Christmas Card

Thats us for the year, we've had some great stories and I'm now on the hunt for some more material for next year. I'm always keen to hear from anybody thats got a story they think fits our show, so dont be shy and get in contact.

Cheers Alan

Super Sizes Teens

This is our Last show of the year, thanks for watching and keep coming to the site as I'll keep posting stuff over summer.

Idol on 20/20 today

We Have An Idol On 20/20

THIS WEEK ON 20/20
Thursday 26th of November\2009, 9.30pm

Don’t miss 20/20 – the best of New Zealand and international Current Affairs presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Sonya Wilson, Beth Roche and Hugh Hughes.

This week on 20/20:


Stan the Man:

We meet the Kiwi kid being idolised by Australia!

Stan Walker is hot - but his chilling upbringing will leave you cold. If you’ve followed `Australian Idol’, you’ll know he’s the product of a `Once Were Warriors’ upbringing. But did you know Aussie’s new sex symbol was also the victim of sexual abuse? Stan Walker talks exclusively to 20/20 about his tragic childhood and new found fame.

Blown Away:

Johanna Orozco seemed to have it all ... until jealousy and rage changed her life forever.

Juan Ruiz – once the love of her life – fired a shotgun at her head and since then the once pretty and popular teenager has endured a medical marathon of reconstructive surgery. The hideous crime shattered her face … but not her beauty. A remarkable story of courage, strength and grace!

The Terrible Tic:

One little girl’s struggle with unwanted tics!

13-year-old Isabella loves to sing, dance, write poetry and dreams of being an actress but Tourette Syndrome has left her a stranger in her own body. Home has become a safe haven from the judgement of the outside world. However if you look beyond the screaming and twitching you’ll meet a truly remarkable girl.

Cat Women:

They are a mysterious breed – women who fill their homes with cats instead of kids. Why do they do it? Are they just crazy for cats, just crazy, or is there more to their feline fancy than meets the eye?

And:

20/20 has an exclusive peak at Rihanna’s new video: “Russian Roulette.”


The best of New Zealand and international current affairs - 20/20 – presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Sonya Wilson, Beth Roche and Hugh Hughes.

20/20 This Week

THIS WEEK ON 20/20
Thursday 19th of November\2009, 9.30pm

Don’t miss 20/20 – the best of New Zealand and international Current Affairs presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Sonya Wilson, Beth Roche and Hugh Hughes.

This week on 20/20:

Tuned In:

Are there such things as spirits? What do channelers and mediums do, if anything? And to what end?

Sceptics will tell you it’s a bunch of twaddle and an insult to the intelligence of the living. Believers will tell you it’s the real deal and sceptics have never helped anyone with their scepticism. So who’s fooling who? We put a channeler to the test to see if they really are tuned in!

Finding Forgiveness:

Would you forgive?

Like thousands of other wives whose husbands are in prison, Kim Crespi cherishes the few hours she and her husband David, have together - sharing news about their children, their church and their friends. But what makes these visits unusual and the bond between Kim and David different is that David is serving a life sentence for brutally murdering their two daughters.

The Mad Scientists:

It is a think tank like no other!

Can a simple garden hose stop global warming? Is it possible to control killer hurricanes? We meet a bunch of self confessed mad scientists who are turning conventional wisdom upside down and finding simple solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems.

Good Cop – Bad Cop:

Caught on camera!

A drunken woman is the victim of a savage attack! A paraplegic is tipped out of his wheelchair! A transvestite is badly beaten! They were victims of brutal crimes – committed by those who took an oath to serve and protect. When good cops go bad!

The best of New Zealand and international current affairs - 20/20 – presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Sonya Wilson, Beth Roche and Hugh Hughes.

Man We Got A Great Show This Week

This Week on 20/20

This week on 20/20:

Victim Statement:

The terror and tragedy of 56 seconds!

On Auckland Anniversary Weekend our biggest city’s motorway came to a stand-still. A gun man was on the loose – speeding through West Auckland and firing a barrage of shots at the police helicopter. The chase ended with an innocent bystander being shot dead and many more being scarred for life. We look at the ripple effect of 56 seconds of madness.

Rihanna Unplugged:

Rihanna breaks her silence for the first time!

