Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
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Souvenirs Australia Warehouse
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AUSTRALIA IN THE NEWS -
PREVIOUS STORIES Sydney has been named the world's best city by wealthy American
globetrotters. Again. It is the eighth time Sydney has won the US Travel + Leisure
magazine award since it started 10 years ago, consistently beating the
postcard cities of Paris, New York and Barcelona. The magazine's 900,000 subscribers were asked to evaluate each city
by its sights, culture and arts, restaurants and food, people, shopping
and value. This year Sydneysiders can permit themselves a modest smile to learn
that the city rated particularly highly in the "people"
category. The NSW Tourism Minister, Sandra Nori, was more effusive in a
statement released last night, ahead of the announcement in New York. "Sydneysiders themselves deserve most of the praise. It's the
friendliness, sophistication and vibrancy of the people that has
contributed so much to Sydney's image," she said. The announcement was made on NBC's Today Show at 1am today,
Sydney time. Tourism brings $23 billion to the NSW economy every year and the
tourism industry employs one in eight members of the state's workforce. The state has spent $4 million promoting the city through its
"There's no place in the world like Sydney" campaign, with
advertisements broadcast on television in Australia, New Zealand and
Britain, as well as displayed on the internet. The advertisement shows misty-eyed surfers and tourists staring at
panoramas of the harbour, beaches and city. Tourism NSW's executive director, John O'Neill, said the State
Government and its partners spent $2.2 million a year promoting Sydney
around the world. "Given the relatively modest resources for
international activity, what we tend to do is market through a
combination of PR, and also we work with partners to take our Sydney
brand to consumers," Mr O'Neill said. "For instance, every
year there's a 'G'day LA' Australia week in Los Angeles and this year we
sponsored a couple of film premieres." Travel + Leisure is pitched at wealthy people who enjoy
travelling and leisure activities. Sydney has won the gong every year except 2000, when it lost to San
Francisco, and 2001, when Florence took the prize. ............................................................................................................................................
Cameras on hand as Crowe is led handcuffed out of the 1st Precinct of
the New York Police Department. Russell Crowe, one of Hollywood's highest paid actors, has spent a day in
a New York jail cell, a courthouse and in the eye of a media storm. New York Police Department detective Kevin Czartoryski said the hotel
clerk made a formal complaint to officers after dialing emergency number 911
at 4.22am directly after the alleged assault. "He said the telephone struck him on his cheek ... which caused a
laceration.'' ........................................................................................................................................................................................................
When he was busted in July 1995 by Los Angeles police for "lewd
conduct" his career in Hollywood hung in the balance. Grant's
image, if anything, got a useful bad-boy makeover. Because he was in Los Angeles he went on Jay Leno's chat show where
he looked embarrassed, squirmed telegenically, apologised profusely to
his girlfriend Elizabeth Hurley and to America, mentioned work pressure
and wrapped the whole thing up in self-deprecating humour. Crowe, because he was in New York, went to Leno's cross-country
rival, David Letterman. He was in Letterman's hot seat 36 hours after
his arrest for flinging a telephone at a desk clerk at the $US3000
($3900) a night Mercer Hotel. A little late-night bonding with Jay or
Dave, it seems, is a "morning-after antidote" worth trying in
the midst of a particularly reckless behavioural crisis. Letterman set the mood of confessional levity by introducing Crowe
while the band played Telephone Man. To keep the laughs coming
Letterman removed a telephone from his desk and let Crowe channel Grant. So far Crowe is playing the strategy like the Oscar winner he is. His
Letterman turn was front page news in New York's Daily News with
the huge headline: "Eating Crowe". A sub-heading over a
picture of the injured hotel clerk, Nestor Estrada, said: "Sorry I
hit you, mate, I was jet-lagged." It might sound like jeering, but
it does put across an essential positive message: "I'm just another
flawed human, not an out of control movie star boor." Unfortunately not everyone stuck to the script. The rival New York
Post played up a NYPD inquiry into how Crowe got out of jail in
seven hours when 17 hours is the norm for regular perps. Did a
"movie star get special treatment?" it asked. There are other problems. The self-deprecation strategy worked for
Grant because there was no victim. Pictures of the gash in the cheek of
the desk clerk with "attitude", as Crowe's publicist described
Mr Estrada, 28, before the new damage-control script, were all over the
media. On legal advice - read generous settlement required to make this go
away - Mr Estrada wasn't doing much more than showing off wounds that
suggested if Crowe was aiming for a wall behind Estrada, he shouldn't
audition for any sharpshooter roles. ............................................................................................................................................................. An irrational robbery is set to ruin the lives
of two young men who should have known better, writes Robert Wainwright. AUSTRALIANS are making a big mark overseas, but for once it is for
all the wrong reasons. Criminal feats of petulance, stupidity and just
plain evil are quickly overwhelming the triumphant deeds of skill on the
international sporting field and generosity in humanitarian aid. While Schapelle Corby continues to argue her innocence from a
Denpasar prison, the international spotlight has also fallen on the
heroin trails of the Bali nine, Russell Crowe's short fuse and the
unfathomable ineptitude of two teenage Australian bank robbers, Anthony
Prince and Luke Carroll. We know how, when and where, but three months after two teenagers
from the sleepy surfing town of Byron Bay robbed a bank in the ski
resort town of Vail, Colorado, and escaped with $US130,000 ($170,000),
we still don't know why they did it or why they thought they would get
away with one of the most ham-fisted robberies in memory. The 19-year-olds face 25 years in jail for a robbery that most who
know them say was larrikinism gone mad. Anthony Prince will appear in a federal court on Wednesday to
formally enter a plea. His lawyer, Warren Williamson, says Prince will
plead guilty to the crime in the hope of a reduced sentence - perhaps
five years - and the chance to serve it at home under a prisoner
exchange program, rather than at a federal prison in the US. Luke
Carroll is expected to do the same a week later. It would be difficult to enter any other plea, considering the weight
of evidence and public ridicule levelled at the pair since details of
their exploits became known, not to mention the public apology issued
within days of the robbery by Prince's distraught parents, Peter and
Jennifer. "We are the parents of Anthony Prince, one of the two boys who
robbed the WestStar Bank last Monday," it read. "We are so
sorry for the damage inflicted on your community by this event. We offer
our sincere and unconditional apologies to the people of Vail and
especially to the two female employees of the WestStar Bank. "We also apologise to the local family and to the staff at Pepi
Sport who sponsored Anthony and provided the opportunity for employment.
