NZ Entertainment News

- Christchurch has officially become the second most populated city in New Zealand.
Statistics New Zealand figures show Christchurch has a population of 382,200, just over 300 more than the capital, Wellington, but is still far behind Auckland
With the growth in Christchurch, little has been done to improve the city with it being unsafe and the inner city being a big grey mess(surprising that it's "The Garden City")! But with a proactive new Mayor hopefully things will turn around!

Other NZ news:
- Kings of Leon have announced a three-date NZ tour playing March 25: Vector Arena, Auckland, March 27: TSB Bank Arena, Wellington and March 29: Westpac Arena, Christchurch!

- AC/DC singer Brian Johnson has confirmed the band will be coming to New Zealand as part of its "Black Ice" world tour in 2010. I would expect them to play Auckland's Vector but it is unknown how many shows they will play and where with details still to be confirmed.

- Kiwi rapper Savage has sold more than a million singles of his (NZ #1) hit "Swing" in America. It is currently sitting at No. 35 on the Billboard pop charts after appearing on the 2007 Hollywood hit movie "Knocked Up. His second album, titled "Savage Island", will be released November 26.

- This Wednesday "Prison Break" is set to return to TV3 following "Heroes" (which returned last week) at 9:30PM. This is the fourth season of the hit show and it looks like it may be getting cancelled in the US, but hopefully not as i really enjoyed the first two seasons (not so much the third) and this season looks to have some promise.

Movies Coming This 2009

This year (2008) has seen some Blockbuster releases at the Box Office, including "I Am Legend", "Indian Jones", "Iron Man", of course "The Dark Knight" and the latest James Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace", plus the soon to be released "Twilight".

Looking forward now to 2009 and here are my first three picks of what will be HUGE next year:

1. "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" out July 17th, 2009.

The sixth movie on of the biggest book and movie franchises ever finally looks set for its release in July. With it's unexpected change of release (it was supposed to come out this November but was change to capitalize on the Summer Box Office) and much talk about this movie, expect big things! All the usual characters are back with David Yates returning to Direct (he also directed the Order of the Phoenix), this movie looks set to get even darker then its predecessors. After watching the trailer (which looks amazing), this film will center on Harry's ever-enduring quest to rid the Magic (& Muggle) world of Lord Voldermort, but also on a light note focuses on the emerging teenage hormones taking over the students at Hogwarts.
Best put "Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again."
This movie will finally come out in July, peak Box Office time so expect a HUGE opening weekend ("The Order of the Phoenix" brought in $$332.7 USD million opening weekend)
The final film, "The Deathly Hallows" will be released in two parts, with Part I slated for release on 19 November 2010, and Part II in May 2011.


2. "Transformers Revenge of the Fallen" out June 26th, 2009.

The sequel to 2007's big hit "Transformers" (one of my favoutite movies of that year!), this sequel looks set to be bigger and better than the original. With both director Michael Bay and main stars Shia LeBeouf (Sam Witwicky) and Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes) set to return, my main focus comes upon a former Home and Away babe who looks set to break out as Hollywood's next big thing!
Isabel Lucas joins the cast as Alice, a new character who goes to Sam's college and may just steal the spotlight from Fox.
With it's release expected to be in the summer expect a big opening weekend ("Transformers" brought in $191,6 USD million opening weekend)


3. "Fast & Furious" out June 12th, 2009.

The fourth installment in this series looks set to connect with the original film of the series with Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster all reprising their roles.
The film will act as a sequel to 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious" but will act as a prequel to 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift ".
I'm really excited about the film as i loved the first two films, especially "2 Fast 2 Furious" with the most insane cars and best car chases ever!
Little is known about this film at this stage but with Paul Walker (agent Brian O'Conner) and Vin Diesel's (fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto)characters reuniting under hostile circumstances, this movie looks set to be big!
Expected to be released near the start of the summer, expect a slightly smaller but still big opening weekend ("2 Fast 2 Furious" brought in $50,4 USD million opening weekend back in 2003)

Pushing Daisies Cancelled??

