Rudeness on the red carpet

By FIONA RAE

It's an awards show, but not as we know it. The 2002 b.net NZ Music Awards (TV2, tonight, 10.40) covers the awards held last week at the Bruce Mason Centre, but also has backgrounders on the winning bands, backstage moments and some rather disrespectful red-carpet treatment of our local musicians.

Do not be confused. The b.nets are not the Tuis. The latter is an industry vote and that ceremony was held at the St James earlier this year. The former is a public vote promoted through the b.net network of alternative and student radio stations.

Organised by 95bFM, and fronted by bFM (and Mo' Show) geezers Mark Williams and Otis Frizzell, the b.nets are a chance to give the new kids on the musical block a boost. Categories include Best Unreleased Song and Most Promising New Act.

Tonight's programme is more than an awards show, says Satellite Pictures general manager Nikki Streater. "It's more about the profile behind the musicians - how did they get there, who are they ... more than just the usual acceptance speeches."

For added fun, Chris Stapp and Matt Heath, aka Back of the Y, were doing the meet-and-greet at the entrance.

"Chris Knox felt they needed to do a great big wrestle down the green carpet," says Streater.

"They were insulting him about his jacket. They were kind of picking on people and people were ducking and diving and trying not to make eye contact.

"They had a good interaction with betchadupa. I didn't see much wrestling with them, but I think they did accuse Liam [Finn] of only being there because his dad was Dave Dobbyn."

Elsewhere on the television weekend, the Warriors meet Canberra on Sunday for the qualifying final. TV3 has the action from 7pm, with a repeat on Sky Sport at 11.45pm.

Our cricketers' ICC Champions Trophy campaign starts in Sri Lanka on Sunday when the Black Caps face Australia. (Sky Sport, Sunday, 4.25pm).

TV2 is doing an Austin Powers promotional weekend, or that's what it seems like, with International Man of Mystery on Saturday and The Spy Who Shagged Me on Sunday, followed by a behind-the-scenes of the new one, Goldmember. Oh, behave.

The Coen brothers' O Brother Where Art Thou? (Sky Movies, Saturday, 8.30pm) will be more satisfying for the adult palette and has a better soundtrack, too. And George Clooney.

Caroline Quentin has become very bankable in Britain, almost literally so in the drama Hot Money (TV One Sunday, 8.30pm).

She plays a cleaner at the Bank of England's money factory, where she bumps into an old friend (Melanie Hill from Playing the Field) and with another friend (Georgia McKenzie) they do a Ronnie Biggs. Only with bras and knickers.

Australian NRL

Warriors

Cricinfo.com

Austin Powers

95bfm