In a spectacle befitting the most expensive movie ever made Down Under, Hollywood heavyweights Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy invaded Sydney on Wednesday with a small army of “war boys” to promote Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Visionary director George Miller’s follow-up to the 2015 box office hit Fury Road has its Australian premiere on Thursday, 45 years after the filmmaker launched Mel Gibson’s career with Mad Max.
Speaking to The West Australian, Miller said he always thought 1985’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome would be the final film in the franchise, but improvements in digital filmmaking and special effects inspired him to make Fury Road.
George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth promote Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga at Circular Quay. Credit: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
That film went on to become the highest-grossing movie in the series, and won six Academy Awards in 2016, making it an easy choice for Miller to write a spin-off prequel based on Charlize Theron’s Furiosa character.
‘War boys’ leap next to the Sydney Opera House. Credit: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
However, because it’s set a number of years before the events of Fury Road, the director needed a younger actor in the central role, and was convinced to cast the Queen’s Gambit star after watching her in Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho.
George Miller, Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. Credit: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Furiosa follows Taylor-Joy’s character as she seeks revenge for trauma inflicted by the cruel Dementus, played brilliantly against type by Hemsworth, who has spent years playing the superhero, Thor.
Miller said the Aussie actor invested considerable time in fleshing out the film’s villain, and the result is a fascinating and complicated character.
Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth. Credit: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
As you’d expect from a Mad Max film, there’s also a cornucopia of wildly pimped vehicles, visceral action and lots of unforgiving wasteland.
Only this time Miller was able to make his movie in the outback of regional New South Wales, after unseasonable rainfall and a wildflower bloom forced him to shoot Fury Road in the Namibian desert.
The NSW Government and the Australian screen industry certainly aren’t complaining, with the production estimated to have contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy.
Fans will see if that investment paid off when Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga hits Australian cinema screens on May 24.
Beloved Brisbane music venue The Zoo will close its doors in the coming weeks after almost 32 years in the latest blow to Australia's live music industry.
Managers announced the "impossibly hard" decision to close the venue in Fortitude Valley for good on July 8 due to cost-of-living pressures.
"Sadly, the financial reality of keeping music venues afloat in 2024 is all too stark," the business said in a statement.
Beloved Brisbane music venue The Zoo will close its doors in the coming weeks. (Fairfax Media/File)
"The Zoo reached its highest ticket sales in its 32-year history last year, yet this was still not enough to combat rising operational costs, and decreasing returns.
"As a music venue, we try our best to keep venue hire costs as low as possible for artists and promoters, which means that the financial risks are on the venue, and we depend on bar sales for profit.
"The cost of supplying alcohol is rising and bar sales are going down, likely due to a mix of lifestyle changes and cost of living stress for our patrons."
The Aussie music festivals we've lost
Managers said the venue had been running at a loss for more than three years and their sister venue Stranded would also cease trading on May 6.
"Despite exploring every avenue available to us, we could not secure the level of support needed to surmount the continued financial strain," they said in a statement.
"We have no choice but to call last drinks for both of our beloved music venues.
"To our loyal punters and past performers, we thank you for the great times we've shared; the decades of dancing, singing and moshing.
"The kindness of our community of music lovers is a gift The Zoo team has cherished.
"We hope you'll continue to support local live music and keep the scene alive in Brisbane and nationwide.
"We encourage you to advocate for live music, to implore our government and music bodies to do everything they can to prevent more venues from closing their doors due to industry-wide financial pressure that is decimating venues across the country."
The venue invited people to join them for "one last dance" over the next few months and promised to make the final weeks "very special".
Back in March Splendour in the Grass Organisers announced the cancellation of the festival, which featured Aussie acts including Kylie Minogue, G-Flip and Tones and I.
Drew Barrymore is well-known for her quirky personality and up-close-and-personal interviews.
But now the US actress-turned-talk show host has come under fire for a “cringe” comment she made during her chat with Vice President Kamala Harris, whom she referred to as “Momala of the country.”
On Monday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the two women steered away from politics as they discussed their blended families.
After Barrymore gushed over her kids’ stepmum, Harris revealed why she doesn’t use the term “step-parent” when it comes to her husband’s children.
“I love Disney. However, Disney kind of messed that up for a lot of us over the years — you know, the evil step-parent,” Harris said. “Their word for me is Momala.”
