Nineteeen-year-old genius Boyan Slat has proposed building an Ocean Cleanup Array, a device that could remove 7,250,000 tons of plastic waste from the world's oceans. While in school, Slat analysed the size and number of all the plastic particles in the ocean. Slat continued to develop this project and went on to start the Ocean Cleanup Foundation, a non-profit responsible for the development of his projects. The Ocean Cleanup Array would be placed in gyres, which are five areas in the world's oceans that have accumulated the most amount of plastic and garbage. Its anchored network of 'floating booms and processing platforms' would span the whole radius of the gyre, acting as funnels that are slightly tilted, creating a force towards the platforms. The debris enters the platforms and is stored in containers within the device until being collected for sales and recycling. If you weren't already impressed with the feat of removing over 7 million tons of plastic waste from the oceans, then listen to this: According to Inhabitat, the Ocean Cleanup Array could save hundreds to thousands to millions of aquatic animals every year. It would also reduce the number of pollutants that are building up in the food chain, including PCB and DDT. And it could eventually save millions of dollars every year in ocean clean-up costs, lost tourism to designated areas and damage to marine ships. According to Slat's website, it would take approximately five years to clean up the world's oceans. Even though the device would clean billions of kilograms of plastic, the solution isn't perfect. It has drawn concern from some critics who worry about negative effects to marine life and it still requires more research. The ocean won't ever be 100 percent clean of plastic and debris, but this is a start. Via Inhabitat.
When Disney isn't keeping huge pop-culture franchises on our screens or ensuring that everyone's childhood favourites never fade into memory — and sometimes doing both at the same time — it happens to be mighty fond of scandals and true crime. Well, to be precise, the Mouse House-owned US streaming platform Hulu is, and its shows keep making their way Down Under via Disney+. The latest even promises a massive stripping-empire saga, sordid deeds driven by money and murder because of the dance floor. After exploring the story behind Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee's sex tape in the 90s-set Pam & Tommy to start 2022, Disney+ plans to end it with a jump into back to the 70s and 80s — aided by a whole heap of disrobing male dancers — courtesy of Welcome to Chippendales. And if watching the just-dropped first teaser trailer for the latter gets you thinking about the former, there's another reason for that: writer/executive producer/creator Robert Siegel is behind both. The focus here: Somen 'Steve' Banerjee, who was born in India, moved to the US, bought a Los Angeles nightclub and founded the striptease troupe turned worldwide hit that shares Welcome to Chippendales' name. Banerjee's tale involves outrageous success, but also turns into sinister territory. That's put it mildly; however, if you don't already know the details, you'll want to discover the rest while watching. Fresh from a superhero stint in Eternals, Kumail Nanjiani plays Banerjee — and the rest of the star-studded cast includes newly minted The White Lotus Emmy-winner Murray Bartlett, Yellowjackets' Juliette Lewis and American Crime Story's Annaleigh Ashford, as well as Dan Stevens (I'm Your Man), Andrew Rannells (Girls5eva), Nicola Peltz Beckham (Holidate), Quentin Plair (The Good Lord Bird) and Robin de Jesús (Tick, Tick... Boom!). WandaVision's Matt Shakman is in the director's chair and, if you're fond of the era, expect the appropriate soundtrack (and vibe) when the show starts streaming from Tuesday, November 22. It'll drop two episodes first up, then new instalments weekly afterwards across the eight-episode limited series' run. Move over Magic Mike: Welcome to Chippendales looks set to be everyone's next stripper-fuelled obsession, and new true-crime addiction as well. Check out the trailer below: Welcome to Chippendales will be available to stream via Disney+ from November 22.
No one in Australia expects to feel cold in January. Summer is in full swing, after all. It's prime beach and pool season, obviously — and, even though the festive period is over and everyone is settling back into the year after the holidays, thoughts of lazing around by or splashing around in a body of water aren't ever too far from anyone's minds. Whether you're fond of cooling down with a refreshing dip, or you prefer to escape to the vicinity of the nearest fan or air-conditioner, you might want to put those plans into action across the rest of this week. From today, Thursday, January 21, temperatures are expected to be mighty hot all around the nation, according to the Bureau of Meteorology's latest major cities forecast. As per BOM's city-specific forecasts, some of those temps are due to stick around a bit longer than that, too. After an expected top of 27 degrees on Thursday, Sydneysiders can expect a few sweaty days, with temps staying at 30 or above from Friday until mid-next week. Still in NSW, Newcastle will hit 34 on Sunday, while Wollongong will get to 31. That isn't as warm as Canberra in the ACT, though — with the Australian capital forecast to hit 38 on Sunday and 39 on Monday. Sunday and Monday will be warm in Melbourne, too, with tops of 35 and 37 forecast. They'll come after a 31-degree Thursday, then expected maximums of 26 and 27 on Friday and Saturday. Thankfully, a drop to 22 is forecast for Tuesday. https://twitter.com/BOM_Vic/status/1351781371715477504 Brisbane will get to 27 on Thursday, 29 on Friday, and 30 from Saturday–Monday, and 33 on Tuesday and Wednesday — so it'll be warm, but also usual summer weather. In Adelaide, the mercury will rise to 35 on Thursday, dip down to 32 on Friday, then soar to 39 on Saturday and a whopping 41 on Sunday. Also in the centre of the country, Alice Springs can expect its maximum temperature to stay between 35–39 degrees for four days from Thursday, while Darwin's will sit at 32-33 across the same period. In Perth, it'll actually get a tad cooler over the weekend — starting with a 34-degree maximum on Thursday, then going up to 36 degrees on Friday, before dropping to 26 on Saturday and Sunday. And down in Hobart, a top temperature of 27 is forecast for Sunday, with 30 expected on Monday — following other maximums of 22, 23 and 25 in the days prior. Of course, while these are BOM's forecasts as issued at 6.05am on Thursday, January 21, 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.
Forget microwave dinners. Come the not too distant future, you could be cooking your food in the washing machine. A university student in Tel Aviv has recently devised a new type of instant meal that cooks sous-vide style in the laundry along with your dirty socks. How very appetising. Created by Iftach Gazit of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, the Sous La Vie bags are made from waterproof Tyvek paper, and contain a sealed inner plastic bag — ensuring you don't end up with mixed veggies in your undies, or soap in your salmon teriyaki. "In sous-vide, the food is cooked in a bath-like device at temperatures usually around 50 to 70 degrees Celsius," explains Gazit in a blog post. "The same conditions can be found in a washing machine." "Instead of following a sous-vide recipe and cooking a piece of meat at 58 degrees Celsius for two and a half hours, just set your washing machine to 'synthetics' for a long duration program," he suggests. "Cooking vegetables? Set your machine to 'cotton' for a short duration program." In addition to being a convenient — if rather disconcerting — option for those of us who don't have a lot of time to prepare food, Gazit also believes that his invention could help those who are sleeping rough, pointing out that all night laundromats often double as impromptu accommodation for the homeless. "They offer a hassle-free shelter," he explains. "So why shouldn't you be able to cook some food while there?" It's not clear if and when Gazit's product will ever hit the market, or whether it would ever really be embraced by consumers. Still… surely you'd be curious to try it at least once. Via Dezeen.
Again and again, fans of slasher films have seen the one about the unhinged murderer butchering teen victims. They've seen more than one, in fact. It's a horror convention: take a bunch of young adults, then dispense with them person by person as a killer works through childhood trauma. Penning and helming his first feature — his short Z Is for Zygote was included in The ABCs of Death 2, and he did special effects work on Psycho Goreman, too — writer/director Chris Nash knows the basics of his chosen genre as much as any other diehard viewer. He's just as aware of the great, and greatly influential, flicks gone by such as Halloween and Friday the 13th. He's well-versed in their tropes in storytelling and in form alike. Making his full-length debut with a picture called In a Violent Nature, he's also clued up on what happens when someone sinister gets a-stalking in scenic surroundings. Plot-wise, Nash isn't trying to break the mould with his account of Johnny (Ry Barrett, Massacre at Femur Creek) and the folks who are unlucky enough to fall across his path. But the filmmaker asks a question: what if a rampaging slaughterer's terrors came not with a score heralding their every menacing move (even when those tunes can become iconic, as John Carpenter's Halloween music has), but with the ordinary silence of everyday life in nature punctuated only by noises just as commonplace, and then by the sounds of a killer at their insidious worst? In its imagery, In a Violent Nature adds another query: what if the audience wasn't biding its time with those likely to perish, tension dripping from not knowing when and where the murderer would strike, but was stuck at the side of the force causing such gruesome mayhem as the inevitable approaches? There's seldom any escape from a slasher; however, Nash finds a new way to take that idea literally. Let's call it the bang-and-whimper method of tackling the genre, because lives cease here with each given as much attention. Johnny still metes out big kills that create a din and sear themselves into memory. One inventively grisly death in particular can never be erased from brains, and ensures that everyone watching is incapable of contemplating its setting or the pastime involved in the same way ever again. Another sequence suggests that it's going a similar way, but becomes unforgettable for the fact that it holds back on grim expectations. And, of course, mewls of pain are hardly new to horror. Here, though, Nash's commitment to the film's ambience gives both its bangs and its whimpers extra impact. This is the way that the world ends for Johnny's prey: not with just a bang or solely a whimper, but with the haunting, echoing combination of the two that compels In a Violent Nature's viewers to reckon with them in the moment. Nash's understanding of horror at its most stock-standard commences with In a Violent Nature's opening, where wandering campers chat while stumbling across a grave beneath an old fire tower. A gold locket hangs in plain sight, which leads Troy (Liam Leone, Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life) to pocketing the jewellery, opting for the kind of stupid decision that people in a slasher flick love. Yes, it'll come back to taunt him. So awakens Johnny from the earth. So stirs his ire as well. But how the audience might anticipate that this plays out from the above description isn't ever how the feature stages it. The focus is rarely on those potentially awaiting a date with the heavens, to the point that their faces aren't the picture's most-common sight. Neither is Johnny's, whether or not it's under a smoke helmet. Nature isn't merely a location, but the expanse that fills cinematographer Pierce Derks' (Frankie Freako) frames — sometimes in close shots, sometimes sprawling. As Johnny sets off, there's not a shred of doubt lingering that he'll indulge his violent urges — the reasons for which get a backstory layered in, details that are knowingly by the book — via a relentless frenzy. Nash and Derks aren't in a hurry, largely lurking behind their killer with patience as he turns the wilderness into his hunting ground. He walks. He slays. Sometimes the results are splattered across the screen with slaughterhouse-esque gore and guts. Sometimes a savvy cut by editor Alex Jacobs (V/H/S/85) conveys what has happened instead of getting blatant and bloody. The camera remains static more than it roves, and peers on from long-held wide shots more than it zooms forward. Johnny's temperament is expressed by the pace of his stride, which becomes In a Violent Nature's metronome of unease. Masked characters, not the actors who play them, tend to carve their place in common pop-culture knowledge out of horror movies. Michael Myers is the household name, for instance, as much as Nick Castle (Halloween Ends) should be. Barrett deserves the same recognition, making Johnny a petrifying presence even when so frequently spied from a few footsteps back. That said, he isn't carrying the film alone on-screen. The travellers that meet the figure's hooks and other weaponry start out disposable, but leave an impression the longer that they survive, Andrea Pavlovic (Our Mother's Secret Affair) especially. That'll ring familiar, too; to take the risks that Nash does, and to test if a slasher flick can work the way he wants it to — and it can — he leans into the template everywhere else possible. It was a Sundance sensation to kick off 2024, proved a box-office hit in America for independent studio IFC Films and now has a sequel in the works, but a movie like this, with the output of director Terrence Malick (A Hidden Life) as much of a touchstone as the Friday the 13th and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchises, is a gamble. Both of the latter two horror sagas earn clear nods, yet there's no mistaking In a Violent Nature's lyrical skew thanks to its ever-present greenery and naturalistic soundtrack. Combine the two and scares still spring, laced with dread that gushes like a limb lopped off by a log splitter. While it's frightening to ponder that ghastly turns of fate can and do occur randomly, as regular slashers capitalise upon, it's bone-chilling to confront that truth when it's presented as an inherent, innate, matter-of-fact certainty of existence. In a violent nature indeed.
In Australia's ongoing war on waste, different states have been implementing different bans and schemes at different times. That includes scrapping single-use plastic bags, bringing in container deposit schemes, and ditching straws, plastic cutlery and other disposable items — with the details and timing changing depending on where in the country you live. Single-use plastic bags were banned in Queensland in 2018 and Victoria in 2019, for instance, with NSW signalling its intention to do the same in the future. When it comes to container deposit schemes, NSW brought one in 2017, Queensland did in 2018 and Victoria's is set to start in 2023. And, after South Australia became Australia's first state to ban single-use plastics earlier this year, Queensland will follow in its footsteps from this September, while Victoria has set a launch date of 2023 there as well. At the national level, the Federal Government pledged back in 2018 that it'd ensure that 100 percent of the country's packaging is recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025. Earlier in 2021, it launched the National Plastics Plan, which brings forward that timeline in many instances to 2022. Now, at a meeting of the nation's environment ministers held yesterday, Thursday, April 15, agreement was reached regarding phasing out a range of single-use plastic items nationally. Set to be banned countrywide: lightweight plastic bags, and plastic straws, utensils and stirrers. The states have agreed to phase out eight "problematic and unnecessary" plastic product types under the National Waste Policy Action Plan, with expanded polystyrene food containers (such as cups and clamshells), expanded polystyrene loose fill and moulded packaging, and microbeads used in personal health care products also on the list. Other than coming to an agreement about the types of products to be banned and setting a 2025 deadline, no other firm details were released. In some cases, though — such as where individual states act earlier, or where the NPP has set an earlier date — a number of these items might be out of circulation sooner. Australia's states will also look to bring their respective container deposit schemes into line with each other, also by 2025. That'll include harmonisation regarding the size and types of containers that can be recycled, refund amounts and labelling standards. For more information about the Federal Government's National Plastics Plan, head to the Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment website. Further details about the recent Environment Ministers Meeting discussion can also be found on the same department site.
