Daily Archives: 10/10/2013

The 2013 Newcastle Poetry Prize award night confirmed for October 12th.

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The Newcastle Poetry Prize 2013 will be held on Saturday, 12th October at The Lock-Up Cultural Centre, 90 Hunter Street, Newcastle commencing at 4.00pm.

The celebration, in its 32nd year is a free event and welcomes individuals of all ages for an afternoon of conversation, canapé’s, and celebration.

The Newcastle Poetry Prize is the longest running and most prestigious poetry award in the country, gaining over 600 submissions each year and offering an amazing first place prize of $12,000.

Winners will be announced on the night accompanied by a reading of the wining poems.

Hosted by Hunter Writers Centre in partnership with major sponsor the University of Newcastle, the competition calls for submissions in March each year and is judged anonymously in July.

This year’s judges include nationally acclaimed author and poet Jean Kent and Professor of English, Communications & Cultural Studies Dennis Haskell who is also a notable poet.

Providing a valuable platform for writers to broaden readership and gain audiences from all around the country, a hardcopy anthology will also be unveiled and available for purchase on the night.

If you share a love of writing, language and all things literary you will not want to miss this major event.

For further information visit www.newcastlepoetryprize.com or phone Hunter Writers Centre on 02 49263485.

Review: Arthur (2011)

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I had this film sitting around to watch for quite a while (well a couple of years actually). It arthurwas on my if-I-absolutely-run-out-of-everything-to-watch pile for two years because I plain didn’t like the original version with Dudley Moore.

Ok it wasn’t the worst film ever made, but seeing that kind of waste and squandering (even as a comedy) usually makes me want to put my foot through the screen.

I was delightfully surprised with the re-make which, unlike the original, was actually very, very funny. Starring Russell Brand who I loved in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (he particularly cracked me up when he divorced Katy Perry via SMS!) and the multi-talented Helen Mirren who was a brilliant straight person to Brand’s craziness.

As the cat is out of the bag anyway (this is a remake) the story sort of went: Brand mega-rich spoiled, immature, alchoholic heir is forced by his mother to marry a woman she has chosen to try and straighten him out, or lose his mega squillions. The women he is forced to marry is Jennifer Garner who looks fairly typically like the average square-jawed over-toned American woman with the motor mouth to match. Brand much prefers cutsey Greta Gerwig and there the fun begins.

If you hated the original like me, give this remake a try, you will be delightfully surprised.

 

Review: I am Slave (2010)

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This is a very important British film which chronicles the life of a young African girl iamslavekidnapped from her village and sold into slavery to Arabic couples, first in Yemen then in Britain.

The most alarming feature of the film is that it is based on a true story and is fairly close to the mark for thousands of women and men smuggled into the UK each year to work as slaves for rich people. They are hidden right out in the open.

This film is credited with highlighting the extent of the problem within Britain and the start of changes in legislation to properly prosecute people who keep modern day slaves. It is a hard film to watch and I defy anyone not to feel anything but sympathy for the girl and utter disgust for the people who believe in 2013 it is ok to keep other human beings in servitude.

 

Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)

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ironman3

The funniest scene not in Iron Man 3. On the promotion trail Downey manages to make a small child cry trying to convince him he is indeed Iron Man!

The first iron man film was mildly interesting. The second Iron Man film was absolutely barking mad and strange, Iron Man 3 takes us back to a semblance of slightly plausible science.

Robert Downey Jr. is as usual building bigger and better, newer metal suits with super powers that mostly defy logic. Gwyneth Paltrow is Downey’s love interest and carry’s off her role reasonably well. Downey plays up the moody, dark and depressive sides of his character with rapid bipolaresque leaps back to normality. Whether this was the intended effect or a script with poor continuity, we are left guessing.

If you saw the first film, you have pretty much seen this one, not too many very interesting new twists and turns here.

Review: Pacific Rim (2013)

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pacificrim

The films saving grace..lots of wanton meaningless destruction.

With oh so obvious comparisons to the transformers franchise of films, tv shows, toys (Yes the Pacific Rim toys are out now) etc. etc., pacific Rim actually was not a bad film in its own right.

I found the whole mind melting with the machines built especially to fight the massive Gamera-like monsters that invade the cities of the world, pretty interesting. I wouldn’t say it was anywhere near as interesting as the mind-melts of Avatar, but nevertheless a bit interesting!

There are so many movies I can probably compare Pacific Rim to..really the whole history of action Sci Films are in their somewhere…but all in all if you like the genre this will kill a few hours for you, even if like me you just like seeing ginormous creatures flattening US cities!