Later on in the segment, Barrymore rounded back to their initial conversation when she urged Harris to be “Momala” of the United States.
“I keep thinking in my head that we all need a mum. I’ve been thinking that we really all need a tremendous hug in the world right now,” Barrymore said as she slid in closer to the politician.
“But in our country, we need you to be Momala of the country.”
Barrymore then grabbed onto Harris’ hands as the VP smiled somewhat uncomfortably.
Social media users had a field day with the awkward interaction, which has since been labelled as “super creepy” and “weird.”
“This is so embarrassing @DrewBarrymore is almost in her lap,” one wrote on X, while another added, “This has got to be one of the cringiest things I’ve ever seen.”
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A third person said, “If Drew got any closer to Momala, she’d be sitting in her lap,” before someone else asked, “Have we reached peak cringe yet?”
The Brisbane music venue the Zoo will call last drinks in July, with the owner listing a “perfect storm” of forces leading to its closure, including cost-of-living pressures and declining alcohol consumption among young people.
The 500-capacity room, which first opened its doors on Ann Street in 1992 in the formerly down-at-heel but now heavily gentrified inner suburb of Fortitude Valley, is one of Australia’s oldest music venues.
The Zoo’s sister venue, the 250-capacity Stranded, will also close its doors at the end of this week. Stranded, housed in the same building as the Zoo, was named after the 1976 debut single by the legendary Brisbane band the Saints.
The Zoo’s owner, Shane Chidgzey, said the venue’s current revenue was at roughly 60% of the previous financial year. “The model is broken, unfortunately, when it comes to music venues,” he said. “We only make money on alcohol sales.
“You’ve got a cost-of-living crisis in Australia, which is huge … And there’s a new trend of not drinking, which is a wonderful trend for health but not so good for bars.”
The Zoo’s booker, Nathan Farrell, told the Guardian in March that while more tickets were sold in 2023 than in any year in the Zoo history, the amount of money people were spending on drinks once through the door was well down.
Chidgzey also cited audiences saving their money for big-ticket international artists including Taylor Swift, as well as the skyrocketing cost of insurance, which had nearly doubled in the past two years from $35,000 to $65,000.
Chidgzey said the venue’s increased insurance costs were partially driven by the venue’s location in a safe night precinct, a Queensland government initiative to curb alcohol-related violence in entertainment zones that began in 2014. There has been only one insurance claim in the venue’s history.
The Zoo’s location in the precinct, Chidgzey said, put it at a profound financial disadvantage.
“It requires additional security, it requires ID scanners, it requires more regulation, your insurance is more expensive and your rent’s more expensive,” he said.
Other comparable venues such as the Tivoli, also in Fortitude Valley, the Triffid in neighbouring Newstead and the Princess Theatre in South Brisbane are not in the safe night precinct, according to Chidgzey: “They’re working on a completely different cost basis to us.”
He also called for the introduction of a levy on major international touring artists to subsidise the grassroots music industry. “They need to be putting a dollar transaction per ticket on that to put into local music.”
The venue’s original owner Joc Curran, who ran the venue from 1992 to 2016, said: “The Zoo was an impossible thing, that became possible because of community, love, and a belief that magic could happen … but now it is time to say goodnight.”
Curran said she was only one of the venue’s custodians, paying tribute to her original co-owner C Smith, Chidgzey, the former owners Pixie Weyand, Cat Clarke and Luke “Boo” Johnston, as well as the “Zooies” – a term of endearment for the venue’s long-term staffers.
Robert Forster, who co-founded the Brisbane band the Go-Betweens with the late Grant McLennan in the late 1970s, said the Zoo was “the first well-run, stable, encouraging, well-organised venue in Brisbane that I’d ever encountered”.
“Permanence had very little to do with the Brisbane scene up until the 1990s, and it really started with Joc and C going down to the Valley.”
Forster moved back to Brisbane from Germany in 1992, the same year of the Zoo’s inception. “It had a tonne of atmosphere and it always felt like a meeting place and a hangout,” he said. “It was great that it was one storey up above the whole mad, ugly chaos of the Valley.”
Later, after McLennan also moved back to Brisbane, he and Forster formed a new lineup of the Go-Betweens which made its debut at the Zoo in December 1995.
Other notable shows at the venue included an early 1996 performance by Nick Cave with the Dirty Three (marking the beginning of Cave’s working relationship with Warren Ellis) as well as appearances by a young Ben Harper and Pixies.
