Saturday Morning With Jack Tame

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 28th June 2025, young adult author Robert Muchamore talks to Jack about his new series - Robin Hood: Fury, Fire and Frost - a twist on the classic Robin Hood tales.   Jack reflects on the Venice extravaganza that is the Jeff Bezos wedding.   Francesca Rudkin has two great movie recommendations if you're looking for something to do over the school holidays.   And Estelle Clifford gives us her thoughts on the much-anticipated Lorde album, Virgin: "Raw, angsty, growing as an artist. 10/10"  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’m quite happy to touch on this little trouble inside the house: what is a good spot to grow certain plants?  Julie and I have been struggling to get a few Orchids growing inside. One of them is Phalaenopsis —the Moth Orchid— and another one is Oncidium, especially the “Kandy Dancer” I fell in love with when working in Sri Lanka. Both are a real pain to get going: tried a north-facing window, an eastern aspect, west, and nothing worked to get these plants growing, let alone flowering!!   The Irony is that our daughter just chucked them in a south facing bay windowsill and simply couldn’t stop them flowering!  They get a few seconds of morning sun, are covered in steam (it’s a kitchen bay window), and often get warm ovens heating the site.   Guess what! We tried it too: south bay window in kitchen, etc, etc. Fertilised them with Orchid Food, spoke to them, read stories at night, etc, ect... NOTHING!   Yes, we read the books and reduced the moisture regime, got solid fertiliser, liquid

Texas can force users of porn websites to verify their age   The law was challenged right up to the Supreme Court as they claimed it violated the free-speech rules of the First Amendment. Their argument was that adult viewers might be worried their private information or viewing history could be exposed, which is a deterrent from accessing the material.   The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the law, saying it's working to protect children, and the government has the authority to do that. The Texas Governor, Ken Paxton, calls the widespread access among children to hardcore pornography a public health crisis.   Texas is one of 24 states that have passed age verification laws for online porn, forcing Pornhub to close down in the state.     Salesforce's CEO claims 30-50% of the internal work is now done by AI   That's a staggering statistic from CEO Mark Benioff. Unsure how that's measured, but he says AI is being widely used at the company for software engineering and customer ser

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light  Thomas Cromwell navigates the Tudor court in the aftermath of the execution of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Based on the final book in Hilary Mantel's commanding trilogy (Neon).    Smoke  When an arson investigator begrudgingly teams up with a police detective, their race to stop two arsonists ignites a twisted game of secrets and suspicions (Apple TV+).    Here We Go  In this hilariously unfiltered portrait of family life, the Jessops are the subject of their son Sam's amateur documentary, as they go about their mundane but chaotic lives (TVNZ+).      LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Karate Kid: Legends   After moving to New York City with his mother, kung fu prodigy Li Fong struggles to let go of the past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition -- but his skills alone aren't enough. With help from Mr. Han and Daniel LaRusso, he soon learns to merge two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.     F1: The Movie   In the 1990s, Sonny Hayes was Formula 1's most promising driver until an accident on the track nearly ended his career. Thirty years later, the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team convinces Sonny to return to racing and become the best in the world. Driving alongside the team's hotshot rookie, Sonny soon learns that the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love these little biscuits; they really brighten up even the most dreary day, and kids love making them so it’s a good school holiday activity. I’ve added sesame seeds to mine for texture and taste and I recommend you do too, or use poppy seeds.   Makes 15-18     Ingredients  100g butter, soft   2/3 cup (about 100g) icing sugar   1 cup plain flour   1 heaped tbsp cornflour   3 tbsps. sesame or poppy seeds (optional)   Jam and/or marmalade     Method  Preheat oven to 170 C. Line a tray with baking paper.  Beat butter and icing sugar until pale - I do this for about 5 minutes. Add flours and seeds (if using) and mix well. Roll mixture into balls and place on a tray, making a deep thumb indent into each one. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from oven. Spoon a teaspoon of jam or marmalade into the hollows and return to the oven for 8-10 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack.     Why are these worth making?   They’re quick and easy t

