A Danish designer by the name of Mads Johansen has cooked up a Hobbit-sized campervan. Officially named the 'Wide Path Camper', it's roomy enough to sleep 2.5 adults and folds up so that you can hook it to your bicycle and take it with you — everywhere you go. Well, maybe not exactly everywhere. Just how far you'll be able to tug this uber-cute creation will depend on your thigh power. Weighing in at 40 kilograms, it's lightweight considering how much space is included, but dragging it up hills might be challenging. That said, it's certainly quite the kit-up for flat terrain cycling adventures. Ride across the Nullarbor, anyone? Altogether there's more than 300 litres of storage space, as well as two beds that can be converted into seating areas. The windows are fitted with curtains for privacy. A couple of optional add-ons are possible, including a solar cell, which can be used for recharging your smartphone; an outdoors kitchen area; and an awning. At this stage, the Wide Path Camper is still in prototype mode. But, if all goes to plan, it'll be up for sale by 2015, with a price tag of about US$2500 (around AU$2880). Via Gizmag.
First, the great news: come July, beef sandwiches will be back on the menu. Watching season two of one of the best new shows of 2022, and a Golden Globe-winner at that, will be as well. On Wednesday, July 19, The Bear is set to return Down Under with its latest episodes, taking viewers back to Carmen 'Carmy' Berzatto's (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless) Chicago sandwich shop — one that, based on the teasers and trailers for this new serving, is undergoing plenty of change. Disney+ will drop all ten episodes of season two at the same time, ready for prime mid-July binge sessions. Obviously, you know what you should be eating while you watch. But, if you don't want to know what happens in advance, you might want to avoid the internet until then. This Thursday, June 22, American audiences will get the full season, saying "yes chef!" to The Bear's return a month before Australian and New Zealand viewers. Of course, more of The Bear is still more of The Bear, no matter it arrives. Also, Australia and NZ experienced a delay when season one premiered in 2022 as well. Then, however, the show was new and untested — now, it's one of the most-anticipated streaming meals of 2023. From its sneak peeks so far — and from where season one left off — season two sees Carmy take a new path with the family eatery that he returned to run after his brother's (Jon Bernthal, We Own This City) death. This new round of intense kitchen and interpersonal chaos will see its head chef keep dreaming of levelling up the humble beef-slinging business. Trying to bring a fine-diner's level of meticulous to The Original Beef of Chicagoland didn't go smoothly in season one, though, and endeavouring to completely transform the restaurant was always going to be peppered with mayhem in season two. Get ready to devour requests for cash, tight timelines, constant construction noise, cooking experiments, visits to culinary school, awkward interviews and t-shirt typos. And, of course, an array of dishes being whipped up and instantly whetting appetites off-screen. The show's full season two trailer also adds Shiva Baby and Booksmart's Molly Gordon to the cast — and, although he hasn't been seen in an early glimpses, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul great Bob Odenkirk will also be guest starring. Gordon and Odenkirk join not only the exceptional White, but the rest of The Bear's impressive roster of talent, such as Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Dropout) as Richie, aka Cousin, aka Carmy's brother's best friend; Ayo Edebiri (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson) as sous chef Sydney; Abby Elliott (Indebted) as Carmy's sister Natalie, aka Sugar; and Lionel Boyce (Hap and Leonard), Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment) and Edwin Lee Gibson (Fargo) among the other Original Beef staff. If you missed the first season, it jumped into the mayhem after Carmy took over the diner. Before returning home, the chef's resume spanned Noma and The French Laundry, as well as awards and acclaim. That's just the beginning of the story, in a series that truly conveyed what it's like to work in the hospitality industry — including navigating a restaurant kitchen's non-stop pressures. Yes, the mood is anxious from the outset, with The Bear's creator Christopher Storer (who also has Ramy, Dickinson and Bo Burnham: Make Happy on his resume) starting the series as he definitely meant to go on, but still expertly managing to balance drama and comedy. Check out the US trailer for The Bear season two below: The Bear season two will stream via Disney+ Down Under from on Wednesday, July 19. Read our full review of season one.
BrewDog might be best known for its yeasty ales and lagers; however the Scottish beer outfit has earned plenty of attention for its other activities. It boasts the world's first craft beer hotel to its name, as well as the world's first craft beer airline — and then there's the decision to make Brisbane its base for its first Australian brewery. Now, BrewDog is doing something that was always destined to, given the company's choice of canine-friendly moniker. Its latest beer is called Subwoofer IPA — and yes, it's 100 percent made for thirsty doggos. No strangers to dog-friendly events — you can take your four-legged buddy to stay in its Ohio hotel, for example — BrewDog has whipped up some hooch for pooches that uses the same wort (aka malted barley and hot water) that goes into their regular IPA. For canines, the brew also has a meaty element to get doggo tongues wagging, as well as B vitamins and probiotics. It's described as possessing "a a malt backbone and a 'hoppy' overtone from citrus", which sounds just like many a beer for humans. Crucially, Subwoofer IPA is alcohol-free, doesn't actually contain any hops and is also non-carbonated. BrewDog is calling it the first craft beer for dogs, although other breweries have made similar tipples for humankind's best friend. Earlier this year, Brisbane's Archer Brewery did just that, while brands like Snuffle, Bark Brew and Dawg Grog have been doing the same for a while. Served in 250ml bottles — and then in your dog's chosen bowl, obviously — Subwoofer IPA is only available in the UK at present. Fingers and paws crossed that it makes the jump down under when BrewDog's Brisbane brewery opens its doors. Image: BrewDog.
In an era of technology firsts, it's hardly surprising that a computer is now capable of mirroring human intelligence. Over the weekend, a computer programme known as 'Eugene Goostman' proved itself capable of imitating the living when it was the first ever programme to pass the Turing Test. Eponymously named for its designer, British mathematician and cryptographer Alan Turing, no previous competitor had passed the test in its 65-year existence. Needless to say, passing the Turing Test is no easy feat. To prove successful, at least 30 percent of the judges must be convinced that the competitor is human. During the Turing Test 2014 Competition over the weekend, one-third of the panel deemed Eugene Goostman just that. Entered under the guise of a 13-year-old boy from the Ukraine, Eugene Goostman competed against 25 humans and other fellow programmes. The team behind Eugene Goostman comprised of one Russian and two Ukrainian programmers. Endowed with particulars that seemed just odd enough to qualify as human (a pet guinea pig, a gynecologist father), the long-awaited winning programme is actually a chatbot developed in 2001. The ingenue in this case is found in the simplicity of approach. Rendering their entry ignorant by diminishing his supposed age, the chatbot’s programmers acknowledge their surprising strategy. One of Eugene Goostman’s creators, Vladimir Veselov revealed in a statement, "Our main idea was that he can claim that he knows anything, but his age also makes it perfectly reasonable that he doesn't know everything. We spent a lot of time developing a character with a believable personality." Someone who claims to know it all but, in truth, knows little? No wonder they thought he was human. Via The Guardian and PC World.
For Queenslanders, Bundaberg Rum is the nectar of the gods. To its most devoted admirers, it is known as 'sugarcane champagne', a colloquial fan term that Bundy has now officially co-signed in a new 'sparkling' beverage the distillery is releasing in partnership with Uber Eats. The creation is called Maison de Bundy's Blanc de Cane, a faux-pretentious riff on champagne house nomenclature, and is an alcoholic ginger beer made with white Queensland cane spirit and Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Not to be confused with the Dark 'n' Stormy, this drop doesn't actually contain rum per se — rather, white cane spirit is the base spirit used to make rum. The resulting beverage is super sweet, extremely easy to drink (4% ABV) and is best served cold on ice with a squeeze of lime. The good news for rum fans and Bundy collectors: They're giving the stuff away for free. This Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11 at Leonards and Dawn in Brisbane, The Civic Hotel in Sydney and The Sporting Globe in Melbourne (the Richmond location), you can turn up, show bar staff the Uber Eats app on your phone along with proof of ID and you'll get a free 640ml bottle. The bad news? Maison de Bundy's Blanc de Cane comes in an extremely limited run of one thousand bottles so you'll want to set your alarm. It will be available in the aforementioned venues from 5pm on Friday until they're all gone. There are people out there who will line up for these like BTS fans lining up for concert tickets. One thousand Maison de Bundy's Blanc de Cane will be available across selected Australian venues. Just show your Uber Eats app and proof of ID to claim a 640ml bottle this Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11.
For fans of distressed denim, the more unique the method of wearing them down the better. But these guys have taken things next level. A denim company in Japan has decided to outsource their distressing work to lions, tigers and bears for their latest collection. Before you get on a soapbox about any sort of animal exploitation, it’s only for a limited run of four pairs of jeans and it's all in the name of charity. Oh my! Zoo Jeans is an initiative by the Mineko Club of zoo volunteers who have partnered with Japan's Kamine Zoo in Hitachi City. The jeans will be auctioned off online and you'd better get in quick as the bidding started on Monday. Funds raised from the jeans will go towards the World Wildlife Fund and to the revitalisation of the Kamine Zoo. The favourite playthings of the bears, tigers and lions — rubber balls and tyres – were covered with sheets of denim and left in their enclosures for them to gnaw at, tear and generally muck around with. When the animal crew decided they’d had enough, the toys were retrieved and the denim — or what is left of it was removed. The denim was not altered further, except to be cut and sewn into jeans. At the time of writing this the current bid for the T1 Jeans (designed by tigers) stands at ¥121,000, which is roughly $AUD1,267. The two pairs of Lion Jeans, one women’s and one men’s, are currently sitting at ¥50,000. If fashion for you hinges around being the central topic of conversation, you’d be a hard one to beat in these threads. Via GQ and Zoo Jeans.
