If anyone has treated Melbourne to a modern taste of the Middle East, it's Joseph Abboud — first with iconic Lygon Street restaurant Rumi and then with the non-traditional pizza offerings of his two Moor's Head outposts. And now there's even more Middle Eastern magic to come, this time a little more refined, plated up at Bar Saracen. It's the new Punch Lane venue that Abboud has opened with his Moor's Head front-of-house star, Ari Vlassopoulos. Keeping it in the extended family, the kitchen here's being headed up by Rumi alum Tom Sarafian, who's nudging Middle Eastern flavours into a more contemporary place across a menu of mezze plates, barbecue dishes, mains and sweets. To match, there's a drinks offering that might just keep you on your toes. Expect lots of local drops, backed up by a range of wines from across Greece, Spain, Southern Italy, Lebanon, Turkey and wherever else Arabians have left their mark. Some hard yakka by the boys themselves has transformed the space once home to Rosa's Kitchen into the setting for this latest culinary project, complete with bar seating, comfy banquettes and room for just over 50 diners. Stay tuned for a tasting menu, set to launch in the coming months. Find Bar Saracen at 22 Punch Lane, Melbourne.
On-screen chemistry is just one of those things that either happens or it doesn't. Directors and producers crave it and pray for it, just as they know they can neither control it nor create it. It's not a question of acting ability or great writing or even casting; it's just luck. Plain old luck. Will your actors get along well in real life, and will that chemistry translate onto the screen? Thankfully for director David Ayer (Training Day) and his new film, End of Watch, the rapport between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña is so remarkable, it takes a good movie and turns it into something great. The two play a pair of brash young LA cops whose daily routine is rocked by the discovery of a major Mexican drug cartel operating right within their own neighbourhood. For the two actors, playing police officers made the task of achieving a believable relationship even more important, since it's successful partnerships that can often prove the difference between life and death out on patrol. Before filming began, Gyllenhaal and Peña actually spent five months driving around with and observing the LAPD in order to supplement their own natural chemistry with every tiny mannerism, expression and act of non-verbal communication they could capture. The results speak for themselves. Their chemistry makes this movie, serving up equal doses of laughter, tenderness, and unbearable tension. Presented through the entirely unnecessary device of 'found footage', it's a consistently violent story; however, the action is never without merit. Much like Training Day, the stakes are higher because the film and characters feel real, which ultimately makes End of Watch something of an exhausting experience to sit through. That's no criticism, however, and Ayer's smart script and direction deserve credit for deftly drawing you into the gritty and unpredictable world of law enforcement, right alongside those who occupy it, suffer by it, and sometimes even die for it.
Victorians, if you've been feeling a little bit of déjà vu these past couple of weeks, that's perfectly understandable. The state's latest lockdown is set to end at 11.59pm tonight, Tuesday, July 27, however — and, when it does, a heap of new restrictions will apply across the state. One rule that isn't changing, though, is the requirement to mask up when you're not in your own home. As Premier Daniel Andrews announced today, face masks will remain compulsory both indoors and outdoors for at least the next two weeks, even when other restrictions ease at 11.59pm this evening. Mask rules have shifted back and forth quite a bit over the past couple of months thanks to the May-June lockdown and this latest stint of stay-at-home conditions; however, the Victorian Government isn't changing the status quo yet — or for the time being. "Results from a recent Burnet Institute study show that masks played a huge role in slowing the spread of the virus in 2020 — and they will be an important part of our defences against the virus for some time to come," said the Premier in a statement. Accordingly, whatever you're planning to do once you're permitted to leave your house for any reason you like from tonight, it'll need to involve masks. If you're making any trip beyond your home, you'll need to don a face covering, whether you're going to be indoors or outdoors. So, the only place where you won't need to pop a mask on is inside your own house — which is currently the case anyway. And, obviously, you'll need to always carry one with you. https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1419824237401960449 The news that the mask mandate will remain in place both outdoors and indoors comes as Victoria reported just ten new local cases identified in the 24 hours to midnight last night. 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.
Listen up grown ups, we've got some good news: play is not just for kids. Another bombshell: play is also not just about having fun, although it's inevitably part of the process (and pretty much the whole point). Hold up, we're not acting the Fun Police. There's just more to playing than you think. Through play we develop curiosity, learn new things about the people and the world around us, as well becoming more adaptable to change. Plus, you clock up some mad gross motor skills and often increase your fitness while you're at it. To unpack of the art of play, The School of Life is taking us to perhaps Melbourne's most famous playground, Luna Park, for a day of playtime with Rockwiz’s Brian Nankervis. Over a day of planned activities within the park, you’ll explore different states of play and how it contributes to healthy human development. This could be the most fun day of learning you'll ever have — you're literally encouraged to play all day. By-the-book teachers, take a lesson. Although tickets are a little on the exxy side, this is kind of half-TED Talk, half-playtime, so you're getting your money's worth. So snag a ticket and lock in this grown-up playdate. The important thing to remember about play? It doesn’t have to lead to a material outcome, so stress less.
At last, we can take a peek at what's promised in epic new film Tracks, with the release of the first online trailer. It’s not only the panoramic desert shots and solitary-road-trip-by-foot concept that are garnering attention, but the undertaking by the lead actor, Mia Wasikowska. No doubt the experience of immersing herself in Tim Burton's weird and wild wonderland gave the Canberra-born 24-year-old a head start, but even that wasn’t sufficient preparation for the adventure of making Tracks. Based on Robyn Davidson’s memoir of the same title, the film depicts the intrepid writer’s 1977 journey from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean — solo (well, except for three camels and a dog) and on foot. She covered 2700 kilometres in nine months. Upon publication, the book was a bestseller, turning Davidson into something of a celebrity. In making the film last year, director John Curran (The Painted Veil) shot Wasikowska and co-star Adam Driver at various sites in South Australia and around Uluru. The screenplay is an adaptation of Davidson’s story, put together by Marion Nelson, and the production team is the one that brought The King’s Speech to the big screen (winning an Oscar in the process:), Emile Sherman and Iain Canning. Having premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September, Tracks is due for release on 6 March 2014.
Before the introduction of its supernatural elements, it’s hard to remember that Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer was written as recently as 2006, such is its slavish use of naturalistic dialogue that stands at odds with so much of the inventiveness of modern Irish writing for performance. Hoy Polloy’s production of the play, directed by Wayne Pearn, doesn’t quite achieve the emotional range and drive to fully articulate the play’s ultimate message of enduring hope. On Christmas Eve in Dublin, five men sit down for a game of poker. Sharky (Barry Mitchell) lives with his blind brother Richard (Geoff Hickey); much of the core of the work trades on their fractious, dependent relationship. They’re joined by their friends and by a mysterious man named Mr Lockhart (Michael Cahill), who has come to win Sharky’s soul. The long build in the text allows subtle dynamics of uncertainty and menace to build up gradually, especially in the forms of literal and symbolic blindness. The performances are solid — Hickey is especially good as the blind, crotchety Richard — but it’s frustrating that the ensemble as a whole seizes so few opportunities offered by the rich language to build up the kind of momentum that’s needed to take us along with them. Instead, rhythm and timing fall by the wayside, although it’s easy to see how this could be recovered beyond opening night as the production settles into its run. The actors are let down by unimaginative design — for instance, the eerie confrontations between Lockhart and Sharky are seemingly the only times the lighting states make an occasional, apologetic shift. That said, The Seafarer is a rare opportunity to see McPherson’s work in action, and its occasional flashes of sparkling wit and poetry — “I’ll just have the Irish then, hold the coffee” — remind us why the writer’s had such international acclaim. Image by Fred Kroh.
There's no doubt Australian same-sex couples have had a pretty rough go of things this year, as the nation decides the future of marriage equality via a postal vote. But in a potential win for Sydney-based same-sex couples keen to get hitched, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the City of Sydney has announced they'll be able to marry for free in some of the city's best-loved buildings and parks — if same-sex marriage is given the green light by the Federal Government, of course. In a motion passed yesterday, the council would allow gay couples to hire halls, parks and community facilities free of charge for 100 days after the government legislates gay marriage, and has also suggested it will make Sydney Town Hall available for a mass wedding ceremony. It has, however, promised that no existing bookings for straight couples would be cancelled or moved. Lord Mayor Clover Moore tweeted on the subject this morning. But if YES 🌈 then we will provide city spaces free for 100 days to welcome same-sex couples to civil marriage #marriageequality #postyouryes — Clover Moore (@CloverMoore) October 23, 2017 The City of Sydney has been a vocal supporter of the Yes campaign, gifting the likes of mailouts, the erection of banners and the use of office space. A result is expected to be announced on November 15. So if you haven't yet posted your vote, well, make sure you do it ASAP. Via The Sydney Morning Herald. Image: Letícia Almeida.
If you're the type of traveller who doesn't just plan where you'll be staying and what sights you'll be seeing, but also what you'll be drinking while you're there, then add Australia's latest accommodation option to your dream holiday list. A collaboration between caravan rental site Camplify and The Botanist Gin, The Botanist Van is the country's first gin-themed caravan — and yes, a bottle of gin will be waiting for you when you get there. Nicknamed Mazzy the Van, the holiday spot on wheels has been painted in beachy blue and white hues, while its interiors have been decked out Hamptons-style — with oozing serious 70s vibes one of its aims. The renovated 1979 Viscount Royal vintage caravan comes with a barbecue, an outdoor table and chairs, and an awning, as well as indoor and outdoor games, a beach umbrella and beach towels, and a picnic basket. It's the stocked Botanist Gin bar cart, however, that'll make you thirsty. During your stay, you'll be sipping from a complimentary 700-millilitre bottle of The Botanist gin, a four-pack of Fever Tree tonic waters and Botanicus' flavoured herbal Tea Tube. You'll also be combining all of the above with dried fruit garnishes and other ingredients to make gin cocktails. The Botanist team have some new suggestions for the latter, too, including its own spin on a G&T — so you just need to get mixing and sipping. If this sounds like your kind of getaway, The Botanist Van is available to book from Friday, November 6 through until the end of summer (February 28, 2021) from $140 per night — sleeping four people, and for a minimum three-night stay. You will need to get cosy over a weekend to receive the gin pack, though, as it comes with Friday–Sunday and Saturday–Monday bookings. As for where you'll be having a few drinks, kicking back and getting nostalgic, the van is based on the New South Wales South Coast. It can be reserved and set up on your choice of campsite within 100 kilometres of Flinders — so between Austinmer and Jervis Bay. To book The Botanist Van — with prices from $140 per day, and rentals available within 100 kilometres of Flinders in New South Wales until February 28, 2021 — visit the Camplify website.
Have you ever promised yourself an ice-cold beer at the pub as motivation to workout? Well, the minds behind The Beer Run are on the same wavelength. They are quite literally combining brews with a five-kilometre fun run that stops at five Melbourne breweries along the way. The run will kick off at noon on Sunday, February 9, making its way between five yet-to-be-revealed breweries . Punters will enjoy a beer at each location before running on to the next, with the whole event expected to take around two to three hours. The $55 ticket price includes the five brews and a numbered bib for the run. Tickets are on sale now — and given that its previous Melbourne events sold rather swiftly, you'd be best to get in quick. UPDATE: FEBRUARY 4, 2020 — This article originally stated that the date for The Beer Run was Saturday, February 8. Since the time of publication, this has been changed to Sunday, February 9. The above has been changed to reflect this.
If Harry Potter movies were still gracing cinemas, exploring the boy who lived's adult life, we're certain he'd be a brunch fan. It's a magical meal, after all. Alas, unless The Cursed Child makes the leap to the big screen, that isn't in our future. But while you're muttering "accio new HP movie" to yourself over and over again, if you're in Sydney or Melbourne, you can enjoy the next best thing. Whether you're still not over Harry or you just wish you'd had the chance to attend Hogwarts because you know you're destined to be in Gryffindor (and to be seeker on the quidditch team, obviously), you'll want to make a date with The Wizard's Brunch. You'll dine in a Great Hall-like space, matching your meal (Pixie Puffs, please) with bottomless butterbeer, 'magic' potions (aka cocktails, we're assuming) and other wizard-themed beverages. And you can bet the menu will include every Potter pun you can think of. The particulars such as the exact date, venue and how many galleons you'll have to spend haven't been revealed as yet, though keen muggles can sign up to The Wizard's Brunch email list for more information. What we do know, however, is that there'll be Harry Potter characters mingling with attendees. Folks in costumes pretending to be Hermione, Dumbledore and others isn't really our idea of a magical HP experience, but perhaps a few firewhiskys — and a spot of quidditch, a couple of sorting ceremonies and wand lessons — will get you in the right mood. The Wizard's Brunch will take place in Sydney and Melbourne later this year. We'll let you know when you can buy tickets, and you can sign up for updates here. UPDATE: FEBRUARY 12, 2018 — The Wizard's Brunch has now sold out two sessions in Sydney. More details around Melbourne are coming soon.
Local ceramic shop Elph Ceramics is currently putting on fun workshops so you can make your own little ceramic houses at home. The Australian brand of handcrafted homewares is run by sisters Sophie and Eloise, offering virtual classes guiding you through creating adorable ceramic houses. Originally, the tiny houses were created to test glazes and clay colours, but soon became a hit with customers. The duo hosts in-person tiny house workshops in their NSW Southern Highlands studio, but with Sydney in lockdown, have taken the classes online. The classes run every Thursday until Thursday, October 14, but you'll want to reserve your spot as they've been filling up fast. When you book yourself in for a class, you're sent everything you need to make four to six tiny houses (enough for one to two people to join in) including air-dry clay and a wooden clean-up tool. All you need to bring yourself is a bowl of water, a plastic mat and your drink of choice. You then log onto the zoom call and the Elph team will guide you through making your cute new decorations. The class will set you back $85 plus $15 to ship the items. While you're booking your session, take a look at what else Elph has on offer at its online store.
The National Gallery of Victoria's revolving door of blockbuster exhibitions shows no sign of slowing, with an exceptional meeting of creative minds next set to grace its halls. Running from Friday, June 9–Sunday, October 8 as part of the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series, the NGV will play host to world-premiere exhibition Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi. This major showcase is set to feature more than 100 works by the famed French painter, seen through a fresh lens as accompanied by contemporary scenography by internationally renowned architect and designer Mahdavi. Originally slated to debut in 2020 before the pandemic did its thing, the highly anticipated exhibition has been curated in conjunction with Paris' Musée d'Orsay — home to the world's largest collection of Bonnard works. [caption id="attachment_890701" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'The dining room in the country', 1913, Pierre Bonnard. Minneapolis Institute of Arts, The John R. Van Derlip Fund.[/caption] An icon of late 19th and early 20th century art, and a good mate of Henri Matisse, Bonnard is known for his colourful, textural depictions of French life, offering stylised yet subtle glimpses of intimate domestic scenes, urban backdrops and natural landscapes. Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi will showcase a hefty collection of the artist's own paintings, drawings, photographs, prints and other decorative objects, alongside works from his contemporaries — including Édouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, Félix Vallotton and cinematic pioneers the Lumière brothers. [caption id="attachment_890702" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'The window', 1925, Pierre Bonnard. Tate, London. Presented by Lord Ivor Spencer Churchill through the Contemporary Art Society, 1930.[/caption] Considered one of the world's most influential architects, multi-award-winning Mahdavi has been commissioned to help bring the historic pieces to life via her scenography, tasked with creating a setting that complements Bonnard's signature use of colour and light. "Monsieur Bonnard and I share the same passion: colour," Mahdavi explains of the exhibition. "I love his subjective perception of colour — the way he transforms the intimacy of everyday life into something sublime." Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi will include numerous pieces on loan from the Musée d'Orsay, as well as other museums and private collections in Europe, Australia and the USA. They'll be joined by significant works from the NGV's own collection, including Bonnard's 1900 painting La Sieste (Siesta). [caption id="attachment_890703" align="alignnone" width="1920"] 'Siesta (La Sieste)', 1900, Pierre Bonnard. National Gallery of Victoria, Felton Bequest, 1949.[/caption] 'Pierre Bonnard: Designed by India Mahdavi' will run at the NGV International from Friday, June 9–Sunday, October 8. For more information, see the venue's website. Top image: 'Coffee', 1915, Pierre Bonnard. Tate, London. Presented by Sir Michael Sadler through the NACF, 1941.