$82 million.    As we go to air this morning, that’s a rough estimate for the amount of cash going up in smoke as Jeff Bezos marries his bride at a star-studded Venetian affair.    Eighty-two million. And I thought my wedding was an expensive affair!  Everything’s relative, of course. $82 million represents just a fraction of the total wealth of the world’s third-richest man. To try and appreciate the true magnitude of his $300 billion estimated wealth, I put his finances into a scale that I can better understand. If every Jeff Bezos dollar was one second —so that one minute was $60, and one hour was $3600— depleting Jeff Bezos’ wealth would take more than 11,000 years.    You’re gonna think I have a particular thing for Jeff Bezos. I honestly don’t. I was one of those bagging his fiancée's space flight a few weeks ago, but I swear it’s nothing personal. I would just be so embarrassed to be spending that much money to get married in a place where it would appear a reasonable

A new season of Below Deck has set sail on our screens.  The reality show has been running for over a decade, chronicling the high pressure, high stakes world of super yachts.   Captain Kerry is the man at the helm of this season’s superyacht, sailing the St David in Below Deck Adventure.   Though many reality TV shows are hammed up for entertainment, Kerry told Jack Tame that on Below Deck, it’s all “fair dinkum”.  He says that everything is real, it’s just a much more intense environment than a regular yacht season.  “A season would be three or four months, we’re doing it in six weeks,” Kerry revealed.  “Where a lot of the stress comes into the job is turning the boat over – so when the guests leave, turning it over, getting it ready for the next trip, that’s so much pressure.”  When Kerry runs a yacht off TV, he says he’ll give it three or four days between charters, and each charter is about a week, but on the show, they’re doing nearly three charters a week.  “Boom

Last week Kevin Milne was questioning if New Zealand companies were running out of original ideas when it came to film and television. This week, he’s happy to be proven wrong.  Kevin Milne recently watched ‘Diary of a Junior Doctor’, a local docuseries from Storymaker, and has nothing but praise.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Estelle Clifford is doing things a little bit differently this long weekend. Instead of reviewing a single album, she’s put together a playlist of songs to celebrate some of Aotearoa’s incredible musicians for Matariki.  Matariki Hunga Nui - Kaylee Bell, Troy Kingi & Rob Ruha    Wonderful Life, Georgia Lines   AIE - Fly My Pretties & TAWAZ   Running Amuck - Byllie-jean   The Nine Stars of Matariki - Miss Nicky Says    Ko Wai Koe? - Mokotron   Hiwa I Te Rangi - Loopy Tunes    Purea Nei - Anika Moa    The Way We Love - 1Drop Nation   Kātuarehe - Anna Coddington  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"After revelling in my 4-night cruise in the Galapagos Islands with Viva Expeditions, my dreamscape experience aboard La Pinta concluded with one final port call at Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island. Viva Expeditions highly recommends you combine a dreamy cruise with a land-based stay and Santa Cruz Island is the incomparable choice."  Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are kids spending too much time looking at screens? Dougal Sutherland is dipping into the debate over kids’ use of social media and online spaces, and the impact it has on them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb   Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin. And that's before he causes the tragedy that tears the family apart.   Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he bears witness to frightful acts of brutality but also experiences small acts of kindness and elemental kinship with a prison librarian who sees his light and some of his fellow offenders, including a tender hearted cellmate and a troubled teen desperate for a role model. Buoyed by them and by his mother's enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can his crimes ever be forgiven by those he loves?     The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner   Fame comes at a price…  The Griffin Sisters had the world at th

