What if, on a short-running sitcom in the early 2010s, Christina Applegate was playing our very own Jacinda Ardern? It’s unlikely, but possible! Hear us out. From 2011 to 2012, sitcom princess (I would posit she’s third or fourth in line for the throne, somewhere behind Julia Louis-Dreyfus) Christina Applegate starred in the messy, hilarious, short-lived … Read more
Marama Fox is gone, god is dead, but Dancing with the Stars is still here – with TRIO dances? Sam Brooks power ranks whoever is left on this show. ELIMINATED: Robert Rakete (and Nicole AND Fabio) – Cha cha The big problem with these trio dances is the celebrity ends up being their very own … Read more
Luke Harries dives deep into the drink of Survivor NZ week seven, including a shock exit and a tense mud challenge. Contains spoilers, obviously. Would you believe, we’ve already made it to the halfway point of Survivor NZ’s second season?! The first half has already packed in more drama, sassier villains and fresher pizzas than … Read more
You’ve got three days off work – why would you want to spend it outside being cold when you could be cosily binge-watching the best of Lightbox in the comfort of your own home? Some people spend their public holidays in the fresh air, having ‘experiences’ and meeting ‘people’. To them, I say: please stop. … Read more
The day after the end of New Zealand Music Month, Max Tetlow rounds-up of some of the best things to happen in New Zealand music in May. Villette’s VR video for ‘Money’ Villette’s Drip Crimson project proved she wasn’t here for just a few hits – her stellar lyrics and self-production across the album put … Read more
Tara Ward recaps the seventh episode of this season of The Handmaid’s Tale, which shipped her and her emotional stability off in a crimson coffin. Ship me off to the colonies and throw me your smallest shovel, because I am of no use to anyone after that episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. It had everything: tension, dread, … Read more
Today, Dunedin-based artist Dudley Benson releases his first single in three years, a cover of Shona Laing’s 1988 song ‘(Glad I’m) Not a Kennedy’. Producer Josh Thomas says: Dudley had wanted to record a version of ‘Kennedy’ for quite a while, but he also had some very particular ideas in mind which meant we needed … Read more
Jono and Ben is back for another season, and they’re refreshing their comedic stable with some new faces, most of them women. Let’s meet them! Jono and Ben is more than just a showcase for the titular dudes who front the show. It also has a legacy of being a springboard for some of our most talented … Read more
Last Thursday, former Guns n’ Roses drummer Steven Adler brought a band of ring-ins to Auckland to play (most of) Appetite for Destruction and have a chat with his mum. Bronwyn Bent was there. It seems old-fashioned now to even consider whether someone is a sellout. Especially as to make a career as a musician … Read more
Morag Bellingham QC was a rare gem in soap television: a complex, fiercely flawed character who viewers loved nonetheless. Tara Ward pays tribute to the character – and the actress who played her, who died yesterday. For 29 glorious years she graced our screens as Alf Stewart’s evil sister in Home and Away, the brutally honest … Read more
Lightbox has a bunch of new options – but are you wondering how to use them? How do you watch movies? How do you download things to your phone? Never fear, tech adept Sam Brooks is here to help. What’s the difference between Standard and Premium? With the standard Lightbox plan, you can watch all … Read more
Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You was as awkward as its title, and as bald a vanity project as they come. Sam Brooks reviews the Delta Goodrem-led mini-series. On paper, Delta Goodrem is a perfect fit for an Olivia Newton-John biopic. Both are surprisingly enduring Australian popstars, both have distinctive and versatile pop voices, and … Read more
Against all odds, the self-titled Shawn Mendes album is not only worth a listen, it’s bloody great. Sam Brooks reviews. To many, the success of Shawn Mendes can seem bizarre. He has a huge fanbase amongst teenage girls because he looks and sounds like he’d only ever say nice things to and about you. He has … Read more
For some reason, there’s a prohibition theme this week on Dancing with the Stars NZ! Alcohol or no, these are the power rankings. ELIMINATED: Marama Fox (and Brad) – Foxtrot Calling it now: Meghan Trainor killed Marama Fox’s chances of winning this thing. Marama Fox is a charismatic, beautiful Māori woman, and it’s sad to … Read more