It has been a tumultuous two years for the Sydney Film Festival. First, the event moved completely online in 2020, as many fests did. Then, it hosted a brief summer season this January, welcoming cinephiles back to the State Theatre. And, in the hope that running the huge movie-filled festival as normal might've been more of a possibility later in the year, SFF then shifted from its usual June dates to the end of August for 2021. Obviously, the Greater Sydney region's current extended lockdown has now gotten in way of the latter, and its planned run Wednesday, August 18–Sunday, August 29 now during the city's stay-at-home period. So, unsurprisingly, the fest's organisers have announced that they're shifting this year's SFF to November. Movie buffs, you'll need to block out Wednesday, November 3–Sunday, November 14 in your calendar, as that's when SFF's 68th edition is now scheduled to take place. And, you can start looking forward to a festival that won't require carting your winter coat around, sipping soup in the State or enjoying the rush between cinemas because it keeps you warm — because this year's fest will now be a late-spring affair. Which venues SFF will screen in, and how many of its already-announced first 22 films will still grace its screens — and what the rest of the program will look like, too — is all yet to be announced. It is expected that the fest's lineup will undergo some tinkering, however, given that some of the titles already unveiled will have already reached cinemas in general release before November. So far, that includes Zola, the wild Sundance hit based on a lengthy 148-tweet Twitter thread. When the rest of the program will be announced also hasn't been revealed, although SFF normally doesn't unveil its full lineup until around a month before the festival — so, it's safe to assume further details will arrive by early August. Standout movies currently on SFF's bill include New Zealand's The Justice of Bunny King, which stars Essie Davis (Babyteeth) and Thomasin McKenzie (Old); Riders of Justice, a revenge-fuelled Danish comedy led by the inimitable Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round); 2020 Berlinale Golden Bear winner There Is No Evil, a searing Iranian drama about the death penalty; and Undine, the alluring and beguiling latest film from German auteur Christian Petzold. The festival has also already announced a retrospective dedicated to Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. SFF joins Vivid in postponing due to the current outbreak and lockdown — and doing so after already delaying its 2021 dates in an effort to avoid cancellations, rescheduling or being impacted by restrictions. At present, Vivid is due to run from mid-September. The 2021 Sydney Film Festival will now take place between Wednesday, November 3–Sunday, November 14. For further information, head to the festival website.
What helps a formerly active person who has lost both their legs find the will to keep on living? It's rarely a guy like Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), who fights in illegal bouts, hits his kid, kicks dogs, disrespects women, does dodgy things for cash and is all-round one of the least likeable characters to ever appear on screen. And yet the journey Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) goes on through him makes just enough sense to be believable — powerful, actually — in Jacques Audiard's feature film Rust and Bone. The film is quite a big departure from the source material, Canadian writer Craig Davidson's collection of short stories by the same name, and is in some ways even more brutal. Stephanie is an orca trainer at a Cote d'Azur equivalent of Sea World. One day, to the poetically dissonant backing of Katy Perry's 'Firework', a public performance goes wrong and Stephanie wakes in hospital to find her legs amputated. After weeks of depression, she calls Ali, a nightclub bouncer she met briefly before the accident and thought little of at the time. His company turns out to be relaxed and matter of fact; he does not handle her with kid gloves, and it's just what she needs to begin to figure out her new sense of self. When he starts out on his underground boxing career, she finds herself unexpectedly drawn in. Rust and Bone is an unsentimentally lyrical triumph, unexpected in every way from its narrative to its mise en scene. Cotillard is a sensation. Need it be said? This film about fighters packs a punch. We have 10 double passes to give away to see Rust and Bone. To be in the running, subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email us with your name and postal address at hello@concreteplayground.com.au. Read our full review of Rust and Bone here. https://youtube.com/watch?v=x3leZNzz6N8
Following a successful debut year in 2020, Melbourne's citywide al fresco dining festival is returning for another blockbuster New Year's Eve celebration this year. Those looking to leave 2021 behind them and ring in the new year with good food and wine will be able to nab tickets to NYE feasts in one of eight dining precincts as part of the second edition of New Year Street Feasts. Eight outdoor dining precincts will be created for the festival on December 31, appearing in top culinary spots like Flinders Lane, Russell Place and Little Collins Street, as well as Fed Square and Docklands. The festival brings nearby venues from each precinct together to serve up a jam-packed program of special menus and feasting experiences. Tickets are available online now and the line-up of restaurants and eateries onboard is set to see in 2022 in the most delicious way possible. If you're taking it riverside to Fed Square, enjoy a free-flowing, grazing-style feast of Victorian produce from Hero or bring the NYE party vibes with a banquet, drag show and DJ set at Big Esso. Feast at Flinders Lane thanks to a four-course meatball-packed showstopper at The Meatball and Wine Bar, or dig into a signature banquet and more than a few cocktails at Chin Chin. Making a choice on Little Bourke Street will be the toughest call you face at the end of 2021: there are 11 eateries lined up to put on a show, including Asian-fusion specialists Hochi Mama, Gingerboy and Longrain. We'd recommend starting things off with a dozen oysters at Pearl Diver before moving onto something more substantial. All in all, 30 restaurants are set to take part so whatever cuisine is up your alley, you'll find it on one of these streets.
He's famous for a series about nothing. He's now heading Down Under to share something: Jerry Seinfeld, that is, with the comedian just announcing Australia and New Zealand dates for his latest stand-up show. Instead of rewatching old Seinfeld episodes for approximately the 75th time, you can catch the iconic talent on a seven-city trip that marks his first visit since 2017. Those gigs sold out faster than a Seinfeld character can say "what's the deal?", and expect tickets to his 2024 trip to get snapped up quickly as well. Mark June in your calendar, as that's when Seinfeld will be going all "yada yada yada" in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne in Australia, plus Auckland and Christchurch in Aotearoa. So far, every city scores one show except Melbourne, where Seinfeld will take to the stage for two nights. Back in 1998, he called the Victorian capital the "anus" of the world — but perhaps his feelings have now changed. In NZ, Seinfeld's Christchurch stop will mark his first ever in the city — with Auckland a return to the spot where he played his debut New Zealand gig in 2017. [caption id="attachment_925505" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] "I can't wait to bring the laughs Down Under once again," said Seinfeld about his next trip our way, which comes 43 years after he initially appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and 35 years since Seinfeld — which was co-created by its namesake and Larry David — premiered. His career also spans everything from web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, films such as Comedian and Bee Movie — with a new flick Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story on the way — and books Is this Anything? and Seinlanguage. And yes, we're assuming that he won't be stepping behind the microphone wearing a puffy shirt. JERRY SEINFELD AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND TOUR 2024 DATES: Saturday, June 15 — RAC Arena, Perth Sunday, June 16 — Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney Wednesday, June 19 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane Thursday, June 20 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Adelaide Saturday, June 22–Sunday, June 23 — Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne Monday, June 24 — Spark Arena, Auckland Wednesday, June 26 — Wolfbrook Arena, Christchurch Jerry Seinfeld is touring Australia and New Zealand in June 2024, with Telstra presales from 12pm local time on Tuesday, November 14 TEG Dainty presales from 1pm local time on Thursday, November 16 and general sales from 12pm local time on Friday, November 17 — head to the tour website for further details. Top image: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons.
For the best part of the past six years London artist Ben Wilson has spent his days painting pieces of chewing gum that have been stuck to the ground. Wilson transforms these sidewalk blemishes into miniature works of art. The paintings range from animals, landscapes, portraits and even messages to pedestrians. Unsurprisingly his chewing gum art has turned him into something of a local celebrity, meaning he also does paintings on request for members of the local community - including apologies to girlfriends, thank you messages from managers to employees, a R.I.P. painting for a deceased postal worker and even a marriage proposal. Despite this, Wilson has received some police interference including one arrest. Charges were quickly dropped after dozens of people wrote letters of support and Wilson was able to convince the police that it was not him actually sticking the chewing gum to the ground. To create it all, Wilson first softens the chewing gum with a blowtorch then sprays it with a lacquer and finally applies three coats of acrylic enamel. The works usually only last one or two years depending on conditions but this does not bother Wilson, as in his words "everything is transitory, what's important is the creative process." Images via Flickr users Jansos, Tezzer 57 and r3cycl3r [via Gizmodo]
Netflix's algorithm has clearly figured out one of the most obvious and basic facts about humankind there is: we all really love dogs. That was obviously the idea behind the streaming platform's 2018 canine-centric documentary series — and the show sent viewers so barking mad with affection that it's coming back for another season. Called Dogs, the thoroughly feel-good series follows different puppers in different places around the world, as well as the two-legged folks who care for, groom, dress and even fish with them. Of course, the adorable balls of fluff are the real drawcards. The six-episode first season dedicated its frames to canines in Syria, Japan, Costa Rica, Italy and the US, each with their own stories to tell. The show's return was announced back in 2019, and was hardly unexpected. If something is a hit — and Dogs was, naturally — Netflix is never quick to say goodbye. Been spending the last two years wondering when a new batch of cute little woofers would grace your screen? Thankfully, that wait is about to come to an end. On Wednesday, July 7, the streaming platform will drop the show's second four-episode season — which shouldn't be confused with Dog TV, the new streaming service that's all about content especially for pooches. Netflix has also just released a trailer for Dogs, too, so prepare to meet four new canines who make their human companions' lives better with every bark. This time, viewers will be spending time with a lively four-legged university mascot, as well as the just-as-endearing dogs adored by an astronaut, a priest and a military contractor. Check out the season two trailer below: Dogs' second season will be available to stream on Wednesday, July 7 via Netflix. Images: Netflix.
Across a period of ten years from 2008–2018, British filmmaker Steve McQueen made four features — and every single one has proved essential viewing. It started with Hunger, with Michael Fassbender stepping into the shoes of Bobby Sands, the IRA member who famously went on a hunger strike while imprisoned in Northern Ireland. Then came Shame, with Fassbender playing a sex addict and Carey Mulligan co-starring as his sister. Nine-time Oscar nominee 12 Years a Slave followed, featuring powerful performances by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong'o (and yes, Fassbender, too). And, last up, the Fassbender-free Widows delivered one of the flat-out best heist movies ever made. Across a five-day period this December, McQueen's next five movies will arrive — and you'll be able to stream them all via Binge. They're part of the Small Axe anthology series, with every feature directed by McQueen and co-written by him as well. The entire quintet also explores the lives of London's West Indian community between the 60s and the 80s, telling tales of race, discrimination and resistance (and beauty, love, friendship, family, music and food), too. First up, dropping on Saturday, December 19, is Mangrove. It opened this year's London Film Festival, focuses on the owner of a Caribbean restaurant of the same name in Notting Hill, and follows his and the surrounding community's response to continued police raids — and stars Lost in Space's Shaun Parkes and Black Panther's Letitia Wright. Then, on Sunday, December 20, you'll be able to watch Lovers Rock — which spins a fictional tale of love at a Blues party in 1980. And, on Monday, December 21, you can check out the John Boyega (Star Wars)-starring Red, White and Blue, about a young forensic scientist who witnesses his father's assault by two policemen, then decides to join the force himself. On Tuesday, December 22, it's time for Alex Wheatle, a biopic about the titular award-winning writer. Then, wrapping it all up on Wednesday, December 23, Education delves into unofficial segregation policies in schools. Check out the Small Axe trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcqItifbNUA&feature=youtu.be Small Axe starts streaming via Binge from Saturday, December 19 — with a new film available each day for five days. Top image: BBC.
In Australia's music festival scene, 2022 has been a year of big comebacks — and when December hits, Meredith will join the list. On hiatus since 2019 due to the pandemic, the beloved three-day BYO camping festival in central Victoria will finally return across Friday, December 9–Sunday, December 11. Obviously, it wouldn't be another stint with Aunty Meredith if there wasn't a killer lineup. For its first fest in three years, Meredith will feature Canadian electronic producer Dan Snaith under both his guises — sitting at the top of the bill as Caribou, and also at the bottom of the list so far as Daphni. When you're not catching his sets, you can hit up the event's two big local headliners: Yothu Yindi and Courtney Barnett. Also on the lineup: The Comet Is Coming, Dry Cleaning, Sharon Van Etten and Derrick Carter from the overseas roster, spanning everything from post-punk and jazz through to house. And, among the local favourites, Tkay Maidza sits alongside Tasman Keith, SHOUSE and Private Function. [caption id="attachment_865436" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Mia Mala McDonald[/caption] The stacked lineup goes on — and, if you're wondering how you can see all of the above, and more, across one huge December weekend, Meredith tickets are still only available by entering the ballot. You can do so at online up until 10.29pm on Monday, August 22. This year isn't just any old Meredith, either. It's the fest's 30th event, so prepare for quite the party in the Supernatural Amphitheatre. [caption id="attachment_847588" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben Fletcher[/caption] MEREDITH 2022 LINEUP: Caribou Yothu Yindi Courtney Barnett The Comet Is Coming Dry Cleaning Tkay Maidza Sharon Van Etten Nu Genea DJ Quik Erika de Casier Babe Rainbow Derrick Carter Private Function SHOUSE CLAMM Minami Deutsch Tasman Keith Surprise Chef Our Carlson Darcy Justice POOKIE Rot TV OK EG Allara Rubi Du Daphni and more to come Meredith Music Festival will return to Meredith on Friday, December 9–Sunday, December 11. To put your name in the ballot to get your hands on tickets, head to the festival's website. Top image: Chelsea King.
If you've ever found yourself in the Dandenong Ranges village of Olinda, chances are you enjoyed a sugar fix courtesy of the renowned Only Mine Chocolate Factory. Well now, it's even easier to get your mitts on the boutique chocolaterie's signature treats, as it opens the doors to a third store — this time, in the heart of the city, within the Queen Victoria Market's new Munro development. "A Melbourne City store has been on our wishlist for a while," explained Jason Stockton, one half of the husband-and-wife duo behind the label. "We're excited to bring our city customers the Only Mine experience closer to home." The new store's set to be a go-to for chocolate fanatics, slinging a vast selection of hand-crafted sweet treats for all palates. On the shelves, you'll find no less than 28 different chocolate bar varieties, along with cute caramel koalas, packs of chocolate buttons, artisan hot chocolate blends and more. The headline act, however, has to be the hand-painted boxed chocolates, filled with your pick of beautiful signature bon bons. There are 16 flavours to choose from, including dreamy options like coconut and almond, cookies and cream, apple and cinnamon, matcha, clover honey, chilli and cashew, and raspberry. The new store's also serving an exclusive, limited-edition treat to celebrate its launch. Drop by ASAP to try the edible milk chocolate mocha cup, loaded with whipped espresso ganache, then topped with caramelised marshmallow and chocolate pieces. And those looking to warm their hands and bellies will find a menu of freshly made hot chocolate drinks, ranging from milk, white and a dark vegan-friendly chocolate, to a slew of blended concoctions. Only Mine is the second store to open as part of the new Munro Development, with wine bar and bottle shop ReWine trading onsite for the past few months. As announced in June, they're set to be joined by a suite of new food and drink spots, including a craft beer haven from Brick Lane Brewing, new venues by Market Lane Coffee and St Ali, and a produce-driven sushi bar courtesy of Moonfishh. In addition to this 1800 square metres of new retail and hospitality space, the Munro community hub is set to include 2500 square metres of new open space, complete with a new three-level library with a rooftop terrace and a boutique hotel. [caption id="attachment_861166" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Co-founders Jason Stockton and Anya Tran.[/caption] Find Only Mine's new city outpost at 13 Dhanga Djeembana Walk, Melbourne. It's open 10am–6pm Monday, 8am–6pm Tuesday, 10am–8pm Wednesday, and 8am–6pm Thursday to Sunday.
