The Langham Melbourne is taking afternoon tea to the next level — the 25th level, to be exact. For nine days during the September school holidays, the venue's Alto Room will host a Barbie afternoon tea. Open to adults for the first time (for which you can probably thank the Barbie movie), it's sure to be a hit with kids at heart as much as kids — plus anyone who doesn't mind a nice cupcake with a stunning view of the Melbourne city skyline. The menu features a variety of sweet treats, all of which are inspired by Barbie and created under the watchful eye of The Langham's Executive Pastry Chef Markus Bohm. There's the red velvet Barbie cupcake, the pink raspberry chocolate lollipop, strawberry macarons and Barbie pink spider shortbread cookies. Of course, no tea party would be complete without scones, with these ones served with rhubarb and raspberry jam. Kids under 12 will also score a bag to take home, which includes a colouring book, pencils and, most importantly, a Barbie doll. Meanwhile, adults will be given a nice glass of sparkling. It's hard to say who gets the better deal here. The Barbie Afternoon Tea is available between 11.30am–1.30pm and 2.30pm–4.30pm from Monday, September 18–Friday, September 22, and then from Monday, September 25–Thursday, September 28. Tickets are $85 for kids and $89 for adults. The Langham will also be hosting a Paddington Bear-themed afternoon tea twice a week in the Aria Lounge at 4pm on Fridays and 10am on Sundays, if talking bears are more your thing.
'Wine' and 'festival': they're two words that almost always lead to happy times for you and your gang. The Strategem Bendigo Winemakers Festival will return come Saturday, April 6, and with it comes a celebration of the region's food and wine. Local winemakers will engulf the town centre — Rosalind Park to be precise — for five hours of alfresco fun. Over 60 different wines will be on show for you to sample, so grab a glass, have a chat to the winemakers and do a big collective 'cheers' to the end of the harvest. Remember to pace yourself (small sips, not big gulps) and that eating isn't cheating — there'll be plenty of food stalls to keep you plugging along wholesomely. There'll also be live music from The Deans and The Funk Junkies and competitions running all day. You can BYO picnic rug or, if you're feeling ritzy, nab a private VIP marquee for $750. It'll get you and eleven mates entry to the festival (with a souvenir wine glass and complimentary wine tastings), access to the special private digs all day and a 30-minute private wine masterclass with a Bendigo region winemaker. Strategem Bendigo Winemakers Festival will run from 11am–4pm on Saturday, April 6. Tasting tickets start at $45, which includes a souvenir wine glass and complimentary wine tastings. Non-tasting tickets are available from $25. For more information and to purchase tickets, head this way.
The Australian winners for the Airbnb Host Awards for 2022 have just been announced. As well as operating impressive places to stay, these Hosts have been recognised for providing extra special hospitality, going the extra mile to provide things like breakfast hampers, welcome gifts sourced from local boutiques and other stand-out experiences. It's far beyond the 'find your key in the lock box hidden in the carport, mind the rusty nails and spiderwebs' kind of hospitality. These Hosts truly go all out. The coveted Host of the Year award went to Alstonvale's Carla Dawes (pictured below), whose Olinda Cottage in the NSW Northern Rivers welcomes guests with a mix of personal touches, unexpected features and warm and welcoming experiences. Dawes cooks up homemade meals, gathers fresh flowers for each guest, buys local sourdough for brekkie and has even lent a hand with a proposal. (We just hope the couple left a five-star review.) Tasmanians Peter and Charlie were named Best New Host for the luxury self-contained studio they run on their bush property in the Huon Valley. One of the biggest perks of this stay is the in-studio dining — the hosts cook up a restaurant-quality dinner made from produce grown in their very own permaculture food garden. Meanwhile, The Winged House (pictured below), which is designed to look like a plane on a cliffside in Tasmania's Table Cape, has picked up the Most Unique Stay award. We'd also put it up for best room with a view — the panoramic sea views here are next-level stunning. The sole Victorian property on the list took out the title of Best Designed Stay. Coombs Hill Barn (pictured below), located in Merrijig in Victoria's High Country, was a true labour of love for owners Katherine and Wade Harris — they spent three years dismantling, re-erecting and designing a 160-year-old barn that they had shipped over from the USA. The result is a truly breathtaking property that blends traditional, rustic and industrial accents with a natural palette inspired by the surrounding mountains. The Best Nature Stay award, recognising Hosts who showcase the best of Australia's stunning natural landscape, went to The Container. Susie and Gordon (pictured below) have been Hosts for over 12 years, and wanted to ensure their Airbnb encompassed nature from the outside in while showcasing the possibilities of sustainable travel. Everything here is eco-friendly, from the repurposed shipping container which makes up the shell of the accommodation to the solar- and hydro-powered electricity that the property runs on and chooks laying eggs for guests. Plus, this rural paradise is located just 20 minutes from Launceston, making it an easy choice for holidaymakers looking to reduce their travel footprint. Of course, Airbnb isn't just about accommodation — it's also a platform for experience providers. Paul Quincey won the award for Most Magical Experience for his guided kayak tours along a secluded part of Noosa's Lake Weyba — and on-water experience that gives visitors the chance to see sea eagles and stingrays in their native habitats. For the full list of this year's winners and runners-up in each category (and to plan your next stay), head to the Airbnb website. FYI, this story includes some affiliate links. These don't influence any of our recommendations or content, but they may make us a small commission. For more info, see Concrete Playground's editorial policy.
For more than a century, watching a movie has involved staring at either a rectangle or a square. They're the shapes the silver screen is known for, and the small screen as well. But catch a film at the planetarium and everything becomes circular — which makes fulldome flicks, as they're called, something particularly special. Melbourne Planetarium plays movies on its dome via regular programs — films specifically made to take advantage of the different screening format — and the Melbourne International Film Festival includes a fulldome showcase in its annual lineup. But Australia only boasts one film fest that's solely all about hemispherical views. That event: the Dome Under Film Festival, which debuted in 2020 before the pandemic, and will return to the Victorian capital in February 2023. Running across Saturday, February 4–Sunday, February 5, Dome Under Festival's latest outing will once again see the best new fulldome releases from around the world head to Scienceworks. With sessions dedicated to family-friendly titles, children's movies, animation, experimental flicks, astronomy, science and world stories, the program features plenty of highlights — covering everything from dinosaurs, black holes and icy worlds through to visits to Akihabara in Tokyo, Indigenous songs and dances, and the Aurora Borealis. In total, 25 films from 14 countries will grace the dome, as handpicked by the Dome Under team. Each one will fill every inch of the planetarium's 16-metre domed ceiling — and play with 5.1 surround sound.
Fancy some grime? A Euphoria star? A mix of international must-sees and homegrown up-and-comers? A swag of folks making their first trips our way? Then consider yourself sorted at St Jerome's Laneway Festival in 2024 — starting with headliners Stormzy, Steve Lacy, Dominic Fike and Raye. When the beloved event hits Melbourne in February, Stormzy will top the roster after he was meant to head Down Under in 2022, but pulled out of Spilt Milk and his Australian and Zealand tour. At the Aussie fest, he was replaced by Lacy, in fact, but now the UK sensation and the 'Bad Habit' talent will share the same Laneway bill. [caption id="attachment_915848" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Daniel Boud[/caption] Fike heads from the screen to Laneway's stages, while Raye comes our way with 'Escapism' still stuck in everyone's heads. From there, the lineup also spans AJ Tracey, d4vd, Dope Lemon and Unknown Mortal Orchestra — and goes on from there. Stormzy and Fike are doing exclusive Laneway tours — so, of you want to see either (or both), you'll only catch them at the fest. Lacy is also exclusive in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth. The date and place to pop in your diary: Saturday, February 10 at The Park in Flemington. [caption id="attachment_871106" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Dave Kan[/caption] LANEWAY FESTIVAL 2024 LINEUP: Stormzy Steve Lacy Dominic Fike Raye AJ Tracey Cordae d4vd Dope Lemon Eyedress Faye Webster horsegiirL Nia Archives Paris Texas Skin On Skin Unknown Mortal Orchestra Blondshell DOMi & JD BECK Hemlocke Springs Pretty Girl Angie McMahon Confidence Man Teenage Dads JK-47 Miss Kaninna Vacations Images: Maclay Heriot, Daniel Boud and Dave Kan.
Four decades ago, the nephew of a famous film director took his first big-screen acting gig playing a character so minor, he didn't even get a name. Six years later, the star in question nabbed a Golden Globe nomination. Before the century was out, he won an Oscar. These days, he also has eight Razzie nominations, too. But if ever an actor has straddled the vast chasm between the ridiculous and sublime, it's the one and only, always-inimitable, ceaselessly fascinating Nicolas Cage. Cage has crooned Elvis songs for David Lynch, married Elvis's daughter in real life and acted opposite himself in Adaptation. He took to the skies with criminals in Con Air, named one of his sons after Superman, and starred into two of the worst Marvel-affiliated movies ever thanks to Ghost Rider and its sequel. The list goes on — and in his 40 years in the business, Nicolas Cage has amassed 100-plus screen credits. Sometimes, he's hunting down the person who stole his pet pig, and also turning in one of his best-ever performances. At other times, he's wordlessly fighting demonic animatronics. In his latest flick, he simply plays himself. We could continue, but everyone knows that talking about Nicolas Cage isn't anywhere near as great as watching Nicolas Cage, although both are mighty fun. Also, for some reason, it just feels better to use his entire name. Don't just take our word for it about any of the above, however — take Palace Cinemas', which is celebrating all things Cage across a 13-week retro season. Starting on Thursday, April 14, then running at 6.30pm every Friday from April 22–July 8, the chain's Pentridge venue is going all in on Nicolas Cage mania. As part of the Palace Encore program, this Cagefest has been dubbed the Calendar of Cage, and has amassed quite the showcase of Nicolas Cage's work. But, let's be honest — they really could've picked any of his flicks and it'd be amazing. Still, this is one peach of a lineup, all ready for fans to eat up for days. Attendees will get into the mood with the long-locked glory of newbie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, then watch Cage think he's a bloodsucker in Vampire's Kiss, swoon over Cher in Moonstruck, get his Coen brothers on in madcap comedy Raising Arizona and go on the run with Laura Dern in Wild at Heart. Also included: jailbreak drama The Rock, unhinged thriller Mandy, and the sublime Martin Scorsese-helmed Bringing Out the Dead, plus the aforementioned Adaptation, Pig and Willy's Wonderland as well. Tickets cost $15 per film (and $10 for members) for all sessions except on Thursday, April 14 — which is when The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent screens as a sneak peek with a beer on arrival, and costs $24/$18 for members. Obviously, the memories you'll have seared into your brain forever will be priceless. And a word of warning: spending this long staring at Nicolas Cage's various crazy grins won't be easy to shake.
It’s nothing new to reference the explosion of social media across our cultural landscape, how it mediates our fumbling navigation through the murky and glorious waters of the World Wide Web, nor how its various forms facilitate and foster ever-expanding networks of communication, knowledge and connection globally. Rather than contracting our cyber presence to the corners of our computer screens, sites such as GetUp! and Twitter have become the go-to tools of a dynamic, interwoven and international citizenry in their various en-masse calls for change to governments, institutions and laws (think of the Arab Spring, or the current ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement). A concurrent trend of the Noughties has been the popularisation of ethical consumerism. No longer the exclusive domain of hippies or hipsters, the growth of demand for organic food, fairtrade goods, farmers markets and the like reveal a genuine awakening regarding the production of goods as well as a desire to align one's consumerism with one's values. Cue the bright-eyed, pigtailed offspring of these two trends, Slavery Footprint. A new app developed by Justin Dillon, Slavery Footprint aims to show you how many ‘slaves’ your consumption entails via the supply chain, which, the website informs, now enslaves more people than at any time in human history. The application isn’t designed as a guilt trip or a disincentive to buying, but rather is geared towards heightening awareness as an avenue for inciting change – change through you, and your choices. And not just a change in the brands you buy – the app doesn’t offer ‘alternative, cruelty-free’ options so as to avoid the emergence of expensive, ‘ethical’ brands only economically accessible to certain demographics – but rather a change in the entire mentality towards consumption and, hopefully, along with it, the enterprise of slave labour that sustains it. Says Ambassador Luis CdeBaca of the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, who helped develop the app, “You’re going to be touched by slavery no matter what, and I think that’s actually a liberating thing. We can no longer say this is someone else’s problem….” Overwhelmingly, the ethos of the app is empowerment, and apparently Dillon has struck an untapped reservoir of empowerment-hungry shoppers. On a recent trip to Melbourne I happened across a piece of paper stuck to a graffitied wall in an alleyway that asked “Is our empathy on the rise?” After ponderous deliberation, I wrote “Maybe, but I think we can do better”. And with the aid of innovations such as Slavery Footprint, perhaps we can, after all.
