In an unprecedented Christmas miracle, The Real Pod is joined by ex-Bachelorette and bona fide celebrity Matilda Rice, with special thanks to Nando’s. In the final Real Pod of the year, it’s only right that we are joined by Matilda Rice – reality TV queen, published author and certified lazy girl. Jane, Alex and Duncan … Read more
We asked you, our loyal readers, what your favourite albums and songs of the year were, both from here and from elsewhere. Oh, and your favourite shows, your reflections on the year, and predictions for next year. This is what you told us. Okay, list season is underway. The arms race is escalating and best … Read more
Tara Ward watches the power-chucking, beard-itching, blood-soaked finale to Shortland Street. Contains spoilers. Lie me down on Chris Warner’s soft, pink bed and let me die quietly. The Shortland Street 2017 cliffhanger just served up so much glorious Christmas goodness that even my fat pants can’t handle it. I am stuffed full of drama, I … Read more
What is it with fights and the Logan Campbell Centre? Don Rowe attends Yelawolf and narrowly avoids a hiding. The jungles of South East Asia have nothing on the humidity inside the Logan Campbell Centre in early summer. Truly the place must be seasoned like an old wok with the accumulation of thousands of punters’ … Read more
Alex Casey watches the last episode of Seven Sharp with Mike Hosking and Toni Street at the helm, and witnesses something truly extraordinary. It began with Toni Street vomiting and fainting, and it finished with Mike Hosking crying while holding a Sol3 Mio Christmas CD. The Street/Hosko Seven Sharp era has come to an abrupt … Read more
Who’s going to replace Toni and Mike behind the Seven Sharp desk next year? Here are one hundred possible combinations. Tonight is our last chance to see Michael Noel James “Mike” Hosking IV slouched over the Seven Sharp desk in a snazzy blazer and pair of $1200 distressed denim jeans, talking shite to his long-suffering … Read more
Kate Robertson’s seven reasons why you should stop underestimating Halsey. Halsey hasn’t had the easiest run of things since first appearing on our radars in 2015. Sceptics have called her a manufactured popstar, Pitchfork slaughtered her debut album BADLANDS, and people of a certain age like to write about how they don’t get the hype. … Read more
Arriving December 19, Lightbox’s new historical epic The Hollow Crown is bringing some serious silver screen stars to your little streaming device. Sam Brooks shares a guide on where you know them from and who the heck they’re playing. There are two things that happen when you watch one of these period dramas with loads … Read more
Millie Lovelock talks to Chelsea Jade ahead of her return to New Zealand for Wondergarden festival. In 2015, I was lucky enough to catch one of Chelsea Jade’s last New Zealand shows before she upped roots and moved to Los Angeles. It was a freezing midwinter Dunedin night, and Chelsea played to a captivated audience … Read more
Alex Casey watches Sisters, the new Aussie dramedy from the people who created Offspring and Puberty Blues. The bad news is that we have definitely reached peak capacity for movies and TV comedies about the chaos that ensues after a lifetime of secret sperm donation. After that Vince Vaughn nightmare Delivery Man, I thought it … Read more
The Real Pod assembles in The Spinoff boardroom of dreams to dissect the week in New Zealand pop culture, thanks to Nando’s. This week on The Real Pod, we are all on a come-down after an amazing pre-record with Queen Matootles, which will be our Christmas gift to you all next week. With Nando’s firmly … Read more
Sia played Mt. Smart Stadium last week. Sam Brooks went and found the concert – and Sia’s entire anti-persona persona – sadly wanting. We all know Sia’s concept (if you’re being kind) or shtick (if you’re being unkind) by now. She puts on a wig and sings while a dancer, usually Maddie Ziegler from Dance … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from the finale of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. You could have knocked me over with a ginger feather when ‘Eye of the Storm’ began with Claire announcing she was dead. Dead as in not breathing, tied to a ship’s mast, plummeting to the bottom of the … Read more
It’s time to make some serious calls about New Zealand television in 2017, starting and ending with this short survey. As the end of the year looms around the corner like a nervous MAFSNZ contestant at the altar, it’s time we look back at the television that was made in New Zealand for our eyeballs this … Read more
