If your ideal holiday involves hitting the sea, sailing to a heap of countries and exploring some of the most famous sites in popular culture over the past decade, then come September 2021, you'll be in luck. With Game of Thrones turning Iceland, Northern Ireland, Spain, Malta and Croatia into must-visit tourist destinations, a new cruise is launching to take fans to all of the above places. Naturally, it's called Cruise of Thrones. While it isn't officially affiliated with Game of Thrones, HBO, author George RR Martin or any of the enormous page-to-screen hit's powers-that-be, Cruise of Thrones will let fans live out their love for their series on a prolonged boat trip through Europe. Two eight-day options will be available, so you can pick one or the other — or sail them back to back. If you choose the northern cruise, you'll head to Iceland and Northern Ireland, where the Fist of the First Men, the Bloody Gate, Jon and Ygritte's cave, The Wall, Castle Black, Hardhome, Winterfell, Pyke and the King's Road all await. Folks on the southern cruise will journey through Spain, Malta, and Croatia, visiting Sunspear and the Water Gardens, the Tower of Joy, the Citadel, the Long Bridge of Volantis, King's Landing and the Red Keep. https://www.facebook.com/CruiseofThrones/posts/2368376046808980?__xts__[0]=68.ARDKtajQ6dIZzuH_8UMZveijqPbNWJ88xfHW_GQ6UnaQKDIySSo9wuynxBaGqzaE5RMgt1kvfbiPP72SkIxqYTDdqXHeRnGBbDFK-S1ZNx11lNElAkoMAz5BV-jxuAQP9mHcE0XZZDPoam__mGLvNX6HDpDg8q9Yfl7Gcry4wRIkfhAie_ASB0hdAcp2jqDh_Cjst8zO-V4-mLh6B1crmVCQWS2-ersCur9OLezRpRJhekaONPIVxPti0say29XxAi5MN150hD4GC29nvksfKnoO8gDgkoO9qS6q_YzRnKTmZhRjx1etMSh__oC9OKhEc04moCBZYECoat6Q2twFitPl4s3w&__tn__=-R Apparently the luxury ship will be fitted out to suit the theme, too; think dining rooms that resemble Winterfell's feasting halls, other decorative touches that recall various places from the show, and plenty of encouragement to dress up and play along. Everything from panels, discussions and lectures to wine tasting, storytelling, a scavenger hunt and game shows is also listed on the cruise's website, should you be in need of some onboard entertainment. A reference to celebrity guests is also made — presumably meaning GoT stars — but no specifics have been provided. If you're keen, you'll need to have a hefty Iron Bank account, with prices starting at US$5130 per person for eight nights. Of course, if you're not overly fond of organised cruises, plenty of fans have been making similar treks themselves — and, from sometime in 2020, you'll also be able to visit a huge new (and official) GoT tour through sets, costumes and props in Northern Ireland. For more information about Cruise of Thrones, which is due to set sail in September 2021, visit its website.
Sibling rivalries and scandalous family secrets come bubbling to the surface following the death of a Moroccan business man, in this amusing and insightful (if mostly predictable) comic drama set at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea. Heavily indebted to the collected works of Jane Austen, the new film from writer-director Laila Marrakchi distinguishes itself via a purposeful sense of cultural specificity within a more broadly relatable story. Rock the Casbah offers some shrewd observations into a society caught between the Islamic world and the West, particularly in regards to the role of women. At the same, Marrakchi's portrayal of familial dysfunction feels so maddeningly familiar that you'd swear it all took place around your parents' dining room table. Born in Casablanca but educated abroad, one imagines that Marrakchi feels a certain connectedness with her protagonist Sofia (Morjana Alaoui), the youngest daughter of wealthy Tangier businessman who now works as an actress in Hollywood. She's the only member of her family to have left Morocco, and as such, finds herself feeling decidedly out of place when she returns home to attend her father's funeral. Amidst the gossip and judgements of her sisters Miriam (Nabine Labaki) and Kenza (Lubna Azabal) and the cold stoicism of her mother Aicha (Hiam Abbass), Sofia is forced to confront her strained relationship with her late father, as well as the demons surrounding the suicide of her other sister, Leila, under mysterious circumstances years before. The film's opening titles established the contradiction of Tangiers, as women in conservative religious garb relax on the beach alongside others in bikinis. Although still governed by long-standing patriarchal traditions, there's a sense that the country's value structures are becoming increasingly outdated. Marrakchi, an outspoken feminist, laces her mannered domestic comedy with no shortage of scathing social criticism, including a contemptuous portrait of a deadbeat uncle who stands to inherit the family fortune simply because he's a man. Nor does she show any qualms in calling out the exaggerated assumptions many westerners have about the Muslim world: one of the great recurring jokes of the film revolves around Sofia's inability to find an acting job playing anything other than a terrorist. The film is at its best when poking fun at cultural stereotypes such as these. Even as religious men prepare the deceased man's body for burial, his crotchety old mother-in-law chows down on a McDonald's value meal in the other room. We watch the sisters drink like fish, joking and giggling about sex. Likewise, we watch them argue, bitterly and without any sense of decorum. In other words, they're a family, probably a lot like your own. Loud. Judgmental. But mostly brutally, agonisingly honest. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Zud2_-im5aM
This post is presented by the All New Toyota Corolla Sedan. The best urban adventures are not only beautiful, stimulating and stacks of fun; they're fresh. They put you ahead of the curve. They make you one of the testers and connoisseurs. And they probably give you the Instagram coup of the day. There's plenty of fun to be had in this city each week, but there's only a small handful of these intrepid moments. We've partnered with Toyota to find the very best shiny-new experiences in Sydney. Presented by the All New Toyota Corolla Sedan, these are our picks to put you on the road to a life of goodtimes. Now your only challenge is getting to them all. Eat: Rocafelas It’s hard to believe there’s a sanctuary not far from the neon bustle of the Kings Cross strip. But there is. Let us lead you to Rocafelas, an Italian rock ’n’ roll eatery/bar that is only a stone's throw from the busy Bayswater Road. Yes, we did say rock ’n’ roll and sanctuary in reference to the same venue. Read on. With an aim to bring the local neighbourhood vibe back in to the area, owners Nate Johnson and Rocco Tozzi have made Rocafelas a place where you can eat great, cheap food, drink a longneck or a Normandy with your friends and listen to some rockin’ tunes — volume depending on their mood for the evening. It kind of reminds us of your cool uncle’s house. 1 Kellett Street, Potts Point Drink: Entwine Neutral Bay is having a moment. A delicious one. And Entwine Bar and Restaurant is just the place to savour the North Shore’s turn in the culinary sun. Step inside this sexy wine bar and wrap your lips around tapas from the seasonal menu whilst gazing at their gallery worthy collection of art-deco prints, or pull up a stool at the rather imposing moss-green marble bar and sample a tipple from their 200-strong wine and spirit list. A list so extensive could border on intimidating but fear not, head waiter Davide Moffa is on hand to expertly match wines with your food, suggesting combinations that are certain to delight if not excite the senses. 19 Young Street, Neutral Bay See: Interplay Most people have their biggest bash on their 40th birthday. But Sydney Dance Company will find any excuse to do things up, with a jaw-dropping performance set to mark the company's upcoming 45th anniversary. The company is gearing up to present Interplay, a triple bill with legendary choreographers Jacopo Godani, Gideon Obarzanek and SDC artistic director Rafael Bonachela. Working alongside some of Australia's finest contemporary dancers, each of the three choreographers will prove why they are so admired in their field. It's sure to be a breathtaking survey of the current landscape of contemporary dance. March 15 to April 5, Sydney Theatre, 22 Hickson Road, Walsh Bay Do: Mountain Sounds Festival If you could create the ultimate Australian outdoor festival destination, what would it look like? Waterfalls? Summer gardens, blossoming with natives? Beautifully landscaped rockeries? Mount Penang Gardens has it all. That's why they're home to the Central Coast's newest festival: Mountain Sounds. On Saturday, March 15, twenty-five home-grown music acts, gourmet food stalls and practising artists will converge on the gardens' eight hectares for a sustainably produced, boutique cultural experience. The lineup includes eclectic indie band Sea Legs, high-energy four-piece World's End Press, alt rockers Elliot the Bull, reggae-garage-surf rock group Tropical Zombies, lo-wave duo Buzz Kull and SOUSEME DJs, amongst others. March 15, Mount Penang Parklands, Kariong
UPDATE: JANUARY 7, 2020 — This event was originally set to be held at Marrickville's Factory Theatre, but it sold out in an hour. It has now been moved to The Enmore, which has a bigger capacity — meaning more tickets have gone on sale. The article has been updated to reflect this. Some of Sydney's favourite musicians are coming together for a one-off bushfire relief fundraising night. Taking over The Enmore on Saturday, January 11, City Loves Country will see the likes of hip hop duos Hermitude and Horrorshow, rappers Hoodzy and Nooky, Samoan and Indigenous Australian singer Rebecca Hatch and Thundamentals all taking the stage for a good cause. They'll be joined by a slew of top DJs — including Joyride, Kilimi and Jazmine Nikitta — with all profits from the event going to the Fire Relief Fund for First Nations Communities. The GoFundMe, started by Yorta Yorta man Neil Morris, is raising money for First Nations peoples on the east coast who have been affected by the bushfires. Many have had their homes destroyed or have been forced to evacuate and seek temporarily living arrangements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRrNCvCh_ig Tickets to the event will set you back $50. Top image: Hermitude by Andy Fraser.
Earlier this year, we loved Cathode Ray Tube's The Great Lie of the Western World, which took us into a inner-city Sydney home with a tenuously satisfied couple and their couchsurfing, pot-stirring mate. The independent theatre collective have written and produced three such original works since 2009, becoming known for a distinctive style that makes naturalism seem exciting. So when we heard they were coming back with a new production, we were keen to find out more of their story. Writing a whole new play in three months is nigh impossible, so this time they're mixing it up by going outside the group for the script, A Steady Rain by US writer Keith Huff; the director, Owen Trevor (BBC's Top Gear); and the co-star Sam O'Sullivan (Punk Rock). "I wanted to act, do something real badass," says Cathode Ray Tube's Michael Booth, "I was keen to do some Pinter. But this play is better." The critically acclaimed original production starred Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig in the roles of two cop buddies affected by a horrible crime (it's the show where they berated a guy in the audience to answer his ringing phone), so Booth and O'Sullivan have big, tough guyish shoes to fill. It will also be fun for the group to take a theatrical travel away from Sydney, where all their work is made and set. "Sydney is everything to the content of our work," says Booth. "We love this city. We write about the streets we know, the restaurants, the history, the people. Maybe not directly, but the culture is unconsciously imbedded in the dialogue. "Also, living in Sydney keeps us poor. It seems impossible to get funding, so we write when we can, because we have to. We asked Booth to share his five favourite spots in Sydney that are a little off the beaten path. Look out for possible veiled references to them in future Cathode Ray Tube shows. 1. A bench on Darling Point Road Corner Loftus Road. It's the best view of the city. Has a lovely foreground with the yachts of Rushcutters Bay. They should make a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle of this view. It's good to sit and contemplate the city and all its beauty and wickedness. 2. Petty Cash Cafe, Marrickville Incredible poached eggs. Ditto coffee. Very pram-friendly. There's a nice park to look at, too. 68 Victoria Rd, Marrickville, NSW 2204; http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petty-Cash-Cafe/163033108963 3. Rozelle Particularly the outlook that faces back to the city. Oh, the topography! I visited Owen [Trevor, director of A Steady Rain] and his gorgeous wife when their little man was a bub. I think I could live there when I have a family. 4. Not Just Coffee, Paddington Are we mentioning too many cafes? (Never. -ed) Sam [O'Sullivan, Booth's co-star in A Steady Rain] said this one is good. 264 Oxford St Paddington, NSW 2021; http://www.notjustcoffee.com.au/ 5. Bungan Beach Drive there by the Roseville Bridge. Did I mention topography? Oh, my! Bungan on a stormy day makes me feel like Jim Hawkins. A Steady Rain plays at the TAP Gallery from November 20 to December 8. Tickets are $30 on Thu/Fri/Sat and $22 on Tue/Wed, while the previews on November 20 and 21 are just $17. Book here.
How does it feel to watch Timothée Chalamet play Bob Dylan belting out 'Like a Rolling Stone'? The second trailer for A Complete Unknown — a title that also stems from the same song featured in the new sneak peek — is here to help you find out. Set to hit cinemas Down Under in January 2025, the new biopic steps through the early days of the music icon's career, focusing on how Dylan became a sensation. A Complete Unknown's subject has been no stranger to the screen for decades. Martin Scorsese has made not one but two documentaries about him. I'm Not There had six actors, including Cate Blanchett (The New Boy), play him. The Coen brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis couldn't take a fictional tour of the 60s folk scene without getting its protagonist watching him onstage. And docos about him date back to 1967's Don't Look Back and Festival. Only A Complete Unknown has Chalamet (Dune: Part Two) picking up a guitar, however, now that Dylan is getting the music biopic treatment again. With the curls and the gaze — and the early 60s-era wardrobe, too — the film's star looks the part in both the initial trailer (which dropped 59 years to the day that the 1965 Newport Folk Festival took place, where Dylan performed acoustic songs one day and went electric the next) and the just-released latest sneak peek. Chalamet also sings the part as the Wonka and Bones and All star transforms into the music icon at the start of his career, another reason for the movie's title. In a picture directed by Walk the Line helmer James Mangold — swapping Johnny Cash for another legend, clearly — A Complete Unknown charts Dylan's rise to stardom. The folk singer's early gigs, filling concert halls, going electric at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival: they're all set to be covered, including his famous performance at the latter. "They just want me to be singing 'Blowin' in the Wind' for the rest of my goddamn life," notes Chalamet in the new look at the flick, as it digs into the impact of his fame and the expectations that it brings. As well as Chalamet as Dylan, Mangold (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) has enlisted Edward Norton (Asteroid City) as Pete Seegar, Monica Barbaro (Fubar) as Joan Baez and Scoot McNairy (Speak No Evil) as Woody Guthrie — and, because he isn't done with Cash yet, Boyd Holbrook (The Bikeriders) to step into Johnny's shoes. Elle Fanning (The Great), Dan Fogler (Eric) and Norbert Leo Butz (The Exorcist: Believer) also feature. Check out the full trailer for A Complete Unknown below: A Complete Unknown releases in cinemas Down Under on Thursday, January 23, 2025. Images: courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2024 Searchlight Pictures All Rights Reserved.