While seeing fruit mince pies in your local shopping centre in October feels downright disturbing, there's one Christmas treat that no one ever minds arriving early: Four Pillars' annual Christmas Gin. The latest iteration of the Healesville distillery's seasonal sip is coming in strong, set to hit shelves on Tuesday, October 26. It's the delicious result of a yearly tradition that sees a bunch of Christmas puddings handmade with distiller Cameron Mackenzie's mother's recipe — the 1968 Australian Women's Weekly recipe, in fact — and distilled with various festive botanicals to create a sought-after tipple that pretty much screams December 25. The flavours of an Aussie Christmas are captured in notes of cinnamon, star anise, juniper, coriander and angelica. The Christmas gin is then blended with some earlier gin that's been carefully ageing in 80-year-old muscat barrels. It's all finished with a hit of Rutherglen muscat for a bit of added richness and complexity. Each year, a new unique label is chosen to wrap up this Christmas creation, setting out to evoke that same festive spirit. The 2021's bottle design is the work of Cairns-based artist Andrea Huelin, who has taken inspiration from the immensely Aussie pairing of prawns and pavlova. Known for her fondness for fruit, glassware and everyday household items, Huelin combined all of the above — and a cheeky glass of Australian Christmas Gin — in a photo that now graces the tipple's label. The distillers recommend you sip the limited-edition gin neat; mix it with ginger ale, lime and bitters; or whip up a pavlova punch with the festive gin, passionfruit, muscat, berries and your choice of sparkling. Or you can just splash a bit of it on your own Christmas pudding — or pair it with Four Pillars' own Christmas gin puddings, which'll also be available to buy from Tuesday, October 26. If you want to nab a bottle, have your fingers poised over the 'buy' button when they go on sale online next week. Alternatively, you can stop by the Four Pillars HQ in Healesville, Victoria (if restrictions allow, of course) or the brand's Surry Hills shop. Bottles are $100 a pop and would make stellar Chrissy pressies, if you're already thinking about that. Four Pillars Christmas Gin is available to buy online, from the Healesville distillery and Surry Hills shop from Tuesday, October 26. But you'd best be quick — there's only a limited amount of bottles.
Not all that long ago, the idea of getting cosy on your couch, clicking a few buttons, and having thousands of films and television shows at your fingertips seemed like something out of science fiction. Now, it's just an ordinary night — whether you're virtually gathering the gang to text along, cuddling up to your significant other or shutting the world out for some much needed me-time. Of course, given the wealth of options to choose from, there's nothing ordinary about making a date with your chosen streaming platform. The question isn't "should I watch something?" — it's "what on earth should I choose?". Hundreds of titles are added to Australia's online viewing services each and every month, all vying for a spot on your must-see list. And, so you don't spend 45 minutes scrolling and then being too tired to actually commit to anything, we're here to help. We've spent plenty of couch time watching our way through this month's latest batch — and, from the latest and greatest through to old and recent favourites, here are our picks for your streaming queue from May's haul. BRAND NEW STUFF YOU CAN WATCH IN FULL NOW THE GREAT Television perfection is watching Elle Fanning (The Girl From Plainville) and Nicholas Hoult (Renfield) trying to run 18th-century Russia while scheming, fighting and heatedly reuniting in ahistorical period comedy The Great. Since 2020, they've each been in career-best form — her as the series' ambitious namesake, him as the emperor who loses his throne to his wife — while turning in two of the best performances on streaming in one of the medium's most hilarious shows. Both former child actors now enjoying excellent careers as adults, they make such a marvellous pair that it's easy to imagine this series being built around them. It wasn't and, now three seasons, The Great has never thrived on their casting alone. Still, shouting "huzzah!" at the duo's bickering, burning passion and bloodshed-sparking feuding flows as freely as all the vodka downed in the Emmy-winner's frames under Australian creator Tony McNamara's watch (and after he initially unleashed its winning havoc upon Sydney Theatre Company in 2008, then adapted it for television following a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination for co-penning The Favourite). In this latest batch of instalments, all either written or co-written by McNamara, Catherine (Fanning) and Peter (Hoult) begin the third season sure about their love for each other, but just as flummoxed as ever about making their nuptials work. She's attempting to reform the nation, he's the primary caregiver to their infant son Paul, her efforts are meeting resistance, he's doting but also bored playing stay-out-of-politics dad, and couples counselling is called for. There's also the matter of the royal court's most prominent members, many of whom were rounded up and arrested under Catherine's orders at the end of season two. From Sweden, exiled King Hugo (Freddie Fox, House of the Dragon) and Queen Agnes (Grace Molony, Mary, Queen of Scots) are hanging around after being run out of their own country due to democracy's arrival. And, Peter's lookalike Pugachev (also Hoult) is agitating for a serf-powered revolution. The Great streams via Stan. Read our full review. PREHISTORIC PLANET When it initially arrived in 2022, becoming one of the year's best new shows and giving nature doco fans the five-episode series they didn't know they'd always wanted — and simultaneously couldn't believe hadn't been made until now — Prehistoric Planet followed the David Attenborough nature documentary formula perfectly. And it is a formula. In a genre that's frequently spying the wealth of patterns at the heart of the animal realm, docos such as The Living Planet, State of the Planet, Frozen Planet, Our Planet, Seven Worlds, One Planet, A Perfect Planet, Green Planet and the like all build from the same basic elements. Jumping back 66 million years, capitalising upon advancements in special effects but committing to making a program just like anything that peers at the earth today was never going to feel like the easy product of a template, though. Indeed, Prehistoric Planet's first season was stunning, and its second is just as staggering. The catch, in both season one and this return trip backwards: while breathtaking landscape footage brings the planet's terrain to the Prehistoric Planet series, the critters stalking, swimming, flying and tumbling across it are purely pixels. Filmmaker Jon Favreau remains among the show's executive producers, and the technology that brought his photorealistic versions of The Jungle Book and The Lion King to cinemas couldn't be more pivotal. Seeing needs to be believing while watching, because the big-screen gloss of the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World sagas, the puppets of 90s sitcom Dinosaurs, and the animatronics of Walking with Dinosaurs — or anything in-between — were never going to suit a program with Attenborough as a guide. Accordingly, to sit down to Prehistoric Planet is to experience cognitive dissonance: viewers are well-aware that what they're spying isn't real because the animals seen no longer exist, but it truly looks that authentic. Prehistoric Planet season streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. I THINK YOU SHOULD LEAVE WITH TIM ROBINSON Eat-the-rich stories are delicious, and also everywhere; however, Succession, Triangle of Sadness and the like aren't the only on-screen sources of terrible but terribly entertaining people. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson has been filling streaming queues with assholes since 2019, as usually played by the eponymous Detroiters star, and long may it continue. In season three, the show takes its premise literally in the most ridiculous and unexpected way, so much so that no one could ever dream of predicting what happens. That's still the sketch comedy's not-so-secret power. Each of its skits is about someone being the worst in some way, doubling down on being the worst and refusing to admit that they're the worst (or that they're wrong) — and while everyone around them might wish they'd leave, they're never going to, and nothing ever ends smoothly. In a show that's previously worked in hot dog costumes and reality TV series about bodies dropping out of coffins to hilarious effect, anything can genuinely happen to its gallery of the insufferable. In fact, the more absurd and chaotic I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson gets, the better. No description can do I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson's sketches justice, and almost every one is a comedic marvel, as again delivered in six 15-minute episodes in the series' third run. The usual complaint applies: for a show about people overstaying their welcome, the program itself flies by too quickly, always leaving viewers wanting more. Everything from dog doors and designated drivers to HR training and street parking is in Robinson's sights this time, and people who won't stop talking about their kids, wedding photos and group-think party behaviour as well. Game shows get parodied again and again, an I Think You Should Leave staple, and gloriously. More often than in past seasons, Robinson lets his guest stars play the asshole, too, including the returning Will Forte (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story), regular Sam Richardson (The Afterparty), and perennial pop-ups Fred Armisen (Barry) and Tim Meadows (Poker Face). And when Jason Schwartzman (I Love That for You) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) drop in, they're also on the pitch-perfect wavelength. I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson streams via Netflix. Read our full review. IN LIMBO Not to be confused with the just-released Australian film Limbo, new six-part Aussie dramedy In Limbo not only takes its title to heart, but also uses the idea as fuel for a supernatural buddy comedy. Indeed, before the first episode is out, Nate (Bob Morley, Love Me) is palling around with his lifelong best friend Charlie (Ryan Corr, House of the Dragon) from the afterlife. The former doesn't know why he's still a presence. The latter is understandably reeling from the tragedy, and initially thinks that spying Nate is just a drunken hallucination. No one else, not Nate's wife Freya (Emma Harvie, Colin From Accounts), eight-year-old daughter Annabel (Kamillia Rihani, The Twelve), supremely very Catholic mother Maria (Lena Cruz, Wellmania) and affable father Frank (Russell Dykstra, Irreverent), can see their dearly-departed loved one as a ghost. It's Christmas, too, in this Brisbane-shot and -set series, and facing the festivities after such a shock is far from easy. While heartily deploying Brisbane Powerhouse and New Farm Park as settings, that's a lot for one show to delve into — and delve it thoughtfully does. Tackling grief, mental health and suicide is never simple, even in a show about someone haunting their best mate, and including when such topics have been increasingly popping up in Australian fare of late (see also: Totally Completely Fine). In Limbo is clearly made with care, empathy and understanding — and, crucially, doesn't attempt to offer any firm answers, instead acting as a conversation starter. At its core, the always-excellent Corr plays a complicated role with charm. That's no surprise given his resume, and he couldn't be better cast. Corr's likeable performance always dives deep into the about-to-get-divorced Charlie's struggle without Nate physically by his side, with Nate now his ghostly offsider and with his own problems, and never brushes past the character's flaws. And, just as importantly as the show's focus on 21st-century masculinity and friendship, Corr makes such a great double act with Morley that filmmakers should be clamouring to pair them up again ASAP. In Limbo streams via ABC iView. CONFESS, FLETCH Since Mad Men had Don Draper want to buy the world a Coke to end its seven-season run back in 2015, comedy has been Jon Hamm's friend. He's the ultimate TV guest star, building upon stints in 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation while Mad Men was still airing with Toast of London, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Curb Your Enthusiasm, on a resume that also includes The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Childrens Hospital, Medical Police, Angie Tribeca, The Last Man on Earth and Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp as well. So, casting him as the new Irwin Maurice 'Fletch' Fletcher couldn't be an easier move. Having fellow Mad Men standout John Slattery (The Good Fight) also appear in the latest flick about the investigative reporter, and the first since the Chevy Chase-led movies in the 80s, is another winning touch. Even if that reunion wasn't part of the film, Hamm is so entertaining that he makes a killer case for a whole new Fletch franchise — on whatever screen the powers-that-be like — with him at its centre. Hamm clearly understands how well he suits this type of character, and the genre; he's a comic delight, and he's also one of Confess, Fletch's producers. Superbad and Adventureland's Greg Mottola directs and co-writes, scripting with Outer Range's Zev Borow — and ensuring that Hamm and Slattery aren't the only acting highlights. Working through a plot that sees Fletch chasing a stolen artwork, discovering a dead body, and both looking into the crime and considered a suspect himself, the film also features engaging turns by always-welcome Twin Peaks great Kyle MacLachlan and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar gem Annie Mumolo. There have been several attempts to revive Fletch over the past three decades, including separate projects with Ted Lasso duo Bill Lawrence and Jason Sudeikis — on the page, the character spans nine novels — but viewers should be thankful that this is the action-comedy that came to fruition, even if it skipped cinemas everywhere but the US. Confess, Fletch streams via Paramount+ and Binge. BUPKIS In its opening moments, Bupkis unloads — twice, in completely different ways, while ensuring there's zero doubt that this is a series about Pete Davidson starring Pete Davidson as Pete Davidson. First, the former Saturday Night Live comedian gets Googling while alone in the basement of the Staten Island home he shares with his mother Amy (Edie Falco, Avatar: The Way of Water). The results about Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale and Kim Kardashian's ex aren't positive; so, to shake off the unpleasantness of reading '12 Things Horribly Wrong with Pete Davidson', he switches from "scumbro" with "butthole eyes" comments to porn. He's wearing a VR headset, and he's soon deep in self-love. Then his mum walks in. Bupkis clearly isn't wary about getting crude. It isn't concerned about satirising its central figure, either. Instead, this semi-autobiographical dramedy relishes the parody. At the age of 29, Davidson has reached the "you may as well laugh" point in his career, which is hardly surprising given he's spent the past decade swinging his big chaotic energy around. Partway through the eight-episode series, while keen to claim some perks for being Davidson's mother — other than doting on her son, that is — Amy shouts at wait staff that "Marisa Tomei played me!". Add that to Bupkis' gleeful, playful nods to reality. An opening statement before each instalment stresses the difference between fact and fiction, and why the show has the moniker it has, but art keeps imitating life everywhere. There's no switching names, however. Davidson is indeed Davidson, his IRL mum is called Amy and his sister is Casey (Oona Roche, The Morning Show). As in The King of Staten Island, they've been a trio since 9/11, and dealing with losing his New York City firefighter dad still isn't easy. Off-screen, however, Davidson must be a fan of My Cousin Vinny, plus the gangster genre. Hailing from the former as Tomei does, and famed for his performances in the latter like The Sopranos star Falco, Goodfellas, Casino and The Irishman alum Joe Pesci is a pivotal part of Bupkis as Davidson's grandfather Joe — a hilarious and delightful part, unsurprisingly. Bupkis streams via Binge. Read our full review. VENGEANCE When Vengeance begins with a New Yorker journalist who's desperate to start his own podcast, Soho House hangouts and relationship advice from John Mayer as himself, it begins with rich and savvy character details. Writing, starring and making his feature directorial debut after helming episodes of The Office and The Mindy Project, BJ Novak instantly establishes the kind of person that Ben Manalowitz is. He shows the East Coast world that his protagonist inhabits, too — and, by focusing on the only guy in NYC without their own audio outlet, or so it seems, plus that romantic guidance, it splashes around its sense of humour. This is a sharply amusing mystery-comedy, and a highlight on Novak's resume in all three of his guises. It's also about subverting expectations, and lampooning the first impressions and broad stereotypes that are too often — and too easily — clung to. Indeed, Vengeance bakes in that idea as many ways as it can as Ben (Novak) does the most obvious thing he can to convince his producer (Issa Rae, Insecure) that his voice is worth hearing: bursts his Big Apple bubble. The Mayer bit isn't just a gag; it helps set up Ben as the kind of person who is dating so many women that he doesn't know which one has died after he gets a bereaved phone call from Texas in the middle of the night. On the other end is Ty Shaw (Boyd Holbrook, The Sandman), brother to Abilene (Lio Tipton, Why Women Kill), who insists that Ben head southwest immediately to attend her funeral — she claimed that they were serious enough that she's his girlfriend, after all. Upon arrival, the out-of-towner initially regards his hosts as jokes, and their lives and Abilene's death as content. Ty thinks she was murdered, and Ben couldn't be giddier about getting it all on tape and calling the series Dead White Girl. The journo's self-interest is up there with his obliviousness about anything that doesn't fit into his NYC orbit; however, this isn't a culture-clash comedy — thankfully — but a clever, self-aware and ambitious satire. It's also strikingly shot and features a standout performance by Ashton Kutcher (That '90s Show) as a suave record producer. Vengeance streams via Netflix and Binge. NEW AND RETURNING SHOWS TO CHECK OUT WEEK BY WEEK SILO Rebecca Ferguson will never be mistaken for Daveed Diggs, but the Dune, Mission: Impossible franchise and Doctor Sleep star now follows in the Hamilton Tony-winner's footsteps. While he has spent multiple seasons navigating dystopian class clashes on a