Powerhouse feminist music legend Peaches is returning to the country this week on a cloud made of plush boobs and Rapunzel-length pubic hair. Alex Casey chatted to her about dick suits, Westworld, and why her music matters now more than ever before. If there is one person out there who can pull off saying ‘titties’ … Read more
The Spinoff assembled this week to test run the CSI drinking game. This is their story. We are in the throes of the silly season, where the alcohol flows like water and the work functions are awkward enough to make you want to lock yourself away in a manger. But fret not, for there is a … Read more
Alex Casey looks at the best of the worst of John Key on the commercial radio circuit. Caution: contains entirely too much information. It’s hard to know at this point in time what we will miss the most about John Key. Will it be the time he said that gender quotas in Cabinet were stupid? … Read more
Alex Casey rejoices in the return of a humble New Zealand television icon to Mozart in the Jungle, of all places. The other day my beloved colleague Madeleine Chapman regaled me with her joy at seeing the return of fruity fizzy drink ‘Mirinda’ to the shelves of her local Pak ‘n Save. I have to agree. … Read more
Before Jono and Ben, before Taika Waititi, before Paul Ego fell off the stage… there was Stu Dennison wearing overalls in Avalon Studios. Alex Casey recaps the 1978 NZ Music Awards, just in time for the 2016 VNZMA’s tonight. With the VNZMA’s arriving faster than a free bag of bagel chips hitting the open gullet … Read more
Last week – before Trump won and the Earth shook in fear – it was announced that Mike Puru was being replaced as the host of The Bachelor New Zealand by Dominic Bowden. Alex Casey sat down with with Puru on the day the news broke. He’s got his fingers in a lot of pies, … Read more
Alex Casey sits down with Roseanne Liang and Ally Xue of Friday Night Bites to talk about diversifying the typical Kiwi TV show, the legacy of Harold and Kumar and waiting for the boomers to die. Friday Night Bites is the new web series created by the all-Asian, all-female, all-star team behind Flat 3. Directed … Read more
As we near Halloween, Alex Casey recommends American Horror Story to deliver frights, freaks and full on costumes. Since its debut, The American Horror Story franchise has morphed like a shapeshifting demon, changing location, time period and introducing new horrifying characters to deliver a fresh nightmare with every season. Like witches? Check out Coven. Fan of … Read more
With the DVD special feature all but a distant memory in this cloud-based hoverboard age, Alex Casey remembers her favourite bonus feature from BBC’s Extras. I’ve already written about how much I love Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s underrated behind-the-curtain series Extras. As a teenager who cradled her DVD boxset of The Office like a … Read more
This is Auckland, where new money meets old. Alex Casey is going to try and laugh at The Real Housewives of Auckland through her weekly power rankings – because if we can’t laugh then all we have is the void. Click here for previous instalments. This episode started so calmly and innocuously, with Gilda having a comical altercation with … Read more
This is Auckland, where new money meets old. Alex Casey is going to try and laugh at The Real Housewives of Auckland through her weekly power rankings – because if we can’t laugh then all we have is the void. Click here for previous instalments. 1) This relatable woman is all of us at an event with free booze … Read more
The emergence of the mysterious and timeless Anne ‘The Champagne Lady’ Batley Burton as a natural born New Zealand celebrity has been the greatest treat of Real Housewives of Auckland. Alex Casey spent a few hours in her strange world. “I’d rather save all the animals and bugger the people to be honest.” The Champagne … Read more
This Throwback Thursday, Alex Casey recalls a television scandal combining both home renovation and face-lifts that made the internet explode. Recently, swept up by the same nauseating force of nostalgia that once saw me fork out $30 for a rusty Chupa Chups Spice Girls tin, I Googled ‘Bob the Builder’ just to see what me friendly … Read more
This is Auckland, where new money meets old. Alex Casey is going to try and laugh at The Real Housewives of Auckland through her weekly power rankings – because if we can’t laugh then all we have is the void. Click here for previous instalments. 1) Angela Stone Hell has frozen over, the pigs are flying through the air … Read more
Alex Casey previews episode one of Funny Girls, and we debut an exclusive clip ahead of the show’s return tonight on Tv3. No pressure on Funny Girls season two but, as the hapless but impeccably-dressed producer Pauline says, all they have to do with their late night 22-minute comedy sketch series is “further all women and … Read more
This is Auckland, where new money meets old. Alex Casey is going to try and laugh at The Real Housewives of Auckland through her weekly power rankings – because if we can’t laugh then all we have is the void. Click here for previous instalments. We return to the power rankings this week after the horrific racist shitshow wherein … Read more
With the new season arriving express from the US to Lightbox next week, Alex Casey tells you why you need to get up to speed with sorority slasher Scream Queens. What’s the story? Welcome to Wallace University campus: where everyone’s getting killed and the cops don’t matter. Exactly 20 years after the death of a … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Sophie Roberts, artistic director of Auckland’s Silo Theatre, about putting on their new all-female play Boys Will be Boys and being a tough bitch in a male-dominated industry. Let’s start with the show Boys Will be Boys – what’s it all about? Boys Will Be Boys is set in the world of … Read more