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The legendary Dionne Warwick’s 'one last tour' of New Zealand

6 Oct 2024

After 50 years of hit songs, superstar songstress Dionne Warwick returns to New Zealand for what she is calling "one last tour".  Audio

Sunday 6 October 2024

8:10 Middle East update 

For the latest, we’re joined by Geoffrey Miller from The Democracy Project. 

The sun sets on the Lebanese capital Beirut as seen for the town of Dbayeh north of Beirut on October 03, 2024. The head of the Israeli military, Herzi Halevi, vowed on October 3 to keep pounding Hezbollah positions across Lebanon, saying the group would not be allowed to "settle" back in its strongholds. (Photo by Patrick BAZ / AFP)

The sun sets on the Lebanese capital Beirut as seen from the town of Dbayeh north of Beirut. Photo: PATRICK BAZ

8:25 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!       

Sunday Morning Quiz image

Photo: RNZ

8:30 Craig Brown: A Voyage Around the Queen 

Award winning author Craig Brown is known for his biographies of The Beatles and Princess Margaret respectively.  

In his latest book, A Voyage Around the Queen he turns his attention to one of the most famous and defining figures of our time, Queen Elizabeth II, examining the late monarch in her time through the eyes of those who encountered her. 

Craig Brown: A Voyage Around the Queen book cover

Photo: HarperCollins

9:10 Mediawatch 

Mediawatch looks at coverage of the controversial call to cut back the rebuild of Dunedin Hospital - and how local media helped to drive the backlash.   

Also: Patrick Gower’s kicked off a new ‘feel-good’ weekly video show for Stuff. But do we really want good news when times are bad?    

The Otago Daily Times front page last Monday, showing crowds protesting against the scrapped rebuild plan for Dunedin Hospital.

The Otago Daily Times front page last Monday, showing crowds protesting against the scrapped rebuild plan for Dunedin Hospital. Photo: screenshot / Otago Daily Times

9:30 Romesh Ranganathan’s brand-new show comes to Aotearoa 

Multi award-winning comedian, writer, actor and host of BBC’s Weakest Link, Romesh Ranganathan brings his brand-new show to Aotearoa.  The show, Hustle examines the human condition. Are people inherently good? Is charity always a positive thing?  Jim will ask these questions and more. 

Romesh Ranganathan. 2024 Tour. Hustle Tour 2024

Photo: Romesh Ranganathan

10:10 The legendary Dionne Warwick’s “one last tour” of New Zealand 

After 50 years of hit songs, superstar songstress Dionne Warwick returns to New Zealand for what she is calling “one last tour”. 

She joins Jim to talk about everything from shopping with Marelene Deitrich to having a word with Snoop Dog about how he referred to young women. 

Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick Photo: Supplied / Frontier Touring

10:25 Celebrity endorsement and the US Election 

This week saw the US Vice Presidential debate widely accepted as a tie and singer Chappell Roan faced backlash from fans for failing to endorse a candidate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. 

Dr. Todd Belt is the director of the Political Management program at The Graduate School of Political Management in Washington DC. He joins Jim to discuss the campaign so far. 

People attend a watch party at Madhatter for the vice presidential debate between Demcocrat Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Republican Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Allison Bailey/NurPhoto) (Photo by Allison Bailey / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP)

Photo: ALLISON BAILEY

10:50 Argue with Science 

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

A glistening glass-like visualisation of a complex molecule. Text reads "Argue with Science, with Mary Argue"

Photo: RNZ / Robert Whitaker

11:10 Jan Preston: Boogie woogie around the North Island 

Pianist, composer and songwriter, Jan Preston is known as Australasia's Queen of Boogie Piano. This October she’s on the road right across the North Island promoting her new album Pianoland. 

Jan Preston Pianoland CD Cover

Photo: Jan Preston

11:25 How comfy are your insoles? 

Given insoles vary widely in price, Auckland University of Technology (AUT) is looking for people with chronic joint pain, or who have flat feet, sore heels (plantar fasciitis), or who are diabetic to trial a bunch of different insoles for five weeks to see which ones are rated tops. 

Dr Patria Hume, Professor of Human Performance, is leading the study and joins us to tell us more.  

If you would like to participate, you can find more information on their website or sending an email to  insole@aut.ac.nz 

Flatfoot diagnosis. (Photo by PEAKSTOCK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRAR / LDA / Science Photo Library via AFP)

Photo: PEAKSTOCK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRAR

11:35 Calling Home: Malcolm Wright in Pasadena, California 

Dr Malcolm Wright is calling home from Souther California.  Malcolm works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and is the technical lead responsible for delivering the flight and ground lasers used in the Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration project. 

DSOC Ground Laser Transmitter team after first experiment at JPL’s Table Mountain Facility near Wrightwood, California. Malcolm is second from the left.

DSOC Ground Laser Transmitter team after first experiment at JPL’s Table Mountain Facility near Wrightwood, California. Malcolm is second from the left. Photo: NASA

11:50 Who most deserves government help? 

If you were running New Zealand and had $100, how much of this money would you spend to support and take care of different vulnerable groups of the population? 

That’s one of the questions Research New Zealand asked Kiwis in their latest research. Managing partner Emanuel Kalafatelis joins us.  

Close up shot of a man in a wheelchair (Photo by Pancake Pictures / Connect Images / Connect Images via AFP)

Photo: PANCAKE PICTURES

Photo: Supplied

For those of you curious about the Sunday Morning show theme tune, it was written by Jim’s daughter, Rebecca Mora when she was 18 and studying music composition at Auckland University. 

‘Hatstand’ is the title and it was mastered by RNZ engineer Andre Upston.