Domestic violence shattered the superstar’s fairytale relationship with fellow singer Chris Brown. In a revealing interview, Rihanna talks about what really happened that night and how she feels about her once true love being sentenced to community labour, five years of probation and a year of domestic-violence counselling.

The Lost Generation:

The terrible tragedy of Aids!

We travel to Africa to meet the lonely generation. They have no mums and dads! In some remote villages, the entire adult population has been wiped out by the AIDS pandemic – forcing the children to become grown ups before their time.

Superfreakonomics:

Turning conventional wisdom up side down …

How can a doctor’s tie kill you? Why should emergency rooms be put in airports? We have some surprising revelations about staying alive!

The best of New Zealand and international current affairs - 20/20 – presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Sonya Wilson, Beth Roche and Hugh Hughes.

The Kids Are Alright Hopefully

We've just finished putting together a story that runs tonight on 20/20 on a teen rehab programme. Have a watch tonight, some young lives off to a difficult start.
Id just like to say thanks to the guys that let us follow them through what is a difficult personal journey.
Some of the stories are heartbreaking, but it is amazing how much kids can bounce back and bravely face the future.

Kids in Rehab This wekk On 20/20

Finding a Fix:

We go inside New Zealand’s Teenage Rehab!

They are kids – some as young as 12 years old – and their drugs of choice include alcohol, marijuana, LPG, air-fresheners and even fly-spray. For years they’ve been riding a dangerous wave of addiction and arrest. Now they’re in rehab – desperate to break the cycle and find a permanent fix for their out of control addictions.

New Video Promo

Puppies In Prison

THIS WEEK ON 20/20
Thursday 15th of October\2009, 9.30pm

Don’t miss 20/20 – the best of New Zealand and international Current Affairs presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Sonya Wilson, Beth Roche and Hugh Hughes.

This week on 20/20:

Prison Pups:

They’re some of New Zealand’s worst criminals yet they’re finding unconditional love behind bars.

We go inside Auckland Women’s Correctional Facility to meet four offenders and their canine cellmates. To a victim scarred by crime, it may be difficult to feel generosity toward offenders, or to condone any programme that may make life easier. But these wonder dogs are helping hardened criminals, society and the disabled.

This Week on 20/20

Having A Larp:

We party down with New Zealand’s self confessed geeks!

They call it LARPING – Live Action Role Playing – and it’s a form of escapism like you’ve never seen before. One moment they’re medieval warriors beating each other senseless and then the next they’re saving the world! They’re living their dreams and they don’t give a damn what anyone thinks. We go inside the secretive fantasy world of New Zealand’s self-confessed geeks.

My Afternoon Behind Bars

One of the best things about my job is the unusual places and people I meet, this afternoon was spent behind the electric fence of one of New Zealands prisons.

The people there were just like you and me in many ways except for the fact that unlike you and me they cant go home. To be sure some of these people have done terrible things, but as always it is striking when you come face to face with these people and see their humanity.

I'm going back again next week and believe it or not I'm looking forward to it, who would of thought.

Award For Badwater Camera

Last year Sonya Wilson (reporter), Chris Brown (camera) and myself (producer) headed off to Death Valley to film a story about the remarkable Lisa Tamati. On Friday at the Qantas Media awards for craft Chris won Best Camera in Current Affairs.

Chris did a remarkable job under some trying conditions ...... although I'd like to point out my input in filming the egg, ask him if you know him.

You can watch the work of the fab Mr Brown here http://tvnz.co.nz/20-20-news/august-14-amazing-race-hosed-off-prison-prosperity-1995840/video?vid=2003723

PHOTOS FROM ON THE ROAD

20/20 is on a three week break from local stories and running a series of specials so I thought I'd post some photos of us out on the road doing our thing.
















Sonya Wilson and Chris Brown out Filming for our story The Keepers Secret















Sonya Wilson and Nick Chopper Reid in editing

Beth Roche doing a master interview for the story Nil By Mouth

Chris Brown filming late at night in a graveyard for our Blood Lust story ..... It was really really cold.

New 20/20 Promo Manu Vatuvei

This Week On 20/20 Manu Vatuvei

Beauty and the Beast:

Manu Vatuvei is a Tongan giant with a golden smile!