The dynamic and polarising Newshub political editor has announced he’s leaving the role. Here are the Interesting and Incisive musings of Toby Manhire, along with an emotional video tribute from José Barbosa. Days-to-go guy. Puffed up little shit in chief. News fucker. Say what you like about Patrick Gower, but he is always – well, … Read more
Before Six60 ruled the New Zealand summer airwaves, there was Nesian Mystik. Jogai Bhatt misses them dearly. It’s that time of the year again. As the pohutukawa blooms and your MCM sheds his chinos in favour of cargo shorts, the humble New Zealand summer gears up to commit its annual sonic self-sacrifice: a full three … Read more
It’s Christmas! And with Christmas comes Christmas music. Here’s the worst of it. It’s that time of year when we gather to celebrate with those we are closest to, those we love and depend on, those who make us feel sure of who and what we are together. Shame the soundtrack is such shite. There’s … Read more
Tyler Henry aka The Hollywood Medium is giving one of the most bizarre and compelling performances on television right now, and he probably doesn’t even know it. Straight up: I’ve got no idea if Tyler Henry, the titular Hollywood medium of Hollywood Medium, is legit or not. His Wikipedia page is full of people debunking … Read more
Dominic Hoey (aka Tourettes) reports from his 17-town 16-town tour of New Zealand with singer-songwriter Skyscraper Stan and sidekick Josh Jugum. The tour is over. As I write this I’m back at home smoking weed and watching nature documentaries. I wish I could say the same for Stanley. Who knows why he left, maybe it … Read more
Two more ex-Bachelor NZ contestants are headed to represent New Zealand on the international stage, and Alex Casey is bloody excited. Following the news that Gollum impressionist and second AD Jordan Mauger will be representing New Zealand in The Bachelor Winter Games, The Spinoff has learned that the Kiwi contingent will be bolstered by Lily … Read more
This morning the Spotify-subscribing world woke up to Spotify’s annual ‘your year in review’ package, including a personalised top 100 played songs of the year. Here are music editor Henry Oliver’s top 10 (plus a few more). 1. Aldous Harding – ‘Horizon’ No surprise here. This song cuts deep. For reasons I won’t go into … Read more
After it cleaned up a pile of awards last week, Alex Casey watches TVNZ1’s Jean to see what all the fuss is about. At the New Zealand Television Awards last week, one production, one story and one name ruled the night: Jean. It became something of a running joke as Jean, the TV film that … Read more
This week Jane, Duncan and Alex bask in the glory of their new sponsors at Nando’s and relive an incredible night at the New Zealand TV awards. Call the police, call the midwife, call your parents: The Real Pod has now got a luxury sponsor in Nando’s. And what a week for them to come … Read more
The second annual Spinoff Music survey. Please take a couple of minutes out of your Christmas party schedule to answer these simple eight questions about music in 2017 (what a year huh?) We’ve ‘nominated’ some songs and albums not because we necessarily think that’s what you should vote for, but basically because those are some … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from the twelfth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Nothing kills a party like a wild prophecy about a kid being 200 years old when it dies. It makes as much sense as Coco the Talking Nut and the Dunbonnet’s hair, yet when Margaret Campbell uttered … Read more
Henry Oliver talks to punk band Downtown Boys, who are at the forefront of a new wave of protest music in the US, ahead of their first New Zealand show. Downtown Boys, a political punk band from Rhode Island, are one the most prominent bands in a growing wave of bands in the US, many … Read more
Globe-trotting superfan Sacha Judd reviews her third Harry Styles show in less than three months. And she might already have tickets to two more. A friend texts me: “Wait. This is your third Harry Styles concert?” I try to explain that, actually, I had only ever intended to see him in Auckland. And then New … Read more
Preeminent One Direction scholar Millie Lovelock reviews the Harry Styles concert at Spark Arena. I’ll start at the beginning because concerts like this don’t just start when the band take the stage. For at least a thousand Harry Styles fans, the show started long before I was even conscious on Saturday morning. Fans were camping overnight, … Read more
J. Cole plays Spark Arena and seems to have no idea how much his fans love him. There’s something about rap crowds. It’s a pride in knowing every single lyric of every single song an artist has released, even the old, obscure ones. Especially the old, obscure ones. The real fans were out in full … Read more