globe-circling train in the TV version of Snowpiercer, battling his way up and down the titular locomotive, she just started ascending and descending the stairs in the underground chamber that gives Silo its moniker. Ferguson's character is also among humanity's last remnants. Attempting to endure in post-apocalyptic times, she hails from her abode's lowliest depths as well. And, when there's a murder in this instantly engrossing new ten-part series — which leaps to the screen from Hugh Howey's novels, and shares a few basic parts with Metropolis, Blade Runner and The Platform, as well as corrupt world orders at the core of The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner flicks — she's soon playing detective. Silo captivates from the outset, when its focus is the structure's sheriff Holston (David Oyelowo, See How They Run) and his wife Allison (Rashida Jones, On the Rocks). Both know the cardinal rule of the buried tower, as does deputy Marnes (Will Patton, Outer Range), mayor Ruth (Geraldine James, Benediction), security head Sims (Common, The Hate U Give), IT top brass Bernard (Tim Robbins, Dark Waters) and the other 10,000 souls they live with: if you make the request to go outside, it's irrevocable and you'll be sent there as punishment. No matter who you are, and from which level, anyone posing such a plea becomes a public spectacle. Their ask is framed as "cleaning", referring to wiping down the camera that beams the desolate planet around them onto window-sized screens in their cafeterias. No one has ever come back, or survived for more than minutes. Why? Add that to the questions piling up not just for Silo's viewers, but for the silo's residents. For more than 140 years, the latter have dwelled across their 144 floors in safety from the bleak wasteland that earth has become — but what caused that destruction and who built their cavernous home are among the other queries. Silo streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. THE OTHER TWO Swapping Saturday Night Live for an entertainment-parodying sitcom worked swimmingly for Tina Fey. Since 2019, it's also been going hilariously for Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider. Not just former SNL writers but the veteran sketch comedy's ex-head writers, Kelly and Schneider have been giving the world their own 30 Rock with the sharp, smart and sidesplitting The Other Two. Their angle: focusing on the adult siblings of a Justin Bieber-style teen popstar who've always had their own showbiz aspirations — he's an actor, she was a ballerina — who then find themselves the overlooked children of a momager-turned-daytime television host as well. Cary (Drew Tarver, History of the World: Part II) and Brooke (Heléne York, Katy Keene) Dubek are happy for Chase (Case Walker, Monster High: The Movie). And when their mother Pat (Molly Shannon, I Love That for You) gets her own time in the spotlight, becoming Oprah-level famous, they're equally thrilled for her. But ChaseDreams, their little brother's stage name, has always been a constant reminder that their own ambitions keep being outshone. In a first season that proved one of the best new shows of 2019, a second season in 2021 that was just as much of a delight and now a stellar third go-around, Cary and Brooke have never been above getting petty and messy about being the titular pair. In season three, however, they aren't just hanging around with stars in their eyes and resentment in their hearts. How do they cope? They've spent the past few years constantly comparing themselves to Chase, then to Pat, but now they're successful on their own — and still chaotic, and completely unable to change their engrained thinking. Forget the whole "the grass is always greener" adage. No matter if they're faking it or making it, nothing is ever perfectly verdant for this pair or anyone in their orbit. Still, as Brooke wonders whether her dream manager gig is trivial after living through a pandemic, she starts contemplating if she should be doing more meaningful work like her fashion designer-turned-nurse boyfriend Lance (Josh Segarra, The Big Door Prize). And with Cary's big breaks never quite panning out as planned, he gets envious of his fellow-actor BFF Curtis (Brandon Scott Jones, Ghosts). The Other Two streams via Binge. Read our full review. PLATONIC Sometime in the near future, Rose Byrne, Seth Rogen and filmmaker Nicholas Stoller could easily join forces on a new rom-com. In fact, they should. Until then, buddy comedy Platonic makes a hilarious, engagingly written and directed, and perfectly cast addition to each's respective resumes. Reuniting the trio after 2014's Bad Neighbours and its 2016 sequel Bad Neighbours 2, this new series pairs Australia's comedy queen and America's go-to stoner as longterm pals who are never anything but mates — and haven't been in touch at all for years — but navigate a friendship that's as chaotic and complicated as any movie romance. That's an easy setup; however, watching the show's stars bicker, banter and face the fact that life doesn't always turn out as planned together proves as charming as it was always going to. Also, Platonic smartly doesn't try to be a romantic comedy, or to follow in When Harry Met Sally's footsteps. Instead, Platonic explores what happens when two former besties have gone their own ways, then come back together. The show knows that reconnecting with old pals is always tinged with nostalgia for the person you were when they were initially in your life. And, it's well-aware that reckoning with where you've ended up since is an immediate side effect. Enter Sylvia (Byrne, Seriously Red), who reaches out to Will (Rogen, The Super Mario Bros Movie) after hearing that he's no longer with the wife (Alisha Wainwright, Raising Dion) she didn't like. She's also a suburban-dwelling former lawyer who put work on hold to become a mother of three, and can't help feeling envious of her husband Charlie's (Luke Macfarlane, Bros) flourishing legal career. Her old BFF co-owns and runs an LA brewpub, is obsessive about his beer and hipster/slacker image, and hasn't been taking his breakup well. They couldn't be in more different places in their lives. When they meet up again, they couldn't appear more dissimilar, too. "You look like you live at Ann Taylor Loft," is Will's assessment. Sylvia calls him "a '90s grunge clown." Neither is wrong. Platonic streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. THE CLEARING They're called The Kindred, not The Family. Adrienne Beaufort is their leader, not Anne Hamilton-Byrne. But there's no mistaking the inspiration for JP Pomare's book In the Clearing and its new eight-part adaptation The Clearing. Exploring the inner workings of an Australian cult based in rural Victoria, spouting New Age sentiments mixed with doomsday thinking, fixated upon blonde-haired children and led by a charismatic woman — a rare female cult leader — this tale fictionalises the real-life details documented in countless newspaper headlines since the 80s, and also in Rosie Jones' 2016 documentary The Family and 2019 series The Cult of the Family. Amid their so-wild-they-can-only-be-true stories, both of those projects showed viewers the eerie image of children with platinum locks in severe bobs and dressed in matching blue attire. That distinctive look is similarly at the heart of Disney+'s first original scripted Aussie drama. In the earlier of its two timelines, Amy (Julia Savage, Blaze) dons the tresses and uniform as one of the older children at Adrienne's (Miranda Otto, Wellmania) Blackmarsh bush compound — one being prepared to be her heir, and made an accomplice in the group's quest to add more kids to its ranks. Initially dutiful, the teenager is soon questioning the only existence she's ever known, with its harsh rules, strict aunties keeping everyone in line between Adrienne's sporadic visits, weekend services attended by well-to-do acolytes and, sharing the show's title, its LSD-fuelled confessional sessions. When The Clearing dwells in the now, still in Victoria at its leafiest, the smear of heartbreak and damage is ever-present. Indeed, when single mother Freya Heywood (Teresa Palmer, Ride Like a Girl) hears about a girl being abducted, she can't shake the feeling that history is repeating. She dotes over her primary school-aged son Billy (debutant Flynn Wandin), but she's also visibly nervous and anxious. When she keeps spotting a white van, she's a portrait of panic. The Clearing streams via Disney+. Read our full review. HIGH DESERT In High Desert, the always-excellent Patricia Arquette (Severance) leads a private investigator comedy that dapples its jam-packed chaos under California's golden sun, against the parched Yucca Valley landscape and with an anything-goes philosophy — not to mention a more-mayhem-the-merrier tone. She plays Peggy Newman, who isn't letting her age get in the way of perennially struggling to pull her life together. That said, when the eight-part series begins, it's Thanksgiving 2013 and she's living an upscale existence in Palm Springs, with gleaming surfaces abounding in her expansive (and visibly expensive) home. Then, as her husband Denny (Matt Dillon, Proxima) jokes around with her mother Roslyn (Bernadette Peters, Mozart in the Jungle), and her younger siblings Dianne (Christine Taylor, Search Party) and Stewart (Keir O'Donnell, The Dry) lap up the lavish festivities, DEA agents swarm outside. Cue weed, hash and cash stashes being flushed and trashed, but not quickly enough to avoid splashing around serious repercussions. A decade later, High Desert's protagonist has been sharing Roslyn's house and trying to kick her addictions while working at Pioneertown, a historical attraction that gives tourists a dusty, gun-toting taste of frontier life. Peggy would love to step back in time herself when she's not pretending to be a saloon barmaid — to when her recently deceased mother was still alive, however, rather than to her glitzy post-arrest shindigs. Still angry about being caught up in a drug bust, Dianne and Stewart have zero time for her nostalgia and a lack of patience left for her troubles. Their plan: to sell Roslyn's abode with no worries about where Peggy might end up. Her counter: doing everything she can to stop that from happening. High Desert doesn't just embrace the fact that living and breathing is merely weathering whatever weird, wild and sometimes-wonderful shambles fate throws your way; in a show created and written by Nurse Jackie and Damages alumni Jennifer Hoppe and Nancy Fichman, plus Miss Congeniality and Desperate Housewives' Katie Ford, that idea dictates the busy plot, too. High Desert streams via Apple TV+. Read our full review. Need a few more streaming recommendations? Check out our picks from January, February, March and April this year. You can also check out our list of standout must-stream 2022 shows as well — and our best 15 new shows of last year, top 15 returning shows over the same period, 15 shows you might've missed and best 15 straight-to-streaming movies of 2022.
For the first time in over two decades, the Grammy Awards will take place in March this year, after the music industry's night of nights was postponed due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles. The ceremony has been pushed back from its original date of Sunday, January 31, and will now be held on Sunday, March 14 Pacific Time. For Australian viewers looking to tune into the ceremony, the new date to mark in your calendar is Monday, March 15. In a joint statement regarding the postponement from Chair and Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy Harvey Mason Jr, CBS executive Jack Sussman and show producer Ben Winston, the worsening COVID-19 situation in LA was cited as the reason for the postponement. "The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do," reads the statement. The announcement comes after a record 29,464 new COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles County were reported in a single day on Saturday, December 26. There are currently 7898 COVID patients currently hospitalised in Los Angeles County. Leading the 2021 list of Grammy nominees is Beyoncé with nine nominations for her song 'Black Parade' and her collaboration with rapper Megan thee Stallion 'Savage (Remix)'. Australians Tame Impala and Flume are nominated for awards in the Best Alternative Music Album and Best Dance Recording categories respectively. Flume previously took out the Best Dance/Electronic Album Award in 2017 for his album Skin, while Tame Impala have been nominated twice previously but have never won. You can find the full list of nominees via the Grammy Awards' website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCRiUi28UpA The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards have been postponed to Sunday, March 14, 2021 Pacific Time — which is Monday, March 15, 2021 in Australia. For further information, head to the Grammy Awards website. Top images: Grammy Awards, M.Johnson / Flume, Andy Fraser.
The hospitality industry is one of many that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Forced to shake things up and get a little creative as social distancing becomes people's lifestyle of choice, restaurants and bars across the country have begun offering takeaway and delivery. And even the world's best are having to adapt. One of Melbourne's most celebrated fine diners Ben Shewry's Attica has done some diversifying of its own, launching a pop-up bake shop and its first-ever take-home food offering. Yep — you'll soon be able to scoff some world-class eats, right there on your couch. The Ripponlea restaurant remains open for regular dine-ins, though, with many international customers cancelling or postponing, it's a little easier to wrangle a table than usual. If you're choosing to go out and support local businesses, have a look at the latest COVID-19 advice and social-distancing guidelines from the Department of Health. Otherwise, you can still enjoy the Attica experience at home, when two take-home options launch on Tuesday, March 24. One features a lineup of Attica classics, including the famed A Simple Dish of Potato Cooked in the Earth it Was Grown, the spice-crusted lamb shoulder and a trifle version of its Plight of the Bees dessert. It's designed for two people and clocks in at $95 for pick up. The other one's a more casual offering that'll hook you up with one of Shewry's lasagne, pull-apart garlic bread and a salad made from goodies out of the Attica garden. It's also a two-person affair, priced at $60 if you collect it from the restaurant. For an extra $15, you can have either option delivered straight to your doorstep by Attica staff (only available within ten kilometres of the restaurant). https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm8ML6hnjf0/ To really make a night in of it, there's also a handful of sommelier-chosen drink matches on offer. Add on a bottle of wine from $35, a mixed four-pack of beers for $25, or even a pre-batched signature cocktail for $19. And for that sweet tooth? Try a tub of Shewry's buttermilk ice cream with bush apple swirl. Speaking of sweet stuff, the restaurant's also launching a pop-up Attica Bake Shop from Tuesday, March 24. Operating out of a shop front at 72 Glen Eira Road, Tuesday to Saturday mornings from 9am, it'll be serving up handmade treats like giant versions of the above Vegemite scrolls, garlic bread and warm davidson plum sweet scrolls. Just remember to bring your card, as it'll be cashless. Find Attica at 74 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea, and the Attica Bake Shop (and takeaway pick-up point) at 72 Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea. The Attica Bake Shop should be open from 9am–12pm Tuesday–Saturday. Attica At Home is available to pre-order from 5pm on Friday, March 20 over on the website, with pick up and delivery from March 24.
At midnight on Sunday, June 21, eased restrictions were set to be introduced in Victoria, but, instead — with the number of new COVID-19 cases on the rise in the state again, and 25 recorded in the past 24 hours — Premier Daniel Andrews has today, Saturday, June 20, announced that some of them will need to be tightened. From Sunday night, you will only be allowed up to five visitors in your home and gatherings in outdoor public spaces will be limited ten, both of which will be reduction from the current 20. While the number of people allowed in restaurants, pubs, auction halls, community halls, libraries and museums was set to increase to 50 on Sunday, it will instead say at 20. But, the service of alcohol without having to buy a meal will still be allowed from Monday. These new limits are set to stay in place until at least midnight on Sunday, July 12. There is small amount of good news, though. Some new businesses that were set to reopen for the first time on Monday, including gyms, theatres and cinemas, will still be allowed to reopen. But, again, there will be a limit of 20 people allowed inside — which is a reduction from the 50-person cap that had been previously announced. The kicking off of the Victorian ski season on June 22 will also be allowed, as will community sport for kids and non-contact competitions for adults. [caption id="attachment_629600" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The ski season will be allowed to kick off on June 22[/caption] At the press conference, the Premier said that, since April, around half of all new cases have been from family-to-family transmission and he was "disappointed" in the behaviour of some Victorians who weren't following the public health orders. "You cannot make your own decision because it is not your decision to make. You are putting the rest of Victoria at risk," the Premier said. "My message is very clear. If you are sick, you cannot go out. If you are sick, you cannot go to work. If you are sick you cannot — even moderate symptoms, mild symptoms — you cannot go and visit family and friends. If you are told to isolate, you must isolate." The Premier also did not rule out the possibility of reimposing strict lockdowns in areas where there are high levels of community transmission, which would see some suburbs or local government areas revert back to the stay-at-home order, which allowed you to leave home for only one of four reasons: food, healthcare, exercise, or work and education (where work or education cannot be done from home). "I cannot rule out and I won't rule out the notion of hotspots where we see substantial community transmission being subject to lockdowns," the Premier said. He also raised the possibility of barring travel from Victorian hotspots to NSW (which currently has an open border), but both of these decisions will depend on the number of new cases over coming days. Victoria's latest State of Emergency is due to expire at midnight on Sunday, June 21; however, while Premier Andrews didn't mention it today, it should be expected that it'll be extended as well. For more information about the state of COVID-19 in Victoria and what restrictions will be introduced and eased at midnight on Sunday, June 22, head to the Department of Health and Human Services website.
