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Piha Rescue
Monday 3 September, 7.30pm

Piha is the one of the busiest surf beaches in New Zealand. Thousands of visitors flock here every summer to enjoy the sun, sand, surf, and wild terrain. But many of these people are caught unaware by the silent dangers at Piha – the rips, waves and rocks. Filmed with several water and beach cameras, the fourth series of ‘Piha Rescue’ once again brings the action from the beach right into viewers’ living rooms (tonight on TV ONE at 7.30pm).

Being a lifeguard at Piha takes physical and mental strength, good people skills, quick reactions in dangerous situations and the ability to cope with extreme levels of stress. The majority of lifeguards at Piha are volunteers, donating their time to the community, but the rescues often take them well above and beyond the call of duty.
Sunset is often a tense time of day at Piha, especially when several boat crews are out desperately searching for a swimmer. While everyone else heads home for the evening, the lifeguards don wetsuits and race to locate swimmers – before they drown.

Lifeguard Greg Wilson says, “Finding a swimmer out beyond the breakers at dusk is like looking for a needle in a haystack. But we’re compelled to find that swimmer – it’s in our blood, our lifeguard creed. That’s why we don’t often get to pack up patrol until well into the evening.”

‘Piha Rescue’ also features the Piha surfboat crews, who bravely tackle waves the size of houses – and survive, but not without risking life, limb and boat.

The lifeguards at Piha act with passion and believe they can make a difference – and they do. They are local heroes who give up their spare time for no financial incentive, only satisfaction in a job well done and an intangible obligation to help the people who visit their beach. Going to the beach is part of the Kiwi culture but the water demands respect. ‘Piha Rescue’ offers lessons in water safety, as well as high-action rescues and human drama.

On the first episode tonight, the lifeguards at Piha desperately try to reach a motionless person who is laying face-down on rocks in front of Camel Rock.

Artsville
Sunday 2 September, 10.40pm

Tonight’s ‘Artsville’ looks at the writing and drawing of comic books in New Zealand, with ‘The Comics Show’, and features a reading of ‘Moon Men’, by Anna Livesey (at 10.40pm on TV ONE).

The writing and drawing of comic books has remained a little-known and underrated area of New Zealand culture. In ‘The Comics Show’, director Shirley Horrocks examines this creative subculture with a rich local history, from the moral panic about comics in the 1940s and 50s, through the counter-culture work of the artists of Strips magazine, (such as Dick Frizzell and Grant Major), to the new directions taken by women artists, and to the publication of local graphic novels by artists such as Ant Sang and Dylan Horrocks.
Shirley Horrocks says there are now comics for all ages and interests: “I find this a fascinating area of local work that seldom receives serious attention. Some people are only aware of the kinds of comics they encountered as kids, but the genre has hugely expanded. It’s a lively sub-culture, buzzing with creative activity. Like our musicians, some New Zealand comic artists have gained a cult reputation internationally.”

The advent of cheap photocopying made it possible for anyone to publish their own comics and a do-it-yourself spirit developed in New Zealand, she says. “Their comics have been characterised by a strong spirit of independence. Local artists and writers know there’s not much status and even less money in it, so they might as well enjoy their freedom. Barry Linton (a highly experienced and respected man on the New Zealand comics scene) points out that local artists tend to be bored by the overseas style of superheroes – they’re more interested in creating anti-heroes.”

‘The Comics Show’ takes viewers from Auckland street culture, to Wellington’s ‘Eric Awards’, and on to a do-it-yourself comic collective.

‘The Comics Show’ is also screening in the Telecom 2007 New Zealand International Film Festival, as part of a double-feature with Shirley Horrocks’ film ‘Questions For Mr Reynolds’. Plus, on tonight’s ‘Artsville’, there will be a reading ‘Moon Men’ by poet Anna Livesey.

Sunday Theatre: Emma
Sunday 2 September, 8.30pm

‘Sunday Theatre’ this week sees the final of TV ONE’s winter season of one-off adaptations of classic Jane Austen novels, with ‘Emma’ (tonight at 8.30pm).

‘Emma’ tells the story of a young woman (Gwyneth Paltrow) in 19th-century England, who plays the town matchmaker by meddling in other people’s affairs. While attempting to match her friend (Toni Collette) with Reverend Elton (Alan Cumming), Emma’s plan starts to face complications, until she finally discovers the one person she truly loves.

Diana: Last Days Of A Princess
Saturday 1 September, 10.35pm

August 1997: Princess Diana is once more dominating headlines. Embracing romance and basking in luxury, her jet-set lifestyle is the stuff of fantasies. One year after her divorce from Prince Charles, she is living life to the full, under the constant glare of publicity, in the company of Dodi Al Fayed. As the paparazzi chase the promise of instant riches, Diana seeks an elusive sense of freedom. She has finally regained some control of her life and has an optimistic plan for her future – to escape the parochial concerns of the court of Queen Elizabeth and become a ‘princess for the world’. Tragically, one night in Paris, events spiral out of control.

