Australian summers aren't known for their mild temperatures, but the past three months have been especially toasty. Sydney experienced a record-tying hot spell to kick off 2018. Melbourne endured its hottest day in five years, and then went and almost immediately smashed that top temperature by surviving its hottest day in ten years. A mid-January heatwave rolled across the country, hitting scorching maximums, while the entire first month of the year was deemed Australia's hottest ever. If you've been feeling particularly hot and steamy, there's a good reason — all of the above instances of sweltering weather helped lead to the nation's warmest summer on record. The period from December to February also earned that label in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, while Tasmania and South Australia persisted through their second-hottest summers ever. In Queensland, it was the state's fourth-warmest summer. Both mean and maximum temperatures for the season were exceeded by significant margins, with each reaching nearly one degree higher than the past record, which was set over the summer of 2012–13. Even minimum temperatures soared, with New South Wales hitting its highest on record for summer away from the northeast and far west — and parts of southern inland Queensland, and central northern and eastern Victoria, doing so as well. Here's how maximums looked across the country: [caption id="attachment_710118" align="aligncenter" width="680"] Bureau of Meteorology[/caption] The findings were announced in the Bureau of Meteorology's official summer summary, which also notes that Greater Sydney's daytime temperatures were generally one to three degrees warmer than normal, that Greater Melbourne's maximums were between 1.5–2.5 degrees warmer than the long-term summer average, and that Brisbane experienced a record run of 46 days at or above 30 degrees, spanning from 10 January to 24 February. In short, your three months of seeking solace in beaches, pools and air-conditioning were completely justified. According to Bureau climatologist Dr Lynette Bettio, "the heat we saw this summer was unprecedented". And as for reprieves from above, "rainfall was also well below average for many places, apart from areas in northern Queensland". Summer might now be over; however that doesn't mean that it's time to pull out your jumpers — most of Australia is forecast to score a hotter-than-average autumn. How hot? For mainland Australian residents, there's an 80 percent chance you'll experience autumn temperatures that are a whole lot warmer than the median. Don't go packing away your pedestal fan just yet either. Image: Tourism and Events Queensland
Outgrowing his first location in Fitzroy is something Andrew McConnell (Cumulus Inc., Supernormal) didn't expect to happen so quickly — but, after just two years, the acclaimed chef and restaurateur is set to open a second store, this time in St. Kilda. Along with co-owner and butcher Troy Wheeler, McConnell will bring his fancy meats, trademark club sandwiches and snags to the south. The pair will set up shop in the historic Gruner's, a butcher and deli with over 60 years of tradition. In a classic Australian immigrant tale, founders Endre and Rose Gruner arrived in Melbourne from Budapest in 1957, looking to establish a new life and opportunities for their children. Fellow Hungarians were said to have come from all over Melbourne to not only buy familiar food, but also to speak in their native tongue, and the shop still holds cultural significance for the area. "A long-standing business like Gruner's has been an integral piece of Melbourne food history," McConnell says. "Troy and I are thrilled to be part of continuing this tradition." With an old-meets-new philosophy, Meatsmith's Barkly Street location will inherit some of Gruner's most-loved recipes, with Hungarian, Polish and European smallgoods taking their spot next to Meatsmith's classics; including dry-aged beef, the Cumulus Inc. lamb shoulder and foie gras parfait. Architects Herbert & Mason (who fashioned the Fitzroy interior) will team up with award-winning, minimalist interior designer Fiona Lynch to ensure the new fitout is in line with the Meatsmith brand and feel — think clean lines and lots of white marble. The new store will open in August, with an exact date still to be confirmed. For those itching for a Meatsmith fix in the meantime, the original location has just kicked off a bi-monthly ode to the world's best food regions, starting with a celebration of Italy for the month of July. Meatsmith St Kilda is set to open in August at 227A Barkly St, St. Kilda.
Another day, another streaming platform. While there's a service for everything these days — Disney flicks, documentaries, Aussie movies, films recommended by Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn and, soon, British television (just to name a couple) — the just-launched Quibi comes with a few twists. We hope you like glueing your eyes to your phone and watching everything in ten-minute chunks, because that's what's on offer with this newcomer. It's all in the title, really, with Quibi shortened from 'quick bites'. Whether you're checking out a new version of Punk'd hosted by Chance the Rapper, seeing Chrissy Teigen preside over small claims cases in the Judge Judy-style Chrissy's Court or getting immersed in a Reese Witherspoon-narrated documentary series about females in natural history, you'll be doing so in small portions. And, you'll be watching on your mobile device of choice, because that's the only place the Quibi app is available. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3awKJu7EN6I Created by ex-Disney chairman and DreamWorks cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg, and led by former eBay president and CEO Meg Whitman, Quibi has been in the works since 2018 — and earning ample attention thanks to its huge stash of cash (reportedly raising $1.75 billion to spend on content), as well as its hefty array of stars and shows (including an upcoming remake of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days). But the service's arrival in Australia actually came as a surprise, with the platform touting a US launch on April 6, then becoming available Down Under on the same date. That means Aussie viewers can now catch everything from dramas and comedies to news and reality TV in bite-sized chunks, with instalments maxing out at ten minutes but most running shorter (between five and eight minutes). Also on Quibi's lineup are 'movies in chapters', which are exactly what they sounds like — films broken down into episodic segments to fit the platform's whole concept. Launching with a sizeable range titles — with an ultimate aim of hitting 175 different shows and 7000 episodes in its first year — Quibi highlights include mockumentary Nikki Fre$h, which follows Nicole Richie's efforts to become a wellness-focused rapper; cooking competition show Dishmantled, where host and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt star Tituss Burgess shoots food at two culinary industry figures, then forces them to try to recreate the dish in question; and Lena Waithe-hosted documentary series You Ain't Got These, about sneaker culture. From the 'movies in chapters' lineup, there's also Flipped, starring Will Forte and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Kaitlin Olson as a down-on-their-luck couple desperate to host their own TV renovation series; Most Dangerous Game, the latest twist on the humans-hunting-humans idea, this time with Christoph Waltz and Liam Hemsworth; and Survive, which casts Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner as a suicidal patient suddenly forced to fight for her life after a plane crash. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3IRvX9UaIk&feature=emb_logo If you're wondering about watching all of the above on your phone, Quibi is designed to play in full-screen no matter whether your handset is vertical or horizontal — with the image automatically changing as you move your device around. And if you're thinking "clearly this is targeted for people watching on the go, such as on the train to work", you're spot-on. Thanks to COVID-19, of course, that's not how folks will be using the service for the near future, though. That makes Quibi a Netflix-meets-YouTube streaming platform with plenty of things to watch, but a flimsy gimmick — or a poorly timed one, at least. Whether anyone wants to get their TV and movie fix on their phone while they're cooped up at home is one of the questions the service currently faces. The other is the lack of communal viewing, because no one wants to crowd around one handset to watch a show or film with their significant other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKPuomRV5C8 Still, Quibi is betting that audiences will be interested anyway, with more big-name titles in the works. Serving up car-based stunts, Elba vs Block will see Idris Elba face off against professional rally driver Ken Block. And expect lots of cuteness in Barkitecture, which'll see the construction of OTT houses — for dogs. In the remake category, a new version of late 90s sports flick Varsity Blues is on the slate, as is a revival of comedy series Reno 911, as well as a Kiefer Sutherland-starring take on 60s TV series and 90s movie The Fugitive. Sci-fi movie Code 8 is getting a Quibi spinoff, starring Robbie and Stephen Amell, while Japanese horror manga Tomie is being adapted for the platform. And even Steven Spielberg is jumping on the bandwagon, courtesy of horror series Spielberg's After Dark. For further details about Quibi, visit the streaming platform's website. To download the Quibi app, head to the App Store or GooglePlay — with a 90-day free trial currently available, and subscriptions costing AU$12.99 per month afterwards. Top images: Survive and Barkitecture
At last, the gluten free gods have answered your prayers. The Gohil family — whose coeliac-friendly products have been gracing local supermarket shelves for 20 years — are making lives even easier, launching the country's first dedicated gluten free, ready-cooked meal delivery service. Just like the recently launched Freshara is doing for Australia's vegan contingent, The Gluten Free Meal Co is opening up the meal delivery game to a whole new group of foodies, with a collection of nourishing, ready-prepared dishes endorsed by Coeliac Australia. They've also done away with the whole subscription caper. Instead, users simply order by selecting from the lineup of $9.90 single-serve meals on The Gluten Free Meal Co's online menu. And, while there's a minimum spend of $65 for each order, you will score free delivery Australia-wide. All meals are whipped up in a state-of-the-art facility and undergo external gluten testing before arriving at your doorstep — although by the looks of that menu, they're designed to tempt taste buds just as much as any gluten-filled goodies. We're talking global-inspired main dishes like crumbed fish fillets and a country-style chicken pie, a solid range of vegetarian meals, and even a dessert selection featuring sweet treats like chocolate profiteroles. "The gluten free community deserves the same privilege of eating a wide variety of high-quality, nourishing food as everyone else," said Pran and Jitesh Gohil. "We're so excited that we can look after everyone with this fantastic range of delicious mains, finger foods and desserts that are indistinguishable from dishes everyone enjoys." For more information about The Gluten Free Meal Co visit www.gfmeals.com.au.
For more than a century, screens have transported viewers to places far and wide, first via cinemas and then via television, phones and any other device that can get streaming. In the art world, screens and projections have been playing a similar function of late, but in a different way. They've let us wander through immersive van Gogh pop-ups that surround you with the artist's famed works, for instance — and they're about to unleash something similar via Australian Geographic with Aussie flora and fauna. Nature lovers, listen up. Australian Geographic has put together an exploration of the plants and animals that help make this country of ours what it is, with Our Country going big on the multi-sensory experience. When it hits Brisbane from Saturday, March 11–Sunday, April 16, the exhibition will let visitors wander through 40-plus screens that reach up to six metres tall, with its super-sized projections spanning across 1200 square metres and featuring works by 25 accomplished cinematographers. Here, attendees will encounter mist, starry night skies, all creatures big and small, and a 360-degree soundtrack. You'll feel like you're stepping across the nation's stunning landscape, rather than simply through the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Yes, that's a big part of the point. Each screen will be present previously unseen footage collected from over 100,000 hours in the field from the lineup of cinematographers, which includes Peter Nearhos, a frequent collaborator of David Attenborough. Nearhos has worked on documentaries such as One Life and David Attenborough's Tasmania, and it's exactly this type of close-up look at Australia's wildlife that you can expect to revel in. Emmy Award-winner Karina Holden (Love on the Spectrum) was tasked with the challenge of whittling down this footage, curating an intimate look at ecosystems across the country. Bustling bushland, expansive desserts and vibrant rainforests all make an appearance. Also featuring contributions by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, sound designers and performers, this is Australian Geographic's first-ever multi-sensory experience, and comes to Brisbane after debuting in Sydney over summer. Australian Geographic: Our Country displays at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, Glenelg Street, South Brisbane, from Saturday, March 11–Sunday, April 16. Head to the exhibition website for further details, and to Ticketek for tickets. Images: Ben Broady.
