The ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come are set to descend upon Australia — just as things are getting merry, of course. After haunting Ebenezer Scrooge on the page since 1843, and sparking the miserly Charles Dickens-penned character's change of attitude on stages for almost as long, they'll work their magic Down Under courtesy of The Old Vic's version of A Christmas Carol, which is heading our way for the first time. While A Christmas Carol itself has been delighting theatre audiences for close to two centuries — the first stage production reportedly debuted in the UK mere weeks after Dickens' novella was published — this new take on the tale initially premiered in London back in 2017. It has proven a huge smash since, including picking up five Tony Awards for its Broadway run. Next stop: Melbourne from November. Just in time for festive season, A Christmas Carol will enjoy its first Aussie season at the Comedy Theatre, kicking off on Saturday, November 12 and playing till Saturday, December 24 (of course). Whether it'll also hit up other Australian cities yet hasn't been revealed — but tickets to see it in Melbourne would make a mighty fine early Christmas present. This version hails from two Tony-winners, too: director Matthew Warchus (Matilda the Musical) and playwright Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). The list of impressive talent involved also includes Aussie actor David Wenham, with the Lord of the Rings, Seachange, Goldstone, Lion, Top of the Lake and Elvis star playing Scrooge. "A Christmas Carol is a ripping yarn, this production is as compelling as it is surprising. I'm counting the days to get back on the stage in the role of Scrooge. It's a story of hope, redemption and community. I guarantee the audience will leave the theatre feeling better about themselves and the world at the end of the show. A perfect story to be told at Christmas time," said Wenham, announcing the show's Australian debut. The rest of the local cast is yet to be revealed — and, story-wise, the production obviously still focuses on its selfish and greedy central character that's become synonymous with curmudgeonly behaviour, his Christmas-hating ways, and his journey of compassion and redemption with help from the spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come. Not only does the play work through that beloved story, but it also incorporates 12 Christmas carols, including 'Joy to the World' and 'Silent Night'. The words you aren't looking for: "bah humbug!", unless you truly do despise Christmas — and haven't yet been given your own ghostly reasons to rethink your stance. A Christmas Carol will host its Australian premiere season in Melbourne, playing the Comedy Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, from Saturday, November 12–Saturday, December 24, 2022. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday, September 16 — for more information, or to join the ticket waitlist, head to the musical's website.
While Messina's main jam is crafting supremely scoffable varieties of gelato, the brand's love of food extends far beyond the freezer, as proven through a series of pop-ups it's dubbed Messina Eats. Every couple of months, the cult gelateria throws a big ol' food party in the carpark at its Rosebery headquarters. And on Saturday, November 3, it'll be serving up solely breakfast dishes. Yup, you can finally eat Messina for brekkie. Of course, its interpretation of breakfast is entirely decadent. The brand's pastry chefs bake basically everything — bikkies, brownies and cake included — that goes into the gelato, but they'll be putting some baked goods aside for this event. Expect croissants (including some filled with hazelnuts from Messina's own nut farm) and strawberry danishes alongside a head of savoury options that look even better. Croissants will be filled with 'nduja and Gruyere, croissant dough will be topped with smoked salmon and fried capers, and hash browns will be served poutine-style with pulled brisket and an egg on top. There will be bacon and egg rolls, too. If there was ever a time to have breakfast dessert, it's here. Save room for a palmier gelato sandwich and brioche buns with granita and whipped cream. The whole thing will go down from 8am till 3pm on Saturday in the carpark at Messina's Rosebery HQ.
Sydney ambient electro darlings Seekae have just dropped news of their third album and a national tour in August. Luckily they haven't done so silently. They've also gifted us with a new single, 'Test & Recognise'. Picking up the tempo and embracing the power of the synth, it could signal a new direction for the group — from classic chillout sessions to the dancefloor. With past releases, The Sounds of Trees Falling on People and +DOME, Seekae have made a name for themselves in the past few years, playing local festivals like Harvest and Golden Plains. Known for hypnotic electro-pop such as 'Void', 'Crooks' and 'Blood Bank', their name is synonymous with late night drives through the city or relaxed midnight hangs with friends. In the bigger picture, their debut was named one of the albums of the decade by FBi Radio, and their follow-up earned them four nominations at the Australian Independent Music Awards. Since then they've been touring internationally and even took to the stage at this year's SxSW. Seekae's third album, The Worry, is openly described as their most ambitious work to date. Bringing vocals to the fore and losing some of that distinctive ambient haze, it definitely marks a departure from their past sound that may not win over all fans. However, the shift will make for an entertaining live gig. Caught somewhere between blissful oblivion and classic electro these new tracks are sure to get people awkwardly shuffling around the dance floor nationwide. Seekae National Tour Dates: Saturday, August 9 - Darwin Festival, Darwin* Tuesday, August 12 - The Zoo, Brisbane Friday, August 15 - The Gov, Adelaide Saturday, August 16 - The Villa, Perth Friday, August 22 - 170 Russell St, Melbourne Saturday, August 23 - Metro Theatre, Sydney Tickets are on sale this Friday, June 30. *Tickets for Darwin Festival go on sale June 26.
Earlier this year, the NSW Government announced that it would be knocking down Moore Park's Allianz Stadium (AKA Sydney Football Stadium) and rebuilding it for the tidy sum of $729 million. While whether or not this close-to-a-billion-dollar exercise is exactly necessary is still up for debate, plans are speeding ahead. Construction on the predominantly rugby and soccer stadium — which closed last week — is expected to begin later this year, and the government has just released the first designs for the new state-of-the-art sporting facility. The new stadium, designed by Cox Architects, will have a roof that can reflect noise back into the stadium and be lit up with the home team's colours and a bronze façade inspired by Sydney's sandstone geology. Any further design specifics have been kept pretty quiet, but News Corp is reporting that it'll be Australia's most 'female-friendly' stadium with bigger and better change room facilities and bathrooms. A reflection, perhaps, on the growing popularity of NRLW and AFLW. Allianz Stadium, and the adjacent Sydney Cricket Ground, will be serviced by the new CBD and South East Light Rail, which is — at this stage — expected to be completed by mid-2020. On the other side of the city, Sydney Olympic Park's ANZ Stadium will all also be getting an expensive facelift. The 75,000-seater stadium — which hosts everything from the rugby league games to Taylor Swift concerts — is undergoing a $810 million renovation which is slated to start in late 2019 and be completed by mid-2021. Sydney Football Stadium is slated for completion in 2022.
Australia's longest-running conservation charity, National Trust, marked its 75th anniversary in 2020. After postponing celebrations last year, it's now marking the milestone with a series of special weekend events to showcase rich heritage treasures across the state. The program of celebratory events last four months, and this weekend with the Best of the Blue Mountains, and there'll be plenty to eat, drink, see and do at three of the beautiful properties all within a short drive of one another. Take a stroll through the winding paths of the European-inspired Everglades House and Gardens, and stop into the art deco-style house to check out the finalists from this year's NSW Reconciliation Art Challenge. Make sure you're outside at 2pm for a free glass of wine in the world-famous gardens. At Woodford Academy, the annual Harvest Festival will celebrate the region's long history of self-sustainability and artisanal wares, with a variety of stalls showcasing local produce, homemade preserves, plants and more. The community event will also host live music and games, with all proceeds contributing directly to the upkeep and conservation of the oldest building in the Blue Mountains. Entry to the venues is free, but to comply with social distancing guidelines, booking is essential. Head to Eventbrite to reserve your ticket for each property: • Everglades House & Gardens • Woodford Academy For a full list of events hosted by National Trust to celebrate its 75th anniversary, head here.
Studies show that 100 percent of human beings have, at one point in their lives, taken a spoon out from the drawer, scooped out peanut butter from the jar and leaned against the kitchen counter with their eyes closed, enjoying their makeshift PB spoon treat. Well, studies would show that if anyone bothered to do a peanut butter behavioural study. But the people at the Peanut Butter Bar don't need data to know peanut butter anything is a solid business plan. For two years, Christina Elbakht has been developing and testing the menu and it's nearly here. The bar is opening in Leichhardt in October and will sell peanut butter in all its forms. Elbakht claims they're all free from refined sugars, preservatives and fake stuff too, relying heavily on the natural nut butter. The aim of the game for Elbakht is to help people on restricted diets or eating plans have a good relationship with food and enjoy a treat once in a while. Or maybe she just wanted an excuse to eat a truckload of peanut butter. Either way, a peanut butter bar is a now a thing and their menu is full of it — expect PB delicacies like ice cream, milkshakes, balls, puddings and slices of all varieties. As far as themes go, it's pretty niche — and it will be interesting to see if the novelty has longevity. But, hey, we'll give peanut butter pudding a go. The Peanut Butter Bar will open at 161 Norton Street, Leichhardt in October. For more info, visit peanutbutterbar.com.au.
