Coco Talanoa — Entertainment / Page 34

For seven months last year, Australian filmmaker Bentley Dean and his family lived with one of the South Pacific's last traditional tribes.

With regular fly-in visits from fellow director Martin Butler, they shot a feature film that dramatised the lives of the Yakel tribe in the mountainous areas of a Vanuatu island.

"They still live very traditionally – hunting with bows and arrows and wearing penis sheaths for the men and grass skirts for the women," says Dean.

"They've made a very deliberate decision to conserve their custom as they call it – their culture – because it's only a half-hour drive down the mountain to the main town."

The roughly 200 members of the tribe live by the same beliefs as they have had for centuries, with the same ancient ceremonies.

While they have one modern luxury – mobile phones – without electricity they have to travel to town to charge them.

Now, the film that Dean and Butler shot, called Tanna after the island, has been selected to have a world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September.…more

When one talks of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s name is bound to pop up during the conversation. It would be safe to say that he’s the Hulk Hogan of our generation.

Johnson’s enormous popularity extends far beyond the wrestling world, with the California native one of Hollywood’s most successful superstars, as well as a global figure of affection. All that popularity hasn’t diminished his humbleness, with the star being one of the nicest celebrities around; always happy to oblige his fans with selfies or autographs. One thing that has always intrigued Johnson’s fans is his ethnicity, with the wrestler possessing a mixed heritage. And this article decode the question, which is: What is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s true ethnicity?

Johnson was born into a family of wrestlers, with his grandfather, “High Chief” Peter Maivia a well known wrestler, as well as his dad, Rocky Johnson, who created history by becoming the first black to win the WWF Tag Team Championship, along with partner Tony Atlas.…more

The Man Behind The Rock’s Stunts For The Past 13 Years Is His Cousin.

In Hollywood, you’re only as good as the guy doing your stunts.

And in the case of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, he might have the best damn stuntman in the entire business.

The same man has held DJ down and made him look good on camera since The Rock’s acting debut in “The Scorpion King” back in 2002.

But just like wrestling, it’s a family business and The Rock’s stuntman is none other than his cousin Tanoai Reed.

The Rock is the biggest action movie star in Hollywood right now.

So it’s only right he has the best stuntman in the game.

Thanks to his cousin, Tanoai Reed, he has exactly that.

For the past 13 years, their partnership has been a successful one, and they’ve starred in over a dozen films together.

It works really well because they have the same body type.

And they even wore the same number as football players.

They both clean up well when they have to.…more

The distant sound of a conch call is heard. As waves burble onto the shore, Lupepe or Pepe for short, with her hair in an immaculate bun, sings a moving Samoan hymn.  Proud and strong, she strums her treasured white kikala. She wants to leave a life of slavery. Dreams are packed tight into banana boxes. She will take her children to New Zealand for a better life.

******

Fa'amoana Luafutu is a small shoeless boy at a New Zealand airport. Looking about curiously at the foreign sights and smells, he feels as if he has swallowed a rainbow.

 

Singing a new song, with The White Guitar, Scribe.

On his first day at school in Auckland he is given his new name, John, as Fa'amoana is considered too difficult to pronounce. He feels dumb and lost. He looks up and sees the phrase "deeds not words" embossed in concrete on the main school building.…more

No description needed. Just Enjoy! 

Video footage courtesy: TVNZ

10 random cool things you should know about Te Vaka (if you didn't know...now ya know)

1. The group was founded by singer and songwriter Opetaia Foa'i in New Zealand. 1994 The beginnings of Te Vaka.

Full Band Biography here: Te Vaka 

2. Opetaia Tavita Foa’i (Leader) was born in Alamagoto, a small village in Apia, Western Samoa. He even wrote a song about his hometown: "Alamagoto" (Album: Nukukehe)

3. Opetaia's father is from Tokelau his mother from Tuvalu. (Samoa, Tokelau, Tuvalu - we all cousins!)

Walt Disney Studios, California, USA (Moana's home) vs. Tuvalu (Opetaia's mum's home)

4. First Te Vaka album entitled "Te Vaka" released in over 80 countries to worldwide acclaim making the top 10 on several worldmusic charts , receiving rave reviews from the USA , UK , Europe and New Zealand and becoming one of ARC music's all time best selling albums. 

5. Before joining Te Vaka, Male vocalist Doug Bernard A.K.A "D.…more

Awesome news to find out that 'Te Vaka', one of the Pacific's favourite bands, have been involved with behind the scenes in making the music for Disney's Moana. Band member Jojo Toomata posted this pic with this caption:

God is Good!! An amazing experience at Disney today!! Finally we can reveal what we've been doing here in L.A. We have the pleasure of working with Disney to bring the best of the Pacific to the world!! Moana the next best thing! Soo proud to represent our Pacific people to share our stories about our Ancestors to the world! What pleasure to be working alongside Dwayne Johnson, and Finally meet the Producers & writers. Follow that dream, cause it just got real! Boom! Massive shout out to my Beautiful wife Mequita and Kids, Love you and miss you's!!! #Blessed #polymovement #TeVaka2015 #TheRock #Disney#D23expo #family 

Congratulations Te Vaka we can't wait to hear the Music.

SUGGESTED LINKS:

Check out the amazing music from around the Pacific

Known to all as 'The People's Champion', Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson takes time to reflect on the imact his Grandparents had on his life.

Recalling his favorite moments with both grandparents, The Rock sings to them both in a candid interview.

SUGGESTED LINKS

Check out some of the history of his tattoo!

See more of The Rock singing!