Barbecue shapes. Fried chicken. Together in a crunchy combo at last. In terrible news for aspiring dieters everyone, Arnott's has teamed up with some of the best chicken joints in the country to create a taste combination of a very different feather. For the next three weeks, hungry residents of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane can order fried foul coated in crushed Arnott's Barbecue Shapes. And before you ask, yes, they're using the original flavouring. Sydney's Juicy Lucy, Melbourne's Phat Chicks and Brisbane's Seoul Bistro have all gotten on board, with each restaurant offering their own unique take on the brief for $8–15. The whole thing is part of a promotion by Deliveroo, so you'll only be able to get the creations delivered. They'll be available via Deliveroo until Sunday October 7. No word on whether they're planning on doing a pizza shapes variant, but we'll keep our fingers crossed.
Eriksson Architects have compiled a proposal for an eco-silicon valley that will revolutionise modern enviro-friendly architecture. They have created blueprints for the Mentougou Eco Valley, an experimental 100 square-metre development with buildings of diverse contemporary design. If and when the Chinese government approves the proposal, the company plans to install the Mentougou Eco Valley about 60 kilometers west of Beijing, in a deep valley surrounded by lush mountains, an ideal haven for eco-friendly living. The city will be self-sufficient in producing water, returning nutrients back to the environment and maintaining its own agriculture because it will be built amidst vast vegetation and small bodies of water. Protected by the surrounding wall of mountains, noise and pollution are also kept out of the Mentougou Eco Valley. The development is designed to include nine environmental research institutes, a city center and small residential neighbourhoods built into the mountains that would house over 50,000. The architects will experiment with new building materials and designs, technologies and floor plans in an attempt to build the most modern eco-friendly city ever created. [via designboom]
The West Wing first premiered in 1999, while Bill Clinton was president and over a year before George W Bush was elected. But when the latter happened, the acclaimed series inspired a strong and pervasive feeling — because every fan wished that Martin Sheen's President Jed Bartlet was really the commander in chief. That response wasn't just a case of escapism. It reflected The West Wing's top-notch writing and its passion. Unsurprisingly, even though the show wrapped up in 2006, that sentiment has echoed again throughout the past four years. In 2020, in fact, original cast members including Sheen, Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney reunited in the lead up to the election for a special stage version of a season-three episode. Called A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, it was filmed, of course. That means you can now stream the entire seven-season series and its trademark Aaron Sorkin-penned walk-and-talks, and also enjoy the political drama's most recent gift to the world. Yes, it's still as topical and timely as ever.
Jarno Smeets has always believed he could fly. Now he knows he can. On March 18, Smeets successfully flew using his pair of custom-built wings, controlled by video game controllers and an Android phone. The project, which took eight months of research and testing, was inspired by sketches by Smeets' grandfather depicting a futuristic flying bicycle. Smeets' grandfather spent much of his life working on the design, yet never completed the project; Smeets says that it has always been his dream to complete his grandfather's goal. While Smeets was studying engineering at Coventry University in England, he altered his grandfather's design and began working on a Leonardo Da Vinci-inspired set of flying wings. The idea was based on the mechanics involved with robotic prosthetics. Smeets' aim was to supplement his arm strength to enable his arms to carry his entire body while in flight. With the help of neuro-mechanic Bert Otten, the design eventually became a reality. The flight lasted 60 seconds, a "magical moment", according to Smeets. Of course, a video like this brings the skeptics out of the woodwork, and with the creator's CV not checking out, their case has been gaining momentum. Update: yep, it's a fake. https://youtube.com/watch?v=GYW5G2kbrKk [via Wired]
There are a lot of reasons to get your passport out and make the short trip across the ocean to Singapore — Universal Studios, Gardens by the Bay and the cuisine (several of its hawker stalls are Michelin-recommended). But perhaps the most exciting is the nightlife. To give you a little taste of what's on offer, Singapore Tourism is taking over a Melbourne bar for two nights and transforming it into a hub of Singaporean after-dark culture with world-class cocktails, food and music. The Albion Rooftop will play host to the Singapore Social for two blasts on Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24. Stop by to sample some flavour-packed street food prepared by Masterchef 2018 winner Sashi Chelliah including chicken rendang, crispy skin pork and chilli crab sliders. Alongside these tasty bites, you can sip cocktails from two of Singapore's (and the world's) best bars. Vijay Mudaliar, owner of Native (ranked 13th in the world), and Luke Whearty, founder of Operation Dagger (ranked 23rd), have been flown out specially for this pop-up and will be slinging inventive mixes for $16 each. Some of the top-notch drinks on offer include Native's Forager's Garden, with gin, blue pea flowers, pandan kombucha and ginger, and Operation Dagger's Pork Soda, with vodka, roast pork belly, apple and creamed soda. Plus, don't think you'll be leaving without hearing some Singaporean bops, with two musicians providing the beats to accompany your eats — DJ KoFlow will perform at 9pm on Saturday and 3.30pm on Sunday, while singer Tabitha Nauser will perform at 9.30pm on Sunday only. Singapore Social will be open from 12pm on Saturday, February 23 and Sunday, February 24. Food will be served until 9pm (or until sold out) and cocktails will be available until midnight. For more information, head this way.
The past year has seen the film industry embrace streaming in a far bigger way than anyone could've imagined just 12 months ago. If you'd told even the most avid of movie buffs that a heap of cinema chains would be setting up their online viewing services, and that film festivals would be delivering their programs online, you might've been accused of wishful thinking. But, that's now the world we find ourselves in, and Event Cinemas is the latest Australian outfit to join the digital realm. It isn't turning its back on bricks-and-mortar picture palaces, of course. Neither did Sydney's Golden Age, or the teams behind the city's Ritz and Melbourne's Lido, Classic and Cameo cinemas when they did the same thing. Rather, the Aussie chain and its predecessors are all giving viewers more options, while also adapting to current movie-watching behaviour. Called Cinebuzz On Demand, Event Cinemas' service operates on a pay-per-view basis. So, it's more like YouTube Movies or Google Play than Netflix or Stan. You simply pick what you'd like to watch from its 1000-plus launch library, then pay accordingly per title — with prices starting at $4.99 per film. You won't find brand new, just-released blockbusters on the platform, or even the same movies that you can see if you head to one of Event Cinemas' physical locations and sit in a theatre. That said, the current catalogue does include plenty of flicks that have been brightening up the big screen over the past six months or so, such as Tenet, An American Pickle, The Personal History of David Copperfield, Wonder Woman 1984, Bill & Ted Face the Music, Antebellum and Baby Done. If you're particularly keen on comedies, horror movies, superhero flicks or Aussie titles, Cinebuzz On Demand lets users search by genre and theme. Or, you can simply browse through the entire library from A to Z. The service takes its name from Event Cinema's existing loyalty program, with members also earning points for their online rentals. And, viewing-wise, Cinebuzz On Demand is available on iPhones, iPads and Apple TV, plus Android and Chromecast, and on Windows and Mac devices as well. Cinebuzz On Demand is available via the service's website, with titles available to watch on a pay-per-view basis.
Forty years ago, fresh from making one of the greatest sci-fi/horror movies ever made in Alien, Ridley Scott gifted the world another futuristic classic that helped define and reshape science fiction on-screen. It's almost impossible to name a movie or TV series in the genre that's popped up over the past four decades and hasn't owed a huge debt to Blade Runner — and, soon, that list will include a new Blade Runner TV series. Philip K Dick's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? has already given rise not just to Scott's iconic Harrison Ford-starring adaptation in 1982, but also to exceptional 2017 sequel Blade Runner 2049 and recent animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus. Of course, if Ford's other huge sci-fi franchise can just keep popping back up, including on both the big and screens — see: The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, Solo, The Rise of Skywalker, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett — then clearly this one can as well. The Blade Runner series obviously has some catching up to do to get to Star Wars-level continuations, and quantity isn't the same as quality, but spending more time in its vision of the future is definitely welcome. The OG film was set in 2019, so we're now well past then — and the new series has been dubbed Blade Runner 2099, which means we'll be jumping quite a ways forward in time. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon Studios is behind Blade Runner 2099, once again bringing a small-screen favourite to streaming given that it's doing exactly that in September this year with the eagerly awaited The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. When it leaps forward to 2099, the new Blade Runner show will act as a sequel to both the initial film and Blade Runner 2049 — but who'll be starring and directing hasn't yet been revealed. That said, busy The Last Duel and House of Gucci filmmaker Scott has confirmed his involvement, Variety reports, noting that the pilot for the show has already been written, and that it's envisioned as a ten-hour series. There's obviously no sneak peek at Blade Runner 2099 yet, but you can check out the trailer for the original 1982 Blade Runner below: Blade Runner 2099 doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when more news is announced. Via Variety / The Hollywood Reporter.
If you're partial to stuffed cannoli or some gnocchi of the ricotta variety, we've got the festival for you. That's Amore Cheese Ricotta Festival is returning in March for its fifth year, bringing ricotta-filled delights back to Thomastown. For just one day on Sunday, March 30, the lot will be flooded with cheese-slinging food stalls and a handful of bars, plus the team will host some prestigious Melbourne chefs as they demonstrate the best ways to cook with ricotta. The team behind That's Amore Cheese will serve gnocchi sorrentina, a certified Italian classic, alongside spaghetti cacio e pepe tossed in a 40kg Grana cheese wheel. There's also a tantalising selection of other food vendors, such as Pacelli Deli's melted caciocavallo on bruschetta, Cannoleria's freshly filled ricotta cannoli, and creamy tiramisu portions from TRMSU. Plus, there's great coffee, wine, spritzes, locally distilled spirits and cocktails ready for your refreshment. Beyond exceptional bites and sips, there's also a sprawling marketplace filled with fascinating goods. Head to Bippi for Italian-style chilli and condiments, Pistachio Papi for sweet spreads and desserts, and Ellenika Boutique for stylish fashion and jewellery. Then, stock up on local produce with Perino Tomatoes offering the richest, freshest tomatoes imaginable, while Puopolo Artisan Salumi presents some of the best cured Australian meats in town. The festival stage returns in 2025, with another stellar line-up of Italian culinary talent and live entertainers. Catch chefs and TV personalities like Adam D'Sylva, Pia Gava and Telina Menzies showing off their talents in live cooking demonstrations. Then, stick around for musical performances from the Siesta Cartel Band and Veneto Club Choir. If you're bringing the kids, face painting and a petting zoo are bound to keep them entertained as you dine the day away.