Keep watching the skies, folks — drones are a-coming. They can ferry sushi, burgers, slurpees and pizza to your face. They can help you take killer selfies and spirit you away to places you can't get to. And, with Amazon and Australia Post among the companies trying to integrate them into their businesses, they're also shaping up to become the parcel delivery mechanism of the future. In Amazon's case, they want to take things a step further. From offering one-hour booze delivery to making the jump from their massive online operations to opening bricks-and-mortar stores — with their supermarkets rumoured to be headed to Australia — they're not known for doing things by halves, after all. After successfully completing their first fully autonomous drone delivery on December 7, 2016, they're thinking about where they're deploying their flying robotic helpers from. That's why they've filed a patent for flying warehouses that will house and dispatch drones. Known as "airborne fulfilment centres" or AFCs, and covered in an application first lodged in 2014, the vessels in question are zeppelin-like airships that will house a contingent of stock. From there, drones that can reach altitudes of 14,000 metres will glide down to deliver the goods in question to their intended destination. And to keep the AFCs' shelves filled and ready to go, shuttles will bring supplies, drones and possibly even people up from the ground below. Yep, some actual humans will probably need to work in the sky to help things run smoothly. https://twitter.com/zoe_leavitt/status/814212767041331202 Festivals and sporting events, aka activities that usually filled with people wanting to buy things but don't always boast the best access, were mentioned as potential sites for Amazon's AFC-dispatched drone deliveries. Sure, it's just an idea in a patent application for now, but keep watching this space (and the space above your head, of course). Via Tech Crunch / Dezeen.
To promote season four of The Walking Dead, FOX Portugal came up with the simplest of concepts: if you want blood, folks, then you gotta give it. That's right, they opened a pop-up store in which blood serves as currency. It's the first of its kind in the world. All you have to do is walk in and bare your forearm. The attendant produces a needle, fills a vial and sends it to the Portugese National Blood Bank Institute. You walk away with brand new, uber-gory merch and someone, somewhere, gets a much-needed transfusion. The more blood you give, the more goods you score. The store attracted customers at the rate of a World War Z zombie swarm. Blood donations reportedly increased by 571 percent in comparison with last year, and 67 percent of those giving the needle the green light were first-time donors. At the same time, The Walking Dead enjoyed a 17 percent boost in ratings. Given such overwhelmingly successful statistics, additional incarnations of the store are now set to pop-up in nations all over the world, including The Netherlands, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Columbia and the United States. The Walking Dead Blood Store was created in conjunction with creative agency Torke + CC, whose motto reads "handcrafted ideas to rule the world." https://youtube.com/watch?v=Wf6ZXq71ujw Via PSFK.
In the world of astronomy, 2018 is ending as it began. After kicking into gear with an extremely rare supermoon, the year is coming to a close with another impressive sky show: the comet 46P/Wirtanen. Given the festive time of year and the hurtling celestial object's green colour, 46P/Wirtanen has been dubbed the 'Christmas comet'. It's expected to be the brightest comet of 2018 and, while it's already a presence in the night sky, it'll be at its most vivid and glowing between December 14 and December 18. If you want to spy it at its absolute brightest — and on its closest approach to earth — NASA recommends looking up on Sunday, December 16 (in the evening down under, continuing through until the morning of Monday, December 17). If you're wondering how close it'll be, 46P/Wirtanen will be 11.7 million kilometres away, which equates to 30 times the distance to the moon. As for how vibrant it'll be, the comet should range between 3 and 7.5 on the naked-eye magnitude. At the upper end, that's dimmer than the brightest stars but still visible without binoculars or a telescope. At the lower end, you'll need one of the aforementioned pieces of equipment to help you see it. However you're choosing to take a gander, you'll be peering at a comet that was first discovered in 1948 by American astronomer Carl A. Wirtanen. It measures approximately 1.2 kilometres in diameter, and completes its orbit every 5.4 years, but it's not expected to venture this close to earth again for another 20 years. For the best view, the ABC advises looking north-east, and using either binoculars or a DSLR camera. You might also want help from an online chart to get you looking in the right spot, with The Comet Wirtanen Observing Campaign offering a guide. Heading as far away from city lights is also recommended, as it always is when the sky is putting on a spectacle. If you're thinking of camping out, you might want to consider making a weekend of it. 46P/Wirtanen's brightest spell comes two days after the impressive Geminids meteor shower, which is expected to be visible from late evening on Friday, December 14 through to the early morning on Saturday, December 15. The Virtual Telescope Project will also be streaming live images of 46P/Wirtanen between December 12 and 17. 46P/Wirtanen will be at its brightest during the night of on Sunday, December 16. Image: Stephen Rahn.
If you're a fan of mellow reggae, you'll love Kingfisha. Jamaican rhythms, silky smooth vocals, a dub vibe and masterful melodies combine to make a genuine and fresh sound. Their music is reminiscent of sweltering hot summer days relaxing by the beach – bliss. The six piece won Triple J's Unearthed Fuse Festival Roots competition in 2010 and have been working on their album ever since. After years of hard work, the sextuple are excited to launch their debut self-titled album this Friday at the Hi-Fi. Joining them on stage are Brisbane based group, Kooii. Like Kingfisha, Kooii has a sound of their own, blurring the lines between genres such as reggae, jazz, folk and African music. Make sure you head to the Hi-Fi early to catch their set. Kingfisha have put their heart and soul into their debut album, so why not enjoy the fruits of their labour this Friday. It'll be one to remember.
The Hold Artspace has a brand new exhibition in the works and it promises to be bursting with creativity. Curated by Luke Kidd, Regenerate features works by artists Benjamin Crowley, Katelyn-Jane Dunne, Kristian Fracchia, Dominic Reidy, Emma Rochester and Angela Rossitto. The theme of Regenerate is the human body. Within the exhibition, this group of emerging artists have explored physical forms to create new understandings of our bodies. The tangling of identity, sexuality and mortality is of interest to these artists, as is teasing apart these ideas to uncover the point at which they collide. Our place in the natural world and the superimposed digital world will also play a part in this exhibition. The exhibition will run from 12th - 21st June. Opening night is on Friday 13th June 6-9pm. To find out more contact info@theholdartspace.com.
At Concrete Playground, we love The Brisbane Festival. With endless things to see and do, September really is the most exciting month for our town. The Courier Mail Spiegeltent is one of the hotspots of the festival and hosts a wide variety of performances, including indie rock band, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks. These guys have been playing for over a decade and have perfected their unique sound that drips with catchy melodies and bursts with intricate guitar riffs. With five successful albums up their sleeves, it's safe to say that they are onto a good thing. The band formed in the hiatus of indie rock royalty, Pavement and is fronted by Stephen Malkmus, who was the main singer and songwriter of the successful 90's band. NME has called Malkmus a “blessing from the indie gods”, so you know you'll be in for a treat on Tuesday and Wednesday nights as they grace the Spiegeltent for a 70 minute set.
Thankfully, the weekend tends to swing around pretty quickly. But, with the pleasure brought by two glorious days to fill with whatever you want comes the great responsibility of choosing what exactly will occupy your free time. Luckily, Black Bear has got this Saturday night sorted. As part of their Primary Feels EP tour, Gold Coast pop-psychedelia group Salvadarlings are playing a free set. If Salvadarlings don't ring a bell, have a listen to their track, 'Positive Energy'. The rolling riffs and sweet vocals make easy listening, the perfect backing tune for a chilled Saturday evening. Prior to Salvadarlings, locals The Furrs and Cassette Cathedral will be getting the positive vibes flowing. What's more, Strange Yonder DJs will satisfy your ears between sets and long into the night... Go on, treat yourself to a night of quality music, you deserve it.
Big Strong Brute has returned home to play a live set at The Scratch. Brisbane musician, Paul Donoghue, is the man behind this solo project and has had a pretty exciting past 18 months. His most recent blog post describes his time living and playing in a rock band named Late Drive in Berlin, touring Belgium in a weekend and playing a few shows in his hometown. The Brisbane artist had played across the world and shared the stage with Jens Lekman, Mount Eerie and I Heart Hiroshima amongst others. This is your last chance to catch the folk singer before he heads south with Todd Dixon to record a new album on a gorgeous cattle farm in NSW. Why wait until the weekend for live music and great beer? Head along to The Scratch to hear some of Big Strong Brute's well known tracks from his 2012 album, Avalanche of Truth, as well as new tracks yet to be heard by an audience. Oh, and another thing, it's free!
Hailing from Sydney, roots band The Beautiful Girls are in town for one show only at Fortitude Valley's beloved Tivoli. After 10 years, countless soulful tunes and touring the world 12 times over, the band have decided to call it quits. Embarking on a giant 26 stop tour across the nation, the boys are saying goodbye in style as they celebrate the successes of the past decade. The Beautiful Girls' final show is split into two parts. The first half consisting of heart warming acoustic songs, but don't forget to bring your dancing shoes as the second half is jam-packed with bluesy electric goodness. After playing gigs dotted across the world in countries such as Brazil, Canada and Japan, The Beautiful Girls have returned to Australian soil for one last hurrah. Make sure you catch their special show this Saturday as it will be one to remember.
Late in 2018, Felons Brewing Co. gave Brisbane a gift we didn't know we needed: the city's first CBD riverside brewery. And while it has been welcoming in beer lovers for more than a year now, the boozy Howard Smith Wharves spot is hosting an open day on Sunday, January 26. It did the same last year, so this looks like an annual tradition now. Running from 11am, the event will take beer-loving patrons on a tour of the facilities courtesy of free walkthroughs until 5pm. Attendees can also expect demonstrations, live tunes, DJs and giveaways, plus a day of hanging out on the brewery lawn. When you're not peeking behind the scenes, you can nab yourself a pint of one of Felons' popular limited-edition brews: its Charcoal Pineapple Sour. Consider yourself warned though — there's one keg available. Prefer a Natural Ale? All profits from that specific tipple in January and February are being donated to Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and WIRES.
