Good Morning

12:00pm Thursday, January 1 on TV One

Good Morning goes to Hollywood with Nelson Aspen

Want to keep up with the A-listers? Be first to know what’s going on in the world of showbiz? Nelson Aspen is beaming in from Los Angeles to appear twice a week on TV ONE’s Good Morning show.

With a Hollywood contacts book to die for, Nelson delivers up-to-the minute celebrity scoops every Wednesday and Friday morning, fresh from the City of Angels.

Good Morning host Sarah Bradley talks direct from the studio with Nelson twice a week. Sarah says “he’s smart and quite cheeky, and he’s certainly got contacts with all the right people in all the right places!”

With the very latest from the world of movies, music and entertainment, Good Morning’s Hollywood insider brings viewers the latest news, gossip and scandal.

Can you cook a tasty family meal for four, in 15 minutes, for under $25? Then TV ONE’s Good Morning wants to hear from you.

There are some great prizes up for grabs, and an opportunity to appear with presenters Sarah Bradley, Brendon Pongia and Hadyn Jones, who will cook your dish LIVE on the show.

Will your recipe stand up to the scrutiny of Good Morning’s celebrity judging panel; Can Sarah, Brendon or Hadyn cook it easily in time; and will they pass the taste test and win the grand prize?

If you’ve got two great family recipes to tantalise the tastebuds and dazzle the judges, see http://tvnz.co.nz/good-morning from Monday 8 March for an entry form and instructions on submitting a DVD entry.

Nine semi-finalists will compete LIVE on Good Morning from March 23 to 25, for three places in the grand final on Friday 26 March.

So, dust off your recipes, don your apron, send in your DVD and you could be the Good Morning Cook Off Champion.

9:00am Monday, February 8 on TV One

TV ONE’s LIVE daily magazine show Good Morning is back for a new season, packed with celebrity guests, home and living ideas, relationship advice, parenting, fashion, food and music – plus a brand new co-presenter.

Join Brendon Pongia and Sarah Bradley LIVE from Avalon Studios on Monday 8 February, at 9am, as they welcome Hadyn Jones and kick-off the new season’s sparkling line-up.

Sarah Bradley says: “We’re so excited about working with Hadyn. He’s a talented journalist who’s not afraid to ask the hard questions, but he also has a cheeky sense of humour.”

Among the coming highlights, Jones and Pongia set up a ‘Man Cave’ to answer viewers’ burning questions about men, and Good Morning begin the search for the country’s best recipe, launching a LIVE cooking challenge with thousands of dollars in prizes up for grabs.

For viewers who are single, Bradley says don’t miss the Good Morning teams dating special later the year: “We know how tough it is to find a partner, so we’re going to make your job a little easier. Stay tuned.”

The show’s favourite faces make a comeback, including comedian Ginette McDonald, psychic medium Sue Nicholson, baby whisperer Sharlene Poole, the male panel and gardening guru Lynda Hallinan.

Good Morning will have some new fitness instructors, including Anna Gibbons with her ‘Active Mums’ programme. “This is a great way for new mums to shape up after having a baby,” Bradley says.

Popular home cook Simon Holst returns to the kitchen, along with cupcake queen Tamara Jane, versatile budget cook Astar, blokey baker Steve Joll, and celebrity chefs Martin Bosley and Adam Newell.

Good Morning’s expert contributors also keep viewers up-to-date with everything from music, books and movies, to fashion, politics, gossip and gadgets.

LIVE and daily, anything could happen. So make every morning a Good Morning.

Good Morning screens weekdays at 9am on TV ONE.

Hadyn Jones has been appointed as the new co-host of Good Morning, joining Sarah Bradley and Brendon Pongia.

Jones joined TVNZ in 2003 as a reporter on Close Up. He moved to 20/20 in 2005 and won the 2006 Qantas TV Award for Best Current Affairs Reporter, and the 2006 Telecom Award for Sports Television at the TP McLean Sports Journalism Awards. In October 2007, he switched to ONE News, where he has become known for his ‘Good Sorts’ segment.

Jones completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from the University of Canterbury in 1998, and has previously worked in radio and for CBC Television in Canada.

Someone mentioned on the Trademe Messageboards that Haydn Jones will be replacing Steve Gray on Good Morning (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=140723). Can anyone confirm?

While I’d be glad to be rid of him and not have to put up with watching one of his terrible news reports again on the news, I’d feel sorry for the Good Morning watchers having to put up with him.

Newstalk ZB were reporting over the weekend that cost-cutting was not the reason Steve Gray was axed from Good Morning.

The popular host was dumped in a search for new talent, apparently, and it is understood that auditions are being held for a replacement.

It raises the question as to why he was dumped – he is popular, knowledgable and is the only one on the show who has the advanced knowledge of all the celebrity and entertainment happenings both in NZ and around the globe.

Hopefully he will still return to his old role where he still reviews films and presents the latest gossip, but it will be a shame not having him doing the entertainment-type interviews on the show.

Good Morning’s flamboyant presenter Steve Gray will not have his contract renewed at the end of the year and will leave TVNZ’s morning show in the hands of co-hosts Sarah Bradley and Brendan Pongia for 2010.

According to sources who spoke to Newstalk ZB, Gray has been offered his old gig back as the show’s film reviewer and gossip columnist.

Gray will finish up on Good Morning on Friday but will leave comment on his departure until the new year.

Of course, this latest contract non-renewal adds further speculation to cost cutting measures at TVNZ.

