Richie McCaw won New Zealander of the Year last night, proving we cannot and will not stop giving him awards. Steve Bolton tracks a humble man from Kurow’s gradual transformation into a prize-laden deity. Winning is a habit; something a person gets used to and begins to expect of themselves and the others around them. … Read more
Alex Casey looks at DUKE, TVNZ’s new male-skewed channel, and asks who in history could be responsible for something so old-fashioned. Today TVNZ’s brand new male-skewed channel launched its dramatic branding, stepping into the regal winklepickers of the name DUKE. Good name, sounds like an XXL condom brand or an old-timey cologne. “Why we’ve done … Read more
This week saw the glamorous debut of Filthy Rich, New Zealand’s most expensive television show. But is it merely standing on the shoulder pads of giants? Gloss creator Rosemary McLeod looks back at the 80s Kiwi drama that had a wealth of big hair, high heels and old money. I walked into Sue Crockford’s Auckland art gallery one … Read more
The All Blacks great is more than just a Versatile home owner – he’s a surprisingly versatile actor. Richie McCaw was named New Zealander of the Year last night. Some people are angry. They say setting about every All Blacks record, winning two World Cups, and retiring the greatest rugby player of all time isn’t … Read more
Cheese and crackers, coffee and cigarettes, some things are just incomplete without the other. So why, asks Don Rowe, have Capcom dropped by far the coolest character in their canon for the latest Street Fighter game? The answer probably won’t surprise you. In 1987, eight years before Tekken hit the Playstation, an ambitious new fighting game began … Read more
Nelson journalist Charles Anderson reviews 438 Days, by John Franklin, a modern classic of narrative journalism. The forever temptation for a journalist is to make it absolutely explicit in their story that he or she has engaged in actual journalism. These days, some readers might be confused as to what ‘actual journalism’, actually means. To … Read more
The Halberg Awards honour the best of the best in New Zealand sport today. James McOnie proposes a new award to honour the best there ever was. Tomorrow night New Zealand sport’s glitterati (sporterati? jockerati?) will gather in Auckland for the Halberg Awards.It’s a swanky affair, the beef is good, and the athletes enjoy mixing … Read more
News site reports about social media backlash – social media backlash ensues. Ex-churnalist Jess McAllen says this cycle needs breaking. UPDATE: comment from RNZ’s Megan Whelan appended at close. Yesterday Stuff.co.nz published a story largely based on a Facebook post by Old Mout Cider on the 6th of February regarding its decision to pull an … Read more
The latest episode of our bi-weekly pop music chat for umusic, shot and edited by The Spinoff’s own José Barbosa. It involves two pop rookies – The Spinoff’s Alex Casey and bFM’s Joseph Harper – listening to state-of-the-art pop music and having a chat about it. Simple. This week the two talk are joined by … Read more
Alex Casey recaps the return episode of Better Call Saul season two on Lightbox, including pinky rings, alcohol heists and poolside pondering. Contains spoilers. Sometimes it feels like Better Call Saul‘s Jimmy McGill is eerily close to me in the months following my graduation from university. We’re both disgusted by the idea of entering the workforce, both … Read more
Zoe Scheltema spends a whole day of her life living like Kim Kardashian, recreating everything from her limited dietary options to her stringent selfie regimen. If you haven’t heard of Kim Kardashian, you are surely living under the largest and most immovable rock on planet Earth. Kim Kardashian is a powerhouse of fashion, beauty and … Read more
The Spinoff meets Grant Robertson at the cricket to talk leadership close-miss, caucus divisions on the TPP, the future of work and waffle, and whether John Key is brilliant or Labour just plain useless. In the 2014 Labour leadership race, Grant Robertson was a whisker – one percentage point – from victory. He was comfortably … Read more
Welcome to TV Mum, a weekly podcast starring Brendon Green and his Mum, Dianne. Every week Brendon will try and get Dianne to remember the details of a TV show she’s recently watched. The resulting discussion is a journey through Dianne’s shaky memory and never ends up where you’d expect. This week on TV Mum … Read more
Last December it was announced that TV3’s flagship investigative current affairs show 3D was being cancelled, and 13 of the show’s 16 staff were to be made redundant. Former producer Eugene Bingham describes the show’s final months and the emotional aftermath of its cancellation. It was a Monday, the day before the wolf finally lunged. … Read more