Everyone remembers the great supermarket frenzy of just a few months back, when stores looked like post-apocalyptic film sets, people were everywhere but shelves were bare. And, as a response to the huge onslaught of panic-buying when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit — with shoppers hoarding everything toilet paper and hand sanitiser to pasta and milk — we all remember the item limits put in place by Aussie chains. Two months after local supermarkets started to lift those caps (and after the great bog roll crisis of 2020 seemed like it was over), Woolworths is now reintroducing restrictions — on some everyday staples, and across all of its Victorian stores. Announcing the news today, Wednesday, June 24, the company said it was a "preventative move in response to significantly elevated demand seen over the past 24 hours in certain parts of Melbourne". It also advised that the limits "will support social distancing in stores and ensure more customers have access to the products they need". On the restricted list: toilet paper, hand sanitiser and paper towel, as well as flour, sugar, pasta, rice, mince, long-life milk and eggs. They were all subject to previous item caps, too — and, from today onwards, Victorians will only be able to purchase two of each in one transaction for the foreseeable future. That applies to both in-person and online orders. Explaining the return of item limits, Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Claire Peters noted that, while Woolworths still has plenty of stock, it's "taking this precautionary step to help prevent excessive buying and support appropriate social distancing in our Victorian stores". She continued: "we'll closely monitor demand across Victoria in the coming days and look to wind back the limits as soon as we can". https://twitter.com/VicGovDHHS/status/1275648148229283843 The move comes in response to Victoria's recent spike in COVID-19 numbers over the past couple of weeks, with new cases on the rise in the state and community transmission levels increasing. Since Wednesday, June 17, new case numbers have hovered around 20 per day, including exactly 20 new cases reported in the past 24 hours. In fact, as the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) noted in a statement on Sunday, June 21, 83 percent of Australia's newly confirmed COVID-19 cases over the week prior were in Victoria. Of those 116 new Victorian cases in total, 87 "are largely associated with community transmission". Victoria's current increase in cases is focused around six local government areas: Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin. As a result, "the AHPPC strongly discourages travel to and from those areas until control of community transmission has been confirmed". The rising Victorian case numbers have already sparked action at the state government level. Victoria's State of Emergency has been extended for four more weeks, and Premier Daniel Andrews also announced the tightening of some gathering restrictions — reintroducing smaller caps on at-home groups, gatherings out of the house and the numbers of patrons allowed in venues. At the time of writing, Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services advises that there have been 241 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria that have been acquired through unknown transmission — and there are currently 141 active cases in Victoria. For more information about the state of COVID-19 in Victoria, head to the Department of Health and Human Services website. For more information about Woolworths' reinstated item limits, head to the supermarket's website.
If you're of an age to remember burning your friend's So Fresh CD so you could stay up to date with the coolest songs of the season, congrats. You're old now. But also, congrats because you will seriously enjoy this festival – So Freshtival. So Freshtival is going down on Sunday, August 6 at the Gasometer Hotel in Collingwood. A slick line up of millennial DJs will be playing bangers strictly of the 2000-2009 vintage. You can expect a disturbing percentage of Channel 10 alums (Australian Idol winners/losers and ex-Neighbours actors) as well as way too much Nickelback for polite company. Also, just throwing this out there, we're desperately hoping for a timely comeback of the Duff sisters duet 'Our Lips Are Sealed.' DJs include Dr. Phil Smith, Flex Mami, Slick Slazenger, Sharon Von Mueller, Rottwield, DJ Crystal Ball Emoji (great stage name, mysterious friend) and Leni & Tobi. Tickets will set you back 10 dollarydoos and of course it's obviously 18 and over, because if you're under 18 you definitely don't know what So Fresh is. Or CDs, probably.
Do you live in a dog-friendly house? Do you have some spare time on your hands? Do you fantasise about hanging around at dog parks with an actual dog? The good folk at Seeing Eye Dogs Dogs Australia need you. They have 50 puppies running around the place at the moment, and they're in need of volunteers to raise them. In other words, they're giving away puppies — but you will need to give them back. If you put up your hand to become a puppy carer, you'll get a puppy for about a year — from around its eight-week birthday to when it turns turns between 12–15 months old. During that time, you'll be responsible for introducing the sights, sounds and smells it'll meet when it starts working as a seeing eye dog (and giving your new friend heaps of cuddles). Of course, it's not all just fun, games and cuteness. You'll have to be responsible enough to take care of regular grooming, house training and exercise, and be available for regular visits. A fenced-in backyard is mandatory, too. In return, the organisation provides a strong support network, and all food, training equipment and vet care. You'll also need to be home most of the time — so you won't be leaving the puppy alone for more than three hours a day — and to be able to put effort into training and socialising the pup. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (@seeingeyedogsaustralia) Seeing Eye Dogs Australia is looking for people in several Melbourne areas: in Kensington, Flemington, North Melbourne, Ascot Vale and West Melbourne; in the east to the Yarra Ranges (anywhere south of the eastern freeway); and southeast to Portsea (anywhere south of the eastern freeway). They're also looking in the Bendigo region and surrounding suburbs, too. In Queensland, the Sunshine Coast and north Brisbane are the priority areas. Once the pups reach 12-15 months old, they'll return to Seeing Eye Dogs Australia — and complete their journey to become four-legged companions for people who are blind or have low vision. Keen? You can apply online — and, at 10.30am on Friday, April 23, you can also virtually peek behind the scenes at one of Seeing Eye Dogs Australia's puppy centres. For more information about Seeing Eye Dogs Australia's puppy carers, and to apply for the volunteer roles, head to the organisation's website.
Bayside beauty Pontoon is diving headfirst into winter this Queen's Birthday long weekend, with an après-ski snow party on Saturday, June 9. The St Kilda spot is set to transform into a full-blown winter wonderland, which'll should help ease the pain of transitioning into the chilly season. There'll be ski accessories and dustings of snow throughout the venue, as you enjoy DJ tunes, beer pong and a winter-perfect lineup of warming eats and drinks. Head chef Rhys Hunter has put together a one-off menu of chicken wings, chilli dogs and pipping hot doughnuts, and you'll even have the chance to roast your own s'mores over one of the roaring open fire pits. Wash it all down with some mulled wine, a boilermaker, or one of Pontoon's winter-inspired cocktails, including the classic hot toddy. The bar's even slashing beer prices by half for the first hour — which means $3.5 pots and $6.50 pints — kicking off when the doors open at 3pm.
Earlier this year, Melburnians scored another excuse to hit the water, with GoBoat splashing into town. After launching its eco-friendly picnic boats in cities all over Europe, the Danish company made the leap to Australia, giving punters a fun new way to cruise the Yarra. And, thanks to a new move, you now can hop onboard from the CBD. When GoBoat's vessels first arrived, the company was setting sail out of Docklands. If you're keen for a day on the river, you can now grab a boat from Banana Alley near Flinders Street Station. GoBoat has just secured a ten-year berthing arrangement with Parks Victoria, which means that it won't be shifting again anytime soon, either. Aimed at making the whole boating caper more accessible for everyday folk, the outfit's Scandinavian-designed vessels are slow-moving, a breeze to operate and don't require a boating licence, making for fuss-free sailing sessions. In a win for the planet, they also run on silent, pollution-free, electric engines, and are crafted from a mix of reclaimed timber and recycled PET bottles. Each of the contemporary GoBoats clocks in at 18-feet long, boasting a central picnic table with room for eight people (and all the necessary snacks and booze). And despite what you might be thinking, they're even affordable enough to fit your post-holiday budget — simply BYO food and drinks, find enough eager sailors to jump aboard and a GoBoat session will cost you less than $15 per person, per hour. That's $109 hourly in total, or $189 for two hours, $269 for three hours, $349 for four hours, $429 for five hours and $509 for six hours. Yes, you can really make a whole day of it. Bookings are currently available until the end of March, with timeslots available in 15-minute increments from 11am. The boats required to be returned by sunset, with the specific time obviously changing with the seasons. Oh, and did we mention they're pet-friendly? Surely you've got a very good boy who deserves a river jaunt. For more information about GoBoat, or to make a booking, visit the service's website. Images: Lean Timms.
Working from home may have its perks, like having more snacks on-hand and wearing your comfiest clothes, but it also has a couple of downsides — one of which is all the video calls. While chatting to your family and mates on your laptop is a good way to socialise in these current times, many of us are doing multiple calls a day for work, too. So, the endless streams of virtual faces can get a bit repetitive. To break it up, Silicon Valley non-profit animal sanctuary Sweet Farm has launched Goat 2 Meeting, which lets you bring a furry friend to the call. Whether you need to bring some joy to your work meetings or just show your mum a llama's fresh haircut, you now can via video conference platform Zoom. While you have to pay to get a four-legged team member on the line, the money will go towards the farm, which in normal circumstances is partly funded by in-person tours. As Sweet Farm aims to take in animals — and has saved over 125 so far — and educate people on the the global impacts of factory farming across animals, the plants and the planet, your money will be supporting a good cause. No matter where you are in the world, Sweet Farm is putting its animals on video so get your daily dose of serotonin. For $65 USD ($98 AUD) you can get a 20-minute private virtual tour with up to six people, where you'll meet a few of the farm's animals — such as Paco the llama and Juno the goat. For a donation of $100 USD ($161 AUD) you can get a 10-minute corporate meeting cameo, with no limit on persons on the call. Or, if you want more face-to-face time with your new bud, you opt for a 25-minute call for $250 USD ($405 AUD). For virtual school trips, Sweet Farm is offering animal airtime for free. To organise a session, head to the Goat 2 Meeting site and fill out the form, including your details, a requested call date and your time zone. Keep in mind that time differences will effect availability. At the moment, California is 17 hours behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and 19 hours behind Auckland and Wellington. So, it's most likely an early morning meeting will be your best bet. Sweet Farm's Goat 2 Meeting initiative is available across the world. To request a time for your next video call with an animal in tow, head here.
More than three decades since it was first published, the Watchmen series of comics is still considered one of the all-time greats of the medium. Brought to the page by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, the premise says plenty: in an alternative version of the world we all live in, superheroes definitely exist — but their presence has drastically altered history. Here, the Cold War turned out differently, caped crusaders largely work for the government and anyone else enforcing law and order while wearing a costume has been outlawed. Now, imagine that tale told with a satirical edge that deconstructs the superhero phenomenon, and you can see why it has hordes of devotees. Back in 2009 when comic book flicks were just starting to pick up steam — and when 22-film franchises were a mere dream — Watchmen was turned into a movie by Zack Snyder (who was fresh from 300, but hadn't made the jump to Batman v Superman or Justice League yet). Sequels clearly didn't follow; however, HBO is now hoping that the story will flourish on the small screen, enlisting Lost and The Leftovers co-creator Damon Lindelof to make it happen. Obviously, with Game of Thrones finishing, the network is in the market for a new pop culture phenomenon. This isn't just a straight adaptation. Apparently the series "embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name while attempting to break new ground of its own," according to HBO. An exact release date hasn't yet been revealed, other than fall in the US (aka spring in Australia and New Zealand) — but if you can't wait until then, HBO has dropped the first teaser for the new series. It's your first chance to catch a glimpse of the show's stacked cast, which includes Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson, this year's Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Regina King, Hong Chau, Louis Gossett Jr and Aussie actress Adelaide Clemens. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zymgtV99Rko Watchmen will air on HBO in the second half of the year, with an exact release date yet to be announced. We'll keep you updated — including about air dates Down Under.
No matter what their colour, condition, or quality, Rutherford Chang wants your iconic 1968 Beatles 'White Album'. Although it was only sold as a limited edition item, the White Album sold over 3 million copies back in the day. The album was unique in its simplicity with a purely white cover and only an embossed script of the band's name and a serial number to distinguish it from a plain piece of cardboard. However, the period of 45 years proves to completely transform these indistinguishable albums into individuals each with their own personality. After a lifetime of differing experiences, alternate uses, and completely separate wears and tears, these plain white albums now share rich historical stories through the text written on their covers, the scratches in the music, the yellowing on the corners, and even the mould on the surface. These intricacies, these signs of love, rejection, kinship, or heartache are exactly what Chang is interested and why he was inspired to collect as many of these White Albums as possible for his exhibition: 'We Buy White Albums'. What he calls his 'anti-store' is set up in SoHo, New York and being featured by the artistic workspace Recess. Rather than selling these aged vinyls, Chang is offering to buy any White Album for a fixed price, no matter what their condition. Chang was fascinated by the concept of mass customisation. Although the white albums start off as homogenised products, each as identical and monotonous as the next , he "noticed how personalised every copy of the White Album has become over the course of the last half century and wanted to compare different copies.” While some copies may have been played religiously every night for a decade, some were played once then discarded and others may have been passed down a long line of buyers and sellers, rocked out at in clubs, provided background music for parties, or even experienced the blossoming of love or the breaking or hearts. Each individual album has been distinctly shaped through its history, which is evident through the imperfections in both its physical appearance and audio quality. The 'We Buy White Albums' Exhibition is on show until March 9; however, Chang is determined for it not to simply reach a standstill there. He has collated over 697 records to date and doesn't intend to simply discard the treasures like so many have before him. Following the closing of the anti-store, Chang will press a double LP of all the songs from 100 different albums layered together in a single audio sequence. Each discrete record has developed its own unique character with scratches and warps at various points in the songs. The resulting track will be like hearing hundreds of Beatles albums at once, with the individuality of each standing out above the next. Via Wired.
