After today’s news that John Campbell is leaving TV3, Alex Casey recaps the perfectly apt episode of Campbell Live that followed. It happened today. Just as I was lazily photoshopping John Key’s hand to stroke Toni Street’s hair (for another comparably inane story sure to see the light of day soon). “Holy shit,” asked Duncan, “has John … Read more
In response to the news that John Key was dared by an anonymous TVNZ presenter to style her hair (and obliged), Alex Casey speculates as to who shares ombré tips with our country’s PM. Yesterday the news that John Campbell was leaving TV3 shook the internet to its very core, burying all other news deep under … Read more
Finlay McDonald looks at the emerging international television phenomenon known as ‘poverty porn’, and wonders how long we’ll have to wait for a New Zealand version. Sydney’s sprawling west contains some of the best-named suburbs known to humankind: Blacktown, Punchbowl and, my firm favourite, Rooty Hill. Each would make a fine title for a gritty … Read more
In light of her new music video and dominance of the entire world, Alex Casey revisits Taylor Swift’s less-celebrated cameo appearance on CSI. All this flat-out commotion about Taylor Swift’s new star-stuffed ‘Bad Blood’ video has distracted us all from her most stellar onscreen performance – her dramatic cameo role on CSI. It’s infinitely more violent than … Read more
Duncan Greive awoke early on Sunday to milk the first episode of The Road to the Young Farmer of the Year so that his fellow city slickers could stay sound asleep. Last Sunday, at the farmer-friendly hour of 6.30am, The Road to the Young Farmer of the Year Final debuted on One. Seeing as The … Read more
Alex Casey talks to the 2015 Billy T Winner Hamish Parkinson about being raised by TV, playing the New World guy, and what he’ll do with the coveted yellow towel. Hamish became a national star a while back, when these New World ads played before every pre-roll on the internet, and the image of a … Read more
To help us cope with the horrors of a post-Mad Men world, Rose Matafeo compiled this loving video tribute to explain how key characters’ lives played out beyond the ’60s. Warning: contains mild and often very misleading spoilers. I started watching Mad Men when I was 15 years old. As a teen I’d have to … 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
As the final season of Mad Men draws to a close, Henry Oliver reports back on the faithful sets, drawers of trinkets and tiny 1960s clothes at the Mad Men exhibit at New York’s Museum of Moving Image. Photo credit: Alexis Brooks. Everything’s an exhibition nowadays. This year in New York, a city seemingly full of … Read more
In the final Group Think for X Factor NZ 2015, the Spinoff writers assemble one last time to express their frustrations, pitch future projects and remember the good times many KillsMoons ago. Jack Riddell on Advice for Beau Shot Beau, na, straight up g, you were fuckin’ sik and way better than Stevie Tonks. Thanks to … Read more
In a rare Spinoff competition, we want you to take Lightbox into the real world on your mobile devices. Show us the most fitting location to watch your favourite show, and you could win a fancy Samsung Galaxy S6. Lightbox has rolled out a plethora of new devices on which you can watch your favourite … Read more
The brave final three Nic Sampson, Joseph Moore and Eli Mathewson dissect the finale of X Factor NZ, and celebrate the triumphs of beatboxing Beau. Topics covered include the darker message behind Beau’s winning single, how the series has changed them and their facial hair, and how the X Factor is like global warming. Looking towards … Read more
Tara Ward recaps the gruelling episode 15 of Outlander, wherein Jamie is relegated to the horrific torture house know as Wentworth Prison. Word on the street was that this Outlander episode would be a harrowing and disturbing trip to Bleaksville. To ease the journey I prepared some fine comfort food – Southland Cheese Rolls, made from … Read more
Duncan Greive forces out a final Power Rankings, ending this dreadful season of X Factor NZ with a reflection on what turned a once-enjoyable show into an epic, endless waking nightmare. When this season of X Factor NZ first entered this world, blind, tearful and covered in blood, New Zealand was a very different nation. … Read more
After the final of X Factor NZ, Joseph Harper creates an interactive game that promises to be more challenging, fun and have higher production values than the competition itself. It’s been a long season of losing judges, murderers and clear winners as X Factor NZ slowly disintegrated week to week. But finally – here’s something … Read more
