Afternoons for Monday 23 May 2016

1:10 First song

1:15 Update on attempts to rescue group of drivers stranded in snow 

Rescuers have been struggling to reach a group of people trapped in their four wheel drives in the old man range in remote central Otago. The group of 36 people, including children  from two four-wheel-drive clubs spent the night  in their trapped vehicles after being caught in the season's first winter storm.

Peter Newport, RNZ's Queenstown reporter is at the rescue base in Roxburgh

1:20 Community newspaper of the year

At a time of great uheaval in the world of print media - it's the smaller community newspapers that are holding their own. One of those recognised for its dogged determination to serve its community was the Kapi-Mana news, which won community newspaper of the year at the Canon Media Awards held on Friday night. Its reporter, Kris Dando, won community reporter of the year. 

The newspaper covers Porirua and Tawa, just north of Wellington, with a circulation of almost 30 thousand.

Kris Dando talks about his hopes for the future of community papers, despite tumultuous times in media. 

1:25 Kiwi actress selected for prestigious London acting school 

Keagan Carr Fransch will soon be able to count Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave as her fellow alumni of London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama where she has just been awarded a place in the Masters in Acting (Contemporary strand) course. 
Originally from Zimbabwe, Keagan was granted an audition in Sydney last month, where she was the only New Zealander there auditioning for that particular course, and the only person of colour. The Masters course accepts only 14 - 16 actors each year. 

Anyone wanting to help Keagan reach her goal can donate at her Givealittle crowd-funding page

1:35 New Zealand's top Speed-Cubers 

For many of us, solving a Rubik's cube is pretty much impossible. But for an elite group of solvers it's all about doing it as fast as possible. Some of the country's top speed cubers gathered in Wellington yesterday to compete not just in the standard 3x3 cube, but competed in solving a whole range of puzzles, from big 7x7 cubes, pyramid puzzles, one-handed solving, and even blindfolded solving!

Jesse speaks to the current national speed cubing champion Alex Asbery, who took out the competition with an average solve time of 12.49 seconds.  

To see just how fast Alex can solve a cube: 

1:40 Favourite album: Pixies 'Bossanova'

2:10 The Critics

Melenie Parkes is back on our Critics show again this week, this time with a confession about her TV viewing habits.  Dunedin Crime fiction writer Vanda Symon has been reading the latest book from New York Times best seller Jenny Lawson and a memoir from Australian model and actress Tara Moss.

DominionPost reviewer Simon Sweetman has a bunch of new songs to treat us to, John Smythe from Theatreview.org.nz.  reviews the Indian Ink Theatre Company's production of THE ELEPHANT THIEF and Auckland artist Joe Prisk previews this week's Auckland Art Fair.

3:10 Set Phasers to Stun: Marcus Berkmann on 50 years of Star Trek

50 years ago, the Starship Enterprise set off on a 5 year mission to boldly go where no man has gone before and ended up a cult classic and commercial flop.

 The original series of Star Trek  lasted just three years, but has spawned a franchise of TV series and big budget movies like no other. It is a  cultural phenomenon world wide

Critic, author and Trekie  Marcus Berkmann  chronicles the impact of series in his book, Set Phasers to Stun: 50 Years of Star Trek.

3:35 Voices

3:45 The Panel Pre-Show

Music played in this show

JESSE MULLIGAN : AFTERNOONS 1- 4pm
Monday May 23rd

JESSE'S SONG:
ARTIST:    Avalanche City
TITLE:       Little Fire
COMP:     Dave Baxter
ALBUM:    We Are For The Wild Places
LIVE:        RNZ Auckland

FAVOURITE ALBUM:
ARTIST:    The Pixies
TITLE:       Havalina
COMP:     Black Francis
ALBUM:    Bossanova
LABEL:     Electra

ARTIST:    The Pixies
TITLE:       The Happening
COMP:      Black Francis
ALBUM:    Bossanova
LABEL:     Electra

ARTIST:    The Pixies
TITLE:       Dig For Fire
COMP:      Black Francis
ALBUM:    Bossanova
LABEL:     Electra

THE CRITICS (Music with Simon Sweetman):  
ARTIST:    Loretta Lynn  with Willie Nelson
TITLE:       Lay Me Down
COMP:     Mark Marchetti
ALBUM:   Full Circle
LABEL:    Sony

ARTIST:    Mudcrutch
TITLE:       Dreams of Flying
COMP:     Tom Petty
ALBUM:    Mudcrutch 2
LABEL:    Reprise

ARTIST:    Ed Motta
TITLE:      The Owner
COMP:     N/S
ALBUM:   Perpetual Gateways
LABEL:    Membrain

ADDITIONAL MUSIC:
ARTIST:    Nathan Haines & Marlena Shaw
TITLE:      Squire For Hire
COMP:     Nathan Haines
ALBUM:   Squire For Hire
LABEL:    FMR