It's happening again. If you're fond of staring at the heavens with your own two eyes to see a stunning sight, you'll want to spend Thursday, October 17, 2024 looking up. Another supermoon is upon us, with the best time to see it arriving after sunset Down Under — so if you train your peepers upwards this evening, you'll be in for a glowing show. While super full moons aren't particularly rare — several usually happen each year, and one occurred in August 2024 as well as in September — there's still a a good reason to peer upwards this time around. If you're wondering why, we've run through the details below. [caption id="attachment_598533" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Andrew C via Wikimedia Commons[/caption] What Is It? If you're more familiar with The Mighty Boosh's take on the moon than actual lunar terms, here's what you need to know. As we all learned back in November 2016, a supermoon is a new moon or full moon that occurs when the moon reaches the closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, making it particularly bright. They're not all that uncommon — and because October 2024's supermoon is a full moon (and not a new moon), it's called a super full moon. It's also a hunter's moon, too, which refers to the time of year in the northern hemisphere. This is the time when hunting was undertaken to store meat for the coming winter in the other half of the world. Of course, that doesn't apply in the southern hemisphere, but the name still sticks. This supermoon is also the closest of 2024 — which makes it the brightest of 2024, too. [caption id="attachment_769713" align="alignnone" width="1920"] NASA/Joel Kowsky[/caption] When Can I See It? As mentioned above, your best time to look at the harvest supermoon is from sunset on Thursday, October 17, 2024, although it'll officially be a full moon at 10.26pm AEDT in Sydney and Melbourne, 9.26pm AEST in Brisbane, 9.56pm ACDT in Adelaide and 7.26pm AWST in Perth. The moon always appears full for a few days, however, so if you already thought that the night sky looked a little brighter this week, that's why. To catch a glimpse, you'll want to peek outside when it gets dark to feast your eyes on a luminous lunar sight. Head over to timeanddate.com for the relevant moonrise and moonset times for your area. Where Can I See It? You can take a gander from your backyard or balcony, but the standard advice regarding looking into the night sky always applies — so city-dwellers will want to get as far away from light pollution as possible to get the absolute best view. Sunset arrives at 7.10pm AEDT in Sydney, 7.39pm AEDT in Melbourne, 5.56pm AEST in Brisbane, 7.31pm ACDT in Adelaide and 6.29pm AWST in Perth Via timeanddate.com. Image: Elekes Andor via Wikimedia Commons.
When you plaster giant, ornate portraits of beautiful women across the walls of nine-storey buildings, you're bound to get a name for yourself. Accordingly, Melbourne street artist Rone has become quite the sensation. Since bursting onto the local scene in the early 2000s, his work has been shown in London, New York, San Francisco, Miami and Hong Kong. Now, he's returning to where it all began for his first Australian show in two years. From October 24, Rone will present 11 new, large-scale portraits in — and on — an abandoned office building on Little Collins Street. The exhibition, Lumen, will be created with the help of lighting designer John McKissock, as the artworks will be illuminated from the building's decrepit, black walls. The artist will also create a 12-metre high mural on the building's ventilation tower. Adding to the creepy feel of the whole thing, the building has actually been slated for demolition, and it will presumably still be knocked down once the exhibition is over. Rone has an ongoing interest in transforming these kind of derelict and forgotten places. He's initiated similar projects in Mexico, Louisiana and New Orleans in the past. "Each of these places have, in recent times, been deeply affected by natural disaster, crime or debilitating economic situations," said the artist. "There is a genuine sense of community in these places, people embrace and appreciate what I'm doing." While Little Collins Street is a far cry from the Mexican city of Juarez, it's just as easy to understand Rone's fostering of local community in this latest Melbourne project. His mural at Rue & Co is still a much-loved icon of the CBD; people converge on it to take photos, drop their jaws in awe and meet friends for delicious Korean fried chicken. This support for the artist is evident in his other projects too. He's just been hand-selected by Jean Paul Gaultier himself to create installation works for the NGV's latest exhibition, and the Melbourne Festival has just plastered his art across one of the city's trams. Make sure you get a chance to check out this epic exhibition while it lasts — this guy's in high demand. Lumen will be on show on Level One, 109 Little Collins Street, Melbourne from October 24 to November 9. For more information, see the website.
When a hit show comes to an end, the network behind it often tries to fill the gap with something similar. It's the situation that HBO found itself in last year when Game of Thrones wrapped up, with the US cable channel quickly launching new fantasy series His Dark Materials and committing to making a GoT spinoff called House of the Dragon. And, with Big Little Lies looking like it's also all done and dusted, the station seems to be in the same predicament in the star-studded murder mystery genre as well. Enter The Undoing. Starring Nicole Kidman, and written and produced by Big Little Lies' David E. Kelley, it's a case of HBO sticking with what they know. Kidman plays a successful therapist who appears to have the perfect life, with a loving husband (Hugh Grant), a son (A Quiet Place's Noah Jupe) attending an elite school and her first book about to be published. Then a violent death sparks a chain of revelations that shatters her life as she knows it. Also part of the plot, as seen in the show's first teaser: a missing spouse, plenty of public attention, a heap of interrogations and a plethora of tough choices for Kidman's Grace Fraser. It'll all play out as a once-off limited series — although that was originally the case with Big Little Lies before it came back for a second season. Based on the novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Undoing also features Donald Sutherland and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace's Edgar Ramirez — with Bird Box director Susanne Bier behind the camera on every episode, just as she was on excellent Emmy-winning mini-series The Night Manager. The Undoing is set to screen on HBO sometime in May, with an air date Down Under yet to be revealed. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG1ZQERAlGQ The Undoing is set to screen on HBO in the US from May, with air dates Down Under yet to be announced. We'll update you when further details come to hand.
Sculpture by the Sea is a landmark event in Sydney's cultural calendar each year, drawing huge crowds to the two-kilometre Bondi-Tamarama coastal walk every October to gaze at the larger-that-life artworks. Unfortunately, as with many events, 2020 wasn't the exhibition's year. Plans for the event were forced to be abandoned, although Sydneysiders were treated to Milan Kuzica's towering fluro sculpture Green Life on the Tamarama foreshore as a consolation. When organisers originally announced there would be no 2020 edition of Sculpture by the Sea, an early 2021 date was floated. Sadly, this date has been pushed back again and large-scale art fans will have to wait until spring for the event's latest iteration, with October 2021 being announced as the new, pandemic-pending date for the exhibition. Organisers were optimistic an early 2021 event could be achieved but failed to secure an exemption from NSW Health Department last October. The event will instead go ahead in October with the same lineup of artists originally planned for 2020, plus two or three new additions scheduled to join the roster. Sculpture Rocks, a collaboration between Sculpture by the Sea, Place Management NSW and the Ports Authority of NSW that was set to see Japanese sculpture take over Campbells Cove in The Rocks this January, has also been postponed. The smaller-scale sculpture event is now planned for mid-2021. It has been a turbulent couple of years for the team behind the beloved Sydney art exhibition. In 2019, organisers clashed with Waverley Council over the design of a new path, threatening to move the event out of the council area. The planned upgrades to the area were completed in October 2019 before Sculpture buy the Sea came to an agreement with Waverley Council to remain in Bondi until at least 2030. Sculpture by the Sea is currently aiming to take place in October 2021. Stay up to date with the latest announcements at sculpturebythesea.com. Images: Trent Van der Jagt
Holidaymakers love staying in them. TV shows sing their praises. Everyone has wondered what their days would be like if they lived the tiny house life. Expect to explore that train of thought at the National Gallery of Victoria until April 2025, all thanks to the latest temporary addition outside the NGV International on St Kilda Road in Melbourne: Home Truth, the NGV's Architecture Commission for 2024. How big does the average Australian home need to be? How many tiny houses could fit in the space that a standard Aussie abode takes up? These mightn't be the normal questions that anyone tends to ponder when they visit an art gallery, but it's the query that Home Truth wants everyone to contemplate right now. First, you'll see and enter a standard-sized Aussie house. Inside, you'll then find an abode of much smaller size — and you'll notice the difference between the two. Each year, the NGV unveils a site-specific pop-up construction that experiments with design concepts while musing on subjects of public importance. This year's pick is a tiny house — which wouldn't sound out of the ordinary if it wasn't a pint-sized abode within the frame of the average Australian home, and if drawing attention to the contrast wasn't its aim. Created by Melbourne-based architecture and design studio Breathe, Home Truth continues the firm's focus on sustainable architecture that'll endure and has a purpose — and, since Wednesday, November 13, it's getting NGV visitors walking through a house-within-a-house labyrinth. The larger building represents the average 236-square-metre Australian residence. Nestled within it, the smaller-scale home is designed to spark conversations about alternative modes of housing. To get from one to the other, visitors enter via the larger house's garage door, then wander through rooms and hallways. When you reach the tinier home, you'll feel like you've hit the centre of a maze. Attendees will notice two different materials distinguishing each abode, too, with the bigger spot constructed from framing pine and the smaller house from the waste-made and silver-hued saveboard — offering up a comment on how homes are currently built in Australia as well. "Through its clever play on scale and materials, this thought-provoking work of architecture sparks a fascinating conversation about housing and sustainability in this country," explained NGV Director Tony Ellwood when he announced the 2024 Architecture Commission back in September . "Home Truth speculates that overconsumption of space and materials translates into ecological and social consequences — for both us and the planet. But importantly, it offers a provocative vision of a new way of thinking about building — seeing the value of living in spaces that are of smaller scale — a vision that prioritises people and planet," added Ewan McEoin, NGV's Senior Curator, Contemporary Art, Design and Architecture. Home Truth follows 2023's stunning pick (This is) Air, a giant inflatable sphere that breathed, as created by Australian architect Nic Brunsdon with Sky Castle, Airship Orchestra, Cupid's Koi Garden and Lost Dogs' Disco' ENESS. The 14-metre-high piece did indeed expand with air, then release it — so, yes, it inhaled and exhaled all day — to get everyone thinking about humanity's need for and relationship to air, how essential it is, how dependent we all are upon the element, how finite it is and how its quality is being impacted. In the past, NGV's Architecture Commission has also seen a colourful mini Parthenon, a bright pink pool to wade through, a bamboo garden with its own deck and an unforgettable pink carwash pop up, all as part of an initiative that started in 2015. 'Home Truth' by Breathe is on display at NGV International, St Kilda Road, Melbourne until Sunday, April 27, 2025 — head to the NGV website for further details. Images: installation view of the 2024 NGV Architecture Commission: Home Truth by Breathe. on display from 13 November 2024 until April 2025 at NGV International, Melbourne. Photo: Derek Swalwell.