Check out the full photo gallery It’s one-seventh the travel time to Woodford, one-fifth the number of Southern Cross tats at Field Day, as picturesque as Falls, and the local line up is without parallel. Yep, if you were among those who chose to bring in the New Year at Peats Ridge, I don’t have to tell you that you made a wise decision. For those of you who didn’t, here’s why you shouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Day One With open-air yoga classes, healing sessions and kids running amok, Peats Ridge feels more like a gypsy community than a music festival. The sheer number of workshops and craft stalls means you could spend a whole day without your children (win) and without seeing any music. Having said that, come mid-afternoon you would have been hard-pressed to go past Canadian rockers Yukon Blonde, who played like they were aiming to blow a speaker. For other reasons, it was difficult to overlook the Dum Dum Girls, whose indie-pop tunes came second fiddle to their strategic dress sense and homogenous hairdos. In the Chai temple, barefooted folk sprawled over colourful carpet and couches were treated to an electrifying Steve Smyth, who mesmerised his audience with a spine-tingling rendition of Harry Belafonte’s ‘Sylvie.’ If you missed him, you missed one of the best acts of the festival. Later back at main stage, golden boy Xavier Rudd and his hypnotic five-piece, one-man band sung songs about Mother Earth and the evils of mankind to an adoring crowd. A fitting reception for a man who plays the didge like nobody’s business. Day Two The morning after saw more than a few dusty revellers slumped over chai lattés and gözleme. However Friday’s bill didn’t pander to anyone’s hangover. Compounding a throbbing headache were Melbourne’s Graveyard Train, who proved that all you need is a few swashbuckling dudes, a guitar, and some basic hardware tools to rock out. San Fransisco’s Hanni El Khatib took a less humble approach, describing his music as being ‘for anyone who’s ever been shot or hit by a train.’ Right. Well that may have explained the small turn out. Nevertheless, Khatib’s punchy guitar riffs soon had the space packed. A solid blues rock act like that is hard to follow, particularly when you’re armed with a bunch of classical string instruments, but the Crooked Fiddle Band dished out their special brand of high-energy ‘chainsaw folk’ to a wildly appreciative crowd. As the night drew on, dorky-cool Japanese instrumental jazz group Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro had frenzied revellers chanting ‘baggy pants’ as if they were hip-hop heavy weights at an Up in Smoke Tour. Local boys Hermitude did a better job than the much-hyped Canyons at carrying the party vibe with their electronic hip-hop set and slow hip-swinging cover of MJ’s ‘Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough.’ Day Three Dress up day. Luckily the music line-up today was a real slow-burner, which allowed campers ample time to adorn themselves in body paint or to join the queue at Fancy Schmancy costume hire. The Paper Scissors got into the masquerade theme early (on ‘em) and delivered a strong live performance largely thanks to Ivan Lisyak’s incredible drumming. At main stage, the Gold Coast’s Tijuana Cartel mixed breakbeat with some mean Afro-Cuban percussion and flamenco guitar solos. By the time they dropped ‘Letting it go’ the crowd was putty in their hands. In fact Tijuana would have been a far better way to end 2011 than the much-anticipated Gotye. The festival’s main event was a total fizzler. In the absence of any crowd banter and special guests, it boiled down to a lacklustre performer churning out his better-known hits. At the very least he could have done the whole thing painted in the nuddy. Thankfully the en masse midnight merry-making and after-party that carried on at the psychedelic Pirates’ Lair were more than enough to make up for it. At a time when Aussie music festivals are increasingly overshadowed by drug and alcohol-fuelled idiots, it’s great to see that Peats Ridge has managed to maintain a feel good eco- and family-friendly vibe. With a dome dedicated to artistic performances, a plethora of stalls selling local organic produce and crafts, art installations and a staggering variety of fresh food and high-quality drinks (fresh lime and ice with your vodka? Shut. Up.), it’s clear that a lot of love and attention has been put into the running of this event. And the results speak for themselves.
As the old proverb goes, "One can't be fully cool unless one's beers are cool, too." This never applies more than in summer, on a scorcher in the Australian sun (hey pool party season, nice to see you again). Now that it's the southern hemisphere's turn to hang out with old mate humidity, it's imperative you seize the hot season well-prepared. Nothing is more important in summer than protecting your health and comfort (tube of SPF 50+, blow-up paddling pool with built-in drink holders) and we believe the right esky is part and parcel to enjoying your holidays. We've compiled a couple of our favourites to make sure your hallowed bevvies stay cooler than being cool (ice cold). [caption id="attachment_650565" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Kmart[/caption] BASIC In our experience, a basic model esky can come from a scour of your local hard rubbish or your parents' garage. But if your street community fails you, you don't have to shell out a lot to make sure your drinks get to be treated real nice. KMART COOLER For a no-frills model with a chill price, head over to everyone's fave bargain hoedown showdown: Kmart. For quick beach trips, try this little eight-litre gem — it's tough, and if you're wanting a bigger buddy, it comes in a variety of sizes (up to 45-litres). This is as basic as it gets, can hold up to 12 cans and is factory-made — let's not pretend. Pros: Cheap! And its size won't take an arm and a leg to haul across the sand. Cons: Considering their base model electric fans sell out on the first hot day of the year, be prepared to fight with other bargain-hungry beery folks. Price: $19 for the eight-litre. WILLOW 35-LITRE WHEELIE COOLER Or, there's Willow's 35-litre Wheelie Cooler. Made by a company Australian-owned since 1887, you can buy local as well as landing an aesthetically pleasing esky (just check out the blue-green gradient on this baby). There are cup holders on the lid and a handle to pull it so you'll be cruising over most terrain with ease. Pros: Australian-made in sweet beachy colours. Cons: A little light on features. Price: $75 TECHNI ICE CLASSIC ICE BOX Techni Ice also has a good basic option, though the price point is higher — at $238, their swish, all-white Classic Ice Box will match any colour of beverage you might like to insert in its pristine interior. Pros: Dual seal so no leakage so colder drinks. Its drain plug can be made into a water dispenser. Cons: No wheels — at 80 litres it might be a tough slog to haul around. Price: $238 [caption id="attachment_607797" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Williams-Sonoma.[/caption] DESIGNER If you just want a pretty-lookin' box of coldness and aren't too worried about the ins and outs (or the ability to carry an esky long distances with ease), pick one of these aesthetically pleasing, highly impractical options. WILLIAMS-SONOMA RED VINTAGE COOLER Williams-Sonoma has a lovely option with their red vintage cooler. It's a super bright cherry red so you can't lose track of where your drinks are, and it'll feel like you're in a Coke ad from the '60s. Pros: It looks reeeeaaal nice, and it has a built in bottle opener. Cons: A lack of tech aspect might mean it's less effective in doing its job. Also heavy when full. Price: $75 KINCROME RETRO DRINKS COOLER Or, head over to Kincrome: their smallish, pink, retro-themed esky will become the envy of everyone at Golden Plains. Kind of resembling one of those fancy Smeg fridges, this guy pulls an A+ in the looks category. Pros: Bumpers on the corners for when you inevitably hit your shin on them on your beer run. Pink and cute and novelty like a Katy Perry song (prime pool party equipment). Cons: Only has a 17-litre capacity and a fairly thin handle for carrying which may be uncomfortable. Price: $120 [caption id="attachment_607800" align="alignnone" width="1280"] Super Esky, Kelly's.[/caption] DELUXE Well, you're in this for the long game — you don't mess around with keeping your drinks cold and your party guests happy. Check out some deluxe options for those taking this seriously. How about Tropical Ice Boxes 62-litre blitzer? TROPICAL ICE BOX This big guy is legit — he'll hold your ice in its original form for four to ten days before the slush starts to kick in. Also, there are rubber grips on the bottom to prevent slippage. Pros: Perfect for multiple-day festivals or camping trips, and they mostly come in very tropical orange. Cons: It is really very orange. Price: Around the $230 mark. COLEMAN 58-LITRE XTREME COOLER The Coleman 58-litre Xtreme Cooler does, hopefully, what it says on the label and cools your drinks extremely well. It can keep ice for up to 5 days at 32 degrees and has pretty comfortable handles (just as well, as it's a big one). Pros: Huge mountain bike-like wheels for all terrain. Cons: The colours aren't too exciting — esky confusion in a crowd may occur. Price: $210 SUPER ESKY If you're willing to spend the big bucks and want something that won't blend into all the other eskies at the barbecue, splash out on the Super Esky 52-litre. It's suave, white, and has built-in storage and cutting board facilities, as well as dual drains. Pros: It has all the trimmings and is super high-tech. Cons: Pretty pricey. Price: $450 [caption id="attachment_607776" align="alignnone" width="1280"] The Cricket Cooler.[/caption] NOVELTY To wind up our list, we present to you the category of, "Good lord, would you just look at what these people with lots of time on their hands have created." Creativity! Resourcefulness! Probable sub-par working value! Worth a gander anyway. THE 'CRICKET COOLER' Bunnings stock this marvel of Australian design, made in our cricket team colours and sporting a bottle opener, utility holder... and, built-in wicket. Pros: It's an Australian-made, hilariously great idea. Cons: Its cooling powers as an esky are perhaps not as effective when used as cricket stumps; it's not terribly well insulated. Price: $100 Need a hang to go with that esky? Check out our Summer Guide.
So, that 'New Year, New You' resolve has started to fade and the end of summer's left you a little lacking in the motivation department. Well, online fashion retailer The Iconic reckons it has exactly what it takes to inspire us all to jump back into the fitness game — a sweet $135,000 worth of vouchers. The vouchers are up for grabs as part of The Iconic's 2019 Sport Challenge, which kicks off today, Tuesday, February 26. Now in its third year, the eight-week digital fitness competition sees Aussie and New Zealand participants of all skill levels winning vouchers for workout threads, shoes and accessories, by simply exercising and completing fitness challenges. It's free to enter, though you'll need to connect your go-to fitness tracking app or device (there are 13 different compatible apps, including Nike Run Club and Polar Flow) to access the 17 different challenges, divided into easy, medium and hard. Expect things like the beginner-friendly Champion Challenge — where you'll need to tick off three 20-minute workouts for the chance to score a $50 Champion voucher — through to the slightly sweatier Skins Challenge, offering a shot at claiming $50 worth of Skins gear, whenever you clock a non-stop 15km run. Rack up 2km of activity in one go and there could be a $100 Fitbit voucher with your name on it. The vouchers are redeemable online at The Iconic for a bunch of big-name sportswear brands, including Mizuno, Reebok, Nike, Adidas and Running Bare. Participants have eight weeks to smash as many challenges as they can, before the competition wraps up at midnight on Tuesday, April 23. The more times you conquer one, the more chances you'll have to score a prize. Sign up over at The Iconic Sport Challenge website and start moving.
Now before you say anything, this isn’t another fold-up bike. Let’s be honest, fold-up bikes can often be kind of awkward — even if they're as small as your umbrella. Indian company Lucid Design have created a conceptual 'Bike in a Bag' that would quickly disassemble into separate parts so you could fit it into your bag. The Kit Bike would be made up of 21 parts and assembled by twisting joints together using a rotating mechanism and secured with an Allen key. The diamond-shaped frame would be made up of hollow aluminium tubes and powder-coated white for a minimal, classic look. The bike would even come with its own circular leather bag designed specifically to carry the parts — wheels go on the sides and the extras in the middle compartment. "Conventional bikes are awkward in every way except when you ride them," says creative director of Lucid Design, Amit Mirchandani. "The Kit Bike was designed to make problems of shipping, traveling with and commuting with a bike, a thing of the past." Yes, there would be some challenges if you left home without your Allen key, and we have to admit we’d be a little worried about a detachable bike coming undone on our way to work, but there’s also great benefits to consider if you're travelling and you want to take in the sights on your own two wheels. Think about it. Just to clarify, this bike is not yet in production. It did receive a Red Dot 2014 Design Award earlier this year for the concept, but the comments left on the original Dezeen post show not everyone's as impressed: "Nice looking but I don't see it being sturdy enough." "It's awful, any design student can make a CAD model of a bike. No thought has gone into this design at all. Look how flimsy it is — does the designer even know what a bike is? Do they understand stress and material properties?" "Just look at that ridiculous gear ratio. Good luck pedalling over 10 mph on this thing... although I probably wouldn't feel safe riding it much faster." "People complain if they have to assemble an Ikea chair made of six pieces. Have fun assembling and disassembling your 20 piece bike every day, when commuting to work." "Never seen such bullsh*t." Watch this space, maybe Lucid Design can prove the haters wrong. Via Dezeen.
