David Jones AW13 Fashion Launch; Sydney, Australia

David Jones AW13 Fashion Launch: Sydney, Australia - 6th February 2013...

A good dose of Australia's social set gathered to watch top line models including Miranda Kerr and Megan Gale strut at David Jones' Elizabeth Street store from around 7pm this evening.

Thirty-seven designers including Alex Perry, Collette Dinnigan and Zimmerman showcased over 230 looks alongside DJs runway debutants, Ellery, Rachel Gilbert, Banjo and Matilda.

Dual tone colours and prints featured heavily throughout the evening while lace and leather made a big comeback.

The 175-year-old retailer has reluctantly embraced new technologies to lift struggling sales and this year's event was livestreamed (via the internet) for the benefit of those who missed out on one of the show's exclusive tickets.

David Jones' group executive of merchandise Donna Player said those who couldn't attend could keep track of what was happening on social media.

"Customer viewing parties are a first and there will be stylists there as well. They can watch the livestream from Sydney, drink champagne and participate in the whole event even though they aren't physically here," she told Murdoch owned The Telegraph.

"It's bringing social media back to that whole tactile experience because they are able to buy the clothes straight away, the majority of those looks are in store immediately."

Well done to everyone involved in the success of the event.  Now to wait and see if it makes a difference to the bottom line of the high end retailer.

David Jones talent:

Napoleon Perdis

Sophie Clarke- David Jones, General Manager shoes and Accessories

Donna Player – David Jones, Group Executive, Merchandise

Deb Foreman- David Jones, General manager of Menswear

David Jones fashion family ( includes all fashion designers stocked at David Jones)

David Jones ambassadors and models:

Miranda Kerr

Jason Dundas

Jessica Gomes

Samantha Harris

Websites

David Jones official website

www.davidjones.com.au

David Jones 'Fashion Launch' official website

http://fashionlaunch.davidjones.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

START OF PRODUCTION ANNOUNCEMENT / CAST ANNOUNCEMENT Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson start production on "THE ROVER" in Australian desert

Porchlight Films and Lava Bear Films are delighted to announce that filming on THE ROVER commenced on Tuesday 29th January 2013.  With support from Screen Australia, the South Australian Film Corporation and Screen NSW the seven-week shoot will take place in South Australia.

Written and directed by DAVID MICHÔD, the visionary behind 2011's mesmerizing and universally acclaimed Animal Kingdom, THE ROVER is a slow burn thriller, starring GUY PEARCE (Lawless, The King's Speech, Memento) and ROBERT PATTINSON (The Twilight Saga, Cosmopolis). 

Joining the two principal cast is a superb ensemble including SCOOT McNAIRY (Argo, Killing Them Softly) who plays Pattinson's brother, SUSAN PRIOR (Animal Kingdom, Not Suitable for Children), GILLIAN JONES (Oscar and Lucinda, The Tree), ANTHONY HAYES (Burning Man, Animal Kingdom) and DAVID FIELD (Chopper, Two Hands).  All have descended on regional South Australia for the hot and dusty shoot.

While donning the directorial hat, Michôd also wrote the script for THE ROVER based on a story he conceived with Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby).  The film is set in the Australian desert, in a dangerous and damaged near future. Eric (Pearce) has left everything, everyone and every semblance of human kindness behind him when a gang of desperate criminals steals his last possession.  Eric sets off on a ruthless mission to track them down, forced along the way to enlist the help of Rey (Pattinson), the naïve and injured junior member of the gang  who was left behind in the chaos of the gang's most recent robbery.

Liz Watts is producing for Porchlight Films and David Linde for Lava Bear Films.  Watts and Porchlight Films produced Michôd's debut feature Animal Kingdom.  At commencement of production the Producers commended the enthusiasm of the cast in their new environment.  "The South Australian desert environment can be a tough one to work in, particularly for those coming from a Northern Hemisphere winter but both the cast and crew have thrown themselves into the shoot. We are shooting in some of the most haunting and stunning landscapes in the world, and are fortunate to have such an exceptional cast and a truly talented crew ", Watts and Linde said.

FilmNation represents U.S. sales with UTA Independent Film Group. FilmNation also acquired the majority of worldwide sales rights to THE ROVER and the film has already been sold to leading distributors around the world (for a full list please refer to page two) - including Australia where distributor Roadshow Films' Managing Director Joel Pearlman added "this is an incredibly exciting project which we are thrilled to be working on with Liz, David and the whole creative team."