Instagram celebrity Max Key made his radio debut last night. Somewhere in suburban Auckland, Calum Henderson was listening and judging. Without ever really trying, I seem to have spent a lot of time in the past year looking at Max Key’s abs, staring into his gormless photo face, admiring his impossibly precise haircut. He is, … Read more
My name’s Tony Peek. By day, I’m a coder for Bigpipe Broadband. By night – well, I mostly sleep, but I also play competitive Halo as part of Team Reign. While the rest of New Zealand celebrated Waitangi Day, this small but enthusiastic group of Kiwi gamers travelled across the Tasman to display a different type … Read more
Has the slimy old Spinoff found the new Bachelor for 2016? And has he been hiding in plain sight on TV3 the whole time? Alex Casey investigates his online presence to see if the tailored suit fits. This morning The Spinoff received word that Jordan Mauger is the next brave tribute stepping into Art Green’s non-existent shoes for the … Read more
Caddies are subjected to an avalanche of indignities. In return, they keep getting shafted by their filthy rich bosses. Greg Bruce pleads on behalf of golf’s little guys. There is nothing in all of sport as cute and sad as a caddy. There they go, marching up the fairways, their little rounded backs bent at … Read more
The story of how loser lawyer Jimmy McGill became legal superstar Saul Goodman returns to Lightbox tonight for its second season. Andrew Todd looks at how Better Call Saul avoided the curse of the prequel. Spoilers for Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad follow. Who is the audience for Better Call Saul? Those who haven’t … Read more
February 27 marks the 20th anniversary of Pokémon Red and Green, the first Pokémon games ever to be released. Mega-fan Ethan Sills looks back at how a collection of outlandish Japanese creatures became a worldwide phenomenon. March 2008. It’s late at night – well, late at night for a 13 year old, so probably around … Read more
Simon Grigg examines 550 exhausting pages of often intense events, music, movies, books, essays and violent conflict as analysed in 1966, by music savant Jon Savage. David Bowie died while I was reading this book and there was a sort of clearly unintended irony in the fact that the biggest musical event of 2016 will be the … Read more
Last night TVNZ’s new local drama Filthy Rich started its run with a first episode that featured suicide, money, grubby incest, car crashes, money and disturbing burnt baby dolls. José Barbosa watched the whole thing and live tweeted his immediate responses via scribbled drawings. Here’s the complete collection fresh from his calloused hand. … Read more
An extract from Boundaries, a collection of essays and verse by the holy philosopher king of Central Otago, Brian Turner. What locals call Black’s Hill is a steep climb on the main road which takes you up from Ophir in the Manuherikia Valley and down into Poolburn in the Ida Valley. It’s about four kilometres to … Read more
In a mad bout of ‘digital Zen lunacy’, Joseph Harper has accumulated over 13,000 strokes in Desert Golf. He’s spent less time on the slopes of Skiing Yeti Mountain, but both come highly recommended. The 2K16 working year is well underway and so therefore are my long ass trips to the toilet to play games … Read more
Alex Casey over-analyses the first short teaser for The Bachelor NZ. The brand new, sequin-laden teaser promo for The Bachelor NZ dropped on Valentine’s Day harder than Matilda falling off a wild horse called Paris. And, much like the sensually stripped-back song that accompanies the 45 second clip, it’s got me all bloody shook up. … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her Shortland Street Power Rankings for last week, including Harper the hipster, Leanne the Dame-in-waiting and TK with some tinfoil on his head. 1) Victoria shoots her way to the top She bloody well did it. The mystery assassin was all Victoria: the beige foundation, the blue glove, the stinky perfume. Tired … Read more
Days before the five year anniversary of the destructive 6.3 earthquake, Christchurch has been struck by another tremor, wreaking damage far beyond a few broken mugs. Valentine’s Day started so well. I was watching Sunderland’s win over Manchester United*, with lovingly hand-crafted cinnamon brioche that my partner had made for me. Now, I’m sitting on … Read more
As the hills around the Basin Reserve burn, along with the Black Caps’ chances, Samuel Flynn Scott turns to a legend’s blood-stained shirt in a search for salvation. Day 1: Black Caps deliver touching reminder of the old days with throwback batting collapse Day 2: A day in hell Mt Victoria is on fire. … Read more
Sam Scott watches Adam Voges score 176* as Australia clinically dismember the Black Caps on a punishingly hot day at the Basin Reserve. Day 1: Black Caps deliver touching reminder of the old days with throwback batting collapse As I peer out from under my giant “ladies hat” the field looks an out of focus … Read more