The venue was notorious for its lack of air-conditioning, making for sweltering gigs in summer. This was remediated under Chidgzey’s ownership but, he said, it had broken down and there was no money for repairs. “We’re going out as we started,” he said.
Plans are under way for farewell shows, as well as an auction of venue memorabilia.
Spice Girl Mel B has been spotted taking on a new role – washing customers’ hair in a salon in her hometown of Leeds.
In these photos, first published by the Yorkshire Evening Post, Mel B, 48 can be seen working at Rory James Salon in Horsforth, a suburb of the northern England city of Leeds.
But all is not quite what it seems: Rory James Salon is owned by Mel B’s fiance, Rory McPhee, and she was putting in a shift at his salon as part of a competition for fans.
A handful of competition winners got the chance to meet Mel, have their hair styled by her fiance and take home a signed copy of her acclaimed memoir Brutally Honest.
The Post reports that the hair salon session took place just one day after Mel B’s former Spice Girls bandmate Victoria Beckham’s star-studded 50th birthday bash in London last week.
That event gave fans the rarest of sightings: A five-piece Spice Girls reunion. All five members of the 90s pop group posed for photos and even danced to a few of their hits together at the party. It was the first time all five had been photographed together since 2018.
Fellow Spice Girl Melanie C – aka Sporty Spice – arrived in Australia shortly after the Beckham bash, where she’s in the midst of a DJ tour visiting cities as remote as Cairns and Albury.
But Mel B’s telling comments in an interview published last week suggest Mel C might be wishing she was here with her Spice bandmates instead.
Asked by Attitude Magazine which Spice Girls song she would choose to describe each of her bandmates, Mel B offered the caustic banger Tell Me Why for Melanie C.
“She’s so sensitive, questioning ‘why? Why did it end up this way? What’s going on?! Why am I in Australia doing a DJ tour when I want to be with you girls on stage?!’ It’s that panic,” she revealed.
Mel B moved back to Leeds several years ago to be closer to her family. After a long period of estrangement during her allegedly abusive 10-year marriage to ex Stephen Belafonte, she now lives down the road from her mother, back in the town where she grew up, some 275km north of London.
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She revealed in an interview with news.com.au last year that the Spice Girls’ 2019 UK and Ireland reunion tour was the catalyst for the move home, as her children asked during the tour why they had to return to America – then took matters into their own hands.
“All my kids were like, ‘Why are we going back to America, mum?’ I’m like, ‘Because that’s where we live and that’s where we’ve been living for the last 25 years.’ And then they were like, ‘Well, I found a school here.’ I’m like, ‘You found a school in Leeds? Not just London, Leeds, my hometown’.”
Next on the agenda for Mel B: Planning her wedding to McPhee, after the pair got engaged in 2022. Eleven years her junior, he’s reportedly a longtime family friend who first worked with Mel as her hairdresser before their relationship eventually turned romantic.
Prince William has given a rare update on the Princess of Wales, one month after she publicly revealed that she’d been diagnosed with cancer.
The future king was carrying out engagements in the north east of England, beginning with an appearance at climate technology firm Low Carbon Materials, which was a finalist in his 2022 Earthshot Prize award.
William also took time to chat with royal fans outside, where he provided the update on his family.
“Do you mind if I ask how your wife and children are?” he was asked, to which The Sun reports that William responded: “All doing well, thank you. Yes, we’re doing well”.
He also helped launch a charity in Newcastle which provides support for men’s mental health amid the region’s soaring male suicide rates.
William made his return to royal duties earlier this month after taking a step back to enjoy some private time with his wife and their three young children as they processed the news of Kate’s diagnosis.
During her emotional video released in March, Kate praised her husband of more than a decade for his support during “an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family”.
“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance,” she said.
While Kate remains out of the spotlight, the couple delighted fans with the release of a previously-unseen portrait from their wedding day on Monday in honour of their 13th anniversary.
A beaming William is seen with his arms wrapped around his bride in the black-and-white picture, taken on April 29, 2011, by photographer Millie Pilkington, and released via Kensington Palace.
Meanwhile, William’s day of royal engagements came as his father also appeared in public, just days after Buckingham Palace confirmed his return to work after several weeks off to undergo treatment for cancer.
