Street Corner - Western Sydney

Hollywood action hero news: Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Expendables 2, The Tomb

2012-05-16

Arnold Schwarzenegger may be getting older, but he's still in demand by Hollywood movie studios, and still a big draw with movie fans. After retiring from politics last year, he has cautiously eased his way back to acting. The prospect of a multimillion-dollar divorce settlement with ex-wife Maria Shriver may have helped made up his mind, and Arnie has since committed to appearing in many action flicks. Early next year he'll play an ageing sheriff who takes on a drug cartel in Last Stand, and he's also agreed to appear alongside long time mate Danny DeVito and Eddie Murphy in a sequel to the 1980s comedy Twins. In the meantime he will tag team with close mate Sly Stallone to portray a mercenary in The Expendables 2. Sly and Arnie are the most celebrated of the bodybuilding action heroes, and they both played a huge part of putting the action genre on the map. There is however a new breed of bulked up, talented actors, headed up by The Avengers team, with Australian mega star Chris Hemsworth playing the beefed up Thor. He added 20lbs of muscle to his six-foot-three frame for the role, through weights and constant eating. English actor Tom Hardy has put on over 30lbs for his role as Batman's nemesis Bane in the much-anticipated Dark Knight Rises, and looks huge. Then again so does Christian Bale's Batman, and Bale famously put on 100lbs in six months in order to star in Batman Begins. Rhys Ifans also seems impressively muscular as the villainous 'Lizard' in the forthcoming reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man. It took an Austrian bodybuilder and an extra from Hell's Kitchen to rescue the muscleman from B-movie obscurity. The art of bodybuilding stemmed from the British military during the 19th Century. The craze caught on in the US in the 1940s, mainly due in part to a switched on Italian immigrant called Angelo Siciliano, who renamed himself Charles Atlas and launched a bodybuilding programme that promised to turn "97lb weaklings" into "heroes of the beach". Bodybuilders began showing up in Hollywood films in the 1950s. Steve Reeves played Hercules in a series of historical action dramas, and so did Leeds-born weightlifter Reg Park. But movies like Hercules and the Captive Women were hacked together B-pictures that no one took seriously. Things began to evolve in the late 1970s, when a new breed of super bodybuilders burst on to the scene. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno were deadly rivals in the Mr Universe contest, and both had acting ambitions and the will to success in Hollywood. Ferrigno got his break first, starring in popular TV series, The Hulk. But Schwarzenegger became a much bigger star thanks to hit movies like Conan the Barbarian and Terminator. The young Arnie had average English and ordinary acting ability, but turned his faults to his advantage by deliberately targeting roles that were light on dialogue and heavy on action. He hit the jackpot with Terminator, James Cameron's groundbreaking 1984 sci-fi thriller, but used it as a template for future roles. He said little, flexed his well oiled muscles and killed indiscriminately with a stony face. Arnie also cracked jokes, using deadpan comic timing that surprised many critics and got over well with fans. In planning his movie career, Schwarzenegger must surely have been inspired by the example of Sylvester Stallone. Born in Hell's Kitchen, New York, and raised in Washington DC, Stallone took to bodybuilding as a teenager but found it hard to break into acting. His feature debut was in a 1971 soft-core porn movie called The Party at Kitty and Stud's, which was re-released to his enduring embarrassment after he became famous. He appeared as a thuggish extra in films like Woody Allen's Bananas and Klute. For a while it seemed he was doomed to a life of obscurity until he came up with an idea for a boxing flick. The story is that Stallone wrote the script of Rocky in three days in the spring of 1975, and when Hollywood picked up on the idea he insisted on playing Rocky Balboa himself. The film was a huge hit, and acted as a catalyst for Stallone to become one of Hollywood's more unlikely A-listers. The rise of Stallone and Schwarzenegger fitted in well with the new conservatism of Reagan-era America. In the 1970s, Hollywood had reacted to the moral confusion of the Nixon presidency with weighty anti-war films and edgy conspiracy thrillers. But Ronald Reagan led a return to uncomplicated patriotism and a deep distrust of Johnny foreigner. In a way Sly and Arnie were the John Waynes of their time, and were quick to exploit the new enthusiasm for American flag-waving. In the Rambo flicks, Sly Stallone provided a bloody rebuttal to the 1970s anti-Vietnam War activists. And though not American himself, Schwarzenegger made sure to kick the butts of commies and Islamic extremists in films like Commando and True Lies. Their movies were generally formulaic but highly effective, especially at the box office, and soon a host of buffed up imitators of sorts emerged. Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris and Jean-Claude Van Damme all became action stars in the 1980s, churning out ever-more violent B-pictures in which the hulked hero took on impossible odds to defeat America's enemies. But by the late-1980s, the hulky format was getting a bit tired and has out-welcomed its stay. Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis, neither of whom were bodybuilders, paved the way for a new, quicker and slicker kind of action flick, and in the mid-1990s both Schwarzenegger's and Stallone's careers began to slide. Arnie entered politics, and Sly limped off to lick his wounds and plot the inevitable comeback. Come back he did, and his 2010 film The Expendables was warmly welcomed. Sly and Arnie would have had their work cut out trying to keep up with the likes of Jason Bourne, and these days speed, not bulk, tends to be a key requirement for survival in the business. If Schwarzenegger and Stallone have left a legacy, it's this: nowadays all the male stars hit the gym before they start shooting anything. Hollywood loves actors who can act, look great and buffed, and have the 'It Factor' - heard of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson? We thought so, and he's well on the way to becoming the biggest Hollywood movie money making actor of all time, and in an act of loyalty continues to compete a few times a year for professional wrestling aka "sports entertainment" powerhouse, WWE, which also helps keep his fan base cultivated, and his face all over mainstream television. What may be in the future for 'The Rock'? Politics of course. The next Regan? Don't laugh - stranger things have happened. Jesse For Prez may not have happened, but maybe 'The Body' Ventura was just warning up the landscape for Rocky. News Update... Marvel Entertainment: The Incredible Hulk May Make Smash Hit To Combat Sly - Arnie Connection... Be on the lookout for Marvel Entertainment - Marvel Studios to build upon the massive success of The Avengers with a remake or continuation of The Incredible Hulk movie. Don't expect Sly or Arnie to be cast, but there's always a decent chance Lou Ferrigno may turn up - especially in a cameo, following the lead of Marvel Comics icon, Stan Lee. Press Release... PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY UNDERWAY ON THE TOMB Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Jim Caviezel, Amy Ryan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Vinnie Jones, Sam Neil Lead Cast Mikael Håfström directs the action-thriller now shooting on location in New Orleans NEW ORLEANS, LA MAY 10 – Production is underway on Summit Entertainment’s The Tomb. Directed by Mikael Håfström, the action-thriller is an Emmett-Furla Films/Mark Canton production. The producers are Atmosphere Entertainment’s chairman Mark Canton, Randall Emmett, George Furla, Robbie Brenner and Kevin King-Templeton. Co-financed by Emmett-Furla Films and Summit Entertainment, The Tomb is being filmed on location in the New Orleans area. Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE company, holds worldwide distribution rights and will release the motion picture in North America. Written by Miles Chapman for the screen, with a rewrite by Jason Keller, The Tomb follows Ray Breslin (Stallone), the world’s foremost authority on structural security. He’s analyzed nearly every high security prison. After being framed by persons unknown, all of Breslin’s ingenuity and expertise are about to be put to work in the most challenging test he’s ever faced: escaping from a high-tech prison facility that’s design is based on his own protocols. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Emil Rottmayer,a complex inmate with multiple shades of gray. He’s the guy who fights to keep the prisoners from losing their humanity in their darkest hour as they struggle together to stay alive. Jim Caviezel plays Hobbes, the warden of the Tomb. This is the type of prison facility that deals with inmates that no government wants on its books. The lead guard of the maximum-security facility, Drake, is played by English actor and retired footballer Vinnie Jones. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson plays Hush, Ray Breslin’s right-hand man and high-technology expert. Buttoned-down with street lurking just below the surface, Hush is aptly named because when he speaks, it is just above a whisper…but it’s a whisper with attitude and edge that can turn from soft to drop dead serious in the blink of an eye. Vincent D’Onofrio plays Lester Clark, Breslin’s business partner and CEO of B&C Security, their independent security company hired by the Federal Bureau of Prisons to test the integrity of their maximum-security facilities nationwide. Amy Ryan plays Abigail Ross, jack-of-all trades and one of Beslin’s closest confidants at B&C Security. Sam Neil is cast as Dr. Emil Kaikev, the prison doctor embedded within the Tomb, who is sympathetic to Breslin’s plight. Håfström’s previous writing/directing credits in his native Sweden include: the gripping coming of age drama Evil, which was nominated for an Academy Award® in 2004 for Best Foreign Language film; the thriller Drowning Ghost; and the drama Days Like This, which won Sweden’s Guldbagge Award for Best Screenplay. His films have been invited to festivals around the world and, at home, Håfström has received multiple Guldbagge nominations, with Evil winning the Award for Best Direction and Best Screenplay. The behind-the scenes filmmaking team of The Tombincludes director of photography Brendan Galvin (Immortals, Behind Enemy Lines, Flight of the Phoenix), production designer Barry Chusid (Source Code, 2012, Aliens in the Attic, The Day After Tomorrow) and costume designer Lizz Wolf (The Expendables and The Expendables 2, Rambo, Dreamgirls, Suspect Zero, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl, Armageddon, Traffic). Special effects are supervised by Michael Lantieri (Alice in Wonderland, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, The Hulk, Minority Report, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest) and visual effects are supervised by Chris Wells (300, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Live Free or Die Hard). Elliot Greenberg (Chronicle) is editing. The sound mixer is Richard Schexnayder (Red, The Expendables, Jonah Hex) and stunts are coordinated by Noon Orsatti (The Expendables 2, American History X, Conan The Barbarian). The executive producers of The Tomb are Nicolas Stern, Bill Chase, Stefan Partirosyan. Schwarzenegger and Stallone will next be seen on screen together in The Expendables 2, which is currently in post-production and will be released this summer by Lionsgate. Schwarzenegger recently wrapped filming The Last Stand, also for Lionsgate, produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and directed by Jee-woon Kim. Websites The Expendables 2 www.theexpendables2film.com Arnold Schwarzenegger official website www.schwarzenegger.com Sylvester Stallone official website www.sylvesterstallone.com Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson www.dwaynetherockjohnson.net 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin - Broken Skull Ranch www.brokenskullranch.com Marvel Entertainment www.marvel.com Lionsgate Entertainment www.lionsgate.com Media Man News www.mediamannews.com Media Man Entertainment www.mediamanent.com

Australian tourism can be saved by Chinese middle class to large casinos; Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

2012-05-15

"Chinese middle class is going to change the world" James Packer says man-made attractions important Mr Packer owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau Sydney's The Star already attracting high roller VIP's Non Packer casino and resorts also want in on the action Sunday night's 60 Minutes report 'Packer's punt' got tongues wagging and telephones running hot across Australia - Melbourne and Perth (both home to existing Packer casinos) and 'Sin City' Sydney (site of the Barangaroo development). Australia's flagging tourism industry can be saved by attracting the Chinese middle class to large casinos, Crown Limited chairman James Packer told the Nine network. Mr Packer said recognising the Chinese middle class was as important as recognising the internet. "It's like saying how big a deal is the internet," Mr Packer told his former business co-hearts Channel Nine. "The Chinese middle class is going to change the world." He advised Australia cannot rely on its natural beauty alone, because people are more drawn to man-made attractions. "A lot of the Chinese tourists like man-made attractions as well as natural attractions," he said. "We need to have better hotels, better restaurants, better shopping." Mr Packer gave the United States as an example of how man-made attractions win over natural ones. "Las Vegas gets 40 million people a year," he said. "I think maybe the greatest natural attraction is the Grand Canyon. It's a half-hour drive from Las Vegas but gets about three million (visitors) a year." Mr Packer owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau. He also pointed out that casinos in The Philippines were doing well and contributed greatly to that country, and that he didn't currently have any casino interests there. He said he was keen to secure a tables-only Sydney casino complex at Barangaroo to bring in more Chinese tourists. Responsible Gambling Awareness Week started yesterday and the NSW Government is encouraging problem gamblers to seek help. Casino King James Packer really aiming for Echo Entertainment... Gaming analysts believe billionaire James Packer would consider offloading some of Queensland's casinos if he is successful in acquiring the Echo Entertainment Group. Greg Fraser, a senior analyst at Fat Prophets, said that Mr Packer's real goal in his expected takeover tilt for Echo was to snatch the scandal-plagued Star Casino in Sydney and merge it into his Crown group. Cairns casino targeting Chinese tourists: Packer's Crown not the only option for Chinese punters... The famous Pullman Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns is not letting gaming tsar James Packer have all the action when it comes to attracting cashed-up Chinese gamblers to his legal gambling dens. Mr Packer said the struggling tourism industry could be saved by attracting Chinese middle class visitors to large casinos. As well, he said many Chinese tourists liked man-made activities as well as natural attractions. But Cairns casino chief exec Alan Tan said his venue established a China strategy some six years ago. "I think, while the casino is important, we offer more than just that. The Great Barrier Reef is very important, especially when I talk to the Chinese who say they like to see the Reef and in the evening they like to enjoy time in the casino as well," Mr Tan said. Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Rob Giason said the casino was part of the overall experience for Chinese holidaymakers. Cairns Airport chief executive officer Kevin Brown said the casino complemented other activities the Chinese tourists wanted to experience, including dining, shopping and cultural activities. Casino marketing executive manager Richard Porter said its China strategy included the relocation of Cafe China restaurant to the casino, Chinese language signage and information. He said casino reps frequented China at least six times a year, worked closely with inbound operators and leading Chinese businessman Harry Sou. Mr Porter said when China Southern Airlines started flying to Brisbane the casino experienced a "giant leap forward" in Chinese visitors. So there you go... Packer is far from the only switched on casino and gambling baron. It's going to be mighty interesting to see how Pullman's Alan Tan continues to fair in the Australian "casino wars", as Packer continues on his quest to also takeover Echo Entertainment operations, as well as push forward for his greater "Sin City" Sydney ambitions. It's said "The house always wins" in casino talk, but can the trio of Crown, Pullman and Echo Entertainment all continue to win big time, or is something going to give (like a merger or acquisition)? Stay tuned as we continue to probe for developments. *the writer is a shareholder in Crown Limited and Virgin Enterprises Limited Websites Crown Melbourne www.crownmelbourne.com.au Crown Perth www.burswood.com.au The Star www.star.com.au Echo Entertainment www.echoentertainment.com.au City of Dreams, Macau www.cityofdreamsmacau.com Barangaroo Delivery Authority website www.barangaroo.com Barangaroo South www.barangaroosouth.com.au Australia.com www.australia.com 60 Minutes (Australia) http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au 60 Minutes (Australia) - 'Packers Punt' http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/stori... Media Man Int www.mediamanint.com Australian Sports Entertainment www.australiansportsentertainment.com

The Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow

2012-05-15

It’s a road trip on funny juice disguised as a national tour. Why not come along for the ride? Prepare your funny bones Australia, the comedians have been released and are descending on the nation’s unsuspecting cities and towns. Lock up your serious side and throw away the key, because these artists are dangerously funny. Now in its 14th year, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow has gathered together a gaggle of fresh and familiar Comedy Festival faces and sent them out across Australia. This year’s line-up reflects the range and diversity of the 2012 Comedy Festival, with acts travelling the country ranging from stand-up to musical and sketch comedy. The Wollongong line-up includes Dave Callan (Irish born star of Triple J radio) as MC, Lawrence Mooney (regular co-host on Channel 10’s The Circle), DeAnne Smith (award-winning comic from Canada), Josh Earl (sports five sold-out Festival shows under his belt) and Randy (a foul-mouthed purple puppet who regularly performs in award-winning sold-out shows with musical comedian Sammy J). Last year, comedians taking part in the Roadshow performed to enthusiastic crowds in 60 regional centres and capital cities across Australia - not to forget a highly successful stint in Singapore and a sold-out debut season in Hong Kong. Given such popularity, this year's Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow plans to connect with even more comedy fans and share the kind of humour that's had Melbourne weeping with laughter. More than 300 shows contained in one - you can't get better value than that. The Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow has such chalk and cheese personalities delivering such a wide assortment of gags, it has everyone’s humour covered The Sunday Times, WA The Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, 32 Burelli St, Wollongong NSW 2500 Dates & Times: Thurs 31 May at 8pm, Fri 1 June at 6:30pm & 9:30pm, Sat 2 June at 6:30pm & 9:30pm Ticket Prices: Adult: $39, Conc $34 (Transaction fees apply to phoe and internet bookings) Bookings: Illawarra Performing Arts Centre Box Office on (02) 4224 5999 or www.merrigong.com.au *transaction fees apply

The Unspeakable Itch

2012-05-14

TILL DEBT DO US PART Comedy that delivers a bunch of pithy one liners in song The wonderful and dynamic duo Drew Fairley and Kate Smith, creators of the hit shows Bangers and Mash and The No Chance in Hell Hotel return to Darlinghurst Theatre with their uproarious new comedy The Unspeakable Itch from Wednesday, 13 June to Sunday, 8 July 2012, with previews from Wednesday. 8 June. Matt and Bec have been married for seven years and we all know what that means; he wants a raise, she wants her cushions fluffed. He keeps fingering his car keys. She spends hours staring into the backyard longing for a new deck. If only they hadn't started scratching the unspeakable itch… So what if Matt occasionally sleeps in the car and Bec has trouble remembering his name? It's just a phase. Once they get their bank loan, a timber deck and a heated infinity pool all their little grievances will disappear. But if they don't get that loan they'll do what any other normal Australian couple would do - have a nervous breakdown and sing about it. “The Unspeakable Itch is a riff on our observations about love, marriage and money in the 21st century. It’s a poke at our deluded reliance on buying 'stuff' expecting it to deliver happiness, when really the hole of need is never filled by creating more need…" said Co-Writer, Kate Smith. “Since we started working together in 2003 Kate Smith and I are like some crazy married theatre couple. She knows my favourite dish and I know her shoe size. So we wanted to look at how relationships keep going after the confetti has turned to dust. What is a modern day happily ever after made of? The GFC suggests that we have been buying our way to happiness. Are we really looking for a soul connection with each other through our credit cards? There was a time when you just needed a twinkle in the eye to start a family now it seems you need a futures portfolio. There's gotta be some comedy in that- surely,” said Co-Writer Drew Fairley. Kate Smith is a professional actress and playwright who specializes in comedic writing and performance. Works for stage include: Cabaret Kite by comic character, Rusty Nails, Bangers and Mash by Kate Smith and Drew Fairley, Wanderlust by Kate Smith, The No Chance In Hell Hotel by Kate Smith and Drew Fairley. For television she has appeared in numerous commercials, soaps and comedy shows including: Kate & Julia, Spirited, All Saints, Blackjack, Beauty and The Beast, Totally Full Frontal and 30 Seconds. Accomplished actor/writer and director, Drew Fairley, has performed in Jack and the Beanstalk by Chirara Guidi, The Star Wars Burlesque by The Vanguard, Port by Kristine Langford Smith, The Underpants- by Craig Ilott and Darlingwood Tales by Jo Turner. Drew received the New York International Fringe Festival award for excellence in Comedy and Drama for Mongrel- The Prince of Denmark which he co-devised with Ailie Cohen and Christa Hughes. Fairley and Smith combine sly wit and impeccable timing... first-rate entertainment. Sydney Morning Herald The Unspeakable Itch At Darlinghurst Theatre, 19 Greenknowe Ave Potts Point DATES: Previews: 8 – 10 June Season 13 June - 8 July TIMES: Tuesday - Saturday at 8pm; Sundays at 5pm Matinees: Saturday 30 June & 7 July at 3pm TICKETS: Preview $28; Adult $38; Student Conc$33; Senior$33; Groups 10+ $33 BOOKINGS: Darlinghurst Theatre on 8356 9987 or www.darlinghursttheatre.com

Wildcats Split Road Trip Double-Header

2012-05-13

The Parramatta Basketball Association has split their away games against the Manly Warringah Basketball Association, on Saturday night in Warriewood, in Round Seven of the 2012 Waratah Championship League (WCL) competition. The winless Wildcats women's team fielded just seven fit players on the night, putting themselves at an even bigger disadvantage against the competition-leading Sea Eagles women. In spite of a spirited first quarter effort from the young Wildcats, once the foul count escalated it was all clear sailing for the Sea Eagles, who cruised to a 89-33 win. Josie Taoi led the Wildcats with 10 points and 8 boards, whilst Bernadette Makhlouf had 10 boards and Amanda Mitchell 8 points. The Wildcats men were also under-strength at the start of their game against the Sea Eagles men, with four players delayed in traffic and not arriving at the game until the second quarter. Ironically, coach Tait credited the late appearance of the four players to his team's success on the night, with the bench players having to rise to the occasion in the first quarter. The Wildcats defied the odds to lead 21-20 at the end of the first term and held that advantage to lead 37-35 at half time. Sydney Kings NBL point guard Luke Cooper was proving to be a thorn in the Wildcats side but even his seemingly tireless efforts could not lift the Sea Eagles in the second half, as the Wildcats surged further ahead, eventually winning 92-79 Shooting guard Adi Causevic led the Wildcats with 22 points, whilst Goran Veg had 14 points and 19 boards, Jed Atherton 14 points and Jamie Newth 11). Cooper led the Sea Eagles effort with 29 points, 7 steals and 5 assists. This weekend's games against the Sutherland Sharks (in Sutherland) would appear at first glance to be contests for the wooden spoon - in both the men's and women's divisions. Coach Tait however refuses to consider his men's team will stay in the competition cellar and is targeting at least four wins for his team by the end of the first round of competition and twelve by the end of the regular season. "We didn't have any mental lapses today" said Tait - in reference to the Parramatta men. "I focussed on that during training this week and the team responded". "We didn't drop our intensity throughout the game and our spacing was better on offence" said Tait. "We had nineteen genuine turnovers, which is a huge improvement on our earlier games this season". PHOTO: Jed Atherton was one of Parramatta's leading scorers against the Sea Eagles - photo by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au) Apologies if the photo does not load, as the site administrator is still experiencing problems. The photo can also be viewed in the Media Gallery on the PhotoExcellence website.

Hornets Hold Out Fast-Finishing Panthers

2012-05-13

The Hills District Hornets men's team has scored a nail-biting 78-76 win over the Penrith Panthers on Saturday night at the Hills Basketball Stadium, in Round Seven of the 2012 Waratah Championship League (WCL) competition. The Hornets welcomed back big-man David Pollard from injury and behind his obvious presence in the paint, dominated the early stages of the first quarter to run up a quick 15-5 lead. The game stalled at that point, with neither side making much impression as the score crept along to 19-12 at the end of the term. Hornets shooting guard Josh Chapman lit up the scoreboard in the second term, although both teams shared the scoring honours, thus leaving the home team in front 42-34 at the break. The third term was also evenly shared in scoring, although the Hornets had edged ahead to lead 62-53 at the final break and certainly looked to be the more polished of the two sides. Penrith rookie Luke Griffith had now begun to make his presence known in the paint and led all scorers for the Panthers with twelve points at this stage of the game. The Hornets always appeared to have the measure of the Panthers in the final quarter yet could not pull away, instead being forced to dig deep, in the dying stages, to hold out a determined fight-back from the visitors. A costly turnover would ultimately halt Penrith's resurgence, allowing the Hornets to hold on for a narrow 2-point win. Pollard survived his first game back but put his body under plenty of pressure, taking two spectacular falls - thanks to some heavy contact in the paint. On both occasions, Pollard took some time getting back to his feet but played on tenaciously, albeit in some pain, to the vocal appreciation of the local fans. Panthers head coach Jeff Cooper was disappointed with his team's slow start to the game, leaving them with the task of playing catch-up for the rest of the game. "We won the second half but we just let ourselves down on occasions" said Cooper. "We had a specific time-out to discuss our tactics in the last stage of the game and threw the ball away immediately with an error". "Ben (Ellsworth) had a very quiet first half but he still led us in scoring and rebounding" said Cooper. "I was also very happy with Emlyn Dodd and Luke Griffith tonight but we certainly missed the level head of Josh Morehead (injured)". The fifth-placed Hornets host the second-placed Newcastle Hunters at the Hills Basketball Stadium this Sunday, with tip-off at 1pm. The eighth-placed Panthers take on the sixth-placed Sydney Comets at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre (PVRSC) Herbert Street Cambridge Park on Sunday, with tip-off at 2pm. The Penrith Basketball Association will be hosting a reunion of former representative players on the day and have also put plans in place for a special 'jeer' squad for one of their former favoured sons - Tom Dawson. Former Penrith junior and senior representative Dawson will be among the key players in the Comets line-up on the day. The likeable young giant has been in scintillating form, especially over the past two weeks, leading the Comets to wins over the Central Coast Crusaders (84-76) and the Hornets (92-71). Hills District Hornets 78 (Josh Chapman 26 points, 9 boards; Richard Clarke 13 points; Jason Strong 11; David Hayman 11; David Pollard 9 points, 11 boards, 7 blocked shots) def Penrith Panthers 76 (Ben Ellsworth 16 points, 18 boards, 3 blocked shots; Luke Griffith 14 points, 10 boards; Emlyn Dodd 13 points) PHOTO: David Pollard hits a shot against the Panthers - photo by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au) Apologies if the photo does not load, as the site administrators are still experiencing problems. The photo can also be viewed in the Media Gallery on the PhotoExcellence website.

