Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: New Zealand Weekend Television

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  • Craig Ranapia,

    The programme also includes the "whither music journalism?" panel discussion

    Only flaw -- more cowbell! Like the one this oddly familiar looking chap pulls out at the 1.46 mark:

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Danielle,

    in 2002, Beck asked the Flaming Lips to be his backing band for a US tour

    We had just moved back to NZ in 2002. I think this tour, in particular, really stretched my husband's general calm acceptance of permanent emigration. Regrets, we've had a few...

    Charo World. Cuchi-cuchi!… • Since Nov 2006 • 3828 posts Report Reply

  • 81stcolumn,

    Telethon ?

    Does this presume that TV occupies the same cultural and community role that it did in the past ? One might speculate that a whole generation might fail to notice this at all. Though of course I do wish them luck.

    Nawthshaw • Since Nov 2006 • 790 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    Ditto Bat for Lashes covering Kings of Leon's 'Use Somebody'.

    Thanks for that link. As a huge Bat for Lashes fan and moderate fan of Kings of Leon, I will unleash the awesome powers of my music review skills on that cover:


    Pretty good!

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    It won't be so unusual to see the stable of presenters hamming it up -- they do that now anyway.

    Sometime last week Hillary Barry actually choked at having to read an article about an apple with a blemish the shape of NZ - in preparation for its auctioning during the telethon - and Campbell started mocking her relentlessly from off-screen until she was laughing too hard to read it. Possibly the only sane response to that sort of "news content" I've seen for months.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Sometime last week Hillary Barry actually choked at having to read an article about an apple with a blemish the shape of NZ

    This week I made a long black and the blotch on the crema was in the shape of New Zealand. I should have taken a photo.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • JP Hansen,

    I remember the hype of telethon back in the 70s when I was at primary. My kids, now at primary themselves, are marginally aware of the upcoming telethon, but only because they're seen the promos on TV. The school isn't getting involved in fundraising for it, and certainly no school trips to the studios organised.

    I assume, and can't say I disagree, that if the kids are going to fundraise, the money could be pretty well utilised around the school itself.

    Does anyone know of any school / organisation that is fundraising? The old Lions vs. Rotary thing? Anything?

    And my favourite cover of the week... Coldplay paying tribute to the absent Beastie Boys from the All Points West festival:

    Jay-Z replaced the Beasties on the bill;

    Waitakere • Since Nov 2006 • 206 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    This week I made a long black and the blotch on the crema was in the shape of New Zealand. I should have taken a photo.

    Indeed, for you were apparently blessed by an appearance of, er...the spirit of our nation?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    The Wellington and Christchurch centres will go dark from midnight to 9am Sunday, and Dunedin doesn't feature, radically curtailing the chances for amusing regional performances in the dead of night.

    My partner has been eagerly awaiting her call up to perform this year, after playing bass for The Same at about 4am from the Dunedin studio, "nationwide" (she likes to remind me) in one of the original telethons (1978?).

    Apparently the lack of a Dunedin centre is a big plot against her.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Stephen Judd,

    TONIGHT a troubling new phenomenon rocking the nation's food and beverages: edible pareidolia . All over New Zealand's meals people are finding New Zealand all over overall.

    We talk to a mother whose children no longer want to eat their school lunches after finding a gingernut with Rodney Hide's face on it.

    But first, Bob McCroskie, should she have just given them a smack as part of good parental correction?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Parks,

    This week I made a long black and the blotch on the crema was in the shape of New Zealand. I should have taken a photo.

    Reminds me of this from the see what you want to see files.

    Wellington • Since May 2007 • 1165 posts Report Reply

  • Michael Higgins,

    Telethons.. I worked on a scary one in Christchurch in the late 80s when the Town Hall was double booked and they did it from the old railway station. Not a good place to go outside between midnight and dawn. Think that was the Leeza Gibbons/Chris Quentin one as well... Doubly scary.

    But my favourite Telethon memory is 6am on a Sunday morning in Christchurch in 1978 and the Enemy doing a fired up version of Swimming Pool. They were supposed to do another song but Chris had a seizure.