Metropolitan Melbourne's stage four lockdown is set to end on Sunday, September 13. And just what life in the state will look like after that date is set to be unveiled this weekend. At a press conference today, Monday, August 31, Premier Daniel Andrews said that he will be unveiling the state's roadmap out of lockdown on Sunday, September 6. While the Premier was suitably vague about what the roadmap will include, he did say the government would be consulting with industry, unions and community organisations in the lead up to the announcement about six key principles: physical distancing, wearing a face covering, hygienic workplaces and acting quickly if a staff member becomes unwell. The Premier also said that there will be a "traffic light system" with different stages that the state would work through — and that the different stages will be "very different" to Victoria's previous stage three and two restrictions. On the topic of hospitality venues, the Premier did drop an interesting nugget of information: the possibility of more outdoor dining. "When it comes to cafes, bars, restaurants and pubs, I think the improving weather and the part of the year we are moving into does give us some options that we simply didn't have last time," the Premier said. "So the notion of more outdoor eating, more outdoor service — we're looking at that very closely and we will be having very detailed discussions about that." https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1300224647548542977 The announcement about the forthcoming roadmap comes as the state records a second day of new COVID-19 cases in double digits — 73 in the last 24 hours — after more than six weeks of triple-digit daily numbers. Despite the decrease in new cases, the Premier said it was too early to announce the roadmap today. "We cannot provide a detailed road map today, but we will provide that on Sunday, another week's data is almost invaluable," the Premier said. "I know a week feels, and indeed is, a long time locked at home, but it is also a very lengthy period of time when it comes to understanding what this virus is doing. It moves fast, it does so silently, and as we have seen quite a bit of commentary today, particularly comments made by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer in Canberra, the numbers are too high for us to open at this time." In fact, the Premier refused to rule out the possibility of extending stage four beyond September 13, saying the decision will be "guided by the data, the science and the very best medical advice". For more information about the status of COVID-19 and the current restrictions, head over to the Department of Health and Human Services website. Top image: Julia Sansone
We all know the fun things that can happen when a nostalgic childhood treat is reimagined for a grown-up audience. And the latest collaboration from gelato masters Messina and Sydney distillery Archie Rose is certainly one of the goodies. The pair has gone and reworked the classic neapolitan ice cream combo into a limited-edition trio of spirits, heavy on the retro-tastic dessert vibes and ready for your spring cocktail sessions. Available from Monday, September 7, the Neapolitan Set features three 200-millilitre spirit varieties crafted on produce from Messina's own Aussie farms, paying homage to the familiar pink, white and brown scoops that have long graced dinner tables across Australia. There's a strawberry and pink peppercorn gin, a vanilla and pandan vodka, and a chocolate-inspired cacao husk and hazelnut whisky. Archie Rose individually distilled a swag of top-quality ingredients to create each sip and has even come up with some suggested cocktails to put them to good use. For example, the gin teams locally foraged pink peppercorn and native river mint with juicy strawberries from Messina's farm in Dural, NSW. They say this one works particularly well matched with some of Messina's strawberry sorbet in a blushing riff on the miami vice cocktail. Meanwhile, the collaboration vodka uses fragrant pandan and sustainably sourced Tongan vanilla beans to create a spirit that's the perfect addition to a grasshopper. And the whisky stars roasted hazelnuts from both Italy and the Messina farm in Seymour, Victoria, along with macerated husks from rare cacao beans. Best try that one blended with a scoop of Messina's hazelnut gelato in a creamy toblerone concoction. While the spirit set will be available to buy online and from select bottle shops, Messina will also be dishing up a supporting act with a limited-edition decorated neapolitan gelato tub up for grabs from September 7. Plus, stay tuned for a virtual neapolitan cocktail masterclass, presented by Messina and Archie Rose on September 25. Find the Archie Rose x Messina Neapolitan Set ($109) at select bottle shops, the Archie Rose bar and on the Archie Rose website, from September 7.
Inspired by Madonna, Michael Jackson and Nine Inch Nails, Auckland based synth pop duo Computers Want Me Dead have decided they're not going to take themselves too seriously – resulting in a sound that's chaotic, almost dizzying synth pop that you can't help but pull shapes to. They've played Rhythm + Vines, Big Day Out and supported 30 Seconds to Mars – all while having only released their debut EP in March this year. They've taken over New Zealand and plan to take over the rest of the world later on this year, one synth track at a time. One half of Computers Want Me Dead, Sam Harvey, chats to Kirstie Sequitin about Gary Numan, Nine Inch Nails and embracing their inner synth pop. I read this thing on your Facebook profile last night, saying that your set is 'a whirling and buzzing tornado of sound akin to some wonderful lovechild of Gary Numan and Nine Inch Nails on ecstacy'. And then I saw that you had a photo taken with Gary the other day – did he have something to say about that? Yeah, yeah that was amazing! A friend of mine was organizing the Gary Numan show over here in Auckland, so as soon as I found out I ran in saying 'please, please, please can I meet him?' And I met him, he was the nicest guy I've ever met, it was incredible. Did he listen to your music at all? I don't know. It was funny because the friend that hosted the television show knows I'm a huge fan (of Gary) and actually gave him a copy of our CD live on air. I was like 'Oh my God, I can't believe you did that.' But, I don't know. I'd like to think that he would have heard it but yeah, no idea. Why do computers want you dead? The name is definitely ironic, because we both love computers and we're kind of nerdy in that way. But it actually comes from a friend of mine who had moved to Chicago wrote me this massive long email on MySpace, back in the day when MySpace was all the rage. So she wrote me this massive email and clicked send and… it timed out. She had spent two hours writing this email and was really really pissed off. The next email she wrote was titled 'Computers want me dead'. I was like, "I'm totally going to use that as a band name". She didn't believe me until we put out a single. What were you guys doing before Computers Want Me Dead and how did you guys start working together? I was wearing a Nine Inch Nails t-shirt at a work function and Damien came up to me and was like, "Oh yeah, I'm a fan of Nine Inch Nails too." And we just got talking. We were both talking about how we wanted to, you know, start a band, and we started jamming. We ended up moving into an apartment – I live here with Damien and his girlfriend – and it kind of just went from there. So how does a love for Nine Inch Nails translate to the stuff that you guys make together? Well, it's funny - it started off being a lot darker and kind of grittier. Then one day I changed the bass line on something and added the sort of poppy sounding synth and all of a sudden it was a different song and we just ran with that. But yeah, Nine Inch Nails are definitely a massive influence on both of us and kind of evidence of earlier stuff that we've done. I've played one of our singles to a friend of mine who is also a Nine Inch Nails fan and – I don't know if this is compliment but - he said "It sounds like Nine Inch Nails on E". And I was like, "Sweet. That's awesome". That was the coolest thing he could've said. You say that your music comes from being able to embrace pop music shamelessly; do you think other bands take themselves too seriously? Do you think that there's a bit of synth pop in every band? (laughs) I think everyone has a potential to take themselves too seriously. We're all guilty of it sometimes. But yeah, I don't know, there's some music that's more serious than others – and I'm a big fan of all kinds of stuff. I don't look at people who are really into what they're doing as taking themselves too seriously – I don't think they're pretentious or anything, but it's just not what this band is about. Computers Want Me Dead's self-titled EP is out now.
Windmills have gotten a bad rap, because although they successfully harness wind energy, not many find them too aesthetically pleasing. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to capture the same amount of wind power as a windmill without building a field of giant pinwheels? Now there is. The T-Box is a power generator that uses the force of wind created by the speed of trains to produce energy. The device would be implanted in the sleepers of train tracks and are designed to capture, store and supply converted power. Rather than relying on natural wind, the idea behind the T-Box is to take advantage of wind energy that is man-made and inevitable. A 200 metre-long train traveling at 300 kph for 1km (a total of about 18 seconds) would produce 2.6 KWh of power. Collectively, the power from a train's single journey could help people in remote areas that don't have sufficient access to electricity. Trains are already one of the most 'green' forms of travel, why not make it even more efficient?
These big award shows are a funny business. Everything is so manicured and over the top. Everyone from every film or TV series you've seen seems to be there, but they're not quite right. They're not the character you really know them as, or they're too liquored up to look like anyone at all. Since the internet has risen up and eaten most of our free time, these shows have become a bit of a smorgasbord though. We don't really care about the glitz or the glamour of it, we kind of just want something funny to post on our Twitter feed. Every great joke or horrible mistake becomes well-known within minutes. Did something embarrassing happen to Matt Damon? Was Jennifer Lawrence being funny? Did Tina Fey and Amy Poehler channel Britney and Madonna for an on-stage kiss? In the interest of saving time, the answers to those questions are yes, yes, and unfortunately no. Here's your cheat sheet for the rest. 1. The Red Carpet Went Horribly Wrong Red carpets are usually pretty awkward. Most stars really just want to get inside to the open bar, and most reporters seem gloriously starstruck or out of their depth asking inane questions about manicure styles or the benefits of open toed heels versus closed. But this year's pre-show entertainment took awkward to a whole new level when E! Entertainment broadcasted some inappropriate 'fun facts' during their live stream of the event. These included 'FUN FACT: Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991' and 'FUN FACT: Robert Redford was stricken with polio as a child.' As if that wasn't enough of a dampener, the red carpet also suffered a small flash flood after a sprinkler malfunctioned. Luckily that was before the ceremony, and after a small delay Ryan Seacrest resumed his post as the weird plasticky go-to man, and stars like Elisabeth Moss rebelled the ceremony in their own small ways like flipping off the obligatory mani-cam. Go team. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y-XGTLfaG3Y 2. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Killed It This was always going to happen. Although it's always hard to shake images of Liz Lemon and Leslie Knope from your mind, these girls were perfect together last year and rekindled the magic for an impressive second show — they even called it in their opening monologue (duologue?): "When something kinda works, you keep doing it till everybody hates it." I don't think that will be any time soon however as all their one-liners hit the marks hard. Targets included George Clooney as they stated "Gravity [was] the story about how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age." Jonah Hill also got a dig off the back of his upcoming release The Wolf of Wall Street: "If I wanted to see Jonah Hill masturbate at a pool party, I would have gone to one of Jonah Hill's pool parties." Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tom Hanks (or Tam Honks) and Matthew McConaughey also got a mention, but do yourself a favour and watch the whole thing here. 3. People were still making fun of Matt Damon Matt Damon was another mark hit in the opening monologue when Poehler said, "Matt, on any other night in any other room, you would be a big deal. But tonight — and don't take this the wrong way — you're basically a garbage person." Being the good sport that he is, when presenting on stage he then followed up with, "It's me, the garbage man. The garbage man who didn't bring his glasses. Fantastic." We know it's cruel, but there seems to be something so satisfying about making fun of this man. Team America was released nearly 10 years ago now, and he's done nothing to deserve it, but it's still so hard to say his name with a straight face. 4. Jennifer Lawrence was there (and she won) 2013 has already been deemed the year of J-Law, but we don't see the hype dying anytime soon. Right from the beginning she was causing a fuss as the entire internet exploded with something to say about her dress. So what if it's Christian Dior? She knows we love her. We have to knock her down a peg or two every so often just like we would an annoying little sister going to the formal. Before making it through the door, she already reclaimed her throne as queen of GIFs as she snuck up on Taylor Swift and joked about pushing her over. She then won Best Supporting Actress for her role in American Hustle, and followed it up with a press conference saying she needed to "catch up on her drinking". She'll be our dream babe forever. 5. People Were Drunk This is more of an educated guess than a hard observation, but hey, Emma Thompson threw her shoes over her shoulder and downed a martini on stage, Amy Poehler kissed Bono and Tina Fey compared Leonardo Dicaprio to a supermodel's vagina. I wish there was more context to each of these things, but that's really about all we can offer. Time to grab some icecream & switch over to #GIRLS — mia farrow (@MiaFarrow) January 13, 2014 6. Mia Farrow used Twitter to its full catty potential Woody Allen was a winner (of sorts) at the year's show as he received a lifetime achievement award. Star of his cult classic Annie Hall, Diane Keaton accepted the award on his behalf and praised in particular the women of Woody Allen's filmic world. "They struggle, they love, they fall apart, they dominate, they're flawed. They are, in fact, the hallmark of Woody's work," she said. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the women of Woody's life off-screen as his ex-wife Mia Farrow took to Twitter and decided his tribute the perfect moment to tune out and catch the season premiere of Girls. No one can really blame her. 7. Things Got Awkward It wouldn't be an awards ceremony without someone overstaying their welcome during the speeches. This year, that cringe-worthy crowning moment belonged solely to Jacqueline Bisset. After winning Best Supporting Actress in a TV Mini-Series for her work in Dancing on the Edge, Bisset embarked on a strange bumbling journey into the unknown that was presumably just as painful for her to deliver as it was for us to watch. Problems on stage continued as an autocue failed for Jonah Hill and Margot Robbie, and Andy Samberg didn't have a speech at all after winning Best Actor in a Comedy Series. He then strangely copped a kiss on the lips from Modern Family's Julie Bowen. Awkward star contact continued when P. Diddy gave Bono a hug that was clearly a little off consensual. (We could watch that GIF forever.) 8. The Right People Won There's nothing more infuriating than sitting through an entire awards show, then seeing the cheesiest and least exciting shows take home the prizes. There's obviously going to be some disconnect between your opinion and that of the Hollywood Foreign Press, but still — it's nice when everything works out. Aside from J-Law, other winners included Breaking Bad for Best TV Drama and Bryan Cranston for his role in the lead. After their shocking loss at the Emmy's last year, this win seems the perfect way to see off the prolific show after its final episode late last year. Aaron Paul even summoned one final "Yeah, bitch," before leaving the stage pleasing millions of internet users worldwide. The top acting awards rightfully went out to Leonardo Dicaprio for The Wolf of Wolf Street and Cate Blanchett for her amazing work in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine, and the top films were American Hustle and 12 Years A Slave. Amy Poehler finally got commended for her work as Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation, and most importantly of all, both Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory received nothing. A good night was had by all.
If Brisbane has a centrepiece other than the river snaking through the city, it's the most-famous bridge that sits atop the waterway. The Story Bridge is one of the Queensland capital's best-known landmarks. Its steel expanse is frequently the image used to depict Brissie. Now, whether you're a local or a tourist, it's also the perfect place to explore the city from a great height and from a First Nations viewpoint in tandem. Scaling the Story Bridge thanks to Story Bridge Adventure Climb has been a quintessential Brisbane activity since 2005. Taking in the stunning vista is only part of the new Indigenous Story Bridge Adventure Climb experience, however. You'll still reach the structure's heights, but you'll do so led by either Birrunga Wiradyuri and Jessica Skeen, with the two artists sharing stories about history, Country and culture in Meanjin along the way. Set to open in August 2024 — and already taking bookings from Tuesday, August 6 onwards — this is a two-hour, first-of-its-kind climb that's all about sharing the First Nations perspective on the city and honouring the storytelling that goes with it. Story Bridge Adventure Climb, Howard Smith Wharves and Birrunga Gallery, Wiradyuri's gallery, are behind the new experience. And while the new climb itself promises a must-do addition to Brissie, you can also expand it with native herb- and spice-seasoned crocodile and kangaroo as part of an Indigenous food platter, plus Skeen's boomerang-painting workshop. Via the Birrunga Gallery Cultural Creative Development Program, artist talks will also be on offer, and so will workshops about the importance of place. "Storytelling is an important part of Indigenous culture across Australia. Creating this experience with my friends and colleagues has been an incredibly rewarding and exciting process," said Wiradyuri. "Our goal is simple: it's to provide a safe, inclusive and creative space to immerse yourself in the history, tradition and practices of First Nations Australians. The bridge climb represents the upward journey we are on together and like all journeys, it starts with one foot in front of the other." "We hope that visitors take away a fresh perspective on Brisbane, art and their life. It's more than just a bucket-list experience, it's an opportunity to see life from another point of view." Brisbane's Indigenous Story Bridge Adventure Climb starts operating from Tuesday, August 6, 2024 — head to the Story Bridge Adventure Climb website for further details and bookings.
Death is coming to Arts House in North Melbourne, courtesy of nine new works about grief, mortality and what lies beyond. Get your affairs in order, because from November 7 to December 3, local and international artists working in theatre, live art, music and more are taking audiences six feet under. In While You Sleep, musicians will perform alongside live action and animated video footage, transporting viewers into a fugue state where nothing is quite what it seems. In Supper Club: The C-Word, guests will join artists, medical practitioners and cancer survivors for a discussion about the disease over dinner. And in The Infirmary, audience members submit themselves to the care of someone else in an immersive, hospital-set artwork unlike any other. Other events in the Mere Mortals program include Daniel Jenatsch's video installation A Mysterious Illness, Lara Thoms' The Director starring a veteran ex-funeral director, and the latest production from UK theatre company Ridiculusmus, the grimly titled Die! Die! Die! Old People Die! If nothing else, it's on theme. Outside of Arts House, in the Royal Botanic Gardens, you'll be able to visit an interactive installation called Public Cooling House and borrow headphones to listen to the evocative audio piece Bushland. Images: The Infirmary, Triage Live Art Collective, photo by Sarah Walker; While You Sleep: a fugue, Kate Neal and Sal Cooper.