The Avengers, Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Games, Spider-Man, WWE, Paramount Pictures, Celebrity

2012-05-12

Hollywood and Australian News: The Avengers, Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Games, Spider-Man, WWE, John Cena, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Paramount Pictures, Celebrity Gaming news, Arcade games, Hollywood gossip... The Avengers enjoys worldwide box office success; Breaking records... Marvel superhero fans in Australia and around the world. We've got tons of news for you today. There's Avengers news, gaming and slot games, interviews, quotes, numbers, A WWE connection and more... The Avengers proved that five superheroes are better than one by bursting into Hollywood's record books with a massive $197 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend in US and Canadian theatres, kicking off Hollywood's summer movie season with a bang. The film now easily holds the record for greatest box office takings on its first weekend of cinema release, speeding past last summer's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2, which opened with $166 million, and Batman franchise film The Dark Knight, according to Box Office Mojo. In March, The Hunger Games opened with $150 million, the fourth largest opening in box office history. The Avengers, which reunites Marvel comic heroes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow, has collected $630 million since it opened in international markets on April 25. "We keep thinking we have a sense of what this movie can do, or will do, and every time we get a report it does even better," said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice-president of distribution. "This is very satisfying, to say the least." Disney's aggressive marketing, which included promotions aimed at women that included sending stars to The View daytime talk show, resulted in women making up 40 per cent of the audience for the action film, according to Disney's survey. Half the audience was also over 25 years of age, the studio said. Winner of the past two weekends, Sony's romantic comedy Think Like a Man, slipped to second place with $7.8 million at North American theatres, according to Hollywood.com. Hunger Games, from Lions Gate Entertainment, took the No 3 spot in its seventh week in theatres, with $5.6 million, and has collected $374 million in US and Canadian theatres during its run. Warner Brothers' The Lucky One landed in fourth place with $5.4 million, and the animated film The Pirates! Band of Misfits from Sony finished in fifth place with $5.3 million. The undisputed success of Avengers brought Disney the type of redemption that Hollywood loves to put on screen. In March, Disney released the expensive sci-fi adventure film John Carter, one of the biggest flops in box office history. The company said it expects to lose up to $196 million on that film. Avengers is the first Marvel film released by Disney since the media and theme park giant purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $3.9 billion, a move to expand its appeal to boys with a stable of superheroes. Disney would not say whether it plans to make a sequel. Sequels to films based on the Thor and Iron Man characters are scheduled for next year and Captain America in 2014. About 52 per cent of The Avengers ticket sales came from higher-priced 3D tickets, Disney said. The first weekend in May kicks off Hollywood's summer movie-going season, a four-month period typically filled with big-budget action movies and sequels. Coming movies include Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3, and Battleship. (Reuters) Scarlett Johansson: comic book movie superhero... Scarlett Johansson first enrolled in the Marvel comic book superhero universe when she was introduced as the mysterious Black Widow opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the 2010 blockbuster Iron Man 2. The action-filled movie role marked a massive change of direction for the actress, who's known more for low-key performances in films like Sofia Coppola's drama Lost in Translation or Woody Allen's sly comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona. But Johansson is in fighting form to reprise her role as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in Marvel Studios' The Avengers. With her bright red hair and sexy latex suit, the Black Widow teams up with Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye and Thor to stop the evil Loki from conquering Earth with his army. Johansson sat down with media to talk about the film, the fighting style she learned for her role and what it was like to master her character's native Russian language. Black Widow was introduced in Iron Man 2 but gets far more exposure in The Avengers. How did you expand the character? At the end of Iron Man 2, we know she's a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we don't know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is. In this film, (director) Joss Whedon and I talked about her past. Who is she? How does she get to be a mercenary? What path do you follow in order to get to that place? We both wanted to see the darker side of her - not just that she's someone who is highly skilled, but why did she have to learn those skills? You're in top form physically on screen. What new fighting skills did you learn? We incorporated this Wushu style (of fighting) when the Widow wields a huge alien gun. That was new and really challenging. I had to learn how to spin it and move it. It was hard because I'd hit myself with it all the time. And it's heavy. You learn (by using) a broom handle so you're like, 'Ah, I got it down, I've mastered it.' Then all of a sudden they're like, 'Here's the prop' and you're like, 'What? This thing is 20 pounds!' I was so terribly battered. I'd wake up every day in agony but it was a continuous thing, so it became normal (laughs). Black Widow also speaks in her native Russian language, which you seemed to nail. Was it difficult to learn? I had two days, so I had to learn it phonetically. I knew what I was saying but I had to be able to pronounce it and breathe some life into the lines so that it didn't sound like I was repeating some Berlitz tape. We hired this great Russian translator, and she worked with the dialogue coach. She was really expressive, which helped, so my mouth found the words in a way that didn't just sound like I was a parrot. You often play with hair color in your movie roles. Did you enjoy being a redhead for the duration of the shoot? It's nice because it allows me to go a bit under the radar - people don't expect me to have that color of hair. I'm always happy when I do it because it's the first step of the process of finding the character again. To me more than anything, the hair color represents a huge piece of work that we dive head first into. And I'm really happy when I can wash it out because then I'm like, 'Yes, It's finished, we actually did it!' Out it goes and you know you've accomplished something. You're the only female Avenger in the cast. Did your male co-stars treat you any differently because of that? If anything, the guys weren't as delicate with me as I thought they would be. They like to play hard and always dragged me along for the ride. I'd always come back with battle wounds. But they're a great group of guys. All of us got on so well. Who did you spend most of your time with on location in New Mexico? Jeremy (Renner, Hawkeye) because (we share scenes) together a lot. We fight together, so we had to do a lot of our stunt training together. We had the same battle wounds! Tom (Hiddleston, Loki), Jeremy and I spent a lot of time in the stunt gym because we fight so much hand to hand, so we ended up hanging out together. But we all equally had a closeness. What was the dynamic like with all of you? We're all fans of each other's work. Some of us have worked together in the past. Chris Evans and I have made three movies together. Sam Jackson and I made three movies together. Mark Ruffalo I've known for quite some time. Every time Robert (Downey Jr.) was on set, it was like, so alive. We're just lucky that there was no diva on set. It was everybody trying to support one another. It was really nice to have that. The Avengers is screening now (to packed and very enthusiastic audiences). Disney's "The Avengers" a winner for Paramount Pictures also: source... Walt Disney's blockbuster "The Avengers" has five superheroes and record ticket sales. It also has a silent partner in Viacom's Paramount Pictures, which is in line to to get a massive payday even though the studio didn't spend a cent to produce or market the film. Paramount Pictures already snatched $57.5 million in April, when the film was released internationally. And it stands to collect 8 percent of the millions that the film will earn in theaters, on DVD, and when it is watched on the Internet, according to two people with knowledge of the business deal. Under a 2005 distribution agreement between Paramount Pictures and Marvel, Paramount receives a distribution fee for the theatrical distribution of "The Avengers" as well as its distribution of its home video, Internet and TV rights. That agreement transferred to Disney, when Disney acquired Marvel for a cool $4 billion in 2009. Disney and Paramount agreed in 2010 to amend that agreement, giving Disney the rights to distribute Marvel-produced "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3," the second sequel to the 2008 film that Paramount distributes. That agreement stipulated that Disney would pay Paramount a $115 million advance against future fees that Paramount would have earned. Half of that fee was paid when Disney released "The Avengers" in international markets. Spokesmen for Disney and Paramount declined to comment on the matter. Paramount does not have rights to merchandise from the Marvel movies, and Iger told investors after the deal closed that he signed the getting the movie rights allows he to rev up Disney's marketing machine. "Not only will we distribute it and market it, but we know that Marvel is working really hard with the cooperation of a number of entities at Disney to turn The Avengers into a true franchise," he said on the earnings call. Studios and theater owners generally split ticket sales 50-50, meaning that Disney has collected $320.9 million based on "The Avengers" $641.8 million in worldwide ticket sales. Paramount's $25.7 million take would be applied against the pre-paid fee from Disney. The two parties also agreed that "The Avengers" would appear on the Epix online and premium TV service that Paramount owns with Lions Gate Entertainment and the famous MGM studio. That's a big boost for the nearly three-year-old channel. Disney is legally obligated to show most of its movies on the Starz pay channel. What size Paramount's take will be depends on how big a hit "The Avengers" becomes. The deal gets even sweeter for Paramount Pictures in 2013, when Disney is scheduled to release the third Iron Man. Paramount will get 9 percent of the money that film will generate. It's going to be tough to match the hulking numbers of 'The Avengers', but the studios and business partners in on the action should be looking at plenty more green stuff generated from the ultra successful and cool Marvel franchise. Movies, games, fashion...what's next? Stay tuned true believers. The Amazing Spider-Man Games Let's You Play Stan Lee... True Believers, get ready for spectacular news — Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Spider-Man Merchandising L.P., a subsidiary of Marvel today announced some amazing pre-order exclusives for fans that reserve an early copy of The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game in North America. Planned to launch June 26th, the game brings Spidey back to the thrill of free-roaming through Manhattan in an original epilogue story to Sony Picture Entertainment's upcoming feature film. The pre-order exclusives for The Amazing Spider-Man video game are available today and include the Rhino Challenge from GameStop and a special mission featuring a fully playable Stan Lee from Amazon.com. Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain RHINO and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive gameplay challenge of pure destruction! As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break! All the rumors can officially be put to rest — for the first time ever, fans will be able to play…STAN…LEE as himself in The Amazing Spider-Man. Players will take on the role of Stan "The Man" Lee in his own special mission across Manhattan, borrowing abilities from his old pal Spider-Man as they help Stan collect pages of his latest script in a spectacular race around Manhattan. Stan's mission is punctuated with his witty banter that fans have come to know and love, and a special surprise waits for them at the end of the mission — after all, it is Spider-Man's 50th anniversary this year! Go beyond the feature film and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game, which brings Spider-Man's free-roaming, web-slinging action back to New York City. Players take on the role of a young Peter Parker discovering his new Spider-Man powers and added Super Hero responsibilities, using the game's innovative Web Rush mechanic to swing freely around Manhattan, combat a variety of criminal activities and take on classic Marvel Super Villains. Set against an original story crafted by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (episodes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica) that takes place entirely after the events of the upcoming feature film, The Amazing Spider-Man video game delivers a brand-new, immersive and cinematic adventure allowing players to truly harness the power of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. For more information on The Amazing Spider-Man video game, please check out http://www.TheAmazingSpiderManGame.com and http://www.Facebook.com/TheAmazingSpider... The Avengers video game in the works... Now that they've saved the world on film, The Avengers are teaming up for a motion-control video game. Ubisoft Entertainment have announced a partnership with Marvel Entertainment to create a game based on the popular Marvel superhero posse. The game will be titled Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth and will be released for both the upcoming Wii U console from Nintendo Co. and the camera-based Kinect system for the Xbox 360 from Microsoft. "The idea that we're making a motion-control version of The Avengers is a unique proposition if you compare that to superhero games of the past," said Tony Key, Ubisoft's vice president of sales and marketing. "This is the perfect type of game for that because these characters are very action oriented. They're always fighting and throwing things." Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth will focus on such characters as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk fending off an invasion of genetically altered Skrull aliens. The title will feature more than 20 characters from the Marvel universe and would be based on the Secret Invasion comic series, not the recent film. No release date was announced, but Key said the disc-based title is expected to launch after Nintendo debuts the Wii U later this year. The successor to Nintendo's Wii will feature high-definition graphics, increased online capabilities and a touch-pad controller. He said more details about the game would be unveiled at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo. The game will be the latest addition to Ubisoft's motion-control arsenal. Previous titles released by the Canadian publisher that rely on gesture-based devices include the artsy shooter Child of Eden, street brawler Fighters Uncaged, superhero dueler PowerUp Heroes, the Your Shape fitness franchise and top-selling Just Dance series. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth will mark the first time that the Assassin's Creed publisher has developed a game based on a franchise from Marvel, which was purchased in 2009 by The Walt Disney. The developers previously worked with Avatar director James Cameron to craft a third-person 3D action-adventure game set on the planet Pandora. Sega created each of the games pegged to the films of The Avengers forerunners, including last year's Thor: God of Thunder and Captain America: Super Soldier, but there was no console game released this year alongside director Joss Whedon's blockbuster The Avengers, just the mobile game Marvel's The Avengers and Facebook title "Marvel: Avengers Alliance." Fans freaked out last year over unofficial footage and concept art posted online of a first-person Avengers game that was reportedly in development by THQ. The footage of Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor battling the infamous Skrull was yanked by Marvel from YouTube. A representative for Marvel declined to be interviewed for this story. Traditionally, games based on Marvel movies have been released around the same time as their super-powered counterparts to benefit from parallel buzz. The open-world action-adventure title The Amazing Spider-Man from Activision. is set for release June 26, ahead of director Marc Webb's film of the same name on July 3. The big-screen adaptation of The Avengers starring Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye has smashed box office records, earning $US207.4 million in the US in its opening weekend. "For us, that obviously raises the brand itself to an even higher level, and that's good for our video game because we have an opportunity to reach a broader audience than just the guys who love comic book characters," said Key, who added that Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth would be family friendly despite the game's focus on fighting. Marvel's superheroes have been a dominant presence throughout the history of games. They most recently assembled for the Capcom brawler "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3" and the Activision role-playing sequel Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. Gazillion Entertainment is currently developing a free-to-play online game featuring them called Marvel Heroes. Website: www.AvengersBattleForEarth.com Robert Downey Jr. learns to be a team player... Billionaire genius Tony Stark had to learn to play well with others in "The Avengers" after he was the main attraction in two "Iron Man" films. So did Robert Downey Jr., though his path to superhero team player came without the fisticuffs and rivalries that Stark stumbles into with his fellow Avengers, who beat up on one another a bit before they figure out how to work as a group. Downey has had a long time to get ready for something beyond his close-up in the solo outings as Stark, the Marvel Comics superhero in a metal suit. The idea that Downey would become part of an ensemble of heroes was teased at the end of the first "Iron Man," with "Avengers" producer and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige steering such follow-ups as "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" toward that aim. "I had five years to prepare myself, because Kevin Feige and the Marvel team had been saying that it was kind of heading toward this," Downey said. The film debuted this past weekend in the United States with $200.3million at the box office, a record opening that surpasses last year's "Harry Potter" finale. The film casts Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, head of peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D., which rounds up a dream team of good guys (Downey's Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chris Evans' Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye) to battle Thor's evil brother (Tom Hiddleston), who plots to subjugate humanity. While it's an all-star cast, Downey's the mega-star. But unlike the diva moments among Stark and some of the other alpha dogs of the Avengers, there was no big-footing among the performers, according to the actors and director Joss Whedon. Adjusting to ensemble life simply continued the path on which Stark and his healthy ego have been all along, Downey said. "Personally, the 'Iron Man' series so far has always been about making space for others and collaborating," Downey said. "It's Tony's quote-unquote story, but it's always about all the folks we get around him who are kind of what make him interesting or give him someone or something to fight." Stitching together so many characters and storylines could have turned into herding cats, but the communal structure meant no single actor had to carry the action all of the time. Everyone took turns at center stage, and each got to take welcome breathers during the long shoot, Downey said. "It was like a complicated pregnancy," Downey said. "What was fun, this bit of WWE superhero tag-team wrestling, is where Hemsworth's all beat up and he's been shooting nights, and my character's got the helmet closed, so I'm not there. Then he's flying home to be with the missus, and I'm coming in to do a bunch of scenes with Ruffalo. I think everybody really bought into the spirit of the thing." Downey, 47, is preparing to shoot "Iron Man 3" in Wilmington, which is due in theaters in May 2013. The film reunites Downey with his "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" director Shane Black. He won't disclose details, but Downey said the next installment is a "sort of storytelling that's really in Shane's wheelhouse, which is it doesn't need to be quite as linear, and Tony definitely is brought out of his comfort zone. So there's a lot of travel in this." A third "Sherlock Holmes" movie also is in the works, with Downey's great detective expected to travel to North America this time. Amid his two film franchises, Downey's busy with a newborn son with his wife, producer Susan Downey, with whom he has formed a film production company. It's uncertain whether Downey will be back as Stark after "Iron Man 3," either in another solo film or a second "Avengers" tale. With his fourth Marvel flick getting under way, though, Downey said he feels he has a vested interest in the superhero business. "It's dumb not to be open to possibilities, you know?" Downey said. "I kind of almost feel like a shareholder in the company, even sometimes more than an actor in the movies." No small roles for megastar Downey... This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who sat through the credits of The Avengers, or who simply looked at the film’s record-breaking box office sales this past weekend. Still, fans (and investors) will be glad to hear that Disney CEO Bob Iger just announced that the company is developing a sequel. The film’s success “is a great illustration of why we like Marvel so much.” Demand for Avengers merchandise has been strong, he added. Note Of The Rock Making Comment About John Cena And Divorce... During the build to the WrestleMania 28 main event, The Rock held a "Rock Concert" on the March 12, 2012 edition of WWE RAW. Not having learned about the news of John Cena filing to divorce his wife this week, one verse of The Rock's song stands out. "Rock saw Cena makin' out with Eve, Grabbin' on her thigh, tuggin' on her weave. Cena was havin' the time of his life, I guess he didn't tell her that he's got a wife. Let's rock. Everybody let's rock. Divorce lawyer's right up the block, but we're dancing because Cleveland Rocks." There have been no reports of Cena being romantically involved with Eve but it was known The Rock and John Cena were legitimately taking personal shots at each other during their promos building to their match. TMZ.com did report that John Cena was open about his marital problems with his co-workers in the WWE locker room. It seems The Rock's remarks about Cena's wife and a "divorce lawyer right up the block" hit closer to home than we realized at the time. Bill Goldberg Talks WWE, Pro Wrestling And 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Dream Match... On his and Brock Lesnar's initial departure from WWE: "Obviously it was kind of unfinished business. We both left there under circumstances that weren't the most favorable for anybody, let alone the fans who are the most important at the end of the day." On Lesnar in general: "Brock, as a young kid, he succeeded in every single thing that he did. To venture out and try to play professional football without having college experience — LaVar will tell you how hard that is. Big pat on the back to him for that. And then going to MMA and succeeding and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. Whatever Brock wants to do, I'm in his corner. He's a good buddy of mine and we talk frequently. I just hope at the end of the day whatever he chooses his health is in a positive note. We all know he's had some issues over the past number of years." On having a final match: "It's really tough for a guy like myself. Look at a guy like Animal. Look at Road Warrior. Look at guys who are big power guys. . . the older you get the harder it is to be that guy." He added his ideal final match would be against Steve Austin: "That'd be a dream come true… that'd be killer. I think at the end of the day they probably don't trust me enough to put me in there with guys, considering I'm 'a dangerous guy to work with' and 'I haphazardly ended Bret Hart's career.' At the end of the day these people have to understand it's a violent deal, number one. Number two, accidents happen. And number three, that's why I work in Japan — they don't cry if you hit them …That's a joke." Luke Evans In Talks To Join Vin Disel and Dwayne Johnson In Fast And Furious 6... The last Fast franchise movie exceeded financial and critical expectations, and Universal is reteaming with director Justin Lin for the next film in the franchise. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson and other cast members are set to reprise their roles, and a new addition has now been revealed. Luke Evans (Immortals, The Three Musketeers) has now entered into negotiations to join the large ensemble cast. According to Variety.com, "plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say it would involve the crew heading overseas to work on a heist job. Evans would play the leader of another crew trying to pull off the same job." He can next be seen in Peter Jackson's highly anticipated film The Hobbit which hits theaters this December. The Fast and the Furious franchise follows former police detective Brian Connor and street racer Dominic Toretto as they attempt to evade law enforcement while participating in high stakes races and heists around the country. Dwayne Johnson was the latest addition to the franchise in the role of federal agent Luke Hobbs. Fast and Furious 6 is currently slated for theatrical release on May 24, 2013. Websites Media Man Int www.mediamanint.com Marvel Entertainment www.marvel.com WWE www.wwe.com Media Man Entertainment www.mediamanent.com Australian Sports Entertainment www.australiansportsentertainment.com