When the director and lead of one of 2021's best Norwegian films — and best movies from anywhere that year — joined forces again, of course the Scandinavian Film Festival needed to get the resulting picture on its program. Accordingly, Sentimental Value from The Worst Person in the World filmmaker Joachim Trier, once more starring Renate Reinsve (Presumed Innocent), is one of the big highlights at 2025's Australian showcase of cinema from the Nordic region. Stellan Skarsgård (Andor) and Elle Fanning (A Complete Unknown) also feature, and the results won this year's Cannes Grand Prix (the award below the Palme d'Or). At the Scandinavian Film Festival, Sentimental Value is getting the centrepiece treatment. Movies from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland are always in the drawcard at this Aussie fest — so a Norwegian spy drama to kick things off in 2025, then an Icelandic black comedy to wrap things up, are both on the itinerary. This year's national tour will hit Melbourne across Friday, July 11–Sunday, August 3 at Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane, The Kino, Pentridge Cinema and The Astor Theatre. Launching the fest: Number 24, the latest from The Burning Sea and The Quake director John Andreas Andersen, recounting a true espionage tale from World War II. The aptly named Grand Finale comes in at the other end, spinning a Reykjavik-set story about a struggling chamber orchestra's efforts to endure. Alongside Sentimental Value, Quisling: The Final Days is another of the festival's big-name titles, this time from The King's Choice and Utoya: July 22's Erik Poppe, with the trial of its controversial namesake head of state the film's focus. Cannes favourites, blasts from the past, laughter-inducing fare: they're all on the lineup, then. Add watching Björk's daughter in her first feature role, multiple dates with Danish actor Trine Dyrholm (The Girl with the Needle) and celebrating the 25th anniversary of a Swedish romantic-comedy to the list, too. The first comes courtesy of The Mountain, a coming-of-age and road-trip flick starring Ísadóra Bjarkardóttir Barney. Dyrholm pops up in both the healthcare-centric Second Victims and the David Dencik (Other People's Money)-co-starring Beginnings. And Jalla! Jalla! is marking its quarter-century milestone. Audiences keen to spend Australia's winter feasting their eyes on colder climes from the other side of the world can also look forward to the Faroe Islands-set The Last Paradise on Earth and heading into an Icelandic seafood restaurant with Odd Fish. Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Riders of Justice) leads Way Home, about a Danish father endeavouring to save his loved ones. With heist effort The Quiet Ones, Denmark's biggest-ever robbery makes its way to the screen. Finnish relationship dramedy Sudden Bursts of Emotions, the nation's great Heikki Kinnunen playing 'The Grump' in Long Good Thursday, three siblings returning to the house they grew up in in Everything Must Go, the couch-surfing antics of Live a Little, the beer-brewing sisters of 100 Litres of Gold, My Father's Daughter's focus on a Sámi teenager: add them to your Scandinavian Film Festival list as well.
Right now, we're navigating the weird — and often glitchy — world of digital drinks. Instead of clocking off, going down to our local and ordering a pint with some colleagues, we're on Zoom calls and dancing at online nightclubs. But what to drink? By now, we're sure your kitchen either looks like a full-blown saloon or you've at least got some supplies stashed away. So, instead of reaching for the wine, why not take things up a notch with a cocktail? And not just any cocktail, but one worthy of a celebrity. Thankfully, the world has recently been blessed with a fair bit of celeb cocktail content of late — from cosmopolitan queen Ina Garten to suave Stanley Tucci and the ever-classy Meryl Streep. And, unlike Paris Hilton and her lasagne, you can trust these three celebs in the kitchen. So, if you're wondering what concoction to make this afternoon, look no further. INA GARTEN'S GIANT COSMOPOLITAN (SUITABLE AT ALMOST ANY HOUR) Serves one Ina Garten or a household Keeping cocktail hour alive — even though "nobody's stopping by" — is Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa). And while her catchcry "it's always cocktail hour in a crisis" may not be advisable, it's pretty relatable. Plus, this is coming from a culinary icon. Her drink of choice during iso is the sophisticated cosmo, naturally. If you want to take a page out of the cocktail queen's cookbook, you'll need top-shelf vodka, Cointreau (or any orange liqueur), cranberry juice, limes and ice, plus a jug, novelty-sized cocktail shaker (with strainer) and an extra-large martini glass. Ingredients 2 cups vodka 1 cup Cointreau 1 cup cranberry juice 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime Ice Method Pour vodka, cointreau, cranberry juice and lime into jug. Stir. Half fill shaker with ice and add in the cocktail mix. Depending on the size of your shaker, you may have to do this in batches. Shake for 30 seconds. Pour into martini glass(es). In the wise words of Garten: "During a crisis, you know, cocktail hour can be almost any hour." So, bottoms up. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B-cJUwUpxbM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link STANLEY TUCCI'S UNLAWFUL — BUT INTRIGUING — NEGRONI UP Serves one If you can look past the incredibly sculpted biceps, you'll see The Devil Wears Prada actor shaking a negroni. Yes, shaking. While most like their negronis as they should be — on the rocks, with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari — Tucci's twist is intriguing. But again, it could be the arms. For what Tucci calls a Negroni Up, you'll need gin, sweet vermouth (good sweet vermouth, not that Martini brand he has such disdain for), Campari, an orange, and ice, plus a cocktail shaker (with strainer) and a glass, preferably a coupe. Now, throw whatever negroni-making knowledge you have aside. Ingredients 2 shots gin 1 shot sweet vermouth 1 shot Campari 1 orange slice Ice Method Half fill shaker with ice and add gin, sweet vermouth and Campari. Shake it up, as Tucci does so well. Pour into a coupe, martini glass, or whatever you want. Garnish with an orange slice. Really, a negroni is a simple drink, relying on balance and good liquor. Although Tucci's breaks all the rules, his confidence has us convinced. https://www.instagram.com/tv/B_NkcbTgVfy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link MERYL STREEP'S MARTINI (WITH A SIDE OF SHOW TUNES AND SCOTCH) Serves one Even Meryl Streep is getting around the quarantini — shaken, not stirred. But she doesn't just make a stiff drink and tell you how to do it, no. The award-winning actor takes her cocktail making to the next level — of course she does — leaving a little guesswork to the recipe. So, you can get creative with this one. As part of Stephen Sondheim's birthday celebrations, which saw celebrities the world over celebrate with a virtual concert, Streep shakes up a martini while singing Sondheim's show tune 'The Ladies Who Lunch'. She's joined by a red wine-drinking Christine Baranski and a bourbon-swigging Audra McDonald and if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favour and watch it here, immediately. For Meryl's martini, you'll need gin, vermouth, lemon, ice, plus a cocktail shaker (with strainer) and martini glass. And a chic robe to wear while shaking and singing. Ingredients 50 millilitres gin 10 millilitres dry vermouth lemon twist Ice Method Half fill shaker with ice and add gin and dry vermouth. Shake for about 30 seconds — or the duration of singing: 'Here's to the girls that stay smart / Aren't they a gas?/ Rushing to their classes / In optical art / Wishing it would pass'. Pour into a martini glass theatrically and garnish with lemon twist while belting out 'I'll drink to that'. Once you've sung a bit more and polished off that martini, take a large sip of scotch straight from the bottle — be sure to do it with equal parts class and sass. Then, pour yourself another martini. https://twitter.com/michcoll/status/1254609437492461569
Here's one for the money: a huge Elvis Presley showcase, filled with around 300 artifacts owned by the King of Rock 'n' Roll himself, all on display in Australia. Come autumn 2022, you'll want to step into your blue suede shoes and take a trip to the Bendigo Art Gallery, which'll fill its walls and halls with Elvis' clothes, vehicles and other personal items. All those jumpsuits he was so famous for wearing? A selection will be on display. The only car from his movies that was actually his? That red convertible 1960 MG, from the film Blue Hawaii, is visiting Australia for the first time. The Bendigo Art Gallery will also showing some tender love to Elvis' military uniforms, first job application and wedding tuxedo — plus Priscilla Presley's wedding dress. Plenty of the items heading to regional Victoria rarely travel beyond Graceland — so yes, calling the exhibition is Elvis: Direct from Graceland is apt. It'll serve up this hunk of burning Elvis love between Saturday, March 19–Sunday, July 17 in an Australian exclusive, as curated in collaboration with the Graceland archives. "It is a great honour to work alongside the creative team at the Bendigo Art Gallery to bring this unprecedented, detailed and comprehensive look into Elvis' life and career to Australia," said Angie Marchese, Vice President Archives and Exhibits at Elvis Presley Enterprises. "While Elvis was never able to visit Australia himself, it brings us great pride at Graceland to know that his legacy and music lives on there. We look forward to sharing a glimpse into Elvis' life with the fans in Australia," Marchese continued. [caption id="attachment_829957" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Elvis Presley strolls the grounds of his Graceland estate, 1957. Photo by Michael Ochs. © EPE. Graceland and its marks are trademarks of EPE. All Rights Reserved. Elvis Presley™ © 2021 ABG EPE IP LLC.[/caption] Other featured objects include Elvis' 1976 Red Bicentennial Custom Harley Davidson, his first grade crayon box from school and other garments from his personal wardrobe — if you're wondering what else will get the exhibition shaking, rattling and rolling. Costumes from his film career, movie scripts, jewellery worn by him and even vintage Elvis-branded merchandise will all be on display as well. Elvis: Direct from Graceland will step through all the key periods in the rock 'n' roll icon's life, from his early Mississippi days through to his Vegas years — and also peer beyond the pompadour and sequins, exploring his interest in books, karate and horses, and all things Graceland. It's Bendigo Art Gallery's latest huge exhibition to focus on style icons, after previously showcasing Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Balenciaga and Mary Quant. When it comes to celebrating high-profile figures, it seems the venue can't help falling in love. Elvis: Direct From Graceland displays at the Bendigo Art Gallery from Saturday, March 19–Sunday, July 17, 2022. For further information or to buy tickets, head to the gallery's website. Top image: Elvis Presley in the 1968 NBC television special, Singer Presents... Elvis, later known as the 'Comeback Special'. Photograph: Fathom Events/CinEvents. © EPE. Graceland and its marks are trademarks of EPE. All Rights Reserved. Elvis Presley™ © 2021 ABG EPE IP LLC.
One won't stop cracking wise. The other prefers to say as little as possible. Naturally, they're about to become the Marvel Cinematic Universe's favourite big-screen odd couple. The former: Deadpool, as played by Ryan Reynolds since 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The latter: Wolverine, the X-Men hero that's been synonymous with Hugh Jackman for almost a quarter-century. The movie: Deadpool 3, which'll hit cinemas in 2024. Jackman has already busted out the adamantium claws in nine movies, starting with 2000's X-Men and running through to 2017's Logan, which was poised as his swan song in the role. But when you've been playing a part for that long, in that many flicks, what's one more go-around? After a non-Wolverine gap spent starring in The Greatest Showman, The Front Runner, Bad Education and Reminiscence, Jackman is clearly ready to get hairy again. [caption id="attachment_611846" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Logan[/caption] The news came via a social media video hosted by Reynolds, who notes that Deadpool 3 has been in the works for a while now. "I've had to really search my soul on this one. His first appearance in the MCU obviously needs to feel special," said Reynolds. "We need to stay true to the character, find new depth, motivation, meaning. Every Deadpool needs to stand out and stand apart. It's been an incredible challenge that has forced me to reach down deep inside. And I... I have nothing. Yeah, just completely empty up here. And terrifying. But we did have one idea," he continues. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hugh Jackman (@thehughjackman) "Hey, Hugh, you want to play Wolverine one more time?" Reynolds then asks, with Jackman strolling past in the background. "Yeah, sure, Ryan," Jackman replies. (And to answer a question you really should have instantly: yes, this announcement came with a throwback soundtrack, because that's the Deadpool way.) [caption id="attachment_611105" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Deadpool[/caption] The other huge news is that Deadpool 3 will form part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, bringing both Deadpool and Wolverine into the ever-sprawling comic-to-screen realm that's been going since the first Iron Man flick and will likely never ever end. The two characters have always been Marvel characters, but because of rights issues behind the scenes, they've stayed in their own on-screen sagas. But when Disney (which owns Marvel) bought 20th Century Fox (which brought the X-Men and Deadpool movies to cinemas so far), those business issues disappeared. Deadpool 3 will arrive six years after 2018's Deadpool 2. It'll also mark a reunion in another way. Behind the lens: director Shawn Levy, reteaming with Reynolds after Free Guy and The Adam Project. It's clearly far too early for a trailer for Deadpool 3, but you can check out the Deadpool 2 and Logan trailers below in the interim: Deadpool 3 will release in cinemas Down Under on September 5, 2024.
Melbourne's hospitality lockdown looked set to claim one of its biggest victims yet, when John and Lisa Van Haandel announced in May that their 15-year-old restaurant Longrain would not be returning post-COVID. That is, until fellow star restaurateur Scott Pickett phoned them up to throw his hat into the ring. Pickett, the chef-owner behind such favourites as Estelle, Matilda, Lupo and Chadstone's Pastore, will now take the reins at the Southeast Asian diner. And he'll be sticking with Longrain's tried-and-true formula, with plans to keep things operating much the same as before, from the food right through to the crew. "It's a wonderful brand and venue, and I didn't want to see that disappear," Pickett said in a statement. "I am stoked that the team is staying on and we can continue this iconic Melbourne venue. Longrain 2.0, I call it." [caption id="attachment_775369" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tim Grey[/caption] While Pickett steps in as overseer, Chef Arté Assavakavinvong will continue heading up the kitchen he's called home for the past six years. Expect to see familiar faces cooking up signature Longrain favourites, which will star alongside a few new Thai-inspired creations — and perhaps a whisper of Pickett flair worked through the menu and produce list. The Van Haandels are backing the new owner and his plans, saying, "we pass the baton confident our baby is in good hands." As for sibling venue Longsong, which sits above the Little Bourke Street space, it'll kick on as an extra Longrain dining room while the pandemic does its thing, offering both a $65 and $95 banquet menu. The upstairs venue is then set to make its own return later in the year. The initial plan was to reopen Longrain 2.0 on Wednesday, July 29, but those plans have been put on hold with all of metropolitan Melbourne going into lockdown until at least Thursday, August 20. We'll let you know when a new date is announced. Longrain is set to reopen at 44 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne later this year. Images: Tim Grey
A new year, a new swirl of rumours about new Apple updates and features. Basically, it's business as usual in 2017 so far. If you like sitting in darkened rooms to watch movies — and actually watching them, not just paying to use the latest big screen flick as a backdrop while you have a text message convo, check Facebook, scroll through Instagram pics of cute dogs, book a holiday, send an email, take a selfie or a sneaky pic of the film, swipe through Tindr, play Angry Birds or live tweet the movie in question — then the technology behemoth's reported new option isn't just another routine addition. It's an abomination. Behold 'theatre mode'. Or, start weeping over the fact that humanity has regressed to a state where we can't even last two hours without using the electronic devices we're all always glued to every other second of the day. As first tweeted by Melbourne's Sonny Dickson — who is known to be quite the prolific and accurate leaker of tidbits and updates from the company Steve Jobs built — Apple's new iOS 10.3 could allow you to select an option that's kind of like airplane mode for cinema-goers. You'd expect that theatre mode will mute all calls and sounds, and we can only guess that it will also dim the iPhone's screen in a new way that is supposedly less bright, glaring and intrusive to others who, you know, are happily watching a film. https://twitter.com/SonnyDickson/status/814931454828412929 Those in favour of the proposed new feature point out the fact that if people are going to use their phones in theatres anyway (and we all know that plenty do), then at least this will try to minimise the disruptive effect it has on everyone around them. Sure, that's one way of looking at it. The other is that Apple is normalising a type of behaviour some folks indulge in at the cost of everyone else's enjoyment. Seriously, we all love our phones, but two hours isn't that long. And wouldn't we all rather just soak in what we're watching, rather than half-view, half do a million other things? Indeed, there's a reason that the Alamo Drafthouse's anti-phone and talk PSAs have garnered worldwide attention, and not just because they're usually hilarious and have enlisted a heap of celebrities to help out: most movie-goers want to watch the film they've paid for without the distraction of the person next to them pawing at their iPhone during the flick. And let's face it, no matter how supposedly wondrous the new Apple feature is, dimming that aggravating neighbourly phone glow, if you're sitting even vaguely near someone engaged with their phone, you're undeniably still going to notice it. Some cinemas have already tried to head in the opposite direction, like American chain AMC, who revealed that they were open to hosting 'texting sessions' in April last year, only to backtrack after quite the predictable backlash. The idea of specific sections for phone-using patrons has also been floated. Sadly, each idea brings us closer to a time like this: when using your iPhone while you're in a theatre is perfectly acceptable. In case you're wondering, that list of in-cinema behaviour that we outlined at the beginning of this piece — they're just some of the antics that this writer has witnessed during a movie. If the phones most of the population own start actively encouraging their use while watching films in cinemas, expect more to follow. And we're not on board. Ed's note: Sarah Ward is one of Concrete Playground's senior film writers and weekend editor. Read her current reviews here, here and here because she watches the whole damn movie.