King Charles was joined by Queen Camilla as he visited the University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in London on Tuesday, where he compared notes on the cancer journey with other patients.
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One discussed her chemotherapy with Charles, who told her: “I’ve got to have my treatment this afternoon as well,” according to the UK’s Mirror.
Another asked after his health, to which he responded: “I’m all right, thank you very much – not too bad”.
Charles also spoke for the first time about the moment he found out he had cancer, telling one patient: “It’s always a bit of a shock, isn’t it, when they tell you?”
A Farmer Wants A Wife harem is rocked by jealousy and revenge on Tuesday night when one of the ladies orchestrates a romp with the communal boyfriend in the communal bathroom.
Outrage ensues, with everyone blindsided by the news they’re dating the same man, as per the rules of the show they all signed up for.
The incident leaves a bitter taste. … or maybe that’s just the bore water.
Things are still tense between the ladies at Farmer Joe’s homestead after Cayla accused Keely and Claire of being two-faced fakes — an insult that has never before been hurled at a reality TV contestant.
In the harsh light of day, while worming the sheep of parasites, Cayla glares at her frenemies and fantasises about spraying them with pesticides.
Keely’s quietly fuming about being called a two-faced fake. So when she scores a date with Farmer Joe, she decides to prepare an intimate afternoon of nude painting. This date has been carefully curated with pure intentions to foster a deeper connection. The fact it will also irritate the hell out of Cayla is purely an accidental bonus.
Nude painting naturally leads to a his-and-hers soak in the communal bathtub.
“I think all the other girls are gonna hate me for this,” Keely muses.
Well, it’s a good thing you’re doing it in a secret place they never go.
“It was very intimate. A nice special moment that is only about the two of us in that moment,” Joe smiles.
Completely intimate! Just you and Keely … and the other girls in the harem who, on cue, are herded into the house by producers to discover the romp.
“Why is it so quiet?” Cayla furrows her brow while padding down the hall. “Are they here?”
The girls notice the bathroom door is closed.
“Are they in there?” Cayla says in jest.
Like a cartoon, they press their ears against the door. There’s splishing and splashing. And … slurping. The girls have no choice but to bust in.
“Noooo!” they scream.
Their cries echo around the tiled bathroom — rattling the walls of the hundred-year-old homestead. It’s a miracle the whole shack doesn’t crumble to dust.
A string of bleeped obscenities follow.
“Oh Jesus!”
The girls scramble back out into the hall and slam the door.
“It’s not ideal seeing a guy you’re dating tangled in a bath with another woman,” Sarah fumes to us.
Moments later, Keely strides out, positively glowing. Steam from the bathroom billows out behind her, fogging up the camera lens.
We wait for Cayla to attack Keely again for being a fake. No words come. She’s too startled from the bathroom horror she just witnessed.
One question remains: did Keely remember to cleanse her two faces?
King Charles is reportedly struggling to find time in his diary to see his younger son Prince Harry next week due to the monarch’s busy schedule of engagements.
The Duke of Sussex’s upcoming trip to London coincides with the King’s return to public duties following months of cancer treatment.
California-based Harry is set to touch down in the United Kingdom within days to kick off the tenth anniversary celebrations for his signature Invictus Games foundation.
The 39-year-old Prince helped set up the organisation in 2014 as an Olympics-style international sporting event for injured and wounded service men and women across the globe.
On Monday, a Buckingham Palace insider told the Express newspaper the monarch was "quite busy" with royal duties and may struggle to find time to spend with Harry.
The Duke of Sussex will be front and centre at a star-studded anniversary service at St Paul's Cathedral on May 8.
However, Charles has a packed diary on the day of the service and will host a garden party at Buckingham Palace instead.
It is understood Charles has various other appointments and engagements throughout the week.
The King is still battling cancer and is also understood to be prioritising preserving his energy so he is “well enough” to attend major summer events such as Trooping the Colour in June.
The famed Buckingham Palace balcony appearance during Trooping the Colour is considered one of the most important occasions on the royal calendar since the tradition was first started by Queen Victoria.
The update comes after reports Harry was hoping to utilise the UK trip to spend quality time with both his father and his estranged brother Prince William.
If Harry and Charles do meet, it will be the first time the father and son have seen each other since the Duke of Sussex made a short visit to Clarence House after the King’s cancer diagnosis.
Harry was reportedly hoping his wife Meghan Markle would join him for the celebrations but it is understood the Duke of Sussex will now make the visit solo.