On.Earz launch party at The Club, Kings Cross: Stan Walker, Jessica Mauboy, DJ's

2012-05-11

Promo... On.Earz is inspired by the influence of fashion, design and music. The brand is the initiative of Belgian people who wanted to bring the design and aesthetic headphone to the largest audience, without sacrificing sound quality. On.Earz is produced in the best factories, offering premium audio with personality to create your own identity and style following your lifestyle. Tonight, brand ambassador Stan Walker will join Jessica Mauboy, YMS, Lazy J, Sammy G, KG, DJ Zannon and DJ Rated R at The Club in Kings Cross to celebrate the launch of these stylish headphones in Australia. The Club Party Promo... If you're a technoholic who loves to be ahead of the curve, or simply a stylish culture vulture with a taste for good music and good fun, look no further than today's trendsetting treat. Get ready for a great night out at the On.Earz Launch Party on Thursday 10 May 2012, 8pm to 4.30am! For just $24, head to The Club in Bayswater, Kings Cross, and join the celebration for the latest, greatest and most stylish headphones to hit the market ($48 value). On.Earz is inspired by the influence of design, fashion and music and aims to offer premium audio with personality to create your own identity. With this deal you'll get two free drinks with your exclusive ticket, and hear from a heap of hot DJs and special guests including Stan Walker, Jessica Mauboy, YMS, DJ Zannon and Justice Crew! Today's deal must sound like music to your ears. *Dick Smith was a sponsor of the event. Websites On.Earz www.onearz.com Inspire Technology www.inspiretech.com.au Dick Smith www.dicksmith.com.au Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com Music News Australia www.musicnewsaustralia.com

On.Earz launch party at The Club, Kings Cross: Stan Walker, Jessica Mauboy, DJ's

2012-05-11

Bequest to benefit Queensland’s young musicians

2012-05-10

Bequest to benefit Queensland’s young musicians Embargoed until 6pm tonight, Thursday 10 May A $400,000 bequest is set to open up a new world of sound typically out of reach to the average music student. The generous donation from the Jani Haenke Charitable Trust will be used to purchase high quality instruments for a resident string quartet and wind quintet available to student ensembles at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. Queensland Conservatorium Executive Manager Dr Helen Lancaster says the goal is to provide the best of Queensland’s emerging musicians with access to the best of instruments, to give them a distinct advantage in competitions and auditions at the start of their careers. “The sounds these fine musical instruments produce will stay with the students long after their time at the Conservatorium, as will their experience joining together to create small ensembles.” “We believe small ensembles are a significant part of the future possibilities available to our graduates, so it is important that our emerging musicians are given every opportunity to stretch their potential from the outset. “With instruments of high quality ranging anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 and even higher for stringed instruments, this is beyond the reach of most young musicians. “This fund will offer student ensembles access to professional experiences and the chance to appreciate just what can be expected from instruments of this calibre.” The Jani Haenke Chamber Music Competition will be launched later this year within the Conservatorium to encourage students to form small ensembles and compete for the chance to use the instruments for a one-year period. The winners will then form the Jani Haenke String Quartet and the Jani Haenke Wind Quintet and will also be invited to participate in the annual Stradbroke Chamber Music Festival. The bequest will be officially announced tonight during the opening program of the Crossbows festival of music for small ensembles – the ideal opportunity, Dr Lancaster says, to recognise “such a substantial contribution to fine music in Queensland”. The bequest represents an important step in the establishment of a substantial endowment fund to enable the Conservatorium to make lasting contributions to quality music making in Queensland. Announcement Details WHEN: 6pm, Thursday 10 May WHERE: Queensland Conservatorium, 140 Grey St, South Bank WHO: Professor Huib Schippers (Queensland Conservatorium Director) and Executive Manager Dr Helen Lancaster, Mrs Angela Geertsma (trustee and sister of Jani Haenke), Mr Hartley Newnham (renowned countertenor and composer) and Dr Margaret Grace.

JOEL MADDEN AND KEV CARMODY ADD THEIR VOICES TO SONG SUMMIT 2012 plus SCREEN SUMMIT ANNOUNCED!!!