Has the most exciting new show of '07/'08 been cancelled?

Reports suggest that "Pushing Daisies" may have wrapped FOR GOOD after only 13 episodes made for it's sophomore season. It is still unknown whether or not any more will be ordered but at this stage it is looking unlikely. The show, which has been on a two week hiatus, will return this Wednesday and it looks like how the next two weeks preforms in the ratings will be a determining factor in it's survival. ABC is yet to comment! So if you live in America WATCH IT!
"Pushing Daisies" is a great show which is light-hearted and always delivers a laugh in the most unusual places. Although the premise of the show may seem..well random... it is a greatly conceived show and still has plenty of life in it... if ABC will agree to it!

Score: 9/10

"Pushing Daisies"airs on Wednesday at 8PM on ABC and will be coming to TV2 this Feb/March

Song of the Week - I Hate This Part

American success story, The Pussycat Dolls, return with their second internationally released hit single from the sophomore album, "Doll Domination" and it's really really good!

At first i was against this group, but after a string off solid tracks which are both catchy and innovative ("Buttons"; "When I Grow Up"), their latest release may even be their best work yet. This track is very heavily produced, but that's something that makes this track even better with it being a clear and concise package. Lead singer (infact 95% of the time she is the ONLY singer) Nicole Scherzinger shows of her powerful and sultry voice and controls the song,showing that the girl dose infact still have the pipes to carry a song (even thought that was questionable in "Don't Cha").

The song sounds great on the radio, but it really comes alive in a club with the bass turned up and is sure to be a club-stomper all summer long!

Score: 9/10

Check out their music and more on their official Website.

Family Guy Spin-Off

Which "Family Guy" character is about to get a spin-off???

Yes, Cleveland will star in his own spin-off titled "The Cleveland Show". The show is set to start in 2009 and follows Cleveland Brown (voiced by Mike Henry) "as he settles down with his high school sweetheart Donna (Sanaa Lathan) and her kids."

Cleveland played Peter Griffins friends in "Family Guy" and has always been one of my favourite characters. Seth MacFarlane will of course be the mastermind behind the show and will continue to still create both "Family Guy" and "American Dad"

Here's the premise:
"Cleveland has kind of had enough in Quahog—he kind of realizes that he wants his own friends, his own sidekicks, his own stories. So he sets out to California to make it in a way that we'll have to keep a secret until the show starts, and then he ends up somewhere else, which we'll also keep a secret until the show starts. But he basically goes home—he goes to his hometown of Virginia and rekindles an old high school flame."

Can't wait! Till then bring on more "Family Guy"!

(Gulity Pleasure) New Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson looks set to return to the music scene with new material expected to be released this December.

With her fourth album completed, Clarkson is expected to release her new single "My Life Would Suck Without You", produced by acclaimed producer Dr. Luke, and rumored to be a follow up to her biggest hit ever "Since You've Been Gone".

"Since You've Been Gone" was one of my favourite tracks of '05 and was the hit that got me listening to the American Idol winner. Since then she has released a string of hit singles and faced controversy over her third album, "My December", when she stood up to her management who try to control her career and her choice of songs.

Will the new album meet high expectations? We'll have to wait till next year to see. Till then keep your eyes and ears out for "My Life Would Suck Without You", coming this December.

Lost - The Fifth Season

"Lost" looks set to return to television January 21st 2009 in the US for a 17-episode fifth season.

The show will have a three-hour premiere featuring a recap of the first four seasons as well back-to-back episodes of "Because You Left" and Episode 2, "The Lie".

I was a big fan of the show in Season 1 but lost interest halfway through Season 2, only watching a handful of episodes in the last two seasons. The show is famous for confusing people (they even know it with a series of catch-up episodes) and there are still many mysteries still to be solved. But with the end in sight (it has been announced that there will be a total of 7 seasons) i may tune in again when the show starts back in New Zealand possibly around February or March (date still to be released).

What will be of the Oceanic Six? We'll find out when the show returns Jan. 21st.