While the King has a busy diary, royal insider Richard Fitzwilliams believes if possible, Charles would be "open" to meeting with his younger son.
"The King has always kept the door open to Harry, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he would invariably get a warm reception," Mr Fitzwilliams revealed to the Mirror newspaper on Monday.
"It will take its time. But clearly the situation has changed in recent weeks beyond all expectations.
The National Gallery of Australia was one of the few outliers in a report that shows women artists are under-represented in gallery exhibitions. (Supplied: NGA)
Women artists continue to be significantly under-represented in taxpayer-funded galleries in Australia, a new national report has found.
The data, published today in the 2022 Countess Report, shows the proportion of women artists exhibiting across seven of nine gallery types declined between 2019 and 2022.
Among public-funded state galleries, women accounted for 33.6 per cent of exhibiting artists, while in major museums, they made up just 30.5 per cent.
The Countess Report, published every four years, is an independent and artist-run data collection initiative that tracks gender representation in Australia's visual arts sector.
The project was first set up by Melbourne-based artist Elvis Richardson in 2008, via her blog Countess, to redress the lack of publicly available data on gender representation in major galleries.
It has since grown to a team of four researchers, with backing from the National Association of Visual Artists (NAVA), Creative Australia and the Sheila Foundation.
A breakdown of gender and First Nations artists represented in state galleries, based on data from The Countess Report 2022.(ABC Arts: Luke Tribe)
The report released today is the third major sector-wide survey and includes data on more than 21,000 artists and arts workers from more than 450 galleries.
Co-editors of the report Miranda Samuels and Shevaun Wright found that gender representation across the gallery sector had stagnated or declined since the previous Countess Report was published based on data from 2018, which showed representation of women artists in state galleries at 34 per cent.
That figure has dropped from 37 per cent in 2014.
Research for the Countess Report is led by artists Amy Prcevich, Elvis Richardson, Miranda Samuels (left) and Shevaun Wright (right).(Supplied: Jamie James)
Wright, who is a First Nations artist and lawyer, says the findings represent a "business-as-usual" attitude from the sector.
"Unfortunately, it's reflecting a 'going back to what you know' [attitude], rather than really taking the risks of shifting culture," she says.
"But I think it's an opportune time to really reflect on why we continue returning to these traditional strongholds of the male artist."
The latest findings come despite pledges made by major galleries to address gender inequity in the wake of the 2018 report.
"I was surprised that there had been a slide backwards [in representation] given the attention and conversations that were started around the importance of gender representation [after the last report] and the fact that women still continue to outnumber men as art school graduates," says Samuels.
Gender equity stagnates
NGA's 2022 Cressida Campbell retrospective was the gallery's first summer "blockbuster" by a living Australian woman artist.(Supplied)
The report shows men also outnumbered women in acquisitions by state galleries in 2022 and earned a greater share of prize money.
Although women artists accounted for more than half of the winners of major art prizes (53 per cent) and, in 2022, won four out of the six richest prizes, men received a higher average amount as their winnings. (Women prize winners earned an average of $44,947 while men earned $51,818.)
Samuels says it's important to consider broader structural inequities faced by women when interpreting the findings.
"We live in a society that's ruled by ideas of value that are informed by capitalist structures, and under that, women's work generally is less valued or undervalued compared with men's work," she says.
"In the art world, you can see it in terms of artwork pricing and values; you see it in the secondary market, where women's work sells in significantly lower numbers; and you also see that there is a significant wage gap that exists between women and men artists."
Of the 1,963 acquisitions made by state galleries, works by women made up just 32 per cent. Men accounted for 53 per cent, while artists who identified as non-binary or "other" accounted for 15 per cent.
The economic disparities outlined in the report echo the findings of the most recent national artist income survey, showing that total income for women artists is 25 per cent less on average than men — greater than the national gender pay gap.
While state galleries and major museums continue to lag on gender representation, other parts of the visual arts sector fared better in the report. Commercial galleries, university art museums, contemporary art organisations, public galleries and Aboriginal-owned arts centres outperformed state galleries and major museums, reaching or surpassing gender parity.
First Nations-owned arts centres had the highest representation of women artists, at 75.9 per cent.
Major museums ranked lowest for representation, at 30.5 per cent.