Shooting completes in mid-March in South Australia, with postproduction taking place in Sydney.

THE SWEENEY Sydney movie premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema

THE SWEENEY Sydney movie premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema...

THE SWEENEY enjoyed its Sydney, Australia, premiere at St.George OpenAir Cinema tonight.

A cocktail reception was hosted by Peroni and Hoyts Distribution/Studio Canal at the beautiful Mrs Macquaries Point location - adjacent to the Royal Botanic Gardens.

Promo...

St.George OpenAir Cinema brings you the Sydney premiere of the stylish, exhilarating action thriller THE SWEENEY, directed by Nick Love and starring Ray Winstone (The Departed, Indiana Jones), and Ben Drew (Harry Brown, Adulthood).

Inspired by the 70s television police drama of the same name, THE SWEENEY is the story of a hard-nosed and controversial branch of the Metropolitan Police, the Flying Squad, who specialise in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London.

Synopsis...

The film begins with Flying Squad officers Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and his loyal partner George Carter (Ben Drew) arriving at the scene of a warehouse robbery, where four armed men are attempting to steal a stash of gold bars. Regan and Carter manage to capture all four suspects, but Regan illegally takes some of the gold bars from the stash, to give to his informant Harry (Alan Ford). Internal investigations arrive to carry out an investigation into Regan's activities, but officer Ivan Lewis (Steven Mackintosh) has more than a procedural beef with Regan - he has discovered that Regan has been having sex with his wife, fellow flying squad officer Nancy (Hayley Atwell). Meanwhile, Regan receives a tip-off about a planned robbery on a bank, but has to pull surveillance on the operation when an armed robbery at a small time jewellery store leaves £200,000 of jewellery in the hands of a dangerous criminal, and one otherwise impartial civilian dead. Regan suspects old foe Francis Allen (Paul Anderson) is responsible, but without evidence, has no way of nailing him. When it is discovered that Allen is in tow with a dangerous Serbian criminal, Regan goes all out to catch those responsible and bring them to justice - against the word of his boss Frank Haskins (Damian Lewis), and at the price of the death of one of his most beloved.

Cast...

Ray Winstone as Detective Inspector Jack Regan Ben Drew as Detective Constable George Carter Damian Lewis as Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins Hayley Atwell as Detective Constable Nancy Lewis Allen Leech as Detective Constable Simon Ellis Steven Mackintosh as Detective Chief Inspector Ivan Lewis Steven Waddington as Detective Constable Miller Caroline Chikezie as Detective Constable Clarke Kara Tointon as Megan Paul Anderson as Francis Allen Alan Ford as Harry.

Websites

St George OpenAir

www.stgeorgeopenair.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Fletcher Debut Album Upon Ayr available March, 2013 Melbourne and Sydney shows announced

Upon Ayr, the debut album by Fletcher, is a compelling, storytelling record that opens with an ode to the sadness of Jack Kerouac's legacy, closes with the creak of the foot driven mechanical pump of an 1840s western Harmonium and paints scenes of Polynesian whale myths, a 1920s synchronised swimming mermaid's dream and the death throes of a love affair.

Written and produced by Fletcher, Upon Ayr was recorded in Sydney (‘stolen’ studio time in a university), London (his bathroom and Urchin Studios) and Stockholm (Decibel Studios), with the record mastered in Berlin. Written over two years, while Fletcher was on tour playing bass, guitar and keyboards with friend and fellow Australian artist Sarah Blasko (who features on backing vocals), this is the multi-instrumentalist’s first album.

Signed direct to UK label Dramatico, Fletcher’s debut album will be released in Australia in March ahead of the UK release in April 2013.

First single, Don't Breathe A Word is a meditation on the death of a relationship.  “Near the end when all love is lost and you start to become someone you aren't and say things you don't mean to survive the fall out… The end of a love affair is a cold dark place,” says Fletcher of the track.  Don’t Breathe A Word will be serviced to Australian radio on Tuesday 19 February.

Currently performing with Sarah Blasko on her national tour, Fletcher will perform two intimate shows at the Workers Club in Melbourne on Sunday 17^th March and the Vanguard in Sydney on Wednesday 27^th March.

