Entertainment picks: Master of the stage

Music
It's not often you get to call up a living legend and have a chat. Last week I had the privilege of interviewing Engelbert Humperdinck - the man who, at 70, still drives women crazy, and still sings Ten Guitars.

This column is meant to be about this week's events, and the Humpster isn't here until next week, to do four shows, including two at the ASB Theatre in Auckland on June 16 and 17, but I'll make an exception.

Ten Guitars was only the B-side to his break-through hit, Release Me, but in New Zealand it was the secondary song that we loved. Ten Guitars also became the official anthem at any Maori social gathering. I remember my dad playing the "Maori strum" to it in the 70s and early 80s.

Humperdinck knows how popular the song is here. At his last concert, in 2002, he played it three times.

"And we'll do it however many times they want it," he says, laughing, on the phone from Perth.

Gordon Mills, who managed Humperdinck and Tom Jones, is credited with writing the song in the 60s. Humperdinck says he co-wrote it but never received a credit.

"I can remember sitting down writing it with him but he didn't let me put my name on it. Oh, you know, at that time I was just a person who wanted to get on in the business, do my thing, and I wasn't concerned with writing songs."

Mills inspired Humperdinck to change his name from plain old Arnold Dorsey. Combined with the name change, songs like Release Me and a few crazy jump suits, Humperdinck hit the big time in the mid 60s.

"Gordon made me successful right around the world. He was a genius, really," reflects Humperdinck. "But people said I started the jump suit. I didn't. It was done by Elvis. Elvis just took my side burns."

He says he never tires of touring, and walking on stage is still his biggest thrill.

"I always deem applause as the food of the artist and, fortunately for me, they never starve me when I'm on stage. As long as the people out there want me, I'm going to tour. What am I going to do, sit down and take up chess?"

That's not likely when you're the Humpster.

Elsewhere in music this week is the Metal Day Out at the Supertop tomorrow - check the date, it's 6/6/06, the number of the beast, so get on your black T-shirt, and head along to see headliners Illdisposed from Denmark. Their brutish, industrial strength death metal will be worth checking out, along with many other bands at the 12-hour festival.

Movies
Keeping up that Satanic theme is the release of The Omen which opens in cinemas tomorrow, 6/6/06. This remake of the 1976 film is about an American government official who begins to suspect his son, the evil Damien, could be the Antichrist. Too right.

There's only one other movie to see this week and that's the latest Pixar animation feature, Cars.

Hotshot rookie, Lightning McQueen, takes a trip down Route 66, headed for California to compete in the Piston Cup Championship race. On the way he meets Sally (a sexy Porsche), Doc Hudson (a 1951 Hudson Hornet), and Mater (a rusty tow truck). These guys help Lightning to realise that there's more to life than coming first. One for the kids, and petrol heads alike.

And, if you must, there's Jennifer Aniston's new movie, The Break-Up - kind of art imitating life. Poor Jen.

TV
Tonight on TV One at 8.30pm there's a documentary about David Beckham and football - rather than Posh, his earnings, and text messages. At 31 years old, this is the last chance he has to take Britain to the final.

Also, it's the two-hour final of The Apprentice (TV2, Tuesday, 7.30pm) and Randell and Rebecca fight it out. I'm picking Randell to win, even though he got off to a bad start in the last task .

Holmes has coaches Graeme Henry (All Blacks), Ruth Aitken (Silver Ferns) and Jan Cameron (swimming) discussing what makes a sports coach successful.

They had better talk about the Irish test match coming up on Saturday or Holmes will be back to being out-of-date again.

The first All Black test of the season is live at 7.25pm on Sky Sport 1 from Waikato Stadium in the mighty Hamilton.