Despite having a smorgasbord of activities and events at your fingertips, it's surprisingly easy to find yourself stuck in an after-hours rut with you and your mates kicking back at the same old after-work haunts, week in and week out. Enjoyable, though it won't exactly win you huge points for a sense of adventure. Luckily, if you are looking to shake up your after-work routine, you don't have to hunt very hard at all. To get you off to a cracking start, we've teamed up with Hahn to scout out a bunch of non-boring, new ideas for your next group activities. [caption id="attachment_631811" align="alignnone" width="1620"] Katje Ford.[/caption] SELF-GUIDED STREET ART TOUR No matter how long you've called yourself a local, we bet there's a truckload of corners and laneways you're yet to discover. So, round up the squad for some intrepid exploration, and gain a fresh perspective on that concrete jungle as you set off on a self-guided street art tour. The internet's chock full of printable tour maps curated by urban experts and art-lovers alike, directing you towards all the best art-focused walks in your area. Shake off the work day as you cruise the city at your own pace, unearthing public art gems left, right and centre. And once you've had your fill of art, head to the pub for a beer and a chat about the best, worst and most unusual sights you've seen. Where? Search 'street art' on Concrete Playground and find some of the works you should be seeing in your city, and if you're in Sydney, you can book into one of Culture Scouts tours if you need a bit more guidance. PASTA-MAKING WORKSHOP This gloomy stretch of winter will feel like way more of success if you come out at the end of it with something useful — you know, some visible gym results, a decent love life or, the most impressive of all, the knowledge of how to make a killer bowl of handmade pasta. Luckily from Brisbane to Sydney to Melbourne, we've been gifted with a delicious array of classes on making the best comfort food out there. So, if you really want to set yourself up for culinary success and a whole lot of praise, book the crew in for a post-work pasta-making class where you'll learn to create pure magic with just three simple ingredients: flour, eggs and water. And once you've learned how to make pasta, you can then study up on how to pair some beers with your creations. Just think of all those future dinner parties. Where? Learn to craft some epic noodles at Pasta Emilia in Sydney, The Craft & Co. in Melbourne and at The Pasta Company in Brisbane. LAWN BOWLS For the ultimate group bonding exercise, you can't go past the joy of kicking another team's butt in some form of organised sport. But who really wants to run the risk of a bung ankle, wrist or hammy going into summer? This year, hone your teamwork skills and sharpen that competitive edge while keeping the big hits to a minimum — join the lawn bowls revolution. Outside of the summer season, a session at most bowling clubs will cost you mere pocket change, including access to all the proper gear, a guide to get you started off on the right foot and maybe a couple post-work pitchers. What's more, after a few weeks of practice, just imagine how you and your mates will dominate against all those less practiced suckers during summer's social barefoot bowls sessions. Where? Practice your bowl at one of these greens in Sydney, at the City of Melbourne Bowls Club and one of these lawns in Brisbane. YOGA WITH A TWIST A regular ol' vinyasa may not be everyone's cup of tea. So if you want to up the ante, throw in a twist to make things a bit more intriguing. Studios across the country are taking the concept of yoga to some rather wild territory, with classes that offer the ultimate mash-up of exercise and fun. Prefer your workout tunes to have some oomph? Head along to a hip hop yoga class and get bendy to a soundtrack of fresh beats. Or, if you fancy making some new feline friends, team that stretch session with a few kitty cuddles at cat yoga. There's even a variety of aerial yoga styles which'll find you nailing those poses while suspended gracefully in mid-air. Where? Stretch it out with some kitties at Catmosphere's cat yoga in Sydney, groove into your downward dog at hip hop yoga in Melbourne and defy gravity at Brissie's aerial yoga. THEMED TRIVIA Got a swag of random knowledge just waiting to be put to good use? Round up your post-work posse for some fun of the cerebral variety: showing off your pop cultural prowess with a rousing session of themed trivia. A more focused version of the classic pub quiz, these events provide the perfect opportunity to unleash your random stash of Harry Potter facts and, if we're honest, a brilliant excuse to go back and 'revise' your favourite TV shows, cult movies and long-forgotten pop music. What's more, on any given week, there's usually a plethora of themed trivia sessions to choose from. Gather your crew and bond over not-so useless facts, a few beers and a good ol' pub parma. Where? Test your music knowledge at The Toxteth's Tuesday Night Music Trivia in Glebe, dig up some old memories at Throwback Thursdays trivia at Island Somewhere in Melbourne and dive head first into Simpsons, Seinfeld or Harry Potter trivia at Man vs Bear's trivia nights held at various bars around Brisbane. Round up the troops and head out for a new after-work activity this week, topped off with a cheeky Hahn or two.
If you're anything like us, you have an endless list of places you want to visit and things you want to do when you're there: have a whiskey in the Park Hyatt Tokyo, float along Venice's canals, get into Berghain in Berlin, eat fresh seafood on the beach in Sri Lanka (just to name a few). But, sometimes, your bank balance won't allow it. We understand, and we've teamed up with Intrepid Travel so you can tick one off your list — for free. The long-time purveyor of taking you off the beaten track, putting you outside of your comfort zone and providing A-plus travel stories, Intrepid Travel is giving you a chance to win an (almost) all-expenses-paid trip to Sri Lanka. As well as return airfares for two, you and your chosen loved one will also get to join a 15-day extensive tour of the country. Get ready to tell some cracking travel yarns in the future. The Circle Sri Lanka trip will take you from Negombo, in the east and will travel clockwise all the way round to the island nation's capital, Colombo. Throughout the two weeks, you'll have the chance to explore ruins, climb Sigiriya Lion Rock, learn to cook traditional Sri Lankan fare, explore bustling bazaars and trek through tea plantations. And all accommodation, ten brekkies (and some lunches and dinners) are included, as well as more activities than you can count on your two hands. The island is full of vibrant culture, incredible food, ancient citadels and idyllic beaches on all sides. Regardless of whether you're the lucky winner, it should be high up on your travel bucket list anyway. To enter, see details below. [competition]669353[/competition] Top image: Sigiriya Lion Rock
Everyone has one: a hangover story that's burned into your brain so strongly, it has become your own personal legend. Simply thinking about it brings back all the vivid memories — including the sights, smells, sounds and tastes; just how rotten you were feeling; and the shenanigans that ensured this wasn't just a normal morning after. Hangovers are humbling experiences, but celebrating them — or willingly reliving your hangover stories — isn't done all that often. Until now, that is, with Croatia's new Museum of Hangovers showing the love for the bleary, blurry, head-pounding results of a big, boozy night out. Now open seven days a week, the site is designed to recreate a drunken stumble home after a bender. You'll walk through different rooms just as if you were walking back from a bar or pub. Along the way, you'll peruse a collection of objects from real hangover tales, all on display alongside the stories behind them. https://www.instagram.com/p/B5lFw56nt96/ Created by Rino Dubokovic and co-founder Roberta Mikelic — based on real-life experience, naturally — the Zagreb museum features everything from a big board where visitors can detail their own tales while they're there to a mini-exhibition that shows what different forms of alcohol look like under a microscope. Portraits of seedy looking folks line the walls, and bottles of 'hangover wine' are also on sale. Plus, you can win free admission if you don some 'beer goggles', play darts at score a bullseye. And, because chronicling actual hangover experiences is what the museum is all about, it wants everyone to contribute — whether you're visiting Croatia anytime soon or not. Just head to the venue's website, type out your tale (anonymously, of course) and it could end up in the museum's collection. Find The Museum of Hangovers at Preradovićeva 8, Zagreb, Croatia, or visit its website for further details.
Directed by Joe Carnahan (The A Team) and produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, The Grey tells the story of a group of oil-rig workers who find themselves stranded on the freezing Alaskan tundra after their plane home crashes. John Ottoway (Liam Neeson) is forced to lead a group of roughneck men in their fight for survival when the men come under attack by a pack of vicious, aggressive wolves. The wolves are on the hunt for these stranded humans as they see them as intruders in their territory who must be killed. The Grey is a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat in the fight between man versus nature. The film is based on the short story Ghost Walker by Ian MacKenzie Jeffers. To win one of five double passes to see The Grey, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email your name and postal address through to hello@concreteplayground.com.au
If you live in Australia and you love French cinema, then you already have a hefty chunk of autumn blocked out in your 2023 diary. To help cap off 2022, the annual Alliance Française French Film Festival locked in its dates for the year ahead, when it'll take its movie-adoring show on the road throughout March and April. What's even better? Unveiling the initial 15 titles that'll be gracing its big screens in Aussie capitals, and also a heap of regional locations. Among the first titles revealed, both variety and high-profile names feature heavily. Among the latter, there's a big focus on France's leading ladies, such as Juliette Binoche (The Staircase), Marion Cotillard (Annette), Virginie Efira (Benedetta), Léa Seydoux (Crimes of the Future), Laure Calamy (Call My Agent!), Noémie Merlant (Portrait of a Lady on Fire), Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Isabelle Adjani (The World Is Yours). And, AFFFF already boasts its usual smattering of homegrown box-office sensations and up-and-comers, aka already-proven hits and the talents who'll be making them in years to come. Get ready for zombies, comedies, Cannes titles, acclaimed filmmakers, Oscar contenders and more. One big highlight: Final Cut, a French remake of Japanese cult hit One Cut of the Dead from The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius, starring Bejo and Romain Duris (Eiffel), and a movie that is playful with that whole setup. If you missed the original, it follows a film crew making a zombie special that's being broadcast live — but then things get real. Selected as France's submission to this year's Oscars, in the Best International Feature category — and already named on the Academy's shortlist — Alice Diop's Saint Omer is another absolute must-see. The documentarian draws from true events to craft a drama about a young Parisian journalist and novelist attending murder trial, then wading through the complexities it surfaces within her own family history. Acting icon Adjani is part of the cast for Masquerade, which has the honour of opening this year's AFFFF. Directed by La Belle Époque's Nicolas Bedos, and playing at last year's Cannes Film Festival, it tells of glitz, glamour and a far-less-glossy underbelly in the Côte d'Azur, as led by Pierre Niney (Yves Saint Laurent). Or, film fans can also look forward to One Fine Morning, the latest film by Bergman Island's Mia Hansen-Løve, this time a family drama starring Seydoux; The Innocent, as written and directed by, and starring, Louis Garrel (A Faithful Man), based on his own experiences and featuring Merlant; and Other People's Children, an Efira-led effort about being a stepmother that's also inspired by director Rebecca Zlotowski's (Planetarium) own life. And, Efira pops up again in Paris Memories, which is set in the aftermath of Paris' November 2015 terrorist attacks, and is helmed by Proxima director and Mustang screenwriter Alice Winocour. Binoche features in Winter Boy, the new film from Sorry Angel's Christophe Honoré, an autobiographical drama focusing on 17-year-old Lucas (newcomer Paul Kircher). As for Cotillard, she's part of the cast of Brother and Sister, playing a stage actor and sibling to Melvil Poupaud (Summer of 85). And, after proving so astounding in 2022's Full Time, Calamy appears in two of AFFFF's 2023 titles: Two Tickets to Greece, a comedy about estranged childhood friends heading off the eponymous country, as hailing from fellow Call My Agent! alum Marc Fitoussi and also starring Kristin Scott Thomas (Slow Horses); and the 1974-set Annie's Fire, which follows a working-class mother of two who unexpectedly falls pregnant at a time when abortion isn't legally accessible. Rounding out this first drop of titles: November, one of the biggest French box-office hits of 2022, with Jean Dujardin (Deerskin) playing the lead anti-terrorist squad investigator into the Paris 2015 attacks; Notre-Dame on Fire, about the 2019 blaze; Everybody Loves Jeanne, a comedy about self-doubt; and Lie with Me, as based on Philippe Besson's award-winning autobiographical novel. Notching up its whopping 34th year, AFFFF will play Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart — plus Byron Bay, Parramatta, Victor Harbour, Bendigo, the Gold Coast and Margaret River. ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2023 DATES: March 7–April 5: Sydney, NSW March 8–April 5: Melbourne, VIC March 8–April 5: Perth, WA March 9–19: Hobart, TAS March 9–April 5: Canberra, ACT March 15–April 12: Brisbane, QLD March 16–April 5: Byron Bay, NSW March 23–April 19: Adelaide, SA March 29–April 2: Parramatta, NSW March 29–April 16: Gold Coast, QLD March 31–April 2: Margaret River, WA April 3 and 10: Victor Harbour, SA April 21–23: Bendigo, VIC + encore dates in some cities The Alliance Française French Film Festival tours Australia from Tuesday, March 7–Tuesday, April 25, 2023. For more information, visit the AFFFF website. Check back here on Wednesday, February 1 for the full program.