Whether played by Julie Andrews in the original 1964 musical film or Emily Blunt in its 2018 sequel, Mary Poppins has always been a quintessentially English character. The beloved nanny is as well-known for being British as for her magical abilities and winning ways with an umbrella, after all. However the famous fictional figure also boasts a link to regional Australia — and now there's an Aussie museum dedicated to that fact. While Maryborough in Queensland's Fraser Coast region may seem worlds away from London, let alone Cherry Tree Lane, it's where author PL Travers was born. She also lived there until she was five, when her family relocated to Allora on the Darling Downs, as the 2013 movie Saving Mr Banks explored. Later, in her twenties, she moved to the UK, where she penned the eight Mary Poppins books that she's best known for. Because claiming any and every possible connection to fame is a thoroughly Aussie trait, Maryborough has long marked its link to Travers — the city hosts an annual Mary Poppins Festival, has been home to a bronze statue of the writer since 2005, and even has Poppins-shaped pedestrian crossing symbols on its traffic lights. With that in mind, the opening of The Story Bank of Maryborough is just the latest step in the town's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious celebrations, forming part of a hub focused on the Aussie-born writer. [caption id="attachment_732352" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Where Imagination Lays in Wait in Maryborough / Gerard via Flickr[/caption] Inside The Story Bank, which is located in the heritage-listed Australian Joint Stock Bank building where Travers actually entered the world, visitors will find a whole showcase about Maryborough's ties with Travers. The museum steps through her life story, her family and the influences on her work — and, as well as featuring plenty of Poppins-themed items (yes, expect umbrellas), it includes images and documents from Travers' estate. If you've ever wanted to Mary Poppins figurines everywhere (including sliding down bannisters, obviously), feast your eyes on book and film memorabilia, or pretend you're in Cherry Tree Lane, here's your chance. The site also features a theatrette, gallery and workshop space, all as part of a $1.5 million restoration project. As well as Travers and Mary Poppins, The Story Bank highlights other talented local artists, as well as the art of storytelling in general. Find The Story Bank of Maryborough on the corner Kent and Richmond Streets, Maryborough, Queensland — and head to the museum's website and Facebook page for further details.
A long time ago, in this very galaxy, brass instruments sounded, a text crawl started and the first Star Wars film burst onto the screen. Thanks to director George Lucas and composer John Williams, it's one of the most iconic movie openings in history — and, in all of its force-wielding, Death Star-destroying, orchestra-scored glory, the sci-fi classic is making a kriffing special return. Star Wars movies have been getting the concert treatment for years now, but that doesn't make their presence on the big screen with a live orchestral soundtrack any less special whenever it happens. In 2023, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is doing the honours once more in the Victorian capital, starting with the flick that began the whole franchise. It's also busting out another Disney favourite — and something very different. First, the film that every jedi, wookiee, droid and even sith around the world has obsessed over for almost five decades now: Star Wars: Episode VI — A New Hope. It'll grace the silver screen on Saturday, January 28 as part of the movie's 45th-anniversary celebrations (with that milestone hit in 2022, but hey, what's an extra month?). The feature will roll in The Plenary at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre at 1pm and 7.30pm, MSO will perform Williams' Oscar-winning compositions and, if you're there, you'll burst with a Millennium Falcon's worth of happiness. Whether you're a huge Star Wars buff eager to ride a wave of excitement in-between Andor season one finishing and The Mandalorian season three arriving, just have a casual interest, or have no idea what the term R2-D2 means, this is the way to see A New Hope. Conductor Nicholas Buc will lead the charge, as the city's finest provide the soundtrack to Luke Skywalker meeting Obi-Wan Kenobi, Princess Leia sending a message for help, Han Solo oozing his usual attitude and Darth Vader just being a power-hungry jerk. If you just can't let any kind of pop-culture love go, then an in-concert session of Frozen might also be your dream come true. That's MSO's second big movie gig for 2023 — and, yes, it's happening in winter. Taking place on Saturday, June 17 at 1pm and 7pm, these screenings will celebrate ten years since the animated hit first built a snowman, and unveiled the tale of sisters Elsa and Anna. If you like big occasions, it'll also mark 100 years of the Mouse House. Jessica Gethin is on conducting duties for Frozen, and everyone already knows the story as well as the soundtrack. Here, Anna has to embark on a trek to find Elsa, who gets trapped the kingdom of Arendelle due to her icy powers. Yes, you now have 'Let It Go' stuck in your head. Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope will screen at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday, January 28, while Frozen will screen at the same venue on Saturday, June 17. Head to the MSO website for further details, and for tickets from 10am on Wednesday, November 16.
The 25th annual Melbourne Food and Wine Festival draws to a close this weekend with Harveast, a one-day market and free event showcase celebrating the best produce, wine and talent in the Melbourne's east. Featuring some of Melbourne's biggest names in food, there's something for the casual foodstagrammer and industry professional alike. Eastland's Town Square will be transformed into a market brimming with produce and food from over 30 stalls. MoVida's Frank Camorra will be there cooking up a big vat of paella, George Calombaris will be putting together limited edition pork belly Jimmy Grants souvas, and Pope Joan's Matt Wilkinson will be tending to a whole-beast spit-roast in the Beer and Cider Garden. You'll also be able to taste drops from 20 boutique wineries and partake in a gin appreciation class by Healesville distillery, Four Pillars. On top of all that, Banjo Harris Plane, sommelier and wine importer from Fitzroy's Bar Liberty, is curating an outdoor cellar door, while Camorra will demonstrate how to create classic Spanish tapas, and Johnny Di Francesco of 400 Gradi will deliver a masterclass in Mediterranean cooking. With live entertainment kicking off in the afternoon, Harveast promises a festival vibe and straight-from-the-source quality in the eastern suburbs.
If you're a fan of rooftop bars or barbecue (or, better yet, both), prepare to have your day made. After opening a new dedicated, two-storey barbecue joint on Bourke Street, the Fancy Hank's BBQ crew are now serving icy cold drinks at Good Heavens, the aptly named rooftop bar that sits above the smoked meat haven. It's a slice of Palm Springs in the Melbourne CBD, with the brand new casual rooftop bar completely unlike anything the Fancy Hank's guys have done before. Think brightly-coloured '80s-inspired cocktails, including twists on period-appropriate favourites like the Harvey Danger and Good Mai Tai. Think trusty classics given a new lease of life — such as the Poco Loco (aka Good Heavens' take on the Pina Colada) and Big Pharma (which you might usually call an espresso martini) — as well. Of course, it wouldn't be a Fancy Hank's venture without barbecue snacks, with the bar menu designed by venue partner and executive chef Mike Patrick. Mixing up Australian and American fare, as well as offering a more casual take on the meals served downstairs, the menu features the Hank's cheeseburger and nachos with brisket mole and queso, plus fried cauliflower with vegan ranch dressing and artichoke dip for non-carnivorous patrons. Throw in ten local and international beers on tap and DJs playing every weekend, and you might've found your new summer hangout. A word of warning: Good Heavens' many heavenly pleasures are limited to 200 people at a time, as per their liquor license, so you might want to get in early. Good Heavens is now open at 1/79 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Keep an eye on their Facebook page for more information. By Imogen Baker, Lauren Vadnjal and Sarah Ward.
If you've got a hard earned thirst for some spiffy beer merch, the folks at Victoria Bitter have you covered — and that's been the case for a couple of years. Hankering not just for any old branded VB gear for your wardrobe, but for a retro knitted Christmas sweater? Then you'll be pleased to discover that the famed Carlton & United Breweries beer has just added a new woolly piece to its range. Called the Very Best Christmas Sweater, VB's new jumper looks exactly like you'd want a festive VB piece of apparel to look — and yes, it comes covered with stubbies and snowflakes. Naturally, it makes great use of the brand's red, green and white colour scheme, too. Indeed, the beer's logo has really just been screaming for the Christmas treatment. If you're eager to celebrate Christmas in July by sinking a few brews, you now have the perfect outfit for it. That said, only 500 will be available to purchase. The first 100 have already sold out after going on sale this week, but 400 more will be up for grabs — for $80 each — sometime in the week commencing July 13. Keep an eye on VB's 'Big Cold gear' website for further details. [caption id="attachment_775621" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Victoria Bitter[/caption] Also on offer: the rest of the brand's retro-styled collection, which nods firmly to the brew's lengthy history quenching the thirst of hardworking Aussies. There are crewneck jumpers, t-shirts, hoodies, beanies and caps, all emblazoned with that instantly recognisable logo. Alongside all the clothes, you'll also find VB jigsaw puzzles — plus glasses, water bottles, coolers, speakers, bar mats and even fridges. Victoria Bitter's 'Big Cold Gear' line is available for purchase online, including its Very Best Christmas Sweater. Top image: Victoria Bitter
For more than a year now, we've all been paying extra attention to maps — but not just to show us how to get from one place to another. Thanks to all manner of handy online diagrams, we've been using maps to see which venues have been visited by COVID-19 cases, and also to work out how far we can travel during lockdowns. Now, with vaccinations an important focus at this stage of the pandemic, there's also a particularly nifty interactive map that'll help you work out where to get the jab. If you're familiar with COVID-19 Near Me, the statewide map that draws upon Victorian Government's register of locations that positive COVID-19 cases have visited, then you already know where to head for this new map. It's actually an added function on the existing website, which now comes with two options at the top: exposure sites and vaccination clinics. Like the exposure venues part of the map, the statewide diagram gives locations specific hues depending on how the clinics operate. A grey dot is used if the clinic doesn't take online bookings, a purple dot indicates that it's an AstraZeneca clinic and a blue dot shows a Pfizer clinic. This map isn't run by the Victorian Government — it's just powered by its official data. So, Victorian residents are urged to also check the official Victorian Department of Health website as well. At the time of writing, the map was last updated on Sunday, August 8. At present, all adults in Australia can opt for the AstraZeneca vaccine as long as you give a doctor your informed consent before you go ahead. Since Thursday, June 17, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has recommended the use of AstraZeneca vaccine in people aged over 60 only due to the risk of rare blood clotting disorders that've been linked to the vaccine when given to younger folks. That change followed an early recommendation back in April, which noted the AstraZeneca vaccine wasn't preferred for anyone under 50. But since late June, as announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, anyone of any age, including those under 60, can still get the AZ jab — after making an informed decision by talking to a doctor. For people under 40 who'd prefer the Pfizer vaccine, you need to fall into a specific group to access it at present, as the nation's vaccination rollout hasn't yet opened up the Pfizer jab to that age group. That means that adults aged up to 39 aren't yet eligible to get the Pfizer vaccination unless you're of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent; work in quarantine, border or healthcare roles; work or live in an aged care or disability facility; work in a critical and high-risk job such as defence, fire, police, emergency services and meat processing; have an underlying medical condition or significant disability; are pregnant; or participate in the NDIS, or care for someone who does. You can check out all existing COVID-19 vaccination clinics at covid19nearme.com.au. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria, head to the Victorian Department of Health website. Images: COVID-19 Near Me as of Monday, August 9.
A lot can happen in seven years — and, since sketch-comedy series Key and Peele aired its last episode back in 2015, plenty has. Forget all the chaos that's occurred in the world in general; just for Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, life has been hectic. Key has filled his resume with everything from Archer, Veep and Schmiggadoon! to The Predator, The Lion King and The Prom, while Jordan Peele just went and made three instant horror classics called Get Out, Us and Nope (oh, and won an Oscar). The next thing on the pair's agenda: a reunion, with the two voicing scheming demons in new Netflix movie Wendell & Wild. And if that wasn't enough exciting news for just one film, the stop-motion animated flick is directed by Henry Selick, who'll always have a place in every cinephile's heart thanks to The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. In fact, this marks his first feature since the latter, which arrived back in 2009. Unsurprisingly, gorgeously creepy sights fill Wendell & Wild's just-dropped first teaser trailer, because that's exactly what Selick usually serves up. In a picture that he not only directs, but co-wrote with Peele — who also co-produces — the filmmaker focuses on two demon brothers, the titular pair, who want to be summoned into the Land of the Living. To achieve that feat, Wendell (Key) and Wilde (Peele) need the help of teenager Kat Elliot (voiced by Lyric Ross, This Is Us). But, as the movie's first sneak peek shows, that bargain comes with consequences — because Kat isn't just willing to assist without asking for something in return. Wendell & Wild's voice cast also includes other well-known names, such as Angela Bassett (Gunpowder Milkshake), James Hong (Everything Everywhere All At Once) and Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible — Fallout). And, because it's almost that time of year, of course the film is dropping in time for Halloween — hitting streaming on October 28, in fact. Check out the trailer for Wendell & Wild below: Wendell & Wild will be available to stream via Netflix on October 28. Images: Netflix © 2022.
