With The Bachelor NZ coming to TV3 on March 17, Alex Casey analyses all the biographies of the newly-announced Bachelorettes, and flags some early favourites to look out for. // The Bachelor NZ is mere weeks away, and finally we are getting a little more intel on the women looking to find love in a hopeless place … Read more
That Girl is a Monster After her luxury Sound of Music showcase at the Oscars on Monday, it was confirmed yesterday that Lady Gaga has signed on for the latest season of American Horror Story: Hotel, the fifth series in the Ryan Murphy anthology. Little else is known about the project, with Gaga that first … Read more
Earlier this week an unusual auction briefly appeared on TradeMe: a set of used sheets, towels and a feedback form from Natalia Kills and Willy Moon. Alex Casey tracked down the man responsible. / Notwithstanding the furore enveloping ex-con Slim Shaedy, there was far more more disturbing news out of The X Factor NZ universe … Read more
Remember last year when MediaWorks announced they were accepting pitches for their own local five-night-a-week soap? Remember the massive buzz around it? Remember the phenomenal pitches that came flooding in, bursting with as many ingenious plot lines as high profile TV3 celebrities? Hitting up the powers that be to see where the project is at, all we … Read more
JABAT Goes JABAST Our favourite blazer-wearing larrikins are expanding their comedy empire even further. MediaWorks announced that Jono and Ben at Ten is now moving to the 7.30pm timeslot, and will be an hour long. The stripped-back title has become a simple Jono and Ben. Chic. With a brand new time, the team are hoping to expand … Read more
This morning came an extremely casual announcement that a handsome chap named Art Green might be New Zealand’s first ever Bachelor. Alex Casey analyses his online presence to find out if the size ten shoe fits. // // When Picasso said “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,” it’s probably because he … Read more
TV3 have just announced their casting call for MasterChef NZ, so Alex Casey talked to her brother about his shockingly successful drunken application many moons ago. // In a press release today, TV3 announced that casting is now open for MasterChef NZ 2015. They are looking for the “unsung heroes of the kitchen – Kiwis who … Read more
Yesterday I nearly dropped dead during an X Factor NZ ad break. The first real promo for The Bachelor NZ is here. No more abstracted black and white abs, no more sail boats, no more National Bank horses galloping down sandy dunes. We have finally have real women, real candles, and real big watches: Things We Know About … Read more
We have rounded up the important TV news of the week, so you can impress your friends and family over the weekend. // Smashing News For Smash Palace Sky has announced this week that they are working on an all-new local reality series to air on The Box called Smashed Palace. The eight-part series will … Read more
Current affairs TV returned from its summer holiday last Monday, when One’s Seven Sharp and TV3’s Campbell Live came back to our TVs. We watched both shows and analysed their comebacks across 10 key areas. Here’s Alex Casey’s take on Campbell Live. What’s New? There are two unavoidable additions to the slick green kingdom of JC for … Read more
The X Factor NZ is set to debut on February 15 at 7pm on TV3. Till then, the powers that be have provided us with an extended supertease trailer, promising sweeping drone shots of the Skytower, grungy bats out of hell and even someone flipping the bird (!). It aired tonight during the much coveted … Read more
Mediaworks buys Prime News This morning the Herald confirmed that the 15 staff who works on Prime News at 5.30 have been made redundant. Previously owned by Sky TV, the production will now be taken over by Mediaworks, There is unlikely to be any rehiring by Mediaworks of the Prime staff. The final day for … Read more
The latest promo for The X Factor NZ has gone live and, despite all the bird-flipping and glitz, there is a glaring omission – the bronzed statuette on The X Factor NZ mantelpiece, Dominic Bowden. Since the end of The X Factor NZ in 2013, Dom has been a little incognito. His Wikipedia says that he “currently interviews … Read more
An introduction to our forthcoming methfest ‘Bad Week’: a weeklong party dedicated to Breaking Bad, ahead of the launch of its spinoff Better Call Saul. On February 9th, New Zealand time, Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul makes its debut. The show will screen exclusively on Lightbox in New Zealand, and we’ve decided to devote a whole week to … Read more
Things have been a little quiet on the Paul Henry front of late. Since his final episode of the late night Paul Henry Show last year, there has been a serious shortage of Paul. No smug grin. No hysterical laughing at rodents. No description of impoverished countries as shitholes. There was a weak online attempt at finding … Read more