All eight episodes of spy thriller Killing Eve are now available to stream on TVNZ on Demand. Sam Brooks looks back at the series. After watching just the first episode of Killing Eve, I was all in. A new Phoebe Waller-Bridge show? Check! A new Sandra Oh performance to obsess over? Check it twice, then a third time for a … Read more
After suffering two life-threatening injuries, local musician Jeremy Toy now faces another challenge: getting his career back on track. He talks with Hussein Moses about channelling his pain into his music. Plus, hear the premiere of She’s So Rad’s new single ‘You and I’. In the moments after the crash that left him lying on … Read more
It might be called Coast New Zealand but, after three seasons, it should really be called Neil Oliver New Zealand, writes Calum Henderson. After three seasons of Coast New Zealand, most reasonable TV watchers will surely agree: Neil is the best Oliver. He’s funnier and smarter than John without even trying, and even though he … Read more
It’s week six, and it’s Survivor NZ’s cheesiest week yet! Time to microwave a leftover slice of Pizza Hut™ Pizza and look back at all the action from this week. Luke Harries recaps. Pizza Hut Delivers This week’s reward challenge prize was the best so far, no question. Pizza is bloody great. Winning pizza is … Read more
ER might be one of the biggest television shows of all time, but it’s rarely thought of as the subject of teen obsession. Claire Adamson was the exception that proves the rule. Obsession is a rite of passage for a teenage girl. From the Beatles to Bieber, the teen girl has long buoyed the print … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to pop artist Matthew Young about his new EP and re-evaluating success after mental illness. “I’m very obsessive,” Auckland-based pop artist Matthew Young tells me near the end of the almost two hours we spent talking over juice and chocolate tart at a bakery in Pt Chev. Every night since the first week … Read more
James Meharry, station director of RDU98.5FM and chair of the Student Radio Network, on how student radio is not just surviving – it’s thriving. It’s interesting how good old-fashioned vinyl records have been undergoing a resurgence over the past decade. The volumes of new sales simply don’t compare to other physical formats like CDs or the blossoming of … Read more
Friends and collaborators Maisey Rika and Seth Haapu sit down together to talk about Haapu’s new single and video ‘New Wave’. Maisy Rika: Seth, thank you so much for making yourself available for this kōrero. We’ve known each other for a while now, but just so the world knows, e hoa, who are you, where do … 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 do a dramatic Paso Doble between Survivor NZ and Dancing With the Stars NZ. Why has New Zealand kicked all the dancing reality stars to the curb so … Read more
Folk music is experiencing a renaissance in New Zealand as musicians rediscover the Gaelic tradition of pub sessions. Baz Macdonald reports. It’s a Sunday night at Waxy O’ Shea’s, the local Irish pub in Invercargill. Patrons are eating dinner, having a yarn and a drink. In dribs and drabs, people with instrument cases slung over … Read more
Martyn Pepperell talks to R&B and neo-soul singer-songwriter Villette about making it from the Mad Butcher to Los Angeles. “You have to decide what you want out of music,” says Villette Dasha, better known under the mononym Villette, when we meet in Auckland on a warm afternoon in April. A Samoan-Chinese singer, songwriter and producer … Read more
Last year, Oddly Even won TVNZ’s inaugural New Blood web series competition. This year and $100K later, the series launches. Sam Brooks talks to Oddly Even’s three lead actresses about the experience so far. Oddly Even is a cute web series. There’s an SPP-lite feel about the endeavour, with enough new-generation flavour to keep it from feeling … Read more
Amazingly, Dancing with the Stars NZ continues despite Naz’s untimely and controversial departure from the show. And as surely as the sun rises and sets, the power rankings come in. ELIMINATED: Zac Franich (and Kristie) – Paso Doble We bid adieu to the third Bachelor! The one thing I will give Zac Franich is that he seems … Read more
After touring the world and releasing an album with Kurt Vile last year, Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett is back with her second solo release, trading wry and acerbic for something a little more earnest. Courtney Barnett wants you to tell her how you really feel – so much so that she’s dedicated her entire website … Read more
As we entered week five of Survivor we were yet to see a man go home. Would this finally be the week? Yes, yes it would. Luke Harries recaps. We’ve made it to week five of Survivor NZ, and I’m starting to think the men of this year’s Survivor cast might have it out for … Read more