Stuck indoors and feeling blue? We don't blame you. So let us remind you of one of the best shortcuts to lifting your mood: music. Sure, it's not a particularly groundbreaking cure, but in these strange times, we've gotta grasp onto whatever small things will bring us joy (if only temporarily). We could launch into a lofty explanation as to why music is so important to us, relationships and culture, but that's probably not what you're here for. You're here because you're stuck at home and missing live music — the excitement when you find out a new artist you just discovered is playing at a local bar or the giddy anticipation as you walk into a huge concert arena or festival. Those times will come again. In the meantime, we're making do with gigs that are a bit more casual — so low-key in fact that you don't even need to wear shoes. Or even pants (just remember to shut the blinds). This year, we've teamed up with Miller Design Lab to showcase visionary musicians, designers and artists and celebrate our nightlife and its impact on culture to provide a safe space for creativity and self-expression. Grab a beer or make yourself a quarantini and get ready to boogie to some quarantunes (sorry). ARTISTS SUPPORTING ARTISTS Musician Milan Ring is one of the innovative artists to collaborate with Miller Design Lab this year. She's been making waves in the Aussie music industry for some time, having performed alongside names like Sampa the Great, Hermitude and The Rubens, and is currently working on her debut album. As a rapper, lyricist, guitarist and mastering engineer, her dynamic sound is best described as multifaceted — think elements of R&B, soul, electro and even reggae. So, it's safe to say that Milan's influences are pretty varied — and she certainly has her finger on the pulse when it comes to fresh sounds. Giving us a taste of what she's into right now, Milan recently created an extensive playlist that is jam-packed with the musical talent you should be listening to (if you don't already). Simply titled Friends, the playlist swings from the soulful sounds of Ngaiire and Silentjay to Arnhem Land rapper (and former Young Australian of the Year) Baker Boy, and is ideal for one of those lazy afternoons that ramp up to full-blown house party mode. CHALLENGE YOUR MATES TO A DANCE-OFF ON HOUSEPARTY Just because nights out are off the cards for a while doesn't mean your social life needs to go on hold, too. Hopefully, by now, you and your mates have video conference hangouts down pat and you've probably had some surprisingly fun nights indoors shooting the breeze and playing trivia. Next time, kick that competitive spirit up a notch with a good ol' fashioned dance-off. Turn your respective living rooms into your very own dance floors, stream the same playlist and show off your best moves — you'll think you're all at your favourite inner city bar together in no time. When it comes to picking the beats, everyone knows the best dance battle beats are those from your youth. This playlist, curated by British author, journalist and co-host of the pop culture podcast The High Low Dolly Alderton, delivers the goods. Aptly dubbed Pandemic at the Disco, it features a bunch of mostly 90s and 00s bangers, including 'Jump Around', 'No Diggity' and 'Work It'. Alternatively, check out Miller Genuine Draft's playlist, It's Miller Time, which features tunes from Mark Ronson, Lizzo and Bastille. LISTEN TO WHAT WE'RE LOVING Our mission at Concrete Playground is to guide you through the best cultural happenings across Australia. Usually, that includes outdoor adventures, electrifying gigs, epic art exhibitions and the latest restaurant and bar openings. Right now, we're focused on finding ways to bring those experiences to you, so your nights (and days) spent at home are anything but dull. And that includes new music. We can't point you in the direction of a local gig to check out, so we've created a playlist of what we're listening to during lockdown instead. This carefully curated list features some of our favourite Aussie musicians and it includes plenty of up-and-coming artists to fall in lyrical love with. Support them now by giving them a listen and perhaps donating to Spotify's COVID-19 Music Relief Project. Then, when lockdown's over you can get out and support them in person. PRETEND YOU'RE IN A EUROPEAN NIGHTCLUB Whether you've had to cancel a big trip to Europe this year or you're reminiscing a past vacation, a night spent imagining that you're tearing up a dance floor in a dark and sweaty European club will help you momentarily forget that it may be a while till you're actually able to travel again. To help create the vibes, crack out your disco ball or strobe machine, pop on the boating hat from that time you sailed around Croatia and head over to Boiler Room's Youtube channel. The platform has launched the Streaming From Isolation series, featuring sets from the likes of Berlin-based house and techno DJ Dixon and English electronic duo Disclosure. Most of the sets go for around an hour, but if you're in it for the long haul, check out DJ EZ's epic set that went for a whopping 24 hours. This is the second time the UK garage legend has done a marathon set (the first was back in 2016 for Cancer Research UK). He also recently pledged his fees for the festival gigs he did in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland earlier this year to bushfire relief — what a guy. IMAGINE YOU'RE AT A REAL-LIFE GIG We get it. Going to a gig is about much more than just the very good music. The lights, the graphics, the on-stage dancers and the crowds of people singing and dancing alongside you are all part of what makes a concert such an amazing (and addictive) experience. And, by the sounds of things, large-scale concerts are likely to be one of the last things to return as we transition out of lockdown life. While you wait, you can stream some epic productions online — and they don't get much more epic than the shows at the Sydney Opera House. While the institution is closed to the public, it's continuing to deliver its stable of quality cultural content via a free digital program, which includes full-length performances, talks, podcasts and behind-the-scenes content. You can witness (or relive) the magic of The Flaming Lips' technicolour Concert Hall performance for the 20th anniversary of The Soft Bulletin, Solange's 2018 Vivid Live gig, Bon Iver's 2016 Vivid Live gig or Missy Higgin's full 2019 Live from the Forecourt concert. For something a little different, there is also Sydney Symphony Orchestra's performance of Mahler's Das klagende Lied and the Sydney International Orchestra's stellar collaboration concert with singer Sarah Blasko. For more ways to celebrate your city's nightlife and recreate its energy in your own space, head this way.
How much better will you feel after spending a few days — or weeks, if you can — somewhere far away from your normal routine? How much happier will you be with a getaway to look forward to? Flight sales tick both boxes, sending you on a vacation and letting you revel in anticipation first. So if you were contemplating a holiday sometime between now and the middle of 2025, you might want to make the most of Virgin Australia's latest batch of discounted flights. Get your suitcases ready and book that annual leave: the Aussie carrier has dropped a week-long sale on international and domestic fares with prices starting at $49. There's over one million cheap flights on offer, covering trips to and from Tokyo, Bali, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and Queenstown among the overseas destinations — and also The Whitsundays, Hamilton Island, Byron Bay, Cairns, Hobart, Darwin, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and more locally. As always, the Sydney–Byron Bay route has the lowest cost, which is $49 one-way this time around. From there, other discounts include Melbourne–Launceston from $59, Sydney to the Sunshine Coast from $69, Brisbane–Proserpine (aka The Whitsundays) from $79, Melbourne–Gold Coast from $89, Sydney–Hamilton Island from $119, Adelaide–Alice Springs from $165 and Sydney–Perth from $219. For those excited about travelling further afield, cheap international flights span a heap of return legs, such as Melbourne–Queenstown from $405, Gold Coast–Bali from $499, Brisbane–Port Vila from $499, Sydney–Nadi from $529 and Cairns–Haneda from $609. This sale kicks off on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, running until midnight AEST on Monday, October 28 unless sold out earlier. And the cheap fares, which cover both directions between each point in the discounted route, start with Virgin's Economy Lite option. If you're wondering when you'll need to travel, these deals cover periods between Monday, November 25, 2024–Monday, June 30, 2025, with all dates varying per route. Inclusions also differ depending on your ticket and, as usual when it comes to flight sales, you'll need to get in quick. Virgin's 'let's get the plans out of our group chat' sale runs until midnight AEST on Monday, October 28, 2024 — unless sold out earlier. Feeling inspired to book a getaway? You can now book your next dream holiday through Concrete Playground Trips with deals on flights, stays and experiences at destinations all around the world.
If we're frank about it, so many plays promise the world and deliver a small domestic drama. Griffin Theatre's Jump for Jordan promises a small domestic drama but contains the world. Written by Donna Abela, Jump for Jordan was the winner of last year's Griffin Award for the best unproduced script. You can imagine that the play, with its lyrical tumble of words, would have sung on the page, and it's now been realised with a gargantuan level of gusto by director Iain Sinclair and a hilarious cast of mostly Arab Australian women. It takes place on a household set invaded by a sand dune, an evocative image created by designer Pip Runciman. Sophie (Alice Ansara) is a student of archaeology — a sweet conceit in a play where she's digging under layers of her own family history and identity. She's been on volatile terms with her mother, first-generation Jordanian migrant Mara (Doris Younane), since leaving home to live with her girlfriend, Sam (Anna Houston), and things are about to get tenser yet. Her younger sister, Loren (Sheridan Harbridge), has attained the major success of getting engaged to a man, and her mysterious Aunt Azza (Camilla Ah Kin), is on her way over from Jordan for the wedding. Sophie sees her mother amp up the traditionalism in front of her visitor ("it's like SBS in there"), and she agrees to join the charade. But pretending to be someone she's not is putting strain on Sophie's relationships and sending her into ruminations with her gentle, dear, departed father, Sahir (Sal Sharah). From this set-up, it probably sounds like the play is about the liberalism of the new country versus the conservatism of the old — a tired topic at the best of times. That turns out not to be the case. It's really about the conservatism of the diaspora, and how the psychology and sociology of the migrant experience can make so many people sadly, bitterly, detrimentally attached to a make-believe version of their homeland. I really loved Jump for Jordan. It's bold, ambitious, successful in its gambits, full of truths and the most high-energy beast on a Sydney stage. Abela has constructed a delicately layered piece where time and place run into each other like shifting sands, and it's been hardily honed at Griffin. The cast are all wonderful; Harbridge stands out for her ability to make anything funny, while the dynamic Ah Kin is perfect as Azza, whose elegance, openness and wisdom are so vital as the play progresses. One word of advice: Don't sit in the front row. This show is actually so high energy that it's almost like an assault from here. As with all hectic lives, Sophie's is best observed from a couple of steps back. Image by Brett Boardman.
You're in a rush trying to make it to work on time when you see them — that one acquaintance that just does not know when to stop talking. You try to duck into the nearest alleyway, but they've already spotted you. Cloak, a new app for the iPhone that calls itself "the antisocial network", can now help you avoid these situations. Cloak gathers location information from Instagram and Foursquare and uses this knowledge to create a map of where the user's 'friends' are currently based on places they have recently tagged as their location. It then creates a map that displays the distance between a user and their friends built around where the user is situated. Cloak allows users to flag particular people they are not especially keen to run into on the street, so when that person comes within a pre-determined radius, a notification is sent directly to the user's phone. Living in self-obsessed time, where friends are constantly sharing their latest haircut on Instagram, mundane thoughts on Twitter and relationship status on Facebook, more and more people are becoming fed up with the barrage of useless updates from friends, co-workers and acquaintances. This feeling of fatigue is met with the rise of the antisocial network. Instead of creating the next Facebook, app developers are more concerned with creating the complete antithesis to Facebook. Nextt is designed to help users plan in-person meet-ups with their friends, and Rando is a picture sharing site similar to Instagram, but users have no followers and no ability to like photos; instead, they randomly view photos from users all over the world. No stranger to antisocial networking, former creative director of BuzzFeed Chris Baker is one of the creators of Cloak. He has also developed apps like unbaby.me that replaced pictures of babies in your Facebook newsfeed with pictures of cats, which expanded into Rather, a Google Chrome extension that blocks unwanted Twitter and Facebook content. Hate with Friends, another app Baker created, allows the user to select Facebook friends they hate and will notify the user if the feeling is mutual between any of these "friends". Currently, the only apps Cloak collects location information from are Foursquare and Instagram, but the creators hope to eventually incorporate Facebook as well. Via Mashable.
Not content with doing big business in cinemas over the past decade, Marvel is bringing its superhero tales to the small screen, as part of Disney's already-announced plans to broaden out the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That was always going to be the case once the Mouse House moved into the streaming realm. In fact, producing a slew of high-profile titles for Disney+ was on its agenda right from the beginning. But, while Star Wars fans have already been able to enjoy The Mandalorian — which aired one season in 2019, and launched its second season this year — Marvel aficionados have had to hold out a little longer to get their episodic caped crusader fix. With 2021 almost upon us, that wait is almost over. Come Friday, January 15, the six-episode series WandaVision will become Disney+'s first MCU show — focusing on Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany), as the title suggests. But it'll have company within months, with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier due to hit on Friday, March 19 and Loki dropping sometime in May. And, if you've been feeling the lack of Marvel action this year due to worldwide cinema shutdowns, the latter two shows now have their first trailers. Clearly, no one at Marvel and Disney+ has been taxing themselves while naming these series. So, you instantly know who they're about. In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan reprise the eponymous characters and head off on a global adventure. Their exploits will span six episodes, too, and will co-star Daniel Brühl as Baron Zemo, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter,and Wyatt Russell as John Walker. In Loki, Tom Hiddleston is obviously back as the God of Mischief — and enjoying stepping into the trickster's shoes again, if the trailer is anything to go by. Viewers will watch his antics post-Avengers: Endgame, with Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant rounding out the cast. Yes, there are more shows in the works, too, with Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye due to hit sometime later in 2021, and She-Hulk, Moon Knight, Secret Invasion (about Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury), Iron Heart, Armour Wars, I Am Groot and a Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special all slated as well. But, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki are the only ones to drop their first sneak peek as part of Disney's big 2020 Investor Day on Friday, December 11 Australian/New Zealand time — while a new trailer for WandaVision also hit. Check out the first trailers for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki, and the new WandaVision trailer, all below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBfGvb7NzM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4JuopziR3Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBhlqe2OTt4 WandaVision will hit Disney+ on Friday, January 15, 2021. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will hit the service on Friday, March 19, while Loki is due on a yet-to-be-announced date in May.
With Halloween and the Day of the Dead not far behind, Newtown brings you a big party in a cemetery. Camperdown Memorial Rest Park's lush former headstones have retired behind the high walls of St Stephens Church, but though its pauper's graves lie long forgotten, the same mix of money, gothic overtones and the everyman remain part of what makes modern Newtown really buzz. The annual Newtown Festival brings together old school residents, nouveau riche and nouveau punk to swap clothes, check out the dog show and let all that music go easy on their ears. On the main stage, Gossling and the Barons of Tang wade among a host of other acts, while Ghostwood and Betty Airs hang out at the more Sydney-focused Essential alternative. Kids can compete to bling their bike, while MC Cyclery, proud parent of the Sydney Tweed Ride, will be hosting the rest of the Festival's Cycle Games Arena. In the writers tent, Bride Stripped Bare author Nikki Gemmell will air in public the art of airing sex in public and Lisa Pryor chats about the finer points in her Small Book About Drugs. There's a food swap at the Eco sideshow, while the Vocal Local Village offers you some of the more unusual acts in show.