At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, deja vu has reared its head more than a few times. That definitely applies to the Victorian Government's latest announcement regarding masks, because Melburnians have been in this situation before — just last week, actually. Last Wednesday, it was revealed that masks would no longer be needed outside if you could social distance. Then, last Thursday, that change was retracted. Now, today, Wednesday, June 16, Acting Premier James Merlino has advised that ditching masks outdoors if there's no one within 1.5 metres of you will come into effect from late tomorrow night. The rule kicks in at 11.59pm on Thursday, June 17 but, in practical terms, that really means Friday, June 18. You'll still be covering up indoors, of course, with masks remaining mandatory inside. But you won't have to wear them outside if you can maintain a 1.5-metre distance from other people while you're getting some fresh air. If you can't keep your space from others, you'll need to keep masking up. Obviously, you'll still always need to have a mask with you — even if you're heading out for a stroll and no one else seems to be about. You can expect to see more folks around, too, given that the city's 25-kilometre rule is being scrapped, as is the regional travel ban. https://twitter.com/JamesMerlinoMP/status/1404987188283002880 Other changes that are coming into effect include allowing gatherings outdoors with up to 20 people, having two people over to your house per day and welcoming in bigger patron numbers at hospitality venues. If you're wondering where to grab a fitted mask, we've put together a rundown of local companies making and selling them. For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
Hold the phone everybody, there's huge news a-brewin' in the Sydney art world. Three of Sydney's biggest cultural institutions – the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Carriageworks and the Museum of Contemporary Art – have just announced a major, citywide new exhibition showcasing Australian art. Yep, just like the OG Transformers, all banding together for the good of Sydney. Positioned as a counterpoint to the Biennale of Sydney (to occur in the off-years), The National: New Australia Art will run over six years with three editions presented in 2017, 2019 and 2021. The program is planned to run over the three spaces and activate an art corridor running between Redfern, The Domain and Circular Quay. There'll be a focus on the works of emerging, mid-career and established Aussie artists — in fact this will be the only large-scale, multi-venue exhibition series in Sydney focused solely on contemporary Australian art. It's straight-up huge news for Sydney. We've seen the effect citywide installations and cultural programs can have on this fine city of ours, just head along to the Biennale this weekend to see for yourself. And the sole focus on Australian artists, with no hat tip at all to international context, is sure to help us forge a contemporary art identity that genuinely resonates with everyday Aussies. "The National: New Australian Art will chart the rich diversity of contemporary practice featuring artists that work in dialogue with other disciplines including performance, dance, music and screen," says Carriageworks director Lisa Havilah. "The project will make a significant investment in Australian artists through the extensive commissioning of new work that reflects contemporary Australia and our place in the world." Curators for the 2017 edition of The National: New Australian Art are Anneke Jaspers, Curator Contemporary Art and Wayne Tunnicliffe, Head Curator Australian Art, AGNSW; Lisa Havilah, Director and Nina Miall, Curator, Carriageworks; and Blair French, Director, Curatorial & Digital, MCA. Okay team, break. We've only got 12 months to plan appropriately artsy outfits. The first installation of The National: New Australian Art will kick off on March 20, 2017 and run until June 18, 2017.
Ready for a seductive night out? The newly anointed Sistine sets the mood on Chapel Street with an irreverent cocktail bar primed for parties that last well into the early hours. Guided by the Valarc Group – the brains behind other inventive venues like Tartine, The Meatball & Wine Bar, Ines Wine Bar and Ned's Bake & Bistro – Sistine is their latest offering designed as an exclusive, alluring and cheeky space. Serving as a playful nod to the Sistine Chapel, the venue's Renaissance-inspired decor pairs with its sinful late-night vibe. Here, dim lighting, plush velvet furnishings and luxurious seating add a heightened sense of sophistication. Meanwhile, references to the Vatican icon level up the immersion, as each room is adorned with coloured-glass windows and carefully curated paintings. Wildest of all, Sistine offers the chance to indulge in The Immaculate Conception vending machine, featuring a sumptuous selection of bites whipped up in the Ines Wine Bar kitchen downstairs. While there are salumi plates, gourmet crisps and recovery kits to consider, the most lavish snack is certainly the caviar served with a mother-of-pearl spoon. Alongside these luxe morsels, the drinks menu is similarly high-end, with an extensive reserve wine list and a dedicated champagne selection meaning there's no shortage of unholy spirits to guide your night. Plus, indulgent cocktails like the champagne-based Royal Lucre and the Forbidden Fruit riff on classic drinks like appletinis. "It's incredibly exciting to introduce Sistine as the new and cheeky addition to our growing portfolio," says Valarc Group owner Matteo Bruno." Every aspect of the venue has been thoughtfully designed to create a unique contrast to Ines Wine Bar below. We want this to be the sort of place where you can let your hair down, meet new people and have a big night." Leading these big nights will be resident DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. And as a little bonus for the most dedicated sinners, Sistine will offer an exclusive loyalty feature, aka the Sistine Rosary Beads. Mischief-makers bestowed with such an honour will unlock special treats and perks that make their experience at the venue that much more transgressive. Sistine is open Thursday–Saturday from 6pm–late at 150A Chapel Street, Windsor. Head to the website for more information.
There's never a bad time to be in Brisbane. Year-round sunshine, a booming cultural scene and plenty of excellent things to eat, drink, see and do make the river city one of the most exciting places in the country. We've teamed up with Hennessy and the W Hotel to give you the perfect reason to head there — or, if you're a Brisbane local, the perfect excuse for a staycation. You and a lucky plus one can escape to the sunny state with an overnight stay in a Marvellous Suite at the five-star W Brisbane. Set in the heart of the city on the banks of the Brisbane River, it's the perfect spot to soak up the best of the city thanks in no small part to the incredible views you'll get from your room. [caption id="attachment_831071" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Marriott International Hotel[/caption] Wake up in the laps of luxury and indulge in breakfast for two in the hotel's signature restaurant, Three Blue Ducks, before spending the day chilling out on the jazzy pool deck. Later, you can glam it up for an evening with Hennessy cocktails in the Living Room Bar (pictured above). That's a $1000 stay – and you won't have to pay a cent. To be in the running, enter your details below. [competition]831077[/competition]
Enjoying a brew on the beach is a tradition Australians understandably savour, but with the joy of knocking back a few cold ones on the sand comes the responsibility of not acting like an idiot. It's simple, really. With adhering to the latter part of the bargain proving too difficult in St Kilda over Christmas, the local city council has responded by contemplating a ban on beachside boozing. Approximately 5000 people gathered at the popular St Kilda foreshore on Christmas day, resulting in unruly behaviour through the afternoon and evening, 29 tonnes of rubbish and a clean-up bill of around $23,000, according to a statement released by the City of Port Phillip. As Mayor Bernadene Voss stated, "the sheer number of intoxicated people milling around in the area also resulted in Council having to close some roads, creating a traffic nightmare for residents returning home from visiting friends and relatives on Christmas Day." A ban planned over the New Year's Eve period had already been extended prior to the incident, running from December 26 to January 4, and was subsequently increased to continue until February 15. The area affected spans from Marina Reserve to West Beach, including the site of the Christmas day party. The council will next meet on February 7 to consider extending the ban further. "We will be looking at factors such as volumes of broken glass and feedback from groups including residents, visitors, traders and police to help us decide whether an alcohol ban is useful in helping us tackle the challenge of managing such a popular destination which attracts all age groups," explained Voss. Until a further decision is reached, visitors will still be able to enjoy a drink on other Port Phillip beaches — although drinking is prohibited in all public places in the council's region over NYE until 9am on January 2, and again from 5 pm on January 26 to 9 am on January 28. Via ABC.
Lego has come a long way since I was a kid. For me, the brightly coloured plastic bricks didn't transcend their basic wall-building function much more than serving as useful things to throw at the cat when I wanted her to get off the bed. Over the years though, they've grown and expanded to include intricate Harry Potter, Star Wars and Ninja sets, as well as other more grown-up ranges for construction geeks everywhere. Now, as part of Lego's crazy-popular Architecture Series, in which there are already eleven projects, the Danish company is kicking off the month of March by launching their twelfth project, The Sydney Opera House. The series already features Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's iconic Farnsworth House and Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum, as well as Seattle's Space Needle and the Empire State Building, so the national landmark is in very distinguished company. Conceived and built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Opera House opened in 1973 after winning a design competition sixteen years earlier in 1957. Not only is the Sydney Opera House the city's most distinctive landmark, but it's also one of the most innovative and applauded examples of modern architecture. Upon being awarded the Pritzker Prize in 2003, judges said "It is one of the great iconic buildings of the 20th century, an image of great beauty that has become known throughout the world – a symbol for not only a city, but a whole country and continent." The 270-piece model will be on sale this month, containing a step-by-step instruction guide for budding architectects, designers and engineers, as well as a full archival history and message on the Reconciliation Action Plan completed in consultation with Sydney Opera House. You can pick it up online from the Lego Store or buy locally at the Sydney Opera House shop. [Via Sydney Opera House]
If golden, crunchy, juicy fried chook is your idea of a perfect meal then you probably have July 6 permanently marked in your diary. Each and every year, that's when the world's fried chicken-lovers celebrate their favourite food. We're not saying that the chook will taste better on that date, but if you just can't get enough of the trusty dish, it's definitely time to celebrate. This year, to mark the occasion, 50 restaurants across Australia are offering up to 50 percent off their take on the dish for two days via Deliveroo. On Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7, you can get finger licken' good chook delivered straight to your home or office — or home office — for cheap. Lunch, sorted. Melburnians have 18 chook joints to choose from, including Hawker Chan, Seoul Hot Chicken, Oriental Teahouse, Hakata Gensuke and Carl's Jr, while Sydneysiders have 16, with the likes of Johnny Bird, Broaster, Chi Kim and Angry Tony's all getting on board. Brisbanites have six options for their half-price burger fix, including Seoul Bistro, Lord of the Wings and Cafe Etto. You can check out the full list below. To get your fix, all you need to do is jump on to Deliveroo and find your closest chook favourite and order. [caption id="attachment_659902" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Johnny Bird[/caption] WORLD FRIED CHICKEN DAY RESTAURANTS SYDNEY Angry Tony's - Darlington Rooster and Grill Inferno Grill Inferno Grill Pyrmont Chi Kim WingBoy - Bondi Junction WingBoy - Parramatta WingBoy - Eastgardens WingBoy - Macquarie It's Time for Thai Newtown Manoosh Pizzeria (Enmore) Manoosh Pizzeria (Marrickville) Manoosh Lebanese Pizza - Waterloo Manoosh Pizzeria - Caringbah Johnny Bird Broasters Fried Chicken MELBOURNE Hakata Gensuke QV Hakata Gensuke Yatai Carlton Hakata Gensuke Hawthorn - Ramen Professional Hakata Gensuke Tonkotsu Ramen Seoul Hot Chicken Chicken Episode Oriental Teahouse Little Collins Chicken Episode 2.5 Slap Burger - Editions Collingwood Angry Birds Burger Joint - Editions Collingwood Peach's Fried Chicken - Editions Collingwood Bao Wow - Editions Collingwood F.A.T - Fried & TastyCarl's Jr (Docklands) Carl's Jr - Knox Carl's Jr - Altona Hawker Chan Hawker Chan - Chadstone Hawker Chan Box Hill BRISBANE Seoul Bistro Lord of the Wings Indooroopilly Lord of the Wings Carindale Cafe Etto Brisbane Chop Chop Changs Wilde Kitchen Top image: Lord of the Wings
In 2020, Netflix's Enola Holmes asked a question: what if Sherlock Holmes had a teenage sister who was just as good at sleuthing as he is? Now, in 2021, the streaming platform has another query for fans of the famed detective: what if there was actually a team of teens who were tasked with solving his mysteries, all while Sherlock gets the credit? That latter train of thought provides the premise for The Irregulars, Netflix's next dalliance with the character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Set in Victorian London, the eight-part series meets its motley crew of adolescents as they're asked by Doctor Watson (Royce Pierreson, The Witcher) to work for Holmes (Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Killing Eve). As the just-dropped trailer shows, they're also enlisted for their new gig as the city and the world comes under threat from insidious supernatural forces — which only they can stop. Yes, it sounds like something that an algorithm would concoct (and probably has) after seeing how many people stream both Stranger Things and the multiple other iterations of Sherlock Holmes that have reached screens over the years. But at least part of the concept does tie back into Conan Doyle's work, with the Baker Street Irregulars even popping up in 1887's A Study in Scarlet, the first novel to feature Holmes and Watson. When the series hits Netflix on Friday, March 26, you'll be watching Thaddea Graham (The Letter for the King), Darci Shaw (Judy), Jojo Macari (Sex Education), Mckell David (The Gentlemen) and Harrison Osterfield (Catch 22) as Irregulars members Bea, Jessie, Billie, Spike and Leopold — and Clarke Peters (His Dark Materials) as The Linen Man. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTE5MAGpflw The Irregulars starts streaming via Netflix from Friday, March 26.