They've been responsible for serving many Melburnians their first taste of Polish fare, as a regular fixture at festivals, markets and events over the past few years. And now, the minds behind much-loved food business Pierogi Pierogi are going one step further, delivering the flavours of Poland to homes across the city. The newly launched Ring-ski Bring-ski has everything you need to pull off a central European food party at your house, from traditional smallgoods and pantry staples, to ready-made meals, and Polish vodka and beer. Oh, and let's not forget the main event: the brand's famed pierogi dumplings, with a variety of fillings for vegans, vegetarians and carnivores alike. There are packs of frozen dumplings that you can keep on hand for a quick fix, as well as a rotation of ready-to-eat pierogi, stuffed with the likes of asparagus and salmon, or a dessert-friendly sweet cream cheese. Elsewhere on the menu, you'll find classic Polish products like smoked trout, gingerbread biscuits and sauerkraut, alongside traditional dishes that could include kopytka (a riff on gnocchi) with mushroom ragu, or perhaps the sour-salty soup known as zurek. Plus, you can keep the good times rolling with boozy offerings including Żywiec IPA, Krupnik honey liqueur and Luksusowa vodka, and a range of merch proudly emblazoned with the words 'Eat Pierogi Make Love'. To shop the full Ring-ski Bring-ski range of home-delivered polish goodies, hit the Pierogi Pierogi website. You can find out all the delivery options here.
Enjoying a few beverages but avoiding a hangover is everyone's dream; however soon, it might be more than that. As far as booze alternatives go, a synthetic alcohol dubbed "alcosynth" (what else?) could just be the holy grail, offering drinkers the same happy, sociable sensations but without the morning-after consequences. It's little wonder that British professor and researcher David Nutt, who discovered the new substance, is testing two versions for widespread use. He's claiming that his hangover-free drink could replace normal alcohol by 2050, making seedy weekends a distant memory. Say goodbye to feeling like garbage after a big Friday night. Nutt and his team studied substances that have a similar effect on the brain, then designed their own non-toxic, highly secret formula that mimics the positive aspects of being drunk — aka that warm, chatty feeling everyone's seeking after a busy week. In doing so, they've avoided any impact upon parts of the brain that are negatively influenced by booze. It all sounds pretty great, though it does also seem a little too good to be true. Time will tell if hangovers really will go the way of landlines, flip phones and other long-gone remnants of the past, but until then we'll live in hope. Via Travel and Leisure.
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 — Wonder Woman 1984 has moved its release date again, and will no longer release on Thursday, October 1. Instead, it will now hit cinemas on Saturday, December 26. This article has been updated to reflect that change. UPDATE: JULY 1, 2020 — Due to worldwide cinema closures and other concerns around COVID-19, Wonder Woman 1984 will no longer release on Thursday, August 13. Instead, it will now release on Thursday, October 1. This article has been updated to reflect that change. UPDATE: MARCH 25, 2020 — Due to cinema closures and other concerns around COVID-19, Wonder Woman 1984 will no longer release on its initially scheduled date of Thursday, June 4, 2020. Instead, it will now release on Thursday, August 13. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. New Order's 'Blue Monday'. A giant mall. Women exercising in bright leotards and leg warmers. All of the above inspire instant visions of the 80s — which is where Wonder Woman is heading in her next big-screen outing. Yes, the fierce female superhero with the bullet-deflecting bracelets and Lasso of Truth is finally back, with Wonder Woman 1984 set to hit cinemas in 2020. Audiences have already explored Princess Diana of Themyscira's connection to Bruce Wayne in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, stepped through her origin story and World War I antics in the original 2017 Wonder Woman, and seen how she works in a team in fellow 2017 release Justice League. Now, she's navigating the Cold War era and facing off against Kristen Wiig. The story this time around pits Gal Gadot's Amazon demigoddess against Wiig's Cheetah — also known as archaeologist Barbara Ann Minerva. While the franchise newcomer is looking rather meek and mild at the beginning of the just-dropped Wonder Woman 1984 trailer, she's not likely to stay that way for long in this eagerly awaited sequel. Game of Thrones, Narcos and The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal also joins the cast as Maxwell Lord, a powerful businessman, and Chris Pine returns as American pilot Steve Trevor — despite the tragic events of the first film. Among the familiar faces, both Connie Nielsen and Robin Wright are set to pop up again, too, as Diana's mother and deceased sister respectively. And, behind the camera, writer/director Patty Jenkins is also back — as she should be given that Wonder Woman is currently the highest-grossing film ever directed solo by a woman. If you're a fan of huge action films based on comic books, you've probably noticed that 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for female-fronted stories, with Wonder Woman 1984 joining fellow DC Extended Universe effort Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, as well as Marvel's Black Widow. The MCU has obviously been winning the cinematic battle in terms of size and scale over the past decade thanks to its 23-film saga to-date; however it doesn't escape notice that, when the latest Wonder Woman flick releases, three of the DCEU's nine films will have pushed women to the front. Check out the Wonder Woman 1984 trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfM7_JLk-84&feature=emb_logo Wonder Woman 1984 was due to open in Australian cinemas on June 4, 2020, then on August 13, then October 1; however it'll now release on December 26 — we'll update you if any further changes are announced. Top image: Clay Enos/ ™ & © DC Comics. © 2018 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC.
If Sydney Road's propensity for crashes and cycling incidents gives you the heebie-jeebies, here's some very welcome news: locals now have a big say in its future, with VicRoads seeking community feedback on its latest designs for the troublesome stretch. The well-known four-kilometre corridor, which runs from Brunswick's Park Street up to Bell Street in Coburg, is currently shared by trams, cars, pedestrians and cyclists. And it saw a whopping 223 casualty crashes in the five years preceding December 2018 alone. The troubles spurred the creation of the Sydney Road Improvement Project, which has seen VicRoads team up with Moreland City Council, the Department of Transport, Bicycle Network Victoria, Yarra Trams, RACV, local traders and community groups, to hatch a plan to redesign and improve the high-use road. The resulting five designs for Sydney Road's overhaul went up for public discussion in July. Submission have now closed and a report is expected to be released in September. Proposed improvements across the five options include adding raised tram stops and removing surrounding parking, implementing a parking ban during peak periods to make way for a wider bike lane, and creating a dedicated tram lane for use during peak times. Option 3 suggests removing parking completely, in favour of a protected bike lane, extended footpaths and extra space for trading and trees. OPTION 1A OPTION 1B OPTION 2 OPTION 3 OPTION 4 The public feedback period for the Sydney Road Improvement Project has now finished. The committee will now review the 7400 responses and release a report in September. We'll keep you updated on its recommendations. Updated: July 30, 2019. Top image: WikiCommons
For 2021, New Year's camping festival Beyond the Valley is doing things a little differently — namely, packing its bags and heading for the big smoke, in order to host a special spin-off edition in the heart of the city. Dubbed Beyond The City, the two-day event will descend on Sidney Myer Music Bowl and Kings Domain Parklands to wrap up the year in style on December 30 and 31. While the full lineup is yet to be revealed, organisers Beyond The Valley and Untitled Group are set to deliver two jam-packed days of live music and other festivities to ring in 2022 with a bang. There'll be three different stage areas showing off the team's world-class production elements, and with dancing given the green light, you'll be able to cut shapes well into the night. What's more, the festival has teamed up with First Nations mentorship organisation AIME, with $1 from every ticket sold going to support the group's important community work. Details on tickets are yet to be revealed, but we'll bring you all the information as it becomes available.
I don't know about you, but according to my Instagram feed, it seems like a mid-year trip to Tokyo has pretty much become a prerequiste to calling yourself an authentic Melburnian. Japanese-inspired fashion, food and cultural activities seem to be what's down with the kids these days, and while we may not have designated cat-petting cafes or vending machines that dispense used underwear (as far as I'm aware), Melbourne's affinity for all things Japanese has certainly come a long way since sushi and sake. At the very least, basically everyone has seen Lost In Translation by now. We've compiled a little guide to navigate you through the pockets from Zen to kawaii on our side of the Asia-Pacific. FASHION PET SHOP GIRLS Pet Shop Girls emerged in 2012 as a haven for gals with a penchant for Japanese steeze, with owner Chiara Ippoliti’s impeccable taste bridging the gap between cool and kawaii. It stocks cult Japanese brands including Ne-Net, Tsumori Chisato Cats and Merci Beaucoup as well as local darlings Dress Up, Pageant, Verner and POMS. You could play drunken, blindfolded dress-ups in Pet Shop Girls and still be guaranteed to emerge looking better than even the most considered selection from the 'snazzy' part of your existing wardrobe. Curtin House, Level 3, 252 Swanston Street, Melbourne City Sav Sav Melbourne babe Savannah Anand-Sobti's newly established accessories brand SavSav! draws inspiration from Japanese textiles and street style, using fabrics and knickknacks sourced on a recent trip to Japan to produce the best ever little clutches, totes and hugely popular fluffy pompom earrings (available at FAT stores). Seriously, since purchasing one of her circle purses I have become a notably more fun person. UNIQLO Autumn 2014 will see the opening of major Japanese retailer Uniqlo as a key tenant in the soon-to-be Melbourne Emporium on Lonsdale Street. It's renowned for its simple aesthetic, well-made basics and affordable price point, so never again will you need to rent a corner of Japan Visiting Friend's suitcases. ACTIVITIES ONSEN MA In almost all contexts, getting naked, scouring my body of all its sins and submerging my raw, vulnerable form in hot water for purification purposes is something that I’d probably take a rain check on. Pretty much the only place I’ll allow an exception to this stringent no public nakedness rule is in an onsen — a Japanese bathhouse where mind, body and soul cleansing is the game, and nudity is the only rule. Onsen Ma in the CBD offers the traditional bathing experiences, so get over yourself and get your kit off for ultimate relaxation, Japanese style. Level 1 / 12 -18 Meyers Place, Melbourne City JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL In its 17th year, the Japanese Film Festival is travelling the country at the moment and will be stopping off in Melbourne between November 28 and December 8. Screening sessions at both ACMI and Hoyts Melbourne Central, the diverse program will cover everything from anime to sci-fi to an intriguing genre entitled 'So Hot Right Now'. Where do I sign up? LANGUAGE SCHOOL Since the only Japanese language in your vocabulary is probably heavily reliant upon emoji, you may want to consider actually taking a course, you big, Japan-loving phoney. If the personal joy of enriching your mind and cultural perspective isn’t enough to convince you, consider the fact that one of Melbourne’s most reputable Japanese language schools is called JAPANEASY. Cutest ever! With this knowledge, you would have to be a genuinely bad person not to enrol. Level 4, 126-128 Russell street Melbourne FOOD HINOKI We Melburnians are unashamedly delighted to get on board a food trend. Like, there is a pop-up sushi bar in my local Woolworths (yes, I once got lunch there, and no I don't want to talk about it). If you’re looking for the real deal, Smith Street recently embraced Hinoki with open arms, a specialty Japanese grocery and sushi store that is legitimately the best place in the entire world. Watch while masters prepare fresh, amazing sushi for you before your eyes! Buy a box of Pocky and be the most popular person in the office! Be confused by strange, condom-like rubber casings called Finger Sacks (actual product I have encountered at Hinoki)! You’re guaranteed to find everything you never knew you needed and more here. 279 Smith Street, Fitzroy SHOP RAMEN A little further down on Smith Street, Shop Ramen set up a permanent space after its wildly successful pop-up venture in early 2013. Much to the delight of Northsiders, hungry lunchtime workers come in hoards for a hearty bowl of what I’m going to officially call the best ramen in all of Melbourne. Using the traditional Tokyo-style Tonkotsu ramen, Shop Ramen veers from the traditional Japanese hot broth with its own unique recipe, including insanely good pickled shiitake mushrooms and silky handmade noodles in a cashew milk broth. I am literally going to go and get a serve of tofu buns as soon as I've finished writing this. Finishing writing immediately. 329 Smith Street, Collingwood
He's an Oscar nominee for co-writing Moonrise Kingdom. Across Wes Anderson's filmography, he's a constant, co-scripting or helping come up with the story for The Darjeeling Limited, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch and the upcoming Asteroid City, too. He earned his first BAFTA nomination for working as visual effects director on Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was helmed by his father Francis Ford Coppola. On The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette, his sister Sofia's films, he's hopped behind the lens as a second unit or additional director. He's Roman Coppola, of course — and he's also been behind music videos for The Strokes, Daft Punk, Air, Phoenix and Fatboy Slim. That's a helluva resume, as well as something worth talking about — and, at Melbourne's Semi Permanent spinoff Never Permanent, Coppola will be chatting. The screenwriter and director is the just-announced headliner for the one-day event, which hits the Victorian capital as part of new winter festival Now or Never. And yes, he's arriving just as Asteroid City reaches local cinemas, in what'll mark his first-ever keynote talk in Australia. [caption id="attachment_905124" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Jackson[/caption] The place to head: Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton on Thursday, August 24, along with 1000 other creative folks from across the Asia Pacific. Focusing on technology in industries such filmmaking, photography, graphic, product and motion design, animation, music, Web3 and the metaverse, and visual data — how it sparks new ways to thinking, and how it's changing the creative landscape, too — the full-day program will feature a wealth of fascinating keynote talks and panel discussions. On the bill: talent representing all of these fields, including Coppola. He's also the president of independent production company American Zoetrope, the founder and owner of commercial and music video production company The Directors Bureau, and founder of blockchain-based film community Decentralized Pictures, so he really does have much to dive into. While Coppola is a dream Never Permanent headliner, he isn't the only impressive name on the lineup. Perth's Ta-ku will cross the country to launch his first full solo album Songs to Come Home To, while designer and technologist Mindy Seu — an Assistant Professor at Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts and Critic at Yale School of Art, and also behind the Cyberfeminism Index — heads Down Under. Meta's Joshua To and Nicholas Kamuda — Vice President of Design, AR and Wearables, and a product designer, respectively — are also on the lineup. And, so are Old Ways, New founder Angie Abdilla, photographer and filmmaker Justin Ridler, artist and musician Serwah Attafuah, and LA-based multimedia artist and composer Jesse Woolston. [caption id="attachment_905121" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Simrat Kaur[/caption] "For so many years, we've had a passionate community of followers in Melbourne that have campaigned for Semi Permanent to return to the Victorian capital, and this partnership with the City of Melbourne and Now or Never feels like exactly the right opportunity to bring our unique festival to town," said Semi Permanent founder Murray Bell, announcing the Never Permanent lineup. "As we continue to adjust to a creative landscape radically altered by new and emerging technologies, our diverse lineup of speakers will shed light on how creative practice can continue to flourish in the face of, and in concert with, these shifting mediums." Never Permanent takes place on Thursday, August 24 in Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building, 9 Nicholson Street, Carlton, as part of new winter festival Now or Never. Head to the Never Permanent website for further details.
Cult UK comedian Daniel Kitson knows how to tell a story. True to form, his latest show is less a stand-up act than it is a play, or rather an elaborate radio production. With somewhere in the realm of 20 different actors recorded in isolation and played back on tape, Polyphony promises to be Kitson’s magnum opus, described by the comic himself as “a real humdinger”. Notorious for avoiding the press, he's kept the plot of the show strictly under wraps, but early reactions from audiences in the UK have been unsurprisingly stellar.