Having firmly established itself as one of the country's best art and design markets, Finders Keepers is shaking things up when it returns to Sydney this May. One of two yearly events (the other will drop in summer), the Autumn/Winter session will have more of a 'festival' vibe with the introduction of an extensive food and entertainment program. The focus remains on supporting independent and up-and-coming artisans but the market is also ramping up its food and drink and entertainment offerings. Expect a whole host of food trucks to be on standby when the post-shop hunger strikes — covering everything from tacos and chutney to coffee and chocolate. And a roster of musical acts — including Central Coast duo Chymes and Purple Sneakers DJ Martin Novosel — will provide the soundtrack to your tour of the stalls. On the art and and design side of things, many of the usual suspects are set to return, including Bridget Bodenham's gold-embellished porcelain and quirky candles from You, Me & Bones. Indigenous community art centre Injalak Art will be on-site showcasing a number of its members' paintings and basket weavings as part of the inaugural Finders Keepers Indigenous Program. This new initiative is part of Finders Keepers' ongoing commitment to supporting emerging artists. A second program, the Finders Keepers Artist Program, will see the Tiwi Bird design by Bede Tungatalum for textile label Magpie Goose featured across all market collateral for the season. Plus, there'll be debut exhibitions from the likes of visual artist The Lost Collective and accessories brand Wmen The Label. Prepare to spend a good chunk of time foraging for artsy finds for yourself or a loved one — a friendly reminder that Mother's Day is the following weekend, too. Luckily, this year's trading hours have been extended to give you maximum shopping time, with things kicking off at midday on Friday. If you want to start creating your shopping list, head to the Finders Keepers directory to see the full scope of vendors. Finders Keepers Autumn/Winter Market will run from May 4–6, 2018; 12pm–9pm on Friday, 10am–6pm on Saturday and 10am–5pm on Sunday. Images: Mark Lobo
Since Pozible’s first line of code was written in Pyrmont in April 2010, the homegrown platform has delivered group love (and cash) to more than 4,500 projects. That means that 55 percent of campaigns make it rich. It also means that, of all the crowdfunding movers and shakers in the world, Pozible is among the top three. Not bad for half-a-dozen young Sydneysiders. So what does it take to make a Pozible campaign work? Crowdfunding expert Thomas Mai tells us, “Some of the biggest advice I give people is, show that you’re human. Don’t hide behind a logo. Our campaigns are bookmarked with people at the front and people at the end. People give you money because they’re emotionally involved. They need to trust you and like you.” Here are five Sydney-based campaigns that won over the people’s hearts. Or their tastebuds. Or their ears. Or their need to spend a day letting loose on Cockatoo Island. Check out more Pozible Sydney success stories at the Anything's Pozible pop-up, running March 7-13. Mr Black Liqueur Having perfected “the best coffee liqueur in the world”, Mr Black turned to Pozible to fund their first batch and host a launch party. Setting out with a $10,000 goal, the team raised $26,160, simultaneously attracting an abundance of thirsty media attention and hundreds of committed drinkers. “We used Pozible to get our booze in the hands of people who really care about what they drink,” co-founder Tom Baker told us. “Creative people who would respect the fact that we’re trying something a little out of the ordinary ... the campaign really kicked off a whirlwind ride that has been the last nine months. We’ve gone from zero to over 200 bars and bottle shops around Australia, cementing our place in the booze industry.” Oliver Tank Now playing solo shows at the likes of Sydney’s Metro Theatre and sold-out affairs at Melbourne’s The Corner Presents, Oliver Tank is quickly becoming an indie household name. Back in 2011, 62 Pozible pledgers backed him to the tune of $3,138 in support of his quest to vinyl-ise debut EP Dreams. At the time, he’d been gaining traction on both FBi and triple j, having been nominated for the former’s SMAC Awards and included in the latter’s next crop. Save the Rat Mid-2013, things were touch and go for Marrickville’s beloved maverick theatre, the Red Rattler. But at least 618 people didn’t want the alternative, artsy space to close, responding to The Rat’s Pozible campaign with a total of $45,306. This month alone, the program promises Bollywood drag shows, a fundraiser to help a devastated Filipino fishing community and the Women Scream International Poetry Festival. Friends of Dorothy If you watched the world premiere of William Yang’s autobiographical doco Friends of Dorothy at this year’s Mardi Gras Film Festival, or caught it on ABC1 on Sunday, March 2, you have Pozible (partly) to thank. At the last minute, Yang sought the crowd’s assistance to facilitate high-quality post-production. The $10,930 raised helped to make the film “as vibrant, colourful and loud as a Mardi Gras float”. Underbelly Arts Last year, Sydney’s freshest and funnest art festival received a mass-affection injection when Underbelly Arts teamed up with Pozible and the Keir Foundation. Several Cockatoo Island exhibitors ran campaigns, with Keir matching every dollar (up to $2500 per project). Successes included zin’s PARTY MODE, who threw an immersive, politically themed bash; Katie Sfetkidis’s dreamy jellyfish sculpture-meets-soundscape In Deep Water; and Benton and Clapham’s multisensory, French-influenced feast Tableau Vivant.
Uber might be stepping up its war on New York City’s famous yellow taxis, with the introduction of a pre-paid service last week. But it ain’t faring so well on this side of the Pacific. This morning, the New South Wales Road and Maritime Services (RMS) put the company on notice. Officially. And, as of midnight, September 30, 40 Uber drivers will have their vehicles suspended for three months. It's pretty serious stuff; if police catch any suspended vehicle on the road, they’ll view it as unregistered and uninsured. So, the owner will cop a $637 penalty on the spot and, if the matter goes to court, could be up for as much as $2200. As far as RMS is concerned, Uber is breaking the law. “Taxi and hire car services in New South Wales must be provided by an operator accredited by Roads and Maritime, in a licensed and insured vehicle, which is driven by an authorised driver,” Peter Wells, director of safety and compliance at the RMS, told the ABC. “Thousands of dollars in fines have already been issued to drivers offering illegal ride-sharing activities and compliance actions will continue.” Needless to say, the New South Wales Taxi Council welcomed the announcement. And the New South Wales Government has an independent task force looking into the future of taxis and hire cars. Its findings are set to reach the Government in October, so sit tight. Whether this will affect Uber in the long term remains to be seen. It's definitely not the first time the company has been hauled into an Australian court. Importantly, Uber's also been pretty open about their intention to simply pay the fine — the company has copped whopping fines in multiple countries, including a $1.7 million fine in Queensland in June 2015, and a hefty US$7.3 million in California, just to name a couple. And they simply paid the fine. Uber's likelihood to simply budget for these driver fines in the foreseeable future could prove problematic for the RMS, and the Australian taxi industry. Via ABC.
Nine months after the original controversy, the Chaser team will watch the ABC apologise to conservative commentator Chris Kenny, after the political satirists suggested he had sex with a dog. We realise that's a ridiculous sentence for a number of reasons, nonetheless today it's where we find ourselves. As part of the settlement proceedings for Kenny's defamation suit, an apology will be aired on ABC1 at 9pm tonight. However, the Chaser team will not apologise to Kenny whatsoever, instead sticking to their guns. This is understandably a bitter pill to swallow for the much-loved comedians who have railed against both the lawsuit and the resulting decision. After refusing to apologise and instead launching an internal review into the skit, the members of the Chaser were actually cleared of fault according to ABC editorial policies. Of course, this did little to resolve the issue. In an act of appeasement, ABC managing director Mark Scott issued a personal apology earlier this year. But the Chaser team were quick to offer their opinion. Re ABC statement today: http://t.co/uKfKMggo76 pic.twitter.com/L5mAFEtlbP — Jules Morrow (@julesmorrow) April 14, 2014 As part of the settlement proceedings for Kenny's defamation suit, the ABC's apology tonight is to be free of outside commentary and the Chaser team are explicitly prohibited from making public statements that detract from its sentiment, or republishing the sketch. The settlement also comes with substantial compensation for Kenny. The ABC are paying all of his resultant legal costs as well as an undisclosed amount in damages. As the Chaser crew continue to claim the original skit meets the editorial standards for satire, I wouldn't expect to see any remorse from the controversial comedians. Via The Daily Telegraph. UPDATE: In our first version of this article, we incorrectly stated the Chaser would be forced to apologise to Chris Kenny. It is the ABC, in fact, who will be apologising to Kenny and paying the settlement — The Chaser team have no intention of doing any such thing. We sincerely make apologies of our own to The Chaser, we should have know you wouldn't cave.
Fret no more about a frigid office or a sweltering apartment building. CrowdComfort, a new Boston-based startup, has come up with a web-based application that lets users input how they feel about the temperature of the area they are located, working out the hopefully happy medium. CrowdComfort bills itself as the first crowd-sourced thermostat. The app is installed on users' smartphones, where they can choose from five options (very hot, hot, just right, cold, freezing) about the temperature level in the particular space they are occupying. The responses are culled together and analysed, and a temperature recommended for each floor. The app's purpose is not solely to make building occupants more comfortable, though. The developers' larger goal is to reduce energy wastefulness through user feedback. Building maintenance can reduce costs and wastefulness while also providing more comfort to those in the building. CrowdComfort follows in the trend of recent cleanweb applications. Cleanweb refers to web applications and technology startups with the goal of improving productivity and efficiency while reducing energy consumption and waste. "Think of it as a gateway drug used to hook people on energy consumption awareness," said project leader Galen Nelson in a pitch meeting at VERGE Boston. https://youtube.com/watch?v=bk7QafAg7HM Story via Fast Company. Image via garrettc via photopin cc.
Time doesn't quite fly when you're setting up Australia's newest airline, with low-cost carrier Bonza first announced in 2021 but only securing regulatory approval to hit the skies at the beginning of 2023. Still, just weeks after receiving its Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), aka the official go-ahead, Bonza has just put its first-ever fares on sale — and will take to the sky from Tuesday, January 31. Yes, your 2023 getaways just got cheaper — and you now have a new way to fly off on holidays, too. The soon-to-launch carrier's aim: opening up routes to more of the country's regional destinations, flying 27 routes to 17 locations, and offering low-cost fares in the process. In its first batch of flights, one-way fares start at $49, with tickets available to 12 destinations on 15 routes. In this initial batch of fares, most routes leave from the airline's Sunshine Coast base, with the $49 options getting passengers to Coff's Harbour, Port Macquarie and Rockhampton. Legs to the Whitsunday Coast, Mackay and Newcastle come in at $59 from the Sunny Coast, while the $69 fares include trips to Albury and Townsville. The most expensive? $79 to get to Victoria's Avalon airport, Mildura and Cairns. Departures from Cairns to Mackay cost $49, and to Rockhampton costs $59. Bonza's just-dropped first fares also include Rockhampton to Townsville for $49 and Newcastle to the Whitsunday Coast for $79. The number of flights per route varies, ranging from two to five — with the Sunshine Coast to Cairns getting the most each week. When its full range of flights hits the air, the airline will also service locations such as Bundaberg, Gladstone and Toowoomba, in Queensland — plus Tamworth in New South Wales — as part of its big focus on regional destinations. Bonza's second batch of fares is expected to drop in a few weeks, covering flights from its second base in Melbourne To book, you'll need to download the airline's app. For travellers who have already done so, the carrier advises that you will need to delete it and then reinstall the latest version to get access to reserve flights. App-only reservations are one of Bonza's points of difference, unless you're booking via a registered local travel agent. Another: a previously announced all-Australian in-flight menu, spanning both food and craft beer. Passengers will get soaring in planes given names as Aussie as the carrier's itself: Bazza, Shazza and Sheila. The trio will take passengers to places they mightn't otherwise been able to fly to, too, with Bonza noting that 93 percent of its routes aren't currently served by any other airline — and 96 percent of them don't presently have a low-cost carrier. The airline is launching with the backing of US private investment firm 777 Partners, which also has a hand in Canada's Flair Airlines and the Southeast Asian-based Value Alliance. Bonza's fares don't include baggage and seat selection, which you need to pay extra for — and it is cheapest to do so when you make your booking, rather than afterwards. Bonza is set to start flying from Tuesday, January 31 , with flights on sale now. For more information, and to buy fares, head to the airline's website, or download its app for Android and iOS.
Yes, it was Agatha All Along — the title for Marvel and Disney+'s WandaVision spinoff about Agatha Harkness, that is. Since the show was announced back in 2021, it has been given plenty of names, but House of Harkness, Coven of Chaos and Darkhold Diaries aren't sticking around as the miniseries' moniker. Instead, it's going with the tune that everyone who saw the character's first on-screen appearance now has stuck in their heads. Also new: a release date for the show. Agatha All Along will hit streaming queues from Wednesday, September 18, 2024. If nothing else joins the Marvel slate between now and then, that'll make it just the second Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series of the year, after Echo (by design, with the Mouse House noting several times that it wants to better space out its releases). View this post on Instagram A post shared by Marvel Studios (@marvelstudios) When the MCU made the leap to Disney+ back in 2021, WandaVision was the first program to arrive. It also finally made everyone take notice of the always-great Kathryn Hahn (Tiny Beautiful Things), who stole every scene she was in each and every time that she popped up — hence Agatha All Along getting the green light. Obviously, WandaVision was about Wanda and Vision, with Avengers: Endgame's Elizabeth Olsen (Love & Death) and Paul Bettany (A Very British Scandal) reprising their roles. But Hahn played a significant part as neighbour-slash-witch Agatha, even nabbing an Emmy nomination for her efforts. So, because she was such a fan favourite, Disney magicked her up her own show. Hahn returns, of course, to play a character that has a considerable history — only some of which WandaVision dived into. In comic books, she's been around since the 70s. Story-wise, her tale dates back to the Salem witch trials. Agatha All Along also stars Joe Locke (Heartstopper), Patti LuPone (Beau Is Afraid), Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off), Sasheer Zamata (Unfrosted), Emma Caulfield Ford (a Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum) and Debra Jo Rupp (That '90s Show). There's no trailer for Agatha All Along yet, but you can get the Emmy-winning tune of the same name stuck in your head below: Agatha All Along will be available to stream via Disney+ from Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Read our review of WandaVision. Images: Marvel Studios, Disney.
If you've ever dreamed of whiling away your days in an ultra-luxurious pad, then prepare to come down with a huge case of house envy. The winners of the 2018 Houses Awards have been announced and they're seriously impressive, as they are every year. Taking out the prize for House of the Year is the Cabbage Tree House in Sydney's Bayview. A win for the team at Peter Stutchbury Architecture, it's set into the hillside in the city's northern beaches, and was described by the jury as "authentically and poetically embracing its landscape setting." The dwelling also picked up a second award, for best new house over 200m². Spreading the architectural love around, abodes in Brisbane and Melbourne picked up various gongs as well, alongside other Sydney spots. Brunswick's Nightingale, by Breathe Architecture, emerged victorious in the sustainability category; Highgate Hill's Terrarium House by John Ellway was a joint winner in the house alteration and addition under 200m² field, with Bronte's Hole in the Roof House by Rachel Neeson and Stephen Neille; and Bolt Hole by Panov Scott Architects was anointed the best house in a heritage context. Check out the full list of House Award winners, below.AUSTRALIAN HOUSE OF THE YEAR – Cabbage Tree House by Peter Stutchbury Architecture (Bayview, NSW) NEW HOUSE UNDER 200m² – Springhill House by Lovell Burton Architecture (Springhill, VIC) NEW HOUSE OVER 200m² – Cabbage Tree House by Peter Stutchbury Architecture (Bayview, NSW) HOUSE ALTERATION AND ADDITION UNDER 200m² – Hole in the Roof House by Rachel Neeson and Stephen Neille (Bronte, NSW) and Terrarium House by John Ellway (Highgate Hill, QLD) HOUSE ALTERATION AND ADDITION OVER 200m² – Morningside Residence by Kieron Gait Architects (Morningside, QLD) APARTMENT OR UNIT – Boneca Apartment by Brad Swartz Architects (Rushcutters Bay, NSW) GARDEN OR LANDSCAPE – Coastal Garden House by Neeson Murcut Architects with 360 Degrees (Bronte, NSW) SUSTAINABILITY – Nightingale 1 by Breathe Architecture (Brunswick, VIC) HOUSE IN A HERITAGE CONTEXT – Bolt Hole by Panov Scott Architects (Woollahra, NSW) EMERGING ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE – Brad Swartz Architects and Zuzana & Nicholas
Fans of huge pop-culture behemoths, we hope you have a comfortable couch, because you're going to be spending a lot of time sitting on it over the next month or so. Not one, not two, but four massive franchises are dropping new streaming series between now and mid-September — and with everyone's queues set to be so busy, one is now arriving a little later than initially planned. That show: Andor, the second Star Wars Disney+ spinoff for 2022, following Obi-Wan Kenobi. Originally set to debut at the end of August, it has just pushed its premiere date out to Wednesday, September 21, arriving after Marvel's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon and the Middle-earth-set The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power — so you'll be waiting a bit longer to dive into its tale of espionage and rebellion. The rest of the series' details remain the same, though — including providing a prequel to 2016's Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and bringing some spy thrills to a galaxy far, far away. And yes, like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor takes a favourite big-screen character and steps back into their story before the events that viewers have already seen. As its title makes plain, Andor focuses on its namesake — Cassian Andor, again played by Diego Luna (If Beale Street Could Talk). Star Wars fans have already seen him as a Rebel captain and intelligence agent, and also watched how his story ends, hence the show's need to jump backwards. The focus: following Andor as he discovers how he can play a part in fighting the Empire. Indeed, charting the rebellion, and how people and planets joined in, is the series' whole remit. Alongside Luna, Andor sees filmmaker Tony Gilroy (The Bourne Legacy) — who co-wrote the screenplay for Rogue One — return to the Star Wars franchise as the series' creator and showrunner. And, on-screen, Luna is joined by the Genevieve O'Reilly (The Dry) — who is also back as Mon Mothma — as well as Stellan Skarsgård (Dune), Adria Arjona (Morbius), Denise Gough (Monday) and Kyle Soller (Poldark). Oh, and a cute-looking new robot that was first scurrying around in the show's initial trailer, although how big a part it'll play is yet to be revealed. Andor also just dropped its full trailer, which teases the titular figure's quest to make a difference against the Empire — with a big push at first, and with help where he can get it afterwards. Unsurprisingly, the mood is grim and weighty. "The Empire is choking us all slowly. We're starting not to notice," Andor is told by Luthen Rael (Skarsgård). "What I'm asking is this: wouldn't you give it all to something real?" Andor is set to span two seasons, both running for 12 episodes each and adding to Disney+'s ever-expanding array of Star Wars programming. Also on its way: the third season of The Mandalorian, which'll arrive in February 2023; and the recently announced Skeleton Crew, which'll star Jude Law and hit streaming queues sometime next year as well. Check out the full trailer for Andor below: Andor will now start streaming via Disney+ from Wednesday, September 21. Images: ©2022 Lucasfilm Ltd & TM. All Rights Reserved.