Except for the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, none of the major museums reached gender parity. The lowest figures came from the privately owned Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart (17 per cent women artists), and White Rabbit Gallery, Sydney (15 per cent).
Tasmania's MONA was among the worst-performing museums for gender equity.(Supplied)
First Nations artists counted
The latest Countess Report also includes data on First Nations representation in the Australian art sector for the first time.
"[First Nations art] holds a great cultural importance to us, but in terms of looking at how it actually operates on the ground and the respect that is shown to First Nations artists as cultural producers, I think [the findings] are eye-opening and really the beginning of a conversation," says Wright.
The researchers found that First Nations artists account for fewer solo shows and acquisitions by state galleries and have lower levels of commercial gallery representation compared with non-First Nations artists.
Gaps remain for First Nations representation across contemporary art organisations, commercial galleries and public galleries. (Pictured: Emily Kam Kngwarray's batiks at NGA.)(Supplied: NGA)
The report notes that First Nations artists are more often included in group exhibitions rather than solo shows.
"With First Nations artists in particular, [there] is a tendency towards sequestering [their work] and separating it out thematically in exhibitions," says Wright.
"So I would like to see more thinking about it [First Nations art] being embedded in the whole of art programming … not thinking of them as an add-on, but as something that is foundational to our national culture."
The data shows that among First Nations artists, gender inequity prevails with men outnumbering women artists in state gallery exhibitions and acquisitions.
The researchers also analysed organisational structures in the gallery sector and found First Nations artists to be poorly represented in governance roles and on gallery boards.
The executive director of NAVA, Penelope Benton, has described the findings as "sobering" and called for "immediate action from both the galleries and governments".
"These findings demonstrate the urgent need for targeted interventions to address the intersectional challenges faced by First Nations women artists, exacerbated by the absence of First Nations representation among boards and staff across the sector," says Benton.
"Policy change and investment is urgently needed to address the glaring gap in career pathways for First Nations arts workers and leadership roles within the visual arts."
Policy intervention needed
The report includes a breakdown of gender representation by gallery — more than 450 in total.
Individual galleries performed better than others, with Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) and the National Gallery of Australia (NGA) all boasting a higher proportion of acquisitions for women artists.
The NGA was the worst-performing gallery in the previous Countess Report. (Pictured: Vincent Namatjira's Indigenous All Stars at the NGA.)(Supplied: NGA)
The NGA was the top-performing major gallery with the highest proportion (84.4 per cent) of women artists represented in exhibitions. That figure has ballooned from 25 per cent in 2018.
Both the NGA and AGNSW introduced gender equity programs after the release of the 2018 Countess Report.
"From the reporting that we've done over the past four years, it would seem like those initiatives have been contributing factors to their numbers," says Samuels.
In addition to analysing gender representation, the researchers track data on artists’ education, prizes, acquisitions, funding, and media coverage.(Supplied: Jamie James)
The NGA's five-year gender equity action plan and associated Know My Name initiative marked the first time a major publicly funded gallery had committed to a 50-50 gender representation target.
Benton agrees the approach has merit but says sector-wide reform is needed.
"The latest Countess Report highlights the urgency of implementing long-overdue reforms. The slow progress in addressing gender equity in the visual arts emphasises the need for proactive measures to dismantle systemic barriers and promote diversity and inclusivity," says Benton.
"NAVA asserts the critical importance of governmental and institutional policy change to effectively address these disparities. Without meaningful reforms at all levels, progress towards gender equity in the visual arts will continue to lag."
Fans have expressed their concerns for Jerry Seinfeld after he appeared to be “shaking a lot” during a recent interview.
After a clip of the legendary comedian appearing on the In Depth with Graham Bensinger program last week did the rounds online, many fans have urged the 70-year-old star to seek medical attention.
“The shaking of his head is concerning,” one fan commented, while one wondered, “Has Jerry been diagnosed with anything- he seems to be shaking a lot.”
While some argued that Seinfeld was simply expressing himself with his head shakes and hand gestures, others are convinced something more is at play.
Yet another fan thought Seinfeld looked “a little different lately. Something is off,” with another wondering if the star was “showing signs of Parkinson’s or some kind of tremors”.
“It’s subtle but it sure looks like the beginning of an essential tremor,” another echoed, with one also commenting, “Hopefully, he is aware of it and has been assessed.”