It's interesting, this current trend of people trying to couple extreme sports and Guinness-record setting adventuring with things like reducing carbon emissions and improving sustainable technology practices. The most recent addition to this group is a pair of German "extreme sportsmen," who made the decision to drive across Australia, from Albany to Sydney, in eighteen days in an electric car powered by a kite. The developers and pilots, Stefan Simmerer and Dirk Gion, collaborated with the industrial group Evonik to produce the Wind Explorer, a car made from lightweight composites and filled up with a bunch of lithium-ion batteries. When the batteries lose power, all they need to do to recharge is to connect them up to a portable wind-turbine - always easy to come across in the Australian desert. When wind turbines are hard to find they can erect their own, made of bamboo, or use their kites, which can reach speeds of 80 km/h. Their hope is that the project will inspire more sustainable technology innovation and more awareness about how self-sufficient environmentally friendly transportation can be. [Via PSFK]
What do one of the darkest chapters in Australia's recent past, one of the nation's literary best-sellers and the country's ongoing reckoning with its colonial history all have in common? In 2021, they all found a home on the big screen. And, they've all just been named among the year's best homegrown flicks, too, with Nitram, The Dry and High Ground scoring a heap of 2021 AACTA Award nominations. The AACTA Awards — which were previously called the AFI Awards, before changing their name — recognise the best and brightest in Australian film and television every 12 months. Because they span multiple types of screen content, there's a hefty number of local productions vying for a gong when the winners are announced on Wednesday, December 8. On the film front, that includes not only the three movies already mentioned above, but also the gold rush era-set western The Furnace, queer rom-com Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt), true tale Penguin Bloom and comedy Rams. In terms of stars, everyone from Eric Bana, Simon Baker, Naomi Watts and Claudia Karvan are in the running, as well as Noni Hazlehurst, Judy Davis, Rose Byrne and Michael Caton. Recognising the wealth of Indigenous talent that's graced our screens over the past year, the acting nominees in the movie fields also include Jacob Junior Nayinggul, Sean Mununggurr and Esmerelda Marimowa from High Ground; Miranda Tapsell for The Dry; and Baykali Ganambarr for The Furnace. Egyptian actor Ahmed Malek also got a nod for the latter — and, in terms of overseas actors, so did American actor and 2021 Cannes Film Festival Best Actor-winner Caleb Landry Jones for Nitram. In the TV categories, if you've been watching Clickbait or Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun on Netflix, they're both in AACTA contention. So are a wide range of other series — everything from Mr Inbetween to The Newsreader in the drama categories, and from Aftertaste to Rosehaven in the comedy fields, in fact. [caption id="attachment_822493" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Ben King/Netflix[/caption] The 2021 AACTA Awards will take place on Wednesday, December 8. Here's a rundown of the major nominations — and you can check out the full list on AACTA's website: AACTA NOMINEES 2021 FILM AWARDS: BEST FILM The Dry The Furnace High Ground Nitram Penguin Bloom Rams BEST INDIE FILM Disclosure Ellie and Abbie (& Ellie's Dead Aunt) Lone Wolf Moon Rock for Monday My First Summer Under My Skin BEST DIRECTION Rob Connolly, The Dry Roderick MacKay, The Furnace Stephen Maxwell Johnson, High Ground Justin Kurzel, Nitram Glendyn Ivin, Penguin Bloom BEST LEAD ACTOR Simon Baker, High Ground Eric Bana, The Dry Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram Ahmed Malek, The Furnace Jacob Junior Nayinggul, High Ground BEST LEAD ACTRESS Rose Byrne, Peter Rabbit 2 Judy Davis, Nitram Noni Hazlehurst, June Again Genevieve O'Reilly, The Dry Naomi Watts, Penguin Bloom BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Michael Caton, Rams Baykali Ganambarr, The Furnace Anthony LaPaglia, Nitram Sean Mununggurr, High Ground Jack Thompson, High Ground BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Essie Davis, Nitram Claudia Karvan, June Again Esmerelda Marimowa, High Ground Miranda Tapsell, The Dry Jacki Weaver, Penguin Bloom BEST SCREENPLAY Rob Connolly and Harry Cripps, The Dry Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps, Penguin Bloom Will Gluck and Patrick Burleigh, Peter Rabbit 2 Jules Duncan, Rams BEST DOCUMENTARY Girls Can't Surf I'm Wanita My Name Is Gulpilil Playing with Sharks Strong Female Lead When the Camera Stopped Rolling TELEVISION AWARDS: BEST DRAMA SERIES Clickbait Jack Irish Mr Inbetween The Newsreader Total Control Wakefield Wentworth BEST TELEFEATURE OR MINISERIES A Sunburnt Christmas The End Fires New Gold Mountain The Unusual Suspects BEST NARRATIVE COMEDY SERIES Aftertaste Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Fisk Frayed Preppers Rosehaven BEST COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT PROGRAM Dom and Adrian 2020 Hard Quiz The Moth Effect Spicks and Specks The Weekly BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Rudi Dharmaligam, Wakefield Guy Pearce, Jack Irish Sam Reid, The Newsreader Richard Roxburgh, Fires Scott Ryan, Mr Inbetween BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Deborah Mailman, Total Control Mandy McElhinney, Wakefield Miranda Otto, Fires Pamela Rabe, Wentworth Anna Torv, The Newsreader BEST COMEDY PERFORMER Mark Samual Bonanno, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Kitty Flanagan, Fisk Tom Gleeson, Hard Quiz Broden Kelly, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun Sarah Kendall, Frayed Nakkiah Lui, Preppers Luke McGregor, Rosehaven Celia Pacquola, Rosehaven BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Harry Greenwood, Wakefield William McInnes, The Newsreader Matt Nable, Mr Inbetween Stephen Peacocke, The Newsreader Justin Rosniak, Mr Inbetween BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA Michelle Lim Davidson, The Newsreader Marg Downey, The Newsreader Harriet Dyer, Wakefield Rachel Griffiths, Total Control Noni Hazlehurst, The End
What does a gin made on a farm in far north Queensland have in common with beer brewed in the middle of Adelaide? Or with a nice vino from a winery located outside Geelong, a premix sangria from New South Wales, a rum hailing from a Western Australian property and a cider from southern Tasmania? As well as offering a top-notch choice for your next beverage, they've all been named among Australia's favourite local drops as part of BWS' Local Luvvas initiative. In an effort to not only gauge which smaller and independent homegrown tipples Aussies love, but also to give the country's breweries, winemakers and distilleries some extra support, BWS asked the nation to name their go-to local beverages. From all of those votes, the bottle shop retailer has now announced the top picks, spanning drinks in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. It's a sizeable list — and, as part of the campaign's overall aim, it isn't just filled with names you'll already know. You might be a Brisbanite who's been singing your local brewery's praises; however, you may not have heard about a stellar outfit pumping out great beers down south. Or, even if you consider yourself very well-acquainted with Aussie wines, it's likely that there's still some labels you haven't come across. In their respective states, 18 winners will be given an extra helping hand with getting their products stocked in more BWS stores. And if you're currently wondering which tipples you should be looking out for — whether it's for a cold one after a busy day, a glass of nice wine with lunch or dinner, or a cocktail just because — we've run through the entire list of fan favourites state by state. [caption id="attachment_787625" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Kitti Gould[/caption] NEW SOUTH WALES From New South Wales' variety-filled lineup of local drinks producers, four brands emerged victorious. That's more than other states, because wine lovers gave themselves two choices — this is a state that's clearly serious about its vino. For a straight drop, NSW residents selected Audrey Wilkinson from the Hunter Valley. For something a little different, Local Luvvas voters also highlighted Nueva Sangria, which serves up an Aussie twist on the Spanish drink. In the beer category, Sydneysiders made their preference known, picking craft brew outfit Akasha out of Five Dock in the city's inner west. And just like in the wine field, premixes obviously have a hefty amount of fans among spirits drinkers, too, with Lust Liquor's low-calorie range getting the nod. VICTORIA When you're Melbourne's oldest independent brewery and boast a 17-year history, you've had plenty of time to rustle up hordes of beer-loving aficionados. So it should surprise absolutely no one that Thornbury's 3 Ravens has been named Victoria's favourite local brew. Victorians also showered some affection on another brewery, Billson's, but for the Beechworth-based company's spirits range — which includes bottles of gin and vodka, as well as vodka premixes. And, as picked from all the local wineries that the state has to offer, 6Ft6 has been dubbed Victoria's most-loved. Based in the Moorabool Valley in Geelong, it focuses on seven specific varieties spanning both white and red drops. QUEENSLAND Queensland's far north isn't just home to tropical greenery, picturesque beaches, and a climate that's even warmer and sunnier year-round than Brisbane. It's also home to Mt Uncle Distillery in the Atherton Tablelands. That's where the state's favourite spirit springs from, in the form of its Botanic Australis gin. When it comes to the Sunshine State's preferred beer, a Brisbane local has won out — and it's one with a considerable following around the city. That'd be Aether Brewing, the family-owned brewery that started in the city's west, is now based in Brissie's north and has been doing its beer-making thing since 2016. WESTERN AUSTRALIA Just shy of 400 kilometres south of Perth sits the vineyard responsible for Western Australia's favourite vino, Ferngrove Wines, which has been making top-notch drops since 1998. Keep heading down and, once you hit Albany, you'll find WA's best-loved beer as well. Wilson Brewing Company has seven different brews among its range, including lighter session and blonde ales, plus heavier dark and brown ales. Wondering which type of spirits WA residents like best? That'd be Illegal Tender Co's rum. Fans can also be forgiven for dreaming about following in the brand's footsteps — it's a labour of love from an electrician who decided to leave his career behind and follow his passion instead. SOUTH AUSTRALIA Even if you've never been to South Australia, or to its famed wine regions, every Australian knows that McLaren Vale and vino go hand in hand. It's also where Never Never Distilling Co is based, and where the company whips up beverages made from juniper instead of grapes. Obviously, we're talking about gin. For SA's favourite wine, you'll actually want to sip a drop from the Adelaide Hills, and from the tiny 343-person township of Paracombe specifically. There's no prizes for guessing where Paracombe Wines gets its name from, of course. And, in the beer category, Adelaide's Little Bang Brewing Company topped the poll thanks to its yeasty brews made in its inner-city base in Stepney. TASMANIA Tasmania's well-known nickname has clearly struck a chord with fans of a nice crisp drink. In the brewery category, the state's residents have chosen Plenty Cider as their pick. It's made from 100-percent local apples on the Apple Isle, which is patently a winning combination. In the vino field, Pepik Wines nabbed top spot, hailing from Josef Chromy Wines and its 61-hectare vineyard at Relbia, just south of Launceston. For Tassie's preferred spirits, your tastebuds are heading to Marion Bay. Hellfire Bluff Distillery launched in 2017 out of a potato farm, and it now not only makes vodka but also gin, coffee liqueur and limoncello as well. For more information about BWS' local range — and to pick up one of the above beers, wines and spirits — head to the retailer's stores in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
UPDATE: JUNE 22, 2020 — The Arts Centre Melbourne has decided to postpone its partial reopening because of the new restrictions on capacities (20 compared to the initial 50). We'll let you know when a new date is announce.d This month, life is going to be a little more normal for Melburnians. From today, Monday, June 1, restaurants, cafes and pubs are reopening for dine-in service, you can have 20 people over and you can head on a regional holiday — just in time for the long weekend, too. Plus, a little later in the month, we'll be allowed to, once again, visit many of the city's cultural institutions. While Premier Daniel Andrews said that the reopening of art galleries, historic sites, libraries and museums is permissible from June 1, Melbourne's major cultural institutions today announced that they won't officially reopen till Saturday, June 27, to coincide with the upcoming school holidays. Similarly to restaurants and cafes, they'll need to adhere to strict social distancing guidelines and will be allowed one visitor per four square metres. The list of late-June reopenings includes the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum, State Library Victoria, IMAX Melbourne and Scienceworks. The Immigration Museum is slated to reopen in August. If you want to borrow or return a library book sooner, The City of Melbourne is reopening six libraries — City Library, Library at the Dock, Kathleen Syme Library, North Melbourne Library, Southbank Library and East Melbourne Library — from Tuesday, June 9. https://www.facebook.com/museumvictoria/photos/a.373399576234/10157452865101235/?type=3 As capacity is limited, time-allotted visits will be essential, with many of the galleries and museums requiring pre-purchased tickets. Melbourne Museum and Scienceworks tickets will go on sale from June 22, which you can book via the Museums Victoria website. For IMAX Melbourne, head here for ticket sale updates. The NGV's strategy will include free timed ticketing and "appropriate queue management". Melbourne's major art and cultural institutions have been closed to the public since mid-March. So, in order to keep a sense of connection going — between artist and audience, venue and punter — many institutions made the transition to digital. There's the NGV's series of virtual tours and drawing classes, Melbourne Museum's at-home digital content, the State Library's 19,000-strong e-book collection and the Victorian Government's new online hub of comedy, live music and film screenings, to name a few, which will continue for the meantime. Top image: Scienceworks 'Beyond Perception' courtesy of Museums Victoria and Benjamin Heally.
