From acclaimed director Jane Campion (The Piano, Portrait of a Lady), we’re given the enticing yet haunting miniseries Top of the Lake. Set in a small, rural town in New Zealand, young Tui Mitcham has been impregnated at the age of twelve. Detective Robin Griffin happens to be in the area visiting her mother, who is currently losing a battle with cancer. No-nonsense Griffin, played by Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, On the ... Read More

In February of 2010, Natasha Harris of Invercargill, New Zealand passed away after experiencing a cardiac arrythmia. It has been reported that the mother of 8 was a heavy smoker and skipped meals frequently, but the coroner’s conclusions show that her excessive consumption of Coca-Cola was a “substantial factor” in her death. Coroner David Crerar writes, "When all of the available evidence is considered, were it not for ... Read More

She was possibly the most badass woman in the history of World War II. One of the most decorated WWII servicewomen, Nancy Wake led 7,000 maquisards - armed resistance fighters -  in battles against the Nazis. She rode a bicycle for more than 500 miles through several German checkpoints to replace codes her wireless operator had been forced to destroy in a raid. She even killed an SS sentry with her bare hands - a fatal karate chop - to ... Read More

If you're writing a book, try and make friends with a quasi-famous person to make fun of you when it comes time to promote that sucker, because apparently this trend is still cresting that wave. The tendency first came to my attention last May at the Mobys, an awards show concocted by the industry to bring attention to the latest craze in publishing–book trailers, short films meant to market works to wider audiences (like ... Read More

  The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra has folk-rocked our little socks off with this performance of Randy Newman’s 1977 hit “Short People” at the Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, New Zealand. Nothing is better than a band with a ukulele, but this group has a man we love, Bret McKenzie from Flight of the Conchords, and BUST writer Gemma Gracewood. We love ukes!   You need to a flashplayer enabled ... Read More