    And on the subject of the Beck/Flaming Lips tour - I think on the Flaming Lips doco there's some dressing room footage from an Austin City Limits episode they did. They are releasing quite a few of those ACL episodes on DVD now so it may see the light of day at some stage (and no doubt it's around the place elsewhere).

    Auckland • Since Aug 2008 • 7 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder,

    Strictly, that's not a cover of M.I.A. - it's a number from an old Bollywood movie that she remembered from her childhood, which she covered.

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • James Green,

    The 1977 top town final was one of the first things we watched on TVNZ OnDemand.
    Oh my god. It's just svensational. Not just the powder blue suit, but the scoreboard with the weathergirl-esque scorekeeper. The attire in general. And the games.

    Last year's re-hashed Top Town left me cold. It was all about the C-list celebrities, and not much about the competitors or the competition.

    Limerick, Ireland • Since Nov 2006 • 703 posts Report Reply

  • Robyn Gallagher,

    Another thing this telethon won't have - the thrill of actually being able to watch stuff on the telly in the middle of the night, well after the Goodnight Kiwi's usual bedtime.

    I suspect this telethon will have a bit of appeal for people who are the Mr Vintage retro t-shirt wearing sorts: watching telethon, longing for Georgie Pie and Billy T James' giggling.

    Since Nov 2006 • 1946 posts Report Reply

  • Samuel Scott,

    Nice Becklips link. Such a shame their relationship went south. Wayne Coyne seems to revel in illuminating the public on his low opinion of famous people acting like dicks.

    South Wellington • Since Feb 2008 • 315 posts Report Reply

  • andrew llewellyn,

    Will there still be grown men in tutus? Never could figure that out...

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report Reply

  • andrew llewellyn,

    We talk to a mother whose children no longer want to eat their school lunches after finding a gingernut with Rodney Hide's face on it.

    Heh. Nice. But can't they just keep the biscuits away from his face?

    Since Nov 2006 • 2075 posts Report Reply

  • octopusgrrl,

    Personally I think TV3 can go stick their "Big Night In", now that they've pulled series two of "Dexter" (one of the few things I can be bothered watching on their channel) after two episodes. They've cited poor ratings as the catalyst, but more suspicious minds have suggested that it's due to criticism of their "Puts the Fun in Funeral/Laughter in Slaughter" promos that ran during the Weatherston trial...

    I know I can download the series or borrow it from the DVD store, but not everyone can, so it pisses me off when the channels do this - bad enough when it's halfway through the series, but two episodes in? Just because it's not meeting their expectations? I'll be interested to see what they replace it with, what they think will get more viewers...

    Dunedin • Since May 2009 • 33 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    This week I made a long black and the blotch on the crema was in the shape of New Zealand. I should have taken a photo.

    I took a piece of toast out of the toaster the other day and was amazed to see the image of a man with long hair and a beard burned into the bread, I think it may have been John Lennon.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Brickley Paiste,

    Interesting disucssion on Afghanistan. Good to know that when the US State Department sends a New Zealand journalist there what that journalist is left with is a "feel" for the desires of the US State Department. Truly profound. Thanks for holding his feet so firmly over the fire on that one. Too bad we don't have real foreign correspondents or any relevant world news of which to speak. Of course, according to the VO in the intro, the media "is" producing "excellent stories". Glad we haven't presupposed our own disucssion -- spooky music notwithstanding.

    Since Mar 2009 • 164 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    I suspect this telethon will have a bit of appeal for people who are the Mr Vintage retro t-shirt wearing sorts

    They seem to think so.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    Possibly the only sane response to that sort of "news content" I've seen for months.

    Ever - made me love them more. Can you really imagine barbie and ken on the other news doing an unscripted routine like that?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    But first, Bob McCroskie, should she have just given them a smack as part of good parental correction?

    Either that or get his mate David Garrett to "take them outside".

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • 3410,

    Possibly the only sane response to that sort of "news content" I've seen for months.

    Dannews has it.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report Reply

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