Coco Talanoa — Entertainment / Page 20

TVNZ has revealed New Zealand's first Bachelorette and we're pleased to introduce Lesina Nahkid-Schuster.

It's a win for diversity with Lesina being of Pacific Islands, Caribbean, Lebanese and German heritage. 

Lesina's father George is Samoan/German and although retired now, was a teacher at Mt Albert Grammar for over 20 years.  Her Mother Dr Camille Nahkid is Trinidad & Tobago/Lebanese and is an Associate Professor at the AUT School of Social Sciences and Public Policy. She has done extensive research into Māori and Pasifika educational achievement; family and community among Pasifika youth; factors impacting on migrant resettlement; and culturally relevant research methodologies. In 2018 she was awarded a Member of New Zealand Order of Merit for services to ethnic communities and education.  

Lesina is the eldest of her 2 siblings - her brother Alesano works with refugees, interviewing and helping them with entry into New Zealand & her sister Shani has recently graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Sociology and Education. 

Her whole family are fully supportive and really excited for her Bachelorette journey.…more

Parris Goebel gets some of the Request "Sorry girls" together along with other friends in LA to jam a lil sumthin sumthin to Justin Biebers latest track 'Yummy'. 

They received so much love from the original rehearsal video they put together (Below) that they've given us something extra special.

Enjoy!

Warning:  Explicit Lyrics 

With OneFour's "In the Beginning" Tour effectively shut down in Australia, the boys took their show to New Zealand for a sold-out performance at the Powerstation, Auckland on Dec 5th 2019.

On landing in Auckland the day before the show, they learned of the heavy prison sentence handed down to Yp & Celly.  They also lost J_Emz who was denied entry into the country by NZ immigration.

Carlin Leota captures behind the scene footage as Spenny decides to carry the weight of the team on his shoulders and press on with the show despite being down 3 members.

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Presented by : OneFour Shot

Edited : Carlin Leota

Assisted by : Ben Mikha, Samson Rambo, Torrell Tafa & additional footage by @kumehanik

Jason Momoa and Kelly Clarkson discuss their similar parenting style, and Jason has quite the passionate response when Kelly asks if his 12-year-old daughter has started dating yet.

SOSEFINA, a Drama/Romance Polynesian American feature film, has announced its official release in the United States May 2022 after delays to the release due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

SOSEFINA is based on the true experiences of a Pacific island girl who is challenged to overcome adversity and personal struggles, and must decide whether to continue on the straight and narrow or enter the seedy world of adult entertainment.

The film stars lead actor Diamond Langi, the 2019 Ms. Universe New Zealand, along with supporting actor Lehi Falepapalangi from Hulu's "Future Man," Netflix's "Naked Director," and "Doogie Kamealoha, M.D" and others from across the continental United States. Many involved with the project were first-time filmmakers and up-and-coming actors.

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Check out the interview with the creators of the movie on Radio 531PI here: 

Upcoming movie release 'The Legend of Baron To'a' boasts an all-star Pasifika and Māori cast starring Uli Latukefu, Nathaniel Lees, Jay Laga’aia, John Tui, Shavaughn Ruakere and Fasitua Amosa alongside rising stars Duane Evans Jr. and Lotima Pome’e (General Fiyah).

‘The Legend of Baron To’a’ tells the story of Fritz, a Tongan entrepreneur who returns to his old neighbourhood and inadvertently causes the theft of his late father’s valued pro wrestling title belt by some ruthless gangsters led by ‘man-mountain’ Tahu. When negotiation and diplomacy fail to get it back, he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy to reclaim the title.

'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' meets 'Kung-Fu Hustle' in this action-packed urban adventure directed by Kiel McNaughton.

Olina Loau's stunning rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic ballad 'Don't cry for me Argentina' in the Grand Final of Australia's Got Talent.  She had previously received 2 Golden Buzzers to put her straight through to the Grand Final but missed out to Pole Dancing Mum Kristy Sellars.

Leading up to the final she had also visited this Mt Druitt Hospital's palliative & supportive care unit to sing 'Hallelujah' to Brenda, a terminally ill patient.  There wasn't a dry eye in the room as staff and carers watched the emotional duet.

Stallone Vaiaoga-Iosasa's latest comedy to hit the big screen - Take Home Pay - had its premiere last night at The Civic with the Pasifika community out in full force.  The movie premiere's tonight in Wellington before it opens to the public on the 5th of September.  Check out the trailer above

We spoke to Writer/Director Stallone, Producer Abba Rose Vaiagoa-Ioasa and one of the lead actors Vito Vito before the premiere last night. 

Why did you want to make this movie? 

Stallone:  I wanted to cover 2 main things, one is money - how money works at least to some degree in our community - and also the importance of innovation.  I think whats in the film, how the film was made and what goes into making the film, it's an imporant theme in terms of we're always talking about protecting our culture and moving forward. 

How we achieve that is in line with how we nurture innovation and how we nurture doing something different outside the box, reacting to the changing climate in a much more pro-active way.…more

Samoan actor KJ Apa has shared the trailer for the latest movie he stars in based on the real life story of Contemporary christian singer Jeremy Camp.

For the film, KJ, who hails from a “really musical household,” does all of his own singing in the movie he shared with People.com.

“I’m super uncomfortable when I sing,” he admits. “I went into the studio in Nashville — I did that first before we shot anything — and I think that really gave me perspective on the film. Having that sound and knowing what all that music is going to sound like before you go in is super important. It’s either going to boost your confidence and boost your morale or it’s going to be like, ‘Oh, man, that didn’t go so well, so what are we going to work with?’ Luckily, it couldn’t have gone better. I think people are going to love it.”

KJ with the real Jeremy Camp