 

The Australian Indie Radio Charts Week Ending 7/10/2013

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The Australian Indie Radio Charts

Week Ending 7/10/2013

WORLD INDEPENDENT

1. Smoking Section – Lisa Biales
2. falling days – lockdown
3. Glimmer Of Hope – Chris Ride
4. ITS TRUE – ALAN WHITFIELD
5. So Far Apart – NLX
6. Pain Stain – Royal Jones
7. Letter A – G.T. Arpe
8. Follow you down – Serial Obsession
9. Beautiful Sunrise – Bryan Marc
10. Shake The Devil – Joan Osborne

JAZZ

1. What is this thing called love – Calvin Hill
2. I Cant Help It – Dave Dunlop
3. Everything\’s Everything – Planet Zu
4. where do you start – Deborah Shulman
5. very nice – bozorius
6. Alex Shuffle – Bozorius
7. samba bria – A Castillion
8. Send my regrets – Eugene Marlow
9. You\’d Be So Nice to Come Home to – The Hot Club of Philadelphia
10. Swing That Thing – Johnny Ferreira

DANCE

1. CHIC choc – Golden Boy (Fospassin)
2. Je suis un gangster – Golden Boy (Fospassin)
3. street life – philjoseph
4. I\’m Still Waiting – Archie Bell
5. ESS – inina gap
6. Love And Desire – DynamicDestony
7. sleepless nights – exit avenue
8. FREE – Nathalie Matthews
9. Dark Lady (Rael BORG Club Mix) – Isaac Angel
10. Lady Loraine – TRINITY EVOLUTION

EASY LISTENING

1. Time stops – Suzanne Ciani
2. The Dream – John Brownrigg
3. Streets at 2am – Eliott James
4. Sweet 6 – Kush
5. Rainy Day – Mollys Revenge
6. Captured by Chemistry – Kiki Wow
7. Amada – acoustic dream
8. Finale (live) – Tony OConnor
9. Shouldnt We Know – Jason LaRoy
10. the gift – randy vild

URBAN

1. Major Domo – Cloud 10
2. destiny – jerry elcock
3. if its me – Deadman
4. on tha block – Kwan Tha Don
5. I gotta find away – Tommy Brown
6. East of Egypt- House Dance Mix – Victor Orlando and Fun-Ja-La
7. Somebody like U – Paris Ford
8. I Like It – Eddie Reddick
9. I Think About You-Ballard – Victor Orlando and Fun-Ja-La
10. we know who ur – casualties of chance

CHRISTIAN

1. Amazing Grace – Dene Redmon
2. THE ISLAND – IONA
3. Forgiveness – David Dowlen
4. heaven bound – todd ferguson
5. Mary Magdelene – Crown Of Roses
6. WALKING MY LORD UP CALVARY\’S HILL – SLIM & ZELLA MAE COX
7. I Know My God Cares For Me – ANDREW MARTIN
8. Gods 4 Real(Original), featuring Que – 100
9. Citizen of heaven – Stewart smith and susan van der velde
10. Amazing Grace – Sunshine And Bergey

COUNTRY

1. 10,000 Stratagies – Joel Taylor
2. If I Could Start Over – J. K. Coltrain
3. Girl Next Door – Callum Gleeson
4. COUNTRYFIED – Rick
5. folks across the street – jim cook & the taylormacs
6. Thought it Was a Jet Plane – Nashville Session Players
7. Call the Rain – Qua ti si
8. GOT TO TELL YOUR STORY – BILLY CHERNOFF
9. GROWING OLD – CHARLIE LANDSBOROUGH
10. The Nashville Blues – Don Crouse

TECHNO

1. Dry Cry (inst) – Golden Boy (Fospassin)
2. Dust Devils – Doug Adamz
3. Pleidean Communication – A positive life
4. the end of show – asylum
5. holy ghost/ radio sermon version – adam caulfield
6. Basstido – Rhythm Of Life
7. Texas Mellow – urchin
8. gamer chick – Dj Hound Dog
9. Soldier – Dub Chairman
10. Im in heaven (squeaky remix) – othelio

AUSSIE

1. The world tonight – The Bard
2. Cristiano Ronaldo goals – Golden Boy (Fospassin)
3. Chase The Dragon – Revelation
4. Miles from Nowhere – The Bard
5. Always – Katie Michaelson
6. how it should be – Stephen Whitehead
7. Looking Down the Rusty Wire – Peter Healy
8. The Boxer – The Bard
9. Lonely Nights DEMO – ThomBob (Thomas Roberts)
10. Blood Pumping – Zerafina Zara

REGGAE

1. Dub It Star – Ranking Dread
2. youth r the future – mista majah p
3. Bantou Life – Golden Boy (Fospassin)
4. Gimme Dub – Jah Thomas
5. Hawaii – Golden Boy (Fospassin)
6. Kicking Rocks – Version Xcursion featuring Ammoye
7. Freaky Vampire – Dell Smart and Exit/In
8. So Much – Zenith ASP
9. Bailakwando – Afro Fiesta
10. Dangerous Times Part One – MDV

Archived: Tamworth Country Music Festival Survey

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The findings of a recent comprehensive survey conducted by the Tamworth Regional Council on the annual country music festival has uncovered three key areas of focus.