Some may call it ambitious, given the mess of uncertainty that 2020 has been. Most will simply celebrate having something big, loud and live to look forward to. But whatever your thoughts, music agency Novel has announced plans for its next huge live music event and you're all invited. Set to take over an undisclosed space on March 7, 2021, and headlined by Berlin DJ great Ben Klock, is Novel's grand post-pandemic debut, Smalltown Street Rave. The COVID-safe dance party will be the first IRL outing in about 12 months for the group, which is the same crew behind events like Let Them Eat Cake and Pitch Music & Arts. Crowd restrictions have meant that it's been a tough year for the music industry as a whole, with Novel managing to squeeze in just a handful of shows before COVID-19 swooped in. And of course, that's off the back of its 2019 venue dramas, which involved VCAT hearings, a head-to-head with local council and the last-minute relocation of one of its huge Smalltown events. But next up, Smalltown Street Rave looks set to close curtains on past issues and end Novel's hibernation with a bang. And a big one at that: the team's managed to nab a 5000-person-capacity inner-city venue for the occasion. They're keeping the exact location under wraps for now, but we're told it's in a secluded industrial area, with minimal sound restrictions and acres of space. The secret will be out soon, but in the meantime, just think back to past Novel offerings at sites like Marvel Stadium's underground carpark, St Kilda Foreshore and Werribee Mansion, and let your imagination run wild. [caption id="attachment_671505" align="alignnone" width="1920"] B3 underground car park[/caption] There's also no word yet on exactly who will be joining Ben Klock in making excellent use of the Funktion-One Soundsystem, though Novel is, of course, well-known for pulling the big guns. Past Smalltown events have drawn such heavy hitters as DJ KOZE, Nina Kraviz and Stephen Bodzin. For now, just know there'll be international guests among the lineup, with names to be revealed in the coming months. The music agency is countering the uncertainty that this year's pandemic has thrown our way by initially selling tickets for just 25 percent of the venue's capacity, until future crowd restrictions become a little more predictable. You can snap one up from 12pm this Wednesday, October 7, safe in the knowledge that both refunds and ticket exchanges will be offered in the case of any postponement. Smalltown Street Rave will also be compliant with all regulations, including following a COVID-19 Safe plan. Smalltown Street Rave is set to takeover a yet-to-be-announced Melbourne location from 12–11pm on Sunday, March 7. Tickets go on sale from 12pm, Wednesday, October 7. You can grab yours here. Top image: Let Them Eat Cake
Australia's hospitality industry scene has done it tough over the past year — again — but it still boasts some of the best bars on the planet. Don't just take our word for it; according to this year's just-revealed World's 50 Best Bars list, we're home to four of the top 50 watering holes worldwide. Our highest-ranking spot to get sipping in 2021: Sydney's Maybe Sammy. It's the third year in a row that the innovative bar in The Rocks has made the list, taking 22nd place. That's a drop from 2020, when it came in at number 11, but higher than in 2019, when it sat at 43rd. Coming hot on its heels is another World's 50 Best Bars list veteran, Cantina OK!, which moved up from number 28 last year to number 23 in 2021. Next, Melbourne's Above Board earned a spot at number 44, while Sydney newcomer Re jumps in at number 46. So, whether you're a Sydneysider, Melburnian or a future visitor to either city, you now have an excuse to hit up a globally acclaimed venue. [caption id="attachment_714475" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Cantina OK!, Kimberley Lo[/caption] For those yet to be acquainted with Maybe Sammy, its luxurious styling nods to old-school Vegas glamour, all blush pink velvet banquettes and lush indoor greenery, while the list of theatrical signature drinks pays homage to the classics. At Cantina OK!, you'll find a pint-sized mezcal bar in an old garage down a service laneway — complete with bright pink and purple walls, Mexican vibes and laneway seating. Collingwood's minimalist Above Board skews super-intimate, boasting only 16 seats and with no standing permitted — while Re, which is located in Sydney's ever-growing South Eveleigh precinct, hails from hospitality stars Matt Whiley (Scout) and Maurice Terzini (Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, Ciccia Bella). The latter also has a zero-waste focus, and nabbed The World's Best 50 Bars 2021's Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award as well. [caption id="attachment_836460" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Above Board[/caption] While Sydney was better represented in the top 50 than Melbourne, the Victorian capital was the only Australian city to feature in the 51–100 list, which was announced late last week. Cocktail haven Byrdi scored a place on the extended rundown for the second year in a row. The annual World's 50 Best Bars awards are voted on by bar industry experts from around the world, including bartenders, consultants, drinks writers and cocktail specialists. And if you're wondering what topped the list worldwide, that'd be London's Connaught Bar, which emerged victorious for the second year in a row — so there's somewhere to add to any future UK itineraries. For the full World's 50 Best Bars 2021 rundown, head to the list's website — and you can check out the 51–100 list online as well. Top image: Maybe Sammy.
When Ron Swanson discovered digital music, the tech-phobic Parks and Recreation favourite was uncharacteristically full of praise. Played by Nick Offerman (The Last of Us) at his most giddily exuberant, he badged the iPod filled with his favourite records an "excellent rectangle". In Black Mirror, the same shape is everywhere. The Netflix series' moniker even stems from the screens and gadgets that we all now filter life through daily and unthinkingly. In Charlie Brooker's (Cunk on Earth) eyes since 2011, however, those ever-present boxes and the technology behind them are far from ace. Instead, befitting a dystopian anthology show that has dripped with existential dread from episode one, and continues to do so in its long-awaited sixth season — which arrived on Thursday, July 15 — those rectangles keep reflecting humanity at its bleakest. Black Mirror as a title has always been devastatingly astute: when we stare at a TV, smartphone, computer or tablet, we access the world yet also reveal ourselves. It might've taken four years to return after 2019's season five, but Brooker's hit still smartly and sharply focuses on the same concern. Indeed, this new must-binge batch of nightmares begins with exactly the satirical hellscape that today's times were bound to inspire. Joan Is Awful, with its AI- and deepfake-fuelled mining of everyday existence for content, almost feels too prescient — a charge a show that's dived into digital resurrections, social scoring systems, killer VR and constant surveillance knows well. Brooker isn't afraid to think bigger and probe deeper in season six, though; to eschew obvious targets like ChatGPT and the pandemic; and to see clearly and unflinchingly that our worst impulses aren't tied to the latest widgets. Taking ripped-from-reality tales to an uncanny extreme, tearing into the obsession to adapt everything into content, exploring the catharsis found and carnage wrought by slipping into avatars: that's all in Black Mirror season six's five instalments. So is the ravenous nature of celebrity culture, plus the apocalyptic path that insular attitudes give rise to. Throw in explosive diarrhoea, Salma Hayek Pinault (Magic Mike's Last Dance) playing herself, the true-crime boom, the savagery of fame, alternate pasts, astronauts and devilish bargains as well, and Brooker has given himself and viewers much to play with. Each chapter, whether focusing on a woman's existence being broadcast to the world or swapping sci-fi for horror in the first-ever Red Mirror instalment, pinballs between chilling and thrilling. Each chapter also knows that no matter whether streaming queues, VHS tapes, human replicas, 00s-era cameras or runic talismen feature, humanity's biggest enemy is itself. Starring Annie Murphy (Kevin Can F**k Himself) as its namesake, Joan Is Awful is the only futuristic story in season six, examining where our current times might lead as Black Mirror long has. After firing a friend, complaining to her therapist about her boyfriend (Avi Nash, Silo) and meeting up with her ex (Rob Delaney, The Power), tech-company CEO Joan gets comfortable on the couch to watch Streamberry's latest wares, only to find that she's the platform's fresh subject (and that Hayek Pinault has stepped into her shoes). The series-within-the-series dramatises her past 24 hours, in fact, and doesn't paint Joan in a positive light. Swiftly, everyone she knows is watching, all taking the on-screen version as gospel. Savvily, the episode interrogates the platforms that Black Mirror and almost every other TV show exist on right now, television's relationship with reality, the incessant quest to thrust ordinary lives into the spotlight and the undervaluing of everyone in the creative industries — which bites hard given the present writers' strike — and it's a cutting and amusing delight. Next comes Loch Henry, which also has the medium of streaming in its sights. Black Mirror has been part of Netflix's stable since 2016, moving to the service after commencing on the UK's Channel 4, but Brooker doesn't let that stop him from digging the show's claws into its funder and home. Initially, the episode's film students Davis (Samuel Blenkin, The Witcher: Blood Origin) and Pia (Myha'la Herrold, Bodies Bodies Bodies) visit the former's sleepy Scottish hometown to make a nature documentary. Then Pia learns about the serial killer who terrorised the scenic locale decades back. Loch Henry doesn't just riff on the prominence of both David Attenborough-style series and headline-driven crime shows, or the fact that the latter can put sensationalist entertainment ahead of the very real victims; it also contemplates how easy it is to conceal one's true self from the world and how empty getting exactly what you've dreamed of can be. In Beyond the Sea, Aaron Paul returns to Black Mirror after first being involved in 2017. Here, it's an alternative 1969, and Cliff (Paul, Westworld) and David (Josh Hartnett, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) are on a deep-space mission, retaining ties with their families on earth — including Cliff's wife Lana (Kate Mara, Call Jane) — via mechanical doppelgängers that they can port their consciousness into from the heavens above. Brooklyn's John Crowley directs this episode, which proves apt when its retrofuturistic concept plunges into yearning after pivoting on a tragedy and following in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood's footsteps. Black Mirror is rarely light; however, this thoughtfully paced, supremely well-acted chapter takes a particularly grim view of humanity's proclivity for jealousy and spite, and our penchant to use technology to indulge both. With Mazey Day, which shares its title with a starlet (Clara Rugaard, I Am Mother), the series also jumps backwards. This time, it's the mid-00s, Suri Cruise's birth is big news, and Bo (Zazie Beetz, Atlanta) is a paparazzo barely getting by, then quitting after her snaps lead to an actor's demise, then tempted back for a $30,000 payday. Her task: nabbing photos of Mazey, who has disappeared after a hit-and-run incident. Again, this season of Black Mirror carves into the commodification of people as content. Again, it shows that 2023-era devices and anything they evolve into aren't behind this trend. And again, it's both perceptive and surprising — and, although it tells viewers what they already know, that's also Black Mirror's usual remit. While horror bubbles through most Black Mirror episodes, including season six's, Red Mirror debut Demon 79 gives the genre its heartiest embrace yet. It's also the series' 2023 standout, and not just because Anjana Vasan (Killing Eve) and Paapa Essiedu (Men) are each a treat as a shopgirl forced to get murderous and a Boney M-inspired demon, respectively. The year is 1979, Needa (Vasan) sells footwear in a Northern England department store and racism stalks her every move, as does the fomenting political fearmongering sweeping the community. Soon, a Knock at the Cabin-esque scenario arises, with Gaap (Essiedu) giving Needa three days to kill three people or the world will come to a fiery end. As penned by Brooker with Bisha K Ali (Ms Marvel), Demon 79 looks like a video nasty from decades back, and hones on spreading ideas rather than the technology that enables them. But as someone's status quo forever changes in no small part thanks humanity's most atrocious traits, it's still Black Mirror 101. Check out the full trailer for Black Mirror's sixth season below: Black Mirror season six streams via Netflix from Thursday, June 15. Images: Netflix.