2012-05-10

JOEL MADDEN AND KEV CARMODY ADD THEIR VOICES TO SONG SUMMIT 2012 plus SCREEN SUMMIT ANNOUNCED!!! JOEL MADDEN joins SONG SUMMIT 2012! Currently appearing on THE VOICE as a coach, THE VOICE is a co-production between SHINE Australia and TALPA Productions screening on the Nine Network on Monday nights. Good Charlotte front man and accomplished songwriter Joel wants to share his experiences as a songwriter with an audience of his peers at SONG SUMMIT, being held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre on May 26th to 28th 2012. Joel will be interviewed "In Conversation" on Sunday 27th May at 11.45am. Born and raised in Waldorf, Maryland, Joel first connected with Good Charlotte band members at the age of 16, where he formed it with his identical twin brother Benji and two school friends. They took the name Good Charlotte from a children's book. The band has released five studio albums: Good Charlotte (2000), The Young and the Hopeless (2002), The Chronicles of Life and Death (2004), Good Morning Revival (2007) and Cardiology (2010). The brothers released a mix tape to critical acclaim in late 2011and Joel and Benji are set to release their debut album under The Madden Brothers name this year. Good Charlotte have sold more than 10 million albums worldwide and are best known for the singles Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and I Don’t Wanna Be In Love (Dance Floor Anthem), which catapulted the band to global recognition in 2003. National songwriting treasure KEV CARMODY’s mentoring role at SONG SUMMIT has now expanded to include an ‘In Conversation’ which will be led by film-maker Brendan Fletcher. Kev is highly respected as an advocate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australia’s oral tradition of teaching and learning through storytelling. Considering himself a “conduit of stories”, Kev has collaborated with many Australian music icons, including Paul Kelly, with whom he wrote From Little Things, Big Things Grow, a song about the 1966 Gurindji strike. More recently, some of Australia’s most celebrated musicians have come together to record some of Kev’s songs - the Cannot Buy My Soul album and concerts spreading the wisdom, commonsense and evocative message in Kev’s music to a wider audience. Kev released his first album Pillars of Society in 1988, at which time Sydney Morning Herald reviewer Bruce Elder wrote that Kev was “Australia’s Black Bob Dylan”. His second album, Eulogy (for a Black Person), released in 1991, did much to confirm this initial impression. Then, 1993, along came the album Bloodlines and the folk/protest tag fell away. As he said at the time, “To me, sound and feel come first and the lyrics after. So you could say my influences range from the howls of the dingo to the sound of a symphony orchestra. Images and Illusions followed (1995) along with 2003's Mirrors. Today he is back at work recording some of the backlog of songs he’s been stockpiling over the years. The SONG SUMMIT 2012 program also will feature Screen Summit which targets emerging and established screen music writers with a series of specialised sessions led by a host of impressive screen composers and music supervisors including Grammy nominated GARY CALAMAR (music supervisor for True Blood, Dexter and Six Feet Under) and multi award winning screen composer BURKHARD DALLWITZ. These specialist sessions will focus on the challenges of composing for Film & TV, advertising, synch and games. Screen Summit speakers include: • Gary Calamar: five time Grammy nominated Music Supervisor, known for his work on the TV series True Blood, Dexter and Six Feet Under • Stephan Schütze: Games Composer and Sound Designer (Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis and The Polar Express) • Kim Green: Independent Music Supervisor (Red Dog, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Shine and Happy Feet 2) • Burkhard Dallwitz: Golden Globe winner for Best Original Score in a Motion Picture (The Truman Show) • Michael Laverty: Managing director of Tropfest • Gary Gross: Worldwide president of Universal Publishing Production Music • Linda Tizard: Managing Director of Audio Network Australia • Art Phillips: Multi-award winning composer, music producer and orchestrator • Martin Armiger: Film composer, writer and teacher • Les Gock: ARIA Award winning music and sound designer • Vince Bannon: VP, Entertainment Partnerships and Development (Getty Images) • Antony Partos: AFI Award winning music arranger and composer (Animal Kingdom) • Craig Beck: musician, composer, producer, sound engineer • Matt Bird: two time Tropfest finalist • Jared Underwood: composer and musician Please see below in bold for new additions to the speaker list for SONG SUMMIT 2012. For full registration and ticketing details including student concession options please visit Song Summit’s official website: www.songsummit.com.au SONG SUMMIT 2012 – Speakers to date: Joel Madden, Brendan Fletcher, Lindsay McDougall, Santiago Menendez-Pidal, Ben Richards, James Valentine, Troy Barrott, Fredrik "Fredro" Odesjo, Susan Robertson, Matthew Kennedy, Felicity Urquhart, Gary Gross, Michael Laverty, Mahalia Barnes, Michael Taylor, Maree Hamblion, Katie Brown, Des Crowe, Geoff Trio, Jacqui Kralj, Peter Hebbes, Ronald Siu, Vanessa Picken, Henry Wagons, Abby Dobson, Neal Hunt, Rob Cannon, Evan Mannell and Danny Yau who join Missy Higgins, Charles Jenkins, Tim Walker, Adam Booth, Cameron Undy, Brooke Salisbury, Chit Chat, Chad Gillard, John Mullen, Patrick Donovan, Phrase, Richard Glover, Vince Bannon, Bob Aird, Marianna Annas, Richard Wilkins, Leanne de Souza, Ger Hatton, Haji Taniguchi, Darren Sanicki, Ian James, Damian Trotter, Clive Hodson, Mark Callaghan, Antony Partos, Michael Szumowski, Marty Brown, Jules Munro, Craig Hawker, Paul McKercher, Andrew Jenkins, Kath Letch, David Albert, Bernard Zuel, Catherine Gerrard, Matthew Donlevy, Steve McPherson, Gary Go, David Vodicka, Andy Bryan, Leigh Gruppetta, Justin Cosby, Nathan McClay, Glenn Wright, Skye Riggs, Guy Blackman, Basil Cook, Damian Slevison, Nick O'Byrne, Will Barton, Stephanie Carrick, Nicole Cheek, Dave Ruby Howe, John Wardle, Paul Mason, Michael Fraser, Megan Washington, Kav Temperley, Abbe May, Bow Campbell, Millie Millgate, Steve Parkin, Paul Greene, Don McGlashan (NZ), Adam Lewis, Amandah Wilkinson, Art Phillips, Ben King, Dom Alessio, Kim Green, Catherine Britt, Chris Johnson, Darren Cordeux, David Rowley, Danny Widdicombe, Andrew Morris, Burkhard Dallwitz, Amanda Brown, Franc Tetaz, Jacqui Crouch, Greg Arnold, Drew Crawford, Linda Tizard, Lindsay Rimes, Mark Callaghan, Sally Wilson, Sam Buckingham, Simon Carter, Simon Moor, Mike Dixon, Mick Daley, Jae Laffer, Neil Finn, Wesley Enoch, Andrew Jenkins (UK), Arnthor Birgisson (SWE), David Touve (US), Gary Calamar (US), Imogen Heap (UK), Mark Wood (UK), Myles Keller (UK), Pat Pattison (US), Peter Coquillard (US), Robert Horsfall (UK), Steve Cropper (US), Shelly Peikin (US) Bill Cullen, Catherine Haridy, Dann Hume, Guy Sebastian, Jake Stone, Kev Carmody, Kevin Mitchell, P Money (NZ), Rob Conley, Tom Harris, Will Larnach-Jones, Adam Argyle, Dave Batty, Rick Chen, Erana Clark, Jen Cloher, Stu Crichton, Mick Daley, Brendan Gallagher, Peter Farnan, Marc Fennell, Phil Graham, Lee Groves, Tim Levinson, Lior, Eric McCusker, Peter Northcote, Stephen Navin, Josh Pyke, Melinda Schneider, Stephan Schutze, Rai Thistlethwayte, Joan Warner, Jonathan Zwartz, Russell Thomas, Leigh Treweek, Chris Scaddan, Rina Ferris, Jeremy Fabinyi, Martin Armiger, Clare Bowditch, Jess Beston, Heath Johns, Les Gock, Briese Abbott, Claire Collins, Brett Oaten, Nicole Hart, Sharon Boyse, Jonathan Notley, Taasha Coates, Tristan Goodall, Tony Buchen and Sarah McLeod. For more information on each speaker please go to: www.songsummit.com.au SONG SUMMIT is part of Vivid Sydney, a unique annual festival of light, music and ideas running from May 25th to June 11, 2012. SONG SUMMIT 2012 is supported by triple j Unearthed and Street Press Australia. Many thanks to our partners and sponsors of Song Summit 2012. A full list of sponsors can be found on the Song Summit website www.songsummit.com.au/partners-sponsors About Song Summit 2012: • Song Summit will be held from 26 – 28th of May at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre. • The event includes a conference program, Music Market and Song Summit LIVE. • Song Summit 2010 hosted more than 130 industry professionals, including Feargal Sharkey (UK Music); David Israelite (CEO National Music Publisher’s Association USA); Ralph Murphy (ASCAP), and internationally-acclaimed songwriters and composers Mike Chapman (US); Sacha Skarbek (UK); Colin Hay (AUS); Stephen Schwartz (US); Robert Forster (AUS). • More than 1000 songwriters, composers, music publishers and other music industry professionals are expected to attend the event. • Song Summit 2012 will span a range of music genres as well as all facets of the music life-cycle from inspiration and creation through to marketing and distribution. It will cover both the art and the business of original music-making. • The conference program will feature more than 50 presentations, panel discussions and workshops featuring celebrated creators and recognised industry experts from Australia and abroad. Topics will include the art of song-writing, new technologies, copyright, publishing, music licensing and international perspectives. The Music Market will feature representatives from international and national music organisations, music retailers, distributors, merchandisers, manufacturers, venue owners, recording studios, music education institutions, technology companies, record companies and music publishers. • Song Summit LIVE will include local and international singer/ songwriters and will run throughout the entire event. Performers will be handpicked by a panel of industry representatives and music peers and are sure to deliver a dynamic and inspiring range of performances. • Song Summit promotes sustainable events. About APRA|AMCOS: APRA|AMCOS work to ensure that songwriters, composers and music publishers are rewarded whenever and wherever their musical works are played, performed or reproduced. We also help Australian & New Zealand music consumers get access to the world’s musical repertoire. Australasian Performing Right Association Limited (APRA) was established in 1926 and now administers the performing and communication rights of 68,000+ composer, songwriter and music publisher members in Australia and New Zealand. Public performances of music include music used in pubs, clubs, fitness centres, shops, cinemas, festivals, whether performed live, on CDs or played on the radio or television. Communication of music covers, music used for music on hold, music accessed over the internet or used by television or radio broadcasters. Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society Limited (AMCOS) collects and distributes mechanical royalties for the reproduction of its 9,500+ members’ musical works for many different purposes. These include the manufacture of CDs, music videos and DVDs, digital downloads and the sale of mobile phone ringtones, the use of production music and the making of radio and television programmes. Since 1997, APRA has managed the day-to-day operations of the AMCOS business. Websites Song Summit www.songsummit.com.au Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com Music News Australia www.musicnewsaustralia.com

Ocean Pool Painter at Manly and Open Studio

2012-05-09

The eleventh ‘Artist Exchange’ event at Manly Art Gallery and Museum curated by Katherine Roberts, will feature Cindy Goode Milman (ocean pool and swim painter and sculptor), a member of Pittwater Community Arts as well as studio artist featured on the Pittwater Artists Trail ; Carole Douglas (textile artist involved in the craft scene in India) and Helen Earl (ceramic artist who creates delicate beautiful pieces combining porcelain and found objects). Each artist will discuss their artworks, underlying concepts, and creative techniques and processes and the audience can engage with the artists directly through comments, feedback and questions. • When: 6-8pm, Thursday 17 May 2012 • Where: Manly Art Gallery & Museum, West Esplanade Manly • Cost: $5 (light refreshments served). All members & guests welcome And of course Cindy Goode Milman as part of the Pittwater Artists Trail will be opening her studio Saturday and Sunday May 19th and 20th from 10am to 4pm.

The Avengers breaks box office record, Scarlett Johansson interview, Paramount Pictures wins

