Last year the TVNZ new season launch was one of the most stunning onstage extravaganzas that I have seen in my piddly little life – and I’ve seen The Lion King. There were glowing lanyards a la Coldplay, there was flowing champagne a la rappers, there was Sam Wallace dancing in a pea costume a la … Read more
There’s a lot you can learn about hacking from Mr Robot, some of which might not be as complex as you think. Alex Casey lists some life hacks from the pilot episode. I watched the first episode of Mr Robot last night, the much-buzzed about cyber thriller that has hacked through the dark web all the … Read more
Australian food television connoisseur and disappointment addict Eleanor Robertson journeys through cyber space and time to watch and recap TV3’s competitive cooking show, Masterchef New Zealand each week. Unlike most weeks where each episode receives equal attention from me, this time I’m going to mostly ignore the first episode because it was so goddamn boring. It was a … Read more
The last time I saw Donald Trump on television, he was on The Celebrity Apprentice and administering the tall task of painting New Era baseball caps to the eager celebrities. It was a challenge that would bring about the longest and loudest Meatloaf vs. Gary Busey screaming match that reality television has ever seen. That … Read more
One of the most talked-about new shows of 2015, Mr Robot has arrived exclusively in New Zealand on Lightbox today. Critics have called the paranoid cyber-thriller series “a modern classic” (Forbes) and “a welcome spark of inspiration” (Variety), the topical themes of which “understand the internet to the last chilling detail” (Salon). The series follows Elliot … Read more
Aaron Yap looks at Show Me a Hero, the six part miniseries from the creators of The Wire that examines the 1987 housing crisis in New York – and eerily mirrors our own current property strife. Housing. Land. Property. These might be among the least dramatically engaging subjects I can think of. The last time I went … Read more
The Ultimate Fighter is basically like Big Brother if the weekly evictions were decided by cage fight rather than public consensus. Sixteen contestants under two coaches compete in an elimination tournament for the chance to win a contract with the UFC, and sometimes a Harley Davidson too. It’s a gruelling experience, with all the … Read more
Woah, busy alert! I see you, shuffling papers and scrolling through your calendar with a furrowed brow. Life is crazy, life is hectic. TV? Forget about it! What a nightmare! Lucky for you, we have had a scan of the week ahead and have got your five essential television appointments booked. Sit back, relax and … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: Moody Michael has a sulk, Harry is robbed of his television and Drew bucks up his pun game. 1) Michael makes it hard to love him Oh, the pressures of being a tween in New Zealand. Someone call a … Read more
Alex Casey watches Ed Sheeran’s brief but powerful cameo on Home and Away. Home and Away’s Marilyn is fussing around, as always, trying to throw together a luxury dinner for her mystery muso guest. She’s got bruschetta, linguini and dessert. What rock star would would be gunning for this absolute beige rider, what kind of … Read more
Bringing together the TV moments on the week, including Masterchef shockers, Sunday night monsters and Ed Sheeran at the beach. Contributions by Alex Casey and Calum Henderson. New Kids on The Block The Mad Max-inspired promotional material for The Block NZ: Villa Wars has been doing the rounds this week, introducing us to the teams … Read more
‘How Bizarre’ was a life-changing success from which Pauly Fuemana could never escape. Duncan Greive speaks to Simon Grigg, author of an excellent new book about the song. Simon Grigg is wandering around Europe, following his wife Brigid to Poland and Paris, where she has work to do. He has nothing of the sort on at … Read more
The NFL season kicks off today in the USA, and Matthew McAuley says football can teach you valuable life lessons – particularly the excellent, much-missed high school drama Friday Night Lights. The town in which I spent my formative years was one dominated in description by its size (small), its location (isolated), its industries (primary) and its love of … Read more
Calum Henderson spends the morning watching two strangers get married on The Edge TV’s thrillingly shambolic live stream. While other radio hosts have been running around binge drinking, getting divorced or floating across lakes on bouncy castles this survey period, The Edge’s finest purveyors of horseplay – Jay-Jay, Mike and Dom – have been suspiciously … Read more
José Barbosa spent three long days trapped in a New York apartment to bring you this stunningly detailed, lovingly rendered tribute to the iconic interiors of New York City situation comedy. When you’re done reading – watch 30 Rock, Seinfeld and Louie on our great mates’ Lightbox.