We fail to comprehend how our son, who was raised in a family with
strong ethical values and all the love and support in the world, could
contemplate such an act. We will never understand the reason why. We
know this act was so out of character for Anthony and we know that his
remorse is absolute. Our thoughts are with you all." The absurdity of the crime is detailed partly in court documents and
filled out by witness statements and media interviews which have emerged
in the wake of the robbery, labelled "Dumb and Dumber". Just before 10am on March 21, the pair walked into the WestStar Bank
brandishing a pellet gun bought from a Wal-Mart, manhandled a cashier
and ordered another to fill up a bag with cash from the vault. Although wearing masks, the attempts to cover their Australian
accents failed dismally. Neither had they bothered to take off name tags
used by employees at a sports store that had sponsored their working
holiday. Shaken staff, one of whom later resigned, told police their voices
were "disguised but familiar and with a European or Australian
accent". The young men had been in the bank before. A cashier, Kim Vasquez,
recognised them. WestStar Bank's president and chief executive, Dan
Godec, said it took less than a couple of hours to work out who was
behind the masks: "With their accents and descriptions, we had a
good feel of who we thought they were." It didn't take local detectives long to finger Prince and Carroll.
The pair, who had arrived in the town last November, had been arrested
two months earlier after a neighbour had reported them for firing air
pistols and paintball guns at houses. "I think these guys have seen
too many Ned Kelly films," the neighbour, Jim Donovan, quipped. The description, including their accents, was passed onto the FBI and
radioed to police patrols. The next day the fun really started. Prince and Carroll were spotted
making their way through security at Denver Airport after buying one-way
tickets to Mexico. Again, it was their accents that gave them away. Detective Greg Faciane, on duty at the security desk, had been given
a flier with photographs of the robbery suspects only a few minutes
before the pair sauntered towards him. He let them through the metal detectors then asked a security
screener to talk to them to determine whether they had accents and to
check their passports. "When I was sitting there, I made eye
contact with one of them and just got a feeling," he told the media
later. The arrest was immediate and without incident. The confessions came
swiftly after police found $US9800 on Carroll and another $US33,000
stashed in a backpack dumped in a garbage bin outside the airport. Most
of the cash, however, was in Prince's luggage. Since their arrest, details have filtered out about the fun-filled
hours immediately after the robbery. Apparently they used snowboards as
initial getaway vehicles, travelling several kilometres out of town to
get to their car. A quick change of clothes and they were off on a
spending spree which defies belief. First stop was a McDonald's, where
they took a series of "gansta" photos of themselves in the
toilets, posing with guns and money. Police later found the digital
camera with the pictures still on the memory chip. The next day they walked into a jewellery shop in Denver, two hours
west of Vail, and tried to buy a $US30,000 Rolex watch. Not only did the
sales assistant think the request was strange, but the means of payment
- cash in 6000 $5 notes - was enough for her to threaten to call the
police. Prince and Carroll took the hint, left and went to another shop
to buy diamonds before renting a limousine to take them to the airport.
Their smiles, recorded on airport CCTV cameras, were soon wiped as their
world fell apart. .......................................................................................................................
Women go wild for Wiggles
Courtesy - The Sun Herald -By Christine Sams
Hot potatoes: The Wiggles - Jeff Fatt, Anthony
Field, Greg Page and Desperate housewives in the US have besieged the Wiggles with
sexually suggestive letters and comments, including explicit references
about band members including Anthony Field (the blue Wiggle) and Murray
Cook (the red Wiggle). Insiders from internet chat rooms on sites including AOL have
reported a number of adult women becoming so physically suggestive about
the Wiggles, they need to be chastised by website moderators. (Some of
the statements from female fans were so sexual, we can't actually
reprint them in S.) The skivvy-wearing Australian multi-millionaires have politely
ignored the comments from US fans, but it seems some American mothers
are now as eager to attend Wiggles shows as their toddlers. The Wiggles' Australian spokeswoman, Dianna O'Neill, said the Wiggles
had no comment about the attention of female fans. The band members
obviously prefer to focus on their priority market: children. Field has long been regarded as the best-looking Wiggle, and he's a
lovely gentleman (as are the other members of the band) but like band
members Cook and Greg Page (yellow Wiggle) - who have a couple of
children each - he's already married with a child. The only single
Wiggle is Jeff Fatt (the purple Wiggle). Apart from topping BRW's rich list of Australian entertainers
this year with a whopping annual income of $45 million, the band has
been publicly praised by celebrities ranging from Sarah Jessica Parker
to Ben Stiller (who jokingly described them as "the friggin'
Wiggles"). Now they've become unlikely sex symbols in their own right (skivvies
and all!) there's obviously no stopping Wiggles power in the US. ................................................................................................................................................
Kath & Kim: Brits' latest fix
Courtesy SMH Online 18 June 2005
Gina Riley and Jane Turner in the TV series Kath And Kim.