2012-05-08

The Avengers breaks box office record, Scarlett Johansson interview, Paramount Pictures wins with Avengers... Marvel superhero fans in Australia and around the world. We've got tons of news for you today. There's Avengers news, quotes, numbers and more... The Avengers proved that five superheroes are better than one by bursting into Hollywood's record books with a massive $197 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend in US and Canadian theatres, kicking off Hollywood's summer movie season with a bang. The film now easily holds the record for greatest box office takings on its first weekend of cinema release, speeding past last summer's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2, which opened with $166 million, and Batman franchise film The Dark Knight, according to Box Office Mojo. In March, The Hunger Games opened with $150 million, the fourth largest opening in box office history. The Avengers, which reunites Marvel comic heroes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow, has collected $630 million since it opened in international markets on April 25. "We keep thinking we have a sense of what this movie can do, or will do, and every time we get a report it does even better," said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice-president of distribution. "This is very satisfying, to say the least." Disney's aggressive marketing, which included promotions aimed at women that included sending stars to The View daytime talk show, resulted in women making up 40 per cent of the audience for the action film, according to Disney's survey. Half the audience was also over 25 years of age, the studio said. Winner of the past two weekends, Sony's romantic comedy Think Like a Man, slipped to second place with $7.8 million at North American theatres, according to Hollywood.com. Hunger Games, from Lions Gate Entertainment, took the No 3 spot in its seventh week in theatres, with $5.6 million, and has collected $374 million in US and Canadian theatres during its run. Warner Brothers' The Lucky One landed in fourth place with $5.4 million, and the animated film The Pirates! Band of Misfits from Sony finished in fifth place with $5.3 million. The undisputed success of Avengers brought Disney the type of redemption that Hollywood loves to put on screen. In March, Disney released the expensive sci-fi adventure film John Carter, one of the biggest flops in box office history. The company said it expects to lose up to $196 million on that film. Avengers is the first Marvel film released by Disney since the media and theme park giant purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $3.9 billion, a move to expand its appeal to boys with a stable of superheroes. Disney would not say whether it plans to make a sequel. Sequels to films based on the Thor and Iron Man characters are scheduled for next year and Captain America in 2014. About 52 per cent of The Avengers ticket sales came from higher-priced 3D tickets, Disney said. The first weekend in May kicks off Hollywood's summer movie-going season, a four-month period typically filled with big-budget action movies and sequels. Coming movies include Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3, and Battleship. (Reuters) Scarlett Johansson: comic book movie superhero... Scarlett Johansson first enrolled in the Marvel comic book superhero universe when she was introduced as the mysterious Black Widow opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the 2010 blockbuster Iron Man 2. The action-filled movie role marked a massive change of direction for the actress, who's known more for low-key performances in films like Sofia Coppola's drama Lost in Translation or Woody Allen's sly comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona. But Johansson is in fighting form to reprise her role as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in Marvel Studios' The Avengers. With her bright red hair and sexy latex suit, the Black Widow teams up with Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye and Thor to stop the evil Loki from conquering Earth with his army. Johansson sat down with media to talk about the film, the fighting style she learned for her role and what it was like to master her character's native Russian language. Black Widow was introduced in Iron Man 2 but gets far more exposure in The Avengers. How did you expand the character? At the end of Iron Man 2, we know she's a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we don't know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is. In this film, (director) Joss Whedon and I talked about her past. Who is she? How does she get to be a mercenary? What path do you follow in order to get to that place? We both wanted to see the darker side of her - not just that she's someone who is highly skilled, but why did she have to learn those skills? You're in top form physically on screen. What new fighting skills did you learn? We incorporated this Wushu style (of fighting) when the Widow wields a huge alien gun. That was new and really challenging. I had to learn how to spin it and move it. It was hard because I'd hit myself with it all the time. And it's heavy. You learn (by using) a broom handle so you're like, 'Ah, I got it down, I've mastered it.' Then all of a sudden they're like, 'Here's the prop' and you're like, 'What? This thing is 20 pounds!' I was so terribly battered. I'd wake up every day in agony but it was a continuous thing, so it became normal (laughs). Black Widow also speaks in her native Russian language, which you seemed to nail. Was it difficult to learn? I had two days, so I had to learn it phonetically. I knew what I was saying but I had to be able to pronounce it and breathe some life into the lines so that it didn't sound like I was repeating some Berlitz tape. We hired this great Russian translator, and she worked with the dialogue coach. She was really expressive, which helped, so my mouth found the words in a way that didn't just sound like I was a parrot. You often play with hair color in your movie roles. Did you enjoy being a redhead for the duration of the shoot? It's nice because it allows me to go a bit under the radar - people don't expect me to have that color of hair. I'm always happy when I do it because it's the first step of the process of finding the character again. To me more than anything, the hair color represents a huge piece of work that we dive head first into. And I'm really happy when I can wash it out because then I'm like, 'Yes, It's finished, we actually did it!' Out it goes and you know you've accomplished something. You're the only female Avenger in the cast. Did your male co-stars treat you any differently because of that? If anything, the guys weren't as delicate with me as I thought they would be. They like to play hard and always dragged me along for the ride. I'd always come back with battle wounds. But they're a great group of guys. All of us got on so well. Who did you spend most of your time with on location in New Mexico? Jeremy (Renner, Hawkeye) because (we share scenes) together a lot. We fight together, so we had to do a lot of our stunt training together. We had the same battle wounds! Tom (Hiddleston, Loki), Jeremy and I spent a lot of time in the stunt gym because we fight so much hand to hand, so we ended up hanging out together. But we all equally had a closeness. What was the dynamic like with all of you? We're all fans of each other's work. Some of us have worked together in the past. Chris Evans and I have made three movies together. Sam Jackson and I made three movies together. Mark Ruffalo I've known for quite some time. Every time Robert (Downey Jr.) was on set, it was like, so alive. We're just lucky that there was no diva on set. It was everybody trying to support one another. It was really nice to have that. The Avengers is screening now (to packed and very enthusiastic audiences). Disney's "The Avengers" a winner for Paramount Pictures also: source... Walt Disney's blockbuster "The Avengers" has five superheroes and record ticket sales. It also has a silent partner in Viacom's Paramount Pictures, which is in line to to get a massive payday even though the studio didn't spend a cent to produce or market the film. Paramount Pictures already snatched $57.5 million in April, when the film was released internationally. And it stands to collect 8 percent of the millions that the film will earn in theaters, on DVD, and when it is watched on the Internet, according to two people with knowledge of the business deal. Under a 2005 distribution agreement between Paramount Pictures and Marvel, Paramount receives a distribution fee for the theatrical distribution of "The Avengers" as well as its distribution of its home video, Internet and TV rights. That agreement transferred to Disney, when Disney acquired Marvel for a cool $4 billion in 2009. Disney and Paramount agreed in 2010 to amend that agreement, giving Disney the rights to distribute Marvel-produced "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3," the second sequel to the 2008 film that Paramount distributes. That agreement stipulated that Disney would pay Paramount a $115 million advance against future fees that Paramount would have earned. Half of that fee was paid when Disney released "The Avengers" in international markets. Spokesmen for Disney and Paramount declined to comment on the matter. Paramount does not have rights to merchandise from the Marvel movies, and Iger told investors after the deal closed that he signed the getting the movie rights allows he to rev up Disney's marketing machine. "Not only will we distribute it and market it, but we know that Marvel is working really hard with the cooperation of a number of entities at Disney to turn The Avengers into a true franchise," he said on the earnings call. Studios and theater owners generally split ticket sales 50-50, meaning that Disney has collected $320.9 million based on "The Avengers" $641.8 million in worldwide ticket sales. Paramount's $25.7 million take would be applied against the pre-paid fee from Disney. The two parties also agreed that "The Avengers" would appear on the Epix online and premium TV service that Paramount owns with Lions Gate Entertainment and the famous MGM studio. That's a big boost for the nearly three-year-old channel. Disney is legally obligated to show most of its movies on the Starz pay channel. What size Paramount's take will be depends on how big a hit "The Avengers" becomes. The deal gets even sweeter for Paramount Pictures in 2013, when Disney is scheduled to release the third Iron Man. Paramount will get 9 percent of the money that film will generate. It's going to be tough to match the hulking numbers of 'The Avengers', but the studios and business partners in on the action should be looking at plenty more green stuff generated from the ultra successful and cool Marvel franchise. Movies, games, fashion...what's next? Stay tuned true believers. Websites Media Man News www.mediamannews.com Marvel Entertainment www.marvel.com Media Man Entertainment www.mediamanent.com Australian Sports Entertainment www.australiansportsentertainment.com

Wrestling with face paint, bodyart and human statues; Ultimate Warrior, Sting, Jeff Hardy...

2012-05-07

Pro wrestling is different things to different people, but it's widely accepted as one of the most popular forms of entertainment - especially for men and kids. Every week millions of fans tune into television to watch promotions like the famous WWE and Impact Wrestling. Pro wrasling may be as American as apple pie, but Australia is one of the world's biggest non U.S fan bases, and we back it up with impressive PPV buy rates via Foxtel as well as weekly top 10 number crunching for programs such as RAW and SmackDown! There are many elements that make the pseudo sport exciting. The spectacular moves, the amazing bodies, the ring entrances, the storylines, the costumes and face paint. Say what - face paint! Yes, even most casual fans would have heard of the man they call Sting (currently with Impact Wrestling, but featured on the WWE website), Jeff Hardy, The Ultimate Warrior, and let's also include the recently renamed WWE super heel - villain, Lord Tensai (tattoos and bodyart galore). It also appears that current WWE champion Sheamus aka 'The Great White', uses a little white paint or some other substance on his chest area (you need to look closely, but check out the WrestleMania 28 footage and judge for yourself). We think that Australian pro wrestlers might soon more readily adopt face painting as another way to help stand out from the pack. Famous Pro Wrestling Stars With Face Paint... Sting The Man Called Sting. Icon or not, he has an impressive pro wrestling body of work and knows how to work the crowd. He has the 'It Factor' and is almost as famous for his face paint, as he is his matches with fellow legend Ric Flair. His red version of the paint during his time in the NWO Wolfpac was something to behold. He even had previous face paint along the lines of Ultimate Warrior styling when he still had blond hair and more recently at Impact Wrestling with Joker type face paint. No wonder WWE seem to be making a play to sign Sting, or at least to have him officially inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The different changes have lent him to using his face paint as both intimidation and character enhancement. Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) Considered by many as one of the greatest tag teams of all time, if not the greatest, The Road Warriors both had simple but awesome face paint. Hawk and Animal had their Mad Max-inspired gimmick down to a science, spiked shoulder pads and all. This face paint seems to be a combination of character inspiration and intimidation. RIP Hawk. Ah, what a rush! Jeff Hardy Jeff Hardy aka 'The Charismatic Inigima' might just be the king of the face paint in professional wrestling. His use of face paint is pure character enhancement, but nobody has ever done it better. He changes it frequently, and usually it comes up looking amazing. Most hardcore fans will tell you that Hardy's face paint has been better and more creative in Impact Wrestling than in the WWE. Maybe Hardy has more control in his current promotion, which is also a scary thing. Great paint, and well done on cleaning up your act Jeff, if we should believe the press. The Ultimate Warrior The Ultimate Warrior had some of the coolest face paint of all time. Some have noted a dash of Batman themes in the mix. Add the paint to the interviews, chiseled body and unique and crazy ring style, and this guy was one of a kind wacko (and successful). Will Triple H bring back the Warrior? Stranger things have happened, and Triple H has hinted via the WWE website and leaked elsewhere that he would be interested in getting a 1-2-3 over Warrior, so stay tuned. Demolition I can remember it like yesterday "I'm Axe and "I'm Smash" and we're going to kick your stinking teeth in". The them went something like "Here comes the Ax and here comes the Smasher. The Demolition is coming to get ya". Red, black and silver have never looked so good (or scary). Like The Road Warriors, Demolition also employed a Mad Max-inspired theme in their gimmick. Demolition seemed to use their paint as intimidation and character enhancement. The KISS Demon The KISS Demon was created with a licensing agreement with KISS the band. Supposedly the beginning of a stable that was to include wrestlers modelled after each of the KISS band members. Only The Demon came to pass, and it didn't last. Another WCW idea that went south. I would have trusted my marketing and promotion with KISS top brass Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley more than with the then WCW marketing department. How about you KISS Army fans? The Powers of Pain (The Warlord and The Barbarian) The Powers of Pain was a team that consisted of the Warlord and The Barbarian. Managed by Mr. Fuji, who for a few years was one of best managers in my estimation. Their face paint was fairly generic but nevertheless intimidating. After the team split up, they both stepped away from using facepaint and each gained a new manager—Warlord being paired up with Slick and Barbarian joining Bobby Heenan. The Missing Link The Missing Link was a character not so unlike to that of George 'The Animal' Steele and Madog Vachon - a crazy man that needed a handler to bring him to the ring and keep him under control. He would repeatedly smash his own head into turnbuckles during matches and use his head as a weapon (but in reality his forearm appeared to take most of the blow). Kayfabe! His face paint seemed to be geared more towards furthering his character. 'Dewey' Robertson passed away in August 2007. RIP. Yoshi Tatsu Yoshi wrestled in WWE for some time before debuting the above look. During a feud with Tyson Kidd, where he was written off of television for a few weeks, Yoshi debuted this look when he returned citing it as a tribute to The Great Muta and his Japanese heritage. You have to long his ring entrance music and video, but his win - loss record is not on par with the rest of his act. Maybe he would have had more impact 10 years ago. Sadly we will never know. Tipped to enter a feud with Lord Tensai at some point, judging by Twitter, or might soon end up being shown the door, thanks to new WWE talent coming in. We like your work Yoshi and hope things pick up for you whatever happens. Kamala The Ugandan Giant The Ugandan Giant wrestled mainly in the 80's and 90's and his gimmick was that of a head hunter. Slap that huge belly. Recently told some dirt sheets that he wasn't happy with his paydays and guys like Hogan were making millions. Kamala, you were never Hogan (but we get your point). Vampiro Was a very good wrestler, especially by old WCW standards. He has mainly competed in smaller organizations and wrestled in WCW for awhile. Face paint was simple, but effective. Bull Nakano Competed in Japan for most of her career. Many fans from North America know Nakano from feuding with Alundra Blayze / Madusa in WWE and WCW. Her face paint is fairly understated most of the time save for the crack like streaks down her face. Nakano is understood to have given professional golfing a swing! Papa Shango The man that would go on to become Kama and The Godfather. A good gimmick (geared to kids). His voodoo gimmick of causing wrestlers to vomit and ooze oily looking stuff out of their heads was only enhanced by his skull inspired face paint. The Great Kabuki The man credited with being the first to blow 'Asian Mist' into his opponent's face has pretty cool face paint. Almost looks like he was on the receiving end of the Asian Mist himself. He held a series of retirement matches in 1998 and was always a very solid worker. The Great Muta The Great Muta has had many different styles of face paint throughout the years. Mostly known in North America for his stints in WCW and short time in WWE, Muta has always been a top wrestler wherever he has competed. Changed over to wearing a mask since shaving his head. Check out Muta VS Hogan which took place in Japan about 15 years ago. Classic. Hakushi The whole gimmick of Hakushi 'tatooing' his face and body with Kanji characters was very cool. Very good worker. Goldust Dustin Rhodes eccentric character has one of the coolest paint jobs ever. You have to love the Hollywood theme and intro, and how about the trademark promo "You will always remember the name... GOLDUST". Umaga The Samoan Bulldozer was awesome. Umaga's face paint appeared to be an extension of his tribal tattoo art that he had across the rest of his body. Umaga used his face paint to enhance his character and as a source of intimidation to his opponents with it resembling war paint of certain tribes. Sadly, Eddie Fatu passed away in 2009. RIP. Damien 666 While the colours and styles of Damien 666's paint changed throughout the years, the number 666 has always emblazoned his forehead. Wrestling for most of his career in Mexico, Damien uses his paint as a character enhancer as well as for intimidation purposes. The Bogeyman If any gimmick was perfect to have face paint associated with it, the Boogeyman is it. He made a few alterations to it throughout his WWE career, but all consisted of a blood red backdrop on to which he superimposed other weird things. His apparent eating of worms added additional intimidation factor to the whole gimmick. Others Lord Tensai, a major heel (villain) in the WWE has heavy face and body tattoos and body piercings, most if not all of which are legit. A former name he wrestled under was 'Prince Albert' (look it up and draw your own conclusions). A tough and legit SOB with loads of talent. Give the hardcore fans more time and they should come around and back him up more in current WWE storylines. So wrestling and face paint fans. There you have it. Got a wrestling match or fancy dress party coming up? Why not contact face painting and costume specialists, Human Statue Bodyart, for more details about how you can bring your pro wrestler to life. Masks and other costumes and accessories are also available. Thank you to the extremely talented pro wrestlers who keep entertaining the fans each week, and Sting, Jeff Hardy and friends... please keep wowing us with your artistic creations. That's it for the wrestling and face painting unmasked news today, but stay turned for developments as the countdown towards AWF 'Australia VS The World' and WWE 'Over The Limit' continues. *The writer is the business manager of Human Statue Bodyart, Eva Rinaldi Photography, and the director of Media Man and Australian Sports Entertainment. Websites Wrestling News Media www.wrestlingnewsmedia.com Ultimate Warrior official website www.ultimatewarrior.com The Hardy Show www.thematthardyshow.com Human Statue Bodyart humanstatuebodyart.com.au Human Statue Bodyart Flickr www.flickr.com/humanstatuebodyart Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography Eva Rinaldi Photography www.evarinaldi.com Music News Australia www.musicnewsaustralia.com WWE www.wwe.com Impact Wrestling www.impactwrestling.com AWF www.awfwrestling.com.au Media Man News www.mediamannews.com Wrestling News Media www.wrestlingnewsmedia.com Australian Sports Entertainment www.australiansportsentertainment.com

