I went home to New Plymouth recently to hang out with the folks, eat lots, and go to the Taranaki v Lions game. The 'Naki lost, of course - but we won the first half.
My parents were hosting a Welsh couple, Alan and Rita Thomas, who my cousin (we
call him Snake) used to stay with when he was in Wales. Snake told the Thomases to contact "Uncle Richard" when they were in New Zealand for the Lions tour.
The biggest game of the tour kicks off on Saturday night in Christchurch when the All Blacks take on the Lions (Sky Sport from 6pm, TV3 8.30pm) and Alan and Rita will be there.
Like most Welshmen, Alan is rugby-mad. He's so mad on it that he's kept a rugby ball that the 1967 All Blacks team signed when they visited Wales. The famous names etched on that ball include Colin Meads, Waka Nathan and Kel Tremain, and a few of Taranaki's favourite sons, such as Brian "Jazz" Muller and John Major.
For 38 years Alan had kept the ball in darkness in a closet. He hadn't even pumped it up.
On the morning of the 'Naki game, Dad took Alan down to the Taranaki Rugby Football Union offices and he gifted the ball to the union.
Alan's deed is proof that the Lions tour isn't just about winning games. It's a special occasion. Hell, he didn't say a word about the Lions beating Taranaki. He and Rita just wanted to go to the pub, and we did. They thought it was a great laugh standing on the footpath in New Plymouth at 1.30am eating a sausage with bread and tomato sauce.
Come this Saturday, I'm betting even non-rugby lovers will be watching the big game. But, sentimentality and new friendships aside, go the All Blacks.
TV
Elsewhere on television this week there's three new shows starting. Tomorrow the third series of The Apprentice (TV3, 7.30pm) offers up more juicy back-stabbing lovingly orchestrated by Donald Trump. This series the teams are divided into the "book smarts" and the "street smarts" - let the street fight begin.
On Dare To Believe (TV3, 7.30pm, Thursday), real-life New Zealand medium Jeanette Wilson talks to dead people. While on Stake-Out (TV3, 8pm, Thursday), Bomber Bradbury presents hidden-camera exposes that nail the bad guys' bums to the wall.
Music
For the best music this week, hit the road north. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights Fly My Pretties - a collective of musicians and singers lead by Barnaby Weir from the Black Seeds - play the Leigh Sawmill.
The Fly My Pretties album, Live at Bats, was released last year. The concerts at Leigh will feature singers Holly Smith and Tessa Rain, Nato from Wellington band Paselode, Wellington musician Age Pryor, ex-Hasselhoff Experiment drummer Brendan Moran and, of course, Weir himself. Don't miss it.
And, by the way, the second Fly My Pretties' live album will be recorded in Wellington and Auckland during September.
Meanwhile it's a busy week in town. Starting on Wednesday night there are two options. Gramsci, whose album Like Stray Voltage is out now, play some beautifully brutal rock at their regular Wednesday night gig at Galatos. Over at the Kings Arms, Raygunn - a new band made up of ex-members of SPUD/Solid Gold Hell, JPSE/Superette, and the Tufnels - have their debut performance.
Then, on the weekend, it gets hard to decide. On Friday night you have the choice of Californian alt-country singer/songwriter Gina Villalobos (think Lucinda Williams, except younger) at the Dogs Bollix, the final gig by Auckland band Eight at the The Studio on K Rd, or Fu Bar's sixth birthday.
Then, on Saturday, for some rock'n'roll check out the Accelerants (ex-D Super), from Wellington, at Edens Bar on K Rd - their album Blood and Bones is a rip-snorter. And for a bit of ass-shaking dance music check into Galatos to celebrate the release of Substax' debut album, Electro Soul Plane.
Movies
From the creators of Shrek 2 and Shark Tale comes Madagascar, a story about the antics of a lion (voiced by Ben Stiller), a zebra (Chris Rock), a giraffe (Schwimmer) and a hippo (Jada Pinkett-Smith) who live in Central Park Zoo in New York. A comedy not to be missed when it opens on Thursday.
The same might not be said for Monster-In-Law, the new Jennifer Lopez movie. J Lo plays Charlie, who thinks Kevin is the man of her dreams. When he proposes, she quickly accepts. Little does Charlie know that Kev's mum is a bit of a troll who's determined to stop the marriage. Who will win Kevin's loyalty? Do we care?
Mean Creek sounds like a better yarn. A shy young fella called Sam confesses to his older brother Rocky that he is getting beaten up by school bully George. The brothers plot some payback when they invite George on a boating trip, but George turns out to be more than he seemed.
On Sunday, Footrot Flats - A Dog's Tail, shows as part of the Kiwi Classics season at Rialto. This touching tale from 1987 will, especially if you haven't seen it, be a slice of heaven.
Exhibitions
Marti Friedlander is good mates with Neil and Tim Finn but she's better known as one of our top photographers. Friedlander teams up with fellow photographer Deborah Smith for the exhibition She Said, at the John Leech Gallery (cnr Kitchener St and Khartoum Pl) until July 2.
The exhibition focuses on the way images of childhood have been portrayed in both photographers' work. Some of the works have never been exhibited before.
The Lions tour is about making friends as well as scoring points. Picture / Bay of Plenty Times
I went home to New Plymouth recently to hang out with the folks, eat lots, and go to the Taranaki v Lions game. The 'Naki lost, of course - but we won the first half.
My parents were hosting a Welsh couple, Alan and Rita Thomas, who my cousin (we
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