This year hasn’t been the best for Warrior’s fans, but Manu Vatuvei remains the people’s favourite. They call him `The Beast’! He is a bulk of a man who strikes fear in the hearts of the opposition. But there’s nothing scary about him off the field. The world’s greatest rugby league winger opens his home to 20/20. And we discover a family man, humble to the core, with a heart of gold.

They Walk Among Us

Beth Roche, Chris Brown and myself spent a week searching the country for Vampires, here is the visual proof that we found some.

Keep an eye out for 20/20 on TV2 at 9.30 pm Thursday the 20th when all will be revealed

Something Awesome

Dave Dallas has some new sounds coming our way soon. I've downloaded Indulge me from Itunes and seen the video for Big Time on Juice and they're both great tracks.

Busy Busy

I haven't posted much lately as I've been flat out travelling the country in search of vampires, I found some too. I'll post more on that in a few days, even a couple of pictures.

Gin Wignore Promo

Gin - Straight Up

This week on 20/20:

Gin – Straight Up:

Gin Wigmore – if you don’t know the name you soon will!

The 23 year old from Auckland’s North Shore hooked up with “Smashproof” earlier this year and helped create the longest running kiwi chart topper “Brother”. More recently she’s been in L.A. recording her debut full length album with producer Mike Elizondo. That’s Mike – Eminem, 50-cent and Maroon 5 – Elizondo. She’s been compared with Amy Winehouse and Macey Gray and is in very real danger of becoming world famous.

Sometimes We Actually Do Good

A couple of weeks age 20/20 ran a story about a wee girl named Grace who couldn't or wouldn't eat. It was a heartbreaking tale of a family doing the best they could with what they have. In the story we spoke to another couple whose daughter had the same problem and had travelled to Austria where a University ran a clinic that helped with great success.
Pip and Gareth the parents of wee Grace did not have the money needed to travel to the Austrian clinic but, after the airing of our show a couple came forward and said theyed like to help.
A trust has been set up and Grace may yet get the help her parents so desperatly want to give their little girl.
Often in the media it feels like we're tearing things down it's nice to help every now and then, I'm also constantly amazed at how mean people can be, yet equally amazed at how kind and generous they can be.

Badwater Beaten

Lisa Tamati has once again run through hell and back. Lisa was the 8th female to cross the finish line in a staggering 37hrs and 14mins.
Its worth clicking across to her blog and having a read about how her race went.http://www.lisatamati.co.nz/home/runner

Back To Badwater

This time last year reporter Sonya Wilson, cameraman Chris Brown and myself as producer headed to Death Valley USA, our mission was to film a story about a remarkable woman from Taranaki New Zealand. Lisa Tamiti's mission was to run 217km through possibly the hottest place on the planet.

What Lisa achieved on that trip was one of the most amazing sporting feats I've ever seen, and I've covered allot of sporting events. In just hours Lisa sets off again in what is the toughest foot race on the planet, and I thought I would post a link to the story we shot last year, give it a watch it's called The Amazing Race for good reason.

Good luck Lisa

http://tvnz.co.nz/20-20/2020-amazing-race-video-2024591

This weeks 20/20 Promo

Nil by Mouth:

Kiwi kids who refuse to eat – refuse to drink!

Grace is just five years old, but she has never eaten – never drunk. A gastric tube is the only thing that keeps her alive. Nothing has passed her lips since the day she was born. It is a horrible condition that is literally consuming her life. No one knows for certain how many kiwi kids are affected by this weird phenomenon. It could be hundreds! It could be thousands! It is a parent’s worst nightmare and the cure is almost as cruel as the condition.

Killing Colds On The Couch

On Friday my family and I head to the Gold Coast, where my wife will be competing in a half marathon event. This is not that unusual as Lee is a great runner and likes to compete when she can.

Unfortunately both myself and my eldest daughter have been struck down by the worst cold ever. Our mission is to convalesce on the couch all the while trying not to pass on the bug. Lee has trained through some very cold mornings and really put in some hard yards, to be struck down before we head off would be a crying shame.

Wish us luck

Lost and Found this week on 20/20

My colleague Mark Sleeman has been working on this for awhile and sounds like a good yarn be sure to watch

TV Pro

I’m a television professional with over twenty years of experience, so when my daughter said she had a school project to do on earthquakes I had what seemed at the time an amazing idea. I suggested to my eight year old daughter that she do an interview with her Uncle Mike who is a reporter for the 60minutes show and had gone to China to cover the 2008 earthquake.