Booze-sipping wannabe Picassos, take note: it's your time to shine. While there are regular classes and even entire businesses devoted to the concept, Brisbane's next excuse to get creative while indulging in a beverage or two is offering something different. Instead of painting any old picture, you can whip up a portrait of your favourite four-legged creature. Keen on having a few drinks, picking up a paintbrush and creating a masterpiece that makes a star out of your beloved cat, dog, goldfish, budgie, rabbit, hermit crab or whatever other pet you might have? That's one of the options at Brush & Barrel's Paint Your Pet nights. How else will your favourite critter know that you love it if you don't paint their likeness? Classes cost $60 — and, because you're not expected to sketch your pet first, you'll need to email through a photo of Fido beforehand. Brush & Barrel's in-house artist will then pre-sketch it on a 40 x 50-centimetre canvas, so all you need to do is paint and drink. This is a BYO affair, so bring your own bottle of wine for liquid inspiration. You can also purchase food to be served to you during the session, too. The next class with tickets currently available takes place at the Fortitude Valley studio (at Shop 12, 421 Brunswick Street) on Friday, July 17, with another session on Saturday, July 25. Or, you could head to B&B's Newstead site (at Shop 2, 22 Masters Street) on Saturday, July 25, Friday, July 31 or Saturday, August 8. A warning: unsurprisingly, these classes are popular and sell out fast, so getting in quickly is recommended. Image: Brush and Barrel.
Sometimes, common sense finds a way. After an interim report demonstrated that Queensland's new liquor laws have had little effect on alcohol-related violence, the State Government has decided not to forge ahead with the second part of their lockouts plan. Folks, say goodbye to concept of 1am curfews. The earlier cutoff was scheduled to apply on February 1, stopping patrons from re-entering pubs and bars a full two hours before current restrictions. Understandably, the idea that forcing people out onto the streets much earlier than they would like was going to stamp out booze-fuelled anti-social behaviour has been fiercely contested. Just as unsurprisingly, heated debate has also raged regarding the impact the curfews would have on Brisbane's nightlife scene. Instead of lockouts, venues in the state's 15 entertainment precincts will have to trial ID scanners to record and store the details of all patrons entering their premises from July 1, 2017. In order to trade past midnight and serve drinks until 3am, nightclubs and other watering holes in the designated area will have to comply — and capture the IDs of every customer, regardless of the time of evening they stop by. Changes will also be made to one-off permits that allow establishments to keep filling up beverages past the cutoff time. The number will be reduced from 12 to 6, with no more than one per month allowed to be issued — and, even then, only for special events. Don't go thinking that you can stretch out your late-night fun as long as you want just yet, though. The existing rules, which came into effect in July 2016, remain in force. That means that last drinks will be served at 2am at venues outside of the approved precincts, and shots will be banned after midnight, no matter what you're consuming. And, if you're knocking back a few beverages at home, grabbing your supplies before 10pm is still a necessity because any new bottle-os won't be able to trade any later. Via ABC News. Image: The Flying Cock.
You might have thought King George Square looked pretty fine during the day, and maybe a tad finer at night, but it's at twilight City Hall really shows off its colours. And what better backdrop to shop the evening away with, especially when the King George is filled with some of Brisbane's best designers and makers. The regular Brisbane Twilight Market shows off a sizeable array of stalls, all staffed by some pretty nifty and talented local artists. There will be an eclectic selection of handmade clothing, accessories, leather goods, paper goods, homewares and more on show. This market is all about sound, smell and sales — live music will provide a soundtrack to the evening, and expect to be hit with that spring flowerbed smell that always lingers when there's a soap stall around. Food stalls and a free craft workshop are also on the agenda, with 2019's slate of markets held on May 10, July 26, September 6 and November 30. Each event runs from 4–9pm, so take along some cash and stock up on all things crafty. Image: BrisStyle.
A month-long house party? A place where creative development is rife? A location where the rooms, hallways, nooks and niches are alive with creativity and curious ideas? An invitation so minimal but intriguing that you have no choice but to attend? Freerange 2012 is definitely ticking all the boxes, even though you aren’t sure exactly what it is – are you? Now in its seventh year of occurrence, Free Range will be supporting the next crop of emerging artists in a month long workshop. Giving an eclectic group of independent performance makers the opportunity to refine their work, whilst simultaneously also pushing their boundaries, it’s a great opportunity for both observers and participants alike. This year the new recruits will be pushed further than they ever thought possible with the added bonus of no chance of failure, kinda' like trampolining in a safety net. Or maybe not. I'm sure the group of creatives Metro Arts have gathered could think of a much better visual metaphor. Which is exactly why you should go visit their art-house-party extravaganza. Crazy things happen when you have no boundaries and aren’t limited to words.
The clown prince of crime is dancing all the way to the Oscars, with Joker topping the pool at this year's Academy Award nominations. It's the second year in a row that a comic book film has featured among the most prolific nominees, after Black Panther earned seven nods in 2019. As well as being the most-nominated movie in 2020 with 11 nominations, Joker is now the most-nominated superhero flick of all time — with the Joaquin Phoenix-starring movie beating the eight received by The Dark Knight, including Heath Ledger's posthumous Best Supporting Actor statuette for playing the same character. Remember when, back in 2018, the Oscars wanted to introduce a new Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film? When that was announced, the backlash was fast and furious, causing it to be scrapped — and if Joker's prominence this year and Black Panther's last year prove anything, it's that such a category really isn't needed. Plenty of other popular films sit alongside Joker in the 2020 nominations, with The Irishman, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and 1917 each nabbing ten apiece, and Little Women, Marriage Story and Jojo Rabbit earning six each. Also ratcheting up a half-dozen: the best movie of 2019, aka Bong Joon-ho's Parasite. Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Feature Film, Film Editing and Production Design, Parasite's big showing is historic — amazingly, it's the first South Korean movie to ever earn a nomination in the Oscars' 92-year history, including in the foreign-language category. Alas, while the film's recognition might seem like an important step forward, much of this year's major categories show little in the way of diversity among their nominees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AST2-4db4ic When the winners are announced on Monday, February 10, Australian and New Zealand time, no female filmmaker will be crowned the year's best director thanks to the field's all-male nominees. As Issa Rae noted as she read the nominations alongside John Cho, "congratulations to all those men". Greta Gerwig's Little Women apparently directed itself, for example, although the actor-turned-filmmaker did receive a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay. And, when the acting prizes are handed out, it's highly likely that they'll be given to a white performer. While the nominees don't quite repeat the #OscarsSoWhite controversy of four years ago, when no people of colour were recognised, only two earned nods this year: Antonio Banderas for his sublime performance in Pain and Glory, and Cynthia Erivo for biopic Harriet. Fancied contenders such as Hustlers' Jennifer Lopez, The Farewell's Golden Globe-winner Awkwafina, Us' Lupita Nyong'o and Dolemite Is My Name's Eddie Murphy were all shut out — as was The Farewell in general. Plus, while there was plenty of love of Parasite, that didn't extend to any of the movie's actors. Of course, the Oscars always serve up snubs and surprises. Another big shock: Adam Sandler missing out on a Best Actor nomination for fantastic thriller Uncut Gems. Sandler and the Academy Awards mightn't seem like obvious bedfellows, but the actor is in career-best form as a diamond jeweller and compulsive gambler. On the local front, Aussie Margot Robbie scored a nod for Best Supporting Actress for Bombshell, playing a reporter caught up in the sexual harassment scandals at Fox News, while New Zealander Taika Waititi received a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination for Jojo Rabbit. The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on Monday, February 10, Australian time. Here's the full list of nominations: OSCAR NOMINEES 2020 BEST MOTION PICTURE The Irishman Ford v Ferrari Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Parasite BEST DIRECTOR Martin Scorsese, The Irishman Bong Joon Ho, Parasite Sam Mendes, 1917 Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Todd Phillips, Joker PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story Saoirse Ronan, Little Women Charlize Theron, Bombshell Renee Zellweger, Judy Cynthia Erivo, Harriet PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Adam Driver, Marriage Story Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Joaquin Phoenix, Joker Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Laura Dern, Marriage Story Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit Margot Robbie, Bombshell Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell Florence Pugh, Little Women PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes Al Pacino, The Irishman Joe Pesci, The Irishman Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY 1917 Marriage Story Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Parasite Knives Out BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women The Irishman The Two Popes BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Joker Little Women Marriage Story 1917 Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker BEST ORIGINAL SONG I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away, Toy Story 4 (I'm Gonna) Love Me Again, Rocketman I'm Standing With You, Breakthrough Into the Unknown, Frozen 2 Stand Up, Harriet BEST FILM EDITING Ford v Ferrari The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Parasite BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Corpus Christi (Poland) Honeyland (North Macedonia) Les Miserables (France) Pain and Glory (Spain) Parasite (South Korea) BEST ANIMATED FEATURE How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World I Lost My Body Klaus Missing Link Toy Story 4 BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE American Factory The Cave The Edge of Democracy For Sama Honeyland BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY The Irishman Joker The Lighthouse 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN The Irishman Jojo Rabbit 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Parasite BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Avengers: Endgame The Irishman The Lion King 1917 Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker BEST COSTUME DESIGN The Irishman Jojo Rabbit Joker Little Women Once Upon a Time in Hollywood BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING Bombshell Joker Judy Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 1917 BEST SOUND MIXING Ad Astra Ford v Ferrari Joker 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood BEST SOUND EDITING Ford v Ferrari Joker 1917 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT In the Absence Learning to Skateboard In A Warzone Life Overtakes Me St Louis Superman Walk Run Cha-Cha BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM Dcera (Daughter) Hair Love Kitbull Memorable Sister BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Brotherhood Nefta Football Club The Neigbour's Window Saria A Sister
It's the season that originally wasn't going to happen, telling the story that's still ongoing IRL, wrapping up a seven-year run for a star-studded regal drama that's proven a royal hit. On Thursday, December 14, The Crown will come to an end with the final six episodes in its sixth and last go-around. The focus in the just-dropped trailer for this big wave goodbye: the changing attitudes towards the British monarchy and what Queen Elizabeth II (Imelda Staunton, Downton Abbey: A New Era) sacrificed when she became a sovereign. The Peter Morgan (The Queen)-created show's farewell began in mid-November, with the release of the first four episodes of season six. Accordingly, this final run also began by paying plenty of attention to the relationship between Princess Diana (Elizabeth Debicki, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) and Dodi Fayed (Khalid Abdalla, Moon Knight), including the tragic events of their trip to Paris. Now, the remainder of the season keeps exploring the aftermath to take the award-winning series to its conclusion. On the way: Prince William (Ed McVey) going back to Eton, then attending St Andrew's University and forming a crush on Kate Middleton (Meg Bellamy). The Crown's last hurrah will also include Princess Margaret's (Lesley Manville, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris) stroke and lifestyle changes, and the Queen entering her ninth decade, as well as what that means for Prince Charles (Dominic West, The Pursuit of Love). Stepping into William and Kate's shoes, McVey and Bellamy are both screen debutants playing a couple whose tale has never been away from the headlines — and digging into the part of this narrative that even those with zero interest in the royal family know from such incessant coverage. Season six's cast also includes Luther Ford (short Dream Between) as Prince Harry, Olivia Williams (The Father) as Camilla Parker Bowles, Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses) as Prince Philip, Claudia Harrison (Delicious) as Princess Anne and Bertie Carvel (Dagliesh) as Tony Blair. When The Crown began, it kicked off with Queen Elizabeth II's life from her marriage to Prince Philip back in 1947. The first season made its way to the mid-50s, the second season leapt into the 60s, and season three spanned all the way up to the late 70s. In season four, the royal family hit the 80s, while season five hopped to the 90s. News around the show's fifth and sixth seasons has changed a few times over the past few years. At the beginning of 2020, Netflix announced that it would end the royal drama after its fifth season. Then, the streaming platform had a change of heart, revealing it would continue the series for a sixth season after all. Check out the trailer for the second part of The Crown season six below: The second part of The Crown's sixth season will hit Netflix on Thursday, December 14. Images: Daniel Escale, Netflix / Leftbank.