Ten years after the fatal crash that stunned the world, ‘Diana: Last Day Of A Princess’ uses interviews and drama to capture for the first time the final days of one of the 20th-century’s greatest icons (tonight at 10.35pm on TV ONE).
Director Richard Dale says, “the sudden, tragic death of Diana, in August 1997 was, for my generation, our John F. Kennedy moment. Millions today recall where they were when they heard the almost unbelievable news coming from Paris – that the most famous woman in the world was dead.

He believes such was her fame that, for many, it seemed impossible she should be gone – “and 10 years on, it is her unrivalled role as a style and social icon, surpassing even the likes of Monroe, Garbo and Dietrich, that will make the anniversary of that late summer night resonate around the world.”

‘Diana: Last Days Of A Princess’ was made to mark this anniversary. Dale says it is a meticulously researched portrayal of Diana’s final summer, using a cinematic approach to drama. In 1997 Diana appeared to reclaim some control of her life, he says, “it is this new emotional drive, with its tragic pathos that provides the guiding force for ['Diana: Last Days Of A Princess']. Filmed interviews with friends and acquaintances sit alongside the testimony of those who were there at the time. We have also had access to key people who, while declining to face a camera, have given vital clues to some of Diana’s enduring ambiguities.

“The method was to first secure the documentary element of the film, then use this to enrich the dramatic recreations of her life,” he says.

Tonight, ‘Diana: Last Days Of A Princess’ sees a cinematic portrayal of Diana’s last summer. It moves beyond tales of secret agents and conspiracies to reveal the motives, the men and the mysterious secrets of her unconventional behaviour. Every dramatic scene is underpinned by meticulous research, including the Metropolitan Police report and an array of interviews with those close to the princess.

1 vs 100
Saturday 1 September, 8.35pm

‘1 vs 100’ is a new Australian game show (tonight at 8.35pm on TV ONE) that pits one contestant (The Player) against 100 strangers, who are also contestants (The Mob). With a potential grand prize of one million dollars, it is a classic match-up in the vein of “David and Goliath”.

During the game, host Eddie McGuire asks the player and the mob multiple-choice questions. If any mob member or the player answers incorrectly, they’re immediately eliminated from the game. The object of the game is for the player to try and eliminate every member of the mob and be the last person standing at the end of the game. Plus, the more members of the mob they knock out, the more money they could possibly win.

Players will be asked if they want the “Money or the Mob”, giving them the option to leave with their winnings or continue the game and risk their total bank. Each question is worth an escalating sum of money. If the player successfully eliminates all 100 members of the mob, the player wins $1 million.

Hunger For The Wild
Saturday 1 September, 7pm

Top chefs Steve Logan and Al Brown are back, travelling New Zealand highways and by-ways in Brownie’s Holden, tracking, chasing and catching wild game, fish and fowl to turn into some of the most mouth-watering dishes ever cooked in the wild, in series two of the award-winning adventure-cooking show, ‘Hunger For The Wild’ (tonight at 7pm on TV ONE).

As well as running one of New Zealand’s most successful up-market restaurants, Logan Brown, in downtown Wellington, the pair share a love for fishing, hunting and the great outdoors. ‘Hunger For The Wild’ sees them trading the comfort of their restaurant for life on the road. They head for the wild and, with the help of some great Kiwi characters, discover some of New Zealand’s finest and freshest foods – and bring viewers dishes of wild game and seasonal delicacies.
Series two takes Logie and Brownie to more spectacular corners of the country: an East Cape fishing reef, the Marlborough back country, Queen Charlotte Sound beach, the fast-flowing Tauranga-Taupo River, beautiful Otago Harbour, the Kapiti Coast, desolate Birdlings Flat on Banks Peninsula, the remote Chatham Islands, and a Hawkes Bay lake.

The boys drive to each location in Brownie’s prized 1964 EH Holden and shortly after arriving, decide who hunts for the main dish and who gathers the other ingredients. Going their separate ways, they hook up with local identities who help in their quest and along the way share their stories, their history and, in many cases, their favourite fishing and hunting spots.

Many colourful people feature in this series and for Al Brown, meeting them was a real highlight. “People who hunt and gather are generally in tune with the land, they’re down to earth, they have a good sense of humour and they give you time. I’ve made some good friends and had a heap of laughs.”

