Year: 2016

It seems after Mockingjay Part 2, the last of The Hunger Games, people and Hollywood need to take a break from dystopias. Similar in plot, Allegiant is the latest installment in the Divergent series. It follows Tris (Shailene Woodley) and her friends in the aftermath of overthrowing the ruthless system that controlled Chicago, their home….

Tigerair Australia has announced a sale on thousands of fares across domestic and international networks in celebration of their 19 millionth passenger. Any excuse will do, right? The sale – which is on now – will run until midday (AEDT) Saturday 16th April, with fares for travel between mid-July and mid-September 2016. Thousands of seats…

Making my way from Toronto for a day trip to Niagara Falls, ahead of a long… long flight home to Australia, I knew I had to have a comfortable night’s rest. But I also wanted to make sure I had the best view possible of the falls – and as it happened, at the Hilton…

It seems to be a growing trend for high intensity circus shows to be making their way down under, and we are not mad about it. Cirque Adrenaline is the latest blood pumping, heart racing, thrilling new show to settle into the State Theatre, and what unraveled over the course of two hours was nothing…

Both Simon Cumming and Perri Cassie greeted the audience, all very much ready on stage, with some light chatter about the etiquette of introducing their show as they walked into the room at Grand Mecure, and then well… introduced us to their show through a unique little sketch-stylised bit. The sketch stuff was tossed aside from…

As we walked into Cocktails & Canvas, there is a weird sensation that passes over me – I’m not creative in the slightest. I’m just a budding journalist who types words down and speaks into a microphone, the idea of actually painting something just seems so far out that I’d freak out if I made…

What Makes A Man? is a panel discussion exploring masculinity, social pressures and meanings of attraction. The panel features some impressive personalities including renowned Australian journalist Peter Fitzsimmons, stand up comedian Joel Creasey, supermodel Kate Peck, and Nova’s entertaining radio personality Tim Blackwell, as well as I-Manifest founder Jo Pretyman. Chairing the panel is The Chaser’s funnyman…

Now that the Tella Balls Dessert Bar is up and running at Dulwich Hill, eagerly pumping out nutella doughnuts and all types of nutella-inspired desserts to rabid customers, the Chefs have decided to introduce two limited edition versions of their actually world famous desserts. Playing around with childhood favourites, the team have designed The Golden…

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Liverpool City Council and Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre have organised a major artist-led project in Liverpool, dubbed FOOD FIGHT – The Battle for Food Security, culminating in a major public event on Saturday, 30 April (5-8pm) at Bigge Park, Liverpool. The project, which aims to raise awareness about…

The 4th annual Sydney Fair will be returning to the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park from the 26th until the 29th May 2016. Fair-goers can expect stalls showcasing unique Art Deco, 20th Century and vintage pieces across fashion, jewellery, objects and interiors, from Australian and International exhibitors. Exclusive finds include a rare Fantoni figure, Emerald Art Deco engagement…

Ubiquitous doughnut purveyors Krispy Kreme are mixing up their new range of American Classic flavours with their love of 1950’s tunes, even drawing inspiration from vintage jukeboxes with the creation of a new type of limited-edition box, one which comes with a built-in Bluetooth speaker. Serenading your doughnuts is acceptable. Spotify have provided the brand…

Established Sydney CBD dining icon, Machiavelli Restaurant, has now opened its Rushcutters Bay counterpart on Neild Avenue in a warehouse-style venue. The new restaurant, Bar Machiavelli, is also run by original Machiavelli creator Paola Toppi and seeks to add the Rushcutter Bay’s popular Italian dining scene which already includes Popolo and ACME. The menu will feature…

The infinitely hilarious duo of Aziz Ansari and Eric Wareheim have become the latest pair of comedians to create a parody music video inspired by Kanye West, but this time it’s for a track that doesn’t even have an official music video yet. The controversial “Famous” has been chosen for this honour, soundtracking a bizarre…

All the ladies to the front, please. New Melbourne music night ‘Neon Alley’ is putting four of the city’s finest performers on show for it’s launch night, taking place at Howler on May 13th! The venture between 123 Agency and Happy will see some brilliant emerging electro-pop artists take to the stage, the debut line…

Sunshine Coast boys Selahphonic have a new indie pop jam we’re digging in “Ghosts of 1999”! Taking cues from the likes of Walk The Moon and The Wombats, the quartet have combined some strong melodies and catchy guitar hooks, marrying both with a bold rhythm and percussion section and some energetic and punchy vocal delivery, courtesy of Jamie…