This would be simple I thought, I’d film it, borrow a friends MAC Book and edit it on IMovie. How hard could it be, I am after all a TV Pro. Well as it turns out very hard, first up my friends shiny new MAC Book is so new it doesn’t have a fire-wire input. No problem I’ll just use my old PC Laptop.

Next what to use as an editing tool, after searching the net I discovered that Sony Vegas provides a free trail of their Movie Maker software .
Software downloaded I started editing away in the knowledge the project was due in two days time. I was once an editor however it was just starting to dawn on me that was over ten years ago…oops this might not be as easy as I first thought. Eventually I found my way around the editing tool and had a final product the night before it was to be handed in.

Next step transfer the project to DVD, oops I need to download some more software. New batch of software neatly installed I was ready to publish and be damned …. system crash …. try again …. system crash …. repeat this sequence many times over. It is now midnight and I suddenly remember how old my laptop is …. you fool it doesn’t have a DVD burner.

Due day arrives I explain to my girl I’ll take the Flintstone laptop to work make a file and use another computer to burn a DVD. I then write her a note for her teacher saying that I’ll bring the disk in at lunch time.

Disk in hand I race from the city to my daughters school, find her in the playground and hand it to her. Daddy she says to me, yes I say, we don’t need it until Friday now.

Steph Coldstream

A couple of months ago Beth Roche and I did a story about a mother daughter stunt riding team for 20/20. It is with great sadness that I post notice of her death, Steph passed away yesterday morning after what can only be described as a very brave battle with breast cancer.

Our thoughts are with Kody her youngest daughter and the rest of the family, all of whom were a pleasure to meet during the filming of Stephs story.

You can watch the story again at this link. http://tvnz.co.nz/20-20-news/coming-up-20-20-taking-reins-2678931/video

New Blog

Hi my mighty army of followers, this is just a post to let you all know that in the near future i'm going to be transfering my blog over to a Wordpress platform. This means it will be found at different address, I will post that address, put it on Twitter, stick it on Facebook, send out a txt, and set free some pidgeons with notes attacthed to them.
Watch this space and any other space you have that might be worth watching.

Pip Pop

Chris Brown (20/20 cameraman), Beth Roche and myself just got back from Dunedin where we were filming a story about a family whose young girl Grace cant or wont eat.

Pip the young girls mother bends balloons for kids party's, now that may seem a bit hum-drum but you need to see the amazing things she does with these balloons. Keep an eye out for the story in the next month or so.

Reaction To 20/20 Story

We had such a huge reaction to the story about Rachel Francis the former prostitute and brothel owner that I thought I would post this link http://www.votemenot.co.nz/thread/35926781/so-is-anyone-writing-to-tvnz-20-20/ . It demonstrates the the strength of opinion this subject generates some of it in my opinion bigoted and ill informed.

You Gotta Watch This 20/20 Promo

You Gotta Watch This

Beth Roche and I have been working on a story about a retired prostitute and brothel owner, some of the stories she has to tell will curl your hair. Rachel Francis is one hell of a character and a woman that says she entered the world of prostitution of her own free will and loved nearly every minute of it. Rachel speaks with passion and conviction about an industry that most of us have little real knowledge of, this is not " Pretty Woman"

I will post a video promo soon.

This Week on 20/20

THIS WEEK ON 20/20
Thursday 14th May 2009, 9.30pm

Don’t miss 20/20 – the best of New Zealand and international Current Affairs presented by Miriama Kamo with reporters Pete Cronshaw, Beth Roche and Sonya Wilson.

This week on 20/20:

THE LAST RUSH: For most of us the idea of throwing ourselves off the side of a mountain, or hanging off Mt Everest without an oxygen bottle just seems too much of a mission impossible. But what makes it seem like a walk in the park for extreme athletes? Are they simply born without the fear gene? Well tonight 20/20’s Pete Cronshaw talks to a Kiwi expert who believes their brains simply operate differently from the rest of us… and you’ll hear from the men and women who think it’s normal to live on the edge. You’ll be amazed at what he discovers.