Estonian-born ride-share company Taxify has been giving Uber a run for its money since launching across Sydney late last year. And as of today, it's hitting the streets of Melbourne, offering half-price fares to celebrate its arrival. According to Taxify, over 10,000 Melbourne-based drivers have already signed up, likely pulled in by the company's promise of a 15 percent commission, as opposed to Uber's 20 to 25 percent. Taxify CEO Markus Villig says that Taxify is "dedicated to providing competition and choice to both riders and drivers". He also said that Taxify will be cheaper than other ride-share providers by about 5 percent. Like in Sydney, Taxify will launch with 50 percent off fares for its 'launch period', which in Sydney lasted for around a month. Discounted Taxify fares are available across Melbourne today, Thursday, January 25. Jump over to the website to find out more or to download the Taxify app.
Lasagne is a bit like lamingtons, even though they taste and look absolutely nothing alike. Their one big commonality: if there's an inventive way to twist either in any way, whatever that dish happens to be is definitely worth trying. Actually, the two foods share something else in common, because Australia's world-famous Lune Croissanterie has also given them both a whirl. It first served up lamington cruffins to kick off 2022, and now it's doing lasagne pastries to welcome in winter. Lasagne, but a pastry? Yes, that's now a real thing that exists — but only for this month, until Thursday, June 30, at all Lune stores around the country. That spans Fitzroy and the CBD in Melbourne, plus South Brisbane in Brisbane. While the brand also has three new outposts in the works — a third in Melbourne, a second in Brissie and its first ever in Sydney — none will be open in time to dish up this limited-time special. So, what are these instantly tastebud-tempting lasagne pastries? Prepare to meet, devour and love the lasagne escargot. It's the first time that Lune has whipped up this particular Frankenstein's monster of a bakery creation — and it's bound to set your stomach alive with deliciousness. Yes, it comes stuffed with bolognese and béchamel. There's also shredded mozzarella cheese, because of course there is. And, that pastry is then topped with parmesan before it goes in the oven. In Melbourne, you'll need to physically head into a Lune to get your mitts on this creative lasagne dish. In Brisbane, you can also order it online. The lasagne escargot leads Lune's June specials menu, which also features peanut pretzels and coconut pandan. For Brisbanites only, there's also cardamom buns, quince and vanilla danishes, and rhubarb and custard cruffins, too. Lune's lasagne escargot are available from all stores — Fitzroy and the CBD in Melbourne, and South Brisbane in Brisbane — until Thursday, June 30. In Brisbane only, you can also order them online.
Of all the gin pop-up bars with bespoke cocktails and seasonally crafted tapas pairings in all the world, you have to walk into this one. Bombay Sapphire, touchstone of the gin world, has returned once again with their pop-up bar and gastronomic experience Project Botanicals. The project is back following the sell-out success of last year's pop-up and will be held over three intoxicating weeks from June 24 to July 11. Where? Why, at a bespoke location of course. The newly established warehouse digs are being taken over by guest DJs and lush live botanical walls for the event at 64 Sutton Street, North Melbourne. Project Botanicals is a collaborative effort between some of the finest gin bars in Melbourne; Black Pearl, Eau de Vie, 1806, Union Electric and Gin Palace have all created unique (and devastatingly indulgent) cocktails to feature on the menu alongside ten food pairings. MasterChef's Gary Mehigan has constructed textured dishes that complement each cocktail. Catch a preview of five of the dishes and cocktail pairings in our feature. Project Botanicals will be open from June 24 to July 11 (Wednesday to Saturday) at 64 Sutton St, North Melbourne. Tickets are $45pp (plus booking fee), but we've got five double passes to give away to Concrete Playground subscribers for the 8pm sitting on Saturday, July 4. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter then email us at win.melbourne@concreteplayground.com with your name and address.
Thanks to the events of the past year, you've probably forgotten what an overseas holiday feels like — unless you've either already taken advantage of the newly opened trans-Tasman travel bubble with New Zealand, or you've made plans to hop across the ditch sometime soon. Don't go pulling out a map of the rest of the globe just yet, however, because the folks at Qantas and Jetstar have just announced a delay to their plans to start flying to other international destinations again. Initially, the airlines were hoping to begin soaring to a number of overseas spots in October. Qantas had outlined plans to recommence flights to 22 of its 25 international destinations — including London, Singapore and Los Angeles — while Jetstar was intending to resume trips to all of its 13 international routes by the same projected date. The Qantas Group, the company behind both carriers, has since updated that timeframe, announcing that it's now hoping to restart its international flights to places other than NZ in late December this year. The change follows recent forecasting by the Federal Government, which noted that Australia's borders wouldn't reopen to international travel until at least mid-2022 — as well as the fact that the nation's vaccine rollout hasn't been proceeding as quickly as originally advised. So, a lot still needs to go to plan for the two airlines to have you jetting off to foreign lands this summer. That's Qantas and Jetstar's current target date, though. It has been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic first forced Qantas and Jetstar to suspend international flights, which happened back in March 2020. There has been talk of other travel bubbles, however, including a possible one with Singapore — with Qantas Group saying that it remains "optimistic that additional bubbles will open once Australia's vaccine rollout is complete to countries who, by then, are in a similar position." The airlines will contact anyone who has already booked flights from October onwards, but notes that "recent levels of uncertainty meant international booking levels were relatively low." When overseas flights to spots other than NZ do resume, you might not be able to fly until you've received your jab, with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce previously stating the airline would only allow vaccinated passengers to travel on international flights. The airline is also currently trialling digital health pass apps, such as Common Pass and IATA Travel Pass, which contain information about a passenger's COVID-19 status, testing and vaccinations, on current international repatriation flights. Of course, even once international flights are up and running again, you can expect a much lower capacity than pre-COVID travel — Qantas previously said that it's not anticipating a full return to normality until 2024. To find out more about Qantas and Jetstar's international travel plans, visit the Qantas website.
Want to get back to nature without actually having to rough it? Lucky for you, you can now take in the rolling hills of Mudgee in New South Wales, all thanks to the region's first ever luxury glamping service. First opening in 2017, Sierra Escape is located 20 minutes drive from Mudgee's town centre and some 260 kilometres north-west of Sydney. It boasts spectacular views, and is home to wildlife including kangaroos, deer and a variety of native birds — so yeah, basically it's paradise. Campers clearly agree, with its decadent accommodation unsurprisingly proving popular, and the 280-acre property adding two new tents to cater to demand. While the site's original tent — if you can even call something this opulent a tent — is still going strong, its two newcomers kick things up a few notches. One sleeps seven in a space that features two queen beds, a single trundle and a second bedroom with a double bed. The other is a secluded hilltop getaway for two that comes with a complimentary bottle of local bubbles and local chocolate, and a breakfast pack. For $450 per night, groups staying in Dulili will also enjoy their own designer kitchen, wood fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows, glass sliding doors, large indoor and outdoor dining tables, plus a firepit area and a bathroom with a shower and flushing toilet. Or, those wanting a romantic jaunt away from the big smoke will spend $550 per night for all of the above, as well as a king bed — naturally — and indoor and outdoor freestanding bathtubs. All three of Sierra Escape's tents, including the $290-per-night Carinya, are insulated for all seasons, and include outdoor areas where you can kick back and watch the sunset. The new tents are available to book from June 1. For more information visit www.sierraescape.com.au.
You may have already heard, indeed the internet has been speaking of nothing else, but Stereosonic will not be returning in 2016. They announced on Facebook that the festival will be back and bigger than ever in 2017 which, tbh, just sounds like a gentle breakup. Why would a beloved festival, a cornerstone event in the calendars of both gym bros and dinger slingers alike, clock out for a whole year? Organisers Totem Onelove say it's because they're committed to bringing fans the best festival experience possible. It may also be attributed to the tragic deaths of two patrons in 2015, or that the American company who own Totem Onelove, SFX, recently filed for bankruptcy. All hypotheticals, all 'could be's. It could be that the Year of the Monkey is just not their year. It could just be a sign of the times. Future Music was cancelled in early 2015 because it doesn't make "financial sense"; Soundwave soon followed due to poor ticket sales (although to be fair, their version of poor ticket sales was around 20k at $170 a pop – about $3.4 million revenue. And now Stereosonic has folded and the big three festival that defined the Aussie festival scene are done and dusted. The real shame here is without a big festival, and the big budgets they bring, there's one less drawcard to get the big acts out to Australia and put on sideshows. It's pretty good news for people who would rather bathe in urine than step foot into a gym-bro festival because at the same time, as you've probably noticed, boutique festivals are going boom — it's been a killer few years for the likes of Sugar Mountain, Secret Garden Festival, Strawberry Fields, Let Them Eat Cake, Inner Varnika, OfftheGrid, Dark Mofo and Meredith to name only a handful. In the place of the massive one-size-fits-all festival giants come hundreds of smaller, niche events. The democratisation of festival culture can only be a good thing right? See ya Stereo. You'll be missed, like the lost revenue from many, many Australian gym memberships this year. Image: Stereosonic.
Welcome to the Wasteland: a first look at the long-awaited Fallout TV adaptation is here, ahead of the streaming series' arrival on Prime Video in April 2024. Almost three decades after first hitting computers back in 1997 — and after three released sequels, a fourth on the way and seven spinoffs — the gaming franchise is getting a live-action take starring Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (I'm a Virgo) and Kyle MacLachlan (Lucky Hank). HBO isn't behind this game-to-television series, unlike spectacular 2023 hit The Last of Us, but Prime Video is taking a similar approach by enlisting the creative forces behind one of the US premium cable network's past hits. Just as co-creator, executive producer, writer and director Craig Mazin made the leap from Chernobyl to a button-mashing favourite, so are Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy — who also executive produced Prime Video's own The Peripheral. Fans of the Fallout game will already know the show's setting: a post-apocalyptic future. The series takes place 200 years after everything went pear-shaped, with people living in luxe fallout shelters ever since. When some such folks leave their cosy confines, they find a hellscape filled with mutants, wild west vibes and plenty of violence. Purnell plays vault-dweller Lucy, while Twin Peaks great MacLachlan is her dad Overseer Hank, who — as his name suggests — oversees Vault 33. On the surface, Goggins is bounty hunter The Ghoul, who has a secret past — and Aaron Moten (Emancipation) also has a pivotal part as Brotherhood of Steel soldier Maximus. Expect to also see Moisés Arias (Samaritan), Sarita Choudhury (And Just Like That...), Michael Emerson (Evil), Leslie Uggams (Extrapolations), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance) and Johnny Pemberton (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story) on-screen as well — plus Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O'Hagan (Dear Edward) and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time) — when this retrofuturistic dystopia starts hitting your streaming queue from Friday, April 12, 2024. As well as executive producing with Joy, Nolan directs the first three episodes. Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (Silicon Valley) are similarly among Fallout's executive producers, as well as the series' writers and co-showrunners. And yes, Bethesda Game Studios has a hand in finally bringing the games to the screen. There's no trailer for Fallout yet, but Prime Video have dropped a heap of pictures as an initial glimpse at what's to come — see above and below. Fallout will start streaming via Prime Video from Friday, April 12, 2024. Images: courtesy of Prime Video.
The 40th parallel is much more than simply a line of latitude spanning the distance of America from East to West; and Bruce Myren's photographs of it are much more than just photos. The line N 40° 00' 00'' bisects the country from New Jersey's shore crossing through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, over the border between Nebraska and Kansas, following on past Colorado, Utah, Nevada and finally finishing in California. Myren is not only capturing the stunning surroundings of these landscapes, but is trying to understand and portray the "human desire to create systems and then locate ourselves within them". The fortieth parallel north is a tool for measurement, as well as acting as the baseline for creating homesteads and townships, functioning as a useful marker during Western settlement. The project began as a fairly small and basic undertaking, using maps to identify the areas because GPS's were not widely available during that time. However, as geographical technology began to grow and develop, so too did Myren's photo series. Using an 8 x 10 Deardoff camera and colour transparency film, Myren produced panoramas by snapping three shots moving from left to right then adding them together during editing. The photographer is aiming to take a landscape panorama shot at every longitudinal point along the line, adding up to a total of 52 locations and images, spaced roughly 53 miles apart from each other. So far he has captured 28 stunning images of these locations. Here are 10 of the inspired images from his series, aimed to make you "consider the history of landscape photography, American development , but most importantly [your] own relationship to place." N 40° 00' o0'' W 109° 00' 00", Rangely, Colorado, 2000 N 40° 00' 00" W 108° 00' 00", Meeker, Colorado, 2000 N 40° 00' 00" W 101° 00' 00", Ludell, Kansas, 2011 N 40° 00' 00" W 98° 00' 00", Webber, Kansas, 2007 N 40° 00' 00" W 97° 00' 00", Hollenberg, Kansas, 2007 N 40° 00' 00" W 95° 00' 00", Fillmore, Missouri, 2007 N 40° 00' 00" W 93° 00' 00", Winigan, Missouri, 2011 N 40° 00' 00" W 81° 00' 00", Belmont, Ohio, 1999 N 40° 00' 00" W 76° 00' 00", Gap, Pennsylvania, 1999 N 40° 00' 00" W 74° 03' 32", Normandy Beach, New Jersey, 1998
Coffin Flop fans, rejoice — we don't yet know if world's wildest supremely fictional TV series will make a new appearance when I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson returns for season three, but something else just as absurd and wonderful will either way. Will Corncob TV earn another mention? How awkward will this Netflix sketch comedy's namesake get? Which examples of the absolute worst behaviour will it satirise? Do you need to slop up some steaks while watching? How slicked-back is your hair right now? Expect to answer all of this and more on Tuesday, May 30. Baby, baby, baby, that's when one of the best comedies currently being made will return with six new episodes, as led by Detroiters star Tim Robinson. His surreal comic stylings have already gifted viewers hot dog suits, Garfield houses, tense plane encounters and babies who know you used to be a piece shit, and he has plenty more in store as the just-dropped trailer for the third season teases. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson first arrived in 2019 when, on one otherwise normal day, folks sat down on the couch, switched on their televisions, started scrolling through Netflix and came across an instant cult-hit comedy. The best sketch comedy of that year, and one of the best TV shows in general, too, the series' first season was ridiculously easily to binge — and flat-out ridiculous. You don't even need two hours to get through all six episodes but, once you're done, you'll wish that it went for at least twice as long. When season two arrived in 2021, it was just as phenomenal. OTT, hilarious, finding gags about a secret excuse to help men explain away pee stains on their pants, plus quite the loud and lurid shirt, and then a daggy hat — that's this series. Absolutely no one excavates, explores and satirises social discomfort with the gusto, commitment and left-of-centre viewpoint of Robinson, with his skits diving headfirst into excruciating situations, dwelling there and letting them fester. It's no wonder that the former Saturday Night Live comic has a hit on his hands. Just try looking away from his flexible facial expressions alone. That proves the case in the sneak peek, which is filled with multiple fake game shows, adult babies, fedoras, crying and Robinson at his silliest, and will already get you cringing as it's 100-percent designed to do. In season three, Robinson will again be joined by Will Forte (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), plus everyone from Jason Schwartzman (I Love That for You) and Fred Armisen (Barry) to Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) and Tim Meadows (Poker Face). Sam Richardson (The Afterparty) is also back, once again giving Detroiters devotees a glorious reunion. The series also boasts some big names off-screen, with The Lonely Island (aka Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg and his regular comedy partners Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone) its executive producers. Check out the trailer for I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson season three below: I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's third season will be available to stream via Netflix from Tuesday, May 30. Images: Terence Patrick, Netflix.