The results – comprising six reports and data contained in a 250-page document titled Tamworth Country Music Festival Planning for the Future – were presented to council, industry representatives, stakeholders and the fan community.

What the survey revealed

  • The survey findings identify the typical Tamworth Country Music Festival fan as being female, married and aged between 45 and 54.
  • A total of 78 per cent of survey respondents identified themselves as fans while 13 per cent were artists, and nine per cent were industry representatives.
  • Most of the fans who completed the survey were female (69.39 per cent).
  • The 45-54 age group was most strongly represented among survey respondents (23.76 per cent), followed by the 55-64 age group (22.89 per cent) and 34-44 age group (20.98 per cent). The 25-34 age group accounted for 14.58 per cent of respondents.
  • Most of the respondents were from NSW (56 per cent), followed by Queensland (18 per cent) and Victoria (16 per cent).
  • Respondents from the Tamworth region accounted for 33 per cent of those who took part in the survey. A total of 66 per cent of respondents identified themselves as being residents living outside the Tamworth region.
  • Survey respondents overwhelmingly nominated ‘country’ as their most popular genre of music (65.97 per cent), followed by ‘rock’ (8.05 per cent). Of those who named country as their music of choice, most said ‘country rock’ was their favourite category, followed by ‘pop country’, ‘traditional’ and ‘bluegrass’.
  • When asked whether visiting international acts improve the Tamworth Country Music Festival, 62.12 per cent of respondents answered ‘yes’. A total of 22.77 per cent were ‘neutral’ and 15.11 per cent answered ‘no’.
  • More than 60 per cent of artists who took part in the survey agreed that visiting international artists improve the festival as did more than 64 per cent of respondents who identified themselves as industry representatives or Festival stakeholders.
  • The survey data reaffirmed anecdotal evidence that the majority of festival fans live on the eastern seaboard of Australia.
  • Of the survey respondents from outside the Tamworth region who identified themselves as fans, 57.55 per cent were from NSW, followed by Queensland (17.14 per cent) and Victoria (14.78 per cent).

Archived from: http://tamworthcountrylife.com.au/tamworth-country-music-festival-survey-results-released/

 

Archived: Newcastle Beach

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Newcastle has a reputation for being one of the best surfing locations in Australia. Surfing, body boarding and swimming are very popular activities.

Council employ professional lifeguards patrol our beaches throughout the year. Most beaches are patrolled during spring, summer and autumn with winter patrols Nobbys and Bar Beaches. Sunday patrols from September to April are provided by Surf Lifesaving Club volunteers.

Bragging rights are up for grabs at the annual Newcastle v Lake Macquarie lifeguard challenge. The best of the best from our local professional lifeguards compete in a three leg challenge – run, swim and board.

There are six Surf Clubs in the Newcastle City Council area coordinated by Hunter Surf Lifesaving

Beachwatch monitors beach water quality in the Hunter and other regions.

Newcastle beaches took out every category at the regional Keep Australia Beautiful Clean Beach awards.

Archived from: http://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/recreation/beaches_and_pools

Archived: Big crowds expected at Newcastle Show

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February 18, 2013 06:39:16

The President of the Newcastle Show says he is expecting strong crowd numbers at this year’s event with a number of changes made to ensure the event’s success.

This year’s show will take place over the weekend of March 2nd and 3rd with both Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Council’s declaring Friday March 1st a local event day.

President Roger Geary says there are a number of new rides which have not been at the show in previous years, while all outside stall sites have been taken up.

Mr Geary says last year’s show clashed with a number of other events, so this year they have worked to ensure that does not happen.

“The last show was affected by a lot of other rival events on that same weekend and some bad weather,” he said.

“The weather forecast I can’t control that but we’ve brought the show forward a couple of weeks earlier to avoid a clash with the football.

“We are also putting a lot of effort into school excursions on the Friday where we have discounted prices for the children.”

Mr Geary says he is expecting strong crowd numbers.

“The revenues from commercial space are up on last year’s because I think they realise that the crowd should be a lot higher because we’ve now got the rides back and a better list of entertainment,” he said.

“I believe every site outside has been sold and there are only a few sites left in the entertainment centre so our revenues are looking fairly strong.”

Archived from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-18/big-crowds-expected-at-newcastle-show/4524162/?site=newcastle