Well, it's happening. After months of hostility from taxi drivers and general confusion about what the future of the taxi industry should look like, the NSW government looks set to announce some pretty big state reforms — which, according to reports, will legalise the much loved and lauded ride sharing, ice cream delivery, kitten appreciation service, Uber. The Daily Telegraph last night reported that, in reforms to be announced today, Uber drivers would be required to pay a licence fee for the first time, and would be subject to criminal record checks and vehicle inspections. Basically, they'd be forced to operate under same regulations as regular taxi drivers. In an attempt to compensate regular cab drivers for suddenly losing their monopoly over the market, the cost of taxi plates would become significantly cheaper. They'd also retain the sole right to use taxi ranks and be hailed on the street. How exactly existing drivers will be compensated for the drop in value of their plates is not yet known, and would be decided by Cabinet next month. The decision to legalise Uber seems like it was inevitable, if not a little surprising — especially considering the New South Wales Road and Maritime Services effectively put the company on notice in September. It comes two months after the ACT made the move to legalise and regulate Uber and its drivers, and if the same does indeed happen in Sydney and NSW, it will surely see the rest of the country look towards integrating the ride sharing service into their taxi system. Via The Daily Telegraph.
"Justin Bieber is the future of rock music." Iggy Pop It may sound like the start of a Tui billboard is actually part of a new Amnesty International Belgium anti-torturing campaign featuring Karl Lagerfield, the Dalai Lama and Iggy Pop. Stop Torture quotes these celebrities saying the unlikeliest statements of their careers while looking like they've just been 240/242d pretty badly. Amnesty International Belgium director Philippe Hensmans explains, "For us it was a quirky but not sloppy way to attract public attention to [the] tragic reality [of torture], which often happens in the greatest secrecy." In addition to being inhumane, torture is also ineffective. "The history has shown that tortured people are often willing to say anything for the pain to stop – the whole truth, only a part or its opposite... Torture a man and you can get him to say anything." The UN adopted the Convention Against Torture in 1984, but many governments like the US, Mexico, North Korea, Philippines and Nigeria are still torturing today. "Governments around the world are two-faced on torture - prohibiting it in law, but facilitating it in practice" says Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General. Check out the campaign posters below. "The summit of elegance is a hawaiian shirt with jandals." Karl Lagerfield "The future of rock and roll is Justin Bieber." Iggy Pop "A man who doesn't own a Rolex watch by the time he's 50 has failed in life." Dalai Lama Article via The Independent
Some people collect stamps; others are passionate about coins; but we think if you're going to spend so much time thinking about one thing, it should be extraordinary. It should be something prolific and inspired — something that has the capacity to change the course of people's lives. For Ryan Beitz this something is VHS copies of the timeless 1994 Keanu Reeves classic, Speed. That may not be his exact reasoning, but regardless of motivation this guy now has upwards of 500 copies in his collection. What started out as a bizarre bulk buy from the op shop has now led to Beitz founding The World Speed Project, a group whose end goal is to collect every copy in existence. "The World Speed Project is satisfied by a compulsion to repeat [things]," said Beitz in an interview with VICE. "When you get one, you want to get another! And another! And another! Like the bus in Speed, we collectively cannot — and will not — stop." The group don't stop there, either. The WSP also want to take their message to the streets. Launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund it, they hope to convert an existing van into a small sized replica of the bus from their favourite film, and travel around the country while building their collection. Asking for a mere $2,500, WSP want to not only change their vehicle cosmetically, they also crucially need to fix the speedometer. Because how else will they avoid the 50mph marker, duh? Faced with increasing media scrutiny, Beitz is increasingly optimistic about his mission. "I think the World Speed Project is awesome in the truest sense of the word," he said. "It's larger than life. Imagine all of [the tapes] in one place! It’s uncompromising." If you share his unbridled joy, or maybe just have a morbid curiosity, you can donate to the bus fund here or send your VHS tapes to the address below (assuming you're willing to part with your most cherished possession). Chairman Ryan Beitz, The World Speed Project, 20204 SR 195 Pullman, WA 99163 USA Via Vice.
It's been five years since Taylor Square's rainbow crossing was removed in the middle of the night, without a word of warning. But the future's looking a whole lot brighter, with the City of Sydney announcing the installation's return, just days out from the 40th anniversary of the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. With the support of NSW Roads and the RMS, the colourful crossing is set to grace the corner of Bourke and Campbell streets, with construction due to kick off in October. Lord Mayor Clover Moore has applauded the move, calling it "a powerful acknowledgement of the importance of our LGBTQI community and history". The original rainbow crossing was installed in February 2013, but was removed two months later by the NSW Roads Minister amidst safety concerns. Residents have since spent years petitioning for it to be reinstated — this Change.org petition got over 16,000 signatures — so this is undoubtedly welcome news to the LGBTIQ+ community and commuters that pass through Taylor Square each day. The new installation, which will also incorporate a local street upgrade and coincide with "a trial to prioritise pedestrian movements ahead of vehicular movements", will be in place for six months, before a safety review is undertaken by the RMS. If it ticks all the boxes, this rainbow icon will be sticking around permanently.
What makes for a great speaker at a music conference? Experience and insight, obviously, and also plenty of stories from their time in one of the most exciting creative industries there is. Unveiling the first folks that'll grace its stage in 2023, BIGSOUND knows this. When you enlist ROC Nation's Omar Grant, who was once the road manager for Destiny's Child and now shares the President role at Jay-Z's entertainment agency — and also helped Rihanna's album ANTI become the smash it is — you're after a whole heap of wisdom and tales. Brisbanites and music obsessives hitting the Sunshine State capital between Tuesday, September 5–Friday, September 8 can look forward to Grant's chat, which means listening to one of the top names in the American music industry. And if you're keen to show off your own musical talents, he will indeed be looking for new discoveries. "Australia is at an exciting place right now musically and I can't wait to head down under to discover some great new artists," said Grant. "Some of the most innovative artistry in the world comes from Australia — and in an industry that's often so caught up online these days, getting in a room with passionate music people and discovering real talent performing live is a true privilege." While the full speaker roster hasn't yet been revealed, let alone the music bill, Grant has company in this debut drop. Also coming to Brisbane: Michele Ronzon from Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records, Hazel Savage from Soundcloud, Flighthouse's Ash Stahl and JKBX's Scott Cohen. Ronzon has overseen talent including Machine Gun Kelly, YUNGBLUD and Alesso; the Australian-born Savage was behind music AI company Musiio; Stahl is CEO of quite the hefty TikTok agency; and with Cohen, BIGSOUND is bringing in a royalties technology expert. In what'll be its 22nd year, the event has also started revealing some of the decision makers visiting the River City in search of deals. On the list: Netflix's Manager for Soundtracks, Strategy and Operations Andy Kalyvas, who heads to the fest fresh from working on Oscar-winner All Quiet on the Western Front; Paramount Television Studios' Vice President of Music Vanessa Palmer; and Downtown Music Publishing's Director of Sync and A&R Cabrea Casey. [caption id="attachment_851422" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Lachlan Douglas[/caption] In total, BIGSOUND 2023 expects to welcome in over 100 international and national buyers, agents, music supervisors, bookers and other industry decision makers, all taking over Fortitude Valley as the event always does. And yes, deals are firmly in the fest's spotlight. "We approached this year's BIGSOUND with a singular vision: deals mean meals," advises programmer Tom Larkin. "Every person we are bringing to Australia can further an artist's career immeasurably. Whether that's formalising a global partnership or simply giving them a piece of advice that could transform their ability to create a sustainable career, BIGSOUND 's focus is to provide real results for Australian artists." Elsewhere, the huge music-fuelled celebration will keep doing what it always does: showcasing impressive acts, artists and bands, which usually sees more than 150 talents hit its stages at 20-plus Brisbane venues. If you're a BIGSOUND regular, you'll know that this entails filling as many spaces as possible with musos, industry folks and music-loving punters, all enjoying the latest and greatest tunes and talent the country has to offer. Past events have showcased everyone from Gang of Youths, Flume, Thelma Plum, Tash Sultana, Sampa the Great, Courtney Barnett and Cub Sport to San Cisco, Violent Soho, Baker Boy, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Methyl Ethel, Tones and I, Spacey Jane and The Jungle Giants, so BIGSOUND's program is usually a very reliable bellwether. If your spring routine usually involves bar-hopping around Brisbane while listening to bands — whether you're a local or you head north for the event — mark your calendars accordingly. And if you're an artist looking to take part in the event in general, applications are now open until Tuesday, May 2. BIGSOUND 2023 will take place between Tuesday, September 5–Friday, September 8 in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. For more information — or to apply to take part if you're an artist — visit bigsound.org.au. Images: Lachlan Douglas / Bianca Holderness.
