“So you want to tell the history of student radio in New Zealand,” asks Mikey Havoc of his one-time sidekick Jeremy Wells. “Do you think you’ll be able to do it in a commercial television hour?” Havoc is, as always, deeply cynical. And perhaps right to be – student radio might be seen as a … Read more
The morning after the X Factor final a workmate told me he was on his way to interview Beau Monga. “Oh yeah?” I said. “What’s Boh been up to?” “Uh… winning X Factor?” Ah shit. Why had I assumed he was talking about Boh Runga, who fronted the band Stellar* 15 years ago, rather than … Read more
I was leaving Countdown Whangaparaoa with a bag of bananas and some chocolate milk when I saw the poster. “Gary McCormick and Mayor Tim Shadbolt,” it read. “Stand-up comedy at it’s best!” And there they stood, suited and grinning, framed in yellow hibiscus flowers. The poster raised more questions than it answered, like: what the … Read more
Alex Casey tells you all you need to know about UnREAL, the Lightbox-exclusive drama set behind the scenes of a dating show that will appeal to Bachelor fans and reality naysayers alike. What’s the story? UnREAL is a comedy-drama set behind the scenes of a Bachelor-style dating show called Everlasting. It’s an easily recognisable setting, … Read more
Alex Casey enters the lavish world of Empire through a portal of fake Terrence Howard cash, and tells you why should be watching one of the most highest-rating dramas in recent history. Last week I was invited to the TV2 launch of Empire, one of 2015’s most talked-about shows that is finally arriving to hip … Read more
Nothing says ‘Sunday night’ like a 41 year-old man stroking the synthetic hair of a naked female mannequin torso wearing a horrific Kiss mask. The man? Noel Fielding. The naked mannequin torso? Liam Messi. Confused? It’s fine. As Noel reassured an audience member, “I’ve got a face, you’ve got a face – it’s all going … Read more
Despite what Taylor Swift’s album would have you believe, she does not hold the monopoly on 1989. As we found out in Joseph Moore’s comedy show of the same name – there was much more going on that year than the birth of a lady in a “nice dress staring at the sunset”. Bookending his solo … Read more
With a few minutes before showtime, I took in the crowd at the Comedy Festival’s One Man Breaking Bad show. Unsurprisingly, they were a picture of Breaking Bad fandom. Balding. Novelty t-shirts. Pleather. I was particularly taken by one t-shirt featuring the Disney castle, with Walt Disney’s name replaced by Walt White. Much like the gates … Read more
Duncan Greive watches Rose Matafeo grow up really fast at the Basement. Last year, Rose Matafeo ordered pizza. This year she staged her funeral. The gulf between the enormity of those events aptly illustrates the swelling of her ambitions as a comic in the past 12 months. Everything about this year’s show was so much … Read more