Hulk Hogan - Marvel Entertainment connection; The Hulk Movies And TV Series Planned; The Wolverine M

2012-05-06

Hulk Hogan - Marvel Entertainment connection; The Hulk Movies And TV Series Planned; The Wolverine May Be Rated 'R', Australia, Hollywood... Marvel superhero fans in Australia and around the world. We've got tons of news for you today. There's the Hulk Hogan - Marvel Entertainment history, Avengers news, quotes, numbers and more... Hulk Hogan and Marvel Entertainment Background... Who owns the rights to "Hulkamania" "Hulk Hogan" and "Hulkster"? Marvel Comics. When Hulk Hogan first wrestled under the "Hulk" name he was known at "The Incredible Hulk Hogan". Marvel Comics had a television show and comic book at the time called "The Incredible Hulk". Marvel thought the WWF was copying their "Hulk" character and warned WWF to stop. Instead of stopping the "Hulkamania" character the WWF made a deal with Marvel to recognize Marvel as the owner of all the "Hulk" names and in return Marvel gave the WWF a license to merchandise the Hulk name. When Hulk Hogan went to WCW they signed a similar deal with Marvel. It should be noted that when Hulk Hogan became Hollywood Hogan he tried to cancel the Marvel deal but it didn't work out well and the deal is still alive. The Avengers Premieres Early and Strong at International Box Office; Second Highest Opening of All Time in Australia... Marvel is experimenting with the typical release pattern for their giant tentpole movies. Thor premiered in dozens of foreign markets before the American release on May 2. The US got Captain America first for obvious reasons, but Marvel went international to unveil The Avengers before the U.S. gets a hold of it. The Avengers debuted down under in Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan with an awesome $8 million start. Per THR, most of that was grossed in Australia, where $6 million makes it the second highest opening day behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Marvel will release The Avengers in over 40 international territories this weekend. Expect more stellar results, since the all-star cast—Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson—and the colorful action bust the language barrier. By the time it makes its way back to the U.S on May 4, The Avengers is expected to surpass $150 million domestic in the opening weekend. Official synopsis: Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”–the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012. In “Marvel’s The Avengers,” superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security. Marvel Planning More Hulk?; Mark Ruffalo's signed for six pictures... One of the big successes of Marvel’s latest superhero outing, Avengers Assemble, is how well writer-director Joss Whedon and actor Mark Ruffalo pulled off bringing Bruce Banner and his rage-fuelled alter ego to life. It's no shocker that Marvel wants to do more Hulk flicks. From what Ruffalo and Marvel’s president of consumer products have been saying, that could happen sooner rather than later. Speaking with media firm Collider, Ruffalo says that he’s signed the seemingly standard six-movie contract with Marvel, and that he had such a good time, he definitely hopes they’ll keep him around for more. But while Marvel film boss Kevin Feige has previously said there are no concrete plans to bring the Hulk back solo just yet, consumer products chief Paul Gitter sat down with Forbes magazine (via The Playlist) and talked up the company’s surprise at just how well The Hulk has been received and that things could be changing. According to Gitter, the current thinking is to spin the Hulk off into the already-planned standalone TV series and then a likely next film in 2015. We will need to hear more from Feige before we start marking in more Hulk time to our diaries. He’s the man who sets the agenda for the movies, and basing the decision to make more Hulk movies on how many toys could be sold doesn’t really seem the Marvel way. We want to see more Banner and Hulk outings, assuming they’re organised and planned properly. We’ve got faith in Marvel’s ability to pump out more quality superhero TV shows and movies, so here's hoping the new team doesn't let us down, and continues to impress the heck out of media and fans, just as The Avengers smash hit movie has done. Stealing The Avengers - 3rd May 2012... As Loki, Tom Hiddleston is a villain who is equally happy destroying New York and stealing the show. With the film set to break some box office records worldwide, everyone's buzzing about the all-star team of do-gooders in The Avengers, from Robert Downey Jr's Iron Man to Chris Evans' Captain America to Australian Chris Hemsworth's god of thunder, Thor. Well how about this wily bad guy who's such a peril that humanity has to assemble half a dozen Marvel Comics superheroes to rein him in? British actor Tom Hiddleston first played Loki, wicked younger son of Norse king of the gods Odin, in last year's Thor, scheming to banish brother Thor and take his place as heir to the throne. Hiddleston's Loki proved so diabolical that he's back as the villain of The Avengers, which is currently playing in Australian cinemas. As Hiddleston says, Loki is mean and hateful, which can be great fun - and greatly challenging - for an actor to play. "Sometimes, it's really hard, especially when you get up in the morning feeling in a good mood, and that sort of innate contentment is of absolutely no use to you, because you're having to stoke the bonfires of anger and sadness and despair and all that stuff," Hiddleston said. The 31-year-old classically trained actor, who studied at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, clearly managed to overcome his good moods to imbue Loki with venom. Not only was he cast in The Avengers, but Hiddleston's also returning for Thor 2, which begins shooting late this year for release in November 2013. "He sort of steals the movie," Hemsworth said of Hiddleston's performance in The Avengers. "He's the catalyst for everything that's happening. What he's doing, that's where it either stands or falls, and he really pulled it off." A rising star of British theatre and TV drama, Hiddleston followed Thor with a charming turn as F Scott Fitzgerald in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, then played a noble English cavalry officer in Steven Spielberg's War Horse. Hiddleston co-stars with Rachel Weisz in Terence Davies' infidelity drama The Deep Blue Sea, now playing in US theatres. He also just finished production on British TV adaptations of Shakespeare's Henry IV parts one and two, playing Prince Hal, and Henry V, in which he has the title role. Despite his comic-book roots, Loki himself has a Shakespearean dimension akin to such villains as Iago in Othello and Edmund in King Lear, Hiddleston said. "He's motivated by the same things. He's motivated by jealousy and pride and ambition and vanity," Hiddleston said. "Shakespeare's very unforgiving of those things, and in a way, it's the same job. It's just, I'm wearing a crazier costume and blowing up Manhattan." Hiddleston has older and younger sisters but no brothers. Yet he still recognises the Thor-Loki rivalry as a universal struggle. "I've never had a brother, but I really understand it, because I had friends when I was a kid, whose brothers were very close in age, and they would beat the crap out of each other. And I could understand that that was sort of a natural thing." Hiddleston can't say yet whether Loki and Thor are still beating on each other in Thor 2. He had not yet received the script, so he's as curious as any other fan about what Loki will be up to next. "What's interesting for me is whether he's redeemable now at this point. ... Can he be forgiven by Thor, by Odin, and can he forgive himself?" Hiddleston said. "Is he even self-aware enough to know that's what he needs?" Tune in late next year to find out. (AP) Marvel sued over 'Iron Man' deal... Just as it releases The Avengers in the U.S., Marvel Entertainment is being sued over a deal involving Iron Man. Box-O-Mania, a Los Angeles toy company, sued the studio Thursday over a merchandising deal involving the character. Maxim Tselevich, the owner of Box-O-Mania, claimed that he approached Marvel about a deal to use its superheroes on a kids’ playhouse he created in 2009. Marvel was purchased by Disney that same year, although Disney was not cited in the suit. The following year, Marvel and Box-O-Mania worked out a deal to create Iron Man Lair Play Boxes, which would be released to coincide with the DVD release of Iron Man 2 (2010) on Nov. 16. However, Tselevich said that Marvel refused to provide the needed intellectual property and artwork to complete the playhouses. A few months later, he claimed to have learned that Marvel never had the licensing rights to the required IP, which led to a loss of $33,000. The 23-page suit cites Marvel on nine counts, including fraud, concealment, misrepresentation and negligence. “As a further result of the executor fraud,” it read. “Box-O-Mania has been damaged in lost business, business opportunities, and reputation and otherwise in an amount to be proved.” Box-O-Mania has requested a 10-day jury trial. Fox CEO Promises 'The Wolverine' Will Be 'True Berserker and Bad Ass'... Tom Rotham additionally says that the Marvel superhero film will kick off filming in both Australia and Japan right after Hugh Jackman wraps 'Les Miserables' in London... After being postponed for some time, "The Wolverine" will finally kick off its production in the near future. Giving some updates on the status of the long-gestating Marvel superhero movie project, 20th Century Fox CEO Tom Rothman stated that the anticipated film will be shot in both Australia and Japan, as well as promised that it will be "a true Wolverine movie." Speaking to Collider, Rothman explained that "Wolverine" will start filming soon after lead actor Hugh Jackman wraps "Les Miserables", which is currently shooting in London. He said, "Hugh Jackman is finishing 'Les Miserables' in London, we're gearing up and prepping now." "We'll shoot the stage work in Australia and the location work in Japan, and we'll start casting in the next month or so," Rothman went on saying. Since the plot will mainly be set in Japan, Rothman said that "there'll be a lot of local Japanese talent in it." Asked about where the upcoming "Wolverine" movie will stand on, the CEO revealed, "This is a pretty original take." Hinting that the film will be grittier, he said, "It's based on a very successful run in the comics, but it's a true Wolverine movie, I mean this is the true berserker, bad ass Wolverine." Rothman's statement somehow encourages Jackman's previous comments that he and director James Mangold might make "Wolverine" an R-rated movie. "James Mangold and I talked about [an R-rated version] and we're like 'Look, let's not put it off the table'," Jackman told MTV News. Jackman said that he's been considering filming the superhero movie in both R and PG13 versions. "There's even talk about us doing two versions, as in finding a way to do both while you shoot it, which could be really cool. But you need to have a really good reason to exclude those fans," he explained. "There is such great temptation to make an R-rated 'Wolverine'. I've always felt that, I know a lot of fans would like that, and if there's ever gonna be a superhero that's gonna be R-rated it's Wolverine," so Jackman dished. "The Wolverine" will take its cue from the early 1980s Chris Claremont/Frank Miller miniseries, which is set in Japan. It features the mutant hero dealing with ninjas as he struggles whether to follow his animal killer instincts or live under a samurai's code of honor and respect. 20th Century Fox has scheduled to release the superhero film in the U.S. on July 26, 2013. Websites Media Man News www.mediamannews.com Marvel Entertainment www.marvel.com Marvel Entertainment Facebook www.facebook.com/marvel Media Man Entertainment www.mediamanent.com Australian Sports Entertainment www.australiansportsentertainment.com