What's better than watching a heap of top Australian talent sit around and talk about music? Watching them do all of the above while answering questions, competing for points and just generally being funny, too. That's the concept behind ABC TV show Spicks and Specks, which took a few cues from the UK's Never Mind the Buzzcocks, pit Aussie musos and comedians against each other, and has proven a hit several times over. It was a weekly favourite when it first aired between 2005–2011 — and it will be again this year. As fans will already know, Spicks and Specks just keeps coming back; however, that has meant different things over the years. When the program was first revived back in 2014, it did so with a new host and team captains, for instance. And when it started to make a return with its original lineup of Adam Hills, Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough, it first did so via a one-off reunion special. That 2018 comeback proved more than a little popular. It became the ABC's most-watched show of that year, in fact. So, the broadcaster then decided to drop four new Spicks and Specks specials across 2019–20 and, for 2021, to bring back Spicks and Specks in its regular format. As first announced last year, the show is returning for a full season — and, as the broadcaster has just revealed, it'll kick off on Sunday, April 18 at 7.40pm. You'll be able to watch it on TV when it airs, or stream it via iView afterwards. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ABC TV + iview (@abctv) Hills, Myf Warhurst and Alan Brough are all settling back into their old chairs, obviously; however, who'll be joining them as guests hasn't been revealed. Still, you can add playing along with the show from your couch to your end-of-weekend plans from next month. Spicks and Specks will return to ABC TV for a regular full season from 7.40pm on Sunday, April 18. You'll also be able to stream the series via ABC iView.
Do you remember how Nokia got us feeling all nostalgic by re-releasing its iconic 3310 handset earlier this year, only to crush our dreams by making it available only in 2G? Well now owner HMD is righting its wrongs, last night relaunching the much-loved phone in 3G, complete with the device's hit game, Snake. That's right, the best-selling handset is set to make a proper comeback, Snake and all. It will be released in Australia from mid-October. A new-school riff on a handset first released back in 2000, this little guy comes in two distinct matte colours (azure and charcoal), retails at just $89.95 and boasts a six-and-a-half-hour talk time. It also features a new-and-improved customisable user interface, with an online browser that has Facebook and Twitter capabilities. Best of all, it's got an extra long battery life — just like they used to make 'em back in the day. So you'll be able to text your mates and play Snake all night. The reborn Nokia 3310 3G will be available this October from JB-Hi Fi, Harvey Norman and on pre-paid through Vodafone and select Optus retailers. For more info visit nokia.com.
Based on Leslye Headland's play, Bachelorette is a comedy that tells the story of three best friends from high school turn bridesmaids. Their less-attractive friend, Becky (Rebel Wilson), is getting married, and the competitive Regan (Kirsten Dunst) accepts her role as maid of honour. Gena (Lizzy Caplan) is on a mission to confront her high school ex after he left her bitter with a broken heart, whilst Katie (Isla Fisher), the last of the bridesmaids, adds some extra laughs with her sometimes ditzy personality and impulsive sass. Bachelorette combines humour, drunken romance and the dynamic of female relationships in a raunchy and intoxicated weekend that these women will certainly never forget. The film will be released in cinemas November 1. Thanks to Hopscotch, Concrete Playground has ten double passes to giveaway. To go in the running just subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Brisbane's new public transport lines are still five years away from being completely operational; however, that hasn't stopped the proposed system from getting bigger. Initially planned to span 21 kilometres and 18 stations across two routes, the Brisbane Metro plans have now been expanded to include Chermside, Carindale and Springwood. Brisbanes Times is reporting that the Brisbane City Council aims to extend its existing proposal, which had outlined two lines — one between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street to take care of southern residents, and the second linking the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital to the University of Queensland. A Carindale route would tie in with the first line, while a Chermside track would connect to the second. Heading down to Springwood would involve lengthening the Eight Mile Plains line along the South East Busway. While construction isn't expected to start until 2018 for a 2022 completion, the idea of offering more frequent public transport services in more places throughout Brisbane can only be a good thing, as anyone who has suffered through the current mess of unreliable and infrequent services — aka everyone in the city — can no doubt agree. The project is currently in its feedback phase, with the Council hosting public sessions in the CBD, Holland Park, Woolloongabba and Upper Mount Gravatt until the end of April, before a preliminary business case is due to be delivered in May. For more information, head to the Brisbane Metro website. Via Brisbane Times.
Nobody can resist a subtle jab at Tom Cruise, but Com Truise is known for more than just the pun. The New Yorker's been generating buzz ever since appearing on the electronic music scene four years ago. Now, Truise, aka Seth Haley, is touring Australia for the first time, taking him across Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney in a series of intimate sets. Like his name, Com Truise's music is fun and energetic, hailing back to an era of luscious '80s synth. Haley's most recent release, Wave 1, from the faultless Ghostly International label, is a trademark to his signature style — slick production which transforms the otherwise monochrome sounds of today's pop with an eclectic mix of sci-fi sounds, funk beats and drenching bass. It's music that everything feel textured, fuzzy, lo-fi and somewhat rainbow-coloured. Just go with it. Com Truise is one of our top ten picks from this year's Brisbane Festival. Check out the entire list here.
The world's first wandering institution dedicated to showcasing the creative efforts of ordinary folks is coming to Australia. That'd be the Museum of Everything, which will head to Tasmania for a ten-month stint filled with pieces that you won't find in any other gallery. Launching during MONA's Dark Mofo in June, then running through until April 2, 2018, the Museum of Everything, the exhibition will feature over 1500 works in themed spaces, taking visitors on an informal journey through human making. Drawings, sculptures, paintings, ceramics, collage, photography, assemblage, found objects and installations will all be on display during its first trip to our shores. Starting in London in 2009, and touring to Paris, Venice, Moscow and Rotterdam since, the Museum of Everything aims to improve the profile of art that falls outside of the usual channels. Forget famous names — you won't find them here. Instead, lining its walls are works crafted by untrained, unintentional, undiscovered and and otherwise unclassifiable artists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Indeed, the people responsible for the kind of pieces favoured by the travelling display are compelled to channel their creativity into new, different and experimental works, but they don't fit the conventional definition of artists. As founder James Brett explains, "our artists do not create for the markets or museums. They make because they must and— from Henry Darger to Nek Chand Saini — have something vital to say about the essence of their lives". The Museum of Everything will exhibit at MONA from June 11, 2017 to April 2, 2018. For more information, visit the MONA website. Image: George Widener, c. 2007, Courtesy of The Museum of Everything.
A tense, make-your-stomach-drop drama from director Benedict Andrews, Una is not an easy watch. You'll find your skin crawling, and your legs and arms crossed, physically recoiling from the modern-day version of Lolita too realistic for comfort unfolding on screen. You might even forget all about the big crush you have on your fave Aussie dad figure Ben Mendelsohn. The effect of Una is just that jarring. The film tells the story of Una (Rooney Mara), a woman whose sudden reappearance threatens to destroy the life of Ray (Mendelsohn), a man who at first glance it seems she was once intimately involved with. But we soon pick up on the fact that "involved with" here means "sexually abused by". Una was 13 when Ray began a sexual relationship with her. Years later, she arrives at his workplace, come to confront him about the past. In brief, disjointed moments of flashback we meet Una as a child, and Ray as a younger man who becomes obsessed with his neighbour's daughter, sexually abusing her through the guise of them "being in love". Back then, it all ended in a plan to run away to Europe, a single motel bed, abandonment, and a jail sentence. Years later, Ray (now "Peter") has rebuilt his life with a new job, a new wife, a new house, and a whole new identity. Una? Not so. Still dealing with what was done to her as a child, she lives in the same house where it all happened, with a mother she's still failing to communicate with. The last time we see Una as a child, she's pleading with Ray via live video feed in a courtroom, asking him to come back, to make contact, and to tell her why he left her. The first time we meet her as an adult, she's having sex with a faceless man at a club and wandering home in the early morning, stuck in her anger and her past. The film was adapted from Blackbird, a play by David Harrower, and its origins on the stage are clear to see. Una's musings to Ray, mostly within the confines of the lunchroom at his workplace, are delivered like monologues. Mara chews up and spits out the dialogue the way her character must have practised hundreds of times in the years since her abuse. The film succeeds in what it sets out to do in part through its handling of the aspects of Una and Ray's past that, obviously, it can't actually show. A chill runs down your spine with each horrible moment left unseen; a close-up of two hands holding each other, or a long shot of a huge tree that obscures our view. Our imaginations run cold along with our blood. Mendelsohn is convincingly charismatic while bringing the requisite darkness to his role. Mara struggles a little in her attempts to pull off a British accent, but aside from that her performance is exceptional. The chemistry between the two is patently present, enough to make you shudder. Una is one of those films that you can't stop watching, no matter how much you might want to; a tense, confined study of a paedophile that dares you to look away. Is Ray rehabilitated, trying to move on from the unforgivable actions of his past? Or is he still as sick and manipulative as ever? The film, and Mendelsohn, will leave you guessing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSpZBmnamhg
Imagine if someone came along in their pink mobile theatre and started gallivanting around your town? It isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds – in fact LOVE TV’s Big Hot Pink TV is going to be doing just that this week, and we best open our hearts. The goddess Aphrodite has made an amazing comeback, and is now passing the love around the world. She travels in her TV van and interviews people about what they love, who they love, and why they love it. She invites the community she enters to share the love and let her know who they’d love to see her talk to about their passion and heart’s desire. Well, West End has spoken, and they have chosen local writer and media personality, Benjamin Law to be the orator of all things lovely in our city. Joining Ben will be local photographer Paul Rollo, author Krissie Kneen and actress Melanie Zanetti, who will sit on the couch that once hosted Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding, and Australia’s own eclectic John Safran. The guests will be given a public forum to share the story of their own personal love affair with their beloved Brisbane, and will no doubt chat 'til their hearts are content. Be sure to catch the amazing LOVE TV in Brisbane this week – it’ll fill your heart’s every desire. Love TV will visit 3 locations this March; Rumpus Room (7.30pm, 9 March), Davies Park Market (10am, 10 March) and Bille Brown Studio (8pm, 16 March). For full details head to lovetv.com.au.
