QuakeCon 2013 highlights

Daniel Rutledge describes what it's like to go to QuakeCon and reviews Stomp 2013.

• Lorde becomes first female to top Billboard alternative chart in 17 years

  Lorde's star just keeps on rising: she's become the first female solo artist in 17 years to top Billboard's alternative songs chart.

• Kiwis win gold at Las Vegas hip-hop world champs

  Auckland hip-hop dancers The Royal Family have won gold for the third year in a row at the world champs in Las Vegas.

• Abba fan's devotion pays off

  A fan of ABBA saw the money, money, money roll in as his collection was sold at an auction house in Stockholm.

• The phenomenon of 'Bronies'

  'Bronies' are a subculture few people will have heard of, but they're growing in number.

• Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches interview with Arkane's Seth Shain

  Full interview with Arkane Studios designer & associate producer Seth Shain on Dishonored: The Brigmore Witches, conducted at Quakecon 2013.

• Day-Z creator's Everest adventure

  Dean Hall is the man behind probably the best-known PC game mod of today - Day-Z.

• The Way, Way Back review

  Sam Rockwell is the heart-warming comic highlight of this little gem and was consistently laugh out loud.

• Hunt for Mona Lisa model leads to Florence tomb

  Researchers trying to identify the Renaissance model for Leonardo da Vinci's `'Mona Lisa" have excavated bones in a tomb in a Florence basilica.

• Swiss officials apologise for racism 'misunderstanding'

  Oprah Winfrey has received a formal apology from Swiss tourism representatives after the media mogul allegedly became the victim of racism while shopping in Zurich last month.

• Aussie film star David Wenham in NZ

  Australian David Wenham, who is in New Zealand for the Big Screen Symposium in Auckland over the weekend, is the most unassuming of Hollywood stars.

• Richard Curtis talks retirement

  Kiwi-born British director Richard Curtis says his latest film About Time will be his last.

• Kate Rodger on The Way, Way Back and Elysium

  Kate Rodger joins Firstline to discuss new films The Way, Way Back and Elysium.

• Jackie Thomas performs 'It's Worth It'

  New Zealand's first X Factor champion, Jackie Thomas, is officially launching her debut album today.

• Head Like a Hole back on tour

  Twenty years down the track Head Like a Hole are on tour again, but a few things have changed.

• Contemporary art showcase kicks off

  There will be a strong contingent of emerging young artists among the more familiar faces at this year's Auckland Art Fair.

• Australian rock duo impresses Noel Gallagher

  Ex Oasis star can't stop talking about Australian rock due Jagwar Ma, who are playing in Powerstation in Auckland tonight.

• Oprah Winfrey gears up for the big screen

  Talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey is back on the big screen, teaming up with Forest Whitaker for The Butler.

• Auckland Art Fair's key note speaker

  Sandra Phillips, the curator of photography at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, will discuss privacy and spying at this year's Art Fair - both hot issues in New Zealand at the moment.

• Chris Rene: World famous in NZ

  Chris Rene was a recovering drug addict and a former rubbish collector when he took part in The X Factor in the United States.

• Pakistan's new hero Burka Avenger

  Wonder Woman and Supergirl now have a Pakistani counterpart in the pantheon of female superheroes - one who shows a lot less skin.