When Colin From Accounts arrived for its first season in 2022 with a nipple flash, a dog and strangers committing to take care of a cute injured animal together after a meet-cute, it also began with a "will they, won't they?" story. Ashley (Harriet Dyer, The Invisible Man) and Gordon (Patrick Brammall, Evil) crossed paths in the street in Sydney when she gave him a random peek, then he was distracted behind the wheel. Thanks to the titular pet, the pair were soon intricately involved in each other's lives — and, as they endeavoured to work out what that actually meant, sift through their feelings for one another and navigate the respective chaos that fills everyone's existence anyway, a delightful small-screen Australian rom-com (and one of that year's best new TV shows) was the end result. In season two, which streams weekly on Binge from Thursday, May 30, the series picks up after the duo gave Colin From Accounts to new owners at the end of the show's debut batch of episodes, then immediately regretted the decision. A couple of things are different from the outset: after moving in together, Gordon and Ashley are on a quest to get their pup back and they'll stop at almost nothing for their family to be reunited; also, this award-winning series is now in "should've they or should've they not?" territory about its central romance. (Moving from an all-at-once release to week-by-week instalments is another change for viewers.) Falling in love is easy. Being in the honeymoon period, whether or not you've tied the knot — Colin From Accounts' protagonists haven't — is clearcut, too. Taking a relationship further means peeling away the rosy and glowing surface, however, which is where the series follows its medical student and Inner West microbrewery owner in its second season. A television romantic-comedy with longevity can't be solely fuelled by fluttering hearts and butterflies in stomachs, especially one that's as dedicated to eschewing saccharine cliches as this. Colin From Accounts isn't afraid to be sweet, but a not-insignificant amount of its charm comes from feeling lived in as Ash and Gordon's romance keeps developing. Same show, but with a few new tricks: that's season two, then. Like relationship, like series: when it comes to diving deeper than the first season, that also fits. There has always been a spark between Colin From Accounts' lead characters, or else it wouldn't have made it to air in the first place, but the program's return digs into the reality that taking the next step for any couple is a dance through love's equivalent of dog mess on an otherwise pristine lawn. No matter how well you plot out a clear path, how flexible and adaptable you are to obstacles, and how determined you are to evade the crap, no one can avoid dirty shoes 100-percent of the time. As season two sees Ash and Gordon confronting the everyday details of intertwining their lives, it also has them tackling a range of relatable questions again. This round inspires plenty, in fact. Is there more than just chemistry between them? How much do shared interests count? Does a lack of commonalities cast a shadow, and their age gap as well? Will their routines knit together easily enough? Can they weather setbacks and roadblocks, unpack historical baggage and make space for a new way forward? How will their respective dating histories colour the first real serious relationship that they've each been in? Also, as they continue getting to know each other better — warts and all, and through secrets and surprises — will they still feel the same way? Ash and Gordon have another query to face at the outset of this new set of chapters: without Colin binding them together, who are they are a twosome? The first new instalment starts with a happy park playdate and all seeming being well, until it's revealed that the dog's former guardians are just pestering his new ones (Bump's Sam Cotton and Home and Away's Sophie Bloom), who'd really like them to go bark up another tree. From there, unexpected news, meeting family members, former flames and more await, all with their own tests. Plus, Ash's best friend Megan (Emma Harvie, In Limbo) and Gordon's counterpart Chiara (Genevieve Hegney, In Our Blood) are using the couple's home as a love nest while embarking upon an affair, while brewery employee Brett (Michael Logo, High Country) is being pushed out of home by his parents. Creators, writers and stars Dyer and Brammall keep performing their parts to perfection; given that they're married IRL and no strangers to working side by side (see: the also-excellent No Activity, which ran for two seasons between 2015–18), the charisma between them isn't hard to maintain. Neither is the naturalism in their portrayals, but they're not just playing themselves. As scribes, Dyer and Brammall are also particularly gifted with dialogue, ensuring that everything that the show's characters are saying always feels authentic. Sometimes the banter is amusing, sometimes it's heartfelt, and it can be acerbic and insightful, too — and all of the above combined — but it never sounds like something that works fine on the page yet no one would ever utter aloud. When it initially bolted out of the gate, Colin From Accounts was a fast homegrown hit, then had audiences overseas swooning as well. A series this genuinely funny, heartfelt and honest, and that manages to be light yet weighty and grounded, was always going to earn affection — and the same remains true in season two. Again, Dyer and Brammall have crafted a gem that bounces by with help from its directors (the returning Trent O'Donnell and Madeleine Dyer do the honours once more in season two, plus Summer Love's Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope), and that plays like hanging out with old friends. And yes, in lead, supporting and guest roles alike, casting is another of its treats — including with new additions such as Celeste Barber (Wellmania), Justin Rosniak (Wolf Like Me) and Aunty Donna's Broden Kelly (Aunty Donna's Coffee Cafe) this time around. Check out the trailer for Colin From Accounts season two below: Colin From Accounts season two streams via Binge from Thursday, May 30, 2024. Images: Lisa Tomasetti / Joel Pratley.
When the beginning of 2023 rolls around, Australian and New Zealand fans of a certain former boy band star-turned-Coachella headliner will be heading in one direction: to your nearest stadium to see Harry Styles finally bring his latest tour Down Under. Just days after he wowed crowds in California and online with his first Coachella set — sequinned jumpsuit, Shania Twain duets and all — the ex-One Direction member turned solo music superstar has locked in February and March 2023 dates in Perth, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Sydney and Auckland. Venue-wise, the Grammy Award-winning, Dunkirk and Eternals co-starring talent is going big — so you'll be singing along to 'Watermelon Sugar', 'As It Was', 'Adore You' and 'Sign of the Times' at arenas. And, attendees will also be listening to UK duo Wet Leg, who've scored the supporting slot. Styles was originally headed our way in November 2020; however, we all know how that panned out and why those shows didn't eventuate. That delay will mean that he won't just have two albums to play, but three, with Styles' third solo studio Harry's House set to release in May 2022. If you're keen for tickets, they'll go on sale via Ticketmaster on Wednesday, April 27, with times varying per city. Or, if you had tickets last time, there's a past purchaser window from Thursday, April 21–Sunday, April 24, plus My Ticketmaster and Live Nation pre-sales from Tuesday, April 26. HARRY STYLES LOVE ON TOUR 2023 AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND TOUR DATES: Monday, February 20 – HBF Park, Perth Friday, February 24 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne Tuesday, February 28 – Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast Friday, March 3 – Accor Stadium, Sydney Tuesday, March 7 – Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland Harry Styles will tour Australia and New Zealand in February and March 2022. For further information or to buy tickets, head to the Live Nation website. Top image: Erin McCormack via Flickr.
It might've taken three years, but Netflix has finally produced its first original Aussie series. Shot entirely in Queensland, and providing fuel for late 2018 binge-watch sessions, Tidelands is a supernatural crime drama series about a fictional fishing village, dubbed Orphelin Bay, with strange inhabitants: a group of dangerous half-Sirens, half-humans called 'Tidelanders'. Cal McTeer (Charlotte Best), a young women who returns to the small village after a stint in jail, discovers the body of a local fisherman and must navigate the town's drug smuggling history while also investigating the Tidelanders, who are led by Adrielle Cuthburt (Elsa Pataky). After revealing its first sneak peek teaser back in October, the series now has a full official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhsjoQLKaiY&feature=youtu.be Eight episodes, each running for 50 minutes, have been made by Brisbane's Emmy Award-Winning production company Hoodlum Entertainment. And Tidelands won't just gift Australian users with a new favourite series, with the show set to land in all 190 countries that Netflix is available in. Thinking you've seen plenty of Aussie stuff on Netflix already? You're not wrong, however, there's a difference between throwing old sitcoms and standup specials into a range inexplicably overflowing with new Adam Sandler movies, and actually funding brand new Australian material. Last year, it was announced that they'd join forces with the ABC to co-produce a second season of Glitch, which showed them dipping a toe in the water — but now they're completely diving in. Tidelands will join the platform's hefty stable of original series, which started back in 2013 with House of Cards, and just keeps growing (Orange Is the New Black, The Get Down, The OA, Wet Hot American Summer, Master of None, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Dear White People, BoJack Horseman, four Marvel series with one more to come — the list goes on). Given the premise, here's hoping it'll be the next Stranger Things, and not the new Hemlock Grove. Tidelands will be available globally on Netflix from December 14, 2018.
It has been a big few weeks for Melburnians. Victoria has now clocked up 11 consecutive days without any new COVID-19 cases, and restrictions keep relaxing — including reopening hospitality venues, ditching the 25-kilometre rule and scrapping the regional travel ban, and permitting entertainment venues to relaunch. That's the kind of end-of-year news everyone needs at the moment and, if the city and the surrounding state keep the current case trend going, more is set to follow. When Premier Daniel Andrews announced the latest coronavirus roadmap changes on Sunday, November 8, he also outlined plans for the next stage, which'll hit from 11.59pm on Sunday, November 22. Plenty of current rules will relax even further, including around venues and gatherings — so prepare to spend some more time in more places with more people. Hospitality venues will be able to welcome in up to 100 people indoors (with one person per four square metres) and 200 outside (with one person per two square metres). Public gatherings will increase to 50 and private gatherings — so, folks coming over to your house — will increase to ten from any number of other households. Also, travel-wise, you'll be able to head out of town in line with the private gathering cap (so in groups of ten people from any number of other households). Both seated and non-seated entertainment venues (such as cinemas and galleries) will be able to welcome in up to 100 people per space, too, at a density of one person per four square metres up to 25-percent of their capacity. For outdoor seated events, numbers will go up to 500 (50-percent capacity, and one person per four square metres). https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1325226822175399936 Gyms and fitness studios will increase to a maximum of 100 people per venue and 20 people per space. And religious gatherings will be able to have 20 people in one indoors, up to a total of 100 — and groups of 50 outdoors up to a total of 500. Weddings will also be able to have 100 people in attendance. Announcing the future changes, Premier Andrews noted that Victoria "will only be able to make those changes, take those steps — which is the last step before we reach the COVID-normal [phase], which we were locking well ahead before Christmas before having the COVID-normal Christmas and maintaining those settings and maybe go further again, throughout 2021 — we will only get to that point if each of us fundamentally acknowledge this point: nine days of zero is not the same as a vaccine". He continued: "each of us have played a part in building this precious thing and each of us have to play a part in protecting it. If we want to stay open, we have to stay safe. If we want to enjoy these steps and more, then we all have to play our part. And it is getting tested when you feel sick. It is taking these rules seriously". For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website — and for further details about Victoria's steps for reopening, head to the roadmap itself. Top image: Kate Shanasy.
It's the end of an era, and it's going out with some impressive names. When Bluesfest hosts its last-ever festival in April 2025, it'll have Crowded House, Ocean Alley and Vance Joy for company. A week after announcing that the music fest only has one more run in it, the Byron Bay mainstay has started unveiling its goodbye lineup, revealing the initial 20 acts on the bill. 'Don't Dream It's Over' should take on extra resonance when it earns a spot in Crowded House's set, with the band making one last Bluesfest appearance. Ocean Alley are also no strangers to the fest, and equally onboard for the final 2025 hurrah. From there, the roster of talent for Thursday, April 17–Sunday, April 20, 2025 so far also spans Tones and I, Gary Clark Jr, Rag'n'Bone Man, RY X, Allison Russell and Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram — and more already, with future lineup announcements still to come. "As we prepare for the final chapter of Bluesfest in 2025, I am profoundly moved by the outpouring of support from thousands in our community, along with the many artists and their management eager to be part of our farewell edition. Thank you all for your heartfelt messages and expressions of solidarity," said Festival Director Peter Noble, revealing the fest's first acts for next year. "We're thrilled to unveil the first wave of artists for our grand finale. This lineup, meticulously curated to honour Bluesfest's rich legacy, features a dynamic mix of legendary and cutting-edge performers. This announcement marks just the beginning. Our second lineup is well and truly in the works and the reveal is on the horizon, promising to further enhance what is set to be an epic farewell." Bluesfest's four-day 2025 event will celebrate the Easter long-weekend fest's 36th year, as well as its last. As for who'll join Crowded House, Ocean Alley, Vance Joy and company, start guessing — 2024's headliners Tom Jones and Elvis Costello, if that helps. The last few years have been tumultuous for the Byron Bay fest. 2023's event lost a number of acts, including King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Sampa the Great, after Sticky Fingers were added to the bill. Bluesfest ultimately dropped the controversial band. And while the fest went ahead in 2022 after two years of pandemic cancellations (and a thwarted temporary move to October for the same reason), it showcased a primarily Australian and New Zealand lineup. [caption id="attachment_970517" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Celina Martins[/caption] Bluesfest saying goodbye means that two huge Aussie music festivals that call Byron Bay home have shut up shop, although hopefully one is only temporary. After Splendour in the Grass announced its dates for this year, then its lineup, it swiftly cancelled mere weeks later. It continues to prove a tough time for the Australian live music scene. Bluesfest calling time follows Mona Foma doing the same after its 2024 event — plus a lengthy list of festivals beyond Splendour that've ditched their plans this year, sometimes also without announcing their intentions for the future. Just two years after debuting, Adelaide's Harvest Rock has scrapped its 2024 fest as well. Spilt Milk cancelled its 2024 festivals, while Groovin the Moo did the same after announcing its lineup. Summergrounds Music Festival, which was meant to debut at Sydney Festival 2024, also pulled the plug. As announced in 2023, Dark Mofo took a breather in 2024. Yours and Owls has postponed its next fest until 2025, too, but is hosting a pre-party in October this year. Bluesfest 2025 Lineup: Crowded House Vance Joy Ocean Alley Tones and I Gary Clark Jr Rag'n'Bone Man RY X Allison Russell Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram Brad Cox Here Come the Mummies The California Honeydrops Marc Broussard Pierce Brothers Taj Farrant Fanny Lumsden 19-Twenty WILSN Cimafunk Neal Francis [caption id="attachment_969986" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969989" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969987" align="alignnone" width="1920"] LD Somefx[/caption] [caption id="attachment_867504" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kurt Petersen[/caption] [caption id="attachment_969988" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Roger Cotgreave[/caption] Bluesfest 2025 will run from Thursday, April 17–Sunday, April 20 at Byron Events Farm, Tyagarah. Early-bird tickets are on sale now — for further information, head to the Bluesfest website. Top image: Joseph Mayers.