Overnight, Jimmy Fallon lived out every '90s kid's dream — he danced with the Fresh Prince. Oh yeah, and he hosted his first Tonight Show, inducting him into late night history forever. But who's to say which makes him more successful? The Tonight Show is a big deal, and some still had their doubts about Fallon. Even after proving himself as a host for five years on Late Night, many just couldn't shake that first impression of him as the baby-faced goofball who screwed up every SNL skit by laughing. (Seriously, he even laughed through Will Ferrell's classic cowbell scene). In last night's show, Fallon played up this doubt in a clever bit about celebrities making $100 bets against him even making it to the Tonight Show. Cue appearances by Robert DeNiro, Tina Fey, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey (WHAT?), Joan Rivers, Seth Rogen and a spiteful Stephen Colbert. But, after an emotional opening monologue and a solid first show, it's clear Leno's legacy is in good hands. With his backing band, The Roots, travelling over from Late Night, it's been clear for awhile now that Fallon loves himself some hip hop. We saw it at the end of last year too when Justin Timberlake came by for a duo in the History of Rap. This was reinforced further with last night's show, as Will Smith dropped in for an excellent demonstration of the Evolution of Hip Hop Dancing. Pulling moves like 'the running man', 'the pop and lock', 'the MC Hammer' and 'the I'm about to breakdance', Fallon showed he's not scared to bring some fresh ideas to the much-coveted show. He even finished it off with a twerk. I doubt Leno would have ever pulled that off.
Well, the world is ending soon (again…) and what better way to go out than with an ode to the impending end of days in the style of a burlesque freak show. Mat Fraser, the Freak, and Julie Atlas Muz, the Showgirl, have teamed up once more to bring us Apocastrip Wow!! Described as an orgy of flippers, strippers, songs, comedy, magic, freakshow and burlesque the legendary couple pose a show not to be forgotten. For the uninitiated, The Freak and The Showgirl are one of the biggest acts in their genre and make a very unique coupling. Fraser, a self-described sealboy mutant, was born with phocomelia of both arms leaving him with a deformity that he cleverly works with charm during his performances. Together with Muz, an award-winning burlesque artist, the duo put on an erotic cabaret sideshow spectacular that won’t easily be forgotten. If you really are concerned that the world is coming to an end, what better send-off show for the end of life on earth?
There may be a lot of prospects for high speed travel, like Elon Musk's Hyperloop, but when we can travel between continents without the agony long haul flights, that's when we'll know the future is well and truly here. And while we wait for teleportation to make it to the molecular mainstream, we'll have to settle for second best: high speed supersonic air travel. Looking to bring back supersonic travel to the people, Sir Richard Branson is set to make high speed transatlantic passenger flights (relatively) affordable and accessible. Working with a Colorado aviation startup called Boom, Branson — under The Spaceship Company (an arm of Virgin Galactic) — wants to create a new plane that can fly at supersonic speeds of up to 2335 kilometres per hour. That would see the flight from NYC to London take a mere three and a half hours (rather than the seven hours it takes now). That's essentially a Sydney peak hour commute. Supersonic air travel has already been achieved by the passenger plane the Concorde, which provided flights between London and Paris to New York, Washington and Barbados between 1969 and 2003. It was decommissioned due to the $20,000 per trip price tag; by comparison, the Boom is set cost only $5000 USD. According to Boom founder and chief executive Blake Scholl, this new plane will be more cost effective by having have less seats and being more fuel efficient. Scholl also told The Guardian that, aside from the London to NYC route, they would also be concentrating on getting up trips from San Fran to Tokyo and LA to Sydney. It's all very ambitious, but the first Boom plane is expected to be tested by the end of 2017. Via The Guardian. Image: Boom.
Face it. There's nothing, nothing more heartbreaking than going out for a casual walkie with your beloved dog, grabbing a cheeky gelato cup at the beach and not being able to share it with your pooch. Much whimper. Such fail. Too long, too long have pups been shunned from ice creameries simply because the pockets in their dog hoodies rarely hold money and dairy products make them incredibly ill. Enough! No longer will this integral gelato market and prime branding opportunity be ignored. Gelatissimo are stepping up and doing what should have been done years ago (because trending topics). They're releasing a range of doggie gelato that can be enjoyed by both pets and owners alike — please avoid sharing though. Please. Importantly, the gelato is gluten free and flavoured peanut nougat (which is a dogwide favourite ice cream flavour, apparently) and gentle on puppy tums. From March 26, you can grab a scoop from 18 Gelatissimo stores (including Balmain, Bondi Beach, Central Park, Coogee, Cronulla, Newtown, Watsons Bay, Wagga, Manuka, Lane Cove, Lygon Street, Coolangatta, Mackay, Mooloolaba, Noosa, Toowoomba, Norwood and Surfers Paradise). Alright we so know it's a bit much and most of us don't have a weekly budget for dog iced treats, but think of it more as a treat for yourself that you can share with your pupper (if they whimper at you enough). Image: Mochi and Miranda @justanotherdogblog.
If you managed to nab a ticket to Paul Kelly's Making Gravy tour last year, then you were one of the lucky ones. If you weren't and have been lamenting ever since, you can stop. The songwriting legend has just announced that he'll be performing the show all over again this December, in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane (on Gravy Day itself, December 21). Like the song, the tour — now in its third year — is becoming a bit of an Aussie Christmas tradition. Time to start thinking about getting the tinsel and ugly jumpers out of storage. As in 2018, you can expect to hear a stack of songs from Kelly's four-decade long career. Listen out for all the hits, from 'Dumb Things', from the album Live, May 1992, to 'Love Never Runs On Time' from Wanted Man (1994). The Christmas classic 'How To Make Gravy', first released in 1996 on an eponymous EP, is on the menu, too. The tour will coincide with the release of Kelly's new greatest hits album Songs From The South (1985–2019), his collaborative avian-inspired album 13 Ways To Look At Birds and a book of poetry he's curated, called Love Is Strong As Death. Kelly won't be hitting the road alone, either — he's inviting a bunch of special guests. He'll be joined by ARIA Award-winning rocker Courtney Barnett, Aussie Eurovison finalist Kate Miller-Heidke, NZ singer Marlon Williams and Gamilaraay songstress Thelma Plum (in Sydney only). [caption id="attachment_737416" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mia Mala McDonald[/caption] MAKING GRAVY DATES 2019 Perth — Optus Stadium, Saturday, December 7 Melbourne — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Thursday, December 12 Sydney — The Domain, Saturday, December 14 Brisbane — Riverstage, Saturday, December 21 Paul Kelly Making Gravy pre-sale tickets will be available from midday on Tuesday, August 20 with general sales from midday on Friday, August 23. Perth, Sydney and Brisbane tickets will be available via Ticketmaster with Melbourne's via Ticketek. Top image: Cybele Malinowski
For loved ones that prefer their flowers edible, Gelato Messina is once again happy to oblige. It has created a new frozen floral creation, dubbed The Tart Breaker: a limited-edition gelato rose cake, which will be released exclusively for Valentine's Day this year. The red rose cake is complex inside and out — in true Messina fashion. It's a chocolate tart shell filled with layers of Basque cheesecake gelato and dulce de leche, topped with petals made from hand-piped burnt vanilla chantilly. Yes, it's as decadent as it sounds. The rose cake will cost you $69 — likely less than a big bouquet of (non-edible) V-day roses — and can be cut into 6–8 slices, which can serve 6–8 people or just you and your partner; the decision is yours, we're not here to judge. Orders are only available for pickup on the days leading up to Valentine's Day. The Tart Breaker is available to pre-order from all Messina outposts except The Star from Monday, February 1 for pick up between Friday, February 12–Sunday, February 14.