It marked the filmmaking debut of Orson Welles, took inspiration from the life of US media tycoon William Randolph Hearst and received nine Academy Award nominations — and, since first hitting screens back in 1941, has long been regarded the greatest movie ever made. That feature, of course, is Citizen Kane. And while David Fincher isn't daring to remake it, his new film will take audiences behind the scenes of the famed production. Called Mank, Fincher's 11th directorial effort is named after screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz — a drama critic for The New York Times and The New Yorker who is co-credited with writing Citizen Kane with Welles. As shot in inky, evocative black and white, Mank spends time with its titular figure as he's trying to finish penning the iconic script, and follows not only his clashes with Welles over the material, but the general ups and downs of 1930s Hollywood. Gary Oldman plays Mankiewicz, while the rest of the star-studded cast includes Amanda Seyfried as actor and Hearst mistress Marion Davies, Lily Collins as Mank's secretary Rita Alexander, Game of Thrones' alum Charles Dance as Hearst himself and The Souvenir's Tom Burke as Welles. Also adding to the movie's high-profile names, Fincher has recruited The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Gone Girl's Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor (yes, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor) to compose the score. As the just-dropped first full trailer for Mank shows, Fincher has set himself quite the task; "you cannot capture a man's entire life in two hours — all you can hope is to leave the impression of one," the clip itself tells viewers. But this is clearly a passion project for the acclaimed Fight Club and Zodiac filmmaker, as it's based on a script by his late father, Jack Fincher. In fact, the younger Fincher was originally slated to make the film back in the 90s, but it didn't come to fruition until now. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSfX-nrg-lI&feature=youtu.be Mank will release in select cinemas from November 19, before hitting Netflix on December 4.
Car sharing service Uber has been making waves of late, but their latest offering is unreservedly tidal. Ahead of the US premiere of Transformers: Age of Extinction on June 27, Uber is giving app users in three American cities the opportunity to ride with Optimus Prime. Though we are unsure whether this Optimus is the talking type, from the image posted by Uber it seems to be the real deal. With an initial roll out yesterday in Dallas, Optimus will soon continue onto Phoenix before a final tour of Los Angeles this weekend. Uber users just open their app and select the ‘Autobots’ option to try their luck at summoning this legendary leader for a 15-minute joyride with the machine of your childhood dreams. This brings to mind local Sydney legend Zac Mihajlovic's recent Batmobile endeavour, in which Sydneysiders can buy joyrides in the Dark Knight's highly coveted date-impressing vehicle. Uber announced their Transformers fantasy come true to users via their blog yesterday, opening with "Get ready for the ride of your life." Hardly an understatement, but it sadly looks as though this ride won’t quite make it to Australian shores for the meantime. As Sam once courageously said to Optimus, "No sacrifice, no victory." Autobots, roll out. Via Mashable and USA Today.
The Taphouse changed hands in early 2017 and, under the management of the Thorpe brothers, it has not only maintained its reputation for serving an impressive array of beers, but has finally been given the facelift it needs. The heritage-listed pub is in various stages of renovation, and there's currently something brewing on its middle level. A new bar named Odd Culture — a reference to the wild yeast cultures used in fermentation — is set to open in late July with the largest selection of sour and wild ales in Australia, alongside minimal intervention wines and a smart selection of cheeses. Under the watchful eyes of Tom Evans, formerly of Wayward Brewing Co and The Royal Albert, the bar will feature eight taps pouring only sour and wild ales. Rumour has it that Topher Boehm of Wildflower Brewing & Blending is also working on a beer that uses a Taphouse-exclusive yeast culture for the opening of the bar next month. For those who prefer something a little darker, the bottle list will feature a selection of high-ABV beers, such as imperial stouts and barley wines, alongside spiced meads. In terms of wines, the focus will largely be on minimal intervention organic wines from independent Australian wineries. Odd Culture is slated to open in late July on the middle level of The Taphouse, 122 Flinders Street, Darlinghurst. Disclaimer: Dominic Gruenewald is currently an employee at The Taphouse. He is also Concrete Playground's beer writer and the host of Sydney's longest running beer appreciation society Alestars.
Halloween is fast approaching and if you've been hanging out for your friends to announce they're throwing a raucous house party covered in cobwebs and clowns, wait no longer. Darlo Bar is taking one for the team and throwing a retro Halloween house party on Saturday, October 28. So grab your Scream masks and fake blood and get ready for a (trick or) treat of a night. The party kicks off at 6pm with DJ Astrix Little spinning the kind of house party tunes that'll make you want to clear the couches and get the dance floor started. If you need a little liquid courage to get you through the spookiness of the evening, there will be Young Henrys beer on tap and frightfully delicious Halloween drink specials on offer. In case you needed to ask — yes, there will be prizes for best dressed. So get out your butcher paper and start brainstorming outfit ideas, or just head straight for the fake tan and toupees. After all, what's scarier than Donald Trump?
Once you've self-proclaimed your next album as the "album of the life" (see tweet), the next logical step is to create an epic, worldwide premiere party for its release. Well, it is if you're Kanye West (and, really, Kanye is the only person who could pull this off). So for the release of his upcoming album Waves — which was, up until a few hours ago named Swish — he'll be debuting it with a show at Madison Square Garden in NYC on February 11. And he'll be broadcasting the performance live in cinemas around the world. Yep, Kanye is literally going cinematic — and if you're in Melbourne or Sydney, you can get in on the action. Sydney's Hoyts Broadway and Hoyts Melbourne Central have both added listings for Kanye West / Season 3 / Waves which, according Hoyts' synopsis, will feature the "world premiere of the album Waves in its entirety, live from Madison Square Garden". He's also expected to present his new fashion line, Yeezy Season 3 at the show. Both screenings will take place at 8am on Friday, February 12. On Monday, Kanye tweeted a handwritten page detailing the tracklist for the then-Swish, now-Waves album. It's set to be broken into three acts and include collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Sia, Ty Dolla $ign, Vic Mensa and Post Malone. Amazingly, there are still a few tickets left to the screenings, so head over to the Hoyts website to snap some up. This is the greatest album of your whole life, after all.
No matter how gorgeous the surroundings, how lavish the place you're staying and how blissful everyone wants things to be, life's chaos doesn't magically disappear just because you're on holidays. That's one of The White Lotus' key ideas, which it played out to spectacular results in the show's Hawaii-set first season — making it the best new show on TV in 2021, in fact — and which it is currently unpacking again in its Sicily-set second season. Get ready for that concept to get a third go-around as well. In unsurprising but still extremely welcome news, HBO has just announced that it is bringing The White Lotus back for season three — news it revealed just three episodes into season two. Once again, it'll be a case of new year, new vacation season, new gorgeous destination, new cast, keeping the series' anthology format. "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, announcing the series' season-three renewal. "And yet, he's only continued to reach new heights in season two, which is the ultimate testament to Mike's raw, unparalleled vision. His courage to explore the uncharted waters of the human psyche, paired with his signature irreverent humor 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." The news comes after The White Lotus hit an all-time ratings high in the US with its third episode of season three — although, given how ace the series is, and how widely loved by both viewers and critics (season one picked up a swag of Emmys just a month before season two premiered), bringing it back for more was always highly likely. HBO and creator/writer/director Mike White (Brad's Status) haven't announced if any of the current characters — or season one's — might return in season three, as Jennifer Coolidge's Tanya McQuoid-Hunt has across its first two batches of episodes. Obviously, before any familiar faces can check into another White Lotus property somewhere else in the world (the location of which also hasn't yet been unveiled), we'll need to see who survives season two first. The show's second season is currently diving into plenty of drama in a stunning setting, with Tanya travelling to the White Lotus hotel in Sicily with her husband Greg (Jon Gries, Dream Corp LLC) and assistant Portia (Haley Lu Richardson, After Yang) — however the former isn't happy that the latter is with them. Plus, Tanya thinks that Greg might be cheating. Also checking in for season two's biting satire of the one percent and class divides: F Murray Abraham (Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities), Michael Imperioli (The Many Saints of Newark) and Adam DiMarco (The Order) as three generations of Di Grasso men, who are on a family holiday to connect with their roots; Aubrey Plaza (Best Sellers) and Will Sharpe (Defending the Guilty) as newly wealthy couple Harper and Ethan, who are vacationing with pals Cameron (Theo James, The Time Traveller's Wife) and Daphne (Meghann Fahy, The Bold Type); and Tom Hollander (The King's Man) as English expat Quentin, who's away with his nephew Jack (Leo Woodall, Cherry). And, there's also Beatrice Grannò (Security) and Simona Tabasco (The Ties) as locals Mia and Lucia; plus Sabrina Impacciatore (Across the River and Into the Trees) as this White Lotus' manager Valentina. There's obviously no trailer yet for The White Lotus season three, but you can check out the trailer for season two below: The White Lotus' third season doesn't yet have a release date — we'll update you when one is announced. The second season of The White Lotus is currently streaming via Binge in Australia and Neon in New Zealand, dropping new episodes weekly. Read our full review.
Not too long ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a good craft beer in Sydney. Now there are so many small breweries dotted all over the country producing amazing craft. Mid-October signals the return of Sydney Craft Beer Week, a celebration of these beers. It doesn’t matter if you’re a foodie, a beer geek or just a casual drinker. With over a hundred events across nine days, there’s something for everyone. Come meet the brewers, taste their products and have a good ol’ time. Check out our picks of the ten best events of Craft Beer Week.