In every generation, a slayer is born — and a new show about them, apparently. It's the reboot that was always bound to happen, with Buffy the Vampire Slayer set to head back to television. Wannabe vampire vanquishers, get your stakes ready. Twenty-one years after the last TV version first aired, the new take will both follow in its footsteps and add something fresh to the concept — think fighting bloodsuckers and demons, of course, plus using Buffy's supernatural calling as a metaphor for broader societal issues, but in contemporary times and with a diverse cast. While the show is still in writing stage, the role of Buffy herself is being written for a black actress according to The Hollywood Reporter. Writer Monica Owusu-Breen has been charged with the task of penning the reboot, with assistance from original writer Joss Whedon — who'll also serve as an executive producer. It's a reunion for the two, after they worked together on Marvel TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Owusu-Breen also has credits on everything from Charmed and Alias to Lost and Fringe on her resume. As for which members of the Scooby gang will be back, which vamps will make a reappearance, if it'll be set on Sunnydale's hellmouth, if a stuffy English librarian will be involved and whether there'll be a musical episode, it's still very early days — while the project is moving ahead, it doesn't yet have a TV network or streaming platform attached. And, if you're thinking that Buffy doesn't really need rebooting, remember that Whedon's Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring seven-season series originally remade the 1992 movie of the same name. Via The Hollywood Reporter.
For years, French wine has carried a reputation that's both revered and, let's be honest, a little intimidating. Grand Cru? Appellation d'Origine Protégée? It can all feel like a secret language. But beyond the codes and classifications lies a truth worth rediscovering: French wine is less about labels and more about land. And today, a new generation of producers is making that land speak louder — with clarity, purpose and a surprising accessibility that's finally reaching Australian tables. Read on for our guide to French wines, their Aussie lookalikes and what you should be drinking them with. The Loire: Fresh, Crisp and Perfect With Seafood Sauvignon blanc drinkers used to wines from the Adelaide Hills or Marlborough will find familiarity — and perhaps surprise — in the Loire's restrained, mineral expressions. Stretching from the Atlantic coast to the heart of central France, the Loire Valley produces some of the most food-friendly wines. It's one of the country's most diverse and dynamic regions, and one that pairs beautifully with Australia's seasonal, produce-driven cuisine. Sancerre, Reuilly and Pouilly-Fumé offer crisp, flinty sauvignon blancs that elevate seafood, fresh cheeses and vegetables with vibrant acidity. Ordering oysters at a restaurant? Skip the sparkling and go for a Loire sauvignon instead — it'll slice through the brininess with razor-sharp freshness. Quincy adds a floral, zesty touch, ideal with grilled fish or salads. For reds, cabernet franc brings a lighter touch: bright-fruited, low in tannin and full of charm. Pair it with charcuterie, grilled vegetables or a Sunday roast chicken. [caption id="attachment_1018160" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Parker Blain[/caption] Burgundy: Precision Rooted in Exceptional Terroir Pinot noir lovers from Tasmania or the Mornington Peninsula will feel at home, but Burgundy adds a savoury depth that's worth exploring. If Bordeaux built its prestige on boldness, Burgundy built its legacy on nuance. Here, pinot noir and chardonnay are the stars — two grapes Australians already know well, but in Burgundy they show another side. Pinot noir here is savoury, earth-driven and age-worthy. If you love Tasmanian pinot, you'll recognise the elegance but with less fruit and more mushroom, spice and forest floor. It's perfect with duck breast, mushroom risotto or soft cheeses such as brie. Chardonnay shifts depending on its village — from steely and mineral in Chablis (picture it with freshly shucked prawns and grilled fish) to rich and nutty in Meursault (ideal with lobster, roast chicken or creamy pasta). [caption id="attachment_688735" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kristoffer Paulsen[/caption] The Rhône Valley: Warmth, Spice and Balance Fans of Barossa shiraz or GSM blends from McLaren Vale will find Rhône reds comfortingly familiar — but with lifted aromatics and distinctly European restraint. Stretching from Lyon to Avignon, the Rhône produces wines that feel instantly relatable to Australian palates: bold yet balanced, sun-drenched but structured. In the south, grenache-led blends like Châteauneuf-du-Pape offer layers of fruit, spice and silky tannins — perfect with chargrilled lamb or slow-cooked vegetables. In the north, syrah reigns supreme: savoury, peppery and elegant. If you love Barossa shiraz, it will feel like its leaner, spicier cousin. Pair it with beef fillet, venison, roast duck or smoky eggplant dishes. Champagne: Beyond the Big Names Champagne might be the classic aperitif, but in France, it's also a food wine. A glass of brut with oysters or tempura? Perfect. A bottle of rosé champagne alongside salmon, duck or a summer berry dessert? Even better. Vintage champagne, made only in exceptional years, pairs beautifully with richer dishes like lobster, scallops or truffle risotto. Extra brut — bone-dry and precise — cuts through fried chicken or chargrilled seafood with ease. For Australians, the closest comparison is Tasmania's boutique sparkling scene, where grower champagnes offer freshness and complexity without the flash. If you normally reach for prosecco or Tassie fizz, try champagne in its many forms — brut for starters, rosé with mains or vintage for something special. The renewed interest in French wine isn't about prestige — it's about connection. Just as Australians have embraced minimal-intervention wines from regions like the Adelaide Hills or Margaret River, they're now discovering that many French producers follow a similar ethos. While big names still dominate shelves, smaller importers are fuelling the renaissance. One such importer is Aptent Gourmet, a Sydney-based team whose portfolio spans the Loire, Burgundy, Champagne and the Rhône — all chosen for their focus on small-scale, sustainable farming and wines that reflect people as much as place. Ready to trial a French drop at your next dinner? Explore our favourite French restaurants in Melbourne and French restaurants in Sydney. Images: Supplied
Across most of Australia, no one expects to feel particularly warm in June. Even in Brisbane, the temperature always starts to dip before midyear hits. But, just days into winter 2021, the frostiest part of the calendar is making sure that Aussies along the east coast definitely feel the cold — so rugging up is recommended for the next week. The country's southeast is expected to be especially chilly, as you might have already started to realise if you're located in Sydney or Melbourne. The Bureau of Meteorology advises that icy air has been heading up from the Southern Ocean, and it's bringing rain, wind and snow with it. In New South Wales, that means cold, wet and windy conditions for most of the state from Tuesday, June 8, plus snow in sections of the northern and central Tablelands — and alpine areas — on Wednesday, June 9 and Thursday, June 10. In Melbourne, don't expect temperatures higher than 13 degrees on Tuesday and Wednesday, or above 16 degrees until Sunday, June 13. https://twitter.com/BOM_au/status/1401658919659917317 Discussing the colder conditions on Sunday, June 6, BOM meteorologist Sarah Scully said that "there is a very strong cold front that's forecast to move across southeastern Australia across Monday and Tuesday" — and "on and beyond that cold front, we're forecasting widespread showers, small hail and isolated thunderstorms." The cold front is expected to move east through NSW and Victoria on Monday and Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, snow is expected to drop to low levels "through parts of Tasmania, Victoria and alpine areas of NSW." From Tuesday night onwards, a complex low pressure area is forecast to develop over the southern part of NSW, then move off the east coast and intensify — bringing a band of rain across the eastern seaboard. That's anticipated to stretch right up from Tasmania to southeast Queensland. "It's a very cold pool of air, so there's the potential for small hail and thunderstorms as well, and showers, and also snow down to low levels," said Scully. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1401701952052994054 So, Sydneysiders, get ready for minimums as low as eight degrees, showers from late Tuesday until Friday, June 11, and a maximum of 15 degrees on Thursday, June 10. In Melbourne, as well as the low top temps mentioned above, the minimum will hit six degrees on Wednesday, and showers are forecast from Tuesday–Thursday. Damaging winds are also expected in southern and alpine regions. Brisbane has been feeling chillier than usual for a few days, thanks to a cool change that was forecast last week. Back when winter started, BOM noted that there was "an outside chance" that the Granite Belt could get snow this week — but Brisbane is in for eight-degree minimums regardless from Thursday–Sunday, and a maximum of just 18 degrees on Thursday as well. https://twitter.com/BOM_Qld/status/1399558171740442627 Of course, while these are BOM's forecasts as issued up until today, Monday, June 7, conditions may change — so keep an eye on the Bureau's website for the most up-to-date information. For latest weather forecasts, head to the Bureau of Meteorology website.
They call it Tina — The Tina Turner Musical, oh Tina — The Tina Turner Musical — and it's finally coming to Australia. After premiering in London back in 2018, this stage ode to the music icon that's had Aussies dancing to 'Nutbush City Limits' for decades is making its way Down Under, locking in its first local stint in Sydney from May 2023. No, it isn't taking to the stage in a church house, gin house, school house or outhouse — or on highway number 19, either. But Tina — The Tina Turner Musical will obviously have Theatre Royal Sydney enjoying Turner's greatest hits in one massive show. The list of musical numbers includes 'Nutbush City Limits', naturally, as well as everything from 'River Deep, Mountain High' and 'Proud Mary' through to 'Private Dancer' and 'What's Love Got to Do with It?'. Tina — The Tina Turner Musical will open on Thursday, May 4, 2023, heading our way after also playing Hamburg, on Broadway, and in Utrecht and Madrid — and touring North America in 2022. Penned by Tony Award-nominee and Pulitzer Prize-winner Katori Hall, plus Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins, and directed by fellow Tony-nominee Phyllida Lloyd, Tina — The Tina Turner Musical clearly has quite the story to tell. The show steps through Turner's life and fame, including growing up in Nutbush, Tennessee, the hard work that led to her career, all of those aforementioned hits, her 12 Grammy Awards, her volatile time with Ike Turner and her huge solo success. If you're a fan, Turner herself summed it up — yes, it's simply the best. Images: Daniel Boud.
