Darren Bevan: Movies

Previewing nationwide before a Boxing day release is animated fare SING Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, John C Reilly
Darren’s verdict: Wait for the DVD
http://bit.ly/sing-review

And on DVD - Finding Dory
Cast: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Hayden Rolence, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy
Darren’s verdict: Good for a slow night
http://bit.ly/finding-dory-review

And also Kubo and the 2 Strings
Cast: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey, Rooney Mara, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Travis Knight
Darren’s verdict: Rush to see it!
http://bit.ly/kubo-and-the-two-strings-review

For all Darren's reviews and info go to Darren's blog http://www.darrens-world-of-entertainment.blogspot.co.nz/

NICI WICKES: Food
Tackling the Christmas turkey and the best ways to make sure it stay moist and edible. Nici's secret is generally plenty of butter under the breast skin and the way you rest it to ensure the juices run into the breast meat. Her recipe for Citrus & Herb Butter Roasted Turkey is on our website. For more inspiration visit http://www.niciwickes.com/ or her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/#!/niciwickes

LYNDA HALLINAN: Gardening
Watering. It's pretty much the only job that matters over the summer, and it's the difference between your crops coming to fruition, or coming to nowt.

1. Approach watering as you would approach any sort of crisis management. Don't let the situation get desperate before you act, as once the soil is bone dry it's very hard to rewet it sufficiently without running the sprinkler all night.

2. After heavy rain (or any rain), or after giving the ground a good soak, shovel mulch over any bare soil to trap that moisture and keep plant roots cool. This makes a huge difference to newly planted trees (last winter's fruit trees) and fruiting crops such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and beans.

3. Water deeply every few days, rather than whipping around with a light sprinkle every day. Water by hand if possible as you can hose the roots of the plant, rather than wetting the foliage which can lead to fungal problems. Watering by hand also means you can irrigate the plants that need it, rather than everything.

4. Water at night, so your plants wake up all refreshed. Unless it's very humid, at which point it's actually better to water in the morning because otherwise you're inviting fungal issues to breed in the damp overnight. Never water in the heat of the day. It's been fairly well debunked that watering in full sun burns plants through the magnifying effect, but it's just wasteful as it'll steam right off.

5. If you're going away over summer, get a water timer. These attach to your hose and can be used to control an irrigation system or a couple of sprinklers, turning them off and on as required.

6. If you're growing anything in pots, move them into semi-shade and sit them on deep saucers, then crank up the watering. Some potted plants need watering twice a day in the hottest part of the year - it only takes a couple of days without water to kill them.

BOB CAMPBELL: Wine
European wine recommendations:
- If you like Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay …
You might like French Macon which is also made from Chardonnay grown in southern Burgundy.
Talmard Macon 2015 $26.99 (from Caro’s)

If you like Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc …
You might like Bourgeois 2014 Petit Bourgeois $25 (from Maison Vauron) they also own Marlborough winery Clos Henri.

If you like Pinot Gris …
You might like Albert Mann 2013 “Tradition” $33 a Pinot Gris from Alsace with a screwcap! (from Maison Vauron)

If you like dry Riesling …
You might like Dr Loosen 2015 Dry Riesling $21.99 from the Mosel in Germany (from Caro’s)

If you like full-bodied red wine …
You might like Chateau Rozier 2014 Saint Emilion Grand Cru $33.99 from Bordeaux, a Merlot Cabernet Franc blend (from Caro’s)

Stockists both supply online or from their Auckland stores. Caro’s www.caros.co.nz Maison Vauron www.mvauron.co.nz

Visit Bob's website with over 22,000 wine reviews! http://bobcampbell.nz/

MIKE YARDLEY: Travel
Museum Marvels in London! For more museum musing, check out Mike's article on the website www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle

CATHERINE RAYNES: Books
The Wrong Side of Goodbye by Michael Connelly, Allen & Unwin $37
The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion, Text Publishing $37

ANDREW DICKENS: Music
John Legend "Darkness and Light" - Andrew's verdict: 6/10
He’s got a new producer who’s a bit more pop than soul and he’s done some songs that address the growing divisions in the States. But he has not gone through with the intent. When he’s angry it works but he often slips back into “I’m a superstar in love with a super model” trope. He falls short of being a Marvin Gaye for a new generation. Enjoyable but patchy. 6/10