On the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast for Saturday 21 June 2025, Captain Kerry of the hit tv show Below Deck joins Jack to discuss antics aboard the St David superyacht and his three decades in the boating industry.  Jack travels with a baby for the first time... Mike Yardley continues his adventures in the Galapagos Islands.  And Estelle Clifford shares her Matariki playlist picks for the long weekend.  Get the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame Full Show Podcast every Saturday on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wine: Tiki Single Vineyard Pinot Gris 2024, North Canterbury, $23.00   In recognition of Matariki and to highlight we have a growing number of Māori wine producers in NZ (Tiki, Tarras, Steve Bird, te PA, Tohu).   A crisp, dry style Pinot Gris with aromas and flavours of green pear and apple, some citrus highlights and a touch of quince. Just dry on the palate with an immediate bite of acidity and phenolics for texture and mouthfeel. There’s a fine less quality adding complexity and breadth across the palate. Best drinking from late 2024 through 2027.     The Food: A wine that is delicious with all sorts of hangi fare – especially kumara and pork belly. If you prefer seafood, then poached salmon with lemon is a great match. Vegetarians will like this wine with cashew nut dusted tofu burger with red beet and tasty cheese.     The season: 2024 was an excellent year for most growers in NZ.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the time of the year when my training sessions begin in all speed: teaching silvereyes and some other birds to come and visit our garden. After all, today’s the start of winter!  It’s not just about giving these lovely birds some well-deserved food for winter (although that helps!), it’s a simple way to get them to know where we live!   By regularly feeding these insectivores, they will be imprinted to come back in spring and summer, and that helps an entomologist (and his grandson) to identify the various individuals during the months of the year.   We feed these birds a number of yummy meals: Protein rich meat balls from the Mad Butcher, Lard Blocks, Nectar bottles, Cut-open fruit, etc.  Hundreds of them will visit our “kitchen”, and we know they will come back in spring and summer.   Why? Simply because this is where they get some great food, especially when it’s wintertime, but also in summertime, when our plants are damaged by scale insects and mealy bugs, whitefly and c

Rosa Flanagan of the Two Raw Sisters is serving up a delicious salad – perfect to take along to a long weekend gathering.  Serves: 6    Time: 40 minutes      Ingredients:  1 cauliflower, cut into florets    2 tbsp cooking oil    1 tbsp pomegranate molasses    1/2 tsp sea salt    1/2 cup quinoa    1 cup water       Quick Pickled Red Onion    1 red onion, finely sliced    3 tbsp apple cider vinegar    ½ tsp sea salt       Pomegranate Lemon Oil    3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil    1 tbsp pomegranate molasses    Zest and juice of 1 lemon    ¼ tsp sea salt       To Serve    3 stalks kale, stalks discarded and leaves finely chopped    1 cup herbs, chopped    ¾ cup seeds, toasted       Method:    Preheat the oven to 200C.    Pla

Better account security is coming to Facebook   They will be adding passkey support. Why are Passkeys better? Because they prevent you from being tricked into giving your credentials to a fake site. They also can't be stolen, guessed, or leaked.    A password doesn't care who it sends it to, you just hand it over and if it matches it lets you in, but you could be handing it over to anyone, the real site, or a fake site. A passkey is a more sophisticated form of authentication that first sends you a secret key. If that secret key matches, meaning that site and your device can now confirm they know each other, then a different key is sent back to log you in – the site also verifies that.   Think of it like a secure handshake with only the one person you want to shake hands with – everything is verified before sending any details.     Meta and Oakley are teaming up for a smart glasses collab   Meta really wants smart glasses to be a thing! They're releasing five Oakley styles t

Trainwreck: The Astroworld Tragedy  Featuring exclusive interviews with survivors, paramedics and festival staff, this documentary examines the 2021 Astroworld tragedy and its aftermath (Netflix).     American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden   An exploration of how the world came together to hunt down al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden after the events of September 11, 2001 in New York City (Netflix).     Underdogs   Ryan Reynolds narrates a celebration of the unique behaviours of animals who don't usually get to be the stars of the show, from their hidden talents and unconventional hygiene choices to their unsavory courtship rituals (Disney+).    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Echo Valley   Kate's secluded life is interrupted by her troubled daughter when she shows up frightened and covered in someone's blood. As Kate unravels the truth, she learns how far she'll go for her child.    Merchant Ivory   Archival footage and interviews provide insight into the partnership, both professional and personal, between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant.    LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.