We all have a family story to tell, but we can't all tell it like Sarah Polley. The actor known for such films as Dawn of the Dead and Splice and director of quietly acclaimed features Take This Waltz and Away From Her has turned her hand to documentary with Stories We Tell, and it's been demanding attention from festival audiences around the world. Unfortunately, it's one of those films that it's best to know as little of as possible when you go in, so there's going to be little in the way of synopsis here. Suffice to say, Polley's primary interest is her mother, Diane Polley, a casting agent, thwarted actress and extrovert who relished the escape from home life that came with roles on the stage. She died in 1990, when Sarah was 11, leaving behind a web of secrets that lay hidden for many years — until her daughter grew up and started to pull at the threads. How a film with such an ostensibly narrow focus can be so compelling to so many viewers is one of those wonders of cinema. It just is. Polley has a great cast of characters in her life to work with (every member of her family is interviewed, at length), but the magic of this movie is ultimately in her storytelling. The film is wittily edited, warm and sensitive to all parties. It has a lightness of touch as might be expected of a distant observer, but all the unguarded reflection that comes from being intimate with her subject. There's a lot of technique to it. Polley reminds us of her own directorial presence constantly: Her father Michael is also the narrator, and we see her barking commands at him in the audio booth. The grainy '80s Super 8 footage that runs throughout cannot be trusted. The nature of 'truth' is being examined, and not just because it suits postmodern obsessions — in this case, it matters to people's lives. And yet (thankfully) these intellectual enquiries don't crowd out the human drama. The result is simply the most enthralling, idiosyncratic and entertaining family memoir around. https://youtube.com/watch?v=ytq4VZ2Nyxg
One of the most poorly kept secrets of the year has finally been confirmed: The Cure, patron saints of bedroom dancing and boys in eyeliner, are officially coming to Sydney as part of the Vivid Live lineup. The legendary new-wave '80s band will be playing two shows, entitled 'Reflections,' at the Sydney Opera House on May 31 and June 1. The shows will see the band play three of their most influential albums in their entirety: Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds and Faith. Get out your black trench coats and tease up your hair, The Cure are a-coming. Around for more than thirty years, The Cure have had over a dozen line-ups, but it's their earlier albums which have become their most definitive, with their dark and melancholy melodies treasured by generations of goths and boys who don't, but might, cry. In an almost-original lineup, front man Robert Smith will be accompanied by Simon Gallup and Jason Cooper for the performance of Three Imaginary Boys, while the original drummer Lol Tollhurst will come on stage for the performance of Seventeen Seconds and Faith. Rumours that the band were due to appear at Vivid began last week, but it was only when Stephen Pavlovic, 2011's festival curator, rocked up to FBi Radio and played a Cure track, and then proceeded to neither confirm nor deny the possible appearance of The Cure, that the rumours entered into the realm of the bleeding obvious. https://youtube.com/watch?v=xik-y0xlpZ0
Last November Jim Finn, of Art vs Science fame, launched his solo project Vydamo with the single 'Gonna Make It', a user-friendly, catchy little anthem of a hit that almost fooled me into thinking the New Radicals had finally followed up their '90s one-hit wonder 'Get What You Give'. But this is real music that is real fun or, as Richard Kingsmill of triple j puts it, this guy (and this music) is "extremely likeable". Vydamo will kick off his first tour this Friday, April 19, when he plays to Sydneysiders at OAF before heading south for a Saturday at the Toff in Melbourne. Next weekend Brisbane will get their taste of Jim Finn solo and live at Alhambra on April 27. Art vs. Science first got our attention in 2008 with the call-and-response dance number 'Flippers'. The dynamic little three-piece have been on the up ever since, and with their most comprehensive tour of the States coming up in June, it could well be worth your while to catch their frontman doing his thing before it starts costing you $200 a pop. We have three double passes to Vydamo gigs in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email us with your name and postal address at hello@concreteplayground.com.au. https://youtube.com/watch?v=weZwxAv9j4I
Think Lunar New Year, and you likely think Chinatown. That understandable — but it's not the only Fortitude Valley spot celebrating the occasion. Over at Bakery and California lanes, the two patches of pavement are putting on a Lunar New Year party. There'll be food. There'll be booze. There'll be lion dances and live music as well. From 6pm on Saturday, January 21, the festivities for the Year of the Rabbit will get into full swing with a lively laneway shindig. Fat Dumpling will be serving up its titular dish (naturally), Gung Ho! Dumpling Ramen Bar will also help fill your stomach, and Chicken of Rock and Jeon's Kitchen will similarly be doing their respective things. Also on offer: cocktails and other boozy beverages at the two laneways' bars, complete with flavours to suit the occasion. All that celebrating is thirsty work, after all. Plus, there'll be lion dances and traditional Chinese music — and you're just a short stroll from the rest of the Valley's celebrations, including in the Brunswick Street Mall, too. Top image: Fat Dumpling.
Skip the airfare but enjoy the party: that's the wallet-friendly outcome when Don't Let Daddy Know makes its Australian debut this summer. First held in Ibiza in 2012, the dance music festival has spread to 20 countries around the world since, including events in the UK, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, India, Belgium and The Netherlands. Now, it has just announced its first trip Down Under. Next stops: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. DLDK will hit Australia's east coast in January 2024, on a three-stop tour over one big weekend. The tunes will start at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday, January 12, then take over Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday, January 13, before hitting up Eatons Hill Outdoors on Sunday, January 14. While getting everyone feeling like they're on an island in the Mediterranean Sea isn't an easy task, DLDK will be letting its tunes take care of the vibe. Enter a lineup featuring AFROJACK, Timmy Trumpet, MORTEN and Sub Zero Project, as well as RESTRICTED, Dimatik and Bobby Neon. So, that means dancing to 'Take Over Control', 'Freaks', 'Domestic', 'Darkest Hour' and more, at a festival that's dedicated to pairing well-known dance music names with up and comers. Australia keeps welcoming local stints for well-known overseas fests and parties, after This Never Happened Presents made its first Aussie visit this winter, and also Palm Tree Music Festival in autumn. DON'T LET DADDY KNOW 2024 AUSTRALIAN DATES: Friday, January 12 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Saturday, January 13 — Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne Sunday, January 14 — Eatons Hill Outdoors, Brisbane DON'T LET DADDY KNOW 2024 AUSTRALIAN LINEUP: AFROJACK Timmy Trumpet MORTEN Sub Zero Project RESTRICTED Bobby Neon Dimatik Don't Let Daddy Know will tour Australia in January 2024. Ticket pre sales start from 12pm local time on Wednesday, October 11, with general sales from 12pm local time on Tuesday, October 17 — head to the festival's website for further details.
Imagine waking up one day with the realisation that all your favourite foods are the reason you’ve been sick and as a result will have to be culled from your diet. No more pizza pasta smorgasbords, no more Mexican fiestas, no more delicious chocolate binges. Or so you may have thought. But fear not dear coeliacs, your world needn’t come to an end. Instead it must simply modify. Due to the rise in popularity of this particular 21st century disorder, eating options for those with coeliacs are no longer limited to one shelf in the health food aisle of Woolworths. Instead there are gluten free varieties of the majority of foods, while restaurants are also adapting their menus. For those with coeliacs or those just wanting to stay informed, the perfect opportunity is at hand. Coeliac Queensland are presenting the 2012 Gluten Free Food Expo over two exciting days on May 11 and 12. With a whole host of activities to enjoy and information to absorb, the event is a great learning (and tasting) opportunity. To top it off, they’ll also be serving delicious foods like sweet potato, rosemary, brie and onion jam pizza and caramel coated popcorn. If you’re newly diagnosed, don’t fret. Instead go on an excursion to the RNA Showgrounds. Your tastebuds will thank you.
It's already Australia's largest shopping centre by a long shot, and yet Melbourne's Chadstone continues to grow, unveiling plans to incorporate a $130 million luxury hotel. Vicinity Centres, the property group behind the monster retail destination, has announced that work will begin on the MGallery by Sofitel hotel within a matter of months. Once completed, the site will be managed by the country's biggest hotel operator, Accor Hotels. It's no small project either, with the 13-storey hotel set to feature 250 rooms, a 400-capacity ballroom, two restaurants and a bar. With acclaimed Melbourne architects Bates Smart heading up the design, the aim is for this to be Australia's first five-star Green Star-rated hotel. Located close to Chadstone on the Princes Highway, the development will also boast views of the city skyline, and across to the Dandenong Ranges and Port Phillip Bay. According to Vicinity Centres' Executive General Manager of Development Carolyn Viney, the hotel will reap the benefits of Chadstone's annual 23 million visitor count, which is thought to include a huge 350,000 international tourists. "Importantly, the hotel will create new jobs and drive local tourism, further contributing to the economic and social viability of a new CBD hub for the Chadstone-Monash corridor," Viney said. MGallery by Sofitel is expected to open in Chadstone in late 2019.
Good times are coming Down Under in October, and disco-soul hit 'Good Times', too. As well as locking in spots at 2023's Harvest Rock in Adelaide and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Nile Rodgers & Chic are doing their own headline tour. Ah, Brisbane, get ready to freak out on Friday, October 20 at the Fortitude Music Hall. Not only 'Good Times' but also 'Le Freak' is certain to get a whirl when the one and only Rodgers takes to the stage with the group that he co-founded more than five decades ago. Also on their recent setlists: Chic tracks 'Everybody Dance', 'Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)' and 'I Want Your Love'. [caption id="attachment_916215" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Alex Marshall via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] Mention Chic and Rodgers instantly springs to mind; however, as a guitarist, the latter is in a league of his own. You'll also know his work on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, including single 'Get Lucky'. And as a writer and producer, he's had a hand in everything from David Bowie's Let's Dance album to Madonna's 'Like a Virgin'. Accordingly, Nile Rodgers & Chic gigs are known to bust out tracks from across Rodgers' career beyond Chic. Cue 'Get Lucky' and its earworm of a guitar riff, both 'Let's Dance' and the always-delightful 'Modern Love' by Bowie, and also a Madonna double of 'Like a Virgin' and 'Material Girl'. Because Rodgers and late, great fellow Chic member Bernard Edwards were involved in writing, composing and/or producing them, Diana Ross' 'I'm Coming Out' and 'Upside Down' also get a spin, plus Sister Sledge's 'He's the Greatest Dancer' and 'We Are Family'.