Once a year, Gelato Messina gives Australia's dessert fiends the chance to fill their freezers with its coveted frosty wares. While anyone can walk into the chain's stores on any day and leave with a stockpile of gelato thanks to its take-home packs, being able to choose from Messina's greatest hits is a special treat. Can't live without tubs of Robert Blondie Jnr (white chocolate gelato, blondie and white chocolate fudge sauce) at hand? Adore You Cannoli Live Twice (chocolate crème patisserie gelato with chocolate hazelnut fudge, candied hazelnuts, and crushed cannoli shells) so much that it's all you'd eat if you could? This is your annual time to shine. In the two decades that Messina has been in dessert business, more than 4000 special flavours have made their way through the chain's gelato cabinets around the country. Each year, it releases 260 specials, in fact. Yes, that's a lot of scoops. To celebrate some of these oldies but goodies, the chain brings a selection of these flavours back every now and then — and also occasionally busts out its entire top 40 greatest hits. That's happening again this winter, based on the past year's top flavours. Lucky folks in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide will be able to treat themselves to a treasure trove of limited-edition gelato varieties. Originally, the greatest hits specials were a buy-in-shop-only deal, but the chain went with preordered tubs in 2020, so no one had to worry about long queues and empty cabinets. In 2024, Messina is splitting the difference, meaning that year's run will be a little different. Only 20 of the 40 flavours will be available for preorder, then 20 more will be spread across its weekly specials for a month. So, gelato fiends can initially preorder 473-millilitre tubs of 20 flavours from Monday, July 22. You'll then need to pick them up from Sydney's Marrickville, Tramsheds, Bondi, Darlinghurst, Norwest, Brighton Le Sands and Rosebery stores; Fitzroy and East Brunswick in Melbourne; South Brisbane in Brisbane; Braddon in Canberra; Highgate in Perth; and Kent Town in Adelaide — all between Friday, August 2–Sunday, August 4. Individual tubs are filled with just one flavour and will set you back $19, or you can get three for $54, six for $100, nine for $135 or — if you have the freezer space — 20 for $280. After that, head by your local Messina weekly from Tuesday, July 23 to see which other 20 adored varieties temporarily rejoin the menu. For the first batch, Messina has unveiled the list of faves making a comeback. As always, it's stacked with deliciousness, just like your freezer will be. Get Baked (with baked caramel cheesecake gelato with dulce de leche and smashed baked cheesecake), Have a Gay Old Time (caramel and milk chocolate gelato with chocolate-covered biscuit crumbs) and Cinnamon Cone Crunch (cinnamon cereal milk gelato with waffle cone crunch) are all among the choices. Good luck trying to pick just one, or even a mere few. The first 20 of Gelato Messina's 2024 Greatest Hits will be available to preorder on Monday, July 22 with pick up between Friday, August 2–Sunday, August 4 from Perth's Highgate store (orders from 11am AWST); Fitzroy and East Brunswick in Melbourne, South Brisbane in Brisbane and Braddon in Canberra (orders from 12pm AEST); Sydney's Bondi, Norwest and Rosebery outposts (orders from 12.15pm AEST); Sydney's Marrickville, Tramsheds, Darlinghurst and, Brighton Le Sands venues (orders from 12.30pm AEST); and Kent Town in Adelaide (orders from 12.30pm ACST). The remaining 20 will drop in-store from Tuesday, July 23 across a month.
When Pixar is at its best and brightest, the animation house's gorgeous and heartfelt films flow across the silver screen. They glow with colour, creativity, sincerity and emotion. In movies such as WALL-E, Inside Out, Soul, Toy Story 4, Up and Ratatouille, the Disney-owned company's work floats beyond the ordinary as it flickers — and yet, it's also grounded in genuine feelings and insights, even while embracing the now Pixar-standard "what if robots, playthings, rats and the like had feelings?" setup over and over. Accordingly, it makes sense that the studio's Elemental draws upon the sensations that its features usually inspire. It seems like something that was always destined to happen, in fact. And, it's hardly surprising that its latest picture anthropomorphises fire, water, air and earth, and ponders these aspects of nature having emotions. What's less expected is how routine this just-likeable and sweet-enough film is, with the Pixar template lukewarm instead of an inferno and hovering rather than soaring. Elemental also treads water, despite vivid animation, plus the noblest of aims to survey the immigrant experience, opposites attracting, breaking down cultural stereotypes and borders, and complicated parent-child relationships. The Captain Planet-meets-Romeo and Juliet vibe that glinted through the movie's trailers proves accurate, and also something that the feature is happy sticking with exactly as that formula sounds. Although filmmaker Pete Sohn (The Good Dinosaur) draws upon his own upbringing as the son of Korean expats growing up in New York City and its distinctive neighbourhoods — that his family ran a grocery store is worked in as well — and his own marriage, his second stint as a director is too by-the-numbers, easy and timid. Elemental looks like a Pixar film, albeit taking a few visual cues from Studio Ghibli in some character-design details (its bulbous grassy creatures noticeably resemble Totoro), but it largely comes across like a copy or a wannabe. Ember Lumen (Leah Lewis, Nancy Drew), the feisty fire sprite at the picture's centre, has footsteps to follow in herself: not just William Shakespeare's most famous couple without the tragedy given that this is an all-ages-friendly Pixar release, but also her father Bernie's (Ronnie del Carmen, Soul). With her mother Cinder (Shila Ommi, Tehran), he left their homeland behind for better opportunities, worked hard to overcome prejudice and discrimination, and started The Fireplace, which sparked Element City's whole Firetown district — and, since she first started simmering, he has always told his daughter that it was all for her. But Ember's temper is heated. It's prone to boiling over with frustrating customers, which doesn't bode well for a convenience-store proprietor. So, while she's spent her whole life preparing to take over the terracotta- and iron-filled shop when her dad retires, he's never been convinced that she's ready. Bernie adores Ember, has put his entire flame into the family business and is as passionate about only one other thing, apart from Cinder. Due to the xenophobia and unkindness that greeted him when he first arrived in Element City, he's scorchingly certain that fire and other elements don't and shouldn't mix. Sohn and screenwriters John Hoberg (American Housewife), Kat Likkel (also American Housewife) and Brenda Hsueh (Disjointed) set out to extinguish that belief, which is where Wade Ripple (Mamoudou Athie, Archive 81) comes in. When H2O streams into The Fireplace via a busted pipe, it brings in the water element, who is also a municipal inspector. To save the store, the explosive Ember teams up with the go-with-the-flow, freely emotional Wade to work out what's caused the leak — and, although she's initially reluctant about him and leaving Firetown, romance gushes, as does an appreciation of burning beyond her comfort zone. As it lays its scene, Elemental also brings Pixar's 2022 highlight Turning Red to mind, which doesn't do the studio's new film many favours. That exuberant straight-to-streaming effort focused on a boyband-worshiping teen rather than a dutiful young woman who's a whiz at blowing glass (an advantage of being constantly and literally fiery). It honed in on its protagonist's relationship with her mother, rather than father-daughter bonds. But both movies are about struggling with balancing cultural traditions passed down through generations, and the strict expectations that can come with them, as kids try to become their own people and remain true to their own, heroes, dreams, desires and personalities. Sohn's film just combines those notions with an element-crossed lovers rom-com — Pixar's take on Moonstruck, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Big Sick and other multicultural romances. With everything that Elemental endeavours to ape — which is clearly a lengthy list — this 27th Pixar feature trickles from a lesser stream. That the flick's four different types of elements are thinly sketched out and lean on simplistic cliches dampens its impact, too, all uncharacteristic moves for the usually deeply thoughtful Mouse House outfit, and never more glaring than with the Lumens. With the director also receiving a story credit, there's again no faulting Sohn and his scribes' intentions in exploring societal inequality, decrying racism, and conveying a statement about inclusion and diversity at viewers young and old. Still, the film is at its most shimmering emotionally and narratively when it gets specific rather than broad. The more kindling that it adds to Ember, the stronger it beams. The more that it relies upon its familiar tropes and plot components, the more it recedes. Two parts of Elemental are perennially buoyant, however: the imagery and voice cast. Fire isn't easy to animate, let alone fire beings, but Ember is especially dazzling. She's always blazing, but those flames can grow and fade based on mood, be doused completely by water, get radiant in the dark and change hues depending on her surroundings — and, as a result, she's an expressive marvel. Also stunning: the world of Element City that's conjured up around her, as tinted with a dreamy palette and watercolour look, which its leads walk and talk through like they're in one of the Before movies. As they chat and swoon, and in general, Lewis matches her character's fire. Athie makes a suitably cruisy Wade, while Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek) is an unsurprising delight as his mum Brook. And yet, Elemental also feels like Pixar is taking its titular term to heart in the worst way, making for rudimentary rather than particularly ravishing or resonant viewing.
Peter Jo, better known in the industry as 'Kimchi Pete', boasts a resume from the likes of Sydney's Berta, Momofuku Seiobo and the now-closed 121BC and Melbourne's Belles Hot Chicken. While working as a sommelier at the aforementioned venues, the self-taught chef has also been in the kitchen for a host of pop-ups. Luckily, his latest venture is more permanent. This month, Jo opened the doors to his first solo venue Restaurant Shik. The new Korean diner along Niagara Lane is combining a family-style, ethically sourced menu with an expertly curated wine list. The restaurant is inspired by the food Jo grew up with, having started out at his parent's popular Korean barbecue joints, Madang and Danjee in Sydney's CBD. He has continued to expand his knowledge and love of the cuisine, with a keen interested in how it fits into the Australian dining culture. The restaurant offers casual dining for 65 guests — bar seating included. The concise menu uses traditional recipes and techniques like lacto-fermentation, salt-preservation, curing, pickling and drying. Jo has also worked closely with farmers, foragers, producers and suppliers to source ethical, sustainable and fresh Aussie ingredients. He aims to demonstrate the scope of Korean cuisine, splitting the family-style menu into four sections: entrée, grilled, braised and banchan (traditional side dishes). Think pig skin terrine with garlic chive dressing, kimchi-marinated grilled pork neck and braised blue mackerel with Korean radish and chrysanthemum leaf. The banchan includes seasonal kimchi along with jangajji (pickled veg) in perilla leaf, green tomato and Korean cucumber varieties. The wine list is an epic sommelier's collaboration between Jo, Liz Carey (ex-somm at Semi Permanent) and Josh Begbie (ex-Embla), who will act as the restaurant's sommelier going forward. Like the menu, the wines are similarly concise but diverse, focusing on eco-conscious vineyards. It is sure to have some extra special drops on there – as to be expected from this caliber of wine minds. Restaurant Shik is now open at 30 Niagara Lane, Melbourne. Opening hours are Monday through Saturday from 5pm to 11pm.
Many books are regarded as unfilmable because there's just too much going on. Man Booker Prize winner Life of Pi was regarded as unfilmable because the extent of the drama is a boy floating on the open ocean alone but for the company of a tiger. Tenacious director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) has put paid to that question with his mesmerising adaptation that's also one of the most spectacular applications of 3D in contemporary cinema. Pi (assured newcomer Suraj Sharma) is a boy of 16 for the main events of the story, his name short for Piscine Molitor Patel and inspired by a swimming pool. It's 1977 and his parents operate a zoo in French-influenced Pondicherry, India. But they decide to emigrate to Canada and sell the animals, some of which accompany them on the ocean journey to their new home. A storm sinks the ship, along with all on board besides Pi — and some of the animals. He finds himself sharing his lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a tiger (called Richard Parker), and it's a long 227 days before he finds inhabited land. It's also 211 of 354 pages of the novel — 211 pages for which he doesn't speak to another human. And yet it's never hard to read, nor, importantly, hard to watch. The framing of the narrative is done through an interview the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan) gives to the writer (Rafe Spall), but it's very cool that Lee and screenwriter David Magee tell the guts of the story without narration. It allows all the tension, uncertainty, and enigma of living in close quarters with a tiger to rule and lets both the acting and CGI shine. The slipperiness of a magic realist world has also been beautifully translated. Pi's 227 days at sea include encounters with flying fish, luminous phenomena, and an island far from paradise as well as negotiating with his tiger friend, and each of these moments is stunning. Some see Life of Pi as a 'proof of God' argument, which may put a few people off. It's not that; it's a graceful proof of why people believe in God, which is a different and welcome thing in a world where cross-spiritual understanding is not always abundant. No wonder distributors have chosen to release it in the flurry of self-improvement that comes with New Year.