9:00am Monday, December 7 on TV One

Good Morning is going on holiday, and have a final week full of special shows planned. On Monday 7 December, the team is packing up and hitting the road for another classic Kiwi summer with a ‘Summer Holiday Special’. Friday 11 December sees a star-studded line-up join the team for the Good Morning Christmas Special, and final show for the year.

On Monday, join Brendon Pongia, Steve Gray and Matai Smith in a LIVE broadcast from the Paekakariki Holiday Park, along with fellow celebrity campers like ‘That Guy’ Leigh Hart.

The team take a sneak peek at the country’s top house buses, big enough to host a state dinner; give viewers the low down on camping etiquette; and list the top camping spots for Kiwi summer holidays.

Viewers will also have a chance to win a package of camping and Kmart outdoor equipment worth more than $2,500, and a Supertramps trampoline.

Good Morning Producer Sally-Anne Kerr says “It will be an entertaining, fun-filled summer camping show like no other, with some terrific tips just in time for the holiday season”.

Friday’s final show for 2009 will also be jam-packed with exceptional entertainment and fun, she says. “We’ll celebrate the Christmas season and the end of another great year for Good Morning.”

Joining the Good Morning team on Friday for the Christmas special will be entertainers John Rowles, Brendan Horan, and Yulia, backed by Carl Doy and his band, who will perform before a LIVE studio audience.

Hosts Sarah Bradley, Brendon Pongia and Steve Gray will have their hands full when double act, Astar and The National Bank Country Calendar’s Frank Torley, perform a ballet routine like no other. The popular Male Panel will be seen as never before, and don’t miss it when Sarah Bradley and Matai Smith team up for a special duet.

Talented ‘Find a Star’ winner Anthony Utama, and finalists Renee Strawbridge and Rene Maurice, will return for an encore performance. Plus, from Tuesday 1 December, viewers will have the chance to choose a stocking from Good Morning’s Christmas tree and win a daily instant prize. One very lucky viewer will also win a Suzuki Alto worth $18,500.

So join Sarah Bradley, Brendon Pongia and Steve Gray for the final week of 2009 and help Good Morning go out with a bang.

Good Morning – weekdays at 9am on TV ONE.

9:00am Friday, November 20 on TV One

Spring has sprung and the A&P show season is in full bloom. To celebrate, TV ONE’s Good Morning is holding ‘Farm Day’, on Friday 20 November.

Join Good Morning on Friday November 20 as the gate swings open on Farm Day. The team will be turning the Avalon studio gardens into their very own show grounds. Guest presenter Frank Torley will cheer on Good Morning presenters as they try their hands at sheep shearing, and other farming skills.

There will be toe-tapping entertainment from the Dixie Lix Country band and the Applejack Country Line Dancers. While Alex ‘Grizz’ Wylie will also join in the fun. Plus, the team will be milking cows and making cheese, and discover if the gap between townies and farmers is closing. Don’t miss the town versus country challenge.

The rural action builds throughout the week (Monday 16 November to Thursday 19 November) as Frank Torley and Astar file their farming adventures from the Royal New Zealand Show in Canterbury. They’ll be joined by the Topp Twins who will reveal the secrets to farming success; and Frank and Astar will step into the arena at the 2009 International Rodeo.

Astar – who grew up in the Deep South and lived on a deer farm – says it will be an experience to remember. “It’s a chance to relive childhood memories of going to the Tuatapere A&P Show, and get back to basic grass roots. I’m so excited.”

Plus, New Zealand’s ‘man of the land’ Danny ‘Cage’ Devine will show off his amazing horse-whispering abilities and tricks.

The Good Morning Winning Wheel will be back and chock full of prizes for farmers and city slickers alike. Viewers can give it a whirl and win thousands of dollars worth of products, including farming must haves from Redband gumboots to Swandri apparel, and high-powered farming equipment.

So chuck the dog on the back of the ute and join Good Morning as the team get in behind rural New Zealand. Good Morning – weekdays at 9am on TV ONE.

9:00am Monday, October 26 on TV One

TV ONE’s Good Morning will pay tribute to the late Sir Howard Morrison, with an encore screening of his 74th Birthday Special, held in August this year (today at 9am).

For viewers who missed it the first time, this is a chance to see the stage icon in one of his last performances. Sir Howard Morrison chose every guest himself – filling the studio with family, friends and fellow musicians.

A showcase of music and memories, the show includes performances by the Sir Howard Morrison Quartet and Carl Doy’s seven-piece band. Ray Columbus; Russell Harrison; Elizabeth Marvelly; The Musical Island Boys; Rewa Ututaonga; soprano Timua Brennan; and Taisha from the LadyKillers, all line up to sing.

Good Morning host Sarah Bradley says: “The most memorable memento for me was the impromptu haka led by Sir Howard’s son, Howard Junior, after we went off air. There was not a dry eye in the studio. We will include this performance in our Labour Day show.”

Special guests include opera star Dame Malvina Major, long-serving quartet members Hori Bennett and Tony Williams, and an intimate interview with Sir Howard’s whanau – including his wife Lady Kuia and children Donna, Richard and Howard Jr.

Good Morning producer Sally-Anne Kerr says, “To celebrate the late Sir Howard’s 74th birthday, with a guest list of his choosing, was a wonderful privilege for all of us who were part of it.”

Co-host Steve Gray agrees: “To see the joy on his face at watching the people he’d performed with and nurtured for years was a beautiful gift.”

Complete with video flashbacks showcasing Sir Howard’s 50-plus years in showbiz, it was a television birthday party like no other. Join Good Morning again in celebration of New Zealand’s most legendary entertainer, from 9am on Labour Day, Monday 26 October.