The g-stringed hornbag and her mum have scored
an excited "gee"-rating, writes Valerie Lawson. JANE Turner came across as the bashful one, the exact opposite of her
onscreen persona, Kath, in Kath & Kim. Gina Riley, in
contrast, was as loud and in your face as Kim when they appeared this
week on the high-rating BBC Breakfast co-hosted by Dermot
Murnaghan. Riley didn't miss a beat when Murnaghan said he knew Kath &
Kim was a parody, but that some Britons "might think it's a
documentary". No worries, said Riley, as long as the audience laughed. Well, they are laughing - 1.6 million tuned in for the first episodes
- and so are the two Melbourne actors at the success of the show in
Britain. It's weekly screenings are earning a cult following as
passionate for their weekly cringe fix as fans of The Office. Except there is a difference: The Office is concerned with
ambition and self-delusion while Kath & Kim has evolved from
a long line of comedy characters that make fun of middle-class
Australia. The actors in Kath & Kim can laugh at themselves
but their brilliant portrayal of two upwardly mobile women from the 'burbs
reinforce stereotypes of Australians that began with Barry Humphries's
Edna but more so Humphries's cultural ambassador, Les Patterson. The BBC website is carrying a glossary to explain the terms used by
Kath and Kim and asks readers to email their suggestions. "Rachel" suggested "say it, don't spray it" in
response to "moist shouting", while "Rob" has
proposed "is a frog's arse watertight?" meaning "stating
the obvious" and "Leith" suggested "pash rash"
for facial rash around the mouth from excess kissing. The show has even been the subject of a long article in The
Financial Times by the Australian writer Margaret Simons. She
explains the Kath & Kim phenomenon as a part of the
"need for a home in a shrinking world - a desire for the
particular, the idiosyncratic at a time of the global bland. Whatever
the reason, television programs that succeed across national borders at
present are often extraordinarily local - rooted in keenly observed
particulars of accent, habit and custom. Somehow, it seems, they touch
us all precisely because their focus is narrow, but knowing." Kath and Kim, she wrote, are better off than Edna, "yet still
unmistakably products of Australia, which for all its wide open spaces
and bushman mythology remains the most middle-class and suburban of
nations". The mass market tabloid The Sun has also discovered Kath and
Kim in a story headlined "Meet the Aussie chavs". Riley stayed
in character as Kim for the interview when she said: "As soon as
they see me with my G-string hoinked up over my low-rise jeans, people
will be in. They will be absolutely desperate for us." Coincidentally, another channel is showing an American version of The
Office. It mimics the original, although the characters are renamed,
the company, Wernham Hogg, has become Dunder Mifflin, and the setting is
not Slough, but Scranton, Pennsylvania. Perhaps only one person is not laughing at the new suburbia shows:
Jane Turner's mother. On air this week, Turner said Kath was modelled on
her mum. Need some help with 'Kath & Kim speak' - see 'PLEASE
EXPLAIN' on our Aussie
Slang page.
.......................................................................................................................................................................
The story that drove Shane Warne into hiding finally broke when a
London newspaper published more allegations about the cricketer's
extramarital sex and explicit text-messaging. Three days after Shane and Simone Warne announced their separation
after 10 years of marriage, the Daily Mirror claimed Warne had an
affair that lasted more than a month with a 31-year-old sales manager,
Kerrie Colliemore, just before his family arrived in Britain. The paper said Warne had assured Colliemore he had separated from his
wife. A "close friend" said Warne began bombarding Colliemore
with text messages after they met at a nightclub in Southampton, where
the leg spinner captains the English county team Hampshire. The friend claimed to have found 48 text messages from Warne on
Colliemore's phone, one of which was so steamy it could not be printed. "Shane wouldn't leave her alone. The phone was on fire with his
messages. Kerrie couldn't believe how raunchy he was. He had the hots
for her big time. She didn't know anything about his past and thought he
was separated," the friend is quoted as saying. "He couldn't keep his hands off her. He wanted sex outside,
inside, wherever he could," including, according to the article, on
the bonnet of his black BMW. The affair apparently ended when Colliemore discovered Simone and the
children were on their way from Melbourne. The lurid account of Warne's sex life is the latest in a string of
off-field scandals to surround the drama-prone cricketer. Less than two weeks ago the same paper published claims from a
25-year-old London student that Warne pestered her for sex after a night
out with his friend, the England batsman Kevin Pietersen. Five years ago, Warne was stripped of the Australian vice-captaincy
after making a string of lewd calls to a Leicestershire nurse, and last
year a South African woman, Helen Cohen Alon, was jailed for extortion
after claiming he hassled her for sex. Warne has not been seen since releasing a statement with Simone about
the marriage break-up, and it remains unclear whether they have escaped
to Spain. Hampshire have given Warne a fortnight off, and he is due to join the
Australian Test squad on July 11 before the Ashes series. Warne's
brother and manager, Jason, was not available for comment last night. Despite the vivid accounts given by the friend of Colliemore, the
paper quotes the woman herself as saying: "I don't know what you're
talking about. I have absolutely nothing to say." The latest allegations raise more questions about how Cricket
Australia handles constant unsavoury revelations about the private life
of its most famous cricketer. Its public affairs manager, Peter Young,
could not comment specifically but said: "Clearly we would prefer
Shane Warne to be creating publicity for the game of cricket through his
on-field performances." Warnie tries to end his losing streaks
Courtesy SMH Online "We went and got our hair done with the same dude,"
Pietersen said at the time. "[Warne] got his colours done, I had a
bit of colour tinted in mine. Warnie's getting a bald patch at the
minute." But Warnie did something about it. In pursuit of a "lush new
wicket" he approached Advanced Hair Studio, and now he's spruiking
for the company. And going by the promo shots, he can suddenly shape his
mop into a mini-mohawk. "It's great," he said in a statement. "My hair is
growing back and my hair loss has stopped." "It's not so much a contract as a marriage … Greg Matthews has
been with us for 12 years, Graham Gooch for 10 years," said
Advanced Hair Studio's managing director, Carl Howell, referring to the
former Australian spinner and former England captain. Warne now has
laser therapy weekly to regrow his locks. He also rubs a serum into his
scalp daily and takes Serenoa capsules. It's not the first time Warne has signed up with a company to help
fix his flaws. In 1999, in his quest to give up cigarettes, he had the
help of a $200,000 sponsorship from an anti-smoking company. But it was
a bald lie. He was caught smoking just months later. .............................................................................................................................................. Bogut's hoop dreams
Courtesy SMH Online Andrew Bogut (right) shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David
Stern.