Each episode of ‘Hunger for the Wild’ finishes off with a meal cooked in a unique and beautiful location – simple fresh fare, delicious and unpretentious – and during the preparation, Logan and Brown offer plenty of cooking tips and food facts. For Steve Logan, the meal is a natural way to end each show: “It’s a chance for us to give back to the people who helped us, to sit around a table of beautiful food, to talk about the hunt and swap stories. I love it – it’s a big part of why we’re in the business. It’s a meal that could only be produced in one country and celebrates the very best of it – our beautiful land, our fresh produce and classic Kiwi characters.”

Episode one sees Logan and Brown take a road-trip round the North Island’s East Cape and, after receiving a divine tip, hook up with a keen fisherman to chase down the prized kingfish. The trip begins with a fuel-stop in Opotiki, where they stock up on supplies and set up a meal for the road, hot dogs cooked under the hood of the old Holden.

The hunt for kingfish takes Logan and Brown round the winding scenic coastline to Cape Runaway. Jim Kemp, expert reef-fisherman with a few tricks for luring in a kingfish, informs the boys they must catch some live bait before they can reel in a kingfish so the pair set to work. The end result sees Brownie cook an impressive dinner of macadamia-coated kingfish on the beach.

Series one of ‘Hunger For The Wild’ won the Air New Zealand Screen Awards Best Factual Series for 2007.

Real Crime: Jeffrey Dahmer – Born To Kill?
Wednesday 29 August, 9.30pm

The definition of a serial killer is a person who commits more than three murders, with the killings often separated by long periods of inactivity. Luring victims to their death, they act out extreme sadistic urges, and lack any ability to empathise with the suffering of their victims. But why do these killers commit these heinous crimes?

‘Real Crime: Jeffrey Dahmer – Born To Kill?’ examines the life of Dahmer, trying to find clues as to what prompted his appalling crimes (tonight at 9.30pm on TV ONE). Dahmer was a homosexual sexual deviant who raped, murdered and ate parts of 17 victims.
Like other killers, such as John Wayne Gacy, he managed to elude capture while continuing to carry out his crimes. And like every other sociopathic serial killer in history, he believed himself to be completely justified in his actions.

How does a man become a serial killer, necrophiliac, cannibal and psychopath? Numerous theories say the answers can always be found in childhood abuse, bad parenting, head trauma, foetal alcoholism and drug addiction – perhaps in some cases these are contributing factors, but not for Jeffrey Dahmer.

Dahmer was born in Milwaukee in 1960, into the loving household of Lionel and Joyce Dahmer. He was a happy child until around six-years-old when his brother was born and he received some minor surgery, and he became increasingly insular and lacking in self-confidence. A career opportunity for his father meant the family moved to Ohio, and Dahmer’s insecurities deepened; by his early teens he was disengaged, tense and largely friendless.

When talking to people who knew Jeffery Dahmer well, they all say he was a good-looking, well-spoken and articulate man. Patrick Kennedy, who worked for the Milwaukee Police for more than 25 years, was assigned to Dahmer’s case in the summer of 1991 and spent six weeks with the killer.

Kennedy says, “You think of the crimes committed, and they are so horrific, that you think only a madman or somebody totally evil would do this, but when you talk with Jeffery Dahmer, you do not get this idea. He could be engaging, he was social, bright and witty, and he could make jokes. He was able to fool a lot of people.”

He says Dahmer described how his fascination with bones developed as a very young child. “He would find road-kill and wanted to see what was inside it. What he did as a young man with animals, he did in later life with human beings.” Dahmer claims he experienced compulsive thoughts of murder and necrophilia from the age of 14, but it appears the breakdown of his parents’ marriage, their acrimonious divorce, and the psychological stresses associated with these events may have been the catalyst for turning these earlier thoughts into actions.

Watch tonight’s ‘Real Crime’ documentary to see if circumstance drove Jeffery Dahmer to carnage and cannibalism or if he was ‘Born To Kill?’.

How To Look Good Naked
Friday 31 August, 7.30pm

‘How to Look Good Naked’, presented by fashion stylist Gok Wan, is a new one-hour magazine-style fashion and consumer show, starting tonight on TV ONE at 7.30pm.

Each week, Gok will take one woman on a journey from body-loathing to body-loving. From confiscating the contents of her underwear drawer, to a naked photographic shoot, she’ll be getting her clothes off behind closed doors – and in public, including having an image of her body projected up in the middle of her home town.
Gok peels away the layers to get to the core of each woman’s body issues, by standing her in front of a mirror and also in a body line-up, to see just how distorted her perception is. Gok also gives fashion and clothing advice and, as a finale, each woman will take part in a catwalk show for her friends and family, to show off her new outfits – including one set of new underwear … will every woman be able to brave the live crowd?