Summing up the past week in television news for you, because we care. // Woohoo for Puru? On Monday it was announced that our stalwart The Edge radio host and Shopping Channel presenter Mike Puru would be the host of The Bachelor NZ for 2015. It was a safe choice and a smart choice, but what … Read more
Competitive reality shows have tightly controlled formulas for a reason, and Mike Puru fits the format. But Duncan Greive had been hoping we’d have someone stranger watching The Bachelor unfold. This morning Mike Puru was announced as our inaugural host of The Bachelor, an appointment that was greeted with an overwhelming shrug by New Zealand. Because it … Read more
Alex Casey trawls the New Zealand Herald comments section to get a conclusive answer on our nation’s opinion of Daniel Corbett.// I wrote an impassioned ode to the new TV One weatherman that miraculously made it into the top read stories of the NZ Herald. As a result, punters from North to South started weighing … Read more
This week has truly heralded 2015 as the big big year for online content. Alex Casey breaks down the past week of web TV news. // The Return of Wet Hot American Summer This week Netflix announced an 8-episode follow up to the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer. Creators David Wain and Michael Showalter … Read more
Inside the Lightbox is a new sponsored feature where we mine the extensive Lightbox catalogue for cool shows you might like to watch. This week, Alex Casey gets the best medical shows prepped and ready for you on the operating table. // We can all agree that hospitals are the worst places on earth, filled with enormous … Read more
Alex Casey revels in the highs and lows of Daniel Corbett, the endearing One News weatherman and replacement for Jim Hickey in our hearts. // I have always been told to listen to my parents, so when my Dad urgently let me know that the new TV One weatherman looked like “Dynamo in 30 years” I … Read more
With the return of Shortland Street last night, Alex Casey breaks down some of the new summer looks in Ferndale for 2015. // The first episode of Shortland Street for the new year aired last night, and boy did it provide summery excellence. The episode was fizzing with holiday vibes: Garrett ate half a sandwich (probably … Read more
G’day Spinoff reader! It’s your old mate the mad editor. This post is to announce that we’ll be taking three weeks off to plot, scheme and maybe relax a little over the summer break. It’s pretty damn slack seeing as we’ve only been operating for a little over three months – but they’ve been pretty … Read more
Yesterday morning TV3 called for public tip-offs as to who should be New Zealand’s first ever right honourable Bachelor. They are encouraging the public to nominate “a friend, brother, cousin, colleague or son” that is looking for love. If you have anyone in mind, send their names into tipoff@thebachelor.co.nz. But also maybe check with your son first. I sat … Read more
This coming Monday The Spinoff launches ‘Street Week’, dedicated to honouring New Zealand’s greatest ever TV show, Shortland Street. We’ve been scheming on this for a couple of months, and pulled together the most ambitious set of heroic nonsense in the site’s short life. The motivation was a sense that many New Zealanders, particularly those who generally consider … Read more
Walking (Dead) Off a Cliff The NZ Herald announced this morning that Cliff Curtis has been cast in the lead role of The Walking Dead’s new unnamed spin-off series. The show will be set vaguely within The Walking Dead universe, but will follow another group of survivors in a different location and time. Cliff will … Read more
Lightbox is already over-stuffed with great shows, but they’re adding more every month. So from now on each month we’ll bring you an annotated guide to the latest arrivals to Lightbox. First up – a combo of the best new shows from November and those arriving this December.// NOVEMBER’S NEW ARRIVALS Jaquie Brown Diaries (Both … Read more
Happy 25th Birthday TV3 This week marks the 25th year of TV3, and much like an excited 25 year old having an entire birthday week – they are going on an absolute bender. Check out this celebration page for daily vids featuring bloopers, politics, and international correspondence from the last 25 years. For more from … Read more
After a week of receiving pitches far more groundbreaking than anything on Dragon’s Den, our Spunoff competition has closed. After much deliberation, here are the results. // We asked you, dear readers, to write us the very best spinoff pitch ideas from your favourite Lightbox show. In return, you had the rare chance to win a Samsung GALAXY S … Read more