The hospitality industry is well and truly back after an incredibly challenging couple of years. So what's next for the bar staff, chefs, restaurateurs and behind-the-scenes heroes of the local hospo scene? We're going to get the skinny from the ones in the know — and you're invited to join. On Monday, November 29 at 1pm, book in your lunch break and join Concrete Playground's livestream event Hot Takes & Takeaways: Episode 2 (relive the entertaining chaos of the first live show captured in the depths of lockdown here). In partnership with Uber Eats, Hot Takes & Takeaways is a series where we talk to some of the most fascinating — and opinionated — members of Australia's food community to tackle the big questions, live and uncensored. Swears are likely and no topics are off-limits. THE LINEUP Comedy star Gen Fricker returns as host, with special guests Jeremy Blackmore (owner and drink maker behind Cantina OK!, Tio's and the Cliff Dive), one of Sydney hospo's behind-the-scenes queens Kobi Morris (Operations Manager at Paramount Coffee Project and the Paramount House Hotel, as well as Reuben Hills and Shwarmama), and Instagram burger king Issac Martin AKA Issac Eats-A-Lot. Throughout the show, we'll test your food trivia knowledge so you could nab a $20 Uber Eats voucher. Head to our Facebook event and hit attending to get a reminder just before it kicks off. In the meantime, check out Uber Eats' Enterprise Hub if you'd like to learn more about what restaurants are doing.
Every Friday throughout September, Sydney Fringe will bring free gigs to pop-up spaces in Parramatta's CBD. Listen out for a mix of beats, bands, solo artists, duos and surprise collaborations. The event will take over Victoria Road's Information and Cultural Exchange from 6–10pm and Riverside Theatre's Studio 404 from 8–11pm. The events curated by fierce guitarist Serwah Attafuah who plays with politically-driven heavy metal band Dispossessed; the Bodega Collective, a group of young, ambitious producers and DJs; and Beatdisc Records, Western Sydney's last independent record shop. Also in the mix is an intimate evening with Darug artist Jacinta Tobin, who collaborated with The Preatures on song 'Yanada'.
Since mid-October 2020, New Zealanders have been able to visit some Australian states as part of a one-way travel bubble. The arrangement has been paused a few times due to COVID-19 case numbers in NZ, but it has remained broadly in place. In the coming months, Australians might also be able to hop across the Tasman as well — something that has been floated and discussed plenty of times over the past year, but now looks like it could soon come to fruition. Speaking with the media separately today, Thursday, March 18, both New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and NZ Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson advised that the NZ Government is progressing towards a trans-Tasman bubble. On Radio New Zealand, Robertson said that the country had been "working towards a joint framework, a joint set of protocols" with Australia, which didn't come into effect. Now, though, he doesn't think things are "too far off being able to create the New Zealand version to match up with the Australian version". "There's a few issues still to talk through there, including what we do in the event there is an outbreak — how we manage people who aren't in their home country at that time. But I'm very optimistic that we'll sort that out in reasonable short order, and we can move towards having our unilateral bubble alongside the Australian unilateral bubble," he advised. Speaking at a press conference to launch NZ's involvement in Expo 2020 (which is taking place in the United Arab Emirates from October 2021, after being postponed from 2020), NZ Prime Minister Ardern also discussed the potential travel bubble. "I haven't put firm dates because I don't want there to be moving goalposts. I want to present people with some definitive dates they can plan around — but we have said we'd like to see it soon," Ardern said. "Our goal, though, is that once we open, to be able to do it safely — to do it in a way that people understand the basis on which we may see short term closures, and to enable us to have a bubble that essentially sticks," she continued. At present, New Zealand travellers are allowed to visit all Australian states and territories, apart from Western Australia, without quarantining on arrival — but, because the bubble is only one way at present, they must enter 14 days of managed isolation on return to NZ and pay for it. New Zealand does currently have a travel bubble in place with the Cook Islands, but only one-way as well — from the Cook Islands to NZ. While the details of the quarantine-free arrangements for Australians travelling to NZ are yet to be finalised, it is great news for those who've been dreaming of overseas holidays since the pandemic began. And, it could possibly be in place while Australia's international border still remains shut to most global travel — and before a similar travel bubble could be put in place with Singapore. You can start slowly planning your NZ jaunt, too — we've rounded up some of our favourite glamping sites, wineries, sights and restaurants in NZ over here. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. To find out more about the virus and travel restrictions in New Zealand, head over to the NZ Government's COVID-19 hub.
In great news for cat-loving cinephiles, 2019 is shaping up to be a huge year for felines on film. Photorealistic big cats prowled around the remake of The Lion King, and they'll soon be joined by a bunch of singing, scurrying street mousers in the silver-screen adaptation of stage musical Cats. For nearly four decades, Andrew Lloyd Webber's acclaimed production has pranced across stages everywhere, turning a tale inspired by poems from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats into an award-winning theatre hit. But, while plenty of other popular musicals have made the leap to cinemas, this one hasn't until now. The trailers for the new flick might just explain why. The first trailer dropped back in July and inspired much talk about its strange CGI decision to combine cats with human faces. Terrifying? Maybe. Entertaining? Definitely. If you've recovered from the first 2.23 mins of Cats madness, you'll be happy to know a second, equally bizarre, trailer has just dropped. [caption id="attachment_751620" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Judi Dench as a cat[/caption] Ever wanted to see Taylor Swift pouring cat nip on a crowd of cats from a suspended gold moon? Keen to soothe your disappointment over the fact that Idris Elba isn't James Bond by spotting him with whiskers, fur and a tail? Perhaps you've always dreamed of watching accomplished actors such as Judi Dench and Ian McKellen channel their inner feline? Have you ever hoped for all of the above, and for the actors to all play cat-sized cats? That's what's on offer in the just-dropped second trailer, as well as a heap of dancing and singing. In terms of story, Cats zaps Swift, Elba and company down to feline height to spin a narrative about the Jellicle cat tribe, who spend a night deciding just which four-legged moggy will get to leave their group, ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new life. The movie comes with a significant pedigree, with Les Miserables' Tom Hooper in the director's chair, Webber on music duties, Hamilton's Andy Blankenbuehler doing the choreography, and the cast also spanning James Cordon, Jennifer Hudson, Jason Derulo, Ray Winstone and Rebel Wilson. And yet, it all looks a little odd. But we'll let you decide for yourself. You check out the second Cats trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNTDoOmc1OQ Cats opens in Australian cinemas on December 26.
The pandemic has changed much about travel over the past year and a half, including the way that Australians approach roaming throughout our own country. Booking a ticket to another state or territory is no longer something we all just do whenever we feel like without checking the rules, restrictions and requirements first — because closed domestic borders will do that. But with New South Wales and Victoria both progressing through their roadmaps for reopening following both states' respective (and lengthy) lockdowns, venturing a bit further around the country might soon become a little easier. Exactly what domestic border limits will remain in place, and where, hasn't yet been revealed; however, Qantas and Jetstar have announced that they'll start ramping up their flights around the country anyway. Firstly, the two airlines will increase flights regionally within NSW, starting from Monday, October 25. That's around when the state is expected to hit the 80-percent double-dose vaccination mark, which is when travel throughout NSW will be permitted again. Next, Qantas and Jetstar have brought forward the start date for trips between NSW and Victoria. Instead of recommencing in December, these flights will now resume on Friday, November 5. [caption id="attachment_823330" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Brent Winstone[/caption] So, if you're a Sydneysider eager to escape the city — either within NSW or to Victoria, you're about to have options. For Melburnians, heading north will be possible as well. Obviously, this all depends on the rules both states put in place regarding travel between them, because that's the world we now live in. The airlines haven't changed their flights between Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory and South Australia just yet, though, with trips to WA still remaining sparse for the foreseeable future due to its strict border arrangements all throughout the pandemic. The two carriers won't restart legs from WA to Victoria and NSW (and vice versa) until at least February 1, 2022 for that reason, other than the five return flights it's doing from Perth to both Sydney and Melbourne at the moment for folks with permits — but it's hoping to increase flights between Queensland and WA in the coming weeks. No matter where you live, expect to see a few incentives popping up trying to tempt you to holiday in certain parts of the country. The Northern Territory is doing discounts of up to $1000 for fully vaxxed folks who head to the NT from spots that aren't deemed hotspots, for instance, and there's also $250 tour vouchers up for grabs in Queensland's tropical north. For more information about Qantas and Jetstar's increased domestic flights as NSW and Victoria reopen, head to the Qantas and Jetstar websites.
The Affectors define themselves as a group of individuals capable of moving hearts and minds, and they certainly do with their multisensory exhibitions. Their latest event, Affected, sets out to do this through the use of multimedia. Members of the Affectors team will sift through web content to deliver the best and most affecting the internet has to offer, from YouTube clips to music videos. Taking place at the collaboration-driven workspace The Hub, the event sees the Affectors working in conjunction with The Loop to pose questions like what aspects of ad campaigns drive emotions or what creates inspiring and entertaining music clips. Participants are invited to discuss how popular online content both appeals to emotions and embraces multiple online platforms. Discounted tickets are available for Loop and Hub members. Free gelato provided by Messina will be dished out throughout the event.
