Recently, the creator of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street came out and said what we already all knew: Bert and Ernie are a lovable gay couple. But still some people deny it. Emily Writes – who watches a lot of Sesame Street – says those people are making her lose her mind. For reasons that will … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. This week on The Real Pod, the podcast studio is extremely hot and we’re extremely distracted by live-streaming to 10+ people on Facebook. There’s so much reality TV news that we don’t know what to … Read more
Gogglebox NZ takes a bunch of ordinary Kiwis, chucks them onto a sofa and films them as they watch television. Tara Ward watched them watching. “Don’t laugh too much, your teeth might land on the table.” Last night three new stars flew into our lounge rooms like a pair of falsies hitting the coffee table. Retirement … Read more
It’s the home stretch on The Block NZ and things are getting more fragile than a marshmallow spaghetti sculpture. It’s Week eleven of The Block NZ, and the wheels have officially come off. Life in Hobsonville Point is careening out of control like a bunch of balls Mark Richardson just threw onto a footpath in the … Read more
It’s week five on The Bachelor Australia, and shit’s getting real. Miriam Moore recaps the drama. For the first time in this season of The Bachelor Australia, we are left with enough girls that I finally know each of their names. Last week saw the mass eviction of the mean girls, with the remainder effectively singing an … Read more
Almost 15 years ago, the first ever season of New Zealand Idol aired on our screens with the public voting Ben Lummis all the way to the top. Today, Lummis is re-emerging onto the music scene with a new song, new mindset, and possibly, even a new tour. Looking back, 2004 was the golden era … Read more
Alex Casey crunches the numbers on the new Married at First Sight NZ contestants and returns with some shocking predictions. Ahhh, time. She’s a fickle mistress. She’s a relationship-ruining text sent from your Nokia 3315 to the person that the text was about. She’s a pig that’s nicked your toothpaste, slipping through your fingers as you … Read more
61% of people working on the minimum wage in New Zealand are women. RNZ’s new documentary series Minimum gives a voice – and more importantly, a face – to these women. Sam Brooks reviews. In 2017, there were roughly 76,400 people on minimum wage in New Zealand (which was $15.75 an hour at the time), and … Read more
Jane Yee and Alex Casey from The Real Pod spent an afternoon at Hobsonville Point to bring you this harrowing report. The Spinoff TV airs 10.45pm on Three, click here to catch up on ThreeNow
Because what your Friday needs is a loneliness lesson in te reo and a touch more Mark Richardson. Tonight on The Spinoff TV, we celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with a very special three-part lesson in expressing your loneliness. Hayden heads to Nelson to gets to the guts of the 1080 debate, The Real … Read more
Inexplicable blockbuster sitcom Mrs. Brown’s Boys returns to TVNZ tonight. Jean Sergent writes about the show’s transphobia and how we as a culture need to do better. A show that hinges on a man in a dress making broadly sexual jokes shouldn’t be a multi-award winner with sell-out live shows, but it is. The Radio … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. This week on The Real Pod, we rip into the week in reality television as powerfully as we rip into a delicious tub of peanut butter Häagen-Dazs. The women of The Block NZ have shattered the … Read more
Just when you thought The Block NZ had thrown everything at us, Mark Richardson uttered the immortal words: “Welcome to Sheep World”. Tara Ward recaps another bewildering week on The Block NZ. It wasn’t Country Calendar, it wasn’t The Dog Show, it wasn’t even NZ Farmer of the Flipping Year. It was week ten of The Block … Read more
The Stephen King super-series hits Lightbox in its entirety tonight, and thankfully, it’s come with A Plan and An Answer to all its mysteries. Uther Dean reviews. In the small town of Castle Rock, shit is going down. The head warden of the local prison kills himself. The new warden discovers a haunted, silent man … Read more