These days, loads of places do raclette — Loluk, Handpicked Wines and Jardin St James are just a few that spring to mind. But you know who did it first? Bistro Papillon. And now the Clarence Street restaurant is bringing back its famed Soiree Raclette series — on the first and third Monday of each month, the charming French restaurant will dish up a fromage-filled feast of your cheesiest of cheese dreams. For $55 per person, the two-course dinner kicks off with one of Bistro Papillon's signature French-style entrees, like garlic and parsley baked snails, or a chicken liver parfait teamed with prune chutney. That's followed by the main event: a traditional dish of golden, oozy raclette. The cheese is scraped hot from the wheel straight onto your plate to complement an assortment of smoked and cured meats, potatoes and slices of crunchy baguette. Throw in a glass or two from the restaurant's all-French wine list and your week will be off to a very solid start. Book a table in advance on the website.
Shen Shaomin's Summit brought world leaders together at last year's Biennale to ponder the global financial crisis. Each was preserved motionless under glass. In 4A's The Day After Tomorrow he offers some similar sensibilities. I head the sound of distance is twelve sculpted bells, which can be played as you enter: painted porcelain rings, while another is resonant brass. There is a deep, thumpy plastic bell, a steel hammer almost impossible to lift, and two small wooden bells that tap out orchestral hoofbeats. They don't prepare you for the centrepieces upstairs. I want to know what infinity is, invites you to put blue covers over your footwear and stride out into a desert of salt. This black room smells of glue, the salt crunches. In the corner, a naked old woman sits on a white deckchair. Wrinkled and sleeping, she looks like the salt has withered her in death, like a too-intimate Guanajuato mommia. But she breathes, only sleeping and serene, with shoulders cuddled along the deck chair and her feet adrift among sheets of salt. Opposite, in I sleep on top of myself, infants and adult animals lie on white mounds. Three piglets together, a dog, a mildly nodding chicken, a sheep with its young. Their hair or feathers lie stripped around them, as pillows. Soft pneumatic breathing and hot-house spotlights make them seem to live. Throughout, they slip around your perception. They flick back and forth, seeming to be incubated embryos then appearing like plucked meats awaiting the oven. In this exhibition, with these animal forms laid out opposite the old woman at rest, Shaomin's suggestion seems to lie more in sympathy for the animals, but he makes nothing implicit. Leaving, the humidity of the spotlights falls away and the crunch of the salt brings you back to yourself. Image: I heard the sound of distance, Shen Shaomin
Dream a little about a Greek summer adventure with the new Yamas Hour at The Apollo. Bringing the best of Hellenic taverna-style food to Potts Point, the restaurant's take on a feel-good happy hour will make your tastebuds and wallet cheerful, with everything on the menu $15 and under. To give you an idea of what delights await, the sample menu features a sumptuous selection of mezedes, ranging from Sydney rock oysters with cucumber and dill to calamari tiganita and lamb souvlaki with almond dukka. The drinks menu also features numerous options primed for a hot summer night, including refreshing beers and wines hailing from local streets all the way to Greece. For something to share with friends, get the Karpouzi spritz jug ($40), featuring vodka, Aperol, watermelon and lemon. Running until February 13, bookings are available Monday–Thursday from 5–6pm.
Heading on holiday and finding somewhere to stay isn't just about camping, glamping or checking into a fancy hotel. Sometimes it's about completely escaping into your passions. Love Marvel? You'll soon be able to stay in a superhero-themed establishment. Obsessed with Star Wars? Yep, you'll be able to sleep like you're in a galaxy far, far away as well. Have a soft spot for Toy Story? You guessed it — you can also slumber in spaces inspired by Andy's bedroom. Continuing Disney's love of immersing fans in their favourite movies, you'll soon be able to indulge your affection for Toy Story in Japan. In 2021, Tokyo Disney Resort is set to open a Toy Story-themed hotel. When you're done exploring the broader park, around 600 rooms will await, all nodding to Pixar's first and most beloved franchise. And it won't just be the hotel's interior that brings Toy Story out of the screen and into your waking — and sleeping — life. The building's exterior and its gardens will also look like they're made of toys. Inside, expect brightly coloured furniture and plenty of appearances by Woody, Buzz Lightyear and company. There'll also be themed dining options, as well as that theme park staple: a gift shop. If this is the news you need to lock in that 2021 Tokyo trip — to Japan and beyond! — that's understandable. If you can't wait, this isn't the first Toy Story hotel at a Disney theme park. In 2016, Shanghai Disney Resort took those honours — and, yes, everything from the sheets to the wallpaper to the complimentary slippers references the animated films. The Shanghai park also boasts a dedicated Toy Story Land as well. Via Disney Parks Blog.
A few weeks back, the City of Sydney got together with Carbon Arts to run the City Data Slam. It was essentially a directed hackathon for Sensing Sydney, which takes the data the City uses to try to meet its sustainability goals and makes it interesting. Over a three-day weekend, invited artists, coders and some ISEA guests tried to find new information buried in this city data and ways to explain it. On the Sunday, each of the teams presented their solutions and Concrete Playground went along to check out some of the ideas. Data'll Be All Making sense of complicated numbers is a problem we've been struggling with for decades, and you've probably got the results of previous attempts on your phone. Whether you've personally been trying to make sense of big space numbers, powers of ten, two hundreds years of development or just trying to sort your tax, you've been working the problem. And there's stuff hidden in there. XML data, web publishing and mp3s weren't obvious candidates to revolutionise radio until they added up to podcasts, nor combining the tech in Gmail and word processing to make something like Google Docs. Equally, who knows what City data — like waste, water use or cycling sensors — could add up to in the right combinations? Sustainability and climate change are two of the City of Sydney's big focuses in interpreting their data, and they're also, as Carbon Arts founder Jodi Newcombe says "often identified as 'wicked problems' or 'very wicked problems'. And those are [problems] characterised by the fact that people who are trying to solve them are also creating the problem as well." The visualisations and ideas from the Slam are meant to give individuals a way of finding a little leverage into these wicked problems. Lycra Forecast: Low Artists Tega Brain and Gavin Sade used a speed data feed from city cycleways — which output a daily report on how many cyclists go in what direction — combined with the inference that fast cyclists are likely to be harder-core, lycra-clad 'MAMILS' (Middle Aged Men in Lycra). So their plan is to measure this with the Lycra Index. Slow moving cyclists like Sunday riders or families can use the index to work out whether it's a good day set out on the lanes at low speed. MAMILS, conversely, get to see whether it's a good day for a speedy commute into work. Cycling 365 Brain and Sade's choice to work with cyclists acme sprung from the work of Mitchell Whitelaw, who also tapped into public bike feeds to prototype a tool visualising a year's worth of cycling data in a web browser. The city has magnetic sensors in bike lanes, much like the ones that detect cars at a set of traffic lights. In the troughs of the usage data, Christmas, New Year's and bike festivals start to become obvious. Race for a Low Number Carbon Arts was also looking to commission an artwork for Art and About that played with City data feeds. The winner of the commission was artist Keith Deverell, who plans to use sport to make some inner-city buildings' environmental footprints more obvious. Six or so screens will be lined up side by side in September. On each, the image of a marathon runner will represent each building's energy usage, drawn from public energy data. Low usage will make these virtual runners run a better race, high usage a poor one. Each runner's image will be assembled live using VJ software, pretty much like a computer voice assembles its artificial sentences out of prerecorded pieces. Keep Up With the Joneses Zina Kaye and Mr Snow from Holly were similarly interested in big buildings. Engaging with the problem of modern apartment blocks with no incentive to keep their fancy water recycling systems running efficiently, they proposed a series of lobby indicators, reports and rewards to help residents to both keep up with the Joneses, and stay up to date with how well their building's waste systems are working. Get Some Data With Your Coffee Jon McCormack and Greg More worked with data tallying how cafes use energy in different parts of their shop. They split the data into colour-coded graphs picking apart each element of the premises' electrics. From this, they proposed all cafes have coffee cups and outdoor branding colour stamped with their own energy consumption profile. Like shopping for organic, single origin or fair trade coffee, you'd be able to shop for a more efficient caffeine fix. More Plumbing, Less Hack Javier Candeira described his idea as more plumbing than hack, per se. Rather than receive data from cities, banks or media, he'll help people broadcast their own sustainability data outward on the wider web. The idea is to upload it to compare your own usage against what other people use living in similar circumstances. Say, in an apartment or in a three-person share house. "Facebook for devices" Xively does this already, but needs special hardware. Candeira's plan is to get all this going with the stuff you have already. Sucking Up Info from Around Town Andrea Polli, and fellow members of ISEA guests the Social Media Workgroup, proposed networked sensors called GNOMES (Geo-locative Networked Outdoor Monitoring Environment). These sensors measure ambient environmental conditions, like the energy that can be sucked out of the air around a city via RF (radio waves). By Sunday they've set up a functional recording device using a coffee cup cabled to electronics. Less innocuous than the GNOMES, it records passers-by's ideas on how to make the city more sustainable. Photos by Lucy Parakhina. Lycra index mock ups by Tega Brain and Gavin Sade, apartment foyer mockup by Zina Kaye and Mr Snow, street interface by Jon McCormack and Greg More, and GNOME by the Social Media Workgroup.
Just in time to celebrate the brand's 20th anniversary, Sydney Brewery Alexandria is up and running in a sprawling, industry-chic space. Having acquired the former home of Rocks Brewing Company — a casualty of Australia's struggling craft beer scene — Sydney Brewery now enjoys vastly improved brewing capacity, not to mention a sweet location with enough room for 300 guests. Leading the acquisition was Dr Jerry Schwartz of the Schwartz Family Company, owners of Sydney Brewery. Following the announcement, the tap house was renamed Sydney Brewery Alexandria, building upon the brand's existing operations, which include Sydney Brewery Surry Hills and the Sydney Brewery production facility in the Hunter Valley. With the brand's craft beers and ciders in hot demand, the extra brewing capability is more than welcome. Besides a good-quality brew, food will be a major focus at Sydney Brewery Alexandria. In the kitchen, Head Chef Chris Reynolds and his team have shaped a bold menu brimming with fresh, shareable options. Elevating your usual pub feed, expect house-made pasta like gnocchi alla vodka and garlic prawn linguine, alongside premium burgers and staples like chicken schnitzel and steak frites. Also on offer are Nepalese dumplings, chicken wings, or salt and pepper calamari to share with your pals. From its central Alexandria spot, guests will have plenty of space to spread out, with covered and al fresco seating primed for casual catch-ups and group gatherings. Decked out with exposed brick, steel accents and striking street art, the venue offers an inviting ambience whether you're hanging out with a few drinks or seeking a fully-fledged feed. "The milestone is important not just for Sydney Brewery, but for the whole industry," said Dr Schwartz about the brand's 20th anniversary. "When I established Sydney Brewery, the craft brewing sector was in its infancy, and we have managed to grow our capacity and range progressively ever since then." Founded in the basement of the Macquarie Hotel under the Schwartz Brewery name, Sydney Brewery was born in 2012, aspiring to champion the city's emerging craft scene. Before long, a major production facility launched in Lovedale, then a Surry Hills venue followed in 2018. Now, the Alexandria site offers an additional 20hL brewing capacity, ensuring the brand has just what it needs to meet demand for the foreseeable future. Sydney Brewery Alexandria is open at Sydney Corporate Park, 160 Bourke Road, Alexandria. Head to the website for more information.
Art enthusiasts, collectors and creators, we have news for you. The Other Art Fair is returning to Sydney this October for its second stop in the Harbour City for 2023. From Thursday, October 12–Sunday, October 15, you'll find the Fair in the sandstone expanse of The Cutaway at Barangaroo. This supersized concrete void of a venue boasts immense ceiling height, acoustics and ample natural light — perfect for an event with this much colour and popularity. If you aren't already in the know, The Other Art Fair is a roaming international art show that allows you to view, discuss and purchase art directly from an emerging artist, rather than deal with the red tape and hurdles of buying through a gallery or agencies. It's not only a good thing for those who appreciate and collect art, but it's also a great set up for artists who are yet to land representation or have the means to market their work to a broader audience. The Fair boasts an extensive roster of 130 artistic talents across multiple mediums — each selected by a committee of experts so you'll be purchasing quality work and supporting the local creative scene. And there's more than just the artwork — there'll be immersive installations, performances, DJs and a fully stocked bar. Some of the highlights you can expect at October's edition include a create-your-own animation station with cartoonist John Paine, a futuristic mind-reading robot locked in an indestructible cube and a pop-up tattoo parlour from Nah Mate Pokes and Ink Sphinx. Opening night tickets are available now for $35 before they go up to $40 on the door. If you head along to the first night, you'll be treated to free entry for the rest of the weekend. If you're just keen to attend between Friday–Sunday, you can score a $9 discount and purchase a $21 ticket in advance, or pay $30 on the door throughout the weekend.
Summer music festivals are all about embracing the best things in life — good vibes, great friends, and epic tunes. But Secret Garden Festival is about to turn the happiness factor up to out of control joy, announcing it'll host an actual wedding ceremony when it returns to Brownlow Hill Farm next February. Held from February 24-26, the annual festival is a 48-hour celebration of music, creativity, and disco-infused fun, held against a lush forest backdrop, just one-and-a-half hours outside of Sydney. It's renowned for its stellar lineup, with Gang of Youths, Montaigne, and Parquet Courts just some of the acts to have graced its stages in the past. But at 4pm on Saturday, February 25, the main stage will host a very different kind of celebration — the nuptials between Sydneysiders Alexis and Jimmy. Festival director Clare Downes says her crew is pretty stoked to be taking on wedding planner duties, promising one hell of a party for the lucky lovebirds, their friends and family, and all other festivalgoers who'll be getting in on the loved-up fun. "Alexis and Jimmy sent us an email a couple of months ago and I had to rewrite my response about nine times because I was way too overexcited," she told Concrete Playground. "They had already locked in the February 25 for their wedding, but they were just really struggling to find a venue and a celebrant etc — so it was a no brainer. I'm just so stoked they are letting us organise their wedding." While past years have seen Secret Garden host kissing booths, faux weddings, and plenty of dance floor pashes, Alexis and Jimmy's February knot-tying will mark its first official wedding ceremony. We just hope you've got your invite — tickets to the festival is already sold out. ❤️ Secret Garden's first ever REAL wedding... and they have asked us to plan it 😏💥🎉 A video posted by Secret Garden (@secretgardenfestival) on Dec 12, 2016 at 1:25pm PST Secret Garden Festival will take place on February 24-26, 2017 with Alexis and Jimmy's wedding taking place at 4pm on the Saturday on main stage. For more info on the festival, visit secretgarden.com.au.