A Separation had long been quietly gathering momentum, winning the Sydney Film Festival prize and making the Guardian's list of the top films of 2011. Now it's won both the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, it's suddenly got a louder and startlingly unanimous profile as one of the must-see films of the year. This is the appropriate response to a story that unfolds slowly enough to make you truly care for its characters yet so tensely as to keep you awake and feverishly reading the subtitles at 2am. In a year when the cloying Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a contender for Best Picture, it's worth thanking the Academy for exalting a film that's light on sentimentality but full of deeply emotive moments that come at you from your blindside. The unpretentiously shot Iranian feature, written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, starts with the separation of Nader (Peyman Maadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami). Simin wants to move the family abroad, but Nader won't leave his senile and dependent father or let Simin go with just their daughter, Termeh (Sarina Farhadi). So Simin moves to her mother's while she continues to press the issue, and Nader hires some casual help for his father. Razieh (Sareh Bayat) is a pious and compassionate minder, but she's also wrapped up in her own concerns for her unborn baby and her husband's debts. When these conflict with her obligations to Nader, it leads to a confrontation that will create unforeseeable damage to the lives of both couples. Not one of them deserves to bear the blow of these tiny, incremental tragedies, and your already torn sympathies will shift as the film subverts expectations based on gender, class and ethnicity. A Separation carries a feeling of almost 'this is what movies should be': Small, real, relatable stories that awaken you to the dormant problems in a wider society. Its success is also a boost for Iran's dogged film industry, from where we hear more about what we sadly can't see than what we can. https://youtube.com/watch?v=MjTkXGRhy9w
While New South Wales started moving out of lockdown a few months back, life definitely hasn't returned to pre-COVID-19 normality just yet. Slowly, however, more and more restrictions are continuing to relax — including, as just announced today, Wednesday, November 25, caps on the number of people you can have over to your house, and also on how many folks can head to small hospitality venues. As revealed by NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, from Tuesday, December 1 at-home gathering limits will lift — to 50 if you're using your outdoor space, and to 30 if you'll be indoors without access to a garden or backyard. Obviously, the timing is geared towards the holiday season. The 50-person rule will be mandated by a health order, but the 30-person cap will be a strong recommendation. If you're having an outdoor gathering elsewhere, such as a picnic or park barbecue, those limits are going up to 50 from 30 as well — to match the at-home outdoor cap. Out of the house, venues with up to 200 square metres of space will be able to welcome in more customers, with a one-person-per-two-square-metres limit in place. There won't be a cap on the total number of patrons, either — just the density restriction. Commenting on the announcement, Premier Berejiklian said that more changes are set to come depending on the health advice, including applying consistent density and capacity restrictions across the hospitality sector. "[NSW] Health is looking very closely at being able to apply that two-square-metre rule indoors across all hospitality venues," she advised. It's hoped that that'll be able to happen prior to Christmas but, again, that's dependent upon health advice. As of the past Monday, November 23, all NSW hospitality venues are required to use QR codes for contact-tracing purposes, which will also play a big part when density and capacity restrictions are standardised across the entire industry. [caption id="attachment_786298" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Cassandra Hannagan[/caption] The other big change won't come into effect until Monday, December 14, and it applies to working from home. The NSW Government will remove the public health order that covers the topic, so you can expect more people returning to the office. In line with that shift, NSW residents are also asked to wear masks on public transport as there'll be more people using the network. As always, the usual rules regarding hygiene, social distancing and getting tested if you display any possible COVID-19 symptoms all still apply as restrictions keep easing. For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Kitti Gould.
Since the first Fast & Furious film back in 2001, cars that can cover a quarter mile in a mere ten seconds have been Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special) and his crew's holy grail. Well, that and Coronas — and family. So of course the just-dropped first trailer for Fast X, the tenth instalment in the Point Break-inspired saga, starts with Toretto's chosen brood sitting around a table drinking the series' favourite beer and listening to Dom's grandmother (Rita Moreno, West Side Story) talk about the franchise's most-beloved F-word. It takes a mere 11 seconds for the Toretto matriarch to say "family", in fact — and it isn't the last time it gets a mention in the near four-minute debut sneak peek. As the series has done since film one, Fast X's plot revolves around Dom, his relatives and the friends that he's welcomed into his family, with new nemesis Dante (Jason Momoa, Dune) going after them to avenge his own blood. Something else that all things F&F loves: new ride-or-die chaos that disrupts the Toretto crew's idyll, can only be solved by high-action stunts and ties back to past movies in this pedal-to-the-metal saga. As the Fast X trailer explains, Momoa's Dante is on a quest for revenge because he's the son of Fast Five's drug kingpin Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida, Warrior Nun). Also, as the whole Shaw-family antics have shown — aka the crusade for vengeance involving Jason Statham's (Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre) Deckard Shaw — threatening the F&F's main family as payback for slights against other families is also a series go-to. Accordingly, Dom faces off against Dante — but no one actually swaps faces Face/Off-style, at least in the trailer, although F&F should definitely work that in at a later date — and Statham does indeed make an appearance, as he's done since Fast & Furious 6 and in spinoff Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Also featured are a whole heap of franchise regulars, such as Michelle Rodriguez (Crisis), Jordana Brewster (Who Invited Charlie?), Ludacris (End of the Road), Tyrese Gibson (Morbius) and Sung Kang (Obi-Wan Kenobi) as Dom's wife Lottie, sister Mia, and pals Tej, Roman and Han. And, Nathalie Emmanuel (The Invitation) returns as Ramsey, Scott Eastwood (I Want You Back) as government operative Little Nobody, John Cena (Peacemaker) as Dom's brother Jakob (see: Fast and Furious 9), Helen Mirren (1923) as Deckard's mother Queenie and Charlize Theron (The School for Good and Evil) as criminal mastermind Cypher. Every F&F flick also throws new famous folks onto its road — and while Nicolas Cage hasn't popped up yet to really help nudge the saga in Face/Off's direction, or Keanu Reeves to cement the Point Break ties, or Channing Tatum in a Magic Mike/F&F mashup that'd be a ridiculous dream, Fast X adds Momoa, Moreno and Brie Larson (Just Mercy). And, while not a household name by any means, Leo Abelo Perry (Cheaper by the Dozen) joins the series as Brian Marcos, Dom's young son. You'd better believe that the Fast X trailer also finds room for footage from past flicks featuring the late Paul Walker as the OG Brian, too. As for how it'll all turn out when Fast X hits cinemas in mid-May — in what's meant to be the first film in a two-part finale for the franchise, and what feels like it'll have to be a five-hour movie itself just to fit the entire cast in — the preview is filled with OTT chases and aerial feats, all those mentions of family, twist reveals and glorious F&F vehicular mayhem in general. Now You See Me and Grimsby filmmaker Louis Leterrier directs, fresh from helping make TV series Lupin such a hit, and also reteaming with Statham after The Transporter and The Transporter 2 back in the 00s. Yes, we'll count that as another F&F instance of family ties. Check out the first Fast X trailer below: Fast X releases in cinemas Down Under on May 18, 2023.
Music has an underground relationship with math and science. Few musicians attribute their success to a life-long obsession with the more measurable arts, but the numbers are there in the octaves, the kilohertz and the flanging. Tom Leherer briefly interrupted a successful career in mathematics with a successful career as a singing satirist. For Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, the companion to music was architecture. Working with famous designer and tower-block progenitor Le Corbusier, he helped design the famous Philips Pavillion in 1958, basing the building on parabolic mathematics he'd put into his early music. Sydney percussion group Synergy are bringing his music to the City Recital Hall, performing the whole of his symphony for six drums, The Pleiades. His symphony is named after a cluster of stars that hangs around the night sky near Orion, and which has a place in lots of mythologies around the world. Synergy did just an excerpt from Xenakis' Pleiades in 2008, and they're returning now to give you the whole story. The Pleiades contains many, many stars, only a few of which are visible to the naked eye. This symphony's six drummers are similarly small in number, but they'll connect you to hidden things in Xenakis' dark energy. Original image by write_adam.
Over the coming months, Real Food Projects have added a bit of history to their menu of workshops. Working alongside Sydney Living Museums, a series of classes named Real Food/Old Ways will be held at Vaucluse House. Along with a two-hour workshop in the stables, the $120 classes include a private tour and history lesson, followed by a range of delicious lunches. The first class, Foraging and Colonial Cocktails, runs on Sunday, February 16, where you'll spend the afternoon with foraging expert Diego Bonetto collecting plants to make into cocktails. Later, join Christopher Thomas and Byron Woolfrey of Trolley'd to learn the history, secrets, and how-tos of cocktails. 'Foraging and Colonial Cocktails' runs from 2pm-5pm, and you'll even get to pocket a colonial-style cocktail mixer. A pickling class with Matt Rothman of Hands Lane (previously from Single Origin) runs on Sunday, March 9. From 10.30am-1.30pm you'll learn the basics, history and procedure of pickling. Take home the recipes, a pickle-making kit and the jar of pickles you make on the day.
"A beautiful film… profoundly moving." Los Angeles Times "The Slumdog Millionaire of documentaries: an inspiring, deeply moving crowd-pleaser." Washington Post What happens in the world's largest trash city will transform you. Filmed over three years, Waste Land is the Academy Award-nominated documentary that follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of 'catadores' - self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Concrete Playground is teaming up with Jameson and Hopscotch Films to present A Movie Night this Wednesday, November 30 at Cinema Paris, Fox Studios (where the film will be screening exclusively from December 1). At 6pm, we will be serving up some tasty cocktails prior to a special advanced screening of Waste Land at 7pm. To go in the running to win tickets for you and a friend, just make sure you are subscribed to Concrete Playground then email hello@concreteplayground.com.au by 5pm on Tuesday, November 29, 2011. Winners will be notified by email soon after. https://youtube.com/watch?v=0XCxpQMfGfc
After beginning the year with a devastating bushfire season, then following it up with a global pandemic that rid the area of tourism, the Blue Mountains, it's fair to say, has has a tough 12 months. In response, Mount Tomah's Blue Mountains Botanic Garden has turned to an unlikely partner on its road towards bushfire recovery: gin. In collaboration with Sydney-based gin brand Grown Spirits, the Botanic Garden has released the Blue Mountains Grown Gin in a limited run of just 1000 bottles. All profits from the gin go to supporting the garden's horticultural and scientific staff in their efforts to restore hundreds of specimens and areas of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden destroyed in the bushfires earlier this year. The Blue Mountains Grown Gin was created by Grown Spirits and Master Distiller Philip Moore at Distillery Botanica in Erina. It combines local eucalypt plant the silver-leaved mountain gum with juniper, valencia orange and liquorice root for a textural gin with a hint of spice. "In creating a gin homage to the Blue Mountains and the Garden, there was one botanical I was immediately drawn to, eucalyptus pulverulenta, or "Baby Blue" as some people call it," Moore said in a statement. "It brings fresh, cooling qualities to the gin much like the mountains themselves." The team recommends serving it in a G&T or a martini with a lime zest. You can also try it at Dead Ringer in Surry Hills, shaken into a cocktail called Evergreen. If you're looking for ethical holiday gifts this time of year, the Blue Mountains Grown Gin fits snuggly into a Christmas stocking. Not a gin enthusiast, but still keen to support the area? You can take a trip to the Blue Mountains — and the Garden — and spend liberally on local businesses. To start planning your adventure, check out our guide to the upper Blue Mountains and these enchanting local stays. The Blue Mountains Grown Gin is now available now for $129 at the Garden Grown Gin website or at select bottle shops across Australia.
