Lineup announced for 'I Love Samoa' benefit concerts in NZ
The first lineup announcements have been made for a series of concerts in New Zealand, which aim to raise funds for the families of measles victims in Samoa.
The 'I Love Samoa 2020' concerts will take place in Auckland, Wellington and Australia's Gold Coast from the end of the month.
The concerts will include Ardijah, Annie Crummer, Sammy Johnson, Lole and traditional powerhouses Punialava'a. Hip hop stars Savage and Swiss will also perform as well as other Pasifika stars.
Organiser Danny 'Brotha D' Leaosavai'i told Radio 531PI the response from the musicians had been heart-warming.
"They're all donating their time and their talents for this. The monetary value of each of these artists is far beyond what probably we could have paid for...I'm speechless. I want to thank them personally and sincerely."
Brotha D said the lineups might differ at each venue but more details could be found on the event Facebook pages.
He said the aim was to get as much financial assistance to Samoan families as possible.…more
Welcome to Aotearoa NZ Lewis Capaldi (Pōwhiri + Waiata)
Hātea Kapa Haka group welcomes Scottish Singer/Songwriter Lewis Capaldi to New Zealand with a haka and a suprise waiata ... his number 1 hit song 'Someone You Loved' in Maori.
Check out the extended cut with Lewis singing with the group below
Taika Waititi wins Best Screenplay for JOJO RABBIT | 9th AACTA International Awards
Taika Waititi took home his first AACTA Award for his bold and hilarious screenplay JOJO RABBIT at the 9th Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts Awards in Los Angeles.
The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, both locally and internationally including the producers, directors, actors, writers, and cinematographers. It is the most prestigious awards ceremony for the Australian film and television industry. They are generally considered to be the Australian counterpart of the Academy Awards for the U.S. and the BAFTA Awards for the U.K.
The awards are presented every January in Los Angeles.
HIGH NOTE CHALLENGE - Snippet from Take Home Pay
One of our favourite parts of the 'Take Home Pay' movie was the High Note Challenge between Tofiga's character Bob Titilo and Paul Ah-Kuoi's bar security guys character.
Enjoy!
Introducing New Zealand's first Bachelorette - Lesina Nahkid-Schuster
TVNZ has revealed New Zealand's first Bachelorette and we're pleased to introduce Lesina Nahkid-Schuster.
It's a win for diversity with Lesina being of Pacific Islands, Caribbean, Lebanese and German heritage.
Lesina's father George is Samoan/German and although retired now, was a teacher at Mt Albert Grammar for over 20 years. Her Mother Dr Camille Nahkid is Trinidad & Tobago/Lebanese and is an Associate Professor at the AUT School of Social Sciences and Public Policy. She has done extensive research into Māori and Pasifika educational achievement; family and community among Pasifika youth; factors impacting on migrant resettlement; and culturally relevant research methodologies. In 2018 she was awarded a Member of New Zealand Order of Merit for services to ethnic communities and education.
Lesina is the eldest of her 2 siblings - her brother Alesano works with refugees, interviewing and helping them with entry into New Zealand & her sister Shani has recently graduated from Columbia University with a Masters in Sociology and Education.
Her whole family are fully supportive and really excited for her Bachelorette journey.…more
TUA TAGOVAILOA ENTER'S THIS YEARS NFL DRAFT
It's official, young Samoan Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has declared himself for the NFL draft.
Tua Tagovailoa came to Alabama as a 5-star recruit & ended his true Freshman season leading the Crimson Tide to a National Championship. He came up short as a Sophomore & was having arguably his best season in 2019, but suffered a season-ending hip injury. Throughout his career, Tua was one of the best players in all of college football. He throws a beautiful deep ball & is arguably the best at throwing slants. Overall, he might be the best QB Alabama has ever had.
The NFL draft is scheduled to be held from April 23–25, 2020 in Paradise, Nevada.
YUMMY by 'Sorry Girls' & friends
Parris Goebel gets some of the Request "Sorry girls" together along with other friends in LA to jam a lil sumthin sumthin to Justin Biebers latest track 'Yummy'.
They received so much love from the original rehearsal video they put together (Below) that they've given us something extra special.
Enjoy!
UPDATE ON THE SAMOA MEASLES OUTBREAK
The Ministry of Health confirms a cumulative total of 5,697 measles cases have been reported to the Disease Surveillance Team, since the outbreak started.
Currently the outbreak is declining with 30 new cases reported between December 29, 2019 and January 5, 2020.
As of 8.30am January 5th 2020, there were 16 measles currently admitted at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital (TTMH) including 4 critically ill children in ICU/HDU.
The total number of measles cases admitted to all hospitals recorded for the outbreak to date is 1,860. Of that, 1,761 (95%) patients have recovered and been discharged.
To date, 83 measles related deaths have been recorded. There were 2 fatalities (one infant and one adult) between December 29, 2019 and January 5, 2020.
There are currently no travel restrictions or vaccination requirement for those travelling to Samoa. Additionally, proof of MMR vaccination is not currently required for Samoans travelling to Australia, New Zealand, or the United States.
Only travelers to American Samoa are required to provide proof of vaccination for MMR.
ONEFOUR - AUCKLAND CITY AFTER MOVIE
Warning: Explicit Lyrics
With OneFour's "In the Beginning" Tour effectively shut down in Australia, the boys took their show to New Zealand for a sold-out performance at the Powerstation, Auckland on Dec 5th 2019.
On landing in Auckland the day before the show, they learned of the heavy prison sentence handed down to Yp & Celly. They also lost J_Emz who was denied entry into the country by NZ immigration.
Carlin Leota captures behind the scene footage as Spenny decides to carry the weight of the team on his shoulders and press on with the show despite being down 3 members.
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Presented by : OneFour Shot
Edited : Carlin Leota
Assisted by : Ben Mikha, Samson Rambo, Torrell Tafa & additional footage by @kumehanik
Samoa measles crisis: Helping Hands volunteers feeding families
via RNZ Pacific
The death toll from Samoa's measles epidemic has risen to 79, as a State of Emergency is extended in the country.
As medical staff continue to work around the clock, and the country welcomes international aid, there is a host of people preparing meals and care packs for those affected.
"The hospitals, they give the patients three meals a day, but we also wanted to help the families as well because you know there's a mum and a dad - the hospital can only feed so many," Eka Arp told Checkpoint's Alex Perrottet and Logan Church.
She and her volunteers have been hard at work preparing meals for families of those hospitalised with measles.
Her cousin Apu's home in Apia has been converted into an industrial kitchen to cater for all the need.
"Because we've gotten so many donations and we don't want anything to go off, we get teams of volunteers to come in and chop and pack, so we can freeze all the vegetables we have," Ms Arp said.…more