Week four arrives full throttle with our most intense the Bachelor Australia episodes yet, giving the producers almost more airtime than the Honey Badger himself. In a twist about as surprising as Don Brash writing an opinion piece on te reo Māori being useless, three “intruders” find themselves arriving at the Bachelor mansion. We’re … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to Devin Abrams, who makes music as Pacific Heights, about his dreamy new album and making a huge pop hit with Drax Project. Devin Abrams knew he had to finish his new album as Pacific Heights, A Lost Light, quickly. With a baby on the way, he knew his life was about … Read more
The case to make the singer a citizen of Aotearoa is now irrefutable. Please jump on board and get this passport party started. The American singer-songwriter with a passion for good tunes, good values and upside down exclamation marks has just completed a triumphant tour of New Zealand, playing to sell-out crowds in Dunedin and across … Read more
Combining the social dynamics of Survivor, the hidden cameras of Big Brother and a cast of Kiwi five-year-olds, Alex Casey finds the perfect reality show. While it’s unbelievable that it’s been 125 years since women got the vote in New Zealand, it’s absolutely mad that it’s also taken this long for The Secret Life format to … Read more
The groundbreaking sci-fi TV series The X-Files turns twenty-five today. Sam Rutledge writes a love letter to the show and the things that make it special even now. I have something to confess. When I was in my teens, I was one of two moderators for a Livejournal community dedicated entirely to watching episodes of The … Read more
Our queer and women comics have been charging ahead and spotlighting its issues with gender and sexuality. Dejan Jotanovic writes. Something huge happened last month. We did it. We won. We took home the mighty trophy, prompting an encouraging Instagram post from our humble PM. Rose Matafeo (Funny Girls) won ‘Best Comedy Show’ at the … Read more
Today rapper Mac Miller passed away from an overdose. James Roque writes about his passing, and the effect Miller’s music had on him growing up. This morning the world awoke to the tragic news of the passing of artist Mac Miller. I found out after rolling over in bed, checking my phone and seeing a … Read more
If you expected one pop singer to have five sold-out shows at Spark Arena in 2018, would you expect them to be P!nk? Sam Brooks says why you absolutely should, you fool. Note: This isn’t about P!nk’s superhuman arms. If you want to know how to get swole like P!nk, I am of zero use … Read more
The Real Pod assembles to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture and real life, with special thanks to Nando’s. In a bleary Friday afternoon edition of The Real Pod, we reconvene to talk about a truly mad week in reality television. What was David Seymour doing on The Block NZ? How intense was Cass … Read more
In a case of terrible timing, one set of The Boys are playing at the same time as the other set of The Boys on Saturday night. Which to watch? Alex Braae assesses the options. 7.30pm. Saturday 8 September. The room looks on as you hold the TV remote in an iron grip, visibly sweating … Read more
We’ve hit the arse end of The Block NZ like a human Birdman belly-flopping into the ocean. It’s Kitchen and Dining week! Tara Ward recaps. On the now-seemingly-annual Kitchen and Dining Week, hopes are chopped into tiny pieces and dreams will be burned alive in the Breville slow cooker of our hearts. Never before has a … Read more
Fifteen to 13. The Bachelor AU roars into week three, armed with a guitar, a hot air balloon and a Bali-based jewellery business. Miriam Moore recaps. This week jumps straight into the first date. After feeling awkward about the group date, where Sophie was forced to do some foreign yoga moves, the Honey Badger decided … Read more
Last week, APRA announced the five finalists for the 2017 Silver Scroll Award. Today, exclusively for The Spinoff, the five artists discuss each other’s nominated songs. Ruban Nielson of Unknown Mortal Orchestra on ‘Laugh It Off’ by Chelsea Jade My friend put me on to this song when it first came out and I love … Read more
This month on Lightbox you can raid the Met Ball with Sandra Bullock, visit Castle Rock with Melanie Lynskey or share some delicious hot tea with four dames. Ocean’s 8 (drops Sep 5) If there was a film that better summed up the feeling of lounging back with a bottle of prosecco, a large bucket … Read more
It’s one of the the longest-running television shows of all time – but what do people remember about it? The cast of the post-apocalyptic madcap theatre show based on The Simpsons weighs in. Look, I know what you’re thinking. Theatre is boring, and nobody should go to it, unless there are cats or British kings rapping. As … Read more