Put that bottle of fake tan down. Yes, summer may be fading, but the boutique hotel hunters at Mr & Mrs Smith can give you a last-minute dose of Vitamin D. Complete with stretches of beyond-blonde beach, #unfiltered views and too-turquoise water, these ten boutique bolt-holes will have you topping up your tan faster than the autumn leaves darken. Constance Moofushi, Maldives What: Sea world Where: South Ari Atoll, Ari Atoll Don’t be surprised if a sojourn at luxury escape Constance Moofushi has you tearing up your passport the moment you spy the private-island locale, sprawling beach and lagoon-toting villas. (You can tear up your wallet, too, thanks to the generous all-inclusive rates, which even include free cigarettes from the humidor.) Snag a sunbed by the knee-weakeningly seductive pool — curved to mirror the shape of the beach — for uninterrupted Indian Ocean views. If splashing around brings on the munchies, make the most of the afternoon tea and pancakes, served poolside every afternoon. Adrenaline junkies can get their fix with a spot of windsurfing, kayaking, pedal boating and snorkelling; for a different kind of liquid thrill, head to Totem or Manta Bar, where a DJ will have you cutting shapes until the early hours (the potent cocktails should help, too). Anantara Seminyak, Bali What: Balearic style in Bali Where: Jl. Abimanyu (Dhyana Pura), Seminyak, Bali From its perch overlooking one of Bali’s most popular beaches, Anantara Seminyak boasts some serious style: suites are kitted out with marble, dark wood and just-so Balinese accents; some have access to a private or semi-private pool. Following an afternoon of peaceful paddling in the infinity-edge swimming pool, it’s only a few barefoot steps to poolside eatery Wild Orchard. Wednesdays see the restaurant dishing up an Indonesian buffet dinner with traditional dance performances. On Saturdays, Wild Orchard plays host to a seafood barbecue. For drinks with a view, head up to the fourth-floor rooftop and SOS Supper Club to laze on oversized day-beds and listen to tune-pumping DJs. Song Saa Private Island, Cambodia What: Castaway luxury Where: Koh Ouen, Koh Rong Islands Spread over a pair of pristine tropical isles, Song Saa Private Island is a green-minded resort that doesn’t skimp on glamour. All of the villas have breathtaking ocean views, private pools and an effortlessly elegant blend of thatched roofs, rustic timber beams, polished marble walls, Moroccan lanterns and carved tribal statues. If you’ve forgotten to pack sarongs and kaftans, the island’s two exclusive boutiques are stocked with designer labels. The resort offers snorkelling trips around Song Saa, island and marine safaris, nature treasure hunts and sunrise yoga classes; couples seeking a romantic canoodle can have a night in with in-villa movies and private poolside dining. Hotel El Ganzo, Mexico What: Hipster yacht party Where: Blvd. Tiburón s/n – La Playita, San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur Doubling as an arts and culture centre, design den Hotel El Ganzo is the first of its kind in Los Cabos. It lures the hip and beautiful faster than a pair of new-season Ray Bans, abd it’s not hard to see why: charms include a private beach club with one of the area’s few swimmable beaches, a rooftop pool, sushi bar and a recording studio for would-be chart-toppers. When being hip-achingly cool takes its toll, choose from the treatment list at Spa El Ganzo — from traditional Swedish massage to agave-scrub — or take a turn in the sauna, steam room, salon and marina-view gym. By day, Ganzo Downstairs restaurant serves fresh, locally sourced dishes — ceviche, lion’s paw scallops, chilaquiles, and so on. As the sun sets, locals flock to this buzzy hotspot for the free-flowing tequila, churros and soft tunes. Qualia, Great Barrier Reef What: High-end luxury Where Hamilton Island, The Whitsundays, Queensland & Great Barrier Reef Sitting smack-bang in the Great Barrier Reef, Qualia has dazzling views from every angle. Villas are dotted amid the 30 acres of immaculately manicured gardens and each has postcard-perfect views of the Whitsundays or tropical bushland, and their own two-seater buggie. The Long Pavilion, helmed by chef Alastair Waddell, serves modern Australian cuisine — milk-fed veal, pork and marron tail, coral trout, white gazpacho — on candlelit tables, backdropped by neighbouring islands and spectacular sunsets. Enjoy a tropical fruit-inspired sundowner in the sunken lounge or in a raised area overlooking Qualia’s lap pool. Monastero Santa Rosa, Amalfi Coast What: Ancient monastery, reborn for sybarites Where: 2 Via Roma, Conca dei Marini, Campania, Italy Clinging to a cliff overlooking the azure-blue ocean, Monastero Santa Rosa is postcard perfection. Once a monastery, the hotel pays homage to its heritage by naming each of the former nuns’ quarters after herbs grown in the private gardens. Rooms are decorated with furniture and one-of-a-kind antiques (handpicked by the owner); some have terraces swathed in bougainvillea. Days are spent ambling in the tiered gardens and filling in tan lines by the heated infinity pool. Plucked from Alain Ducasse’s thrice Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, chef Christoph Bob dishes up the spectacular using organic ingredients grown onsite. The hotel’s spa is a destination in its own right, boasting a Finnish sauna, steam room, ice fountain and hydro pool. The Nam Hai, Vietnam What: Seaside design shrine Where: Hamlet 1, Dien Duong Village, Dien Ban District, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Traditional Vietnamese chic meets cutting-edge design at The Nam Hai. Rooms are decorated with romantic net-canopied platform beds, freestanding eggshell-lacquered baths, private gardens and outdoor rain showers. Water-babies can work their way between the three pools, beginning with the temperature-controlled upper pool with artsy ceramic urns, onto the long lap pool and finishing at the infinity pool that melts into the ocean horizon. The Beach Restaurant is perfect for a lazy, poolside lunch. The restaurant has views over the East Sea, high ceilings and a menu that champions contemporary fusion and authentic Indian fare. Trisara, Phuket, Thailand What: Understated glamour Where: 60/1 Moo 6, Srisoonthorn Road, Cherngtalay, Thalang, Phuket, Thailand Overlooking a private bay in Phuket’s less developed north-west coast, each suite or villa at Trisara has jaw-dropping ocean vistas, its own pool and sexy outdoor showers. With your underwater-friendly camera in tow, mingle with technicolour fish in the bay. Back on dry land, there are muay Thai classes, tennis courts, a library and gym. For slower-paced pursuits, the hillside-set Trisara Spa has double treatment rooms and indulgent offerings including body wraps, facials and scrubs. If two nimble-knuckled hands just won’t do, opt for the Royal Trisara, a six-hand massage by three therapists. When hunger strikes, grab a table on the palm-shaded deck for ultra-fresh Thai and international cuisine. Beachfront eatery Trisara Seafood features the freshest fruits de mer, plucked from local waters. Maia Luxury Resort & Spa, Seychelles What: Wholly holistic happy hideaway Where: Anse Louis, Mahé Have knots in your shoulders? An aching back? Treat them to a restorative retreat at Maia Luxury Resort & Spa. We challenge even the most furrowed of brows not to unfurl after spying the turquoise waters gently lapping at sugar-sand beaches, tall palms waving in the breeze and thatched roofs dotted amid lush gardens. Forget about lifting a finger; each villa has its own private butler who can fill your days with snorkelling and cookery lessons, make dinner reservations, unpack luggage and even run a bath. Coaxing guests out of their villas is Maia’s spa. Hidden down dainty lanes flanked by bread fruit trees and hibiscus blooms, this shrine to pampering has a built-in soundtrack of birdsong and trickling water. Alila Villas Soori, Bali What: Sleek sea-kissed sanctuary Where: Banjar Dukuh, Desa Kelating, Kerambitan, Tabanan, Bali Pairing its spectacular scenery — untouched beaches and lush rice paddies — with effortless architecture makes Alila Villas Soori a visual delight. From the minimalist pads (complete with personal butler) to the communal areas, the hotel is sleek and effortlessly elegant, with neutral hues and dark accents. At the resort’s heart, the 25m infinity pool has four submerged day-beds at the shallow end to allow for slinky water access. Days begin with a tasting-style breakfast at open-air Coast. Lunch and dinner sees the talented chefs rustle up authentic Indonesian dishes. For something more swish, Ombak is a posh-nosh eatery perfect for romance. Find more boutique bolt-holes at Mr & Mrs Smith and search all the hotel collections. Smith members enjoy exclusive extras on all stays.
Don’t have anything planned for New Year’s Eve yet? Well you can stop stressing out because we've got you covered. Sure, Melbourne may not have a Harbour Bridge to light up with every firework and light-emitting device known to man but there are a whole range of parties, dinners and events to bring in the New Year with style. Remember, you have to spend your last few hours of the year letting loose before starting that dreaded New Years resolution. Fireworks and live entertainment at Fed Square If you are looking to start the New Year with a bang (sorry) then get down to Fed Square with thousands of other partygoers. True, nobody likes a crowd, but Fed Square is big enough to always find a little nook to call your own while still feeling like part of the action — and action there will be. There's going to be African drumming, funky tunes, DJs and dancing. If you have little people with you, the City of Melbourne family festival has a 9.30pm firework show, and for the rest of us Fed Square is a prime spot to watch the midnight firework show. Unfortunately it's an alcohol free zone, but fear not, there are heaps of bars nearby that will welcome you with open arms. Lets face it, what’s more exciting and romantic than making out on NYE under fireworks? Federation square events go from 8pm - 1am; Free; Firework show details here. Image via That's Melbourne Elevation at the Eureka Skydeck Are you sick of that friend in Docklands talking about their amazing balcony view of the fireworks? Well go one better on them and witness the show from the highest vantage point in the Southern Hemisphere. The Eureka Skydeck is usually the spot to take your out of town relatives but on NYE they will be holding an appropriately named party: Elevation. There will be DJs, roving entertainment, food and arguably the best fireworks view in Melbourne. Canapés and drinks are included with your ticket too, because when you’re up that high you shouldn’t have to worry about a thing. Eureka Skydeck, 7 Riverside Quay, Southbank; 8pm - 2am; Tickets $195 - $270; Image via Eureka 89 Gypsy New Year’s Eve warehouse party Not everyone gets off on being packed like a sardine into a club or spending your NYE countdown in line for the bar. Beer Gypsies Matt Bywater and Dan Cerra thought that sounded awful too and will be setting up shop at the Second Story Studios warehouse with a great selection of craft beers and ciders on tap and plenty of room to move. You won’t have to drink those delicious craft brews in silence either because musicians Owl Eyes, City Calm Down, Set Sail and Tully on Tully will be playing all night. Lots of craft beer, wine and cider will be provided from Napoleone and Co. Cider, Mildura Brewery and Six Foot Six Winery. Second Story Studios, 159 Sackville St Collingwood; 6:30pm - 1am; Tickets $98 including drinks; Image via Beer Gypsies Eau de Vie Are sick of waiting in line for the bar? Maybe you don't want drunk strangers spilling drinks on you? Does the idea of queuing for a port-a-loo make you feel queasy? Eau de Vie have your back. This NYE you could be sampling a carefully curated degustation menu of cocktails, all delivered to your table with matching food created by head chef John-Paul Fiechtner. Known for their impeccable service, Eau de Vie are sure to deliver a New Years to remember (and brag about to everyone that missed out). 1 Malthouse lane, Melbourne; Tickets $175 per person; Image via Eau de Vie Pure Silk at Silk Road Opening its doors way back in 2008, Silk Road has made a name for its self as an opulent, indulgent club of the rich and famous. Beyoncé, Jason Statham and Jay-Z are just some of the celebrities that have hung out here while in Melbourne. But after five years, Silk Road's doors are now closing, possibly to become something new entirely. If you are a fan of the venue or have just always wanted to try it out, NYE will be your final chance to sit in a booth once occupied by Queen Bey herself. This is a big operation. All eight themed bars will be running over the venue's three levels while roaming dancers and performers entertain the crowds. As you would expect from Silk Road, opulence and glam is the name of the game. Entry tickets include drinks and substantial canapés and you should dress to impress. 425 Collins St, Melbourne; 7:30pm – 5am; Tickets $160; Image via Indesign Live Old Hollywood glam party at World bar “Hollywood is a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and 50 cents for your soul, I’m still holding out for the 50 cents” — Marilyn Monroe. It’s time to unpack that diamond studded ball gown, faux-fur jacket or tux and bow tie because World Bar and Restaurant are holding an old Hollywood glam party at their Yarra River facing bar. Step into Tinsel Town for the night as Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire, or Bette Davis. This riverside party package includes drinks, canapés, a live pop and soul band and DJ. Don’t be that guy who doesn’t make an effort — go on and dress up. 2 Riverside Quay, Southbank; Tickets $65 - 230; Image via AP The Emerson Rooftop Party One of Melbourne’s newest destination clubs is showing off what it can do with a massive NYE party. Open over three exapansive levels with luxurious bars, a big dance area and one of the best rooftops south of the river this will be a perfect spot to bring in the New Year. Each level of the complex has something going for it though our pick is to make your way to the rooftop well in advance for a great view of the midnight firework show over the city skyline. Tickets include cocktails, drinks, and canapés so the only thing you have to worry about is which cocktail to choose. 145 Commercial Rd, South Yarra; Tickets $250; Image via The Emerson Stokehouse Beach Party Australians have it good. While our Northern brothers and sisters have to rug up from the cold and watch awful Christmas episodes of Doctor Who, we get our peak run of music festivals, outdoor parties and plenty of trips to the beach. It only makes sense that someone combined the best of Australian summer into one amazing night. Stokehouse are hosting a party at their beach front bar and restaurant. The beachfront stage will be blown away by favourites Miami Horror DJs and Flight Facilities with support from some great Australian artists: Elizabeth Rose, Client Liaison and Graz. Tickets include an open bar of beer, wine, cocktails, oysters and other delicious canapés. 30 Jacka Boulevard, St Kilda Beach; Tickets $250; Image via CP Ding Dong Lounge NYE If paying hundreds of dollars seems a bit excessive for one night of antics or you have already blown that Christmas money at Boxing Day sales then check out the very affordable Ding Dong Lounge NYE party. Ding Dong know their live music so rest assured that seven piece psychedelic group with the best name in town, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard will bring in the New Year properly. Hearty support will be coming from other Melbourne kids The Murlocs who have made some big splashes lately on the festival scene at Meredith and Harvest. Coming all the way from Adelaide and Perth respectively, Bad//Dreems and The Love Junkies are set to warm the night up too. 18 Market Lane, Melbourne; Tickets $25; Image via band. Cosparty at Brown Alley Did you get a new Pokémon onesie for Christmas? Well you are in luck because this NYE all Melbourne cosplayers will be converging on notoriously loose club Brown Alley for Cosparty 2013. The night will be full of interesting costumes and with a tag line of “rock out with your cosplay out” you know it doesn't take its self too seriously. For those unsure about what to wear, you are advised to dress up as your favourite character from anything – the more elaborate the better. Maybe you'll find your own Nurse Joy or Sailor Moon; a Hermione Granger to your Ron Weasley or some new Adventure Time comrades. Cosparty will be one of the few places (only place?) you'll have a chance of making out with Princess Peach at midnight. 585 Lonsdale St, Melbourne; 8pm-1am; Tickets $55; Image via Cosparty
Cancelling events seemed to be a thing of the past, specifically, of 2020. But if this Delta variant has taught us anything, it's that we aren't out of the raincheck-woods just yet. Luckily, TEDxSydney will be gracing our laptop screens virtually on Friday, September 17. Speakers will connect with audiences via a bespoke interactive platform to make the event as pandemic-proof as possible. The one-day event is jam-packed with diverse guests celebrating some of the brightest minds in Australia's science, technology, business, design, entertainment and innovation spaces. Over four sessions, there will be workshops, panel discussions and performances, all broadcast from the Sydney Opera House. The theme for 2021 is Possible — diving into conversation, debate and action around what is possible in today's world. Speakers and performers include Australian of the Year 2021 Grace Tame; writer, poet and human rights activist Sara Saleh; co-founder and CEO of sustainable foodtech startup George Peppou; Indigenous strategist Shelley Reys AO and songwriter-computer scientist duo Uncanny Valley. Standard registration is $180 and concession/NFP registration is $120, or you can get the full VIP experience for $1,000. You can register for TEDXSydney Possible here. [caption id="attachment_822853" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Uncanny Valley, one of the guests of Ted x Sydney's Possible.[/caption]
Thirty-four-metres long, more than twice as big as a regular hot air balloon and ripped straight from Patricia Piccinini's inimitable mind, Skywhale might just be one of Australia's most recognisable recent pieces of art. It's a sight to see, and also the largest-scale example of the artist's ongoing fascination with the thin line that separates nature and technology — and it has finally met its match. That'd be Skywhalepapa, which made its debut back in February thanks to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. Taking both billowing hot air balloons around the country was always the plan, but that's been delayed a little due to the pandemic (Skywhalepapa was originally scheduled to premiere in 2020, in fact). But when MPavilion unfurls its 2021–22 program between December this year and April next year, Piccinini's floating pair will take to the skies above Melbourne. Skywhalepapa is designed to form a family with Skywhale, and was originally commissioned as part of the NGA's Balnaves Contemporary Series. It took 3.6 kilometres of fabric to create the second bulbous sculpture, which also features nine baby Skywhales, safely tucked beneath their father's fins. Obviously, this isn't the kind of thing you see in the sky every day. While MPavilion has just unleashed its lineup, an exact date for Skywhales: Every Heart Sings hasn't yet been revealed — so watch this space. The same applies to the specific spot where the otherworldly artworks will launch. When it does soar above Melbourne, Skywhalepapa will make its city debut, after previous flights over country locations. An exhibition dedicated to all things Skywhale — and Skywhalepapa — will also head to the National Gallery of Victoria, featuring studio drawings, 3D models and an interview with Piccinini about the development of the Skywhales. And, if you're eager to learn more about the Skywhale family, the artist has also released a new children's book called Every Heart Sings. Skywhales: Every Heart Sings will take to the air somewhere over Melbourne during MPavilion 2021–22 — with exact dates, times and venues yet to be announced. We'll update you when more details are revealed, and you can also keep an eye on the MPavilion website in the interim. Images: Skywhale 2013, Skywhalepapa 2020, Patricia Piccinini. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra. Copyright the artist.
More murderers. More mysteries. More moody musings about people who kill people. More chances for Damon Herriman to step into Charles Manson's shoes, too. Yes, the second season of Mindhunter will have it all when it finally drops on Netflix on Friday, August 16, returning two years after the David Fincher-executive produced and co-directed series first hit the platform. This time around, FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) no longer need to prove that chatting to incarcerated serial killers can help solve ongoing cases. Taking place a couple of years after the initial season's 1977 setting, Mindhunter follows the dedicated duo during the Atlanta child murders. Across 1979–81, at least 28 kids, teens and adults were killed — with the first trailer for the show's new season showing the reaction in Georgia, and teasing one unnerving incident. Ford and Tench keep gleaning insights from talkative murderer Ed Kemper (Cameron Britton), whose thoughts narrate the haunting clip; however, he's not the only notorious figure that they're set to cross paths with. As well as Herriman's second take on Manson, after the Aussie actor's role in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the new Netflix series also features David Berkowitz, aka Son of Sam. Expect more criminal profiling and psychological thrills, obviously, with the show based on the excellent non-fiction book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. Expect more meticulous Fincher magic as well, as the Seven and Zodiac filmmaker continues his on-screen fascination with serial killers. He has company behind the lens, thanks to Australian director Andrew Dominik (Chopper, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford) and US helmer Carl Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress, Out of Time). Get creeped out by the first trailer for Mindhunter season two below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIazdDw4tao Mindhunter season two drops on Netflix on Friday, August 16.
