All seven seasons of Prime Suspect drop on Lightbox today, and Sam Brooks is here to tell you why its central character Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is one of television’s most significant characters – ever. Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison doesn’t show up until five minutes into the first episode of Prime Suspect, which came out way back … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today we dissect the stats showing growth in New Zealand music revenue. I’ve been hearing about the decline in the music industry for as long as I can remember. Is it still that bad? Nah, that’s old news! Well, … Read more
Last night, Halsey played an intimate performance to a hundred or so people before her Spark Arena show. The Spinoff was there. Last night, to celebrate the opening of S @ Spark Arena – a new bar and performance space in Spark Arena where Spark customers can hang out and have a drink or two … Read more
Alex Casey looks back at two glorious weeks of Anika Moa guest hosting on Seven Sharp alongside Hilary Barry. It began with Anika Moa sitting in Jeremy Wells’ chair, proclaiming live on air that she was so nervous she felt like vomiting and reaching over to touch Hilary Barry to make sure she was real. … Read more
Shaggy and Sting together on the same album? Sure! Why not? Pete Douglas reviews. Were we living in the year 2006, the random chucking together of Jamaican dancehall cross-over king Shaggy and tantric sex master Sting might seem like something two high A&R reps cooked up at an industry conference. During a bygone era of … Read more
Alex Casey watches the charming, awkward return of First Dates NZ, including a famous radio host and a Lannister situation for the ages. First Dates NZ feels like home, and not just because the greatest night of my life (X Factor NZ launch party where I was photographed with ½ of Brendon Thomas and the … Read more
The last show of Lorde’s Melodrama world tour took place this week (aside from two dates in Russia in May and the odd festival). One of the remarkable features of this tour has been the sheer number of cover versions she’s performed. Gareth Shute trawled through them all and presents his top five. The … Read more
In his special guest appearance on The Real Pod, with special thanks to Nando’s, Haydn Daniels from Married at First Sight NZ covered everything from the secret tapes to what happened to his wedding ring. In his debut appearance on The Real Pod, Haydn Daniels from Married at First Sight NZ discussed the hidden camera … Read more
There’s a whole heap of brilliant kids television on Lightbox. But where to start? Anna Gowan runs down the best shows to watch with your kids these school holidays. Paw Patrol (Seasons 1-3) Parents, teachers and nannies will weep tears of gratitude as Ryder and the gang return to protect the shoreside community of Adventure … Read more
With all 12 Dancing with the Stars NZ contestants now announced, Sam Brooks already knows who is going to win based on their promo videos alone. These are his absolutely correct predictions. They’re all out now. I’ve watched them all at least 20 times each, especially the first one, and my hard drive is stuffed … Read more
Tonight, the Headless Chickens will be presented with the Independent Music Classic NZ Record award for Stunt Clown at a ceremony for the Taite Music Prize. Hussein Moses digs up the inside story of how the band first made their mark on New Zealand music. There was a lot that stood in the way of … Read more
Alex Casey talks to Nic Marshall, director of the Jim Henson Retrospectacle, about her decade-long mission to bring The Muppets down under. If you thought it wasn’t easy being green, you should try organising a single festival for over 10 years like Nic Marshall, director of the Jim Henson Retrospectacle. A celebration of the Muppet … Read more
Yesterday, on Facebook and Twitter, Chelsea Nikkel, known to many as Princess Chelsea, accused St Vincent of plagiarising her labelmate Jonathan Bree at Coachella. Today for The Spinoff, she expands on her argument. Ok, so I did an angry ranty Facebook post including some words in ALL CAPS claiming that St Vincent ripped-off Jonathan Bree’s … Read more
It only took a week for the Anika-era of Seven Sharp to get its first true fiery moment, writes Alex Casey. Tonight on Seven Sharp Anika Moa proved that, if you take a swing at her, you best not miss. Following negative audience feedback regarding her prominent, glorious tattoos, Moa – aided by her co-host … Read more
Last night, over wifi, Jogai Bhatt witnessed Beyonce turn one of the whitest functions of the year – Coachella – into a glorious ode to Black artistry. I’ve started writing this piece around eight times now. I’ve lost sleep over it. I missed breakfast over it. I was nearly late to work over it. And that’s … Read more