Two of our city's most dynamic arts organisations — Carriageworks and Sydney Dance Company — are joining forces again to give up-and-coming choreographers a platform to showcase their work. Running every year since 2014, New Breed is an initiative supported by philanthropic organisation The Balnaves Foundation and is an ongoing collaborative commitment to nurturing Australia's next generation of performers and artists. Now in its sixth year, it boasts a successful track record of recipients going on to do national and global tours, picking up many awards along the way. So, this is your chance to catch the new wave of talent before the rest of the world. This year's program features a powerhouse lineup of independent choreographers: Josh Mu (Melbourne), Lauren Langlois (Melbourne), Arielle Casu (Sydney) and Davide Di Giovanni (Sydney). These four dancers, who have decades of training and dozens of accolades between them already, were selected to create original works and were also given the opportunity to work at Sydney Dance Company's studios with some of Australia's best contemporary dancers to bring these creative pieces to life. And now, you get to enjoy the fruits of their labour with an evening of stunning and wildly diverse performances. New Breed 2019 will run nightly at Carriageworks from Thursday, November 28 to Saturday, December 7. Tickets cost $35 per person and can be purchased here. Images: Pedro Greig.
Let's get the obvious out of the way immediately: a business's use of technology is fairly integral to its day-to-day functionality. Sure, there are exceptions to the rule but, for the most part, how a business is able to embrace technology and shape its output accordingly is fundamental to long term success. That's why the City of Sydney and founder-focused development and investment firm Investible got together to devise the Retail Innovation Program — an eight-week intensive that provides forward-thinking businesses with expert mentoring, in-depth workshops and guidance as they look to keep themselves ahead of the retail game. We spoke to four of the Sydney-based small businesses that have taken advantage of this innovative platform. Read on to discover how these entrepreneurs are using tech to do everything from making the design process more sustainable to rethinking how supply chains can work — and are thriving because of it. [caption id="attachment_734147" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] POP UP FINDS: HIRE SERVICES YOU DON'T NEED TO OWN It might come as a surprise, but pop-up events don't simply just pop up — a huge amount of work goes into ensuring they run smoothly, which can often rack up big bills very quickly. Pop Up Finds is designed around reducing wastage and minimising the hard costs associated with running events. "Brands were purchasing furniture to use as a one-time event and then throwing it away or storing it in their warehouse never to be used again," explains co-founders Kim and Taryn Hoang. Given this ethos is ingrained into their business model, the pair are pretty skilled at taking advantage of tech services that follow this same principle. Instead of forking out money to own a van, the Hoangs use car-sharing service GoGet to hire one as and when they need. The same goes with staff — the pair rely on platforms like Freelancer and Upwork to scale up the crew and fill gaps in skill sets when required. [caption id="attachment_731486" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Trent van der Jagt[/caption] CITIZEN WOLF: BUILD ALGORITHMS FOR THE PERFECT FINAL PRODUCT Have you ever thought about the nature of your relationship with clothes? For the past three years, Citizen Wolf has argued that tailoring your clothes is the optimal way to feel attached to them and wear them for longer than a season. Instead of using outdated tape measures, it's built the Magic Fit algorithm. What's that, you ask? Well, it's a statistical model that caters for height, weight, age and bra size to design the perfect fitting shirt for each individual. Citizen Wolf takes the Magic Fit pattern and uses a laser to cut the fabric before local Sydney sewers pull the final product together. Ultimately, this model is making the design process as straightforward as possible and reduces the likelihood of buyers returning products or, even worse, throwing them away because they don't fit properly. The fabrics the business uses are 100 percent natural fibres, and it's currently investigating biodegradable threads, too. Plus, it's looking to start working with a Spanish mill to turn old t-shirts into recycled yarn which will complete the circle entirely and reduce waste. [caption id="attachment_734138" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] FOODCOSTR: ADOPT DATA-DRIVEN INSIGHTS TO REDUCE WASTE Whether it's due to poor stock management or massive portion sizes, many Australian restaurants and cafes are wasting a huge amount of good quality food. That's what Foodcostr, and its founder Min Chai, is hoping to change. As the founder of the now-closed ice cream chain N2 Extreme Gelato, Chai knows a few things about the challenges of food stock. Having shifted his focus away from N2, Chai is now committed to helping other businesses operate more sustainably – both financially and environmentally. While it's still in development, Foodcostr is aiming to be a piece of tech that chefs can use to future-proof their restaurants — and it'll take advantage of other tech platforms to do so. Initially, the app was just going to be a way to calculate food costs, but Chai is now investigating ways to incorporate artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict exactly what a restaurant has to buy in order to meet the demands of its customers and minimise wastage. Plus, he hopes to get to a point where the app is generating valuable data-driven insights, like pinpointing specific ingredients to add or remove from the menu to improve the bottom line. [caption id="attachment_734152" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kimberley Low[/caption] MODSIE: KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE Getting your hands on authentic second-hand luxury fashion is the dream, but when you dig some up at your local op-shop or online, how can you be sure that it's the real thing? Modsie is Australia's answer to this conundrum as its members are safe to buy and sell their goods, which are verified by the company's own expert in-house quality control team. Co-founder Josephine De Parisot says that the Retail Innovation Program helped Modsie build a strategy to communicate with a wider audience. "The digital tips we received from Kelly Slessor from ShopYou and Emma Lo Russo from Digivizer were really interesting and helpful," says De Parisot. "They've made us aware of easy ways to improve our business's visibility, to determine clearly who our target is, and how to communicate better with our customers on Facebook, Google or simply on our website." Learn more about the City of Sydney Retail Innovation Program here. Image: Kimberley Low.
Each year we anticipate the arrival of December 25. Because of the day off, the promise of an afternoon spent dozing in a hammock — and the arrival of Gelato Messina's annual Christmas cake. This year, the gelato chain is bringing back its version of the quintessential Australian dessert: the trifle. Yes, we're talking Christmas desserts already. The Christmas Coma will return for its third year running — and this time it's more fruity than overly decadent. The epic ice cream creation will feature layer upon layer of everything that is good about Christmas — but instead of being soggy and slightly regrettable, this one will have you licking the glass bowl. So what's in it? Well, Messina has switched out the vanilla gelato for a mango sorbet, and will be slathering it with its house-made passionfruit mousse. Then it will be layered with — here we go — whipped guava jelly, coconut cream, sponge soaked in mango and macadamia crunch. Oh, and garnished with a chocolate coconut. Plus, it'll come with some Messina rum custard to douse all over the mess and a box of Christmas crackers for the table. The trifle, which serves 20–30 (or less if you really commit), costs $170 and can be pre-ordered from October 28. You can pick up your Christmas Coma between midday on Friday, December 20 and 6pm on Christmas Eve, from all Gelato Messina stores across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane except The Star, Surry Hills, Richmond and Coolangatta. It comes in a Messina cooler bag and, if you keep it in there sealed, can survive for up to two hours. Last year, the trifle sold out super fast, too, so we suggest you don't wait on this one. The Christmas Coma available to order from Tuesday, October 29. Updated October 29, 2019.
Can you get much more rock 'n' roll than your band having its own signature Harley Davidson? The members of Dutch outfit DeWolff might have the answer: they received the honour last year. Like The Black Keys, with whom they've been invited to perform, DeWolff plays music that hearkens to another era — that of 1970s psychedelic rock. They're loud, highly energised and passionate about playing like they mean to be heard. "We put everything we have into our shows, so it's one hell of a psychedelic rock 'n' roll trip," vocalist Pablo Van De Poe has explained. It seems to be working: Rolling Stone named them European 'Must See Live Band' of 2012. To mark their 2013 Antipodean tour, DeWolff is releasing three albums: their new blues-rock project, DeWolff IV, and a double CD that includes Strange Fruits and Undiscovered Plants and Orchards/Lupine, to be released in Australia only. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gh-8lQbTUoY
Twenty years ago, Tracey Moffatt became the first Australian Aboriginal woman to make a feature film, in the process polarising critics, who argued over whether BeDevil was a work of genius or a cinematic failure. Contemporary audiences will have the chance to make up their minds on Friday, April 19. Public intellectual and activist Professor Maria Langton AM has chosen BeDevil to open Debil Debil, an event combining a weekend-long cinema programme at Carriageworks with an exhibition at Anna Schwartz Gallery. Saturday, April 20 will see screenings of Rachel Perkins's stirring musical drama, One Night the Moon, and two works directed by Ivan Sen: his psychologically penetrating Wind, and his intimate study of life on the mission, Toomelah. A series of short films will run on Sunday, including works by Wesley Enoch, Darlene Johnson, Beck Cole and r e a. All screenings are free, but numbers are limited. Avoid disappointment by booking online.