He is the first Australian and only the second non-American to be
chosen No. 1 in the NBA Draft. He will earn close to $15 million over
the next three years and is expected to earn $100 million during his
career, excluding endorsements. He has a junior world title under his belt and was a member of
Australia's senior men's Olympic basketball team at the age of 19 where
he faced opponents such as 2004/05 NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan. He averaged 20.4 points and 12.2 rebounds a game in his last season
with the University of Utah on his way to collecting eight College
Player of the Year accolades, including the prestigious Naismith award. He is 213-centimetres tall and has the basketball world at his feet
but, despite his accomplishments, you could understand if Andrew Bogut
was feeling a little anxious. Over the next few years, Bogut will be one of the most scrutinised
athletes in world sports. His new employer, the Milwaukee Bucks will
want results, fast. With the No. 1 pick comes great expectation and the Bucks are betting
that Bogut will deliver. Like past No. 1 picks, LeBron James and
Shaquille O'Neal, Bogut joins a struggling team. In the 2004/05 season,
Milwaukee finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference Central
Division. Moreover, being the No. 1 pick does not guarantee a successful NBA
career. For every Hakeem Olajuwon (career average of 21.8 points a game,
11.1 rebounds a game) there has been a Michael Olowokandi (career
average nine points a game, 7.4 rebounds a game). Bogut was chosen above Marvin Williams, a player who lacks experience
against world-class opposition but is touted as being a future NBA
All-Star. Williams will join the Atlanta Hawks, a team whose recruitment
of several young players over the past few seasons points to a long-term
resurgence. Bogut got the top pick but it may be Williams who ends up with the
sweeter deal as the Hawks will be more willing to allow their new
recruit time to develop as a player. Bogut will not have that luxury. Bogut is the first Australian to be chosen as the No. 1 pick, with
the previous highest being Luc Longley (No. 7) who won three NBA
Championships alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen during the
Chicago Bulls '90s dynasty. With most pre-draft analysts regarding Bogut as the panacea to
Milwaukee's ills (former Phoenix and Philadelphia star Charles Barkley
said his selection was a "no-brainer"), the 20-year old will
be feeling the burden not only of being one of Australia's tallest
poppies but also the demands of suffering Milwaukee fans. Still, Bogut's comments regarding his NBA prospects indicate he does
not lack confidence. "I've had a better collegiate career than anyone else from
Australia that came over here," he told reporters in a pre-draft
interview. "I'm not as slow as Luc Longley, I'm more athletic, I can shoot
better, I'm more competitive. So I think it's not even fair to bring
that name up." These comments should not be dismissed as cockiness. They reveal a
self-assuredness Bogut will need to compete against the likes of Kobe
Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Allen Iverson in the world's most elite
basketball competition. Bogut was wise to dismiss a comparison with Longley, whom Milwaukee
fans will remember as the Australian guy who played alongside Michael
Jordan. Statistics suggest that Longley's three championship rings came
from being at the right place, at the right time. Longley was drafted to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1991. His best
season with the Timberwolves (1992/93) was humble in comparison (5.8
points a game, 4.4 rebounds a game) to other NBA centres of his
size. After being traded to the Bulls in 1994, Longley replaced Bill
Cartwright as centre to a team that did not require him to stand out.
The Bulls boasted Jordan and Pippen - two members of the NBA's top 50
all-time players - Chicago had anough chefs. By dismissing comparisons with Longley, Bogut sent a message to Bucks
fans: I'm here and I'm the real thing. ......................................................................................................................................
Australians like to say they have a "larrikin sense of
humour", going back to the convict days when satire was the only way to get
back at those who ruled us. Graham Kennedy, the long-reigning King of Television
who has died at 71, was the embodiment of the larrikin. He'd do anything for a laugh, no matter how embarrassing to
himself or others. And warnings from the authorities that viewers might be
offended only spurred him to grander outrages. He'd wink at the viewers, letting
them in on the joke before springing it on those unlucky enough to be sharing
his studio. That made him post-modern decades before such jargon was
invented. Other candidates for the title of Australia's greatest television
comedian - Paul Hogan or Norman Gunston, for example - offered humour based on
innocence, even when they were ridiculing pretension. Kennedy's style was
knowing and cynical. As "the court jester of Australia", he was
comfortable with cruelty. In the late 1980s, by then a 30-year television
veteran, he suggested it would be helpful - for the ratings of his comedy-news
program - if the Pope's aircraft were to fly into a mountain. And he told
viewers that the Queen "didn't have bad breasts" for her age. As his old boss at Channel Nine, Sam Chisholm, said yesterday:
"Graham Kennedy will go down in television history as probably the most, if
not indeed the most, significant influence on television in this country." His manager of 20 years, Harry M. Miller, said:
"Everybody ... has tried to duplicate, replicate, copy anything he ever
did, but nobody was able to do it." In the 14 years since we last saw Kennedy, Australia has
become a more solemn place. Our television is safe, suburban and comfortable.
We've retreated five decades. Variety shows such as Rove Live might contain the odd
dirty joke, but nobody offers the sense of danger Kennedy brought to his work.