Being a film and television fan in 2018 means two things. Firstly, your viewing choices are seemingly endless, as anyone with a hefty streaming queue knows. Secondly, many of those viewing choices involve remakes of, sequels or prequels to, or other continuations of already existing hits. Just this year, we've learned that Veronica Mars and Daria are coming back to the small screen, The Lord of the Rings is being turned into a TV show and Game of Thrones is definitely getting a spin-off once the original series ends. Now, we can add Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and Deadwood films to the ever-growing list of properties that just keep on keepin' on. This week, news hit about all three popular series and their new feature-length additions. All three are being turned into movies in some shape or form, but it's a safe bet that those films are all still headed to a TV screen. Prepare to exclaim "yeah, science!" like Jesse Pinkman thanks to the return of Breaking Bad — which, as Better Call Saul diehards are well aware, has never completely gone away since the OG show wrapped up in 2013. As reported by Variety, creator Vince Gilligan is working on a two-hour film with the working title of Greenbriar, which will begin shooting this month. Bryan Cranston has confirmed the news, but just whether he's in it or what it's about is still the subject of rumour. Slashfilm advises that the movie will focus on Jesse, showing what came next for Walter White's former student and protege after Breaking Bad's finale. As for The Walking Dead, the long-running (and still-running) show is set to release a number of films about Andrew Lincoln's Rick Grimes, who led the series from its 2010 debut through to the fifth episode of the show's ninth season. Deadline reports that the movies will form part of The Walking Dead Universe, alongside other films, specials and series, plus digital content and more. The Walking Dead already has its own small-screen spin-off, Fear The Walking Dead — and the first Rick Grimes flick is expected to go into production in 2019. Finally, in news that'll make lovers of Deadwood want to down a celebratory shot of whisky, the three-season western series is coming back as a movie. Ever since the show was cancelled back in 2006, a film has been rumoured, but The Hollywood Reporter notes that it started filming this week. It'll be set ten years after the final season, with the story exploring a reunion of the show's characters. Original stars Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant, Molly Parker, Paula Malcomson, John Hawkes, Anna Gunn, W. Earl Brown, Dayton Callie, Brad Dourif, Robin Weigert, William Sanderson, Kim Dickens and Gerald McRaney are all reuniting for the series. Via Variety /Deadline / The Hollywood Reporter.
In yet another southward-bound international fashion expansion, Uniqlo has just announced that it'll be opening in Australia for the first time come autumn 2014. Melbourne's Emporium, located on Lonsdale Street in the CBD, will be home to a four-level, 2180 square metre megastore selling the Japanese brand's quality yet affordable apparel. Heattech underwear, bold collaborations with designers and Ultra Light Down are among their signature products. "We are very excited to be opening our first store in Melbourne, Australia," Uniqlo's Australian CEO Shoichi Miyasaka commented. "The city is a great centre of style and we hope to make Uniqlo an essential stop for for fashion-conscious Melbourne shoppers looking for high quality, affordable clothes. "Our goal is to build a loyal customer base by offering every visitor the outstanding level of customer service that Uniqlo is known for within Japan, in a comfortable and welcoming shopping environment." Owned by Japan's Fast Retailing Co. (the globe's fourth biggest clothing retail giant), Uniqlo first opened in 1984 and now runs 1200 stores across 14 different countries. It's been moving steadily south for four years, having set up in Singapore in 2009, Malaysia and Thailand in 2010, the Philippines in 2012 and Indonesia earlier this year. Fast owns six other major brands: Theory, Princess tam.tam, J Brand, Helmut Lang, GU and Comptoir des Cotonniers, and sold a whopping 928 billion Japanese Yen (AU$10 billion) worth of goods during the 2011-2012 financial year. Via Daily Life
When it comes to choosing a type of wine, we've got our decision-making process down. If it's a lunch wine, we'll make it a white. Steak for dinner? Red it is. Hot days may call for a rosé. But now a group of Spanish entrepreneurs are set to throw a spanner in the works and disrupt the clear wine colour scheme we've grown accustomed to as the natural way of things. They've created a wine that's bright blue. We were so over rosé anyway. This futuristic new wine is called Gik, and it's been created by six young Spanish go-getters in collaboration with the University of the Basque Country and Azti Tecnalia (the food research department of the Basque Government). The wine's electric blue colour looks a lot like regret (aka Blue Curacao cocktails of the 00s), but, according to Eater, is actually made from an undisclosed blend of red and white grapes sourced from vineyards in Spain's Basque region. It gets its bright blue colour from the addition of anthocyanin (a pigment found in grape skin) and indigo (a dye extracted from the Isatis tinctoria plant). The wine is a sweet, easy to drink drop, and is evidently trying to shake up the traditional wine game. "Try to forget everything you know about wine," says a statement on the Gik website. "Try to unlearn the hundreds of protected wine designations of origin, the complex and demanding service standards and everything that sommelier said at a tasting course to which you were invited." The wine was launched in Spain last year and will be stocked in retailers in France, the UK, the Netherlands and Germany over the next few months. It may be a while until we see blue wine on our dinner tables yet though. Via Eater.
Wellington Paranormal is back for its fourth and final season, Rose Matafeo's rom-com sitcom Starstruck has just returned for its second batch of episodes, and now Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby's HBO Max pirate parody is less than a month away — yes, it's proving a fantastic time for TV comedies either made in New Zealand or starring NZ talent. And if you're particularly keen to say "ahoy!" to Waititi and Darby's Our Flag Means Death, here's some more great news: its just dropped an unsurprisingly hilarious full trailer. Sometimes, the world just handily delivers answers to questions you didn't even know you ever had. You might not have actively wondered to yourself "what'd happen if NZ treasures Taika Waititi and Rhys Darby played pirates?", for instance, but we're betting you're now keener than a buccaneer searching for a bottle of rum to discover how it turns out. And, arriving on Thursday, March 3 on Binge in Australia and Friday, March 4 on Neon in NZ, Our Flag Means Death will firmly answer that query. The ten-episode sitcom sees Darby lead the show as Stede Bonnet — who was a real-life pirate who took to the seas in the early 18th century. The reason that his story is getting the streaming treatment? Bonnet was a 'gentleman pirate', as both the initial teaser and just-dropped full trailer for Our Flag Means Death dubs him. He left his life of privilege to rove the oceans, which this comedy is set to have plenty of fun with. [caption id="attachment_840021" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Aaron Epstein/HBO Max[/caption] As the show's sneak peeks so far demonstrate, Bonnet has some bold ideas about how life onboard should run — bold compared to the usual pirate stereotypes, that is. And, that sees him clash with a very famous name from pirate history: Blackbeard, which is who Waititi plays, and who appears far more traditional with his views on the whole pirate caper.. The two immensely funny NZ talents are joined by a long list of co-stars that includes Ewen Bremner (First Cow), David Fane (Paper Champions), Nathan Foad (Bloods), Joel Fry (Cruella), Samson Kayo (Truth Seekers), Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die) and Leslie Jones (Death to 2020). And, while Our Flag Means Death is the brainchild of writer, showrunner and executive producer David Jenkins (People of Earth), Waititi directs the pilot — and executive produces, lending his name and support to another up-and-coming comedy after doing the same with Reservation Dogs last year. And yes, that means he's directing Darby yet again, as he's already done in everything from Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows to Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Our Flag Means Death will drop three episodes on March 3, another three on March 10, then two episodes on both March 17 and March 24. Check out the full trailer for Our Flag Means Death below: Our Flag Means Death will start streaming in Australia via Binge on Thursday, March 3 and in New Zealand via Neon on Friday, March 4.
One balmy day this summer, a normally quiet pocket of Abbotsford is set to come alive, as it plays host to a rollicking, tune-filled block party. On February 2, Duke Street will be putting on quite the show, with resident businesses opening their doors for a series of one-off activations. Enjoy crafty brews and live, local tunes at Moon Dog Brewery, a local design showcase at Hub Furniture, motorbike workshops at Kustom Kommune, freshly roasted coffee courtesy of Bureaux Coffee Roasters, plus plenty more. You'll also find an assortment of pop-up dining spaces, slinging specialty food and cocktails to fuel the day's fun. Meanwhile, touring agency Crown Ruler and Melbourne collective Untitled Group — the peeps behind Beyond the Valley, Pitch Music & Arts, Ability Fest — are teaming up to deliver one heck of a music lineup, with a main stage overlooking Yarra Bend bushland and a second making its home in a carpark. Dishing up a broad range of musical goodness will be USA synth-funk darling Evelyn Champagne King, along with Mondo Freaks, a DJ set from UK legends Floating Points, and London-based selector John Gómez. They'll be joined by a swag of local favourites, including Total Giovanni, Nasty Mars & The Martians, Cassettes For Kids and Brooke Powers. Duke Street Block Party will run from 12pm–10pm. Pre-sale tickets will be released at 5pm on Thursday, December 20 — signup for them here — with general tickets at 12pm on Friday, December 21.
First, the bad news: if you've been hanging out to see The Kid LAROI take to the stage on his first-ever Down Under stadium tour, you'll now be waiting longer. Now, the better news: part of the delay is due to trying to lock in a "really big surprise and special guest", the Australian singer-songwriter advised on Instagram, who couldn't be finalised before the planned February dates. "We've had to push back the Australian leg of the tour to October," Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard noted. "The tour will now end off in Australia." The Kid LAROI also named "a bunch of other logistical stuff" as a reason for the delay, while saying that he wants to give audiences the best show he can — and "make everyone back home proud". The tour is in support of The Kid LAROI's debut studio album The First Time, and was originally set for a five-city Australian run. New dates haven't been announced as yet, but the star was due to play Melbourne's AAMI Park, Perth's HBF Park, Adelaide's Coopers Stadium, Sydney's Commbank Stadium and CBUS Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. The First Time might be a new 2023 arrival, but The Kid LAROI has been releasing music since 2018 — solo, and also teaming up with everyone from Juice WRLD and ONEFOUR to Justin Bieber. Accordingly, fans can look forward to hearing 'Stay', 'Without You', 'Thousand Miles', 'Love Again' and more next spring. The stadium tour follows The Kid LAROI's first headline Australian tour back in 2022, which sold out arenas across the country, sparking the addition of more dates. On his postponed 2024 dates, the artist has confirmed that ONEFOUR will still be on the bill. As for who else will join them, "we're working on the details including some new additions to the lineup and will let you know ASAP," the singer said. THE KID LAROI THE FIRST TIME TOUR 2024: October 2024 date TBC — AAMI Park, Melbourne October 2024 date TBC — HBF Park, Perth October 2024 date TBC — Coopers Stadium, Adelaide October 2024 date TBC — Commbank Stadium, Sydney October 2024 date TBC — CBUS Super Stadium, Gold Coast The Kid LAROI is touring Australia in October 2024, postponed from February 2024 — head to the Australian ticketing site for more information. Top image: Adam Kargenian.
UPDATE, MAY 2, 2020: The Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival has announced its full lineup and its premiere date. This article has been updated to reflect these changes. When COVID-19 started having an impact on Australian events, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival was one of the first to scrap its plans for 2020. The Brisbane Comedy Festival, which was already underway, also cancelled its final week — and in New South Wales, the Sydney Comedy Festival completely shuttered its event for this year, too. That means that the country's funniest folks now have some extra time on their hands — indoors, while social distancing, of course. And, they still have plenty of jokes to tell, which is exactly what Stan's new Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival is aiming to capitalise upon. Heading to the platform weekly from 7pm on Saturday, May 9 — dropping four episodes in total — the streaming-only laughfest will feature lockdown sets from comedians such as Wil Anderson, Cal Wilson, Nazeem Hussain, Dave Hughes and Zoe Coombs Marr, who'll all share material from their planned 2020 gigs. Also on the lineup: Tommy Little, Geraldine Hickey, Dilruk Jayasinha, Steph Tisdell, Aaron Chen, Sam Campbell, Michelle Brasier and Nath Valvo, as well as Tom Ballard, Randy Feltface, Claire Hooper, Becky Lucas, Sam Taunton, Nikki Britton, Demi Lardner and Tom Walker. Yes, it's a hefty list, and also features Lauren Bonner, Oliver Twist, Blake Freeman and Bec Charlwood. Each comedian has recorded their set from their homes, so expect jokes told in their kitchens, bedrooms, lounge rooms and even bathrooms. They've also be handled all the tech requirements themselves, such as setting up and operating their own cameras, in order to abide by social-distancing requirements. That said, they did have access to a director via video conferencing. Every Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival episode will feature at least six different comedians performing short standup comedy spots — including one MCing the episode. And if you're looking for some local laughs before the fest starts streaming, Amazon Prime Video has just dropped ten comedy specials from MICF stars, too. The Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival hits Stan weekly for four weeks from 7pm on Saturday, May 9.