Few dining experiences compare to a traditional omakase, where highly trained Japanese chefs decide what to serve diners and make their food right in front of them. It's a gastronomical performance like no other. And Chef Kimura, one of the best omakase chefs in the world, has left his Tokyo restaurant (which has received two Michelin stars five years in a row) to bring his particular take on the experience — specifically, jukusei-sushi (aged sushi) — to Australia. This November, the hospo heavyweight — and third-generation sushi chef — will be taking over the kitchens at Sydney's 20-seat Sushi E (on Saturday, November 5) and Byron Bay hot spot Raes on Wategos (on Tuesday, November 8 and Wednesday, November 9). What's needed to attain the skill of jukusei-sushi? Enough patience, determination and intuition to put most to shame. More complex than simply knowing how long to age each fish for — 12 days for mehikari, for example — it's learning what to do with each species' unique traits. Few can do what Chef Kimura does, as well as he does it. Getting a table at his restaurant in Japan is renowned for being almost impossible, so you'll want to nab a seat at one of these dining experiences, stat. Tickets are going for $300 at Sushi E and $325 in Byron Bay. Chef Kimura will take up residence at Sushi E on Saturday, November 5, across five sittings. Further north, he will be hitting the kitchen at Raes on Wategos for four sittings across Tuesday, November 8 and Wednesday, November 9.
Since Saturday, July 31, 11 Local Government Areas in and around Greater Brisbane have been back in lockdown, with new locally acquired COVID-19 cases identified in the region. The first case was linked to Indooroopilly State High School and, unsurprisingly, the list of exposure sites has been growing ever since — especially across Brisbane's western suburbs. You know the drill from here, because naming locations and venues that positive coronavirus cases have visited is key element of Queensland's containment strategy, and has been since early 2020. The list has been expanding rapidly over the weekend, and includes one big and notable venue — one that's been named an exposure site a few times now. Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, aka the biggest shopping centre in Brisbane's west, is the highest-profile location to join the list over the weekend. A positive case visited Indro on Thursday, July 29, with seven specific shops within the centre identified as exposure sites. If you went to Myer between 8.50–9.30am, Seed Heritage from 9.20–9.35am, Target between 9.25–9.50am, H&M from 9.45–10.10am, Target again from 10–10.15am, Kmart between 10.10–10.45am, Stacks Discount Store from 10.35–10.50am and/or Country Road between 10.45–11am, you've been at a close contact spot. That means that you need to get tested ASAP and then self-isolate, regardless of whether you receive a negative result — and you'll need to remain in isolation for 14 days, too. Two sets of female toilets at the centre are on the list as well — on level two near Forever New from 8.45–8.50am and on level one near JB Hi-Fi from 10.50–10.55am. They're casual contact spots, so folks who were also there at the same time will need to get tested and self-quarantine until they receive a negative result. Indooroopilly Shopping Centre has also been named as a low-risk venue from 8.30–11am and 3.10–3.30pm on Thursday, July 29, which requires getting tested ASAP, then monitoring for symptoms. https://twitter.com/qldhealthnews/status/1421766009023700992 Other places of note currently named as exposure sites include two spots at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, multiple areas of the University of Queensland, Aldi at Oxley, Coles at Moggill, and a heap of bus routes. Schools are a big focus this time, with not only Indooroopilly State High School but also Ironside State School, St Peters Lutheran College, Brisbane Boys Grammar and Brisbane Girls Grammar also identified. For the full list, head to the Queensland Health website. As always, the usual advice regarding COVID-19 applies anyway. So, requests regarding social distancing, hygiene and getting tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms in general are still in effect, as they have since March 2020. Queensland currently has 53 active cases as last reported on Sunday, August 1. Residents of the 11 LGAs under lockdown are currently only permitted to leave their homes for four permitted reasons; however, getting tested for COVID-19 is one of them. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in Queensland, head to the Queensland COVID-19 hub and the Queensland Health website. Top image: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons.
Palo Alto should come with a warning: may cause optic nerve damage as a result of excessive eye-rolling. Adapted from a collection of semi-autobiographical short stories by Instagram-age Renaissance man James Franco, the film marks the directorial debut of 26-year-old Gia Coppola, the granddaughter and niece of filmmakers Francis Ford and Sofia, respectively. A portrait of teenage disaffection, it's a film that attempts to capture the aimlessness, the angst and the self-aggrandised melancholy of youth. That it more or less succeeds in that goal is a big part of what makes it so unbearable. Emma Robert and newcomer Jack Kilmer play April and Teddy, a pair of brooding high schoolers absorbed by personal drama. He's a delinquent skater who's actually an unappreciated artist; she's the neglected daughter of self-absorbed parents who begins an affair with her creepy soccer coach (Franco). Meanwhile, Teddy's best bud Fred (Nate Wolff) finds himself drawn to increasingly anti-social behaviour to hide his insecurities, while another classmate Emily (Zoe Levine) turns to sex in order to hide her own. While Coppola and Franco do their best to depict the nuances of teenage ennui, their interlocking stories end up bringing little new material to what is already an over-saturated genre. Likewise, while the mannerisms of the characters feel pretty accurate, the kids ultimately come across more like ciphers than real people. There's little insight into why they do the things that they do, other than they're bored, perhaps, or feel entitled. Or maybe the world just, like, doesn't understand. Coppola's direction shows promise, only to fall into indie film cliché. Midnight strolls through deserted streets look as though they've been pulled from a Smashing Pumpkins music video circa 1996, while some of the visual metaphors — Fred driving the wrong way down the freeway, for example — are way too obvious to be profound. Despite this stumble, there's enough in Palo Alto to suggest the youngest Coppola may have a future ahead of her. You'd be less inclined to be charitable towards Franco, whose aggressive desire to be taken seriously makes it basically impossible to do so. https://youtube.com/watch?v=sTqMUu1iTIo
They're no Virgin Oceanic submarine, but the the new U-Boat Worx - the 'personal submarines for yacht and tourism' - might just have to suffice for those ordinary folk among us who are desirous of exploring the depths of the ocean but who suffer the misfortune of not being Richard Branson. That being said, however, by 'ordinary folk' it is of course meant those with a spare $100,000 odd to spend on this underwater charter. There are two U-Boats available - the C-Questers and the C-Explorers - both offering a 360 degree view of the deep through fully acrylic hubs, and a minimum 100m depth (the C-Explorers range from 100m-1000m in depth, whereas the C-Questers stay above the 100m mark). The C-Explorer family is geared more towards professional pursuits, whereas the C-Quester subs provide their leisurely-minded passengers with 8 hours of air conditioned glee in the sea. For your $100,000, U-Boat Worx will transport the sub from their base in Norway to anywhere in the world, and bring with it support staff, insurance and parts. It's costly, but then again, Water Walking Balls are child's play. U-Boat Worx is the real, submerged deal.
Decking your halls with boughs of holly is for Christmastime. Sprucing up your chosen joint with other types of greenery — that's a year-round activity. Why not deck your coffee table with pots of cacti? Adorn your bathroom shelves with planters filled with succulents? Or brighten up your loved ones' homes with whichever leafy morsel you think they'll love. Whichever you choose, you'll find whatever you're looking for at the The Lanes Plant and Homewares Market. It takes over Fortitude Valley's Bakery, Winn and California Lanes on three Saturdays across 2019. Head along on May 11, just in time for Mother's Day; September 18, so you can welcome in spring; and November 16, if you're keen on a stint of early Christmas shopping. Kicking off at 9am, stallholders will be slinging the likes of plants, flowers, kokedamas, ceramics, candles and homewares, with My Botanical Lab, Max and Mort, Alice Nightingale and Bonnie Hislop among the sellers. You can also take part in a macrame workshops, watch a terrarium demonstration and get your plants potted onsite. And the laneways' various cafes and eateries will be open, of course. Images: Max and Mort.
Frances Ha is like a Woody Allen comedy, with Greta Gerwig as Woody Allen. She wrote this script together with director (and love friend) Noah Baumbach (Greenberg). Even if you really, really can't stand films/TV/books about self-involved, twenty-something-year-old white people trying to figure their lives out, this one is poised to charm. Larger than life, socially awkward and totally "undatable", Frances Halladay is one of the most loveable characters you'll meet this year. Her 28th year ends up being a difficult one, as her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) drifts away and she misses out on a position at the dance company she's been training with, but she remains the optimist. Filmed in dreamy black-and-white and also starring Girls' Adam Driver, Frances Ha is full of a scruffy joy that will have you dancing to Bowie's 'Modern Love' for days and days. Frances Ha is in cinemas on August 15 and thanks to Transmission Films, we have ten double passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to our newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address.
'Success' in the music world isn't the easiest word to define (being only slightly less tricky than 'indie rock'), but it's hard to think of a description that Bloc Party would fall outside the parameters of. They've released four commercially successful albums (the most recent being last year's assertive Four), they defy decades with a unique blend of razor-edged sonics and catchy pop hooks, and they're still really cool. This March the East London art rock quartet are hitting Future Music Festival (where they sit directly opposite Steve Aoki near the top of the impressive line-up), and have just announced a string of satellite shows too. It'll be the band's first appearance following a hiatus in 2009 when singer/guitarist Kele Okereke moved to Berlin to focus on his solo work. Four marks a return to the sound that first shot Bloc Party to fame nearly ten years ago, which means angular guitars on top of anthems on top of anthems. https://youtube.com/watch?v=p1CSMdDIRGg
Your flights are booked, your bags are packed and your holiday excitement/anxiety has begun. And the last thing you want to be doing is dropping a stack of spending money on getting to the airport, either in a cab or — for those lucky enough to have an airport rail link this century — on the train. So, you'll be happy to know that, on Friday, July 26, ride share service Ola is offering its customers a pretty sweet deal. It isn't just reducing the price of trips to major Australian airports, as it has done before. This time, it's making the journey for free, up to a total value of $30 per ride. Customers in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and the Gold Coast can score the budget-friendly trip all day, as long as you're one of the first 1000 rides booked using the Ola app. If your journey clocks in at over $30, the extra distance will be charged at the usual price. You'll be given an estimate of your fare when you book, and tolls will also be at an extra cost. Depending on how far away from the airport you live, the $30 deal mightn't get you all the way there; however it will still save some precious cash from your travel budget — or let you use those funds for something more fun than transport. It's worth noting that the offer only applies to journeys to the airport, so don't count on it after you disembark at the other end. To take advantage of the special, you'll need to sign up to Ola and download the app, and use the code OLAVFF. And if you're wondering why Ola is feeling so generous, that's because it has just teamed up with Velocity Frequent Flyer. If you're a member of the latter, you can now earn points on every Ola ride — one point for each $1 spent on everyday rides, and two points for every $1 you fork out on rides to and from the airport. Ola's airport offer is valid for the first 1000 rides booked on Friday, July 26.