He was never predictable, so he could have only succeeded in the time before
television became fossilised by formulas. When Australian television started on September 16, 1956 it
did so not with a bang but with a variety show. Immediately after saying
"Welcome to television", Bruce Gyngell crossed to singer Johnny
O'Connor, who established what was to become the "tonight show" format
- a host who sang a bit, told a few jokes, introduced guest singers and
conducted worshipful interviews with celebrities. It was all very safe and
comforting. The big bang happened a year later. That was when Kennedy,
then a 23-year-old radio announcer, launched In Melbourne Tonight and
subverted the whole notion of "variety". Graham Kennedy didn't sing and didn't interview. Instead, he
indulged a penchant for double entendres and pies in the face that went back to
the days of vaudeville, did sketches in which he kept dropping out of character
to break up the other performers, and showed a contempt for his sponsors'
products that horrified producers and delighted audiences. In 1959 a planned 30-second commercial involving a temporary
presenter, Bert Newton, turned into 27 minutes of chaos, and Australia's
greatest TV partnership was born. Kennedy first went national in 1960, but Sydney took a while
to warm to him. For us, he was too abrasive, "too Melbourne". His national show lasted only two years the first time around,
and didn't return to Sydney for a decade. But by 1975, when Kennedy was
suspended from live TV for doing a crow imitation that sounded a bit like "Faaaaaark",
he had the hearts and minds of a nation in his hand. We stuck with him when he returned as host of Blankety
Blanks in the late '70s, then as a weird sort of current affairs commentator
in the late '80s. By then his treatment of the hapless sidekicks assigned to
feed him lines was so humiliating, the viewer sometimes had to turn away. Only
Newton was a match for him. By the time he presented Funniest Home Videos, before
his final retirement in 1991, we'd come to realise, through films such as Don's
Party, The Club and The Odd Angry Shot, that he was a pretty
reasonable actor, with a quality of deep sadness. In Graeme Blundell's biography, King: The Life and Comedy
of Graham Kennedy, Kennedy described himself as "just a sad little
weird kid from Balaclava with funny eyes". And there was a sad, solitary
way about the man. In retirement, he became a virtual recluse. He lived with his
golden retriever, Henry, at his home near Bowral. "I prefer my own company
to a lot of others," he said in 1989. He suffered several long illnesses. Close friend Tony Sattler
recalled a scare in 2000. "I rang him and said 'Are you dead?' And he said,
'I don't know, I'd better check.' " In 2003 Kennedy fell down a set of stairs, breaking his leg
and skull. He died at about 4.30am yesterday from complications of pneumonia at
a nursing home in the southern highlands. Rove MacManus acknowledged a debt to Kennedy: "I think he
will remain unmatched on Australian television." And actor Stuart Wagstaff
lamented: "They say 'The King is dead, long live the King'. But there isn't
a King to take over from him. He was a one-off." It was Kennedy who named Australia's top TV award, the Logie -
ostensibly after John Logie Baird, the inventor of the medium. He would go on to
win 19 Logies, including five gold ones. But as one viewer pointed out, a Logie
sounded "more like something you pull out of your nose". The larrikin
would have loved that. ............................................................................................................................................................ Kylie Minogue's breast cancer has been successfully removed,
her surgeon says. Reading from a written statement, Dr Jenny Senior said the
Australian born pop diva underwent surgery at 5pm (AEST) Friday in St Frances
Xavier Cabrini Hospital in Melbourne. "Her spirits are high and she's feeling fine. She has
family and friends around her," Dr Senior said. "Kylie has been the perfect patient and has charmed all
my staff. I just wish I could have met her under happier circumstances. "Kylie has asked me to pass on her thanks once again to
all who have expressed their love and concern for her. Your support has
certainly helped her through a tough time." Minogue was admitted to the hospital on Friday afternoon,
and Dr Senior said the operation had removed "an early breast
cancer". Dr Senior said the medical procedure that she performed was
considered "best practice around the world for a girl with an early
breast cancer". "I'm very pleased to be able to confirm that the
operation was successful. "I feel confident that we caught the cancer in time and
that she is now on the road to complete recovery," Dr Senior said. "Kylie is currently resting after the operation and her
spirits are high and she is feeling fine." Dr Senior refused to take questions after her brief
statement to reporters outside the hospital, including where the pop star was
recovering from the surgery. Earlier, a silver Audi was seen speeding into the family's
home in the Melbourne inner-eastern suburb of Canterbury. Dr Senior also would not comment on how long Kylie's
recovery would take. She thanked the medical specialists who were part of
Minogue's procedure, particularly workers in the hospital's radiology and
pathology departments for helping her in her pre-operative assessment of the
singer's condition. "I'd also like to take a moment to thank the nursing
staff for assisting me in caring for Kylie while she recovers," she said. "I would also like to thank Kylie, her family, and
(boyfriend) Olivier (Martinez) for making my job very easy. They were so
welcoming." ............................................................................................................................................................ Photo: Ken McKay Kylie Minogue has been diagnosed with breast cancer and has
been forced to postpone her Australian Showgirl tour. The following statement was issued by her management: "Whilst at home in Melbourne with her family this week
prior to her Australian Showgirl tour, Kylie was diagnosed with early breast
cancer. She will undergo immediate treatment and consequently her Australian
tour will not be able to proceed as planned." Minogue said today: "I was so looking forward to bringing
the Showgirl tour to Australian audiences, and am sorry to have to disappoint my
fans. "Nevertheless, hopefully all will work out fine and I'll
be back with you all again soon." Minogue had been scheduled to tour Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth over the next month. The promoters, The Frontier Touring Company, said ticket
holders should hang onto their tickets pending the announcement of new dates. ............................................................................................................................................................ Someone you can trust: Olivia Newton-John Aussie songbird Olivia Newton-John and Princess Mary are among
the nation's most trusted people. A Reader's Digest survey has found burns specialist Dr
Fiona Wood is Australia's most trusted person, followed by Newton-John and
Tasmanian-born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone was ranked the least
trustworthy of 100 prominent Australians in the survey. The list includes four former prime ministers, a host of
politicians, sportspeople, television and movie stars, singers, businesspeople,
models and media moguls. Prime Minister John Howard's wife Janette (at 74) is more
trusted than her husband (85). Model, mum and charity patron Sarah O'Hare (43) is well ahead
of her husband, media executive Lachlan Murdoch (93), while Home and Away
starlet and mum-to-be Bec Cartwright (59) also is more trusted than her partner,
tennis player Lleyton Hewitt (73). The annual survey of trust, now in its fifth year, found
ambulance officers, firefighters and mothers were the most trusted professions,