Unless you somehow haven't looked at a screen, billboard or newspaper in the past few weeks — or listened to the radio, heard any streaming ads or had a TV on in the background, either — you'll know that Black Friday is upon us for another year. Absolutely everything is on sale, or so it seems, including bargain holidays. Whether you're keen to explore Australian destinations or fancy a getaway further afield, Virgin's addition to the 2023 shopping frenzy has you covered. A whopping 500,000 fares are currently up for grabs as part of the airline's Black Friday, Bright Holidays sale, covering a heap of Aussie and international spots. Sticking with home turf, you can head to Byron Bay, the Sunshine Coast, Cairns, Hamilton Island, Alice Springs, Hobart and more. And, if you're eager to journey overseas, you can hit up Bali, Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, Tokyo and Queenstown. One-way domestic fares start at $49, which'll get you from Sydney to Byron Bay. As always, that's cheapest route. Other discounted flights include Melbourne to Launceston from $59, Brisbane to either Cairns for $105 or Hamilton Island for $115, Adelaide to the Gold Coast from $125 and Perth to Hobart from $239. Internationally, the return deals start with Sydney to Queenstown from $435, Brisbane to Fiji from $509, Melbourne to Bali from $629 and Cairns to Tokyo from $679. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, there's a range of dates from Wednesday, January 10–Thursday, June 20, 2024, all varying depending on the flights and prices. As usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick. Virgin's discounted fares are now on offer until midnight on Tuesday, November 28 or sold out, whichever arrives first. Virgin's 2023 Black Friday, Bright Holidays sale runs until midnight AEST on Tuesday, November 28 — or until sold out. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
The South Island is known for its breathtaking scenery. However, if you're a culture junkie, there's no end to the beautiful experiences you can have — and not just in a gallery. Whether you're into history, art, language or music, you're bound to find something (and often with a good feed to go with). We've curated a selection of experiences in the South all cultural but none that require the four walls of a gallery. THE SHERWOOD This little hotel is a gem in Queenstown's tourismscape. Perched on three acres of spectacular alpine hillside, with views over Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables mountain range, The Sherwood is a true community hotel, built with the express intention of letting its guests connect with each other and with nature. Kitchen gardens service the holistic, natural dishes in its restaurant and the hotel has a community events schedule to boot. During your stay, attend a poetry slam, take a jewellery class or stretch it out at one of the regular yoga classes. With resident artists and writers and almost nightly live music, here, the culture comes to you 554 Frankton Road, Queenstown. FUSH Fush is not your ordinary fish and chippie. This family-owned eatery in Wigram aims to help diners integrate te reo Māori, one of New Zealand's official languages, into their conversations, by offering bilingual menus and using te reo phrases with customers. The fish and chips joint has even started offering free te reo Maori classes, accessible to anyone with the will to learn. What about the food? It's awesome — the fish comes pan-fried, coated or crumbed; hand cut chips are made from quality Canterbury spuds and the place is fully licensed, too. Have a sparkling with your order or a gin and tonic, and order a plate of shucked oysters or a smoked fish pie. It's all good. 104 The Runway, Wigram Skies. CHRISTCHURCH ARTS CENTRE A phenomenally beautiful space, the neo-gothic former home of the University of Canterbury is the heart of the arts in Christchurch. A community centre with events, stores and exhibitions, the Christchurch Arts Centre has something for everyone. If you're after some pieces for your home, visit Frances Nation, a beautifully considered homewares store inside the centre. Owner Tessa Peach stocks quality goods made from natural materials; they're New Zealand-made, functional pieces you will love forever. It sums up the ethos of the centre, really — full of heart and authenticity. 2 Worcester Boulevard, Christchurch. THE MUSSEL INN Golden Bay isn't really Golden Bay without The Mussel Inn. Worth the trip to the northwest Nelson region, this is a beloved watering hole for locals and visitors alike. After a day lounging on the beach, sink in for a night of live music and bevs. While there's no knowing who's going to show up on the bill, every week brings a new lineup of artists to the place. That's one of the beauteous things about the Inn. The team also brews its own beers, ciders and soft drinks. We'd recommend the feijoa cider if it's on tap. 1259 State Highway 60, Onekaka, Golden Bay. THE CHRISTCHURCH FARMERS' MARKET Luxe porridge? Fresh produce? People watching? You'll find it all at the Christchurch Farmers' Market, one of Aotearoa's first markets. The best way to experience a new place is to go where the people are — and on a Saturday, they're all in Riccarton buying wholesome seasonal goodness. Held on the doorstep of Christchurch's founding family's home, Riccarton House, and perched beside the Avon River, the market boasts over 80 stalls selling everything from veggies to coffee, cakes to organic dog biscuits. 16 Kahu Road, Riccarton, Christchurch. LARNACH CASTLE If history is your thing, head to New Zealand's only castle. Nestled in the beautiful Otago Peninsula, the castle was built in the 1870s by bank manager and cabinet minister William Larnach to house his large family. Restored to its former glory by the Barker family, the home and grounds are open every day of the year. While it may be considered a 'mock' castle, it's a magnificent site to see with Italian marble, Welsh slate, English floor tiles, Venetian and French glass, Kauri ceilings, rimu floors and honeysuckle panelling featured throughout. 145 Camp Road, Dunedin. MARLBOROUGH SOUNDS MAILBOAT Come summer, there may be no cruisier way to explore the Marlborough Sounds than aboard the Picton Mailboat. Hop aboard and join in on mail day, with commentary from your skipper on the history of the Sounds, the people who have lived there and those who call the area home today. Each journey is different, depending on where the post bags, groceries and freight need to go. Keep an eye out for dolphins and other wildlife, and make a stop at Ship Cove, where Captain James Cook stopped to replenish The Endeavour. Start planning your trip to New Zealand's south with our guide to the South Island journeys to take here.
The world contains a vivid tapestry of diverse countries and cultures, each woven with its own unique traditions and celebrations. What better way to immerse yourself in the culture of a region than joining in with the festivities? From the rhythmic beats of Carnival to the kaleidoscopic lights of Diwali, take a step beyond the typical tourist trail with Intrepid Travel. Discover the heartbeat of a place through the lens of its most enchanting festivities. It's time to pack your bags, strap on some comfy shoes and create memories that transcend borders. Diwali The festival of lights is celebrated worldwide, but experiencing it in India itself is something else entirely. Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights. It symbolises the victory of light over darkness, goodness over evil and knowledge over ignorance. There are variations across the region and the different local religions of the country. Some things are always included: lots and lots of candles, lights and delicious food. The festival happens in the first weeks of November to tie in with the darkest days of the year (in India). Time your adventure to this stunning country to coincide with the festival so you can see the magic of the celebrations with the locals. Dia De Los Muertos Feel the mystical vibes of the weird and wonderful Dia de los Muertos, the annual Day of the Dead festival, in Mexico City. Participate in a traditional Day of the Dead ceremony and see elaborate altars dedicated to those who have passed. Enjoy delicious tacos and other street food at the openair Mercado Jamaica, and venture outside the city to see the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan. If you are passing through the capital on your exploration of Central America, time your travel so you can be there for this iconic festival. [caption id="attachment_969162" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Heejin Yu via iStock[/caption] Kwita Inzina If you're all about nature conservation, attend the Kwita Izina ceremony in Rwanda to see the on-the-ground efforts of those fighting the good fight for Mother Earth. That's exactly what you can do with this on-the-ground tour in Rwanda. It puts you in the middle of the ceremony, an adaptation of a traditional Rwandan naming ceremony where locals name and celebrate newborn local gorillas. The festival includes a mix of formal speeches from conservationists and celebrity guests, plus music and dance performances. Prepare to go with the flow and be whisked into the celebrations, as participation is encouraged. The entire region comes together to celebrate the festival and conservation of these beautiful animals. Halloween Bram Stoker may not have intended it, but thanks to the setting of his novel, Dracula, in Transylvania, locals now celebrate his creation based on local legends with a next-level celebration on All Hallow's Eve. Head to central Europe to Bucharest, Romania and explore the haunting beauty of Sighisoara (the birthplace of the infamous creature of the night) and spooky Bran Castle (aka Count Dracula's castle) in Brasov. Break out your scariest costumes for a spooky Halloween party in Cluj-Napoca — the former capital of the historical principality of Transylvania. Christmas The Christmas season just hits different when it's in Europe. Snow falls on rooftops of buildings and market stalls on narrow cobbled streets as stallholders give out mulled wine, chimney cakes, hot cider, pretzels, hot chocolate and sweet treats to the tourists and locals meandering from stall to stall. If a trip to Central Europe is on the cards, be sure to time it so you can explore the famous Christmas markets from Munich to Budapest. And the best way to travel in Europe? By train, of course. Carnival Bright colours, headdresses and more feathers than you can count — Carnival is the world's greatest party on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, just waiting for you to rock up. Witness an elaborate parade of floats and dancers in the Sambadrome, which stretches into the wee hours. Samba your way through non-stop action, join the conga line with the locals and move to the rhythm of the drum-fuelled street fiestas. Whether you're journeying through Brazil on an epic adventure or specifically going to Rio de Janeiro for the fest, it's definitely not to miss. Naadam While the Greeks have the Olympics, the Mongols have Naadam. This festival might not be well known, but it is the best time of the year to see Mongolia. The annual colourful festival is a centuries-old tradition that dates back to the Khans and their dynasties. Expect archery, wrestling and horse racing — the primary skills a Mongol warrior requires. While in the area, explore the stunning natural landscapes of central Mongolia, such as Baga Gazriin Chuluu (granite rocks worshipped by locals), the Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs and the dunes of Khongoriin, called the 'singing sands' by locals for the whistling sound made by small avalanches of sand on a windy day. Get out, explore, dive into adventure and find your WOW with Intrepid Travel. Find out more on the website.
In an effort to further reduce the spread of COVID-19 across Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has this morning, Wednesday, March 18, announced that non-essential indoor events of more than 100 people will be banned — effective immediately. This announcement follows last week's ban on mass gatherings of over 500 people, which is still in place for outdoor events. Airports, public transport, age care, correctional facilities, law courts, parliaments, food markets, supermarkets, office buildings, factories, mining sites, hotels, motels, schools, universities and transit spots — such as Bourke Street Mall, Martin Place — are not be impacted by the ban, but the Prime Minister has said that the "advice to all Australians is do not travel abroad". State and territory leaders have the power to add to this list of essential gatherings, too. The Prime Minister also said that social distancing should be observed by all, which includes regularly sanitising your hands, using 'tap and pay', avoiding crowds and commuting at quiet times when possible, and maintaining a distance of 1.5m apart wherever it is practical to do so. You can read the Department of Health's social distancing guidelines over here. [caption id="attachment_758772" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The NGV has already temporarily closed.[/caption] While the PM hasn't stipulated what exactly a non-essential indoor event is, we can expect large art galleries — that haven't already temporarily closed — cinemas and big restaurants, bars and pubs to close in wake of this announcement. Many hospitality venues have already upped their takeaway offering in response to a downturn in customers during the COVID-19, but it's likely more will offer takeout-only options. During morning's announcement, the PM also said that the hoarding of supplies was "un-Australian" and it should be stopped, and that the above measures were likely to be in place for "six months" so they needed to be "sustainable" and "achievable" for all Australians. For now, the above bans on non-essential gatherings are in place indefinitely. The Australia-wide ban on non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people is effective immediately. The ban on non-essential outdoor events of more than 500 people is still in place.
Melbourne, it's pretty much official — you're the live music capital of the world, with a music venue-to-resident ratio that trumps every other city on the planet. And that's just one of the great findings from the Melbourne Live Music Census 2017, which were revealed this week. The survey, headed up by Music Victoria and the City of Melbourne along with Collarts, RMIT and local councils, sets out to analyse the climate of Melbourne's live music industry every five years. In its second edition, conducted on November 25 last year, it found that climate to be pretty darn healthy. In 2017 alone, greater Melbourne played host to over 73,605 advertised gigs and saw a total live music attendance of 17.5 million punters — that's up 19 percent and 12 percent respectively from 2012's census. In fact, audience numbers for live music events throughout the year were bigger than for AFL, cricket, the Spring Racing Carnival, A-League, basketball, netball, NRL and the Australian Grand Prix combined. And, while we hear plenty about Sydney live music venues shutting up shop, it seems the future's looking brighter for their southern counterparts, with 55% reporting an increased audience in the past 12 months. But the biggest news is perhaps that Melbourne now boasts one live music venue for every 9503 residents, making local music lovers the best-served in the world. Compare those figures with London's one venue per 34,350 residents, New York's one per 18,554 and LA's one per 19,607 ,and you'll have to agree Melbourne's absolutely killing it. The full Melbourne Live Music Census 2017 report is set to be presented at the Music Cities Convention - Melbourne on April 19.