20/20 Tonight

HIGH HEELS, HIGH HOPES: Critics call it a dated practice in a modern world… exploitative even… but tonight 20/20’s Sonya Wilson puts you in the judge’s chair –with an exclusive all-access pass behind the scenes of Miss World New Zealand. We follow 17 women desperate to take out the crown, while mastering the highest of heels and everything else from beach beauty to top model and talent competitions. As the pressure mounts, the nerves, the sequins and the sparkle powder keep increasing. So why do they do it? Well, as one contestant tells 20/20, the pageant is her way of proving girls really can do anything.

Steph Coldstream is Special

THIS WEEK ON 20/20

Thursday 30th April 2009, 9.30pm

This week on 20/20:

TAKING THE REINS: She’s a Kiwi world beater, who refuses to let anything get in the way of realising her dreams. And for Palmerston North’s Steph Coldstream life’s been tougher than most. As 20/20’s Beth Roche discovers, Steph’s battled breast cancer, and never let it get in the way of her and daughter Kody’s life on the road as the country’s top stunt horse riders. She’s even had a starring role in a Hollywood movie, as Hayden Panettiere’s riding double. But now she’s in the race of her life, as her health is threatened once more.

Girls Love Shoes

It really is true girls love shoes, she easily has as many handbags to go with them just to add weight to the stereotype.

The Great Easter Egg Hunt 2009

The Clues, the search and the prize, my two girls and their friends hunt for Easter eggs

The Real Denny Crane

I spent the morning sitting in Auckland District Court #1. It was for a story I'm working on, the court is a sad place none of the glamour of my favourite show Boston Legal. Spending time in a local court can give you a sense that the society we live in is held together by a thin thread that is getting more frayed by the case.
On the bright side I took my daughter to see Lisa Tamiti on the weekend. Lisa ran through Death Valley last year in race called The Badwater Classic, Sonya Wilson and I did a story on her for 20/20 I'll try and post a link. Lisa was spending ten hours running on a treadmill in an attempt to raise funds to have another crack at the worlds hardest foot race. Lisa took a moment from her treadmill bashing to sign a Death Valley hat that my girl had brought along, she was wrapt

This Week on 20/20

This week on 20/20 Sonya Wilson and I meet the Groens eight of whom are members of the New Zealand Barefoot Water Skiing team. Great bunch of people doing what they love and doing it as a family.

Where The Wild Things Are

One of those work days, waiting waiting waiting. Still all this waiting for talent to contact me has let me have a surf around. Being a father of two young girls can make you a bit soft in the head, but I dare you not to find the trailer for Where The Wild Things Are not cute.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--N9klJXbjQ

I've put up the follow me gadget in the forlorn hope that somebody may actually read this and decide to join.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring some excitement to TV land and I will have something to film.
Over and out.

To Twitter or Not to Twitter

I'm new to this Twitter craze and am not sure of the rules. I noticed that someone I know, but not well from work is on Twitter. I decided I would follow them and added them to my list. Moments later I panicked and removed them. It occurred to me that they might not like me to follow them and would find it uncomfortable, and also find it difficult to ask me not to.
Its kind of wiered a bit like being back at school, trying to hang with the right crowd but not being sure if you fit. Anyway if you want to follow my Twitter along with the whole eleven other random folk go ahead, my Twitter is on the right hand side of the blog.
Cheers and here's to hangin with the nerds.

Friends of 20/20

About three weeks ago a group of us at work decided to set up a facebook group called friends of 20/20. It's become a small obsession and I cant help checking it every five minutes to see if we have any new friends. We're sitting at 195 at the moment and busting to break 200. If anybody does actually read this, could you please check it out.
While youre checking things out you really need to go to Itunes and down load the featured free single by David Dallas called Indulge Me. David is real talent and has just returned from pushing his barrow at SXSW.
Thats all for post #3 keep your hands high and use laterial movement.

Just to Kick Things Off

This is a post to get things started. I've just finished work on a story about Chris Kahui who was charged with the killing of his twin baby boys in 2006. He spoke to Beth Roche and myself exclusively last week on 20/20. If you missed it you can catch it here http://tvnz.co.nz/20-20-news/chris-kahui-speaks-2577034/video?vid=2591076

We had a huge response right across the spectrum. Next up with out giving things away I'm hooking up with a former prostitute and madam. Watch this space.