while politicians, car salesmen, real estate agents, psychics and journalists
are the least trusted. Cadbury, Colgate and Panadol are Australia's most trusted
brands. But it's the first time Reader's Digest asked
respondents to rank the perceived trustworthiness of 100 well-known Australians. Macquarie University social psychologist Julie Fitness said
the most trusted people would be perceived as putting our interests ahead of
their own. "Politicians, of course, are prototypically
self-interested, whereas Fiona Wood is the prototypical nurturer. She's a carer
who obviously does what she does not for money, but because she truly cares
about people," Dr Fitness said. "You would trust her with your life. You'd trust her with
your children's life because you trust her motivation." Reader's Digest editor-in-chief Tom Moore said the
findings of the most trusted list mirrored those of the wider trust survey. "It is clear from our survey results that many of
Australia's most trusted individuals and professions share a generosity of
spirit, while on the flipside, those with a low trust ranking are perceived to
be motivated by self-interest," he said. Body language and human behaviour expert Allan Pease said
weight, although not politically correct, played a part in the list. "We tend to trust large people less ... we trust them 50
per cent less than medium-weight people," he said. "Bigger people are seen as caring more about themselves
than for us. "Really thin people are also less trusted than
medium-sized people as well." Smiling also was an important indicator of trust that was hard
wired into the brain, he said. "Kids born blind, for example, still smile after four
weeks even though they have never seen it," he said. Reader's Digest surveyed 1502 adult Australians. AAP Australia's Lauren Jackson has become the first
international basketballer to win the American women's National Basketball
Association's Most Valuable Player award. 22-year-old Jackson has had an outstanding season for the
Seattle Storm, leading the scoring for the Washington side. She arrives back in Australia this week to prepare to
play for the Canberra Capitals. ............................................................................................................................................................ Australians don't live up to their self-image - and for a nation that sees
friendship as its main characteristic, there are signs that intolerance is on
the rise. A survey suggests that friendliness rates as highly as it did 50 years ago
but fair play and generosity are not seen so often as Gambling and drinking are seen as lesser problems than they were 50 years ago
but self-centred attitudes, intolerance and Last month's nationwide survey by UMR Research and Hawker Britton was
compared with an Australian Gallup Poll taken "Beneath the illusion of permanence, deep changes have taken place in
the Australian character," said Bruce Hawker, managing Thirty-one per cent said friendliness/hospitality - which Hawker Britton
calls mateship - was the best quality. This was almost exactly the same as Gallup's 1953 figure - 31.9 per cent. The
next best quality was carefree/casual, "In the wake of September 11, the Bali terrorist attacks and instability
in the Middle East and our own region, Australians are The percentage of people who nominated tolerance and democratic qualities
doubled to 8 per cent, but 13 per cent said that Australians see themselves as being more modern and open-minded (5 per cent
against 0.4) and more loyal and patriotic Apathy took over from gambling as our worst fault (18 per cent against 14.5).
Gambling fell from 15.4 per cent to 1 per cent However, the survey team has added to the 13 per cent intolerant figure the 5
per cent who rate selfishness and greed as "Taken together, a quarter of the population think Australians are
generally intolerant of others," the survey says. Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald 8 July
2003 ................................................................................................................................................................
Sydney Olympic Games gold medallist Cathy Freeman announced her retirement in
mid July after 14 years at the top, Freeman, 30, ended speculation about her future after a crisis meeting with Athletics Australia's head coach, Keith Connor, in London. "I've lost that want, that desire, that passion, that drive," she said. "I don't care any more." Freeman said she had realised that her gold medal in Sydney, achieved with
the weight of the expectations of 19 million Since her spectacular, nation-stopping triumph in the 400-metres event at the
Sydney Games, coupled with the emotional Freeman first expressed doubts about her ability to compete at the highest
levels when she was trounced in a Sydney race Freeman has been an inspiration for Aboriginal people since she burst onto the scene in 1990. Four years later at the Commonwealth Games in Canada, she incurred the wrath
of officials when she carried the Aboriginal Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald 17 July 2003 .................................................................................................................................................................. Bali bombings film announced The Bali bombings are to be made into a film, it was announced today. The blasts on the tourist island last year left 202 people dead. Now a British production company is to turn the atrocity into the subject of the film, Bali - The Bombing Of Paradise. It will be shot on location in Bali, England and Australia. The film is being written by John Goldsmith, whose previous credits include
the BBC period drama Victoria And Albert It will revolve around three main characters who survive the bombings and help with the rescue operation. A spokeswoman for production company New Concept Development Limited said the
victims portrayed in the movie Filming begins next April and the movie should reach cinemas the following year. Two blasts ripped through the holiday resort of Kuta on the Indonesian island last October. One hit Paddy's Bar while the second exploded in a van outside the nearby Sari nightclub. Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald 10 September 2003 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... Upbeat Delta ready for the fight of her life
The Australian soap opera star and singer Delta Goodrem has been diagnosed
with Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer, The 18-year-old is being treated at St Vincent's Hospital. Goodrem released a statement saying she would return to her burgeoning career "just as soon as my treatment is completed". "Knowing that I have your love and support is making a huge difference
and I look forward to seeing you all very soon," Hodgkin's disease is a form of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system.
It occurs most often in people aged between 15 Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the most common treatments for the disease. Goodrem's album Innocent Eyes debuted at number one in Australia and
has sold about 300,000 copies (four times platinum). At 15, Goodrem was signed to an international record company. Her early
career as a singer and songwriter attracted the Last year, Goodrem's first single, Born to Try, went to number one in the charts, as did its follow-up, Lost Without You. Both of the songs also entered the British charts in the top five this year
and there is little doubt that this success will be Send your messages of support to Delta
at: www.deltagoodrem.com ................................................................................................................................................................................................. Hook, line and Sydney Finding Nemo is the best ever representation of Australia in an American film, writes MICHAEL BODEY.
