Sideswipe: May 12: Catch of the day

When in town, even the royal bachelors like to check out the local dating scene ... One reader stumbled across this Tinder profile which reads: "Just an everyday strawberry-blonde looking for a princess. I'm in this for the long haul (has to finish by Saturday). Interests include the army and being fifth in line for things. Favourite Lion King character: Scar."

What's the play here?

Mt Albert reader Rod writes: "Have Auckland's cinema operators gone mad? A movie about rugby (The Ground We Won) has just been released in this rugby-crazy country to rave reviews from all the film critics, and at the weekend it was being shown on only two screens in metropolitan Auckland, and one of those in a theatrette that seats just 18 people. Are our movie moguls trying to kill off the New Zealand film industry?"

Even when Gwyneth is right she's wrong

Timothy Caulfield wrote a book exploring the world of celebrity pseudoscience called Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? in which he argues that not enough has been done to debunk celebrity messages and promises about health, diet, beauty, or the secret to happiness. In an interview about the book, Caulfield is asked if Paltrow actually is wrong about everything? He replies: "It's incredible how much she is wrong about. Even when she is right about stuff - like telling people to eat more fruits and vegetables - there is always a bit of a tinge of wrongness. She'll say, 'It has to be organic,' for example. She is still distracting us with these untrue details, as opposed to just pushing the honest truth."

Big Bird's touching phone call

The man who plays Big Bird (Caroll Spinney) did an AMA (ask me anything session) on Reddit, where he was asked what has been his most meaningful interaction with a child during the show. Here's his response: "I got a letter from a fan who said his boy, who was 5 years old, his name was Joey, was dying of cancer. He was so ill, the little boy knew he was dying. The man said the only thing that cheered him was to see Big Bird on television ... He wouldn't see Big Bird on some days, because he wasn't necessarily in every show. So he asked could I telephone him, and talk to the boy ... I had Big Bird say 'Hello! Hello Joey! It's me, Big Bird!' I chatted a while with him, about 10 minutes, and he said 'I'm glad you're my friend Big Bird'. He said 'Thank you for calling me Big Bird. You're my friend. You make me happy.' His father and mother were sitting with him when the phone call came. His father wrote to me right away, and said 'Thank you, thank you' - he hadn't seen him smile [for months] - and when the phone was hung up, he said 'Big Bird called me! He's my friend'. And he closed his eyes and passed away. And I could see that what I say to children can be very important."

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Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz