The Best of the Week
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30
Pacific Divas (Prime, 9.30pm). The concert has not occurred yet, so we cannot report critical reaction, but we predict a great night at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau when Aaradhna, legendary singers Annie Crummer and Betty-Anne Monga, Bella Kalolo, RAZÉ, Pacific Soul and Cindy of Samoa kick off their Pacific Divas National Identity Tour. There are also performances in Wellington and Christchurch.
SUNDAY DECEMBER 1
Attitude Awards 2019 (TVNZ 1, 10.55am). Simon Dallow and Tom Sainsbury host this year’s Attitude Awards, the annual celebration of New Zealanders living with disability. The sold-out gala, at SkyCity in Auckland, will feature performances from Dancing with the Stars NZ’s William Waiirua, Australian opera singer Tim McCallum and comedian Willy de Wit. Categories include employer and employee awards, entrepreneur and leadership awards, and support superstar award and youth spirit awards. Finalists include Bruce Picot of Pic’s peanut butter; social enterprise the Cookie Project; Tim Fairhall, who fought for changes to KiwiSaver; Cory Newman, the lead singer of a punk band; and personal trainer AJ Poua.
MONDAY DECEMBER 2
EastEnders (UKTV, Sky 007,
6.55pm). Neither Coronation Street nor EastEnders enjoys the ratings it once did in the UK, and Emmerdale is now nipping at both their heels. Still, in the streaming era, EastEnders remains a flagship show for the BBC and New Zealand fans will perhaps raise a glass to the memory of Dirty Den at the news that UKTV is catching up to the UK by screening an episode every weeknight from now until May, when it will be just a week behind.
Death Row: The New Arrivals with Trevor McDonald (Three, 9.30pm). There may not have been a death-row execution in Indiana for eight years, but