For the next two months, visitors to MoMA PS1 in New York's Queens best start looking up. The gallery has just installed its latest installation, Lumen, which turns the venue's courtyard into a environmentally responsive, colour-changing wonderland. Designed by Jenny Sabin Studio, winning The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1's annual Young Architects Program, and on display until September 4, Lumen consists of cellular canopies made from textiles that react to conditions around them: light and heat, namely. As the environment changes — aka the weather gets gloomy, or day turns to night — so do the hues emitted by its digitally knitted fibres. If you've ever wondered what the '90s Hypercolor fad would look like if it was strung across the sky, this dreamy interactive piece provides the answer. So, how does it work? Well, those fibres are solar-active and photo-luminescent. Almost a million metres of them have been turned into 250 hanging tubular structures, and paired with 100 robotically woven recycled spool stools, as well as a misting system that responds to visitors' proximity. The aim is to use insights and theories from biology, materials science, mathematics and engineering to create an adaptive piece of micro-climate-like architecture that behaves like an organism. As Sabin describes, "by night, Lumen is knitted light, bathing visitors in a responsive glow of photo-luminescence; by day, Lumen offers succor from the summer heat, immersing participants in delicious ground clouds of cooling mist." She continues: "Lumen is a feminine form that offers luminous interiorities, informal networks, social fabrics, and fibrous assemblages that are pliable, transformative, and playful." Via: Inhabitat. Images: Lumen by Jenny Sabin Studio for the Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1's Young Architects Program 2017. Courtesy MoMA PS1. Photo by Pablo Enriquez.
American artist Nina Katchadourian has what could aptly be described as a bit of a book fetish. Having spent the last 20 years trawling through libraries and personal collections across the globe in search of books that she can organise into meaningful stacks of "spine poetry", it seems fair to describe the artist as a fully fledged bibliophile. The Sorted Books project has been a labour of love for Katchadourian, who has now amassed over 130 stacks of books, displaying them as either the physical cluster or as photographs. The resulting poetry is at times quirky, sometimes thought-provoking, often laugh-out-loud funny and even touchingly poignant. For the artist the hope was that each stack would represent the unique character of the collections they were drawn from. Katchadourian writes that "the clusters from each sorting aim to examine that particular library's focus, idiosyncrasies, and inconsistencies — a cross-section of that library's holdings." Beyond this, it is the inspiration Katachadourian gains from the books she finds that has meant this project remains ongoing and unfinished, whether this be the aesthetic beauty of the covers, the highly tactile nature of well-loved literature or simply an enduring passion for the written word. Have a look at some of our favourite clusters below or head to Amazon to get your hands on your own photograph.
If eating at one of the world's best restaurants — and Copenhagen's most acclaimed — has long been on your bucket list, achieving that feat now has a time limit, with René Redzepi's Noma announcing that it's closing its doors. It isn't saying farewell forever, thankfully, but it is ending its current operations, transforming instead into a test kitchen and food laboratory. Redzepi's globally renowned, three-Michelin-starred, five-time World's Best list-topping eatery has shut up shop in the past, back in 2016, before reemerging in 2017 as Noma 2.0. Redzepi and his team have already badged the venue's next phase 3.0, and it'll kick off in 2025 — after Noma's present setup says goodbye in 2024. "Winter 2024 will be the last season of Noma as we know it. We are beginning a new chapter; Noma 3.0," said Redzepi in a statement on the restaurant's website and social media channels. "In 2025, our restaurant is transforming into a giant lab — a pioneering test kitchen dedicated to the work of food innovation and the development of new flavours, one that will share the fruits of our efforts more widely than ever before," Redzepi continues. "Serving guests will still be a part of who we are, but being a restaurant will no longer define us. Instead, much of our time will be spent on exploring new projects and developing many more ideas and products." View this post on Instagram A post shared by noma (@nomacph) If you can manage to nab a highly coveted reservation between now and Noma's 2024 closure, you'll experience the restaurant's last days in its 2.0 guise. After that, it will host pop-ups as part of being a food lab, and will also do a season in Copenhagen. Travelling the globe to share its cuisine has long been a part of Noma's remit anyway, complete with an upcoming ten-week residency in Kyoto from March–May 2023. In the past, the eatery has done the same in Tokyo, Down Under in Sydney as well, and in Tulum, Mexico. "In this next phase, we will continue to travel and search for new ways to share our work. Is there somewhere we must go in the world to learn? Then we will do a Noma pop-up. And when we've gathered enough new ideas and flavors, we will do a season in Copenhagen," added Redzepi. "Our goal is to create a lasting organisation dedicated to groundbreaking work in food, but also to redefine the foundation for a restaurant team, a place where you can learn, you can take risks, and you can grow!" Noma 2.0 will close at Refshalevej 96, 1432 Copenhagen K, in 2024, during winter in Europe, before relaunching in 2025 as a test kitchen and food lab. Head to the restaurant's website for reservations. Top image: Amy Tang.
Not once but twice now, a new sneak peek at The Flight Attendant's second season has hit and dropped some deliciously pointed dialogue along with it. Back in March, when the initial teaser for the show's next batch of episodes arrived, it had Kaley Cuoco's Cassie Bowden exclaiming "I'm still a flight attendant, and I've been making better choices." Now, in season two's just-released full trailer, she's told "you seem very put together." Of course, everything that surrounds those lines of dialogue in both sneak peeks so far immediately contradicts what's uttered — because The Flight Attendant wouldn't be the show it is if chaos wasn't on the itinerary. And this time around, the country-hopping thriller has a new way to dial up the twists. When Cassie escapes into her mind to reflect upon everything that life is throwing her way, which is a lot, she's confronted with multiple versions of herself. Four Cassies — and four Cuocos, too — are better than one, clearly. If you're wondering exactly how that'll play out, you don't have to wait long — with The Flight Attendant's second season arriving in Australia via Binge on Thursday, April 21, and in New Zealand thanks to Neon on Friday, April 22. Obviously, as anyone who quickly found themselves addicted to the extremely watchable series the first time, expecting Cassie to settle into a normal, average, uneventful and calm life is highly unrealistic. In season two, she has indeed moved on from the dramas we all watched back in 2020, though — and moved to Los Angeles, and also started attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. That said, Cassie has picked up a part-time job as well, which happens to see her moonlighting for the CIA. And, as this second trailer shows, that new gig comes with consequences. While Cassie is doing great things at both of her jobs — booze-free things, helpfully — it seems that someone else is trying to pass themselves off as her while she's working her side hustle overseas. Cue more globe-trotting intrigue, taking the show to both Berlin and Reykjavik. Cue more of Cassie's inner monologues as well, which is where those four different versions come in. Also new: cast members Mo McRae (Big Little Lies), Callie Hernandez (Under the Silver Lake), JJ Soria (Gentefied), Alanna Ubach (Euphoria), Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Jessie Ennis (Mythic Quest), Mae Martin (Feel Good), Margaret Cho (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens), Santiago Cabrera (Ema), Sharon Stone (Ratched) and Shohreh Aghdashloo (The Expanse). They'll join Golden Globe- and Emmy-nominee Cuoco, obviously, plus returning co-stars Zosia Mamet (Girls), Griffin Matthews (Dear White People), Deniz Akdeniz (The High Note) and Rosie Perez (The Last Thing He Wanted). And if you're coming to this small-screen adaptation of Chris Bohjalian's 2018 novel of the same name with fresh eyes, the first season unravelled quite the tale — starting high in the sky, bouncing around the globe and delivering a hectic murder-mystery. Filled with sudden revelations and reversals, featuring multiple points of interest playing out across a split-screen setup, and also sporting cliffhangers to end every episode, the slick, swift-moving series knew exactly the kind of story it was telling and went for broke. Check out the full trailer for The Flight Attendant's second season below: The Flight Attendant's second season will be available to stream via Binge in Australia from Thursday, April 21 — and is headed to Neon in New Zealand on Friday, April 22. Read our full review of season one. Images: Jennifer Rose Clasen/HBO Max.
Fans of smoked meats, solid harmonica solos and all things Americana will love this; Melbourne just landed its very own specialised twang-fuelled shindig. Dubbed 'a celebration of Americana music, great food and fine booze' at Seaworks, Williamstown, brand new event Out On the Weekend promises to be one laidback folky affair by the water. A shiny new project developed from Love Police founder Brian 'BT' Taranto's fond country music memories and unfaltering love for Neil Young, the all-day, family-friendly October event hinges around a penchant for the dark desert highways of the US. "Ever since my first concert at the Wandong Country Music Festival in the mid '70s, I have had a fascination with the country sounds, the roots of it all, let's just call it Americana music," says BT. "I've lately wondered at staging an event that celebrates these sounds. One that offers great food with alcoholic drops of liquid gold at a cool space. Not a huge festival, just somewhere to get into it for a day with friends and likeminded folks." Just a few months ago, BT found a space for the event on the Williamstown shore and named the whole thing after his number one guy, Neil Young (quietly nicking his Harvest cover for the event logo). "Hey, I'm a giant Neil Young fan, and I reckon the one thing that will connect everyone at this event will be that they have all heard Harvest in it's entirety, and probably own that 1972 classic from which we take the name of track one." A hearty combination of music, food and top notch booze, Out On the Weekend fronts up a solid lineup of country, folk and roots (all undeniably tainted b a love for 'Muuurica. Right at the top sits acclaimed American singer/songwriter Justin Townes Earle (son of the legendary Steve Earle), who's just announced his brand new album White Gardenias set for release in September. Melbourne's own Henry Wagons and Friends are a natural addition to the Americana-inspired lineup, with Wagons having spent the majority of his time of late touring across the desert-dwelling watering holes of the States. Californian-based Texan Ryan Bingham, Bon Iver-meets-Jackson Browne singer Robert Ellis, smoky-voiced alt-country Canadian Lindi Ortega, Wanda Jackson-like wunderkind Nikki Lane, dreamy, gravelly duo The Delines, formerly-known-as-Johnny-Corndawg funster Johnny Fritz, Sydney folk darling Emma Swift, SA-raised multi-instrumentalist Chris Altmann, Melbourne alt-country foursome Raised By Eagles and raucous six-piece bluegrass band The Morrisons are also set to take things porchside on the day. But we promised food. With Melbourne's love for American cuisine in no danger of faltering any time soon, OOTW's nom lineup is quite the star-spangled menu. Sydney's leading renegade chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz of Porteño/Bodega fame will be setting up a pop-up version of their acclaimed establishment, serving up all the smoked meats and potato salads you can fit in y'gob. Melburnians won't be outdone by a sizzling Sydneysider though, with street food legends Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Truck and All Day Donuts driving on in to satisfy every last taste bud. Further nosh and bevvy announcements are yet to come for OOTW, stay tuned for more lip-smacking, exclamation point-inducing news. Out On the Weekend will take place Saturday, October 18 at Seaworks, Williamstown from 11:30am — 10:30pm. Early bird tickets are $79 (inc. all fees) and on sale Friday 25th July from outontheweekend.com.au or phone 1300 724 867. Free entry for kids under 12 years old. Very limited Cripple Creek Ferry Packages available for $199 (inc. all fees) including return ferry transfer from Dockland to the event with live entertainment aboard, entry to Out on the Weekend, 2 x meal vouchers (for main dishes), 4 x beverage vouchers, limited edition 'Cripple Creek Ferry Package' screen printed poster (distributed to you on the return ferry ride after the event). https://youtube.com/watch?v=UCElUItrLZc
Another year in beer has come and gone and, with it, has left us with some damn impressive brews. 2016 was a massive year for the Aussie craft beer scene, with many new brewers coming to the fore around the country, making it an especially tough job narrowing down our favourite beers to a mere ten — but, after a year of beering and one massive end-of-year tasting (necessary research, we assure you), we can truly say these ten proved to be ace beers from first taste to last drop, across weeks and months, in group tastings, out at bars and solo sessions. Here, we've scored brews for their colour, aroma, balance, consistency and overall style, with a tasting panel that included CP's senior craft beer writers, experienced bartenders, craft beer fiends and even the coveted palate of Cicerone Johnathan Hepner of Marrickville's new boutique craft bottle shop Bucket Boys. Prime your palates, Playgrounders. Here you have it — CP's picks for the most notable beers of 2016. PIRATE LIFE'S, IIPA While American hop bombs known as the Imperial IPA can taste something like licking a pine cone, Pirate Life's IIPA sets itself apart from the pack. This monster in a can is everything they've been achieving in the States and we're proud to see it done so well on our side of the pond. It takes much to balance such copious amounts of hops, but the malt rides through the hop storm and holds steady, striking the ever-present need for balance between high-strength alcohol and delicate but vigorous hop flavours. It's been a massive year for the brewery, and we're looking forward to seeing what else they have in store for us in 2017. BOATROCKER BREWING CO.'S MITTE BERLINER WEISSE Boatrocker Brewing Co.'s Mitte is true to the refreshing Berliner Weisse style through and through. Aged in Chardonnay barrels, the straw yellow, cloudy sour is bright on the nose, giving way to a fresh tartness on the palate. The barrel-aged effect makes for a complex, mature beer that hits all of the senses and the Brettanomyces (a genus of yeast) is nicely blended, giving a strong backbone without the over-the-top funk that so many Brett beers develop. This brew only comes in in 750ml bottles, but, even so, you won't be sharing. HOPE BREWHOUSE'S,BLACK IPA Hope Brewhouse came out guns blazing this year. There's something about their new line of industrial black and white tinnies that just begs for drinking. Their style is backed up with an impressive range of brews, most notably the Black IPA, which is just fantastic. The full hop flavour in this beer does not detract from the malt backbone — a hard act to pull off. It may be Head Brewer Matt Hogan's winemaker approach to beer, but this brew is impeccibly balanced and a trip to their Nelson's Bay brewhouse should be on your next road trip list. MORRISON BREWERY'S JACK BARREL-AGED DOPPELBOCK Morrison Brewery is at the forefront of how bang-on Tasmanian brews