4VF News – Daily News Channel

I was lucky enough, with hundreds of others, to watch the movie Boyhood at the Civic in Auckland on the weekend. The Civic has a capacity of 2378. The show was sold out.

Richard Linklater’s cinematic journey about a young boy growing up took 12 years to make with the same cast.

We get to grow up with young Mason (Ellar Coltrane), watch him transition from boy to teenager to college student while accompanied by his mother (Patricia Arquette), sister and father (Ethan Hawke).

We see how a young boy is influenced by his parents’ choices, his mother’s husband and those of his father’s new family. Moving constantly, the only thing that stays the same in his life is his family.

The movie cleverly incorporates pop culture references including politics, music and technology that change as Mason is growing up. I often didn’t realise the story had moved forward by a year or two.

The cast performs amazingly well and the story flows seamlessly. Along with everyone else I gasped and hid behind my fingers as Mason and his friends did predictably stupid teenage boy stunts.

I also joined all my fellow cinema goes in giving the movie a resounding round of applause when the credits finally rolled 164 minutes later.

Kudos to the director and cast for the commitment and effort it took to make this beautiful movie.

View all contributions

Ad Feedback

From Prison Break to Invasion and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, American actor William Fichtner has been known for playing figures of authority. That’s why when he says his latest show Crossing Lines isn’t your typical ‘crime of the week’ police procedural, James Croot takes his word for it.

Ahead of this weekend’s telefeature finale to Nothing Trivial, James Croot quizzes Debbie Newby-Ward about what she’s learned from playing Emma.

George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley “talked about a Wham! reunion”.

Michael took part in a series of interviews to promote his single Feeling Good, which is a cover of Nina Simone’s 1965 hit and will be released on August 11.

The star revealed he has been in contact with his former bandmate, speaking to Ridgeley “earlier this year”.

“He came round and cooked. We were talking about a Wham! reunion at Glastonbury in the fallow year,” he explained to Mojo mag via the British newspaper The Mirror.

Michael and Ridgeley announced their decision to split in 1986 after selling over 25 million records and releasing hits such as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go and Club Tropicana. But it seems Michael may regret parting ways with his former partner.

Shane Warne has denied kissing Sophie Monk, but the radio DJ says she doesn’t lie.

Monk was tricked into admitting she had kissed the former Australian cricketer when being quizzed about her love life by her 2DayFM co-hosts.

But Warne says it is not true, and he has confirmed he is dating 30-year-old model Emily Scott.

Monk’s co-host, Jules Lund asked the radio DJ about her dinner date with the cricketer during their Thursday show.

“You went out to dinner with him in London … you know you kissed him,” Lund teased his co-host.

“Wait, how do you know that” Monk responded.

“How did you know I kissed him”

After questioning his co-host, Lund admitted he was only bluffing.

“I don’t know if you kissed him; I’m just making it up, but you just admitted to it,” Lund told Monk.

The alleged kiss and dinner date occured late last month while 34-year-old Monk was in Britain to interview pop star Miley Cyrus.

After the catch-up, the cricketing spin king headed to Paris for a whirlwind trip with Emily Scott, before they headed to Las Vegas for a holiday with the 44-year-old’s children.

When Warne appeared on the

The producers of the hit animated comedy

Shane Warne has denied kissing Sophie Monk, but the radio DJ says she doesn’t lie.

Monk was tricked into admitting she had kissed the former Australian cricketer when being quizzed about her love life by her 2DayFM co-hosts.

But Warne says it is not true, and he has confirmed he is dating 30-year-old model Emily Scott.

Monk’s co-host, Jules Lund asked the radio DJ about her dinner date with the cricketer during their Thursday show.

“You went out to dinner with him in London … you know you kissed him,” Lund teased his co-host.

“Wait, how do you know that” Monk responded.

“How did you know I kissed him”

After questioning his co-host, Lund admitted he was only bluffing.

“I don’t know if you kissed him; I’m just making it up, but you just admitted to it,” Lund told Monk.

The alleged kiss and dinner date occured late last month while 34-year-old Monk was in Britain to interview pop star Miley Cyrus.

After the catch-up, the cricketing spin king headed to Paris for a whirlwind trip with Emily Scott, before they headed to Las Vegas for a holiday with the 44-year-old’s children.

