Chatterbox: Further development

How's this for a blast from the past - Arrested Development have reformed and will be touring New Zealand next month.

The Atlanta hip-hop crew came to the fore in the early 90s with hits that included Tennessee, People Everyday and Mr Wendal, and were highly regarded as a progressive and socially conscious rap collective fusing soul, blues, hip-hop and funk. In 1996, after two albums, sales of six million and Grammy Awards for best rap album and best new artist, they endured a bitter breakup, largely blamed on MC Speech's "controlling" nature.

Almost a decade later they're gearing up to promote their new album, Among the Trees, playing the St James, Auckland, on February 18. Says Speech: "This tour is going to be an exciting mix of music with dance, percussion, turntables and of course all the songs that have made A.D. known. Just like anything in life, you grow. So you're not gonna get a Tennessee Part Two ... It's Arrested Development, but it's a new Arrested Development."

A week later, Norman Jay makes a welcome return to New Zealand, playing Auckland's Met Bar & Club on February 25. The London funk DJ known for mixing classic 70s disco into the latest club tunes is the first to be awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for his services to music. His most recent release is the Good Times 4 compilation.

Coming sooner are turntablists extraordinaire the Mixologists, who play three dates in New Zealand this month.

The Mixologists are British lads DJ Go and Beni G. Although from different musical backgrounds - Beni was into the rave and jungle scenes while Go has strong hip-hop roots - the two fuse their diverse DJ styles and spin everything from hip-hop to breakbeat to drum'n'bass.

The duo perform with MC Trip at Home in Christchurch, Thursday January 27; Sandwiches in Wellington, Friday January 28; and the Safari Lounge in Auckland, Saturday January 29.

* * *

New sensation

Get those leather pants ready - you could be rockin' out in front of members of INXS in a few weeks.

Auditions for Rockstar, the new reality show in which the winner becomes the band's lead singer, will be held at the Studio on K Rd, Auckland, on March 1.

Among the judges will be INXS guitarists Kirk Pengilly and Tim Farriss (right) plus representatives from the show's creators, Mark Burnett Productions, the company behind The Apprentice and Survivor.

Successful contestants will fly to Hollywood, where they will move in with fellow finalists from around the world. Auditions are also being held in Liverpool, Toronto, Sydney and 13 cities in the US. The winner will get to record an album with INXS - the first since frontman Michael Hutchence's death in November 1997 - and embark on a world tour with the band.

TV3 is yet to confirm when it will screen the series, which is expected to air in the US in July.

* * *

Good times a'comin'

Down a bourbon, a scotch and a beer by all means, but please do take a cab to George Thorogood and the Destroyers in March.

The tour is to celebrate Thorogood and his band's 30-year career in rock. The Destroyers formed in 1973 and are made up of core founding members George Thorogood (guitar/vocals), Jeff Simon (drums) and Bill Blough (bass).

Never fear, you'll know the classics when you hear them. Remember Bad to the Bone, One Bourbon, One Scotch and One Beer and You Talk Too Much? We thought so.

Thorogood plays Auckland's Logan Campbell Centre on March 1; the Wellington Town Hall on March 2; and the Christchurch Town Hall on March 3.

Have a head for films?

If you want to make movies - and no, we don't mean the Paris Hilton-variety - read on.

Headstrong, an organisation set up to give budding film-makers a leg-up in the industry, is offering you the chance to take your great ideas to the silver screen.

Headed by Ant Timpson (best known for his Incredibly Strange festival and 48 Hours DIY film event) and Leanne Saunders and Paul Swadel (who both have backgrounds in short films and commercials), Headstrong plan to make at least four digital feature films in the next two years, with the first production completed by October.

The New Zealand Film Commission has committed to the project.

Ideas must be achievable on low budgets and suited to being shot in digital format.

"The scripts for these films will have to be challenging, fearless, hilarious, dangerous, but most of all, they will have to be highly original to make any long-term impact," say organisers.

So get your thinking-caps on - first drafts must be in by the end of February.

More info: www.headstrong.co.nz.

The Trial

On the questionnaire for new TV3 "adventure series" show The Trial, among the many obvious questions, applicants are asked to rate the following musical acts from 1 to 10.

No doubt it's some sort of way of sorting out the hip from the square among the competitors, who will be spending six weeks in Canterbury "for a challenge that will test your mind and your body and could make you rich".

The list ...

1. Loretta Lynn
2. Faithless
3. Dire Straits
4. Dave Dobbyn
5. The Datsuns
6. Brooke Fraser
7. Ben Lummis
8. The White Stripes
9. MC Solaar
10. Robbie Williams

* Applications are available on www.tv3.co.nz/thetrial/