Sunday Morning for Sunday 2 June 2024

8:10 Trump Guilty Verdict: The latest 

The latest from New York from our correspondent Mitch McCann 

8:20 The Sunday Morning Quiz with Jack Waley-Cohen  

Our quiz master Jack Waley-Cohen is back for another Sunday Morning quiz.  

Jack is the mind behind the questions on BBC quiz show ‘Only Connect’ which is known for being both difficult to crack and totally obvious.    

It’s Sunday morning, so wake up your brain and have a go!      

8:30 Eric Idle: Always looking on the bright side of life  

Monty Python's Eric Idle is bringing his show Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, Live! to New Zealand in October for three dates – in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.  

The one-man musical reflects on Eric’s love of comedy, music, and life. The laugh-a-minute show includes tributes to George Harrison and Robin Williams, plus there is a nod to parody band The Rutles whom Eric created in the 1970s.  

Eric joins Jim to reflect on his career and tell fans what to expect at the upcoming shows.  

9:10 Mediawatch 

Mediawatch looks at how an effort to help the media make much-needed money hit a snag this week.  

Also - stories based on surveys which didn’t  tell the full story. 

9:35 Dogs with ‘human’ names: When did Fido become Charlie? 

She might not own a dog, but that didn’t stop Slate’s Cleo Levin pondering why increasing numbers of dogs have been given “human” names – like Norman, Murphy, Gus, or Gary. 

During her research, she found data from Hartsdale Pet Cemetery in New York State, the final resting place of over 80,000 pets, which showed the most popular dog names throughout the decades.  

Cleo Levin, Audience Development Editor at Slate, joins Jim to discuss naming trends and our relationship with our pets throughout history.  

10:10 Our souls travel at 3km/h 

Nick Hunt is a travel writer who has published three books about walking in various parts of Europe – Outlandish, Where the Wild Winds Are and Walking the Woods and the Water. 

In a recent essay, published in Noema Magazine, he explored pilgrimage through three stages which he classified as departure, initiation, and return. He said the latter is the most neglected yet is the most important.  

Nick joins Jim on Sunday Morning to discuss what travelling does to our souls. 

10:40 Marc Wilson: Putting personality tests to the test. 

The popular Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test sorts test takers into 16 different personality categories depending on their answers.  

Yet, it is another personality test – The Big Five – which has proved more accurate at predicting life outcomes.  

Victoria University of Wellington professor of psychology Marc Wilson discusses with Jim.  

11:10 Are pop stars usurping actors in the celebrity stakes? 

The adulation once directed at film stars is now being thrust upon pop stars – with the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Harry Styles and Adele inviting adoring fans into their world via endless social media content and mammoth stadium tours.  

When and why did this shift happen? The Hollywood Reporter’s Lily Ford thinks it’s because audiences crave authenticity and access. She says this is something actors, who by their nature cosplay as other people, just do not provide. 

11.20 The headlines we didn’t read  

Mary Argue is back guiding us through the latest weird and wonderful headlines from the world of science.  

11:40 New Zealanders feeling the pinch – the latest research 

New Zealanders are worried about the rising cost of living meaning they’re choosing to go without certain luxuries, according to a new poll conducted by Research New Zealand.  

Research New Zealand managing partner Emanuel Kalafatelis joins Jim to dissect the data.  

11:50 Jeffrey Halley: Post-budget state of the economy 

Jeffrey Halley is Sunday Morning's man on the money.   

Jeffrey Halley is a Kiwi in Jakarta and Singapore who until recently was the senior market analyst for Asia Pacific for the OANDA corporation, with his analysis regularly sought by Bloomberg, the BBC, Reuters, CNBC, MSN, and the New York Times.