Tremors are defined by the Mayo Clinic as a condition that causes uncontrollable shaking, but most people don’t require treatment if their symptoms are mild.
However, tremors are often the first motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease – a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system and the parts of the body controlled by the nerves.
Seinfeld’s appearance on Bensinger’s show comes days after he lashed out at how political correctness has ruined comedy, saying comedians are now too worried about “offending” people.
On a recent episode of the New Yorker’s Radio Hour, the Seinfeld star unleashed on the “extreme left”, suggesting that while people still crave comic relief, they can’t find it on television.
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“Nothing really affects comedy. People always need it. They need it so badly and they don’t get it,” he said.
“It used to be that you’d go home at the end of the day, most people would go, ‘Oh, Cheers is on. Oh, M.A.S.H. is on. Oh, Mary Tyler Moore is on, All in the Family is on.’
“You just expected [there will] be some funny stuff we can watch on TV tonight. Well, guess what? Where is it? Where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and PC c**p and people worrying so much about offending other people.”
Disney has dropped the hugely-anticipated first look trailer for its upcoming prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, which charters the origin story of the legendary King of the pride lands (you can watch the full video above).
Fans with an emotional connection to the original animation, first released in 1994, will be hit with a heavy dose of nostalgia over the one-minute teaser, which opens with the crackle of the franchise’s iconic theme, Circle of Life.
We’re introduced to a young Mufasa, born an orphan cub without a drop of nobility in his blood who navigates his way to becoming king – the original Lion King story marking the end of his journey as Simba takes his father’s place.
Mufasa: The Lion King, directed by Oscar winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, will be told in flashbacks via the franchise’s beloved mandrill character Rafiki, who relays the story of the late Mufasa to his granddaughter Kiara – the daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala – voiced by Beyonce’s 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter in her feature film debut.
An official synopsis reads:
“Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka — the heir to a royal bloodline.
“The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny — their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.”
Beyonce returns following her debut in the live action remake of The Lion King in 2019 as the voice of Nala, with Aaron Pierre as Mufasa, John Kani as Rafiki, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa, Billy Eichner as Timon and Donald Glover as Simba.
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Mufasa: The Lion King will also feature original music written by award-winning songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda, who said, “The Lion King has an incredible musical legacy with music from some of the greatest songwriters around, and I’m humbled and proud to be a part of it.
“It’s been a joy working alongside Barry Jenkins to bring Mufasa’s story to life, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this film in theatres.”
Mufasa: The Lion King hits cinemas in Australia on December 19.
Amy Poehler has announced she’s heading to Australia to headline Vivid Sydney in May.
The popular US actress and comedian, 52, will join the festival’s line-up at the Sydney Opera House on May 27, where she’ll sit down with ABC radio host Zan Rowe for an intimate conversation about her Hollywood career.
During the event, the Parks and Recreation star will also give attendees a special sneak peek at Disney and Pixar’s upcoming animation Inside Out 2, in which she voices the lead character Joy for the long-awaited sequel to the celebrated 2015 film.
“I’m really looking forward to taking part in Vivid Sydney this year, a place that welcomes ‘Joy’ in every way,” Poehler said.
“I can’t wait to share a little of Inside Out 2: a movie that lets Joy and Sadness, Anxiety and Envy — all try to work together in hilarious and touching ways.”
It marks Poehler’s first trip to Australia in nine years, with Vivid Sydney Festival Director Gill Minervini welcoming the Emmy award winner to the event’s growing line-up.
“Amy Poehler is comedy royalty and the perfect person to join us as part of Vivid Ideas for this year’s Vivid Sydney,” Minervini said.
“We’re so proud to add her to the growing list of guests set to captivate visitors throughout 23 nights of the festival.
“Amy’s new film Inside Out 2 ties in perfectly with the theme of this year’s festival, Humanity, with an accessible take on how the human mind makes decisions and processes emotions. Allowing audiences to have an insight to how one of the world’s great writers and performers operates is sure to be a great thrill.”
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Poehler is one of Hollywood’s most well-known comedic performers thanks to her work on the iconic NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation and on long-running sketch show Saturday Night Live!
The Mean Girls star is also renowned for collaborating with fellow comedian Tina Fey – the pair appearing in a string of films including Baby Mama and Sisters, as well as co-hosting award shows together, including the Golden Globes four times. Vivid Sydney will be held from Friday May 24 until Saturday June 15.