A founding member of Bluebottle Kiss and, later, The Devoted Few, Fletcher joined Blasko’s band in 2005, moving to London in 2010 to continue touring Europe and the US with her. This time on the road proved to be the perfect environment for Fletcher to write this collection of pictorial tales in what has been, as he explains, a natural and surprisingly simple process:

What you're listening to is demos; fleshed out demos. Throughout 2010 I was on a world tour with the beautiful, Australian singer Sarah Blasko. We played almost 200 shows that year and most of the songs on this record were written during that period. They developed in sound checks, in band rooms, in hotels, on trains, in vans, or humming into iPhones. In early 2011, while still on tour with Sarah in Australia, I got together with two of my mates to sneak into a university studio where a friend of ours had been studying musicology. Our friend's course had finished months ago but he still had the keycard and security code that opened the doors to the studio. We snuck in around 11pm and would record all night till 4am or 5am, turning off the lights and hiding every 2 hours while the security guard cruised by. We did this for three nights and I recorded the guitar and vocals for around 14 songs.

2011 saw more touring and a little more writing. I recorded more songs in London, this time in my bathroom, two of which (Here Stands The Broken & Swim Through The Mouth Of The Whale) ended up on this album. I thought these and my Uni studio sessions would just be demos, but they sounded pretty good and everyone I played them to said, you should use them as your album. So I did.

Not to say I recorded this whole album in the shower. These songs needed a little more rhythm and pulse, so when I finally got off tour in early 2012 I went into Decibel Studios in a snowy Stockholm to record some extra bits, including bass, drums and the amazing voice of one of my best friends: Sarah Blasko.

I brought my album back to London to mix at Urchin Studios in May 2012, and there you have it. Simple and easy, like I've always wanted but never fully achieved in my past recordings. Most of what you hear is first take, all the vocals were done either in a bathroom on a borrowed mic that would sometimes electrocute my lips, or in a little wooden room I had to hunch to fit into. I've always felt like I've been guilty of over thinking my recordings but this all happened without me even realising it.

You're hearing the first album from me as Fletcher. Upon Ayr is the album title - a nod to one of first recorded uses in the UK of the name Fletcher, in a little southeastern town of Scotland, Ayr.

Enjoy,

Fletcher

FLETCHER – TOUR DATES

Sunday 17^th March 2013- The Workers Club, Melbourne VIC

Tickets: $8.00 (GST inc) + BF on presales & $12.00 (GST inc) on the door

Tickets available through The Workers Club / Corner Hotel Box Office - (03) 9427 9198 / www.theworkersclub.com.au

Wednesday 27^th March 2013 - The Vanguard, Sydney NSW

Tickets: $8.00 (GST inc) + BF on presales & $12.00 (GST inc) on the door

Tickets available through The Vanguard - (02) 9020 6959 / www.thevanguard.com.au

www.facebook.com/benjaminjfletchermusic

twitter.com/benfletcher

instagram.com/benfletcher

www.warnermusic.com.au

Filmmaker Finalists of Tropfest and Trop Jr 2013 Revealed!

Tropfest announces the finalists for the world’s largest short film festival on Tuesday 5th Feb 2013. Australian Logie award-winning actor Rob Carlton will announce the finalist directors of both Tropfest Australia and Trop Jr films.

Tropfest 2013 is set to be the biggest and best event to date, celebrating 21 years as Australia’s most prestigious short film festival and one of our most iconic cultural occasions, attracting around 150,000 attendees!

The finalist films will be screened on Sunday the 17th February 2012 from 7:30pm.

The films will be premiered to hundreds of thousands of Australians at live sites across the nation including: Melbourne, Canberra, Perth, Wollongong, Surfers Paradise, Hobart and of course the main event at The Domain in Sydney.

CLARKEFIELD MUSIC FESTIVAL (CLARKEFIELD, VIC) ~ A CAMBODIAN KIDS FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER ~ SUNDAY 17TH MARCH , 2013.

CLARKEFIELD MUSIC FESTIVAL (CLARKEFIELD, VIC)
~ A CAMBODIAN KIDS FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER ~
SUNDAY 17TH MARCH , 2013.

The Second Annual Clarkefield Music Festival will see some of Australia’s finest musicians join forces
for a common cause, as they raise money to help assist children and their families living in poverty
in Cambodia. All money raised on the day will go directly to the running of a new school (which
last years festival helped to build) for over one thousand children in the Kampong Thom province
of Cambodia.