Buck House was an edgy sitcom from the 70s that manages to still be edgy and different now, though not for the right reasons. Sam Brooks muses upon the distinct pleasures of Buck House. When I think of the 70s, I think of Yakety Sax, Mary Tyler Moore and a show where a guy had to pretend … Read more
David Farrier talks to one of the most wildly enigmatic frontmen in music, Maynard James Keenan, and his partner in crime Billy Howerdel about 18 years of friendship, music, and being very, very enigmatic. Back in the late 90s, Billy Howerdel was hard at work on a highly anticipated new Guns N’Roses record. After working … Read more
Kate Robertson talks to Alison Wonderland, the Australian EDM producer who’s playing Coachella this weekend. If you’re of the assumption that electronic music is little more than a beat to rave to, you must not have come across Alison Wonderland. The LA-based Australian producer has earned a reputation for giving soul and an emotional identity … Read more
The new show by Ryan Murphy, Feud: Bette and Joan, hits Lightbox next week. Sam Brooks runs down which great current-day actor is playing which star of Hollywood’s golden age, and where to check out their best work. For a self-identified actressexual like myself, Feud: Bette and Joan is a goldmine. The miniseries follows the making of … Read more
Today, Ladi6 announced her first tour since she lost her voice a year ago, an event that led to the cancellation of two tours and which required two surgeries and weeks of silence to recover. Here, for the first time, she tells her story. In order to understand what happened with my voice and subsequent … Read more
This week, TVNZ announced our very own local version of The Great British Bake Off, The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Tara Ward comes in hot with her predictions of what it could possibly be like. Unless you’ve been hiding under a croquembouche helmet for the past few years, you’ll know that The Great British Bake Off is … Read more
After seven seasons, the characters of Modern Family have gotten themselves into some wild, wacky and straight-up weird situations. Sam Brooks collects the best of them. Modern Family is one of the most successful sitcoms of the current generation of TV. It’s won boatloads of awards, always gets great ratings and has never had a drop … Read more
Last week, New Zealand-born, LA-based songwriter Boyboy (aka Sam McCarthy, ex Goodnight Nurse, Kids Of 88) released his debut, self-titled album. For The Spinoff, his mum, Lyn McCarthy, asked him about his writing process, meditation, and what’s going on in that cover photo. What’s your album called? All I can see is some funny logo up in … Read more
On her new album, Kylie Minogue goes acoustic and courts a sub-Sheeran faux-country sound. It does not go well. Sam Brooks reviews. Kylie Minogue is one of our most enduring and unique popstars. This is an objective fact. She’s been making pop music – honest-to-god mainstream pop music – since the 80s. She’s made one of … 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 are inundated with hard-hitting real news from around New Zealand. There’s a slide in Dunedin that doesn’t slide, Anika Moa hitting the hot seat on Seven Sharp … Read more
Vincent Olsen-Reeder writes about collaborating with experimental Māori musician Rob Thorne and the New Zealand String Quartet, and the push and pull of multicultural exchange and taking traditional forms to new worlds. Composing music has been a love of mine since I first picked up a guitar at age 10. I’ve always felt an intrinsic connection to … Read more
This weekend, Auckland supergroup/side gig LEISURE collaborated with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, playing at the Auckland Town Hall as the first in a series of APO concerts with pop acts. Hussein Moses came away with mixed feelings. A supergroup or a side gig? It’s hard to justify a band like LEISURE as both, but that’s how … Read more
An ex-Bachelorette has opened up about her experience on The Bachelor NZ, claiming that producers monitored her weight and banned her from eating dessert. Ally Thompson of The Bachelor NZ season three and The Bachelor Winter Games has written about the pressures of appearing on the romance reality show and the impact that it had … Read more
Miriama Aoake on JessB’s Block Party, an event which celebrated both the release of JessB’s debut EP and women of colour in New Zealand hip-hop. Last Friday, Galatos played host to a sundry of performances curated by JessB, coinciding with the release of her debut EP, Bloom. The night served to both celebrate and exhibit the potency … Read more