Sideswipe

Separated at birth? The new compilation CD mixed by local lad and C4 host DJ Sir-Vere and the latest album by rising LA hip-hop star The Game.

Lisa Stokes finds the increased security on flights after 9/11 may have relaxed somewhat, or maybe it's only if you're travelling Qantas to Wellington from Auckland to the Neil Diamond concert last Saturday. "I was waiting to check in for my flight, ID in hand, when a lady from the group of four in front of me said she didn't have her ID with her. Instead of conventional security clearance the Qantas staff asked the group to sing a couple of lines of 'Hot August Night' before letting them on the plane ... "

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Did anyone notice that during the TV One documentary on problem gambling on Monday night, there was an ad for Sky City in one of the breaks?

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Lou Girardin writes: "The TV3 news script writers have provided many amusing minutes over the years, but Sunday's effort takes the cake. The winner of a shearing competition was described as having a "consummating" victory. Now I really hope the Aussies don't hear about this. The last thing we need is for them to have video evidence that we are indeed a nation of sheep shaggers."

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And you thought the LTSA ads were too full-on? A new United Nations campaign designed to get the public involved in the global fight against landmines is apparently too explosive for American television, as it depicts children being blown apart on a soccer field. The 60-second public-service announcement titled Kickoff shows a match in progress before a buried mine on the playing field is detonated. The explosion appears to kill and injure some girls, sparking panic and chaos among parents and other children. Shrieks of horror are heard through much of the ad, and a father is shown cradling his daughter's lifeless body, moments after celebrating a goal she had scored. It closes with a tag line reading: "If there were landmines here, would you stand for them anywhere? Help the UN eradicate landmines everywhere."

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How the Australian media have drooled over Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary, "the elegant proponent of all things Danish and Tasmanian", according to the Sydney Morning Herald's Spike column. "The outdoorsy/horsey/sports-loving princess was described in print as 'radiant' seven times, 'stunning' nine times, and 'glowed' twice. Or, to put it another way, she was 21 times 'beautiful' and once 'enchanting' (in The Sun-Herald last weekend). 'Fairytale' took the cake, rating 55 mentions, even though Mary 'does not wish to be portrayed as the Australian sheila who kissed a prince at a pub and slowly morphed into an elegant swan', as the Australian put it."