The Festival will feature renowned Australian musicians TIM ROGERS, MICK THOMAS AND
THE ROVING COMMISSION, SAL KIMBER, THE TOOT TOOT TOOTS, CHARLES JENKINS AND THE ZHIVAGOS, THE STETSON FAMILY, SAN GRAS AND DEAD RIVER DEEPS, with local acts PAPER JANE, BROTHER JOHNSTONE, JARROD SHAW AND SARAH WILKINSON


Set on a vast grassy green lawn, surrounded by paddocks,
trees, old wagons and the beautiful old bluestone buildings
of The Clarkefield Hotel (Coach and Horses Inn, 1857), it’s
the most surreal and ideal place to lay down a rug, sip a
cold beer and enjoy some of the finest music the country
has to offer.


With BBQ food, cold drinks, market stalls, a jumping castle,
good friends and great music, it’s a perfect way to spend a
Sunday and raise some much needed funds to help the
lovely people of Cambodia.


“The Cambodian Kids Foundation is a not for profit
organisation and a registered Cambodian NGO. Our
foundation aims to educate and empower the people of
Cambodia through a number of projects that ensure
maximum sustainability and success”. (Cambodian Kids website)


The Clarkefield Pub (Coach and Horses Inn)
50 Station St, Clarkefield
(100m from Clarkefield Train Station on the Bendigo line,
30min from Melbourne CBD)
Sunday 17th march 2013
Time: 12 midday – 9.30pm
COST: $30 presale, $35 at The Gate,
Family tickets $70, Under 12 y/o’s free!
No BYO, drinks at bar prices
For more information and TICKET SALES:


www.clarkefieldmusicfestival.com
www.cambodiankidsfoundation.com
www.coachandhorsesinn.com.au

STEPHEN CURRY, BRENDAN COWELL, DAMON GAMEAU and FILMMAKERS PAD UP FOR THE SYDNEY PREMIERE OF SAVE YOUR LEGS!

Actors STEPHEN CURRY (THE CASTLE, THE CUP, THE NUGGET), BRENDAN COWELL (LOVE MY WAY, BENEATH HILL 60) and DAMON GAMEAU (BALIBO, UNDERBELLY), stars of the highly anticipated SAVE YOUR LEGS!, will walk the red carpet in Sydney for the film's premiere on Sunday 10th February at Event Cinemas George St.

Hosted by Madman Entertainment, the premiere will also be attended by the film's director BOYD HICKLIN and producers ROBYN KERSHAW and NICK BATZIAS. They will be joined by a number of VIP guests on the red carpet.

SAVE YOUR LEGS! is an inspirational journey from the heart of Australia to the soul of India. It's the story of one man who refuses to lose his park cricket team to the realities of growing up. Inspired by true events, SAVE YOUR LEGS! is an uplifting adventure, filled with comedy, cricket and Bollywood music; an odyssey from the suburbs to the sub-continent in pursuit of a boyhood dream.

WHAT: SYDNEY PREMIERE OF SAVE YOUR LEGS!

WHO: Cast members Stephen Curry, Brendan Cowell and Damon Gameau.

Director Boyd Hicklin with producers Robyn Kershaw and Nick Batzias along with invited celebrities and guests.

WHERE: Event Cinemas, 505 George St, Sydney

WHEN: Sunday 10 February, 2013

GUEST ARRIVALS: From 5:45pm

MEDIA REGISTRATION: 5.15pm

IN CINEMAS FEBRUARY 28

www.saveyourlegs.com

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 3D movie premiere; Sydney, Australia

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 3D movie premiere; Sydney, Australia...

Hansel & Gretel enjoyed its Australian red carpet premiere tonight at Event Cinemas, George Street, in front of a news media pack of dozens, hundreds of Australian fans, and dozens of security to help control all of the excitement.

"Hansel & Gretel" is a 3-D action flick that reimagines the fairy tale characters as gun-toting badasses played by Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton. 

The $50 million film arrived nearly a year after its originally release date. It's off to a decent start with numbers and buzz, but has attracted quite the mixed popcorn bag of reviews. Most fans have rated it with a CinemaScore of "B". Approval rating is 18%.

Here in Australia Paramount Pictures has got right behind the project, and one would think is hoping that the Australian market will generally be more positive and receptive to the film than its friends in the United States and Europe.

If you are a big Hansel & Gretel fan, you will likely want to see this movie.  If not...

Promo... 

After getting a taste for blood as children, Hansel (Jeremy Renner) and Gretel (Gemma Arterton) have become the ultimate vigilantes, hell bent on retribution. Now, unbeknownst to them, Hansel and Gretel have become the hunted, and must face an evil far greater than witches...their past.