For proof that Australia's cocktail game is world-class, look no further than the calibre of the international mixology stars lining up to play on our turf. In 2015, it was New York's famous speakeasy Please Don't Tell, taking over the bar at Fitzroy's acclaimed cocktail haunt The Black Pearl. Then Sydney Bar Week 2016 saw The Everleigh in Melbourne and Sydney's Henrietta Supper Club each play host to pop-ups by Asia's best bar, 28 Hongkong Street. Now it's time for one of the world's most famous hotel bars to make its way Down Under. The American Bar, which is located at London's Savoy Hotel, will take over The Black Pearl on October 15–16 and Darlinghurst's own cocktail gem Eau de Vie from October 18–19. As England's longest surviving cocktail bar, The American Bar has quite the pedigree — in the last year alone, it's scooped the title of Best Bar in Europe at the World's 50 Best Bars awards and seen its team voted Best International Bar Team by Tales of the Cocktail. Backed by the creators of local coffee liqueur Mr Black (who are behind the Espresso Martini Festival in Sydney and Melbourne), this Aussie adventure gives The American Bar the opportunity to showcase some of its own caffeinated mixology magic. At the helm will be senior bartender and World Coffee In Good Spirits champion Martin Hudak, as he treats local audiences to American Bar signatures like the Green Park, the Black Diamond and the Hanky Panky. It's not a ticketed event, so you'll have to be there when the doors open at 6pm each night for the best chance of scoring a seat. The American Bar takes over The Black Pearl, at 304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, from 6pm on Sunday, October 15 and Monday, October 16. Then, it'll land at Eau de Vie, 229 Darlinghurst Road, Darlinghurst, on Wednesday, October 18 and Thursday, October 19.
Just a few short months ago, no one could've predicted that the Queensland border would become one of 2020's most debated topics. It's a subject that has inspired plenty of comments, especially among interstate and federal politicians calling for Queensland to open back up — with the state closing its border to help stem the spread of COVID-19, then keeping it shut while other restrictions have been easing. Come mid-July, all that chatter could finally stop, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirming Friday, July 10 as Queensland's target date for reopening to interstate visitors. As initially outlined in Queensland's COVID-19 roadmap, that's the date that the state's third stage of loosened coronavirus limits is due to come into effect. Included at that step: allowing interstate travel, which means opening up the border. While this isn't new news, just whether Queensland would forge ahead with — or consider — reopening the border in its next phase of eased restrictions has been far from certain over the past month. Premier Palaszczuk even suggested that the border could remain closed until September. After the last national cabinet meeting on Friday, June 12, however, Queensland officials have been quoting July 10 as the date the state is aiming for. Speaking at a press conference on Monday, June 15, Premier Palaszczuk said that "our roadmap clearly says July 10". She confirmed that the state government "will review at the end of the month, but it is our clear intention that July 10 would be the date for consideration". [caption id="attachment_743610" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Tourism and Events Queensland[/caption] A day earlier, at a press conference on Sunday, June 14, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young also stated July 10 as the target date, as dependent upon a review at the end of June. "At the end of this month, we will review all of that epidemiology — not only us here in Queensland, but across the country — to make those decisions about our border," she said. Young explained that just when Queensland opens back up depends on a number of factors, including the ongoing levels of community transmission in southern states, while advising that the target date would only change if "something was very different either way". Expanding upon that further, Young noted that "if something were to happen interstate, I'm sure everyone would expect that we then push that date out". In good news, she also advised that "if things were a lot better, then of course we could bring that date forward, as did happen for this month's stage two." Initially, Queensland's second stage of eased COVID-19 restrictions was due to kick off on June 12, but was then brought forward to June 1. At the same Sunday press conference, Deputy Premier Steven Miles also said that opening up to New South Wales but not Victoria is a possibility — depending on community transmission levels — and that some work had been done in exploring the logistics, although it's not a favoured option. "Our preference would be to lift the borders all at once, hopefully on the 10th of July," he noted. If you're a Queenslander hoping to hop over the border for a mid-year holiday — and come back home without any hassle — the confirmation of July 10 as the target border reopening date will be a welcome development. If you're a resident of the rest of the country eager to soak in the Sunshine State's splendours during winter, it will be as well. At the federal level, the Australian government has also been aiming for July as the date the country's internal borders are lifted, as noted in the national three-step roadmap out of COVID-19 lockdown announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in May. But, like all coronavirus restrictions — whether being implemented or eased — each step has to be put in place by every state individually. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in Australia and how to protect yourself, head to the Australian Government Department of Health's website. Top image: Tourism and Events Queensland
For the second year in a row, North Byron Bay Parkland won't be welcoming in bands and music lovers this July, with Splendour in the Grass' 2021 festival already rescheduled to November. But if enjoying a jam-packed lineup of tunes is a cherished part of your winter routine, that's still on the cards, with the fest's organisers announcing that a new virtual Splendour event will take place in its usual midyear times slot. Called Splendour XR, the mud-free two-stage event will pop up across the weekend of Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25 — but you'll be watching along from home. Or, from wherever you choose to tune in via your mobile, tablet, browser, desktop or VR headset, all to watch more than 50 acts take to the virtual stage over two days. Leading the charge are headliners Khalid and The Killers. The former will do the honours on Saturday, while the latter will take over on Sunday. They'll be joined by a hefty list of talent, including Chvrches, Denzel Curry, Duke Dumont, Tash Sultana, Violent Soho, Phoebe Bridgers and Band of Horses on the first day, plus Charlie XCX, Vance Joy, The Avalanches, Of Monsters and Men, The Jungle Giants and Ocean Alley on the second. If you're wondering how Splendour XR will work, that's understandable — and no, you won't just be watching old gig footage or clips from past Splendours. Instead, the fest will feature new, never-before-seen live sets that have been created especially for the virtual event. And, while they'll be available to watch worldwide, the fest will operate on Australian time — running from 12pm–2am AEST each day, with tunes starting from 2pm. You'll also be able to view the performances for seven days afterwards. Splendour organisers are also aiming to take as much of the IRL festival experience with them into the virtual realm, too, with attendees set to access "an imaginatively embellished but faithful recreation of Splendour's Byron Bay venue", according to the festival announcement. You'll also create your own schedule so that you can hop between stages to see whoever you like, and you'll be able to virtually meet up with your mates in the process as well. Also part of the fest: raising funds for live music industry workers, mental health and wellbeing, and sustainability. There'll also be an online medical centre designed to help anyone that's struggling with their mental health after the chaos of the past 15 months or so. Obviously, attending Splendour XR will be much, much kinder to your bank balance than going to the real thing. Tickets start at $17.49 for one day for existing Splendour IRL ticketholders during early bird sales, which are open now — and max out at $49.99 for both days when it gets down to final release tickets (just a couple of days out from the event). SPLENDOUR XR LINEUP: DAY 1 Khalid Chvrches Denzel Curry Duke Dumont Tash Sultana Masked Wolf Russ Millions Band Of Horses Little Simz Violent Soho Aurora Phoebe Bridgers Vera Blue Pink Sweat$ Client Liaison Griff Pond Tayla Parx Dune Rats Methyl Ethel The Chats Triple One Cat & Calmell King Stingray The Southern River Band DAY 2 The Killers Charli XCX Vance Joy Grimes Metaverse (Super Beta) The Avalanches Of Monsters and Men Kaytranada Black Pumas Hot Dub Time Machine Millennium Parade The Jungle Giants Ocean Alley Jungle What So Not King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Sinéad Harnett Holly Humberstone Spacey Jane Crooked Colours Amyl and The Sniffers Wafia Aviva The Snuts Band-Maid Ziggy Ramo Gretta Ray Splendour XR will take place on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25. For further details or to buy tickets, head to the festival website. Top image: Mitch Lowe.
When your nine-to-five plays out like a well-oiled machine, it can sometimes feel like each week is a little same-same. But Sydney is brimming with a fine bounty of things to experience and explore each and every day. So aside from casual laziness and a little lack of inspiration, there's really nothing stopping you from squeezing some adventure and spontaneity into your schedule. We've teamed up with Mazda3 to help you celebrate the little things that bring a sense of adventure to life. Shake things up, as we give you seven different detours to take each week in Sydney. From Monday to Sunday, enrich your everyday with one completely achievable activity that inspires you to take the scenic route as you go about your daily routine. This week, play backgammon to a soundtrack of jazz, spook yourself on Halloween and channel your inner Beyoncé. Plus, we've got your future detours sorted for the next few weeks here. All require no more effort than a tiny break from the norm — what's your excuse for not trying them all?
With its cafes, little bars, book and second-hand stores, Glebe Point Road is one of Sydney's most loved and atmospheric streets. And it's about to get even more remarkable for the day of Glebe Street Fair, which each year welcomes more than 100,000 visitors to its streets. This year the day-fest will farewell its twenties. But the Sunday, November 17, event is one 30th that won't fret its burgeoning wrinkles. Nope, Glebe's down to party with a kilometre of diverse market stalls, performances and entertainment. This year you can expect performances from the local Latin Dance Academy and live music from The Maybes and Angie Who, amongst a whole mixed-bag more. A gold coin donation will send proceeds to the Glebe Chamber of Commerce for local community initiatives and have you jiving down the stretch from Parramatta Road to Bridge Street. So join the local creative community for a good cause and an even better day. The event runs from 10am-5pm.