News that's noice, tight and cool cool cool hasn't been the norm over the past year or so, including when US TV network NBC announced that Brooklyn Nine-Nine would end after its next (and eighth) season. That revelation sparked plenty of questions, all of varying degrees of importance. One of the most crucial: how many more times will Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) say "title of your sex tape"? Other essential queries have been running through B99 fans' minds since then, of course. So, if you've been wondering what this last batch of ten episodes will have in store for Brooklyn's fictional 99th police precinct, how the series will wrap up and if Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) will make a final appearance — and how much more yoghurt can Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) eat, too — you're not alone. Thankfully, in just a couple of weeks, answers will start flowing. That's when Brooklyn Nine-Nine's last season will hit screens for a final farewell. Come Friday, August 13, SBS On Demand and SBS will start both streaming and airing the show's last batch of episodes, starting with a double to kick things off, then dropping further eps week by week. Back in May, US network NBC revealed that Brooklyn Nine-Nine's last season would launch following the Tokyo Olympics — and it also dropped a teaser trailer — so, given that SBS has fast-tracked recent seasons, this is both an unsurprising and overwhelmingly welcome development. How many times Die Hard will get a mention before the series says "yippee-ki-yay" for the last time? How will Peralta and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) handle parenthood? What other tidbits will Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) drop about her past in passing? Which crazy food items will Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) eat? They're some of the other questions you're probably now pondering, as well as exactly what else the whole gang — including Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) and Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), of course — will get up to. If you'd like to start planning your own Halloween heist now in celebration — yes, a few months early — that's perfectly understandable. Check out the teaser trailer for Brooklyn Nine-Nine's final season below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRFDHqFiYoE&t=3s The first two episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's eighth and final season will be able to stream via SBS On Demand (and to view on SBS) on Friday, August 13, with new episodes dropping weekly afterwards.
2022 has been a massive year for one of Fortitude Valley's favourite music venues — a place that, for most of its three-decade lifespan since 1992 so far, hardly seemed like it changed at all. Firstly, The Zoo added an in-house pizzeria, aka Zoopreme Pizzeria. Then, the team branched out with cocktail spot Stranded in Winn Lane. Up next: Booze, which will indeed sling exactly what its name promises. Booze won't just be a bottle shop — although it definitely will sell high-end wines, artisan spirits, both craft and mainstream beers, and sake. The vino lineup will focus on natural wines from Australian producers, stocking a rotating range, with Jauma, Sven Joschke, Dormilona, Koerner Brothers and Dr Edge among the showcased labels. In addition, the space on Winn Street will double as a takeaway pizza joint, a coffee spot and a providore. Head by to stock up your liquor cabinet, grab a slice, nab some speciality caffeine, and support local producers and artisans making chocolate, relish, pickles, hot sauce and charcuterie. In the lead up to Christmas, there'll also be gift hampers up for sale. That isn't the end of the list, either, with Booze badging itself as Brisbane's new home for "cool shit". That includes vinyl and band merchandise, covering a wide array of genres from punk to country, and spanning international and local acts. It is setting up shop in the perfect spot for it, taking over the space previously home to the beloved Tym Guitars. Yes, consider this an icon taking over an icon, with Brisbanites able to drop by from Friday, September 30. The coffees will be on offer from 12pm — and if you're after a pizza, there'll be six on offer from Zoopreme Pizzeria from 5pm Wednesday–Sunday. "We wanted to take your traditional bottle-o offering and elevate it above what's currently available in the area. It's a bit of this and a bit of that, loaded with products that we love, and most importantly infused with good vibes only," says Booze co-owner Luke Johnston. "We look forward to locals dropping in for a chat and a coffee — like The Zoo, all are welcome." Find Booze at upstairs at 5E Winn Street, Fortitude Valley from Friday, September 30 — open 12pm–late, with pizzas from 5pm–late Wednesday–Sunday. Images: Luke Henery.
2022 marks 23 years since Baltimore high-school student Hae Min Lee was found dead, and 22 years since her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of her murder. It also marks eight years since the case became an international obsession thanks to the first season of Sarah Koenig's grimly addictive podcast Serial. Since the latter, the details have rarely been out of the spotlight — including the legal situation, as well as Syed's ongoing quest to have the extremely complex matter reassessed in the years after he was found guilty. And come Wednesday, September 21, the case will fuel a brand-new episode of Serial as well. Yes, everyone's favourite 2014 true-crime podcast obsession is returning to its original subject, with the Koenig-hosted audio series Serial set to drop a new episode about Syed. The reason? After more than two decades in prison, Syed's conviction has just been vacated by the Baltimore City Circuit Court, with Syed released today, Tuesday, September 20, Down Under time. Syed has been released into home detention while the state has 30 days to decide whether to pursue a new trial or dismiss the case. The New York Times reports that Judge Melissa Phinn overturned the conviction "in the interests of fairness and justice". Her ruling came after finding that prosecutors did not turn over evidence that may have assisted Syed during his trial, as well as new evidence might've influenced the outcome. Serial confirmed via social media that Koenig was at the courthouse when Syed was released, and that a new episode of the podcast will arrive tomorrow morning US time. Syed was convicted of first-degree murder in 2020, sentenced to life in prison, and has been fighting his case through the courts ever since. While he was granted a new trial in 2016, that ruling was subsequently appealed by the State of Maryland — only for the Court of Special Appeals to agree to vacate Syed's conviction and finally give him that retrial. Then in 2019, in Maryland's Court of Appeals, that retrial request was denied, but Syed's attorney committed to keep battling. Lee's murder and Syed's conviction were also the subject of HBO documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed, which picked up where Serial's 12-episode first season left off — not only exploring 18-year-old Lee's death in 1999 and Syed's conviction the year afterwards, but the latter's ongoing legal questions. The doco featured everything from Lee and Syed's relationship to the original police investigation and trial, and also the developments up until when it released in 2018, gaining exclusive access to Syed, his family and his lawyers. Keen to re-binge Serial today? Aren't we all. If you don't have time, The Case Against Adnan Syed is available to stream via Fetch in Australia — and you can check out the trailer below: Serial's new episode about Adnan Syed will drop on Wednesday, September 21 Australia and New Zealand time. Keep an eye on Serial's website for further details. Image: The Case Against Adnan Syed, Syed Family / Courtesy of HBO.
Technology allows us to easily capture what we see and hear, and to share these sensory experiences in photos and soundbites. But so far, our sense of smell has been far less casually reproducible. Designer Amy Radcliffe, acknowledging both the disappointment and value of this, has created a scent "camera" that could make us all into amateur perfumiers. Radcliffe's Central Saint Martins MA thesis project, the Madeleine, is a quaint-looking device that makes use of chemist Roman Kaiser's "headspace capture" method from the 1970s. The Madeleine is like something out of The Jetsons, with hipster appeal provided by the tasteful, white ceramic vacuum casing and terrarium-like funnel. The user places said funnel over the source of the smell to be recorded, and then before his/her very eyes, the smell is sucked through a cute plastic hose into an absorbent resin odour trap. Check out the video to see the process. Resurrecting a sense of ceremony from the pre-digital age, you'd then nip over to the local processing lab with your vial of scent and transform it into a liquid fragrance, much like getting photos developed back in the '90s. Once the chemical signature is decoded, that fragrance is captured forever. What's the imaginative power of a pocket perfumier? Scent is, of course, the most potent memory trigger among our senses. Now there's scope to preserve the unique scent of a loved one, long after they've left your life. Imagine posting your crush the smell of jasmine outside your window (or certain, naughtier things) instead of a mixtape. One day there could even be a SoundHound for smells, as in, "Love the perfume that chick's wearing, what is it?" Whip out your smell-o-cam of the future and find out. Radcliffe is now developing the Madeleine further with fragrance labs. Will our olfactory world be cheapened by oversharing and oversaturation of scents? Or enhanced by our raised awareness of the smells around us? Just as Instagram can tend to make you see life in terms of potential freeze-frames, scentography may sharpen your nose to sniffing out shareable fragrances. Via the Guardian.
A group of 88 writers and editors, including The Slap author Christos Tsiolkas, Nobel Prize winner JM Coetzee, Miles Franklin award-winning author Anna Funder, The Family Law writer Benjamin Law and Meanjin editor Zora Sanders, have written an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Treasurer Joe Hockey and Minister for the Arts George Brandis published in The Guardian, outlining their "dismay" at "the many proposed changes to health, education and welfare support announced in the 2014 budget" and their objections to "the reduction in arts funding". On May 13, Hockey revealed a $28.2 million cut to Australia Council funding, a $38 million cut to the Screen Australia budget and a $120 million cut to the ABC and the SBS over the next four years. "This decrease in federal support will be devastating to those who make art of any kind in this country," the letter states. "Many important works, works that would inform national debate and expand the horizons of Australia and its citizens, will simply never be made. Ultimately, these cuts will impoverish Australian culture and society." However, the argument doesn’t stop at moral, emotional and intellectual wealth. The writers point out that in 2008-09, the arts were responsible for adding 7% (or $86 billion) to the national GDP, and in 2011 cultural industries kept 531,000 individuals employed, while creating another 3.7 million jobs. Meanwhile, "it is worth noting that the mining sector only provides $121bn to the GDP, and employs fewer workers (187,400 directly, 599,680 indirectly), yet receives far more government financial support at federal and state levels." Moreover, they continue, the budget not only affects major organisations such as Australian Ballet (which has actually seen a hefty $1 million top up from the government for its budget) but also the threatened international touring capacity of regional companies like Bangarra Dance Theatre. Also affected will be the ability of "decades-old publications continue to foster a love of literature, finding and supporting new writers who will become tomorrow’s great Australian authors." "The loss of funding will devastate these smaller organisations and practitioners, robbing Australia of a whole generation of artists, writers, publishers, editors, theatre makers, actors, dancers and thinkers," they conclude. "Crucially, it will deprive people, particularly in rural and regional areas and in remote communities, of the opportunity to create, educate, learn and collaborate. These proposed funding cuts endanger us intellectually, artistically and severely damage our reputation internationally. Moreover, we fear the prospect of a world of culture and art that is unaffordable to the majority of Australians." Read the full letter here. Via The Guardian.