Another of your childhood favourites is making the leap from movie to stage musical — this time, the Robin Williams-starring Mrs Doubtfire. The theatre production will once again follow the plight of a divorced dad and struggling actor who's desperate to see his kids, and so dresses up as a kindly English nanny in order to spend time with them. Originally based on Anne Fine's best-selling novel Alias Madame Doubtfire, the 1993 film won two Golden Globes — for best musical or comedy, and for best actor in a musical or comedy for Williams — as well as an Oscar for best makeup. Just when the stage musical version will be giving audiences hot flashes yet to be announced, the creative team of director Jerry Zaks, and writers John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick (book) plus Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick (music and lyrics) will take on the task of bringing the beloved flick to Broadway. Between them, they boast an impressive history. Zaks has won four Tonys, including for the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls, and also has Little Shop of Horrors, Le Cage aux Folles, A Bronx Tale, Sister Act and Hello, Dolly! on his resume. As for the writing team, they're behind nine-time Tony nominee Something Rotten!. If the project sounds familiar, that's because it was originally mooted back in 2015, but with different folks behind the scenes. This time, however, the musical seems set to forge ahead — unlike the film sequel that was planned in the early 00s, but didn't ever come to fruition. And no, Arrested Development's homage (aka Tobias Funke's Mrs Featherbottom) doesn't really count. If it wasn't evident before this news, then it is now — the combination of nostalgically remembering enjoyable flicks from years gone by and adding songs to the mix seems to be a licence to print money. In recent years, everything from Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Bring It On and Mean Girls has made the leap to the stage, plus The Bodyguard, Amelie, Waitress, Muriel's Wedding and Moulin Rouge!. A stage version of The Devil Wears Prada is also in the works, as well as Empire Records. Via Entertainment Weekly / Playbill.
While seeing fruit mince pies in your local shopping centre in October feels downright disturbing, there's one Christmas treat that no one ever minds arriving early: Four Pillars annual Christmas Gin. The third iteration of the Healesville distillery's seasonal sip is coming in strong, set to hit shelves next Saturday, November 3. It's the delicious result of a yearly tradition that sees a bunch of Christmas puddings — handmade with the owner's family recipe — distilled with various festive botanicals to create a sought-after tipple that pretty much screams December 25. The flavours of an Aussie Christmas are captured in notes of cinnamon, star anise, juniper, coriander and angelica. The Christmas gin is then blended with some earlier gin that's been carefully ageing in old muscat barrels. It's all finished with a hit of Rutherglen muscat and some of Four Pillars' own matured muscat for a bit of added richness and complexity. Each year, a new unique label is chosen to wrap up this Christmas creation, setting out to evoke that same festive spirit. 2018's bottle design is the work of Stephen Baker, the Melbourne artist responsible for the mural outside Fitzroy Pool and one of the Art Trams currently rattling around the city. The bottle is decorated with his bold geometric shapes and bright hues of bathers by the pool, and pretty much nails the feel of a hot and summery Aussie Christmas. The distillers recommend you drink it in a Christmassy G&T with grapefruit sherbet and star anise, or a cobbler with lemon, muscat and a bit of sugar. Or you can just splash a bit of it on your Christmas pudding — Four Pillars is selling its own four-serve puds for $25 alongside the gin. If you want to nab a bottle, have your fingers poised over the 'buy' button when they go on sale online on November 3. Alternatively, you can stop by the distillery's CBD pop-up on level six of Myer, or Four Pillars HQ in Healesville. Bottles are $100 a pop and you can get it shipped in a copper gift box (with a stirring spoon) for an extra $15. Four Pillars Christmas Gin is available from November 3, in selected retail stores and online. But you'd best be quick — there's only a limited amount of bottles.
With the Beauty and the Beast musical on its way to Australia, a major exhibition focusing on fairy tales as well, and the live-action version of The Little Mermaid set to swim into cinemas, 2023 is shaping up to be a big year for enchanting stories. Here's something else to add to that list: MIDNIGHT — The Fairytale Begins..., a new Australian musical that's been in development for six years and will make its debut in Melbourne come winter. The onstage romantic comedy actually takes its cues from a well-known favourite, and one that's been doing the rounds of Aussie theatres in 2022, with Cinderella its inspiration. But MIDNIGHT — The Fairytale Begins... doesn't just tell the familiar narrative the same way as everyone already knows, instead giving it an update. In a production that'll feature Australian musical theatre stars Lucy Durack (Wicked, Legally Blonde, Shrek), Verity Hunt-Ballard (Mary Poppins, Sweet Charity), Thomas McGuane (Frozen, Jersey Boys), Matt Lee (Mary Poppins, Frozen) and Kristie Nguy, MIDNIGHT — The Fairytale Begins...'s heroine Ella doesn't want a prince to sweep her off her feet, even an apparent Prince Charming. But the latter is besotted, and the clock is ticking — with plenty needing to click before the stroke of midnight. The aim: "to create a fully formed, funny, complex heroine for a new generation, and to create the definitive musical version of this magical, evergreen tale", explains co-director Dean Murphy (Charlie & Boots, The Divorce). "The Cinderella story has been retold for hundreds of years with the most widely known version being written in 1950 and reflecting the sensibilities of that era. So, a number of our team with young children felt it was time the world of Cinderella was freshly revisited to explore how this intriguing girl became an icon, but told through a new, empowering story that sees this force-of-nature fight for great change whilst still embracing the love, support and magic from those around her," he continued. "Whilst we still have some of the beloved fairytale characters, there are many new surprises that we know will delight audiences," said producer Spencer McLaren (Dive Club, Puffs the Play, Mother & Son). "MIDNIGHT has many Broadway-style showstoppers that people will be singing for years to come and a world-class cast including Lucy Durack as Ms Madrina, Verity Hunt-Ballard as Madame Bellington, Thomas McGuane as the Prince and Matt Lee as his trusted aide Andre. The coveted role of Ella is still being cast with a nation-wide search underway," he added. Originally slated to premiere in 2020 before the pandemic hit, the new musical will debut at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre from June 2023, and boasts music and lyrics by John Foreman (Aussie Pops Orchestra, Carols By Candlelight) and Anthony Costanzo (Life's A Circus, Cross Roads) — plus an additional song by Kate Miller-Heidke (Muriel's Wedding). Billed as an all-ages affair, it hails from Murphy and co-writer/director Pip Mushin (Resident: Book of Mormon, Fiddler on the Roof), and features choreography by Kelly Aykers (So You Think You Can Dance, The Wizard of Oz, Barnum) — with McLaren, Murphy and Craig Donnell (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Grease — The Musical, The Sound of Music) producing. Exact Melbourne season dates haven't yet been revealed, but tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday, November 11. Whether MIDNIGHT — The Fairytale Begins... will head to other Australian cities after its premiere run also hasn't been announced, but that gives fairy tale, musical, theatre and rom-com fans elsewhere something to wish for to their fairy godmother. MIDNIGHT — The Fairytale Begins... will premiere in June 2023 at Melbourne's Comedy Theatre. For more information, or to join the waitlist for tickets before they go on sale at 9am on Friday, November 11, head to the production's website. Images: Wayne Taylor.
Day in, day out, Pig 'N' Whistle Brunswick Street serves up beer. Every day of the week until at least 11pm, in fact. But only Saturday, January 28 will see the long-standing Fortitude Valley venue turn its love of yeasty, hoppy beverages into an afternoon-long beer festival. That fest? Beer Festival on Brunswick. Here, beer lovers can sip plenty of brews, obviously. While the full beer lineup is being revealed gradually, you can start looking forward to tipples from Gage Roads Brewing co, Last Man Standing, Newstead Brewing Co, BrewDog, Young Henrys, Balter Brewing, Sea Legs and Big Drop Brewing Co — aka some of the best breweries that Australia has to offer. Beer Festival on Brunswick kicks off at 12pm, running through till 6pm, with listening to the Triple J Hottest 100 followed by live music on the bill as well — because what's a festival without a soundtrack? Entry is free, although you'll need your wallet to buy more than a few drinks, which are available via tokens. Buy three in advance for $25, pair them with a bowl of wings for $40, or nab five for $45 or ten for $85.
Chocolates and flowers may be Valentine's Day staples, but they're also among the easiest gifts you can give your special someone. Booking a getaway doesn't require too much additional effort; however, it's certainly more exciting — and it doesn't have to fall on February 14. No one has been travelling far to take a romantic vacation over the past year, so you and your significant other have probably spent the majority of 2020 in your own state — and much of 2021 so far, too — thanks to interstate border restrictions. But if you're keen to take your date somewhere other than your own backyard, Virgin Australia is selling flight deals for couples. They're available to multiple destinations around the country, with the cheap flights starting at $69 each for a one-way ticket. Hang on, Virgin? Yes. The same airline that, less than 12 months ago, entered voluntary administration. It has since been sold to US private investment firm Bain Capital, launched a comeback sale in early July and its voluntary administration officially ended on Tuesday, November 17. Virgin's current Say 'I Do' to Valentine's Day sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 17 — or until sold out. In the sale, you'll find cheap flights on a number of routes to destinations across the country, with travel dates spanning May and June this year. If you've been waiting to book your first getaway of 2021, now might be the time. The discounted economy flights include seat selection and checked baggage. Some of the routes on offer include Sydney to the Gold Coast, Byron Bay or Coffs Harbour; Melbourne to Launceston or Hobart; Adelaide to Melbourne; and Brisbane to the Whitsundays. [caption id="attachment_785976" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Whitehaven Beach in The Whitsundays[/caption] As we are still in the middle of a pandemic, flying is little different to normal. Virgin has introduced a range of safety measures, including hand sanitisation stations, contactless check-in and face masks provided to all passengers. Wearing masks on flights became mandatory in Australia in January. Virgin is also waiving change fees and allowing unlimited booking changes for reservations made before April 30, 2021 for travel before January 31, 2022. Virgin's Say 'I Do' to Valentine's Day sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, February 17 — or until sold out. Find out more about current interstate border restrictions over here.
