Entertainment picks: Splore sounds by the beach

MUSIC
Splore has a different feel to it this year. Not only is it now by the beach - boys, that means you have to wash - there seems to be less emphasis on "oonst oonst" and more on hip-hop and roots. Internationals Talib Kweli, the Nextmen and Jean Grae headline, and the Cuban Brothers, who have played parties for the likes of Madonna and Robbie Williams, promise a generous dash of comedy in their show. Gates open at midday but, for those arriving later, don't be alarmed if something day-glo jumps out at you in the dark - art plays a big part at the weekend festival. Best get there on Friday, which is also Havana night, so dress up. It's at the Tapapakanga Regional Park, an hour's drive south of Auckland.

Deerhoof are one of Matt Groening's favourite bands, which could mean the band really are as loopy and subversive as his cartoons. Either way, the guys from San Fran have been described as a spasmodic version of Sonic Youth, and their live shows hailed for their zany energy. They're also one of the most prolific in the studio, having released eight albums over the past decade. They play K Rd's 4:20 on Saturday.

THEATRE
Two blokes in shirts, ties, dark sunnies and no pants adorn the invitation to Wheeler's Luck, the Maidment's new two-man play, so it's probably safe to say it ain't all serious. Starring Nigel Collins and Toby Leach who somehow manage to morph into 55 characters, the story recounts the conflict between an Auckland developer and the inhabitants of a sleepy coastal town after a woman drops dead on the bog. Directed by Damon Andrews, and told in just 80 minutes, there will be plenty of time for dinner afterwards. From Saturday until March 11.

Black Ice also features a couple but this play involves mismatched young lovers (played by Harry McNaughton and Natalia Di Palma) who run away from home only to discover more danger than they could ever imagine. A sort of gothic fairytale, it stars a young cast who, like the above, try their hand at various characters. From Saturday until February 18 at the Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall. Directed by Margaret-Mary Hollins.

MOVIES
Don't laugh but Big Momma's House 2 (opening Thursday) was the number one movie in the US until recently. (It's now at number two, behind the horror remake When a Stranger Calls, which says so much about Hollywood.) The sequel to the Mrs Doubtfire-style story stars Martin Lawrence who goes undercover as a fat lady to avert a national disaster.

Also starting on Thursday, but this one is a must-see, is No. 2, which won the Audience Award for Best Drama at the Sundance Film Festival. Written and directed by New Zealand-Fijian Toa Fraser, it stars the incredible Ruby Dee as an elderly Fijian matriarch who demands her grandchildren put on a feast, and is set over the course of a day in sunny Mt Roskill. Take a hanky.

TV
Protesters gather at the lesbian nuptials of Maia and Jay on Shortland Street (tomorrow, TV2, 7pm), Louise Wallace endures daily enemas on Shock Treatment (tomorrow, TV2, 7.30pm), cleaning experts go to the country's grubbiest homes on How Clean is Your House? (Wednesday, TV One, 8pm) and our sports heroes presumably drink OJ at the Say When the Halberg Awards (Friday, TV One, 8.30pm).