This series also examine the products and claims made by the beauty industry. Can a cream really reduce cellulite, an ointment remove stretch marks, and a lotion lift saggy breasts? In a comprehensive product test, 100 women will take part in trials of the best-selling products on London’s High Street. Each week, the show will reveal the products worth buying and the ones that are better left on the shelf. The products will range from high-end brands to budget options.

Plus, to celebrate the naked body, viewers will be seeing a lot more of them. The show will take a closer look at the female form in all its shapes and sizes. There will also be The Bod Pod, a mobile unit that will tour the length and breadth of England, to get women everywhere showing and talking about their bits – and saying what they really think of their bodies.

In episode one, Gok meets 29-year-old midwife Liz Marlowe, a working mum-of-two whose curvy size-16 figure is sending her self-esteem plummeting to rock-bottom. A former head-turner who never struggled to capture male attention, Liz now can’t even bear stripping off in front of her adoring husband, Adrian.

Don’t miss ‘How To Look Good Naked’, Fridays at 7.30pm on TV ONE.

Artsville
Sunday 26 August, 10.20pm

‘Artsville’ this week takes a look at leading artist John Reynolds and features a reading of ‘Three Reasons For Sleeping With A White Man’, by Tusiata Avia.

John Reynolds is a painter without a paint brush. One of the leading New Zealand artists of his generation, he has a lively, articulate personality and a down-to-earth sense of humour. On ‘Artsville’ tonight (at 10.20pm on TV ONE), ‘Questions For Mr Reynolds’ profiles Reynolds – the painter, photographer and landscape artist who represented New Zealand at the last Sydney Biennale and was recently made a Laureate by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand.
Producer/director Shirley Horrocks says Reynolds is an artist who constantly surprises, as he brings his imagination to bear on such a wide range of materials: “From paint to fabric to architecture to native trees. He is involved in re-inventing the nature of painting. He makes a great subject for a documentary because he has such a likeable, articulate, exuberant personality, a wicked sense of humour, and an original approach to every area of the arts that he tackles.”

Horrocks follows Reynolds through an extraordinary year during which he creates a huge painted work in Sydney called ‘Cloud’, re-designs the iconic New Zealand Swanndri, collaborates with architects to design a hotel in Auckland, tattoos a friend, appears as a character in a cartoon series, does Samuel-Beckett-style performances in a bizarre camouflage suit, and makes extraordinary large-scale landscape works in Otago and the Kaipara.

With total access behind the scenes, ‘Questions For Mr Reynolds’ shows viewers how Reynolds conceives and develops his adventurous projects, and how he manages to combine all this with a busy family life. It also takes a look at his personal history, including the story of ‘John’s Diner,’ the legendary Auckland café that he ran in the early ’80s, and an account of how he supported himself in the early years as a photographer for local magazines.

Horrocks says she believes John Reynolds is a great example of the role of the local artist today. “He has remained based in New Zealand and is very involved with its history, culture and natural environment – but he’s completely free of the anxious, earnest nationalism that has shaped many earlier painters. He’s able to see local culture from fresh angles, such as his giant work ‘Cloud’, based on a dictionary of New Zealand colloquialisms, or his quirky (but still respectful) use of native plant species in outdoor works.”

Also on tonight’s ‘Artsville’, ‘Three Reasons For Sleeping With A White Man’, by poet Tusiata Avia.

Concert For Diana
Saturday 25 August, 10.30pm

On July 1, 2007, the late Princess of Wales’ birthday, Prince William and Prince Harry hosted a celebration concert at Wembley Stadium. The event, called ‘Concert for Diana’, featured some of their mother’s and some of their own favourite artists.

More than 60,000 people joined Prince William and Prince Harry at Wembley Stadium to celebrate their mother’s life and around 15 million people from across the United Kingdom watched ‘Concert For Diana’ at home. Proceeds from the concert went to a number of charities that were supported by the Princess during her life, and to two of the Princes’ own charities, Centrepoint and Sentebale.
When they announced the concert last December, William and Harry explained that, 10 years on from their mother’s death, they wanted to celebrate her life and commemorate her achievements. In addition to a memorial service on August 31, the concert marked what would have been Diana’s 46th birthday. Prince William says they wanted the concert to represent exactly what their mother would have wanted. “So therefore the church service alone isn’t enough. We wanted to have this big concert full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted. And on her birthday as well, it’s got to be the best birthday present she ever had.”

At the end of the concert, Prince William and Prince Harry thanked everyone involved for making the evening such a success. Prince William says: “For us, this has been the most perfect way of remembering her. And this is how she would want to be remembered.”

Tonight, TV ONE will screen highlights from ‘Concert For Diana’. The list of internationally acclaimed stars who performed at the event included Elton John, Duran Duran, Bryan Ferry, Pharrell Williams, The English National Ballet, Joss Stone and Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lily Allen, Kanye West, Rod Stewart and Natasha Bedingfield.

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