Home ownership. It’s the great Australian dream. And the American dream. And probably a dream for quite a few other nationalities too. But with house prices almost constantly on the rise, the dream can seem unattainable. So how about a home that costs just $200? That’s what this ‘Gypsy Junker’ cost, built from abandoned shipping pallets and recycled materials by Derek Diedricksen, a micro-house enthusiast in Massachusetts. The aim was to design and build a shelter for homeless people, for as little as possible. With only 24 square feet of space, estate agents would no doubt dub it ‘extremely cosy’. While the ‘Gypsy Junker’ was built by a hobbyist to prove the concept, smaller and more affordable housing is a goal for architects too. Revelations Architects in Wisconsin have focused on the fundamental uses of a home – eating, bathing, sleeping and communal fellowship – and worked out they could squeeze it all in to a footprint of just 340 square feet. Named the E.D.G.E (Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment), the building is pre-fabricated to simplify construction, and the reconfigurable interior is designed to optimise the use of space. The architects are already working on the next version, and hope to see it put to use as a holiday retreat or full time residence. If you’re thinking: “Tiny houses are fine in America, but we don’t need that here,” think again. There are already plans for a micro-house in Sydney, where a judge wants to build a four story house on a 2.7 metre wide block of land. Down-sized dwellings might be the way of the future for all of us. [Via Neatorama and PSFK]
Anything blessed by Steve Jobs' touch turned to gold, so it's no surprise his biography is expected to be a major sell-out. It also helps that Walter Isaacson, who has documented the lives of Albert Einstein and Walter Benjamin, is the author. Jobs allowed Isaacson a no-holds approach to his life and everyone who knew him, resulting in a revealing deconstruction of how the young hippie with a disregard to rules and washing himself became a billionaire who changed the way we listened to music, communicated and used computers. The interview Isaacson did with 60 Minutes in the US over the weekend is a great option if you don't want to read the book but are still interested in Jobs' life and what he was like to write about - the story behind the story, so to speak. In the interview, Isaacson describes Jobs as "petulant" and "brittle." He could be an extremely mean person to anyone that crossed his path and didn't have the same demand for perfection as he did, be it a waitress who served him or someone who worked tirelessly at Apple. Isaason also notes that Jobs is probably the only person in the world with his kind of wealth who lived in a unremarkable house, without a long, winding driveway or threatening security fences. However, he refused to put a number plate on his Mercedes sports coupe. The biography is available in Australia now. Part One Part Two https://youtube.com/watch?v=LjUYfQ6CUu0
When it comes to international rivalries, it doesn't get much bigger than Australia and England. But before the Rugby League World cup kicks off next month and the first ball is pitched in the 2023 Ashes series, sport fans can satisfy their search for entertaining, adrenaline-pumping clashes by grabbing tickets to see the the Origin Australian Diamonds in the upcoming test series against the England Vitality Roses. So, whether you're a netball novice or you're happiest watching a zippy wing attack passing expertly to a flash of a centre, being courtside at a Diamonds game will get you right up close to this energy, with the crowd's cheers feeding the drilled-down plays being executed with quick feet, intense stares and powerful throws. The upcoming England Series is kicking off at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Wednesday, October 26. The one-off competition will be the first time Aussie netball stars have the home-ground advantage over the Brits — and the last chance to catch the Diamonds live this year. After match one, the athletes will make their way to Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena on Sunday, October 30 and then head north to Brisbane Entertainment Centre for what could be a nail-biter of a decider on Thursday, November 3. Following their Quad Series win in January and a gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games — which, excitingly, was the 1000th Australian gold medal in Commonwealth history — the Origin Australian Diamonds are sure to come out confidently. However, the exceptional talents that make up the Roses will be keen to prove they're no dainty English flowers (and will be looking for redemption after the Aussies knocked them out of gold-medal contention in the aforementioned Commonwealth Games). Our hot tip? Bookend your wing-attack-watching experience with an extended stay at your destination city. Transforming your sporty spectating into a sneaky little vacay (where you can hit the best of Brissie, Newy or the Harbour City) is sure to leave you feeling like a winner, too — whichever team you support. The Origin Australian Diamonds take on the Vitality Roses on Wednesday, October 26; Sunday, October 30; and Thursday, November 3. Be quick to nab your tickets, the series is set to sell out.
Missing travel during the pandemic? If you've been vaccinated against COVID-19, you can enter an array of different competitions and giveaways that'll help you get back to doing what you love — that is, roaming far and wide — when that's permitted again. Been hanging out to attend big gigs again over the past 18 months or so? Yes, we all have. So, three of Australia's huge tour promoters have teamed up to launch a 'Vaxstage Pass' contest. If you've had your jabs, you can enter to win a heap of free tickets to a heap of live shows in 2022. Live Nation, Frontier Touring and TEG are the trio of live entertainment companies that've joined forces, and they're focusing on their stadium and arena shows — yes, their big gigs. All three companies have quite the array of talent heading our way next year, so you could be seeing My Chemical Romance, Snoop Dogg, Lorde, Tyler, The Creator, Alanis Morissette and more. Obviously, you will need to have rolled up your sleeves first, and twice. Before you enter — with the contest open from today, Wednesday, September 15 until 11.59pm AEDT on Tuesday, November 30 — you must've had your jabs, in fact. And, when you complete the online form, you'll be asked to also come up with a 25-word (or less) answer about which live event you're most looking forward to seeing and why. [caption id="attachment_749351" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] My Chemical Romance[/caption] In total, five winners will be picked — and they'll each nab a double pass to every stadium and/or arena show promoted by Live Nation, Frontier Touring and TEG in 2022. You will just get one double pass for each artist, though, so if someone is doing multiple shows in one spot, you can only go to one performance. You'll also need to be over the age of 18 and an Australian resident. Also, everyone can only enter the comp once. If you're wondering about proving that you've been vaccinated, you will need access to your Medicare certificate saying you're fully vaxxed; however, only winners will be asked to supply this when they're picked. Add free gigs to the list of things you could score for getting vaccinated, which also includes free beers and discounted sneakers — and also helping Australia reach its 70-percent and 80-percent fully vaxxed thresholds, which is when a heap of restrictions are set to be eased. For more information about Live Nation, Frontier Touring and TEG's 'Vaxstage Pass' competition, or to enter, head to the Vaxstage Pass website.
It doesn't matter how good your cast is if you don't give them a compelling story to tell. That's the lesson of My Old Lady, the motion picture debut of playwright Israel Horovitz. An obvious stage-to-screen adaptation that shows little consideration to the differences between the two, it's a film so stuffy and slow-moving that it makes its geriatric headliner look positively spritely by comparison. The great Maggie Smith plays the old dame in the title, a 92-year-old British expatriate named Mathilde Gerard, who lives in a spacious Parisian apartment thanks to a peculiar French real-estate law called a viager. Under the arrangement, Madame Gerard receives regular cash instalments from a buyer, who will eventually gain full ownership of the property when the old lady finally dies. It's a fantastic deal for her, but a right pain in the arse for Matthias Gold (Kevin Kline), a deadbeat New Yorker who inherits the building in his estranged father's will. So Matthias skulks around Paris, trying to figure out a way to sell his newfound property while contending with his stubborn new tenant and her hostile adult daughter, Chloe (Kristen Scott Thomas). But soon the comic setup gives way to something much more serious. Information comes to light regarding the relationship between Matthias' father and Gerard, unscrewing the lid on a can of Daddy Issues in the process. It's interesting subject matter, to be sure. The problem is that Horovitz doesn't know how to translate his material to the screen. A vast majority of the truly relevant action takes place inside Gerard's apartment — and no number of aimless shots of Paris can disguise the film's origins on the stage. The dialogue itself feels better suited to the theatre as well, with a number of theatrical monologues in the movies' second half running unnecessarily long. At least it goes without saying that all three of the film's main actors are fantastic. Frankly, it's hard to think of a single bad performance across their entire combined body of work. In truth though, none of their characters are particularly easy to like, each one of them consumed by a mixture of blind entitlement and self-pity. That's the other lesson to be learned from My Old Lady. When a film's central conflict comes down to bickering over a $9 million deed, it's difficult to feel much sympathy for anyone involved.
Icons, pioneers, the cutting-edge and the boundary-pushing: when ΩHM (pronounced "ohm") Festival of Other Music debuted at Brisbane Powerhouse in 2023, that's what it was all about. Thankfully, the new addition to the New Farm venue's lineup wasn't just a once-off, with the fest locking in its 2024 return — and dropping another impressive program for its next stint. When it again takes over Lamington Street, this time from Wednesday, February 28–Saturday, April 20, 2024, ΩHM will split its must-sees into three categories: music, movement and visual art. All tie in with tunes in one way or another, whether via folks taking to the stage, soundtracks to performances or, in the case of the fest's exhibitions, by presenting works by a talent best known as a musician. Leading the bill: Yothu Yindi, a band unparalleled in Australia's music history. More than three decades since first hitting the airwaves, and getting songs such as 'Treaty' and 'Djäpana' rocket up the charts — and almost four decades since they first formed — the Yolngu group from far North East Arnhem Land will headline ΩHM with an exclusive performance. Also high among the fest's big names is Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, who has the visual art component taken care of thanks to two exhibitions, both of which will be free to enjoy. The first, Objective Projection, will feature both 2D works called Picture-Window and video installations of the bassist and guitarist's Los-Angeles-June-6-2019 — the latter heroing Gordon with a guitar in hand. The second, video work Proposal for a Dance, will take place over two nights, where attendees can expect to see women wearing Rodarte dresses playing electric guitars and satirising traditional male rockers. From there, ΩHM's lineup also includes Drab Majesty returning Down Under after 2023's Dark Mofo, this time to gift Brisbane a new experience — and an Australia exclusive — that'll accompany 80s sci-fi film The Arrival. Or, festivalgoers can look forward to an opening concert by Michael Rother and friends (aka Hans Lampe, Franz Bargmann and Vittoria Maccabruni) to celebrate 50 years of German band NEU!, Japan's Boris marking three decades of tracks, and The Necks showcasing their own highlights from the 80s onwards. The list goes on, with Franck Vigroux and Antoine Schmitt's latest audio-visual piece ATOTAL — CHRONOSTASTIS-TEMPEST, Canada's Tim Hecker, The Veils and Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra also on the bill, among others. [caption id="attachment_925409" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Quentin Chevrier[/caption] In ΩHM's movement strand, Colossus by choreographer Stephanie Lake will feature 50 dancers and a Robin Fox soundtrack, Chunky Move will get two performers becoming live sculptures to comment on consumerism in Universal Estate, and Australasian Dance Collective's THREE will return with a trio of pieces — including by Alisdair Macindoe, Jenni Large and Amber McCartney. At Brisbane Powerhouse, ΩHM sits on an annual calendar that also includes the Brisbane Comedy Festival, as well as queer cultural festival MELT — and, just like in 2023, ΩHM's 2024 fest will kickstart the venue's events for the year. [caption id="attachment_925412" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mark Gambino[/caption] ΩHM FESTIVAL OF OTHER MUSIC 2024 LINEUP: Music: Yothu Yindi Drab Majesty Boris Michael Rother and friends The Necks The Veils Lydia Lunch and Joseph Keckler Erin Fitzsimon and Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra Tim Hecker Franck Vigroux and Antoine Schmitt CORIN Arka Kinari The Wild WITCH Dots+Loops Movement: Colossus by Stephanie Lake Company THREE by Australasian Dance Collective Universal Estate by Chunky Move Visual art exhibitions: Kim Gordon's Objective Projection Kim Gordon's Proposal for a Dance ΩHM will run from Wednesday, February 28–Saturday, April 20, 2024 at Brisbane Powerhouse, 119 Lamington Street, New Farm. For more information and to buy tickets — with presales from 10am AEST on Thursday, November 9 and general sales from 10am AEST on Friday, November 10 — head to the Powerhouse website. Top image: Lachlan Douglas.