Crusaders Bring Down Wildcats

2012-05-06

The Parramatta Wildcats senior men's team has let a golden opportunity for a rare win (at least this season) slip out of their fingers on Saturday night at the Auburn Basketball Centre. The Wildcats are currently languishing in last place on the competition ladder but were in great form in the early stages of Saturday night's game against the seventh-placed Central Coast Crusaders, before allowing a solid ten-point lead to literally evaporate into thin air and result in a 105-98 loss, rather than a much-needed victory. Parramatta fans were both pleased and yet disappointed at the absence of former Wildcat Stefan Blaszczynski from the Crusaders' squad on the night but his absence did at least appear to give the Wildcats a great opportunity to defeat the higher-rated Crusaders team. That winning scenario seemed highly plausible in the first term, as the Wildcats took a conservative, traditional approach for the first time this season yet benefitting with a 24-14 lead at the end of the first term. Old habits are however hard to break and the Wildcats calm demeanor soon began to show slight cracks, allowing the Crusaders to gain confidence and narrow the margin to just seven points (42-35) at the half time break and five points (67-62) at the end of the third quarter. Whilst many of the Crusaders squad had made a significant impact in the game, the final result would swing on the form of Central Coast rookie Callum Jenkins, who had demolished the Penrith Panthers the previous weekend in Terrigal. Jenkins had shown amazing potential in leading the Crusaders Youth League team to the premiership title in 2011 and has taken that outstanding form into his debut season in the WCL. The young giant was dominant in the final quarter and almost led the Crusaders to victory in regular time, although the Wildcats would give their supporters a glimpse of hope, hitting the final basket to tie the score at 88-88. Extra time would however belong to the now-rampant Crusaders, who dominated that period of play to grab a 7-point win. Jenkins led all scorers with 34 points and 19 boards, whilst team-mates Norman Shoaib (24 points), Dane Hillman (17), Jason Taylor (13) and Steve Mackay (12) all made significant contributions. Goran Veg (23 points, 12 boards, 5 blocked shots) and Rory Sutton (23 points, 12 boards) were the best for the Wildcats, ahead of Adi Causevic 17 points and Rangi Kennedy 15. The Wildcats head to the Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Stadium, Warriewood this weekend to play the Sea Eagles, who improved remarkably in Round Six to score a shock 63-47 win over the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong. The Lady Wildcats are also back in action this weekend against the Sea Eagles women, with tip off at 4pm - the men's game tips off at 6pm. Outstanding rookie Callum Jenkins led all scorers against the Wildcats - photo by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au) The photo can also be viewed on the PhotoExcellence website.

Panthers Mauled by Bears

2012-05-06

The Northern Suburbs Bears have consolidated their position at the top of the 2012 Waratah Championship League (WCL) competition, recording a powerful 118-86 win over the Penrith Panthers on Saturday night at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre (PVRSC) Cambridge Park. This was always going to be a tough challenge for the Panthers, who had suffered their second biggest loss of the season just one week previously, falling 87-59 to the Central Coast Crusaders in Terrigal. Home court advantage would be a much-needed factor in Saturday night's game but playing away from home did little to hamper the rampant Bears. The visitors led by a mere four points (32-28) at the end of the first quarter but then put the Panthers to the sword in the second term, racing away to lead 68-45 at half time. Sydney Kings NBL development player Tom Wright was the architect of the Bears' second quarter onslaught, leading all scorers with 16 points at the long break. The third quarter offered little respite for the Panthers, with the score growing to 94-66 at the end of the term as several players from the Bears squad moved into double figures for the game. Panthers head coach Jeff Cooper had plans to combat the Bears strengths but lamented his team's efforts in some key facets of the game. "I'm happy to score 86 points against them (Norths) but we (Penrith) didn't follow instructions" said Cooper. "We had a lack of transition defence and we tried to play the game at their pace". "Tom Wright hurt us all game but on a positive note, Emlyn Dodd stepped up tonight and had a good game, Ben Ellsworth was very good for us on defence and Louis Brandt had one of his better games" said Cooper. The Panthers are on the road this weekend, heading to Castle Hill to play the Hills District Hornets at 5pm on Saturday night. Both teams have split their results equally this season, with the Hornets at 4 wins -4 losses and the Panthers at 3-3. The Hornets are also coming off a loss from Round Six, with former Penrith junior and senior representative Tom Dawson leading the Sydney Comets to a 92-71 win. Dawson dominated on the boards, finishing with 8 points, 16 boards, 3 assists, 2 blocked shots and 2 steals in his team's 21-point win over the Hornets. PHOTO: Rookie Ben Kearins has been promoted into the WCL team during the absence of starting-five point guard Josh Morehead - photo by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au). The photo can also be viewed in the Media Gallery on the PhotoExcellence website.

Panthers Prepare for Bear Hunt

2012-05-03

The Penrith Panthers senior men's team has an enormous hurdle to leap this weekend, facing the might of the imposing Northern Suburbs Bears in Round Six of the 2012 Waratah Championship League (WCL) competition. Tip-off is scheduled for 5.30pm at the Penrith Valley Regional Sports Centre (PVRSC) Cambridge Park and both teams enter this game with vastly differing reputations. The Bears are the outright favourites for this year's WCL premiership title and contemptuously brushed aside the highly-rated Illawarra Hawks last weekend, winning 112-52 in spite of the absence of captain/coach Ben Knight. The sixty-point win over the Hawks was a sobering result for every other team in the competition and highlighted the depth of talent in the Bears squad, should anyone still be in any doubt. Current Sydney Kings NBL Development Players Tom Wright, Jarrod Weeks and Tanner Kerry are all playing in red-hot form, with the latter simply outstanding against the Hawks. Kerry dominated in the paint against the Hawks and his presence in this weekend's game, along with the return of former Panther and NBL journey-man Knight, spells trouble - in capital letters - for the Panthers on the boards. There are many and varied challenges for Penrith head coach Jeff Cooper and his team this Saturday night and the absence of starting-five point guard Josh Morehead just adds an extra (and unwanted) dimension to that challenge. Morehead was injured in last weekend's 87-59 loss to the Central Coast Crusaders and his early departure coincided with the Panthers poor second half performance. The Panthers led 15-13 in the first quarter but with the loss of Morehead, fell quickly behind to trail 40-31 at half time and 66-45 at the end of the third quarter. Apart from the loss of Morehead, the single biggest factor in the Panthers heavy loss on Saturday night was, however, an inability to control the boards. The Crusaders' twin towers of Callum Jenkins and Jason Taylor dominated in the paint at both ends of the court and that chink in the Panthers armour will once again be heavily targeted by Bears this Saturday. Speaking about last Saturday's loss to the Crusaders, coach Cooper said "We got a basketball lesson today in the second half". "We lost Josh (Morehead) in the second quarter with an ankle injury but poor discipline and turnovers were costly, as well as being beaten on the boards". The Penrith Youth League men were also on the Central Coast last weekend and put in a good effort against last year's premiers before falling 89-80. Penrith head coach Steve Sardi said "Any loss is disappointing but the biggest disappointment was our lack of defence". "At this level we need to do a much better job every quarter and we missed, way too many baskets under the ring". "We learnt a big lesson today and I look forward to our practice session this week to make the necessary adjustments" said Sardi. Championship League: Central Coast Crusaders 87 (Callum Jenkins 22 points, 17 boards; Jason Taylor 20 points, 12 boards; Norman Shoaib 14 points; Stefan Blaszczynski 14) def Penrith Panthers 59 (Ben Ellsworth 13 points, Svetomir (Steve) Gavrilovic 11, Bruce Wells 8). Youth League: Central Coast Crusaders 89 def Penrith Panthers 80 (Ben Wagenfeller 27 points, Curtleigh Albertyn 20, Madol Chol 11) PHOTO: Panthers YL head coach Steve Sardi (front) has his young team firing in 2012 - photo by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au) Apologies if the photo does not load correctly. It can also be viewed in the Media Gallery on the PhotoExcellence website.

Wildcats Bruised in Double-Header

2012-05-03

The Parramatta Basketball Association's senior men's and women's teams were both on the road to the Condell Park Basketball Stadium on Saturday afternoon, in Round Five of the 2012 Waratah Championship League (WCL) competition. Neither Wildcats team could not find their form away from home, with the women falling 71-34 to the Lady Bruins and the men falling 100-84 to the Bruins men's team. Parramatta's young, inexperienced women's team played well above their ranking, in the early stages of their game against the competition favourites. The Lady Bruins struggled to shake off the tenacious Parramatta youngsters throughout the first quarter but once the home team got their transition game flowing, the margin between the two teams grew rapidly. Amanda Mitchell once again was the only player in double figures for the Wildcats, whilst Josie Taoi and Bernadette Makhlouf both tried valiantly on the boards to hold out the stronger Bruins line-up. The men's game was almost a mirror of Parramatta's effort against Hills District the previous weekend, with a mountain of turnovers allowing the Bruins (on this occasion) to race away to an 18-point lead in the first term, before leading 33-20 at the first break. The Wildcats brought the margin back to just two points (37-35) midway through the second term but continued sloppy turnovers (from the Wildcats) allowed the Bruins to quickly regain the ascendancy and race away to lead 53-41 at half time. Gold Coast Blaze NBL point guard Jason Cadee had been a will-of-the-wisp for the Bruins in the first half but amazingly had an even better performance in the third term, doubling his half time score of seventeen points to lead the Bruins to a 75-58 lead at the end of the third quarter. Bruins head coach Greg Barnes rested Cadee in the final term but his replacement Mark Franco carried on in his team-mates footsteps, also scoring double figures in the final term as the Bruins cruised to a 16-point win. The Wildcats men return home to the Auburn Basketball Centre this Saturday night to host the Central Coast Crusaders at 5pm - the Wildcats women have a bye. WOMEN: Bankstown Bruins 71 (Ellie Junod 23 points, Adrianne Gilbert 13) def Parramatta Wildcats 34 (Amanda Mitchell 13 points, Josie Taoi 9 boards, Bernadette Makhlouf 9 boards). MEN: Bankstown Bruins 100 (Jason Cadee 34 points, Shonravius Mallory 15, Matthew Samuels 14 and Mark Franco 11) def Parramatta Wildcats 84 (Rangi Kennedy 17 points; Goran Veg 14 points, 19 boards; Rory Sutton 13 points, 11 boards) PHOTO: Mark Franco slides past the outstretched hand of Goran Veg to score against the Wildcats - photo by Noel Rowsell (www.photoexcellence.com.au) Apologies if the photo does not load correctly. The photo can also be viewed in the Media Gallery on the PhotoExcellence website.

ROLLER SKATERS, WHERE ARE YOU?

2012-05-03

YOU ARE NEEDED! __ A petition and a rally are being considered by The (Non Profit) Australian Roller Skating Club to ask the Government to investigate the circumstances by which Liverpool City Council gained control of Liverpool Skateland in Memorial Avenue, Liverpool! __ The Club supported 'Discovery' - The National Handicapped Children and Parents Association by donating 100% the profits from the rink __ The Club has had to store or sell all its skates and parts and not been able to support 'Discovery' since the rink closed in 2003 __ The facility was built with finance raised by Club member donations and several members who had a disabled person in their family... mortgaged their homes! __ The collapse of the Oasis development, on Woodward Park, found the Club with NO lease on their site (that they had operated for 29 years), NO new skating rink within the new development, NO relocation to a new site, and NO compensation to rebuild a new facility! __ All this was promised to the Club when we agreed to sign the 'deed of release' to vacate the Skateland site so that a proposed 'all season' Water Park could be built! __ To any person who has been part of the Club at any of the following venues: 1 > The Olympia Skating rink at Parramatta Road, Annandale in NSW (1960-1971), 2 > The Australian Amateur Roller Game League (The Olympia / - Sydney Stadium / - Interstate venues in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide / - Alexandria Basketball Stadium / - some International venues! (1966 - 1972) 3 > Francis Park, Blacktown (near the old race track) 1972 - 1973 4 > Sefton Skateland cnr Helen and Carlingford Sts, Sefton NSW (1973 - 1995) 5 > Liverpool Skateland, Lot 10 Memorial Avenue, Liverpool (1974 - 2003) If you are interested in supporting the ARSC you can contact me on roger_lovell_australia@Live.com __ Apology! _ ANY serious skaters and/or supporters can contact me! __ Any person wanting to know the whole TRUTH about how unscrupulous business men, who used the Law Courts improperly, were aided deliberately, or inadvertently, by Coucillors from certain Western Suburbs Councils... to take the profits from the disabled for their own personal gain, can obtain a detailed account in the book just launched in Federal Parliament by Mr. Craig Kelly (Member for Hughes) called; 'The Last Gamble' & 'The Years Between'! __ You can contact me for the details! All Governments have been asked to reopen the investigation ordered by Sir Charles Cutler, just before the Whitlam Government was sacked! __ IT'S TIME, for Premier Mr. Barry O'Farrell, Opposition Leader Mr. John Robertson and Minister for Local Government Mr. Don Page to finalise this sorry chapter in Australian politics that should be known as 'THE SHAME OF A NATION'! This is my first major Post, trusting I have done it justice, all comments and contacts will be received and treated in good faith! __ The ARSC never made it public, until it was forced to by Law, that our simple 'aim' and 'objective' was to provide a supervised, safe and healthy all-family Sport and Recreation and promote Local, State, Interstate and International competitions with the profits going to 'Discovery'! __ To all of you who shared our passion and enjoyed our company we Thank You on behalf of all the Nations Children, both healthy and disabled! __ 'Simple Truth'