Already the computer-animated American film is the most popular film of the year in North America. Recently it passed The Lion King to become the most popular animated
film of all time. And now, the tale of a tropical fish Yet the latest film by the incredible Pixar Animation Studio, which developed
the Toy Story films, A Bug's Life and Monsters That was the choice facing its creator, Andrew Stanton. He admits he "knew nothing about fish when I started this" but he
knew where the world's tropical reefs are and he knew That limited his locations to the Caribbean and Florida or the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney. "I probably debated about those two for about five minutes because the
Great Barrier Reef had every species I could ever "And I've always had a personal love of Australia because of Australian films." While growing up in the 1980s, Stanton was an usher in a small arthouse cinema. "I remember seeing Gallipoli, Breaker Morant and My Brilliant
Career and just falling in love with this place from afar. So it Not only does the family film take place here, it's unarguably the best representation of Australia in an American film ever. Even in Pixar's trademark computer-animated style, the Reef, Sydney Harbour
and our incredible array of fauna look enticing, "It wasn't about promoting the Reef, it was about promoting the
ocean," Stanton says. "Sydney Harbour and Australian Pixar also dispatched research teams to Australia. "I really didn't want to do the stereotypical foreigner's point of view
of Australia and I didn't trust my guts about how to "These movies are so huge and they take so long to do – we're probably never going to repeat them – so I want to get it right." Courtesy Daily Telegraph 28 August 2003 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ Our natural wonder |
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Let be light . . . City of Sydney Council's impression of what the skyline of the city would look like lit by lasers. |
The Sydney skyline will be awash with laser art this New
Year's Eve under a council plan to turn the city's tallest buildings
into a
"vast canvas painted with light".
But the plan relies on building owners agreeing to foot
the bill for the light show in return for corporate promotional
opportunities,
including an image on the southern pylon of the Harbour Bridge for three weeks,
the duration of the event.
According to presentations made by City of Sydney Council
to building owners last week, the City of Light Project will be
"the most
ambitious and exciting art project ever staged in Sydney".
It is being promoted as Lucy Turnbull's "first major initiative" as Lord Mayor of Sydney.
A spokesman for the council said the project would not
affect the scope of the New Year's Eve fireworks display,
which would "go
on as normal".
Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald 26 August 2003
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Australian Jana Pittman watched a Rocky movie before delivering a knockout blow to Russian rival Yuliya Pechonkina in the women's 400 metres hurdles final at the world athletics titles.
Pechonkina had started as hot favourite to take gold after smashing Kim Batten's eight-year world record earlier this month.
But Pittman, the Commonwealth champion, hauled in the tiring Russian over the final metres to clock a lifetime best of 53.22 seconds.
Pechonkina faded badly after the final hurdle and could
only take bronze in 53.71 while American Sandra Glover won silver
in 53.65.
Pittman, 20, said she pumped herself up before the race by watching "the one where Rocky beats the Russian" - Rocky IV.
"Rocky beats the Russian in it so it's appropriate that so have I," Pittman laughed after her memorable win.
Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald 29 August 2003
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World champion: Anthony Mundine celebrates becoming the super-middleweight champion of the world by defeating Antwun Echols in Sydney.. Photo: Steve Christo |
Anthony Mundine fulfilled his vow as a nine-year-old to
win the world championship his father Tony Mundine fought for
and lost in
Argentina in 1974 when he defeated Antwun Echols on points over 12 rugged rounds
at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.
Mundine revealed after his fight that he gone into the bout with a broken rib, an injury he sustained a month ago.
His spectacular 20-fight boxing career never looked like
coming to the brutal end Echols promised when he predicted he
would stop him in
five rounds.
Echols saw Mars exploding at close range last night, the
Red Planet landing in the form of Mundine's left hand to the jaw
to claim the
World Boxing Association super-middleweight title.
Twenty-nine years ago, Tony Mundine snr, triple boxing
champion of Australia from middleweight to heavyweight divisions, challenged
Carlos Monzon for the world middleweight championship only to be stopped in
seven gruelling rounds
by the Argentine in Buenos Aires.
It was that defeat which was Anthony Mundine's burning
torch within last night, having promised his father as a boy
he would one day
claim a world championship belt.
Now, the likelihood is that Mundine will take a long rest
and prepare for a continuation rather than make a comeback to
his first love,
rugby league.
Mundine entered the ring last night to become Australia's
ninth world boxing champion, following in the steps of Jimmy
Carruthers, Johnny
Famechon, Lionel Rose, Rocky Mattioli, Lester Ellis, Barry Michael, Jeff Fenech
and Kostya Tszyu.
Nathan Sting recently won the World Boxing Union's world
bantamweight title, but it is one of the lesser-known organisations.
Mundine, 28, turned to professional boxing 38 months ago
after a successful rugby league career with St George Illawarra,
making a brief
appearance for NSW in the 1999 State of Origin series. He paced restlessly
during the American anthem.
In a turbulent, controversial change of sport which has
provided boxing with a flood of back-page - and front-page - headlines
and put
new life into ailing sport, Mundine won 18 fights before last night's bout, 14
by knockout, his 2001 loss being
by knockout to the German Sven Ottke. Echols
came into the fight with 26 knockouts against 34 professional opponents
with
four losses and a draw.
Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald 4 September 2003
Star Wars comes to Sydney
By Garry Maddox, Film Writer
The main cast is back in Sydney. A 1000-strong crew is hard at work. And
director George Lucas has finished the script.
The final episode in the Star Wars saga is about to start filming at Fox Studios.
The producer, Rick McCallum, said yesterday that Episode III would be
shot almost entirely inside the studios
from next Monday. The main shoot would
take 12 weeks, with Lucas returning for additional filming over the
next 18
months.
The only shooting outside Sydney would be some plate photography - for visual
effects - in Italy, New Zealand
and Switzerland.
The $US115 million ($172 million) film has yet to get a title but covers
Anakin Skywalker turning to the dark
side to become Darth Vader - completing the
six-film saga that began with Star Wars in 1977.
