Entertainment Picks: I'll be home with an old Friend

Joey gets his own show.

Welcome to the first of our columns laying out what's on offer entertainment- wise for the coming week. Every Monday, writers Scott Kara and Rebecca Barry will be covering what's new and happening for the next seven days in television, music, the arts, movies and out on the town 

TELEVISION

Joey: I never did watch Friends. Monica was annoying, Ross was a wuss, Rachel's constant hair-flicking was painful, and Chandler (Matthew Perry) never was the same after Perry's frequent stints in rehab. But you couldn't help but have a soft spot for Joey. He was stupid, funny, and lovable.

In this Friends spin-off, Joey has moved to Hollywood to pursue his acting ambitions. By all accounts his character is the same "stoopid", boofhead fans grew to love. A whole series to himself though? Hmm. Joey starts tomorrow night 7.30pm, on TV2.

The Apprentice: So you missed Donald Trump saying, "You stripped - I'm not hiring a stripper. Ivana, you're fired," a couple of weeks back. Don't worry, he wasn't talking about his ex-wife. It was just another lesser contestant being ousted from the Don's boardroom.

Tomorrow, in the two-and-a-half hour final of the second series (8.30pm, TV2), former military man Kelly takes on Barbie Doll-cum-Harvard attorney, Jennifer M, to see who the Don will hire.

MUSIC

It's value-for-money week for gigs. You can shake it for free to Che Fu today, then, on Waitangi Day, you can see thousands of beautiful people getting loved-up at the Auckland Domain without spending a cent.

Jam In the Park: It's been nearly four years since Che Fu's last album, The Navigator, and the cute little man with the smoothest voice in Aotearoa has been lying low. Until now. Che plays at Coyle Park in Pt Chevalier today from 2pm, along with Fast Crew, 48 May, Goodnight Nurse and DJ Logikal.

Expect a new single from him in March and an album in July/August, or maybe September. The release date's still pretty vague though, eh bro?

Groove In the Park: Even though Waitangi Day isn't a holiday this year, Christchurch band Shapeshifter, Nice'n'Urlich, and the funky Turnaround crew, will be taking over the domain at George FM's annual, free, loved-up, danceathon.

Shore Sounds: Also today, Shore Sounds hosts hip-hop groups Opensouls, Misfits of Science and the Artistry from 1pm-4pm, at Northcote's Greenslade Reserve. It's yet another free concert but donations collected will help children orphaned by the Asian tsunami.

MOVIES

Starting at cinemas on Thursday ...

Million Dollar Baby: If there was an Oscar for best movie name then Million Dollar Baby would be it. In this Rocky-for-girls, Hilary Swank plays Maggie Fitzgerald, a trailer-trash chick who just wants to be something. She ends up at the gym of Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) and persuades him to train her to box.

Million Dollar Baby is Eastwood's second Oscar nomination as a director in as many years, after Mystic River was nominated last year.

Spooked: The new thriller by New Zealand director Geoff Murphy, loosely based on the events in the book The Paradise Conspiracy by Ian Wishart and the 1991 death of young Auckland computer dealer Paul White.

Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow: The retro sci-fi action flick starring Jude Law as the Biggles-like Sky Captain, Gwyneth Paltrow as feisty reporter Polly Perkins, and Angelina Jolie as a one-eyed RAF officer against a lot of blue-screen special effects in a ripping yarn about a bunch of giant robots - led by the late Sir Laurence Olivier, it's marvellous what they can do these days - taking over the Earth.

Sideways: The odd-couple midlife crisis road movie about two blokes who go off on a week-long, golf-playing, wine-drinking stag party. Thought to be the giant-killer of the awards season.

Theatre A Clockwork Orange: Remember the scene from Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange where main character Alex gets his eyes clamped open? Ouch.

But SiLo Theatre's latest production, based on Anthony Burgess' novel from 1961, aims to shy away from the violence of the book and the film and focus more on the issues the story poses, like morality and freedom.

But this doesn't stop the play from getting an R18 certificate. Like the set, of boarded up windows and dirt floor, this will be one tough and dirty experience. It runs from Friday until March 5. Tickets: Response Ticketing ph: 09 300 3700 or www.response.co.nz

Social circuit Miss Popularity: If there's one "invite only" bash to crash this week it's the launch of Miss Popularity at the Viaduct. The new reality show - which starts screening on Sunday - places 10 Kiwi beauties in an Outback town, to win the hearts of the locals.

According to the show's producers Touchdown, beauty won't get you anywhere in the Outback. Yeah right. Apparently, to win this show "it's what's on the inside that counts". By the look of the invite, host Vadim Dale (aka Outback Jack), will be there.