TV2 New Season 2009

TV2's has just released it's 2009 new schedule and there are some interesting new shows, expected to start rolling out these show late-January or early-February:

New Series:
"Fringe", "Gary Unmarried", "Reaper", "The Mentalist", "Go Girls" (NZ), "Top Town". (NZ)

Returning Series:
"American Idol", "Brothers and Sisters", "Chuck", "Desperate Housewives", "Dirty Sexy Money", "ER" (final season), "Ghost Whisperer", "Grey's Anatomy", "Hell's Kitchen", "Lost", "Nip/Tuck", "Scrubs", "The Amazing Race", "Two and a Half Men", "Ugly Betty".

Local Series Returning:
"Motorway Patrol", "Neighbours at War", "Police Ten 7", "Shortland Street".

Notes on Scheduling:
- "Fringe" won't be starting until the end of "Lost" which could mean that this will not start till thelast week of May
- "Ugly Betty" will move to Saturdays in an attempt to reboot Saturday night television.

No surprises with the returning line-up, mostly all good shows, but i am mostly looking forward to "Fringe" and "The Mentalist" which i have heard are really good! Will have to wait and see!

90210 - Another New Zipcode

"90210" has been pulled from TV3's Wednesday line-up and moved to it's sister channel, C4 (formerly Music Television!)

The show was apparently "under-preforming" in it's time slot and was pulled after only 4 episodes (similar to Australia which also pulled it after only 4 episodes!)
The new 90210 follows the The Mills family moving to Beverly Hills and setting up home with their " feisty-but-faded former television star" Grandma.
It ain't no "OC" but it's still not that bad. Once you get past the cheese-factor it's easily watchable and something cool to just tune into without having to worry about your brain being over worked (no worried there)!
Of course the cast is extremely good looking, not only the "teens" but also the mums (especially Lori Loughlin)!

Storyline wise there hasn't been too many big dramas so far (in fact most of the drama has been occurring off set!), but with talks that there may be a teenage pregnancy coming up (...remember "One Tree Hill") and reports that the storylines are about to get more challenging, there may be hope for this show yet!

Can they keep relying on the old cast keeping the ratings up for long? We'll have to wait to see how it performs on C4 (finally a good show on that channel!) but looking to the US, viewership on Episode 1 was 5.14million, but it has slipped steadily to 2.73million by Episode 10. Time to think outside the square!

Tune in Wednesdays 7:30PM on C4, and Tuesdays 8PM on the CW!

"F**k You Very Much"

Lily Allen would have to be one of my favourite artists of ALL time!
And with her eagerly anticipated second studio album, recently retitled "It's Not Me, It's You" out early next year, it's time to recognize!

Her debut album "Alright, Still" was on high rotation on my laptop throughout'07 (Score: 9/10), and after meeting and seeing her she instantly became my favourite musicians ever! The album included four great singles ("Smile", "LDN", "Littlest Things" and of course "Alfie") but the standout track would have had to have been "Take What You Take".

With a two and a bit year interval between albums, Lily lent her talent to tracks with the likes of Mark Ronson, Dizzee Rascal, Common and the Kaiser Chiefs and is now regarded as an " artist of unusual diversity". Her latest offering "It's Not Me, It's You" (formerly titled "Stuck on the Naughty Step") will make its way into shops on February 9th 2009, and has big expectations!

Over the last few months there have been a number of leaks from the album, including "Everyone's At It", I Don't Know" (Retitled "The Fear"), "Guess Who Batman" (retitled "Fuck You") and "Who'd of Known". My favourite of these leaks, the now retitled "Fuck You", is a brilliant song which has a simple but stomping beat and is lyrically her best work yet, with the chorus roaring "Fuck you, fuck you very very m u-u-u-uch"! It is a song that provokes and questions some of today's big issues, including racism and homophobia. Not sure if it will pass the Censors to be released as a single but it will for sure be a standout on the album.
Another leak "Who'd Have Known" is another great song, and is this time a little slower. It is typically Lily, with deep and strong lyrics and another great beat that has become accustomed with her music.