With its iconic steps sequence and distinctive use of montage, 1925 Soviet-made movie Battleship Potemkin changed the way the world thought about film. Making enduring efforts such as Solaris and Stalker, Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky also achieved the same feat during the '60s and '70s. And in 2003, roaming historical drama Russian Ark did too courtesy of a single 96-minute take. Yep, this was more than a decade before Birdman tried something similar. They're just some of the highlights of Russian film history, and there's more where they came from. In fact, that's the domain of the Russian Resurrection Film Festival, which brings future classics and beloved greats alike to Australian cinema screens for an annual celebration of Russian movie making. In its thirteenth year, the fest has curated a collection of twenty efforts that showcase just what makes the country's film output so stellar. Whether you're keen on diving into a duelling epic, going swashbuckling with a beloved animated pirate, or catching a glimpse of uncompleted relics from the past, you'll find plenty to watch here — plus our five must-see picks, of course.
It's been three years since Spanish-born civil engineer Santiago Seco-Pablos left his career to start a new food business dedicated to the classic bechamel croquetas of his homeland. La Croqueteria has been winning over local fans ever since — and now it's celebrating its third birthday with a one-day pop-up at South Melbourne Market's La Central Deli & Bodega. If hot cheese-filled morsels take your fancy, swing past from 11am on Saturday, April 15 to sink your teeth into some free tastings. La Croqueteria's ever-growing range currently includes varieties like jamon serrano, goat cheese and jalapeno, bacalao (salted cod), and a calamari number that's been dipped in squid ink. Once you've snacked on some samples and selected a few favourite flavours, you'll also find a selection of take-home packs (12-piece boxes and one-kilogram bags) available to buy and stock your freezer with. Deep-fry those croquetas until golden brown and you've got yourself some standout Spanish snacks. Sounds like it's time to start planning a tapas night at your place.
Wintertime is gallery time in Melbourne, so it's no surprise the NGV took a go-big-or-go-home attitude to follow up their extended Van Gogh and the Seasons exhibition. Thankfully, they haven't disappointed with a huge display of the works of Katsushika Hokusai. Running until October 15, the Hokusai exhibition is the largest single assemblage of the artist's work ever to be seen in Australia. More than 150 of his works are on display – including his five career-defining series of woodblock prints, the complete 15 editions of handprinted manga, plus silk works and rarely exhibited paintings. To make the exhibition a reality, NGV curator of Asian art Wayne Crothers worked closely with the Japan Ukiyo-e Museum (JUM), a privately owned gallery and one of the world's largest collectors of Japanese woodblock prints. Crothers says this relationship allowed the NGV to showcase the "highest quality examples" of Hokusai's work available. On entering Hokusai, you'll get to know the artist from works from his early career before coming to his universally acclaimed Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji series. Created during Hokusai's own circumvention of Mt Fuji and his eventual summit, this series is the best instance of Hokusai's uncanny ability to depict everyday Japanese life and the population's closeness to nature. Next up is the unmistakable centrepiece — The Great Wave off Kanagawa — while across the gallery threshold is A Tour to the Waterfalls in Various Provinces, which rests against a distinctly 'Hokusaian' Prussian blue backdrop. Here, the gallery splinters into various spaces dedicated to his many manga volumes, and other lesser-known (but equally as impressive) works. While we're fortunate enough to be able to see many of Hokusai's headline artworks for the first time in Australia, Crothers explains the artist's most famous works are only the beginning to this exhibition: "One of the things we wanted to show through this exhibition was for everyone to enjoy 'The Wave', but then move beyond it and to experience the imagination in Hokusai's other creative projects." Here, with the help of Crothers' nuanced insight, we've selected five great works (aside from The Great Wave) from the Hokusai collection that you can't possibly miss. [caption id="attachment_630150" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Amida Falls in the far reaches of the Kisokaidō Road, courtesy of The Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, Matsumoto.[/caption] THE AMIDA WATERFALL ON THE KISO ROCK, A TOUR TO THE WATERFALLS IN VARIOUS PROVINCES, (C. 1832-1833) The Waterfalls series represents some of the most experimental and creative works Hokusai produced at any time throughout his career. A stunning design piece, The Amida Waterfall on the Kiso Road shows an overhead view of flowing water, before halfway down the work changing perspective to a right-angled illustration of a waterfall. [caption id="attachment_630153" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hokusai install at NGV, shot by Tom Ross.[/caption] VIEW OF THE PONTOON BRIDGE AT SANO IN KOZUKE, REMARKABLE VIEWS OF BRIDGES IN VARIOUS PROVINCES (1830) One of Crothers' favourite works of the exhibition, this piece captures the beautiful Japanese winter landscapes, while the travellers trudge across the snow covered pontoon in silence. Throughout this series, Hokusai illustrates the changing of the seasons across diverse locations and depicts the lives of working class Japanese people during this period. [caption id="attachment_630155" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The ghost of Kohada Koheiji, courtesy of The Japan Ukiyo-e Museum, Matsumoto.[/caption] 100 GHOST STORIES (1831) Based upon numerous well-known Japanese supernatural tales, the Ghost Stories series is Hokusai's surreal interpretation of these stories. Taking a satirical and humorous approach, for this woodblock print series Hokusai took one small detail from each popular fable and crafted caricatures, which mocked government corruption, societal wrongs and other common issues during this era. An immaculate collection, Crothers says these prints best demonstrate Hokusai's "vivid imagination". [caption id="attachment_630159" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Hokusai installation, shot by Tom Ross.[/caption] CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN, THIRTY-SIX VIEWS OF MT FUJI (C. 1830-1833) While you might assume Thirty-six Views of Mt Fuji has 36 accompanying prints, in fact, the series was so popular that Hokusai created an additional ten prints (although the original title was kept). Described by Crothers as the perfect 'final gesture', this 46th print depicts a group near Mt Fuji's summit, which was said to hold the key to immortality — a topic Hokusai often showed interest in. REFLECTION IN LAKE AT MISAKA IN KAI PROVINCE, THIRTY-SIX VIEWS OF MT FUJI (C. 1830-1833) Depicting a peaceful reflection of the summertime summit of Mt Fuji in its lush landscape, this woodblock print is another from the subsequent ten prints to the original series. Hokusai is known for including many subtle details and references throughout his work, and on closer inspection of this piece, you'll notice the distinctly summer time Mt Fuji shows off its wintery side in the lake's reflection. Hokusai is now showing at NGV International.
A longtime festival favourite among foodies, the Good Food & Wine Show, is back for its 2022 run. And, like always, the event packs a flavourful punch — there's the Good Food Village, which showcases artisan producers (with tastings galore); the Riedel Drinks Lab and its roll call of vino masterclasses; and The Kitchen by Harris Scarfe and its supercharged list of hospo heavyweights sharing their tips, tricks and favourite recipes. Here at Concrete Playground, good food and wine is our religion. We're up on the latest openings and frequent the delicious mainstays, we try out the hot-ticket ingredients (be it yuzu or alc-free liqueurs) and we happily attend events celebrating the tip-top of Aussie producers, dining venues and culinary talents. So, bringing it all under the one roof — with tickets for just $28 (or $35 with a tasting glass to keep) — is a sure-fire way to have us racing to plan a tasty itinerary for the day. After successful weekenders in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, the annual extravaganza is set to hit Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from October 21–23. This year is truly not one to be missed — read on for our picks at this year's shows. NOODLE SMACKDOWN AND DINNER INSPIRATION As someone who learns best by seeing things in action, I can guarantee you I'll be spending most of my Good Food & Wine Show at The Kitchen by Harris Scarfe. There'll be a bunch of live cooking demonstrations courtesy of well-known chefs sure to equip you with new kitchen tricks and some much-needed dinner inspiration. With so many incredible options available, it's tough to decide which class to attend. So far, I've got my eyes firmly fixed on Brendan Pang's Noodle Smack Down Street Food demonstration. Courtney Ammenhauser, Branded Content Manager A CHEESY WONDERLAND The food show is always a cheese wonderland, and tasting your way up and down Cheese Lane (and then up and down again) is a delicious way to spend your day — just mentally prepare yourself for those cheese dreams afterwards. Here are three little words that should get nearly everyone excited: cheese, chocolate and sparkling. This Good Food & Wine Show masterclass — hosted by cheese expert and owner of Smelly Cheese Project Valerie Henbest — is dedicating 45 minutes to the not-so-common pairing of cheese and choccie (with a glass of bubbles on the side), and is sure to tempt a crowd. You'll want to nab a ticket, stat, if you don't want to miss it. Sarah Ward, Associate Editor CULINARY STARS AND BIG, BEAUTIFUL BAROSSA REDS Since wine always tastes better when you know a bit about whatever the heck it is you're sipping, I'll be heading to the free palate appreciation classes at the Riedel Drinks Lab. The sessions are led by resident wine guy Nick Ryan and involve some expert tutelage, as well as tastings. In the midst of winter's chill, the class dedicated to big, beautiful reds is calling out to me. Libby Curran, Staff Writer A TICKET ESPECIALLY FOR THE WINE LOVERS First things first, I will definitely be nabbing myself a Wine Lovers Ticket. If you're into your fine drops, the extra dollars are well worth it — you'll take home a Riedel magnum tasting glass and an expert-selected bottle of vino, get exclusive access to back vintages and a tote bag to haul your goodies around in. The highlight in my eyes? Is it Really Better to be Single?, the punny wine-tasting masterclass that will have Nick Ryan chatting through the ins and outs of blending (and shining a light on why it's one of the most important skills in a winemaker's toolbox). A stop by the Good Food Village for a refuel by way of tastings and my day is made. Grace MacKenzie, Branded Content Manager EVENTS WORTH CROSSING THE DITCH FOR Confession: this is a hypothetical recommendation as I'm stuck over here in New Zealand and can't head to the show. But it may surprise Aussies to know that here in Aotearoa we are fanatical about MasterChef Australia. And no contestant has had an impact on me or my mother more than Brendan Pang during his tenures in 2018 and 2020. We were women obsessed. So, seeing him in real life whipping up dumplings and street eats during the Noodle Smack Down Street Food masterclass is absolutely worth booking flights across the ditch for. While I'm at the show, I'd definitely head to the Wine and Dine Tasting Room for Perfetto! Italian Food and Varietals, which combines two of my greatest loves: pasta and wine. Learning how to effectively match bold local drops to the diversity of Italian cuisine is almost as good as heading away on my own Euro-summer vacation. Almost. Sarah Templeton, New Zealand Editor Ready to start planning your tasty day out? Head to the website to explore the full lineup and book tickets. Top images: Jessica Wyld and Joseph Byford (last image)
Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs. It can take you a while to get your head around it. But although it seemed unlikely, there's actually a decent physical resemblance, and word is Kutcher pulls it off. Although it opens with Jobs showing off the iPod to his staff, the film Jobs soon reverts back to the early days of Apple, pre-black skivvies, though with Steve firmly in the lead. It documents the ups and downs of the '70s, '80s and '90s. Though his inventions are obsessively loved, Jobs is a character not without controversy, and the film will have you feeling sorry for him, then hating him, then loving him again and rooting for him, while at the same time shaking your head and saying to yourself 'Oh Steve'. Jobs is worth a watch if you are a fan of Apple products, his company and what he created, or a fan of biography that isn't about putting its subject on a pedestal. Jobs is in cinemas on August 29, and to celebrate we have 15 double in-season passes to give away. To be in the running, subscribe to the Concrete Playground newsletter (if you haven't already), then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au with your name and address. https://youtube.com/watch?v=3rOiXeKaUUM