"CANDY COATED CARNAGE"

ONLY AT THE MOVIES FEBRUARY 7 (AUSTRALIA) 

Actors: Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton

Director Tommy Wirkola

Producer: Kevin Messick

Cast:

Jeremy Renner as Hansel

Cedric Eich as Young Hansel

Gemma Arterton as Gretel

Alea Sophia Boudodimos as Young Gretel

Famke Janssen as Muriel

Pihla Viitala as Mina

Derek Mears as Edward

Robin Atkin Downes as Edward (voice)

Thomas Mann as Ben

Peter Stormare as Sheriff Berringer

Rainer Bock as Mayor Englemann

Bjørn Sundquist as Jackson

Monique Ganderton as candy witch

Zoë Bell as tall witch

Joanna Kulig as redhead witch

Ingrid Bolsø Berdal as horned witch

Thomas Scharff as Hansel and Gretel's father

Kathrin Kühnel as Adrianna

Websites

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters official website

www.hanselandgretelmovie.com

YouTube: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters - Mini Trailer 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsRF2SYFjyk

Paramount Pictures

http://www.paramount.com

Paramount Pictures (Australia)

http://www.paramountpicturesaustralia.com.au

Eva Rinaldi Photography

www.evarinaldi.com

Music News Australia

www.musicnewsaustralia.com

TOP ANNOUNCE SIDESHOWS IN SYDNEY AND GOLD COAST

McManus Entertainment is thrilled to announce two sideshows for ZZ Top in March. In addition to shows with Guns N’ Roses, the legendary Texan rockers will play their own shows in Sydney and on the Gold Coast. Joining ZZ Top will be The Dead Daisies, featuring Jon Stevens and guitarist David Lowy. Tickets go on sale on Thursday 31 January.

ZZ Top are genuine roots musicians. Billy F Gibbons is one of America’s finest blues guitarists while Dusty Hill on bass and Frank Beard on drums (ironically the only member without a beard) provide the ultimate rhythm section support.

ZZ Top’s image has been as unchanging and memorable as their music. The respected Texan trio have been together for more than 40 years and were inducted by Keith Richards into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. ZZ Top are a solid touring unit and have performed to millions of fans around the world. The band’s iconography – beards, cars, girls and that magic keychain – transcend all bounds of geography and language. They’ve been referenced in countless cartoons and sitcoms and are true rock icons.

Most famous for their hits Legs, Gimme All Your Lovin’ and Sharp Dressed Man, ZZ Top are sure to thrill their Australian fans with their sturdy American blues and rock style. ZZ Top have sold more than 20 million records worldwide and achieved incredible chart success. Their 1983 album Eliminator was a multi-platinum smash in Australia and is “one of the greatest albums of the ‘80s” according to Rolling Stone magazine.

It’s a remarkable achievement that they’re still very much together after more than 40 years of being on the road and in the studio. ZZ Top released their fifteenth studio album, La Futura, in September 2012. Respected producer Rick Rubin produced their latest album La Futura.

“We’re the same three guys, bashing out the same three chords. The band’s mantra remains the same: Tone. Taste. Tenacity,” says Billy F Gibbons, guitarist extraordinaire.

Joining ZZ Top for these two shows is Australian rock band The Dead Daisies. The Dead Daisies feature Jon Stevens on vocals and David Lowy on guitar. Jon Stevens is one of Australia’s most popular and respected singers. He has had a remarkable career, from lead singer of rock band Noiseworks to successful solo artist. Jon and David first met in 2006 but it wasn’t until 2012 that they started writing songs together. With a mutual love of classic late ‘70s and early ‘80s rock and soul, The Dead Daisies were born. “Bad Company meets Foreigner via The Faces kind of vibe, big choruses, powerful melodies and strong hooks,” says Jon. 

Don’t miss ZZ Top bring their unique, blues and rock style to stages in Sydney and the Gold Coast as they headline their own sideshows.

ZZ Top’s latest album La Futura is out now through Universal Music Australia.

                                               

Tickets on sale from Thursday 31 January at 9am from outlets below.

                                  

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL TOUR DATES: ZZ TOP

Friday 15^th March                                 Metro Theatre, SYDNEY                                    ticketek.com.au                                    132 849

Tuesday 19^th March                             RSL Southport, GOLD COAST                          www.oztix.com.au (and venue)          1300 762 545