Alex Casey finds a role model in a 40-year-old bearded man from Slough. // I still remember the first time I watched The Office. This was a time before Ricky Gervais got bronzed and ripped and spent 99% of his time yelling about how God doesn’t exist. This was a time before Stephen Merchant starred … Read more
Every Tuesday we will endeavour to chat with somebody involved in New Zealand’s magical little world of television. This week we talked to James Mustapic, host of Shorty Street Scandal. / Each week James Mustapic hosts Shorty Street Scandal, assembling all of the absurd moments from Ferndale into a sensational highlights package. If you aren’t a Shortland Street fan, … Read more
Call the police, there’s a new host in town. It was announced yesterday that Detective Sergeant Rob Lemoto has been assigned the biggest case of his life: being on the telly. Beating over 50 applicants for the job, Lemoto will replace Ten 7 stalwart Graham Bell. This isn’t his first television rodeo. Lemoto first appeared … Read more
In the first of an occasional series, a TV insider who wishes to remain anonymous shares her thoughts on the local industry. First up, the awkward forced sentimentality of the TV news goodbye. // The Sunday edition of 3 News always seems to take forever to get to 7pm. New Zealand’s small population isn’t really … Read more
This episode took us to Hawkes Bay, “fruit bowl of New Zealand” and home of sisters Kelly and Meghan. Much like The Newlyweds, it doesn’t speak volumes to their personalities that their team name is “Hawkes Bay Sisters”. The pair have played their cards close to their chests, mostly focussing on co-ordinating very fancy outfits … Read more
Slaying vampires and tunes is all in a days work for Buffy. // Although it may not feel like it, there was a time before Glee and High School Musical. This was back when audiences were still unaccustomed to a sentence turning into a five minute melody, or a character casually whipping out a guitar as the gymnasium … Read more
At last, the first room reveal on The Block NZ. If the past three weeks have been a marathon, tonight’s episode is the sprint to the finish. I’m ready: I’ve done my warm-up stretches, donned my favourite terry towel headband, and double knotted my Bata Bullets. Let us now together enter the virtual stadium that is The … Read more
We are stoked to bring you the latest sublime episode of Shorty Street Scandal. If you haven’t heard of this before, you are in for a treat. James Mustapic dissects Ferndale shenanigans weekly from his couch in Dunedin, assembling all of the absurd moments into a glorious highlights package. If you watch Shortland Street – you’ll … Read more
Judgement day is looming. Looming, I tell you! It’s crunch time! The Wolf is let loose! It’s fun and games! With serious consequences! And a smashing challenge! Blimey, we’re only 43 seconds into tonight’s episode of The Block and already I’m equal parts astonished and terrified. It’s Day 14 on The Block. I know it, … Read more
This weekend will provide New Zealand with heavy rain up and down the country, so you should probably stay in and watch yourself some television. With only a week until the general election, it’s time to get involved in politics. A great way to do this over the next few days would be to fully … Read more
Dominic Corry gives us a rundown of the top celebrities to visit 30 Rock. // The little comedy runt that could, 30 Rock (2006-2013) was entirely overshadowed in the lead-up to its debut by that season’s other new show – also set behind the scenes of an Saturday Night Live-esque programme – Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 … Read more
Yesterday it was announced that both Stan Walker and Mel Blatt will be returning to the X Factor NZ judges’ table. Ruby Frost and Daniel Bedingfield are still unconfirmed, with Frost selfishly working on her own career and Bedingfield still trapped in a rotating cube with some poor woman. But we needn’t panic, New Zealand has a wealth … Read more
Finally we got to explore the inner boardrooms of Corporate Dads Aaron and Josh. Unsurprisingly, their instant restaurant was inside a giant yellow mansion with a massive swimming pool. Just goes to show, there’s a hell of a lot of dosh in sexy fertility vitamins. Their background video shows them crunching numbers in a café, wearing Red … Read more
Last night John Campbell moderated John Key and David Cunliffe in an hour-long debate. They arrived in separate cars to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse building. Faced with the desolate dystopian setting, it seemed the only suitable podium for Campbell was a zig-zag of metal that had clearly travelled here from the future. Many of the important issues … Read more