Jumping in the shower has always been a reliable jet lag fix for long-haul travellers, but there's only so long cold water can prevent you from awkwardly slumping onto random people's shoulders before waking up with a start and thinking you’re late for something that happened yesterday. That might be a thing of the past if Delta's 'Photon Shower' comes into fruition. This Star Trek-like chamber showers light instead of H2O, so while it won't get that weird cabin odour out of your hair, it will give you a lasting boost of energy. The shower was exhibited at TED Long Beach Conference on Wednesday by Professor Russell Foster of Oxford University. Foster talked guests through his research on how the body responds to light, explaining that our responses can help reset the body clock during periods of exhaustion. This makes the photon shower a saving grace for travellers but also suggests it could provide refreshment to insomniacs, nurses on night shifts and people who have run out of coffee and can't be bothered going to the store. Using the photon shower starts off like using a self check-in counter and finishes with a sensation we imagine to be similar to stepping into warm sunlight after coming out of a movie theatre. Simply input your travel information, get inside and experience a sequence of (hopefully warm and tingly) light patterns designed to meet your individual needs. Just think of all the recent release in-flight movies you'll be able to watch without worrying about catching z's. Via Ad Age.
Online retail giant Amazon has finally hit Aussie shores, just in time for the mass shopping frenzy that is the month of December. Funny that. And if you're the kind of Christmas shopper that rates online stores over jam-packed shopping centres, well, amazon.com.au will most likely become your best mate during the festive season. The just-launched local website features a huge range of products across a number of categories and it's promising quick and convenient delivery on all purchases. So how will it work? Will it be heaps cheaper? Here's how Amazon's Australian presence will change the way you do your Christmas shopping. YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ORDER (PRETTY MUCH) EVERYTHING IN ONE SPOT While Amazon's Australian offering doesn't quite have the full gamut of services that it does elsewhere, the website boasts 'millions of products' across 20 categories — so it's still one seriously well-stocked online store. The lineup features well-known local brands, alongside smaller Aussie businesses and it's mind-blowingly broad. Find sports and outdoor equipment, video games, electronics, books, home improvement items, beauty products, tools, music, fashion, toys and Amazon's own devices, like the Kindle E-Reader and the Fire TV media streaming stick. You can shop with the Amazon Shopping app or online at amazon.com.au. And, you can trawl the growing Amazon collection, track your orders and read customer product reviews all in the one place, rather than switching between windows and suppliers. YOU'LL SAVE MONEY — BUT ONLY ON SOME THINGS There's been plenty of talk about how Amazon's price points will be way lower than elsewhere on the interwebs. While there are pretty low prices across the site, you're not going to be scooping up the savings with every last item you click on. In fact, some may even be more expensive. Still, you might save a few dollars buying things like kitchen appliances, clothing and beauty products here, rather than from competitors or even direct from the brand's own online store. But the really big wins are the ones you'll find in the technology department, where you can save yourself up to a couple of hundred dollars buying products like laptops, speakers and camera gear. We found a HP Laser Jet Pro printer for $666.95 on Amazon, which HP itself sells online for $899, while the Sonos Playbase speaker is going for $80 less than it is elsewhere. An online tools retailer is even selling a hydraulic rivet nut tool for a tidy $600 less as an Amazon seller than it is on its own website. ORDERS WILL BE SHIPPED FROM MELBOURNE In some metro areas of the US, Amazon offers free same-day delivery to its Prime members, made possible thanks to the huge collection of warehouses it has located throughout the country. Australia's currently got just the one Victorian fulfilment centre, but with Amazon's local expansion, we'll probably see delivery times shorten here as well. Although, it's hard to say how Amazon will be able to service Australia's vast spread. Right now, shoppers will score free delivery on eligible orders over $49 that are sold by Amazon, which ain't too shabby at all. Orders will be packed and shipped from the company's new Melbourne fulfilment centre in Dandenong South, so they'll be in your hands pretty soon after purchase. One-day priority delivery — for a $9.99 to $19.99 fee, regardless of how much your order comes to — is even available in some parts of the country.
For most of us, a bus stop is a means to an end, a necessary layover during our daily travels, and the place that helps you get from point A to point B. In Singapore, however, the transport hub on Jurong Gateway Road is the kind of place people might actually want to spend time at. When a bus stop has a rooftop garden and free books, you won't want to leave in a hurry. The structure has the bland-sounding name of Project Bus Stop, but it's anything but ordinary, as Australian commuters will instantly recognise. The rampant foliage certainly doesn't escape attention, with the six-metre-by-three-metre green roof boasting trees and drought-resistant shrubs, as well as planter boxes and even a swing underneath. If feasting your eyes on soothing natural sights isn't enough, you can bury your head in a book courtesy of a rack of novels available for everyone's reading pleasure — and if you can't find something that you like, e-books, magazines and newspapers are available to download for free. In fact, the entire bus stop is a tech-savvy delight, thanks to free wifi, phone charging stations, and interactive smartboards that display route and arrival information, Conceived by a group of designers from DP Architects, Project Bus Stop aims to turn the commuting space into a place of social interaction and make waiting for buses an enriching experience. Imagine that — actually enjoying waiting for a bus. Aussie cities, take note. Via Travel and Leisure. Image: Infocomm Media Development Authority / Our Favourite Place.
Following the success of last year's Pokémon Go craze, the latest smartphone foray into augmented reality sees the launch of Snapchat's art lens, which will again see people wandering around using their smartphone to locate 'virtual objects' all across the globe. This time though you can claim a cultural pull, because instead of hunting collectable monsters, you'll be scouting out three-storey-high digital sculptures by acclaimed American artist Jeff Koons. Having dabbled plenty in AR with its face-morphing selfie filters and World Lens feature, Snapchat's now dropped a series of Lenses that will let users view a selection of Koons's colourful installations in specific locations worldwide. Right now, the series includes a shiny gold balloon dog in New York's Central Park, a rainbow playdough sculpture on Brazil's Copacabana Beach and a monumental likeness of Popeye at Sydney Opera House. Each sculpture will remain virtually in one place for a few weeks, before moving to a new location. If you're hooked up with the latest version of Snapchat, the app will give you the option of using the art lens when you're within 300 metres of one of the sculptures. The sculptures will appear on your screen once you're nearby — you can't miss them. Snapchat's also put the call out for other artists to jump aboard their virtual global art exhibition — here's hoping some local works are added to the mix.
Watching The White Lotus isn't a passive pastime. Whether it's unleashing ultra-luxe hell in Hawaii or getting scathing in Sicily, HBO's Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning hit drama about the one percent, their lavish getaways, their deep-seated problems, and the gross inequality between the haves and have nots demands active engagement. And, even when it isn't airing, it still gets fans sleuthing — wondering where the show's next season will head, as we all have been since season two wrapped up. Before that last batch of episodes ended — just three episodes into season two, in fact — HBO announced that it was bringing the series back for a third go-around. Originally, The White Lotus was meant to be a one-and-done miniseries, but it was that excellent (and that popular) that it's now running with an anthology setup. Next stop: Thailand, probably. The best new show on TV in 2021, and one of the best returning shows of 2022 as well, The White Lotus will still keep with its new year, new vacation season, new gorgeous destination, new cast approach. After months of speculation, Variety is now reporting that it'll be set in Asia. HBO hasn't yet confirmed the news, however, but it's likely that's where you'll be lusting after holidays at next. As part of its prediction, which Variety has sourced from multiple folks close to the publication, it's expecting that The White Lotus season three might stick with filming at Four Seasons resorts — which've doubled for the titular fictional hotel chain for two seasons so far. That puts four spots in Thailand on the list: in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui and the Golden Triangle. Of course, wherever The White Lotus heads — and whoever it sends to its next scenic locale to have the supposedly best but actually worst time of their life, because the cast hasn't yet been announced — viewers will watch. Creator/writer/director Mike White (Brad's Status) has hinted at focusing on "death and Eastern religion and spirituality" already, too. "It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus," he said in a clip at the end of season two's finale. When the show was renewed for season two, HBO hailed White's success with the series. "Reflecting on The White Lotus' humble, run-and-gun origin as a contained pandemic production, it's impossible not to be awestruck by how Mike [White, the series' creator] orchestrated one of the buzziest and most critically acclaimed shows," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. "And yet, he's only continued to reach new heights in season two, which is the ultimate testament to Mike's raw, unparalleled vision," Orsi continued. "His courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humour and buoyant directing style, have us all dreaming of more vacation days at the resort we've come to adore. We couldn't be more thrilled to get the chance to collaborate on a third season together." There's obviously no trailer yet for The White Lotus season three, but you can check out the trailers for seasons one and two below: The White Lotus' third season doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The first and second seasons of The White Lotus are available to stream via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand. Read our full reviews of season one and two. Via Variety. The White Lotus images: Fabio Lovino / HBO.
The Italians. Good food, good wine, good catchphrases, and good looks. The Italians make the finest cheese, the sweetest pastries, and the heartiest of family feasts. The culture of eating and drinking Italian style is such an adored facet of Sydney's diverse dining scene that Concrete Playground has decided to showcase some of the best all in one place. Let us present to you our guide to Italian Sydney. 1. Best for group festas: Popolo Here's where punters can find some of the best Southern Italian cuisine in Sydney. Both owners are ex-Fratelli Paradiso staffers and retain from their previous employment the adage 'first in, best dressed'. Only half the restaurant's tables are bookable so we recommend you get in quick. Suited for a group celebration over a southern Italian feast or a solo excursion, Popolo is an insider tip for one of Sydney's best Italians. 50 McLachlan Avenue, Rushcutters Bay; 02 9361 6641; www.popolo.com.au 2. Best for Lovers: 121BC 121BC is the bar attached to the eponymously named boutique bottle shop in the wilds of Surry Hills. With a focus on regional Italian flavours, 121BC's wine list changes monthly, and is complemented by the menu of fresh, seasonal food which is uniformly delicious. The folks behind 121BC are also particularly concerned with 'bio-dynamic', natural wines, the kind that are preservative-free and linger on the tongue. One of Sydney's most exciting and authentically Italian wine bars. Do it. 4/50 Holt St (enter via Gladstone St), Surry Hills; 02 9699 1582; www.121bc.com.au 3. Best for gelato: Gelato Messina Gelato Messina is old school; it's been around since 2002 and they aim to make ice cream the way it was done a hundred years ago. More than 40 flavours are made daily on the premises and come at you via paper cup or waffle cone. "For traditionalists, Gelato Messina has all the staples of the classic gelato repertoire. There's vanilla bean, chocolate and all manner of fruit sorbets. But for the daring, the real specialty is Messina's conceptual ice cream flavours," says Gelato Messina's co-owner Declan Lee. 389 Crown Street, Surry Hills; www.gelatomessina.com 4. Best for pizza: Vacanza in the Hills Let us introduce you to the god of traditional southern Italian pizza. Vacanza in the Hills is the ticket. Emphasising the southern Italian connection, the kitchen staff are from the home country and slide out thin-based pizzas of the more traditional variety. The Vacanza is sprinkled with truffle oil and grated pecorino, Il Sacaceno peppered with prosciutto and parmesan, and Il Capitano laced with fennel sausage, goat's cheese, and roasted mushroom. 414 Bourke Street, Surry HIills; 02 8964 6414; www.vacanzainthehills.com.au 5. Best in the North: The Italian What a treat the north shore has been served. No longer must local Mediterranean enthusiasts trek to the inner west for fabulous Italian fare. Italian feels like the village trattoria you have in your Italy-inspired dreams. The pastas are named after their region of origin, the wine list extensive, and atmosphere aplenty. A food-focused team make this suburban gem zing, and the result is an authentic Italian experience with a distinctly local focus. 191 High Street, Willoughby; 02 9967 5468; www.theitalianwilloughby.com.au 6. Best for a Beautiful Life: Cafe Sopra Cafe Sopra, literally 'above' the original Frat Fresh in Waterloo, is another level of deliciously fresh delights. Sopra's policy is menu items that emphasise the best that Fratelli has to offer, focusing on fresh produce. The resulting dishes are light, fresh and exciting: a mix that is perhaps at its best in the morning hours. 7 Danks Street, Waterloo; 02 9699 3550; www.fratellifresh.com.au 7. Best for salumi & antipasti: Parma On a prime real estate corner on Crown Street sits Parma. Named after the north Italian town famed for parmigiano reggiano, prosciutto, and Barilla pasta, Parma has imported these flavours and a relaxed cafe/bar interior to Surry Hills. The menu is a large and diverse Italian spread offering entrees, mains, and desserts. Our go to? The Nutella panzerotto for an indulgent finish. 285A Crown Street, Surry Hills; 02 9332 4974; www.parmacucina.com.au 8. Best for Mama's cooking: Baccomatto Osteria You're unlikely to get authentic home-cooked Italian food unless your mama or papa is from the homeland, but hey you're in luck. Baccomatto, meaning "mad mouth" in Italian, isn't trying to be fancy pants fine dining, but a relaxed place to socialise. In doing so, with authentic regional dishes and sauces, it succeeds where other stuffier places fail, in good-natured service and a lack of omnipresent Buddha Bar ambient beats in the background. 212 Riley Street, Surry Hills; 02 9215 5104; www.baccomattoosteria.com.au 9. Best for long summer nights: North Bondi Italian This is a beachside trattoria. There are plenty of people who will get dressed up to be seen here. Yet, you don't have to. The placemats double as paper menus. You'll be fishing your cutlery out of a box on the table. The floorstaff are gadding about in denim aprons. The menu is split into formaggio, antipasti, salumi, insalate, verdure, pasta, panini, carpaccio, fruitti di mare, offal, carne, dolci, and 'roast of the day'. Italian Sydney, eat your heart out. 118-120 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi; 02 9300 4400; www.eqpg.com.au/ 10. Best for drama: Buffalo Dining Club The Buffalo Dining Club itself is quite laidback, but when they serve you your spaghetti from a giant wheel of cheese, you are guaranteed to gasp. It is a little piece of Campania dropped into the backstreets of Sydney's inner city. This time, it happens to be in trendy Darlinghurst. As you can probably guess, buffalo mozzarella and burata are the main attractions here. For $17, you order one of the cheeses and two vegetable sides — and with options like balsamic carrots, Portobello mushrooms, chargrilled broccolini, and marinated fennel, it's a hard choice. 116 Surrey Street, Darlinghurst; 02 9332 4052; www.facebook.com/BuffaloDiningClub By the Concrete Playground Sydney team.