are. Jack presents a cluster of flavours that somehow manage to balance one another rather than present a competing mishmash on the palate. Notes of cherry, vanilla, oak and apricot all stand hand-in-hand in this brew, and the sherry barrels it's aged in gives lingering warmth without being overpoweringly alcoholic. The beer is ideal to serve with rich foods, gamey meats or dessert, but we thoroughly enjoyed it on its own as well. Overall, it's a hard brew to get right — but get it right, they have. LA SIRÈNE'S PARADOXE La Sirène turns out some of the best farmhouse-style and wild fermented beers in the game, and Paradoxe is no different. A true saison in colour and aroma, the tropical, tangy fruits on the palate give way to a light, dry finish. The brew is reminiscent of a white wine, with notes of elderflower and melon. The local hops give the beer that all-important punch and stops it from falling flat, while a slight creaminess at the finish balances the entire brew out. This is a beer for wine lovers, beer lovers, cider lovers — you name it. A top notch beer from an ace brewery. SHENANIGANS BREWING'S DEATH BY HIBISCUS Shenanigans Brewing, though still humble gypsies, are able to continuously wow us with their brewing style. Their annual Sydney Craft Beer Week limited release was our favourite yet. Death By Hibiscus was made using a ridiculous amount of fresh hibiscus flower — we're talking one kilo per keg — and the result is a saison that is truly magenta in colour. The beer is sour without being overly so, and, despite all of the hibiscus, is only slightly floral, with a more overt, citrusy flavour on the palate from added mandarin zest. The overall complexity and creativity of this one gave it a well deserved spot on this list. LAST RITES BREWING COMPANY'S LOVE COUNTRY TASMANIAN IPA Last Rites Brewing Company's Love Country is yet another great brew from Tassie. Described as 'piña colada-inspired', the overt notes of summer fruits — like peach and pineapple — give way to rich toasted coconut from the late addition of roasted barley. This illusion of creaminess gives the beer a sense of body without any sweetness, and the intoxicating aroma will make you wish you were drinking it from a coconut shell on a beach somewhere. Whether you like piña coladas or not, this beer is hard not to love. SOUTHERN BAY BREWING CO.'S LUCIFER'S GOLD GOLDEN STRONG ALE Lucifer's Gold is, by far, the biggest offering from the Southern Bay Brewing Co. — it took us completely by surprise. The combination of Belgian yeast and European hops gives a tight nose of bubblegum, clove, and esters redolent of Beligan strains, which clamour together without once stepping out of line. It has picture perfect clarity, is beautifully carbonated and the backbone offers a malt sweetness that doesn't cloy or distract from sip to sip — a combination that is extremely rare. We imagine the brewers sitting around on a case of Belgian classics before jumping atop their own brew kit to try their hand at creating their own — and they nailed the style. Spot on. MISMATCH BREWING CO.'S NEGRONI IPA Negronis are having their time in the limelight — and while we've seen plenty of ridiculously great twists on the cockail this year, the Negroni IPA from Mismatch Brewing Co. takes the cake. A collaboration with sister company Adelaide Hills Distillery, this beer nails the taste of the cocktail in aroma, flavour and balance, and somehow manages to perfectly mimic that unmistakable Campari component. Orange on the nose gives way to a strong alcoholic flavour and the perfect bitter finish, fully accomplished by blending the beer with homemade bitters post-fermentation. This beer touches all of the elements of a true Negroni, while still being a clean, well balanced beer. BOATROCKER BREWING CO.'S RAMJET WHISKY BARREL-AGED IMPERIAL STOUT Boatrocker Brewing Co. is so nice, we couldn't help but name them twice — despite actively trying not to do so. This English-style imperial stout was aged in whisky barrels from Melbourne's Starward Whisky for six months, giving it big, bold top notes of whisky, oak and a hint of fresh toast. Pungently vinous with stewed fruits, marzipan and tobacco, the beer is then served through flavours of a port wine and coffee. At an 11.4 percent ABV, this beer is surely not a substitute for breakfast, but you want a primed palate for it. This was the last drop in a long day of tasting and it was, rightfully so, the prize. HONOURABLE MENTIONS At the risk of making this list too long, we left out some seriously impressive brews from incredible breweries, all of which are well worth seeking out and would have made a top 15. Two Metre Tall's 2016 vintage of their original and plum sours Feral Brewing Company's 2016 Tusk imperial IPA (Part II) New England Brewing Company's Hop Cannon series Bridge Road Brewers' Mayday Hill Series Akasha's Korben D If you're on the hunt for the goodies mentioned above, we recommend calling into Bucket Boys if you live in Sydney, or check out our best bottle shops for craft beer in Melbourne and Brisbane. Co-written by Marissa Ciampi and Mikey Lowe.
Booking a trip has changed significantly over the last few decades — just 40 years ago, the only way to book a flight, really, was through a travel agent. It wasn't until the early '90s that travellers could take the reins and actually book a ticket for themselves online. Thankfully, we have progressed. Gloriously. Travelling is only getting easier due to the evolution of highly useful, intuitive apps. These ten currently available apps will make your travels that much smoother. And the better news? None of them cost a cent. FOR HEALTH MATTERS: TRAVWELL Let's be real. Health is an easy thing to take for granted while travelling. Powered by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, TravWell brings a great sense of calmness to travellers going overseas. We suggest downloading this well before departing. Users can select the destination they are travelling to, and the app will list which vaccines and medications to take. TravWell also has space to store photos and organise documents such as vaccine records. Plus, for every destination that the app covers, there are corresponding emergency services phone numbers on hand. FOR CONVERTING CASH: CURRENCY CONVERTER PLUS This app is one of the most popular out there, drawing over one million downloads worldwide. Currency Converter Plus hosts 191 currencies and regularly updates conversion rates. When you don't have access to Wi-Fi in that Moroccan souk or Beijing market, the app's ability to work offline definitely comes in handy. It can also convert currency to gold, silver and platinum, perfect if you're indulging in a cheeky jewellery shop during your stopover in Abu Dhabi or Dubai. The calculator function is what separates this app from the rest. Say your Vietnamese feast in Hanoi costs 200,000VND, and you have $5US dollars you want to use — enter both into the app and it will calculate and convert simultaneously, saving you the brainwork. FOR OFFLINE MAPS: MAPS.ME As much as we'd like to assume that our orientation skills are on point, sometimes we get it wrong. Really wrong. And you end up six kilometres away from your hotel, in the dodgy depths of a city with no idea how to get back. MAPS.ME, to the rescue. The app is trusted by over 65 million travellers, probably because it's usable offline. Simply download the map of the country or city you are visiting (when you have internet connection), and it's there for good. Within the app, users can search for restaurants, attractions, ATMs and public transport. We're not done. MAPS.ME also gives people the option to book accommodation through Booking.com. Alternatively, you can't go wrong with offline Google Maps. FOR EDITING HOLIDAY SNAPS: SNAPSEED There's an inordinate number of photo editing apps out there. A lifetime could be devoted looking for the best. Let us save you a little bit of that time. Snapseed, which was created by Google, is not only ridiculously easy to use, but also fun. It has 26 tools and editing features including the ability to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, ambiance, fix skewed lines, alter perspectives, heal areas of a photo, add in text and throw on a filter. And when you're all finished playing around, Snapseed provides the option to upload to your edited masterpiece straight to Instagram. FOR CONQUERING LANGUAGE BARRIERS: GOOGLE TRANSLATE Speaking of Google (again), it's insanely hard to beat Google Translate at its game. The app offers the most languages out of any single translation engine out there — a mere 103. Now, translating words, phrases and sentences is one thing, but pronouncing them is another. Users can listen to translations before attempting and potentially embarrassing themselves. The app has evolved dramatically since its birth, now integrating a photo feature where you can hold your camera up to a text while Google magically translates it, given the font is readable. The fairy godmother of translators, we're naming it. FOR GROUP TRIPS: SPLITWISE Travelling with friends can get tricky money-wise, no matter how much you try to prevent it. Attempting to recall who shouted what at NYC's Please Don't Tell and how much that friend owes you for dinner at Hong Kong's Ho Lee Fook is too much to keep track of sometimes. Splitwise is a simple way to share bills, and keep track of what everyone has paid. Each person creates an account, and from there groups can be formed. Users then log in to see their balance, what is owed to them and what they owe to others. FOR AIRPORT RELAXATION: LOUNGEKEY LoungeKey is the ultimate airport lounge library. After entering an airport or city name into the app, a list of lounges on offer comes up. LoungeKey details exactly where lounges are located in an airport (don't laugh, some are harder to find that you would assume), what facilities are included, and provides photos, trading hours and prices. There is also a 'nearby' function for when you are absolutely exhausted and just want to pop into the closest lounge. FOR EXPERT RECOMMENDATIONS: GUIDES BY LONELY PLANET There's a lot of noise when it comes to travel guides and recommendations, but among all the madness is Lonely Planet — one of the most trustworthy and inspiring names out there. The Guides app incorporates advice from local experts, including must-see sights and essential tips for each location. There's also an offline maps function, language phrasebooks and a currency converter. It's an all-in-one app, currently covering 100 cities, with more to come. FOR CONNECTIVITY: FREE WI-FI FINDER If you don't fancy buying a sim card in every country you visit, and therefore heavily rely on finding a Wi-Fi connection, this one's a winner. Free Wi-Fi Finder promises exactly what's in its title —free Wi-Fi connection spots, with absolutely no charges. The app lists locations in over 50 countries. You can search by state and city, or locate the closest to wherever you find yourself at that point in time. The app also gives users the option to list Wi-Fi spots themselves and assist other travellers. People-powered, we like that. FOR FINDING THINGS TO DO: AIRBNB (FOR THE 'EXPERIENCES' FUNCTION) Airbnb continues its rampage of revolutionising the travel industry. The app hosts a plethora of affordable accommodation options — apartments, cabins, igloos and beyond — opening up a world of travel to those who were unable to access it before. In late 2016, the app took things up a notch, launching Airbnb 'experiences'. These are curated events, tours, classes and workshops created by local guides, inspiring people not just to travel to a place, but immerse themselves in it. Experiences span from two-day food tours in Seoul, three-day salsa camps in Havana or cocktail-making classes in San Francisco.
Turns out it's not just you who's had a spring cut and colour recently. The Forum Theatre in Melbourne has had a bit of a makeover too. Emerging from a whole year's worth of renovations, the theatre on the corner of Flinders and Russell Streets is now looking fancy fresh – or as fancy fresh as a heritage-listed building can. The building is owned by the Marriner Group, who also own the Princess, Regent and Comedy Theatres. But the Forum is arguably their most unique venue, with its Greek/Roman statues dotted here and there, and starry night sky feature inside. First opening in 1929 and long the site of gigs, comedy shows and your late night selfies with the statues, its eccentric vibes have been maintained, but plenty else has changed. That carpet you've been treading your grubby boots over for years in the entrance foyer has been lifted, revealing a tiled mosaic made up of 200,000 tiles. There's also three new bars, a marble staircase, and new booths throughout the theatre. Adjustable-height flooring and a car-accommodating elevator will make the whole shebang more versatile, and a little more James Bond-y. Bands out there will also be happy to hear there are new green rooms, lighting and sound situations, and hungry people will be chuffed with the addition of catering services now offered at the venue. Jason Marriner, CEO and co-owner of Marriner Group, says it's all been a long time coming. "The Forum renovation is 21 years in the making," said Marriner. "Having lived and experienced the space for a long time, when it came to undertaking the work we knew exactly what we wanted to achieve." Ultimately, it's still the venue you know and love. But you'll certainly notice the floor a little more on your way out.
Great renewal news for fans of Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez, The Dead Don't Die), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short, Schmigadoon!) and Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin, It's Complicated) usually means bad news for the folks that the trio know on-screen. Only Murders in the Building viewers get more episodes, but that means more deaths within the hit murder-mystery comedy's narrative. That's exactly the case right now, with the series just wrapping up its Paul Rudd (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania)- and Meryl Streep (Don't Look Up)-guest starring third season, then revealing that there's more in store — with the show locked in for season four. More instalments, more killings and more amusing antics are all on the way, then, for the series that first got Gomez, Short and Martin sleuthing in 2021's season one (aka one of the best new shows of that year), then followed it up with 2022's season two (aka one of the best returning shows of that year, too) before arriving for its third go-around in 2023. Details of when the series will return, who else will pop up and the like haven't yet been announced, but expect to spend more time in Only Murders in the Building's world. The show started with three residents of the same New York apartment building crossing paths after a murder in their building — hence the title — then bonding over true-crime podcasts. Next, they did what everyone that's jumped on that bandwagon knows they would if they were ever in the same situation, starting their own audio series that's also called Only Murders in the Building. That's how season one kicked off — and continued, proving a warm, funny, smart and savvy series at every step along the way. In the show's second season, another death needed investigating. That time, it was someone the main trio were all known not to be that fond of, so suspicions kept pointing in their direction. Indeed, every season, another death has given aspiring artist Mabel, Broadway producer Oliver and actor Charles-Haden another case to dive into. In season three, that involved looking into who caused Ben Glenroy (Rudd) to shuffle off this mortal coil at the opening night of Oliver's latest show. "Is this really happening again?" asked the theatre figure in the first teaser trailer for season three. "Yes, yes it is" was the answer from Only Murders in the Building's audience then — and still now. "The trio's journey is far from over," US streaming platform Hulu, which produces the show, announced on social media. There's no sneak peek at season four as yet, but you can check out the full trailer for Only Murders in the Building season three below: Only Murders in the Building's streams Down Under via Star on Disney+. Read our full reviews of season one, season two and season three. Images: Hulu.