This article is part of our series on the 17 most unique things to have come out of Japan. Check out the other 16. If breakfast usually involves a battle between you, your toast and your butter knife, ending in lots of holes, there’s a solution. Let the ‘easy butter former’ bring peace into your home. It’s like a grater, but it’s specially designed for butter. All you have to do is pop your pat inside and turn the lid. Presto, it emerges as impossibly thin slivers, which means soft, evenly spread butter wherever you need it, be that on toast, cakes, biscuits or straight into your mouth. There’s no more having to leave the butter out of the fridge, waiting for it to warm up to a spreadable temperature. Actually, it’s pretty difficult to believe that it’s taken this long to solve such an ancient dilemma — and with such a straightforward yet ingenious invention. You can check out the easy butter former in action on YouTube and buy one of your very own online via Metex for $26. A similar Australian invention, the Butter Up Knife, is a little more slimline. According to the website, the easy butter former is also good for chocolate and cheese. Your homemade cappuccino just got a thousand times better. It’s possible your arteries didn’t fare so well. Top image: Dollar Photo Club.
Bernie Tierde is a kind-hearted and compassionate assistant funeral director from a small town community. He wouldn't hurt a fly, so how would he be able to murder a woman? Everyone in the town of Carthage, Texas has a very special fondness for Bernie (Jack Black), who spends his days comforting widows, bestowing gifts and singing at services. The townsfolk are shocked, however, when Bernie strikes up an unlikely connection with the richest, meanest old widow in town, Marjorie Nugent (Shirley Maclaine). The two travel the world together, shop, and gossip, until one day Marjorie goes missing and Bernie is the prime suspect for her murder. Based on events which really did occur about 15 years ago, much of the film is presented in documentary style, with interviews of the townsfolk and their comedic takes on the turn of events inserted into the film's narrative. Black gives an authentic performance as the complex character of Bernie, and Maclaine puts in a similarly strong showing as the impatient, overbearing old hag that everyone loves to hate. Concrete Playground has ten double passes to giveaway to see Bernie. To go in the running, subscribe to Concrete Playground (if you haven't already) then email your name and postal address to us at hello@concreteplayground.com.au
Artist Vicki Lee and photographer Ted O'Donnell celebrate life's sensuality by giving flowers the Nickelodeon slime treatment with bright-hued paints in IS./WET, their new artistic collaboration showing at Sun Studios. Oozing and dripping, the motion of the paint was painstakingly captured by a combination of O'Donnell's lighting mastery and Lee's carefully timed pouring. The artists' Tumblr has stop-motion videos showing the process. It would be tempting to watch it all happen in slo-mo, so mesmerising is the trail of liquid colour over petals. What is the message and mood of these images? The symbology of flowers ranges from the appearance of fragility and beauty to the simple fact that we all live and grow. The addition of glossy pigments only heightens the sense of relish the artists take in presenting these living sculptures, pinned by the camera in a moment of flux. The key word is "vitality".
There's a lot of idiosyncratic work knocking around the creative industries, hidden from view by the demands of client vision and in-house style. It's easy to get so absorbed in work that the art and style intended to be made gets lost in a cycle of the day-to-day. While the pace of the commercial whirl can tend to overwhelm the individual's art, a new gallery is opening in Darlinghurst which aims to draw these artists' art out of the shadows and into the embracing glare of the public gaze. Showcase Gallery aims to let you see what creatives make happen when they're away from the office. For their Launch show, Mark Mawson is going old school with frozen moments of liquid smoke, Bianca Chang will make paper make words, spreading it in spirals like the most delicate of papal stairs, and Chuck Bradley's close-up photography will make the micro macro, resolving every piece of rust, dirt or tiny bump into giant focus in a collection mysteriously titled Really Tiny Things. Paul Meates' broad-drooped drawings and Nicholas Alan Cope's fiery black and white abstract photos also feature. The launch party is at 6pm on July 28, RSVP is essential. Image by Bianca Chang.
Sydney's once vibrant Oxford Street is set to face yet another loss: The Australian Centre for Photography, a cornerstone of Paddington's creative history for the past 40 years and one of the longest running contemporary art spaces in Australia, is selling up. For ACP, the lack of accessibility along Oxford Street has been the major drawback. Director Suzanne Buljan sees the decision to move the home of Australia's photo-media community to a more central location as an opportunity to “adapt with our ever changing medium and produce innovative shows that overcome both building and transport barriers for audiences." The proceeds from the auction of the Paddington property will go towards ACP's new space. "We have started looking … close to Central, either in the evolving arts district around Central Park or in lower Surry Hills," says Buljan. "Such locations provide accessibility to a greater audience and also attract a creative community that will enhance ACP’s profile." It wasn't long ago that Paddington's main strip was a definitive hub for local creatives — a melting pot of independent galleries, eclectic boutiques and the big names in Australian fashion. The mass exodus, however, of retail and restaurants in recent years has left the area comparatively lifeless. Are the two Westfield centres bookending Oxford Street to blame? Is it the cost of parking? The high rent? This recent Sydney Morning Herald investigation of the street's decline highlights just how complex the issue is. The auction is scheduled for October 1, and ACP will move homes later in 2015. In the meantime, catch the spring season show at the Paddington location this month, an exhibition presented in association with the Reportage Festival of Photography and showcasing four award-winning photojournalists: Robert Knoth and Antoinette de Jong from the Netherlands, South Africa's Jodi Bieber and our own Ashley Gilbertson. Find the ACP Gallery at 257 Oxford Street, Paddington. It's open Tuesday - Saturday from 10am - 5pm and Sunday from noon - 5pm (closed public holidays and Mondays). Admission is free.
Every Italian will tell you that no one cooks like their nonna — and to prove that claim true, Sydney's best Italian chefs and their grandmothers are teaming up for a brand new two-week festival of Italian deliciousness. Running from November 17–27, the Festival of Nonna will be a celebration of the traditional matriarchs of the Boot, with a whole fortnight filled with dinners, drinks and workshops at Redfern's 107 Projects. Preented by Sandhurst Fine Foods, it will show off the modern interpretation of Italian food coupled with the tried-and-tested traditions that make the cuisine so damn good. Sydney chef and restaurateur Andrew Cibej (of 121BC, Berta and Vini fame) will be teaming up with his mum to host a pop-up trattoria on the rooftop of 107 Projects. Together they'll host eight meals over the two weeks, where they'll showcase Andrew's skills that have fed hungry Sydneysiders for years, and pay homage to the humble roots of his craft. "Nonna taught me everything I know about the importance of fresh and simple ingredients," Cibej says."But I always show her a thing or two about throwing new flavours or techniques into the mix." For those keen to cook like nonna does, chefs — including two Luca Ciano of Milan's two Michelin-starred Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, Massimo Mele of the Woollahra's now-closed La Scala on Jersey, and MasterChef's Sara Oteri — will have their own grandmothers in tow to deliver hands-on demonstrations that show off the tradition and the techniques of crafting the perfect Italian meal. Tickets for the workshops are $30 a pop, while tickets for the pop-up dinners are $50 and include five courses with paired wines and a sweet party bag. Many of them are already booked out — so hop to it. The Festival of Nonna will run from November 17-27 at 107 Projects, 107 Redfern Street, Redfern. For more info, visit festivalofnonna.com.
Eleven days of soccer action kick off in Darling Harbour this month. Held on a floating football pitch in Cockle Bay, the Big Issue Street Football Festival will bring together players and fans from across the country. The inaugural event in 2011 welcomed 600 participants in no less than 148 football matches, and this year's festival promises to be even bigger. Incorporating government, corporate and junior events, the festival spans a range of competitions, including the national championships of the Big Issue’s Community Street Soccer Program. The program supports disadvantaged people who are experiencing homelessness, disability and long-term unemployment. Check out the full event program for dates of and details on other matches.
Sydney's lockout laws have kept the city talking since they were first announced — and they'll continue to do so on February 18. After their last rally was stopped at the last minute due to a Supreme Court ruling, Keep Sydney Open's new and third anti-lockouts protest will take place from 12pm. "We are announcing that the rally will go ahead at a later date, and it will be bigger, louder and stronger than the one originally scheduled," said KSO in a statement, which also highlights a second reason for the peaceful gathering. "This time we're not just protesting to draw attention to the lockouts, but we're fighting for our very right as citizens of NSW to gather on the streets and express ourselves politically." Included on the bill for the event, which will take place at Martin Place, are a host of passionate voices. Join GANGgajang, Montaigne, Hugo Gruzman from Flight Facilities, FBi Radio DJs Adi Toohey and Andy Garvey, Isabella Manfredi from The Preatures, Liberal City of Sydney Councillor Christine Forster and Alex Greenwich MP — and, because sustenance is important, Gelato Messina and Wholly Schnit as well. Further details, including a venue, have yet to be revealed, but yesterday's cancelled event was due to team up with Sydney's ARIA-winning duo Flight Facilities. As fans would know, Flight Facilities invo Flight Facilities has been continually outspoken in their opposition to the lockouts. After all, the duo played some of its first gigs after 3am at now-closed Kings Cross venues, including Hugo's, Soho, Tank Room and the Piano Room. Flight Facilities were included in a group of artists commemorated recently in a KSO project, which paid tribute to closed Sydney venues and the artists who cut their teeth there. Flight Facilities have long been associated with Kings Cross's now-closed Piano Room, where Jimmy and Hugo met. While the most recent development regarding the lockouts saw three venues receive a 30-minute extension to current cutoff times, Keep Sydney Open does not see that as a viable solution. Instead, the organisation wants to work with the NSW Government to implement a seven-point plan, as follows: Developing best-practice policing strategies; Investing in 24/7 public transport; Implementing integrated urban planning reform; Encouraging diversification of after-dark activities; Establishing anti-violence education and intervention campaigns; Incentivising well-run venues; and Appointing a Night Mayor or office charged with managing Sydneyʼs night-time economy. "A 30-minute extension will not be enough to reverse the damage being done to the cultural areas and small businesses that make Sydney an exciting place to be," said Tyson Koh, director of Keep Sydney Open. "Itʼs barely enough time to line up for the bathroom or get a kebab. "For too long the debate about our city and how we live our lives has been dominated by misinformation and fear-mongering. We call on the lobby groups who support the lockout laws to enter the conversation about smart solutions, instead of clearing people off the streets." By Jasmine Crittenden and Sarah Ward. Image: Kimberley Low.