When Warne appeared on the

A man dressed as Spider-Man was arrested on charges he slugged a police officer who told him to stop harassing tourists in Times Square, New York, USA.

Junior Bishop, 25, of Brooklyn, was charged with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and criminal mischief.

The New York Police Department said the officer assaulted – an 18-month veteran and one of about 50 officers patrolling the bustling tourist area – stepped in after Bishop demanded at least US$5 from a woman he posed for a picture with, instead of the US$1 tip she offered.

Police said a costumed Bishop “put out his hand and told the woman 5s, 10s or 20s only.” Police said the officer told him he could only accept tips – not require payment.

Bishop yelled and cursed at the officer, police said, and told him: “Mind your own (expletive) business.”

Police said the officer asked for identification and, when Bishop failed to produce any, moved to arrest him.

Bishop broke free and punched the officer in the face, police said, causing a cut and eye swelling.

The officer, whose name was not released, was treated and released at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.

Other officers arrived and hauled Spider-Man away.

Bishop’s mother answered the phone at their Brooklyn and said he was not home. She said she was not aware of his work in Times Square or his arrest. Information on Bishop’s lawyer was not available.

The arrest of Spider-Man, as police referred to Bishop throughout a matter-of-fact news release, came weeks after the New York City Council said it was considering legislation to regulate the costumed characters in Times Square.

It was the latest in a series of incidents involving men behind the masks.

In the last two years, a man dressed as Cookie Monster was charged with shoving a 2-year-old, a person attired in Super Mario’s overalls was accused of groping a woman and an Elmo figure pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct after unleashing an anti-Semitic tirade.

Last month a different Spider-Man was convicted of harassment for a February 2013 episode in which he cursed and complained that a woman did not tip him after posing for a photograph with her children. Phillip Williams later punched the woman in the face and knocked her to the ground – out of self-defense, he said – after she hurled snow at him.

The bill under City Council consideration would require licenses and background checks for costumed performers but copyright issues have held up final approval, since most of the costume wearers are not authorised by the characters’ owners.

Police Commissioner William Bratton last week endorsed the measure to combat what he called Times Square’s “Elmo issues.”

Ad Feedback

– AP

In a rare display of editorial originality, Kate Middleton graces the covers of New Idea, Woman’s Day and the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly this week.

Naturally, details of Prince George’s first birthday were of foremost importance, accompanied in New Idea by a somewhat alarming age-progression image of what the “feisty, frolicking little prince” might look like aged 18.

Photos of George and his parents staring wistfully at butterflies were followed in New Idea by details of the Duchess of Cambridge’s ironclad bond with sister Pippa.

The mag also gave details of a rumoured third baby for Australasian power couple actress Nicole Kidman and singer Keith Urban, who recently celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary.

Woman’s Day took a slightly fresher royal angle, reporting the Duchess of Cambridge would meet the reigning queen of Hollywood, Angelina Jolie, at Malta’s 50th Independence Day celebrations in September.

The duchess was relegated to an inset on the cover of the New Zealand Women’s Weekly, with broadcaster Hilary Barry taking out the prime spot with her “family secret” – an ominous, wartime scar on her grandfather’s leg.

Also in the mag, Labour leader David Cunliffe and his 90-year-old mother, Barbara, gave a heartwarming, whitebait fritter-laden interview at her Timaru home.

Clad in a yellow turtleneck, Mrs Cunliffe said she knew her son was destined for greatness when she observed him perform in a school operetta as a 9-year-old.

“He was the lead and he had to deliver all of his lines in a musical rhythm,” she said. “Indeed, the play was so successful they had to do it for a second night. From that point on, I became known as ‘David Cunliffe’s mother’.”

The Mana Party’s newest candidate, former Labour MP Georgina Beyer, gave an exclusive interview to Woman’s Day.

The “trailblazing transsexual” recounted her current battle with kidney disease, which involves four-times-daily dialysis, and said her decision to stand for Mana wasn’t hard.

“I got a phone call last Tuesday from Hone’s assistant saying, ‘Look, we would love you to run’,” she said. “I thought about it overnight … and I wasn’t going to let my health situation get me down.”

Ad Feedback

– Stuff