As well as offering up alternative places to stay and opening up the holiday accommodation market, Airbnb has proven a gift to anyone interested in architecture and interior design. While you're sleeping in someone else's house, you're getting a glimpse of different styles and trends. Sure, you can also flick through house and garden-focused magazines, but looking at pics isn't the same as actually seeing design in action. At PlansMatter, bunking down in a space that demonstrates ace architecture isn't just an added bonus — it's the entire point of the Airbnb-like house-sharing service. Started in 2016 by architects Connie Lindor and Scott Muellner, it only offers up "places that have architectural intention and a story to tell," according to their statement on the service's website. Each listing provides a thorough description, runs through the usual features and also includes a rundown of why it's included on the site. In fact, as well as simply browsing through a sizeable list of eye-catching architectural beauties — which not only include spaces in the US, where PlansMatter is based, but in Canada, Austria, the UK, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Denmark, Japan, Germany and Australia as well — users can also search for somewhere to stay based on the amazing designers behind the houses. If you've ever dreamed of kipping in a home designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, or in artist James Turrell's Japanese House of Light, here's your chance. Of course, getting to live out your architecture nerd dreams doesn't come cheap, but if you're going to fork out a hefty stack of cash for a few nights away, there are much, much worse ways to spend it. For those keen on checking out the service close to home, a night in Magney House on the New South Wales south coast — and in a structure that was once featured on an Aussie stamp — will set you back $250 per night. Fairhaven Beach's landmark Pole House, which really is a house on a pole, starts at $434 per evening. Via Fast Co Design. Image: PlansMatter/Tsutomu Yamada.
Get ready to immerse yourself in a slew of new VR content thanks to a brand new initiative from Screen NSW. The screen body has just launched 360 Vision, a new virtual reality app developed by Triggar VR in partnership with the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS). Available now on Apple and Android devices, the free app will host original VR material from leading local producers, including The Pulse and Jumpgate VR. The app will also be compatible with Oculus in the coming weeks, with new content being added regularly. "VR offers incredible opportunities for our industry and we're only just beginning to understand the possibilities that can evolve from merging VR technology with narrative storytelling," said AFTRS CEO Neil Peplow. "AFTRS is very pleased to be joining with the 360 Vision partners on this important development initiative." In addition to the app, AFTRS and Screen NSW will collaborate with a number of partners, including Screen Australia, Event Cinemas and the ABC, on the 360 Vision development initiative that will create opportunities for Australian filmmakers in the emerging field. The program is set to launch on June 7 with a day-long lab at Carriageworks in Sydney. "We need our most creative and forward-thinking film and television producers, writers and directors to be involved in this space and we need audiences to start seeking our local VR content," said Screen NSW CEO Courtney Gibson. "360 Vision is about bringing both of these ideas together." 360 Vision can be downloaded now via the Apple and Android app stores. For more information visit Screen NSW on Facebook.
Chances are you already know something about Tonya Harding. Even if you don't know her name off the top of your head, you've probably heard it used as a punchline. Oh yeah, Tonya. She's that figure skater who took a police baton to her arch-rival's leg, right? That Tonya? Well, yes. But also, not quite. The infamous incident that made headlines around the world almost 25 years ago has been the subject of more misinformation than whether or not you can actually swallow chewing gum. In I, Tonya, filmmaker Craig Gillespie does his best to unpack the myth while crafting a darkly humourous and ultimately tragic narrative about a brilliant skating career gone irreversibly awry. Gillespie and screenwriter Steven Rogers want you to know for certain that Tonya Harding is not a joke. Nor is she a violent bludgeoner who schemed to take out her main competition, fellow skater Nancy Kerrigan. The way they tell it – albeit in a film they admit up front is based on "wildly contradictory interviews" – Harding was a troubled skater who perhaps surrounded herself with the wrong type of person, and ended up caught in something she couldn't stop; a fateful scenario which could have been avoided had she made different choices, but which has defined her public image ever since. Margot Robbie offers up an incredible performance, playing Tonya right through from teenage years in all her redneck, tough girl, middle-fingers-up glory. The Australian learnt to skate specifically for the role, and the months she put in certainly paid off. Credit must also be given to stunt doubles Heidi Munger and Anna Malkova. Harding is one of the only female skaters to ever pull off the triple axel – and the editing, stunt work and special effects that go into recreating the notoriously difficult manoeuvre are likewise superb. Also clever is the format of the film itself: we are introduced to Tonya and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) via documentary-style talking heads. It's years after the fact, and both parties tell a very different story of what happened and who was responsible (Jeff and his friend Shawn Eckhardt were ultimately accused of colluding to hire an assailant to attack Kerrigan; both men served time in prison). We then jump back to the 1970s as a three-year-old Harding is put into skating lessons by her abusive mother LaVona Golden (Allison Janney), and watch as she quickly makes a name for herself on the ice. It isn't long before Harding is a teenager and competing at a national level. But while her technical ability is close to flawless, her image soon proves to be a problem. Not ladylike or sweet enough for the world of skating, she constantly runs up against judges who she sees as not marking her how she deserves. Spectacular choreography sees Harding's routines recreated down to the very last detail. Just as spot on is the film's casting, with Allison Janney particularly brilliant as Golden – complete with fur coat, perpetual cigarette and a bird perched on her shoulder. Where the film stumbles is in its tonally inconsistent depiction of the physical abuse allegedly inflicted on Harding, first by her mother and later by her husband. In a number of stomach-churning scenes, we watch as she is slapped, punched, thrown against a wall and has her head smashed into a mirror. At one point Harding breaks the fourth wall, addressing the abuse as it is happening to her – she thought it was normal, she says rather glibly. But that's all that is said, and there needed to be more. Gillespie and Rogers simply don't give the brutality the time or the serious treatment it deserves, pushing past the shocking violence in order to keep the plot moving forward. In doing so, they fail to explore the way Harding was made to feel everything was her fault – by her mother, by her husband and ultimately by the entire country. I, Tonya seems intent on reversing the popular consensus around its title character. The real Harding appeared at premieres of the film in the US, standing alongside Margot Robbie on the red carpet. But while she might finally have gotten the chance to prove she's not just the butt of a joke, you can't help but feel that the filmmakers – intentionally or not – treat her abuse as exactly that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXZQ5DfSAAc
High school ends and, soon, so will one of Netflix's big hits that's set in and around that very setting. Since 2019, the streaming platform has taken viewers to the fictional Moordale Secondary School, where Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield, Flux Gourmet) followed his sex-therapist mum Jean's (Gillian Anderson, The Great) lead and started giving advice to his classmates. In September, the series will move the action over to Cavendish Sixth Form College. But after the show returns for its fourth season in its new surroundings, classes will be out — permanently. Good news, bad news, basically: the hit series will be back within mere months (and has just dropped the first teaser trailer to prove it), but will only return for one last go-around. Announcing the news, Sex Education creator, lead writer and executive producer Laurie Nunn said that "a lot has happened since our first writers room in 2017, when we spent a month in a cramped office above a sex shop, talking about what it felt like to go through puberty". "We wanted to make a show that would answer some of the questions we all used to have about love, sex, friendship and our bodies. Something that would have helped our inner teenagers feel a little less alone. It's been overwhelming seeing how the show has connected with people around the world, and we hope it's made some of you feel a little less alone, too," Nunn continued. "This was not an easy decision to make, but as the themes and the stories of the new season crystallised, it became clear that it was the right time to graduate." Sex Education will drop its fourth and final season on Thursday, September 21, complete with the show's familiar faces — Butterfield and Anderson, of course, as well as Ncuti Gatwa (the next Doctor Who), Aimee-Lou Wood (Living), Emma Mackey (Emily), Connor Swindells (Vigil), Kedar Williams-Stirling (Small Axe) and more. Helping them say farewell: Schitt's Creek favourite Dan Levy, Thaddea Graham (Doctor Who), Lisa McGrillis (Last Night in Soho), Marie Reuther (The Kingdom), Jodie Turner Smith (White Noise) and Eshaan Akbar (Spitting Image). Plot-wise, the final season will follow Otis and Eric (Gatwa) at their new school, with Otis worrying about setting up his new clinic, Eric hoping they'll be more popular, and all ex-Moordale students getting a culture shock. Check out the first teaser trailer for Sex Education season four below: Sex Education season four will stream via Netflix from Thursday, September 21.
Movie buffs, the day you've been waiting for is here. No, it's not Sydney Film Festival time just yet, but the fest has just unleashed their complete lineup — that is, the 244 films from 60 countries, including 25 world premieres and 139 Australian premieres, that you'll be feasting your eyes on come June 8 to 19. If you've been keeping up with the international film scene, you might've spotted that SFF's program launch falls on the same day the Cannes Film Festival kicks off. That timing isn't just a stroke of luck. With nine films heading to Sydney straight from the prestigious event — Xavier Dolan's sixth feature It's Only the End of the World, Pedro Almodóvar's eagerly awaited Julieta and Steven Spielberg's motion-captured take on The BFG among them — it's also a sign of things to come. "It's always incredibly difficult to secure films from Cannes before Cannes has even started," notes Festival Director Nashen Moodley. "We've done really well this year, so alongside collecting the best of cinema from over the last year, we have some of the very latest films that are going to cause a big buzz in Cannes." Partially Sydney-shot psychological drama Apprentice falls into that category, as does Brazilian offering Aquarius and Indian true-crime thriller Raman Raghav 2.0. Alongside Dolan's star-studded effort, they're also among the twelve films vying for SFF's official prize of $63,000 — as are Kelly Reichardt's Sundance hit Certain Women, innovative docu-drama hybrid Notes on Blindness, fictionalised historical tale The Childhood of a Leader, Portuguese love story Letters from War, and opening night's Goldstone. The latter was first announced last month, but should still rank highly on every cinephile's must-see list. Moodley describes Ivan Sen's Mystery Road follow-up as a "statement of intent" for this year's festival — his fifth at the helm, and the fifth to commence with locally made or focused content. "It is important that we highlight the cinema of this country," he explains. "And for me, it is a wonderful thing to open the festival with a world premiere of a great Australian film." On the Aussie-made front, Down Under is certain to raise a few eyebrows when it makes its first appearance at SFF, given that it turns the aftermath of the 2005 Cronulla riots into a black comedy. In fact, having a sense of healthy humour is almost a pre-requisite for festival-goers. Daniel Radcliffe plays a farting corpse in Swiss Army Man, Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña team up for buddy-cop satire War on Everyone, Tom Hiddleston climbs the darkly dystopian High-Rise, and the watery Chevalier offers up the latest Greek new wave absurdity. They're joined by the high-profile likes of Richard Linklater's '80s-set Everybody Wants Some!!, Michael Shannon playing rock 'n' roll royalty in Elvis & Nixon, Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg going back to his Dogme 95 roots with The Commune, and actor-turned-director Diego Luna taking Danny Glover and Maya Rudolph on a Mexican road trip in Mr. Pig. A number of notable documentaries also feature, including Gimme Danger, Jim Jarmusch's love letter to Iggy Pop; Kiki, winner of Berlinale's Teddy Award for its look at New York's competitive voguing scene; Kate Plays Christine, which takes the meta approach to a real life prime-time suicide; and internet exploration Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, as directed and narrated by none other than Werner Herzog. A timely spotlight on ten emerging European female filmmakers, showcases of modern Korean and Irish cinema, the previously revealed Scorsese retrospective and a virtual reality program in the SFF Hub help round out the lineup, alongside the return of regular sections Box Set, Sounds on Screen and Freak Me Out. And while no one wants to think about the end of the festival just yet, penciling closing night into your calendar right now is a wise move. Who doesn't want to wrap up 12 days of film fun with Love & Friendship, particularly if you're a Jane Austen, Whit Stillman, Kate Beckinsale or Chloe Sevigny fan? The 2016 Sydney Film Festival runs from June 8 to 19. To check out the complete program and book tickets, visit the festival website.
How did Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard become one of the biggest Australian musicians around the world right now? Attend SXSW Sydney in 2024 and you'll find out. The singer-songwriter better known as The Kid LAROI is the latest addition to the event's constantly growing lineup, in a key spot: the 'Stay', 'Without You', 'Thousand Miles', 'Love Again' and 'Girls' talent has been revealed as the fest's music keynote speaker for this year. In 2023, Chance The Rapper did the honours. SXSW Sydney isn't skimping on big names, clearly. On Saturday, October 19, 2024 at the ICC Sydney Theatre, expect The Kid LAROI to step through his career journey so far, from Redfern to streaming superstardom — and also what his future holds. The Kid LAROI postponing his Australian tour to this spring from February 2024 has worked out well for SXSW Sydney, then. As part of the event, he'll also help develop professional development workshops and performance opportunities for Waterloo and Redfern's First Nations communities. After he's chatted about his career to SXSW Sydney's patrons, The Kid LAROI will embark upon a seven-city Australian tour in support of his debut studio album The First Time. On the itinerary: HOTA, Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Commbank Stadium in Sydney, Perth's RAC Arena, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, MyState Bank Arena in Hobart and Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena. Migos frontman Quavo and Sydney's own ONEFOUR are also on the bill everywhere except the Gold Coast and Hobart. [caption id="attachment_926206" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Adam Kargenian[/caption] SXSW Sydney's 2024 lineup just keeps expanding, after Lucy Lawless, Grace Tame and Tim Minchin — plus sports stars Nick Kyrgios and Noémie Fox, playwright Suzie Miller, former Bangarra Dance Theatre Artistic Director Stephen Page and more — also joined the program to round out August. Set to take place across Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 dates, the event began revealing its program back in May, which was just the beginning. Another announcement arrived in June, then not one, not two, but three more in July — and also another, focusing on the free hub at Tumbalong Park, at the beginning of August. Then came more music acts and speakers, still in August. SXSW Sydney 2024 will run from Monday, October 14–Sunday, October 20 at various Sydney venues. Head to the SXSW Sydney website for further details.
Beachgoers who aren't so keen on sharing their patch of sand with a swarm of strangers this summer have another (albeit much pricier) option: to buy their very own private beach. Northern NSW property agents Harcourts Northern Rivers have revealed a 22-acre parcel of beachfront has landed on the NSW market, boasting a whopping 500 metres of untouched ocean frontage and a cool $1.95 million price tag. The current Sydney-based owners have had the Patchs Beach Road acreage just south of Ballina for 15 years, though a busy schedule of overseas jaunts means they're now looking to pass it on to someone who'll be able to give it a bit more love and attention. While the idyllic spot currently has zero dwellings, it has been given the go-ahead for a two-level home to be built on 900 square metres. That means you can build a sweet, beachfront pad amid the rolling hills and native vegetation — y'know, with all those leftover pennies. You can check out the listing here if you're so inclined. We can dream. Via realestate.com.au. Images: Harcourts Northern Rivers.