A lot of things are difficult in No Man's Land: working out who's who and what's true and what time it is and just how many drinks you've had. This applies both to the audience and to those onstage, in whose strange world an hour and a half of our time and at least a day and a half of theirs is more than enough. This is not to say this production isn't very good, because it is: it's good enough to be a difficult experience, one in which the audience is bounced between laughing and looking full-face into the void. "[It] IS funny, up to a point. Beyond that point, it ceases to be funny, and it is because of that point that I wrote it." Pinter made this statement about one of his early plays, but it seems applicable to them all. The setting of a Pinter play is strikingly real, its dialogue is believably conversational, and it tends to be hilarious — up to that point where things tip absurdly over into some of the bleakest moments possible onstage. As the main characters Hirst and Spooner, veterans John Gaden and Peter Carroll live up to their showcase casting by giving clever and affecting performances. If there are occasions where No Man's Land feels a bit like an exercise in 'Ladies and gentlemen, Gaden and Carroll, at their best!', well, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Audiences having developed admiration and affection for an actor doesn't mean that their work is no longer good, and the play itself is one that benefits from the comfort of familiar faces. Andrew Buchanan and Steven Rooke are also good in the supporting roles of Briggs and Foster, giving performances that are broadly comedic over suggestions of real threat and spite. This is a solid production, committed to getting across a difficult play in a way that does service to it and addresses the audience on through its innate merits rather than some kind of transformative reworking. The set itself looks like somewhere you'd want to live, and the costumes have some pretty nice one-liners all on their own. Productions like this sometimes suffer by virtue of their very seamlessness, ending up lacking in impact, but in this case the possibility of immersion in the fictional world the play puts forward and the realisation of the very nasty things indeed abounding within it makes No Man's Land sneakily devastating.
When COVID-19 case numbers started rising in New South Wales before Christmas, beginning with the northern beaches cluster, the NSW Government asked residents of Greater Sydney to wear face masks indoors. Then, when January hit, masks became mandatory in some settings. Now, the first month of 2021 almost over, and the area's caseload has been waning. So, with NSW marking ten days without community cases — as at today, Wednesday, January 27 — Premier Gladys Berejiklian has announced that mask rules will be easing. At a press conference to announce the easing of gathering and venue restrictions from 12.01am on Friday, January 29, Premier Berejiklian said the list of situations where masks are compulsory is rolling back at the same time as well. Once the end of the week arrives, they'll only be mandatory on public transport, in health settings, in gaming rooms, for front-of-house hospitality workers, for folks going to a place of worship, and for anyone attending a beauty or hairdressing salon. Face masks will no longer be compulsory for retail workers, however, or for anyone going shopping — including at supermarkets. That's a big change, but they remain recommended in those settings if you're unable to socially distance. Of course, wearing masks if you can't socially distance anywhere remains the overall advice, too. If you don't have a mask by now, Victoria's Department of Health has put together a handy step-by-step guide for how you can make your own. We've also put together a rundown of local companies making and selling them. To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
Some of Sydney's best foodmasters have joined forces to take over The Unicorn on Oxford Street. Mary's owners Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham have teamed up with Bodega/Porteno's Elvis Abrahanowicz and Young's Henrys' Oscar McMahon as a Sydney supergroup to revamp the Paddington pub. Yeah, holy crap. And now it's open. It's not a Mary's in the eastern suburbs, it's a craft beer pub, and it's not the dreaded buzzword: a gastropub. It's a pub the lads would drink in themselves. With no TVs and no pokies, but a reclaimed red gum bar and native Australian flora illustrations, the revamped Unicorn is an Aussie-inspired pub without the tacky trimmings — although VB sits proudly on tap beside Young Henrys brews. Speaking of tipples, the dranks in this establishment is largely and wonderfully local, with a totally Australian wine list — some of South Australia's top South Australian winemakers (think Tara Ochota, James Erskine and Tom Shobbrook) are already armed with wine for the new pub. Obviously Young Henrys have plenty of goodies behind the bar, but there's also a round-up of Australian beers represented. With the minds behind Mary's and Porteno behind this, what of the nosh? Abrahanowicz is in charge of the menus, and the horizon is pub food done well, going back to basics instead of doing any fancy schmany modern twists — roast chicken, both 'daily' and 'fancy' steak, and generous sangas with cheese, chutney and glazed ham cut right off the bone. Obviously, there's Mary's burgers on the menu too. This will hopefully be a long and happy new chapter for The Unicorn, who just closed their doors a few months ago — along with the closure of '70s basement bar Easy Tiger. Redesigned in March 2014, after a disastrously Westfield-like renovation of Fringe Bar in 2012, The Unicorn seemed to have found its Paddington groove once more. But after closing up shop, here's hoping the Mary's, Young Henrys and Porteno crew can see The Unicorn ride again. The Unicorn is now open at 106 Oxford St, Paddington. Open Mon-Wed 11am-late, Thurs-Sat 11am-3am, and Sun 11am-midnight. Via Australian Gourmet Traveller and Good Food.
Carrie Fisher is bringing back those famous bagel buns and reprising her role as Princess Leia in the upcoming Star Wars trilogy. Or at least, so says Carrie Fisher. Since Disney and LucasFilm confirmed the new Star Wars trilogy scheduled for release from 2015 would concern the post-Return of the Jedi era, the casting rumour mill has gone into hyperdrive. However, when asked by Palm Beach Illustrated if she would be back for the new saga, Fisher confidently declared "yes". She ventured that an older Leia "would be just like she was before, only slower and less inclined to be up for the big battle." Whilst Mark Hammil, the original Luke Skywalker, has said he is keen and Harrison Ford has not dismissed the notion of playing Han Solo, neither have been as definitive as Fisher. When contacted by Entertainment Weekly, LucasFilm representatives stated that "we haven’t made any announcements about casting". We hope Fisher is telling the truth though, else we are looking for casting information in Alde-wrong places. In the meantime, with no script written, fans can only speculate over what her role may be, but we reckon that bikini will be staying in the wardrobe this time round.
NSW venue lockout and bottle shop closing times are set to be pushed back, with Premier Mike Baird expected to announce new details for statewide lockout laws today. Reported by The Guardian, Baird will today detail a later lockout time from 1.30am to 2am (with the proviso that live entertainment be provided in the venue) and a new closing time for CBD venues from 3am to 3.30am. Cut-off time for takeaway alcohol, whether purchased across the counter or from a bottle shop, will be pushed back from 10pm to 11pm. The new lockout time of 2am will form part of a two-year trial. Small bar licenses will change too, with the definitive capacity of a small bar being upped from 60 to 100. The changes come three months after the release of the controversial statutory Liquor Law Review by former High Court Judge Ian Callinan (read our handy breakdown of the review here). Among other things, Callinan suggested an easing of the time the lockout takes effect for live entertainment venues and an extension of the opening hours for bottle shops and home delivery services. But really, is half an hour enough to change Sydney's shackled nightlife? Nightlife lobbyists Keep Sydney Open took to Twitter to vent their frustration, calling the legislative changes a "joke". What a joke. A 30 minute relaxation is an insult to businesses and Sydney's global status. Mike Baird is in for a rough ride. https://t.co/EeuklMgxc3 — Keep Sydney Open (@KeepSydneyOpen) December 7, 2016 Via The Guardian. Image: Kimberley Low.
The sun slipping away earlier in the cooler months isn't a bad thing — it just means there's more time for fun to be had after dark. This is something our pals at Sydney Living Museums know all too well, thanks to its monthly art and music series. Since February, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Hyde Park Barracks has presented its new late-night program After Dark. Once a month, from 5–9pm, you can enjoy drinks at the pop-up bar while checking out the live tunes, performances and more. And at this month's event on Thursday, June 24, you can get cosy around the fire pit with marshmallows courtesy of the Country Women's Association. Then, let Muruwari Man Willy Stevens give you a First Nations perspective on astronomy or join a yarning circle with D'harawal Saltwater Knowledge Keeper Shannon Foster. There'll be installations by artist Ella Condon to enjoy and live music from Sparrow, Lady King and FBi Radio DJs, too. The next Hyde Park Barracks After Dark event is happening on Thursday, June 24 from 5–9pm. Each month boasts a new lineup to enjoy. To stay up to date, visit the website.