For Bryan Fuller, death has always been a source of morbid aesthetic delight. In Hannibal, serial killings served as a canvas for culinary extravagance and beautifully grotesque tableaux. Prior to Hannibal, there was Pushing Daisies, a “forensic fairy tale” which couched its sweetly macabre story of a corpse-reanimating pie-maker in blindingly bright, candy-coloured art direction. … Read more
The second episode of our 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 they discuss Nick Jonas’ shredding situation; … Read more
Alex Casey recaps week three of Rachel Hunter’s Tour of Beauty, where we travel to Greece and things get a little muddy. We are going to Greece this week for some much-needed chill out time. I’m tired, Rachel’s tired, so why not take a trip to the people live longer than anywhere else in the … Read more
Australian food television connoisseur and disappointment addict Eleanor Robertson journeys through cyber space and time to watch and recap TV3’s competitive cooking show, Masterchef New Zealand each week. Episode 11 Marco Pierre White is a complex and regrettable phenomenon produced entirely by food television. White has been crafting his telly persona for years, making cooks shake and cry … Read more
Alex Casey watches the rollicking teaser video for The Block NZ: Villa Wars, and gives sound analysis on what some aspects we can expect from the competitive DIY show. You better swatch out, You better not ply(wood), You better not grout, I’m telling you why: The Block NZ is coming to town. Yesterday I introduced you … Read more
Before the final episode airs tomorrow, Alex Casey looks at the riveting Australian documentary series Struggle Street. What’s it about? Struggle Street is a three part Australian documentary series, examining life in poverty-stricken suburb of Mt Druitt, just west of Sydney’s twinkling lights and sharp business suits. Following various characters within the community, the camera observes … Read more
Jaquie Brown sits down with Leigh Hart to talk about his unhinged comedy show Moon TV. The conversation quickly gets derailed to topics including adult entertainment, sleeping in doggystyle and Leigh’s beautiful eyes. Click here to watch Leigh Hart’s manic creation Moon TV on Lightbox today This content, like everything we do at The Spinoff, is … Read more
The Block NZ: Villa Wars is jackhammering its way onto our screens soon, putting teams head to head as they restore villas to their former glory in Sandringham. The Block will see a fair few changes this season, with a new challenge host (ex-judge Shelley Ferguson), judges Bernadette Morrison and Jason Bonham, and – most exciting … Read more
Woah, busy alert! I see you, shuffling papers and scrolling through your calendar with a furrowed brow. Life is crazy, life is hectic. TV? Forget about it! What a nightmare! Lucky for you, we have had a scan of the week ahead and have got your five essential television appointments booked. Sit back, relax and let the … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: Nicole and Vinnie tie the knot, Leanne seeks refuge in a toilet and TK’s thumb gives Daniel Day-Lewis a run for his money. 1) Vinnie and Nicole drop anchor in a surprise sea of love Big things were happening in Nicole … Read more
Alex Casey catches the Men’s Panel on Good Morning, where four men dish their tips on how to deal with grumpy women. “And coming up next on the Men’s Panel: taming the tetchy – our motley crew are going to share their advice for dealing with grumpy women” Jeanette Thomas says, as I sit bolt … Read more
Bringing together the TV moments of the week, including the launch of an essential reality channel, Masterchef’s big mistake and Ferndale’s mid-week marriage. The Launch of a Sky’s Big Fat Reality Channel TLC launched this Tuesday on Sky channel 16, bringing with it a slew of truly unbelievable “lifestyle” programming. We’re talking big leagues now. … Read more
Woah, busy alert! I see you, shuffling papers and scrolling through your calendar with a furrowed brow. Life is crazy, life is hectic. TV? Forget about it! What a nightmare! Lucky for you, we have had a scan of the week ahead and have got your five essential television appointments booked. Sit back, relax and let the … Read more
Alex Casey spends an afternoon time travelling with Freeview Plus, catching up on all of the extraordinary TV she’s missed out on from The Real to Who’s Doing the Dishes?. Time travel is real, in the here and now. You might not be able to travel 20 years into the future and see yourself flying … Read more