Air New Zealand's latest Hobbit themed aircraft touched down in Los Angeles this morning to great anticipation and much fanfare. The 777-300 featuring a 54-metre Smaug the dragon emblazoned across both sides arrived earlier today ahead of the premiere this evening of the second instalment of The Hobbit trilogy - The Desolation of Smaug.

The Biblical Noah suffers visions of an apocalyptic deluge and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood. Courtesy: YouTube/Paramount Pictures

The 'Book of New Zealand' tells the story of how New Zealand has inspired the epic landscapes behind Sir Peter Jackson's The Hobbit Trilogy. Academy Award winning production designer Dan Hennah explains how the gigantic pop-up book was conceived in New Zealand then shipped and installed in Los Angeles.

The 'Book of New Zealand' -- the world's biggest pop-up book installed on-site at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles to celebrate the world premiere of 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' on December 2, it features original sets and effects from 'The Hobbit' Trilogy, representing four of the principal filming locations and the featured New Zealand landscapes.

Two giant eagles, one giving Gandalf the wizard a ride, have been unveiled at Wellington's airport.

Two giant eagles, one giving Gandalf the wizard a ride, have been unveiled at Wellington's airport today. The massive creations, which were made by Weta Workshop, accompany an enormous Gollum in welcoming visitors to the capital. The latest features each weigh a tonne and have a wingspan of 15m. Weta head Sir Richard Taylor said the team took three months to build them.

Air New Zealand today revealed Peter Jackson’s theatrical interpretation of the mythical Dragon Smaug exclusively to the world, ten days ahead of the release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. A Boeing 777-300 aircraft with the 54 metre (177 feet) long Dragon emblazoned on both sides was unveiled in Auckland this morning, making Kiwis the first in the world to see the iconic Dragon in all his glory.

The Duke of Cambridge has appeared on stage at a charity gala event for an impromptu sing-along with rock and pop stars Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift. Courtesy: YouTube/BON JOVI always the best

Watch The Runner, the new video from Anna Coddington, directed by Aidee Walker and Alexander Gandar.

Even with her debut album Pure Heroine released too late for consideration in this year's Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, Lorde has come away with four Tuis at tonight's ceremony in Auckland.

The VNZMA's are back for another year, but it's not just the celebs that need mention but the fans who support their number one star. Hugh Sundae was there to find out who they wanted to see, where they get there new music and little game of who's in the limo.

Ahead of the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, finalist Phil Somervell - The Datsuns, spoke to Hugh Sundae.

The feature-length documentary is about the great Manchester United generation of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers, Gary and Phil. Six working class boys who became superstars. It is released in the UK on Sunday 1 December 2013

Ahead of the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, Aaradhna spoke to Hugh Sundae about the appeal of America.

Ahead of the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, co-host and finalist Stan Walker spoke to Hugh Sundae about hosting the Critics' Choice Prize Showcase, indie crowds, and the boundaries of pop music.

Fresh off stage from soundcheck at Vector Arena for her Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards performance, finalist and performer Jamie McDell spoke to Hugh Sundae about playing the piano, her "image", and which award would mean the most to her.

'Just another day in Middle-earth' is the new commercial released by Air New Zealand as the countdown to the second Hobbit movie The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug. courtesy Air New Zealand/YouTube.

Watch Hit The Wall, the new video from Kora - directed by Chris Graham.

Birdy performs Words As Weapons at an exclusive showcase performance at Auckland's Wintergarden, for iHeartRadio.

Teen singing sensation Lorde has surprised students from her old school with a visit to judge its annual talent quest. The 17-year-old - real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor - performed in the same competition at Belmont Intermediate on Auckland's North Shore when she was 12. Her Belmont Idol performance of Warwick Avenue by Duffy was later shown to Universal Music representatives and she was signed to the label. Earlier this week the Royals singer, along with golfer Lydia Ko, topped the list of Time magazine's most influential teenagers in the world.

From Disney comes Maleficent - the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. Maleficent is due for release in 2014. Video/YouTube

Watch the new video from Paper Cranes, Little Darling, directed by Nikki Castle.

Nikki writes: "A while back I watched this fantastic BBC archival footage compilation of people dancing. To show how music can change the tone of seemingly happy visuals, the first video had been edited with what you might call "funky" music, but the second had this eerie classical number that took you into a whole new world.

When I first heard Little Darling I immediately thought it had that spooky Lychian sound that could be perfectly contrasted with the fundamental joy of dance. The song itself is very layered in meaning, so I wanted to keep the visuals subtle and complimentary. We filmed the performance on one of Auckland's rainiest days a few months back at Mt Eden's historical cinema, Crystal Palace.

Paper Cranes are booking a tour for mid January, with dates to be announced soon. Their next single (plus B side) will be out February 22.

Alec Baldwin says he never had a sexual or romantic relationship with a Canadian actress who's now on trial, accused of stalking him. Baldwin and the accused actress, Genevieve Sabourin, both appeared in court on Tuesday in New York.

One lucky Kiwi gamer will be the first in the world to get his or her hands on the new Xbox One console when it launches next week, but until then the next-generation device will be placed under tight security - in a shark tank at Kelly Tarlton's. Twenty sharks will spend the week looking after the console, to be sealed in a waterproof case.

Recorded live at the Kings Arms in Auckland: 2013 Critics Choice Prize winner, Sheep, Dog & Wolf - Breath

Pop star Justin Bieber has been filmed sleeping in a hotel room by a mystery brunette. Courtesy: YouTube/Filipe Golay

Check out the new trailer for Robocop, starring Samuel L Jackson, Gary Oldman and Michael Keaton and due for release in early 2014.

This exclusive, behind-the-scenes video gives you a sneak peak at what makes Lorde one of 2013's standout acts. Video: Spotify/YouTube

Anna Hutchison recently appeared in Charlie Sheen's hit US sitcom, Anger Management. Here are some highlights. Video/YouTube

Watch the 2013 Critics' Choice Prize Showcase back in full, thanks to Spotify and Vodafone.

Featuring performances and interviews with Paquin, Janine and the Mixtape and Sheep, Dog and Wolf.

Originally streamed live from Auckland's Kings Arms Tavern on November 6th 2013.

The Hallenstein Brothers Critics' Choice Prize is part of the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.