Now to the first single to be taken off the album, "The Fear" (to be released January 26th 2009). It is a song that also has strong lyrics with lily questioning herself and pondering life's big questions. Musically this time, it is a little more slow-electronic and has a great beat the carries the song. It shows a different and innovative direction in her sound, but still has that element about it (along with her voice) that makes it reconcilable. a great piece if work!

Scores:
"Fuck You" - 9.9/10
"Who'd Have Known" - 8/10
"The Fear" - 8.5/10


For updates on the new album and for a listen to some of Lil's new tracks, visit her official Myspace.

"Po Po Po Poker Face" Tops NZ Chart

NY City's latest sensation, Lady Gaga's, tops the RIANZ New Zealand Singles Chart this week with her second release "Poker Face".

The infectious second single off her stunning debut album "The Fame", which features her previous hit "Just Dance", looks set to be a world wide hit with it also in the Top 5 in Australia. The song encompasses the style and craft that featured in "Just Dance", and also has a similar beat to her previous single.
Interestingly enough, the song contains a hook interpolation ("Mum-mum-mum-ma!") originally from the 1977 disco-hit "Ma Baker", from German pop-disco act Boney M.
With the beat stomping in the background ad Gaga boasting "I'll get him hot, show him what I got", Lady Gaga shows no signs of slowing down!

Score: 9/10

Check out "Poker Face" along with other tracks off "The Fame" on her official Myspace.

ALSO a great new “Bonus Track” that I found on the UK version of "The Fame is the amply titled "Vanity. Listen to it here

Artist of the Week - Nathan King

Kiwi pop/rock singer-songwriter Nathan King has had a long road to travel to get top where he is now.

After the dismantlement of the highly successful multi-platinum selling pop/rock outfit Zed, King embarked on a solo career which led him to London before returning home to record his debut solo album, "The Crowd".
"The Crowd" is a great first album, with the album showing a more rockier edge as well as encompassing some beautiful melody driven softer stuff over the 11 tracks.
Two stand out tracks off the album have to be "Love Will Lead The Way" and the first release Never Too Late

"Never Too Late" is one of the best tracks of the year. An easily likeable song from the first guitar guitar strum, this tightly-packaged song highlights King's sense for great and meaning lyricas as well ash his great ear for what is a great tune and an even better chorus, one that will stick in your head for all the right reasons.

Score: 8/10

Check out "Never Too Late" along with other tracks off "The Crowd" on Nathans official Myspace.

Time Is A ... Radio?

The Dukes are one of New Zealands greatest band around! Their foot-tapping tunes and catchy lyrics set them apart from their counterparts.

"Time Is A Train" is their second single of their second studio album (yet to be titled) and shows the diversity of their new music. The song is always a crowd-pleaser and is one that just grows and grows on you!

Score: 7/10

Help the Dukes get "Time Is A Train" on the radio by following the link below voting and requesting the song, with your help it could be huge!


Check out the Dukes music and vote for this song on their official Myspace!

Former Rogue Trader Still "Alive"

When i first heard the news that Natalie Bassingthwaighte was leaving the Rogue Traders i had mixed feelings, i loved their first album together ("Here Come The Drums") but wasn't a big fan of the follow up and Bassingthwaighte's final album as part of the group ("Better in the Dark").

"Alive", the first offering from Bassingthwaighte's first solo album, "1000 Stars" (due for release 2009), shows why she is set to become a music sensation all on her own! "Alive" is an uptempo-dance-disco hit in the making was co-written by Natalie along with Andy Frampton and Arnthor Birgisson. Sure to be a club resident over the Summer, "Alive" is a good sign of things to come!

Score: 8.5/10

Check out "alive" and all of Natalie's music on her official Myspace or on her Facebook!

"No Sunlight" for Death Cab

"No Sunlight" is the third single off Death Cab For Cutie's latest album "Narrow Stairs".

This is one of the best tracks from the boys in years and is an upbeat number with some great lyrics. When i first heard this track it reminded me of "The Sound Of Setteling' off their 2003 album "Transatlanticism" and adds to the string of great hits from the Washington natives!

Score: 8/10

Download "No Sunlight" here on iTunes