Put those glittery gumboots away: you won't be dancing to 'Padam Padam' in North Byron Bay Parklands this winter. Splendour in the Grass has become the latest Australian music festival to scrap its plans, with organisers announcing that 2024's event has now been cancelled, continuing a heartbreaking trend for the local industry. The news comes just weeks after the winter fest unveiled its Kylie Minogue-, Future- and Arcade Fire-led lineup in mid-March, and follows on from a heap of other cancellations across the Aussie festival scene of late. In February, Groovin the Moo also ditched its 2024 events just a fortnight after revealing its lineup. Also, Falls Festival took summer 2023–24 off, Summergrounds Music Festival at Sydney Festival was cancelled and This That hasn't gone ahead for a couple of years now. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Splendour in the Grass (@splendourinthegrass) "With a heavy heart, we're announcing the cancellation of Splendour in the Grass 2024," said the Splendour team in a statement. "We know there were many fans excited for this year's lineup and all the great artists planning to join us, but due to unexpected events we'll be taking the year off. Ticketholders will be refunded automatically by Moshtix. We thank you for your understanding and will be working hard to be back in future years." "We're heartbroken to be missing a year, especially after more than two decades in operation. This festival has always been a huge community effort, and we'd like to thank everyone for their support and overall faith. We hope to be back in the future," added Jessica Ducrou and Paul Piticco, co-CEOs of Secret Sounds. Splendour was set to feature Kylie and Future doing exclusive shows, plus a lineup that also spanned Turnstile, The Presets doing a DJ set, Yeat, Hayden James, Girl in Red, Baby Gravy, Tash Sultana, DJ Seinfeld, Fontaines DC, Royel Otis, Tones and I and more. Omar Apollo, The Last Dinner Party, Lizzy McAlpine, The Kills, Thelma Plum, Partiboi69, Angie McMahon, Viagra Boys: they were all also on the bill, which was due to take to the stage from Friday, July 19–Sunday, July 21. 2024's event would've marked the festival's 22nd birthday — and its third COVID-19-era fest, following the supremely muddy 2022 iteration (which was delayed for the two years due to the pandemic's early days) and 2023's go-around. Triple J, one of Splendour's long-running partners, first broke the cancellation news. Splendour in the Grass will no longer take place from Friday, July 19–Sunday, July 21, 2024 at North Byron Bay Parklands, Byron Bay. For more information, head to the festival website. Images: Charlie Hardy, Bianca Holderness and Claudia Ciapocha.
In life and onstage, singer-songwriters Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter shared plenty. On-screen over the past year, they shared frames in exceptional documentary Wash My Soul in the Rivers Flow, too. And, come 2023, the pair will share a sculpture celebrating and commemorating their work and legacies, which is set to become a permanent fixture in Fitzroy. The Melbourne suburb will welcome a piece that hasn't yet been commissioned and designed, but will be overseen by the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation and Yarra City Council, as well as Roach and Hunter's family members. That process will start now, in preparation for unveiling next year, with the Victorian Government putting $287,000 towards the statue. [caption id="attachment_859315" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacinta Keefe[/caption] "I remember good times with my dear baby brother Archie in Fitzroy and with Ruby right beside him," said Roach's sister Myrtle Evans in a statement announcing the news. "We shared many good times here together as a family. Being back here reminds me of those times. I miss those times now. May the spirit of dear Archie and Ruby always be here." Both Roach and Hunter, who passed away earlier in 2022 and in 2010 respectively, enjoyed careers worthy of the heartiest of tributes. It's aimed for the statue to become a landmark for fans to visit, including from within Melbourne, across Victoria, interstate and beyond. The pair's individual achievements are immense, with Ruby's 1994 record Thoughts Within the first solo album released by a First Nations female artist — and Roach's 'Took the Children Away' a powerful anthem for the stolen generations since 1990. Ruby was inducted into the National Indigenous Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2020, and Archie was named Victorian of the Year the same year. The statue will also recognise Roach and Hunter's work with Melbourne's First Peoples communities, including via the Archie Roach Foundation since 2014. "Uncle Archie's and Aunty Ruby's passion for their people inspired these gifted songwriters. They produced lyrics that not only touched the hearts of millions but educated a nation on the Stolen Generations," said Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Colin Hunter. Fitzroy's new sculpture celebrating Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter will be installed and unveiled sometime in 2023. We'll update you when further details are announced — and keep an eye on the City of Yarra website in the interim. Top image: Wash My Soul in the Rivers Flow, Sandy Scheltem.
Here's a way to make an entrance. Ever-evolving ride service Uber has announced their next alternative transportation method and it's set to be a whirlwind (ha). The UberCHOPPER will see 20 racing punters touching down on the Caulfield Cup helipad this weekend, where they'll be greeted (of course) with champagne and VIP passes for the day. A continual do-gooder, this year Uber has saved people on the move from the mediocre arrival methods known as buses, trains and conventional taxis by giving them other options — like luxury cars, water taxis and Optimus Prime. They've repeatedly come to your drunken 3am rescue, and even brought you food and taken you shopping. Like many of these other initiatives, it's unlikely the chopper service will become a regular feature. For now you'll just have to pray you get through in the frantic scramble when the FREECHOPPER code goes live this Saturday, October 18 at 10am. Here's how to book: 1. Download the Uber app onto your smartphone and make an account, if you haven't already. 2. Enter the promo code "FREECHOPPER" when signing up, or in the promotions section of the app if you've already got Uber. 3. At 10am on Saturday, select UberCHOPPER in the app. Get your friends to do it too. Don't be discouraged if at first you don't succeed — it's just that the rest of Melbourne is trying at the same time. 4. Hit "REQUEST CHOPPER". If your booking is accepted — don't panic. (Or do.) You've got 15 minutes to get your race face on before an UberMINI picks you up and transfers you to the helipad.
Roll up, roll up, laugh-loving folks — it's that time of year. Think there's not much in common between a circus and a comedy festival? Well, both throw a feast of different acts your way for you to have a fine night out. And both will make you marvel at just what's possible — in terms of clever gags and, in comedy's case, how much more hilarity your stomach can handlee. At this year's Brisbane Comedy Festival at Brisbane Powerhouse — the event's eighth and biggest yet — there will be more than 66 comedians performing over the course of four weeks. The best thing to do is clear your schedule, dive in and prepare to give your face a workout. Here are our picks of the festival. By Sarah Ward, Shannon Connellan and Yelena Bide.
West Village is already one of the greenest parts of West End, and now it's letting you take some plants home with you. No, you can't raid the precinct's garden — but you can browse the stalls at the spot's returning Plant Market. Looking for something leafy to sit on your window sill? A statement plant for your back deck? Terrariums and kokedamas to place (and hang) wherever fits? Ceramics to spice up your shelves? Succulents and cacti, because they brighten up any space? Good ol' fashioned flowers, just because? Thanks to a long list of participants including All the Green Things, Max and Mort, Luvia Designs, Lecky Studio, Succulent Mummas, Makers of Something Special and Black and Bloom Floral Studio, they're all on offer. Just head on down to the free event from 9am–2pm on Sunday, August 2 — and if you have some plants at home that don't quite suit, you can bring them along to the onsite greenery adoption centre. It works the other way, too, so you can pick up a plant that someone else didn't want and take it home with you for free. The Plant Market runs from 9am–2pm on Sunday, August 2 .
If you make a trip down to Hobart next year, don't expect to find plastic straws, cups or takeaway containers at its many cafes and markets. The City of Hobart last night voted to pass a by-law banning the sale of all single-use plastics. The by-law targets straws, cutlery, cups and containers that are less than a litre in size, and sold directly to customers. Buying a plastic bottle of Coca Cola, for example, will still be OK. Businesses will be given six months-to-one-year to phase out single-use plastics, and, after that, will be fined. Tasmania implemented a statewide single-use plastic bag ban in 2013 and, according to the Council's research, a third of local businesses already use some form of compostable packaging. The city is also aiming to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2030. https://www.facebook.com/CityofHobartOfficial/photos/a.1046261538728203/2315932898427721/?type=3&theater While the law has been passed by the Council, its exact start date depends on the outcome of a public consultation period to be led by the state government. Then, likely in late 2019 or early 2020, Hobart will become the first Australian state to ban single-use plastics. South Australia is considering a statewide ban, but this has not yet passed through state government. Overseas, Europe has pledged to stop using such items by 2021, building upon similar decisions in the UK and France, while Australia is working towards banning all non-recyclable packaging by 2025. Locally, Victoria is currently phasing out plastic bags, and Queensland enacted a plastic bag ban in 2018. NSW is the only state yet to commit to a statewide plastic bag ban. But, after the City of Hobart's decision, maybe the City of Sydney will consider taking matters into its own hands. The City of Hobart's single-use plastic ban will
Celebrating the release of last year’s album Stranger, Kelly Clarkson will hit cities across Australia singing new tunes and fan favourites like Already Gone, My Life Would Suck Without You and Because Of You. As the tail end of a year spanning over fifty dates worldwide, the Australian shows of the Stronger tour are gifted by high expectation, with long lists of praise for the previous dates raising them upwards. Kelly Clarkson will dazzle fans. Her simple but versatile performances are all about the music, pulling on heart-strings and transforming the pain behind her writing into something exquisitely beautiful.
Is there anything better than a day out in the sunshine, a cool breeze blowing in your hair, a cuddle from your beloved, a glass of wine in one hand and a piece of cheese in the other? Probably not. Only one thing could really make it better - some incredible musicians to watch and listen to! Essentially this is what A Day on the Green is: food, wine, friends and great music. Now in its eleventh year, A Day on the Green has brought some incredible acts from overseas to Australia, and also coaxed some fantastic Australian acts out of retirement. In previous years performers have included Chris Isaak, Diana Krall, Tom Jones, Ronan Keating, Mark Seymour, Wendy Matthews, The Whitlams, Lionel Ritchie and so many more. This month at Sirromet Winery, punters can see one of the best line-ups yet, with the consumnate musicians Daryl Hall and John Oates strutting their stuff alongside iconic band Icehouse and the likes of Husky, up-and-comers from Melbourne. Take a trip to the 80s and back with a wine in hand.