Young couple Jessie and Ricki (“The Christchurch Cuties”) were the hosts in this stormer of an episode. This pair always seemed mysterious, like there was more to them than just cuteness and Christchurch-ness. We all remember their well-timed decision to come out as a couple at the dinner table (causing the Corporate Dads to go into cardiac arrest). They have … Read more
Today is the fancy day when a man from Apple gets on stage wearing an infinity scarf and announces a new thing. If you have been living under a rock for the past three and a half hours: there is a new iPhone that is slightly bigger than the old one and a new iPhone … Read more
The Block viewers were in for a shocking shock at the end of last Thursday’s episode when it was revealed that Quinn and Ben are weirdly pregnant. Weird because they’re currently sleeping in what is essentially a highly-centralised Point Chev mini-slum. The Block’s best couple have obviously been enjoying their time under the tarpaulin. The pair don’t … Read more
Alex Casey asks whether this really is ‘the end’ for Joan Rivers. // The world and Donald Trump farewelled comedian Joan Rivers in New York today. A dark day, another shining and oddly taut star gone. For those of you who find yourselves crippled with grief – there is a light at the end of … Read more
The multi-party leaders debate aired on Saturday night on TV1. Hosking took to the podium with his standard halo back-lighting. Although the angelic effect paired with his twinkling wet eyes was breathtaking, it was not enough to distract from the fact that he had seriously downgraded his wardrobe. Swapping out the three-piece suit of the first debate … Read more
With all due respect to everything New Zealanders have achieved in art and commerce, no serious person disputes Shortland Street’s position as this country’s best ‘thing’. It’s older than Lorde, weirder than the Wizard of Christchurch and more ripped than Ma’a Nonu. It exists in this strange microclimate where there is only one bar and two cafés, where … Read more
In this episode we were dispatched to Lower Hutt, home of Ian and Sandy (aka “The Firefighter and his Flame”). There was much speculation about what Ian would be dishing up after his meat-aging-cauliflower-shaming opinions at the previous instant restaurant. It seemed pretty clear after seeing the pair at home cooking for their large family, as well … Read more
Matt Suddain visits the set of the epic new fantasy show Outlander. // Scotland is no stranger to glamour, as you know. My taxi driver tells me he once gave Charlie Sheen a lift from the airport. “He was nay bother really. Very friendly. Full of energy.” He gets so engrossed in his stories he misses … Read more
What exactly is The Spinoff? Editor Duncan Greive explains. // Like most people, I can map my life out through TV. Inspector Gadget and Danger Mouse as a gawky, pale kid growing up in London. A few years later The Bill and Grange Hill made the surrounding streets seem different, more sinister. My mother wouldn’t let us connect … Read more
The Voice has taken a mildly entertaining and incredibly worrying turn. For those of you who have never seen the show, it’s part singing competition, part swivel chair advertorial, all sadness. And now, they’ve got the children. Please no, anything but the children. The intake for the show goes a little something like this: 1) … Read more
With the Bogans eliminated from Group One, this episode moved on to a whole new group of very loosely characterised teams. As anticipated, The “Corporate Dads” are the premiere dream comedy team, followed by “The Fireman and His Flame” (doesn’t seem like a real thing), rounding off with “The Christchurch Cuties” (who met at McDonalds). … Read more
The rise of reality TV and the post-HBO drama is slowly killing the soap. Rosabel Tan is in mourning. // “I like everything about the dead… ‘cause they’re so quiet… Think about it, how quiet it would be to be in a room with no one that is alive.” – Phaedra Parks, Real Housewife of Atlanta On … Read more
Finally, we get to see the inner sanctum of zany couple Tracey and Neil, aka Beauty and The Beast. It is perfect that they hail from Orewa, a beach town jam-packed with their exact brand of dated and cheesey charm (for example, an excellent clothing store called ‘Charisma Fashions’ which Tracey undoubtedly has shares in). The … Read more
This episode welcomed us into the chilly Dunedin love-nest of newlyweds Christie and Dan. Their background introduction video showed long-haired Dan playing in his band, and doting Christie watching from behind the amps. The duo seem to enjoy chilling out with beanie-wearing friends at home, and just generally being young and in love. Although there … Read more
This episode invited audiences to, at long last, get better acquainted with the lovable heroes of the show: “Bogan Besties” June and Steph. Adorned with boob tube tops (featuring generic woman’s face) and bracelets made out of melted forks that can only be bought from a very specific type of crystal store, the pair seemed … Read more