Coco Talanoa — Entertainment / Page 22

If you're not familiar with the name Konecs we're sure you'll be familiar with his music.  He's the voice behind Tongan jam 'Ofa Mai' & features on the pop/reggae hit  'Chill' by DJ Noiz (see vid below)

The 24 year old Tongan grew up in Mangere, South Auckland and started making music at the age of 16.  He was discovered by Biordi Group Music late last year in October, signed to their label and now resides in Sydney to focus on his music & future.

The mini doco above shows a bit of his journey with the move over to Sydney & how he overcame addiction & dealt with cyber bullying after a negative Facebook post went viral.
Since moving he's been focused on not only his music but his mental & physical health.

His new single STRONGER talks about what he went through and how he came out of his dark place & drops this Friday the 18th. 

Follow Konecs on -
Instagram: @konecsmusic
Facebook: @konecs
Soundcloud: @konecs

Meet 11 year old Tongan actress/singer Visesia Fakatoufifita who plays the lead role of Annie in the 5th Avenue Theatre production (Seattle, USA) of "ANNIE" 

Her parents let her try out for Annie because they thought it would be good for her to be told "No" early in her acting career. Boy, did that plan backfire!

Jason goes home to Hawai'i and he takes us behind the scenes with him on the last stop of his Aquaman World Tour where he gives back to the Boys & Girls club in Nanakuli and has a special screening for his friends & family.

Our very own Tofiga Fepulea'i meets Jason Momoa in Sydney for the premiere of Jason's latest movie AQUAMAN.
Check out how Jason feels being the very first Polynesian Super Hero in this exclusive interview & Tofiga also gives us his Aquaman review.

Follow Jason BTS on his Aquaman world tour here. 

Full interview coming up on FreshTVs new season!

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Thank you Warner Bros for Aquaman interview & movie footage 

Thank you Undertow Media 

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Tofigas review Camera Operators - Danny Aumua & Junior Meredith 

Edited by Danny Aumua 

Jason Momoa is back in Hawai'i this weekend & hosted a private screening of 'Aquaman' for his family and friends & as a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Hawai'i (Check out his visit with them in his instagram post below - those Ula Loles tho!).

Hundreds of fans gathered outside the theatre to catch a glimpse of him.

He addressed the crowd saying "I'm so honoured to play this role because it represents all of us, all of Polynesia.  A wise man once told me, we as Polynesians - we're not separated by land but we're connected by water - Fijians, NZ the maoris, Tahitian, Kanaka Maoli, it's all one tribe, all one nation ...." 

Watch the rest of his speech in the vid above.

Go behind the scenes with Jason Momoa in the lead up to performing the haka at the Los Angeles premiere of Aquaman.

Maori Television spoke to Tuhoe kaihaka Shannon Borell who was instrumental in helping put together the haka "Tangaroa Ararau" for Jason Momoa Aquaman's premiere in L.A.   He also collaborated with Momoa and other Māori martial art fighters during the filming of Aquaman in Australia over a six month period to integrate mau rākau into the fight scenes. 

The former Te Matatini leader said the Hollywood actor only had 30 minutes to learn the haka with members of the Manawa Ora group, who train in Māori weaponry on the Gold Coast including TV star, Cole Smith. 

"We wanted Jason Momoa to be likened to Tangaroa, god of the sea.…more

'AQUAMAN' has finally hit NZ theatres and gone straight to #1 at the New Zealand box office with the highest Boxing Day opening of all time AND the biggest opening for a Warner Bros film this year.

There's loads of action, the visuals & under water scenes are amazing, the cast is very cool - shouts to New Zealands own Temuera Morrison & did we mention more Jason Momoa?  Here's our Coco crew review ...

"Great story of the families. Good mix of land and sea. Awesome to watch the underworld in this way. Heaps of action scenes, family story and deep meanings. Good references of our poly/maori heritage.  Colourful and fast paced in some places and then slows down to five the audience time to breathe and digest what just happened"  - Elizabeth Koroivulaono 

"Heaps of fun! Full of action, amazing visuals and colour - the underwater world is awesome. Lots of Polynesian and Māori easter eggs in there for the peoples! Jason Momoa is a likeable renegade antihero.…more

Tomorrow night, the Virtuoso Strings Orchestra from Porirua will join forces with Grammy award winning bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu in a first time collaboration in Wellington.

This one night only concert ‘Some Enchanted Evening’, will feature Lemalu performing some of the most well-loved bass arias by Bach and Mozart, as well as classics by Copland, Gershwin and others, old favourites like Jerome Kern’s ‘Ol’ man river’, and of course Rodger & Hammerstein’s  ‘Some Enchanted Evening’.

The Virtuoso Strings Orchestra was formed in 2013 by Elizabeth Sneyd and Craig Utting who were in awe of the natural talent in the community especially among the Maori and Pasifika students. Today the popular youth orchestra is based in Cannons Creek, Porirua, and is run by the non-for-profit Virtuoso Strings Charitable Trust.…more

We're here for all things Jason Momoa and Roadshow Films have just released the final trailer for 'AQUAMAN' which also stars another Poly in Hollywood - Temuera Morrison.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and director James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be…a king.

AQUAMAN will be released to NZ cinemas on the 26th December.

The much anticipated first season of Project Runway NZ hits our TV screens tonight at 7.30pm and there are 3 Tongan designers representing & competing for the opportunity of a lifetime - one designer will come out on top and walk away with their very own Holden Astra, a cash prize of $50,000, and receive a photoshoot and six page spread in Fashion Quarterly Magazine.

Before the show kicks off, get to know our Tongan designers here:

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