Episode III will use 60 Australian cast members and up to 300 extras. As
well as returning cast members Joel
Edgerton and Jay Laga'aia, there are roles
for Bruce Spence, Rebecca Jackson Mendoza and Genevieve
O'Reilly.
Also back are Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Samuel L.
Jackson, Jimmy Smits and
Christopher Lee, while Peter Mayhew plays Chewbacca for
the first time since Return of the Jedi.
The last episode contained two scenes with an Australian flavour - some
kangaroo-like animals and a podium
shaped like the Opera House. McCallum
described them as homages to the country and said more could be
expected this
time round.
After shooting in 40 countries in 13 years, the producer of the last three Star
Wars films said Sydney was the
easiest place in the world to make a film,
partly because of the strong acting and film-making talent.
"There's no bullshit, no problems, everybody is so enthusiastic and not at all litigious."
Hollywood studios are examining shooting at least six big budget films in
Australia, including the sequel to
comedian Jim Carrey's 1994 hit The Mask.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, in Los Angeles as part of a 12-day trade
mission in the US, said he has held
discussions with studio representatives,
including Warner Bros, to shoot films in his state.
"We are very confident about bringing new projects to Queensland," Mr Beattie said yesterday.
The Premier said discussions were underway to shoot Mask II - Son of Mask in Queensland.
With the $200 million budgeted Peter Pan film shoot wrapping earlier
this month at the Warner Roadshow
Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland was now
in the midst of a slump in film production.
But Mr James said he was aware Hollywood studios were looking at Australia as
a venue for at least six
potential big budget films.
"The big picture films are there," he said.
Mr Beattie said he had been inspired during his US trip to investigate
creating new film related industries in
Queensland.
"I think we need to look even further in terms of the movie industry
like, for example, computer games and
special effects," he said.
"Look at the special effects in movies like Terminator 3, the Matrix,
that's a huge part of the budget. If we can
develop skills like special effects
I think that will provide a greater strength for the movie industry long
term."
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26 June 2003
The NSW Blues last night brought the State of Origin trophy back to Sydney
for the first time in three years
with a bruising but convincing five-try
belting of Queensland at Telstra Stadium.
The 27-4 win over a demoralised Queensland in front of 79,132 fans maintained
their undefeated record at
Homebush Bay and inflicted the first consecutive
losses on a Wayne Bennett-coached Maroons side since
1987.
The series-winning victory also squared the all-time Origin ledger at 33 games and 10 series each.
Having led 17-0 at half-time, Phil Gould's side ruthlessly rammed home their superiority in the second half.
While game three at Suncorp Stadium on July 16 has no bearing on the result
of the series, there will still be
plenty of intrigue based on a number of
incidents last night.
Queensland prop Shane Webcke and NSW replacement Phil Bailey were involved in
a punch-up midway
through the second half and Blues second-rower Kennedy was
reported for a high tackle on prop Steve Price
in the first session.
Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper
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What's going on Australia? Some of our safest sporting bets have stumbled at
hurdles they'd usually bound over
effortlessly.
Lleyton Hewitt's early exit from Wimbledon follows a few results which put a
sizable dent in the nation's recent
dominance in international sport.
Sure it was only three years ago that we finished fourth in the Olympics with
58 medals (behind the US 97,
Russia 88 and China 59) making the medal to
population ratio contest with the United States an absolute joke.
With 16 gold medals Australia became one of world sport's most powerful nations.
But now our world beating cricketers have fallen to the West Indies in three
consecutive one-day games.
And the world champion Wallabies were similarly humbled by England at the
weekend.
So how are other Aussie sports teams fairing at the moment?
NETBALL: Australia's national netball team will defend its title as
world champions in the World Cup next
month, having recently swept the series
against South Africa 3-0.
BASKETBALL: The Australian under 21's team (Sapphires) just ended a
ten game tour of Europe with eight
wins and two losses, losing just one game
each to Czech Republic and Russia.
GOLF: Australian Steve Leaney finished runner up in last week's US Open.
HORSERACING: Newcastle based Choisir became the first Australian trained horse to win at Royal Ascot.
SURFING: Australian Joel Parkinson finshed runner up to Andy Irons in
the Nijiima Quiksilver Pro earlier this
week.
HOCKEY: Australia's Kookaburra's and Hockeyroos have been in erratic
form lately, with the Hockeyroo's
suffering a loss and a draw in the first two
rounds of the KT Cup in Korea.
The Kookaburra's recently went down 5-3 to India in the final of the Hockey Australia's Men's Challenge.
Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper
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Australia, you're just not famous enough
By Natasha Wallace and Reuters
June 21 2003
When it comes to worldwide fame and fortune, Australia simply does not rate,
with only Nicole Kidman and
AC/DC making it to Forbes's top 100 global
celebrity list, published in the magazine next week.
Friends star Jennifer Aniston snared top spot for the world's richest
and most famous person - despite only
earning $US53 million ($79 million) last
year. Her husband, Brad Pitt, must have been slacking as his name
doesn't appear
on the list.
Joint winners of the number two spot are rap stars Dr Dre and Eminem, who also made $53 million.
Kidman ranked 16th, behind the Osbourne family (12), although she was more
popular than Eddie Murphy
(18), Jim Carrey (20) and Julia Roberts (21).
AC/DC ranked 55th, behind the Dave Matthews Band (32), Robbie Williams (37) -
but just above David
Beckham (56), if that is any comparison.
Courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper
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Charlie's girls hit town
June 2003
The 3 stars of the new Charlie's Angels movie, Full Throttle,
spent some time in Sydney in early June promoting
the film. Among other
activities they attended a glittery premiere of the movie at Customs House in
Circular
Quay together with heaps of local celebrities and hundreds of adoring
fans.
Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu were made honorary
citizens of Sydney. Diaz lived in the Kings
Cross area of Sydney for a
time during her modelling days.
The film opens in Sydney on 3 July.
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