As part of a new series dubbed Nooks & Crannies by Sydney Opera House and Intel, blending their access to one of the most marvelous architectural feats in the world with good music, José González has performed a beautiful, intimate acoustic rendition of Vestiges and Claws single “Open Book” inside one of the icon’s actual…

The Paper Kites are getting back to business on the live front and will be touring right round the country mid-year on the ‘Midnight Tour’. The news has coincided with the release of the band’s latest music video, this time for “Renegade”, the third and final installation in The Paper Kites’ “Midnight” trilogy. Like the…

If you love horror and you love metal, then you’ve heard of Wednesday 13 and have rocked out to his classic anthems: a slick fusion of metal, punk and the macabre that’s a whole lot of fun. I spoke with the “Duke of Spook” as he was busy preparing for his Australian tour (that kicks off in Melbourne tomorrow night)…

The sleepmakeswaves boys are currently cutting it up in the US and they’re not looking to slow down either. The Sydney band have just announced 50 shows taking in venues in Australia and across North America – bringing US prog-rockers The Contortionist and Perth’s Tangled Thoughts of Leaving on the Australian tour this August! The ‘traced in constellations’…

This morning Splendour in the Grass dropped a massive lineup on us, with headliners including The Cure, The Strokes and – holy shit – The Avalanches. Also announced is the day-by-day breakdown of the lineup, raising the inevitable speculation of which day is going to the best. Friday 22nd July The festival’s first day is…

Adelaide pop duo Auguste are making their way on to the radars of many more around the country with their ethereal sounds and today, they bring their new music video for latest single “Kingdom”! The synth-drenched tune, produced by Andy Bull, is an attention-grabbing number that has brought Auguste to the fore once again as…

On the final afternoon of SXSW, I catch up with half of New York band Caveman for what locks in as my last on site artist interview. By this stage, everyone’s looking at the finishing line of SXSW Music and loading up on the tobacco and Red Bulls just to get to the end. For…

After going out of her way to make herself seem as unappealing as possible in the misguided Tammy, Melissa McCarthy opts for the opposite effect in The Boss, prettying herself up considerably (at least physically) to play a power-hungry mogul who, against our better judgement, we can’t hate as much as we should due to…

During a whirlwind trip to Australia to promote Remedy Entertainment’s latest game Quantum Break, and an appearance at Gold Coast Supanova over the weekend, we got a chance to chat briefly with the extremely talented Shawn Ashmore.

Confirming earlier rumors, Sony have confirmed the title of the next Spider-Man film as Spider-Man: Homecoming and released the logo for the upcoming film. The title and logo for the film were revealed during a presentation at CinemaCon by Sony Pictures’ Tom Rothman and Tom Holland – set to take on the role of Peter…

With only a few weeks before Earth’s mightiest heroes clash in Captain America: Civil War, Marvel has begun to hype up Doctor Strange by debuting the first trailer for the film. The trailer keeps things simple, introducing Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange and Tilda Swinton‘s Ancient One but not giving too much away. Visually, it…

Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, Oscar-nominated John Hawkes, and actor Lucas Hedges have joined the cast of John Michael McDonagh‘s upcoming Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.  The film sees Frances McDormand plays a mother whose daughter who has been murdered. Furious at the inaction of the authorities, she takes action by protesting the law…

Filming has begun on Simon Baker’s feature film directorial debut, Breath, based on acclaimed writer Tim Winton’s award winning and international best-selling novel. Set in mid-70s coastal Australia, Breath follows two teenage boys, hungry for discovery, that form an unlikely friendship with a mysterious older adventurer, who pushes them to take risks that will have a lasting…

Despite a tumultuous debut season of Netflix’s Bloodline, things aren’t slowing down in Florida. At least, if the new trailer for Season 2 is anything to go by. John, the formerly straight-laced cop, finds himself in deep with his siblings, played by Linda Cardellini and Norbert Leo Butz. Sissy Spacek also returns as the matriarch…

On a tour through Queensland promoting his Stan Original series Wolf Creek and new film Observance, Australia’s own John Jarratt seems to be enjoying himself. He’s been on a roll for stellar performances throughout the past year and he had quite a bit to say about young Australian talent and the perpetuity of Mick Taylor…