Chatterbox: Rolling with the rock punches

With Jack "The Detroit Destroyer" White punching out that guy from the Von Bondies it looks like rock pugilism is the new sport to watch. Evan Dando, who had to tolerate a bunch of boorish boozers at one of his Auckland shows, decided enough was enough in Wellington when he was confronted with another persistent loudmouth drunk. We are told that towards the end of his Bodega show he finally put down his guitar, took a flying leap from the stage and headbutted the offending oaf. Apparently Evan - who skis and surfs and does proper outdoor-type things - can really handle himself. A tip here to drunk concertgoers: don't heckle Hayley Westenra either - we hear she packs a lightning fast left and a nose-breaking headbutt.

ON TOUR: Jazz fans in this country are often starved for the great names, but on Saturday April 10, SkyCity Theatre hosts one of the true legends: saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, who established himself on a series of exploratory and spiritual recordings with John Coltrane during his final years. He also worked with Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Don Cherry and Coltrane's widow, Alice. Sanders, now 63, has incorporated Indian, African and Japanese instruments into jazz but still has the reputation of a hard-blowing post-bop saxophonist and is one of the few of his postwar generation who remains active. Tickets on sale now at Ticketek and Real Groovy.

And in an entirely different vein, DJ Shadow's turntable whiz friend RJD2, a producer mixing quirky orchestral samples, hip-hop and electronic weirdness, is scheduled to play a gig in early April.

WATCH OUT KEISHA: Whale Rider star and Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes isn't the only young actress basking in international buzz. Wellington actress Paige Shand-Haami, who was just 7 years old when she performed the lead role of Mary in the short New Zealand film Water two years ago, has just been named best actress in a short film at the Drifting Clouds International Film Festival. After it screened at the Sundance Film Festival in the US her family received a call from an American agent. The film, directed by Chris Graham, tells the story of a family who ignore a small leak and Mary's warnings and become engulfed by slowly rising waters which finally claim the house. Paige has already starred in a second watery film, The Tub, where she also plays a girl called Mary.

GOODBYE TEXAS, HELLO WORLD: It's a good sign that two of the Kiwi bands booked to go to the annual music trade fair South By Southwest in Texas next month have pulled out. goodshirt will instead focus on releasing their first album, good in Japan, a deal that came about after their trip to the conference last year. And the Mint Chicks will focus on increasing interest from Britain where one of their singles is receiving national radio play - including on John Peel's legendary BBC show - and has been named single of the week in rock bible Kerrang!

CINEMA CIRCUS: Aah, the drive-in. Now you can act just like the handsome couples in American movies. Just pull on up, park the Chev (or the Mazda), switch your radio to the right frequency and watch your favourite movie as you reach across the gear stick to hold hands. Run by the Incredible Film Fest folks, the Cinema Circus is a 35mm cinema set up at the Alexandra Park Racecourse (and elsewhere around the country). Tonight they're screening cult classic Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!. Check Cinema Circus for more screenings.

NZ IDOL - THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN: Isn't it comforting to know the majority get what they want, simply by phoning and text messaging, and that agendas and personal bias don't get in the way of our, er, most reliable gauge of public opinion?

On Monday night's episode of NZ Idol we did just that by voting as many times as we liked for as many of the first eight Idol finalists as we liked.

Perhaps that explains how 18-year-old Filipo Saipani, whom the judges predicted would be going home, beat both Nigel Withington and impressive Rotorua contestant Christine Hutt. Does he have a large family with shares in Telecom? Hutt was far more convincing. So Filipo joined Camillia Temple (so good she'd made Fiona cry - a reaction Billy Connolly severely mocked at his Palmerston North show the next night; after all, who ever cries over a Whitney Houston song?), Ben Lummis (the suave braided one) and Nige (a Kiwi Ronan Keating) on the important-looking silver chairs, after they performed their winning numbers for a second time.

Then host Dominic Bowden committed three of the Idol format's most frustrating sins. The suspense ... created ... by pausing ... for as long ... as possible ...

Next Dom tells us what we've already heard: "Frankie said you sounded great. Fiona said you sounded great too. And in case you've nodded off to the synthesiser music, Paul said ... "

Finally, like children learning the alphabet, we are told one of them must go. Who will it be? Why didn't they just tell us before? And why didn't we switch on five minutes before the end of the show?

CHATTERBOX IDOL TOP 10

1. Camillia Temple (28), Hamilton

2. Ngahekenga, or Nga as she now calls herself (21), Tawa

3. Ben Lummis (24), Auckland

4. Lemuel Misa (22), Auckland

5. "Big Dave" Housa (28), Auckland

6. Robin Johnson (18), Upper Hutt

7. Lee Fidow (22), Riccarton

8. Luke Whaanga (20), Lower Hutt

9. Jessie Cassin (18), North Shore

10. Eddie Gaiger (25), Coromandel