It has been eight months since The Handmaid's Tale dropped its first teaser for its upcoming fourth season, which, like plenty of other things over the last year, was postponed. Over that time, it was also announced that the dystopian series would bless our screens for even longer, with a fifth season green-lit before the fourth even airs. But fans keen to actually step back into the show's story, rather than just hear news about it, have been hanging out to do exactly that for quite some time. Thankfully, that delay is about to come to an end, with a US release date just announced for the next batch of episodes. The Handmaid's Tale will start its fourth season in America on April 28 — and while just when it'll air Down Under hasn't been revealed, you shouldn't expect that there'll be much of a wait. Hulu, the platform that airs The Handmaid's Tale in the US, has also just dropped a new trailer for the fourth season, so you can get another glimpse of what's about to hit. In its opening moments, the tense score and images of empty streets are accompanied by a radio broadcast‚ with the resistance in full swing. And yes, the show's protagonist, June (Elisabeth Moss), is still battling against Gilead after season three's cliffhanger ending. Toppling a totalitarian society that's taken over the former United States, tearing down its oppression of women under the guise of 'traditional values', and fighting for freedom and equality doesn't happen quickly, after all. If you're wondering what else in store in the award-winning adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985, June's quest isn't likely to be easy — because everything in this series comes with risks and challenges. Check out the latest season four trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmcWPOH4Yqw The fourth season of The Handmaid's Tale will hit US screens from April 28, and it's likely it'll start airing on SBS in Australia around the same time. We'll update you with further details when they're announced.
When it comes to wandering your way through Australia's vast expanses of forest, sometimes a well-worn phrase applies. If you can't see the forest for the trees when you're trying to find the absolute perfect place to stroll or camp from the wealth of choices, that's perfectly understandable. After all, the country has 125 million hectares of forest — which equates to 16 percent of Australia's land area — according to the Forests Australia website. For those doing their exploring in Victoria, the government has released a new app that should assist immensely. Called More to Explore, it offers an interactive map of the state's forests, including activities such as camping, picnicking, walking and fishing, plus four-wheel driving, mountain biking and trail bike riding. Almost 400 camping and picnic sites are featured, plus more than 240 recreational trails. Real-time information, as maintained by Forest Fire Management Victoria field staff, will help you both plan your trip according to the current conditions, and keep up-to-date while you're roaming. You can also use the app to download maps to your phone before you go, ensuring that you won't get lost if your phone loses reception. Which, obviously, is something that can happen when you're moseying through a leafy thicket of trees. "With more than three million hectares of State Forest to explore in Victoria, this app will make it quicker and easier for everyone to discover our state's breathtaking natural beauty," said Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D'Ambrosio. At present,More to Explore is available for free via iTunes, with an Android also version expected mid this year. For those stepping into New South Wales' state forests, My Visit is the NSW equivalent.
After a hefty two-year hiatus, one of the bright sparks of Melbourne's frosty winter has made its way back onto the social calendar. Queen Victoria Market's beloved Winter Night Market is heating up your hump day schedule from June 1–August 31. From 5pm every Wednesday, the QVM is transformed into the kind of winter wonderland worth getting excited about, tempting you off the couch with a cosy program of street food, pop-up bars, live entertainment and artisan market stalls. As always, it's serving up a tantalising assortment of street eats each week, with a huge array of food vendors repping dishes from all corners of the world. Get excited for the likes of That's Amore's cheese wheel pasta, 400 Gradi's woodfired pizza, piping-hot bao buns, loaded burgers, soups served in giant bread rolls, Casa Nata's famed Portuguese tarts and stacks more. All perfectly paired with warming sips like mulled wine, hot gin toddies, spiked Milo cocktails and spiced cider. You'll also be kept entertained with a rotation of live gigs and roving performers; after all, what better way to warm your cockles and work off a big serve of cacio e pepe, than a cheeky dance floor session? If you're a longtime fan, you'll know market stalls are also a big part of the offering here. This year, expect as vast a lineup as ever, with vendors slinging everything from jewellery and art, to skincare, homewares and books.
Pushing ladies to the front has always been All About Women's focus, ever since the Sydney Opera House's key feminist festival first took to the stage back in 2013. In 2023, however, it's doing just that with an in-conversation event that couldn't be more perfect: Bikini Kill Speaks, featuring the seminal riot grrrl pioneers — aka Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail and Kathi Wilcox — chatting through their music, activism and why their message remains as relevant as ever after three decades. Hanna, Vail and Wilcox's session comes while Bikini Kill are in the country for their first Australian shows in more than 25 years, including stops at Mona Foma and Golden Plains, plus other solo dates around the country — Sydney Opera House among them. In fact, in addition to the in-conversation session, that gig will close out All About Women's 2023 event. [caption id="attachment_875442" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Debi Del Grande[/caption] When All About Women takes place in March, it'll run over three days — from Saturday, March 11—Monday, March 13 — growing again after it only just expanded to two days in 2022. In another big change, it'll be guided by four festival co-curators for the first time ever. Doing the honours: author, podcast presenter and gender equality advocate Jamila Rizvi; Gamilaroi academic and Tell Me Again author Dr Amy Thunig; feminist social commentator, novelist and writer Jane Caro AM; and Sydney Opera House's Head of Talks and Ideas Chip Rolley. The rest of All About Women's 2023 lineup hasn't yet been unveiled, but audiences can expect a range of international and Australian artists, thinkers and storytellers on the bill — exploring a broad variety of topics relevant to gender, justice and equality via panels, conversations, workshops and performances — when the full details drop on Tuesday, January 17, 2023. [caption id="attachment_837695" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Prudence Upton[/caption] "All About Women is unparalleled in its ability to attract audiences from across the country, with a passion for debates and discussions about gender. The festival always delivers a healthy dose of levity alongside its signature significant local and international conversations," said All About Women festival co-curator Jamila Rizvi. "Striking that balance between impact and frivolity is what my programming style is all about. To say that it is a privilege to co-curate the festival in 2023 is an understatement!" [caption id="attachment_837698" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Jacquie Manning[/caption] In 2022, while the festival went ahead in-person for Sydneysiders, it also live-streamed to viewers both around Australia and worldwide. Whether that'll be the case again in 2023 hasn't yet been revealed, but if you live outside of the Harbour City, cross your fingers. All About Women 2023 will take place from Saturday, March 11—Monday, March 13 at the Sydney Opera House. The full program will release on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 — check back here then for further details. Tickets for Bikini Kill Speaks go on sale at 9am AEDT on Friday, December 2, with Sydney Opera House Insiders presales from 9am AEDT on Tuesday, November 29 and What's on presales from 9am AEDT on Wednesday, November 30. Top image: Debi Del Grande.
Here's an easy recipe for a movie, and a TV show as well: take a bunch of famous faces, throw them into the same space, knock off one of their characters and let a couple of them get sleuthing, pointing the finger at everyone else. It worked for Knives Out, gloriously so. It's made Only Murders in the Building a treat across not one but two seasons. And while it hasn't really hit the mark in recent Agatha Christie adaptations Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile — especially the later — the same setup remains intact in both flicks. The next film to give the premise a whirl is new whodunnit See How They Run, which definitely has the star-studded cast part taken care of. As seen in the just-dropped trailer, Sam Rockwell (Richard Jewell) plays veteran detective Inspector Stoppard, while Saoirse Ronan (The French Dispatch) steps into the shoes of enthusiastic newcomer Constable Stalker. And, the case they're tasked with looking into also brings Adrien Brody (Succession), Ruth Wilson (His Dark Materials), Reece Shearsmith (Venom: Let There Be Carnage), Harris Dickinson (The Souvenir: Part II), Shirley Henderson (Stan & Ollie) and David Oyelowo (Chaos Walking) into the mix — and more. Set in 1950s London, and in the West End to be precise, the movie follows the aftermath of a big-name death — a Hollywood director who was set to turn a smash-hit play into a film. Cue Stoppard and Stalker entering the sometimes-glamorous, sometimes-unseemly theatre world, trying to work out who's the killer. Slated to hit cinemas at the end of September, the flick hails from first-time feature director Tom George (TV's Defending the Guilty and This Country), with Mark Chappell (Flaked and The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret) on scripting duties. Then mood: jaunty. The tone: comic. Yes, it's firmly murder-mystery comedy. That's another regular part of the whodunnit equation, of course — turning a shock death and the investigation that follows into an amusing picture, that is. Check out the trailer for See How They Run below: See How They Run opens in cinemas Down under on September 29. Images: Parisa Taghizadeh. © 2021 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.
Nestled among the Coast Mountains, Whistler is a magical township located a couple of hours' drive north of Vancouver, Canada. The snow-laden village is best known for the mighty Whistler Blackcomb, which is by far and away the biggest ski resort in North America, made up of two majestic peaks joined by the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola, the highest and longest cablecar of its kind in the world. Should you be planning a trip to this wintry wonderland, you'd be remiss not to involve some outdoorsy adventures, including a few days' skiing or boarding some of the world's most beautiful runs. Beyond carving and shredding your way down Whistler's mountains, however, there are bucket loads of other escapades to be had, from dog sledding in the stunning old growth forest of the Callaghan Valley and snowshoeing around ghost towns to ice skating on frozen lakes and ice fishing in secret water holes. There's plenty of adventure to be had in Whistler, so start planning your trip with our guide to the village's best outdoor winter activities. [caption id="attachment_630393" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Whistler/Eric Berger.[/caption] SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING WHISTLER BLACKCOMB At Whistler Blackcomb, you'll find 200 official runs, which means you can ski for days without covering the same ground twice. Plus, with over 8,000 acres of skiable terrain, Whistler and Blackcomb mountains offer something for every level and style of skier and rider. If you're a beginner, you're in luck, as 35% of Whistler Blackcomb's trails (covering almost 3,000 acres) have your name on them — the most beautiful being Burnt Stew Trail in the Symphony Zone on Whistler Mountain, which winds gently through open bowls and alpine forest. For intermediate skiers, 7th Heaven offers a suitably challenging terrain, with loads of trees and stunning panoramas. And if you're an expert on the slopes, then head to Couloir Extreme, rated as one of the planet's most terrifying (and thrilling) runs. There's also plenty of terrain accessible from the Peak Chair at the top of Whistler. Something to mention about skiing at Whistler Blackcomb is that the pedestrian-only Whistler Village is nestled right at the base of Whistler and Blackcomb, meaning runs feed right into the village centre off both mountains. The transition from shredding and carving to après-ski is a total breeze — especially with the many après joints loved by visitors and locals alike. CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING Lost Lake doesn't just sound like something out of a C.S. Lewis novel, it looks like it, too. You'll find this magical spot 15 minutes' walk from Whistler Village, so when you feel like a break from downhill thrills, and are ready to move at a slower, more exploratory pace, take a cross-country glide. If you're after some exploration further afield from Whistler Village, then head to the extensive cross-country skiing trails out in the Callaghan Valley. The area offers picturesque, natural surrounds, and the Ski Callaghan Nordic centre is just a short shuttle ride from the heart of Whistler. [caption id="attachment_629729" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Whistler/JustaJeskova.[/caption] WALKING THE VALLEY TRAIL You might think of hiking as more of a summer sport, but the Valley Trail makes trekking through Whistler's natural surrounds possible all year round. This 40-kilometre network dedicated to walkers is paved, cleared of snow, car-free and provides a connection between the area's many villages, lakes and parks. How you go about experiencing it is your call. With plenty of walks to choose from, you can take in many amazing mountain vistas, discover a forest of giant cedars and even check out a few local craft breweries on the way. [caption id="attachment_630888" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Scandinave Spa.[/caption] SOAKING IN STEAMY OUTDOOR HOT POOLS After a day in subzero temperatures, there's no better way to wind down than with a dip in a hot pool. On the periphery of Whistler's Lost Lake Park forest, nestled among spruce and cedar trees, you'll find Scandinave Spa. Here you can hang out in a eucalyptus steam bath and Finnish sauna before plunging into a Nordic waterfall, then recovering in Hammock Haven. Any iciness left in your bones from a day in the snow will surely melt away. The spa also offers massages, plus has a cafe onsite just in case you need a little pick me up. WINTER ZIP LINING Yep, flying through the air at 100 kilometres per hour, 200 metres above the ground, in sub-zero temperatures is absolutely doable in Whistler; in fact, there's a stack of zip line tours to choose from. Go with Superfly, and you'll catch a 4WD up Rainbow Mountain, before taking off on a 1.3-kilometre long ride that spans deep valleys and old growth forests. Look to Ziptrek for several options, categorised according to adrenaline hit. For newbies, there's the Bear Tour, which covers five zip lines joined by treetop bridges, while hardened thrill seekers have the Mammoth Tour, which takes in ten zip lines, suspension bridges, boardwalks and trails. ICE CLIMBING BLACKCOMB MOUNTAIN Whether you're new to ice climbing or quite accustomed to hanging off of a glacier, suspended by just an axe, there's a frozen vertical trek for you in Whistler. Novices get an introduction to climbing techniques and a safety pep talk before starting, while the more experienced are able to choose from a variety of routes, according to their ability. Both multi-pitch and multi-day tours are available, plus, at Blackcomb you can begin with a lift ride, conquer a couple hours of ice climbing, then ski back to base. Tour companies include Mountain Skills Academy and Coast Mountain Guides. DOG SLEDDING SNOWY TERRAINS If you're keen to explore, but don't want to do all the work yourself, enlist a pack of huskies and a sled, then kick back like a Snow Queen and relax. Canadians have been getting around this way for more than four thousand years now, and there are a few tour operators that'll show you how, including Canadian Wilderness Adventures and Blackcomb Dogsled. Both will take you on a journey into Callaghan Valley, a wonderland of old growth forest and lakes just fifteen minutes south of Whistler. If the surrounds look familiar, that's probably because you saw them during the 2010 Winter Olympics. [caption id="attachment_631261" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Pemberton Fish Finder.[/caption] ICE FISHING You haven't tasted fish until you've tasted it straight from the ice. On a Whistler ice fishing tour, your guide will pick you up, drive you to a remote alpine lake, frozen river or secret water hole, and take you through the tricky process of nabbing a bite. There'll be plenty of sitting about and admiring the scenery to be done, which also gives you a good chunk of time to learn more about the millennia-old art of ice fishing and how to improve your skills. Tours usually include transport and gear. [caption id="attachment_631259" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Tourism Whistler/Mike Crane.[/caption] ICE SKATING Smack bang in the middle of Whistler Village is a free, outdoor ice skating rink. All you need are your skates or six bucks to hire a pair — and if you're a beginner, maybe a push bar (or a friend's hand) to help you along. For a more exotic experience, head to a skate-able local lake, and maybe even pick up a game of hockey. Popular options are Alta Lake, with one square kilometre of ice to glide across, backdropped by mountain views, and to the north, the larger Green Lake at double the size of Alta. Lake ice skating runs informally only, so you'll need to take care safety-wise and bring your own pair of skates. Plan an adventure into the great Canadian outdoors and discover all Whistler has to offer here. Lead image: Tourism Whistler/David McColm.