For this Music Monday, Robyn Gallagher samples the various global tunes on offer in this year’s Eurovision competition. The Eurovision Song Competition is massive. It’s like a cross between an Olympic Games opening ceremony, the Super Bowl halftime show and an American Idol final – all in aid of determining the best new song Europe … Read more
For My Life in TV this week, Alex Casey talks to Madeleine Sami about creating and starring in Super City, starting out on Shortland Street and how she’s still taking an extended gap year. Madeleine Sami is everywhere if you look hard enough. Just after this interview I popped to a film screening and there … Read more
One winner. The same three losers. The final episode of The Fantasy Suite, featuring Jane Yee, Alex Casey, Duncan Greive and a special guest – only the winning Bachelorette MATILDA RICE. We have reached the end of The Bachelor journey, and celebrate accordingly with no Lindauer, no baking and no real plan. Matilda helps us … Read more
For this Throwback Thursday, Calum Henderson watches Gary McCormick’s Heartland special on the tiger-footed town of Wainuiomata. Two big national events from the winter of 1994: in Dunedin, someone with the last name Bain shot his whole family, and in Wainuiomata, Gary McCormick shot an interview with a woman called Chloe for the TV show … Read more
After weeks of power ranking from behind a computer, Alex Casey sits down with The Bachelor NZ‘s Art and Matilda. Together they sit a fool-proof relationship quiz, and talk about their hopes and dreams for the future. It was what dreams are made of: Art and Matilda, together in a room. Bachelor banners. A small … Read more
The huge ring has been given out, the fluorescent lights have been dialed up to 11 and Mike Puru has sunken into his enormous studded chair. It’s time for the After the Final Rose special of The Bachelor NZ. Jane Yee, Alex Casey and Duncan Greive pop a Lindauer and chat about the somewhat disappointing … Read more
Alex Casey grapevines through the Dancing With the Stars NZ lineup for 2015 and makes some early predictions. The full cast of Dancing With the Stars was revealed on X Factor NZ last night, exploding from inside a huge disco ball like spray tanned chicks hatching from the egg of their glittery mother, MediaWorks. And what … Read more
Greg Bruce interviews his Mum about her penchant for Seven Sharp‘s Mike Hosking over John Campbell. Mum came over last week to babysit my daughter and on arrival told me some story about something Mike Hosking had been talking about and, because this is a fairly common occurrence, I thought, ‘Why is my fundamentally decent … Read more
After a week of Mother’s Day tunes, number one hits and Bachelor cameos, our think tank meets again to discuss week 13 on X Factor NZ. Robyn Gallagher on The Vibesmums I can’t help feel ripped off that Steve Broad was eliminated the week before the Mother’s Day show. If he’d been around this week, he’d … 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
“When you try your best/ But you don’t succeed,” sang Stevie Tonks last night, in a song dedicated to his mother, which seemed pretty dark. But all I could think of was how well the song’s sentiment and gloomy tone matched this episode, and the series as a whole. Everyone involved has tried so damn … Read more
Tara Ward recaps episode 13 of Outlander, including 18th century skinny jeans, creepy puppets and Colin Farrell’s grubby doppelganger. ‘The Search’ begins with a marionette show. Puppet Claire sits at Craigh Na Dun, chilling in her 1940s white frock, when there’s a sudden explosion of light and flames. That escalated quickly. Is this a metaphor for … Read more
Please enjoy this excellent episode of Shorty Street Scandal, wherein James Mustapic recaps the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week? The Warners get warned, Pixie lies about poverty and Murray mourns a motorbike mag: After much dilly-dallying around their famed rickety staircase that leads to nowhere, the Warners have finally moved into their new humble $3 million … Read more
Fragmentary Thoughts is a comic strip by José Barbosa, in which he’ll tackle a different television show or phenomenon each month. In this instalment, he illustrates his favourite moments from Mad Men. The end is coming for Matthew Weiner’s examination of the slow, gurgling death of the American dream. One more episode of Mad Men remains. The … Read more