I went to see Cloud Gate Dance Theatre's Songs of the Wanderers at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre's Lyric Theatre last night, and thank goodness the performancewas spectacular and spellbinding. Otherwise, I'd be blogging only about the utter chaos in the foyer, where the queue for ticket collection still had more than 100 people in it at the scheduled starting time, and the performance began about 15 minutes late. I don't know if the fault lay with QPAC or the Brisbane Festival, but such inefficiency is not good enough at a major venue during a showcase festival. It was a world-standard performance, the front-of-house organisation shoud have matched it.
PS: Don't ask me what Songs of the Wanderers is all about.

Melbourne's the best city in Australian when it comes to style and romance, shopping, international sporting and cultural events, theatre, food and restaurants and nightlife. At least that's according to a Roy Morgan Research poll of 1300 people across all states. I must say that I've always enjoyed visiting Melbourne and if it weren't for the residents' fanatical devotion to AFL, I might even consider moving there.
PS: As far as I know, Melbourne also doesn't have a Third World water supply like we do in Brisbane. I agree with John Howard on this issue. It's simply not good enough to have draconian water restrictions; we should have had better water management by our elected officials in the first place.

It's somewhat late, but I'm sad to learn of the death a fortnight ago of Peter Hawkins, a British actor who provided the voice for the Daleks and Cybermen from Doctor Who, Bill and Ben (The Flowerpot Men), and characters from (the often misunderstood) Captain Pugwash, Super Ted and the original radio series of The Hithchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Hawkins now has a place in my Celebrity Deaths Archive.
PS: Other recent deaths include those of French director Gerard Oury and US actor Jack Warden, who starred in the classic film Twelve Angry Men.

The ABC has revealed that it approved a prank that led to comedian Chas Licciardello from The Chaser's War on Everything arrested. Licciardello was charged with offensive conduct after allegedly trying to sell a fake knife and knuckledusters to fans of the Bulldogs rugby league team. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that, despite the prank having editorial and legal approval from the ABC, the national broadcaster "has not yet decided whether it will fund Licciardello's defence". Seems to me that there'd be an obligation to do so.

Daniel Craig is either very good in Casino Royale, his as-yet-unseen first film as James Bond, or he knows somebody in high places. He's already been signed for a second 007 film.

The Courier-Mail reports this morning that the Fourex brewery is one of Brisbane's biggest consumers of water. A colleague feigned shock at the revelation that there is water in beer.

I am not going to make the obvious, crude comment that may occur to others, merely relay the news that Today host Jessica Rowe is pregnant.

This morning on 612 ABC, Spencer Howson and I spoke about Bell Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the length of films these days and the debate over which way to shuffle between rows at the theatre (face first or backside first?). Thanks to my friend and colleague Ronnie Girdham for suggesting that last item.

Bell Shakespeare gave Brisbane three hours of the Bard last night, with its latest Romeo and Juliet. Highlighs include the performances of Chloe Armstrong as Juliet, Philip Dodd as Friar Lawrence, former Brisbaneite John Batchelor as Capulet and Paul Eastway as Benvolio. Armstrong put so much into the role she seemed absolutely consumed by it at the end.
PS: Spotted in the audience were several members of the touring cast of Away.

"The blame for this cosmically self-indulgent disaster lies with Kevin Smith, who directs like a proud father who can’t stop showing you pictures of his kids. And here’s the thing: The brats are ugly." So wrote OC Weekly film critic Scott Foundas about the Kevin Smith-directed Jersey Girls. Now Foundas says he was asked to leave a screening of Smith's new film, Clerks 2. In an open letterto Smith, Foundas tells the story of being ejected and finally being allowed to see the film - which he liked, sort of.
PS: I don't have a similar story to tell, although I do know that a Brisbane theatre owner once asked a critic to leave the venue, even after she had bought h

I know we're constantly told that today's young people have short attention spans. Why is it, then, that modern films are so much longer than those from cinema's Golden Age*? They certainly aren't necessarily better, and I'm sure exhibitors would prefer shorter films so they could screen them more often (and make more money per day). Is it, perhaps, a case of out-of-control egos for the people who make them - or do they simply not know the adage about too much of a good thing?
Some comparisons:
Citizen Kane (1941) 119 mins
Superman Returns (2006) 154 mins
Casablanca (1942) 102 mins
The Da Vinci Code (2006) 149 mins
Singin' in the Rain (1932) 103 mins
Pirates of the Caribbean (2006) 150 mins
King Kong (1933) 100 mins
King Kong (2005) 187 mins

Now for a matter of etiquette ... what is the best way to pass by seated audience members at a theatre or similar venue? Should you squeeze between the rows with your face towards the people you are passing, or with your face towards the stage or screen? I have friends with opposing views on this issue. One says it's safer and more polite to face the other patrons, while the other says she'd rather have a person's bottom in her face than their fly.

There are some red faces around 612ABC today after a broadcast last night from the Brisbane Powerhouse, where a band called the Laundromats sang a double entendre-laden song about a cat live to air.

The World Shakespeare Congress is in Brisbane, but in today's Courier-Mail academic John Henningham complains about the lack of "big-ticket" Shakespeare plays to see. He points out that our major professional theatre companies, La Boite and the Queensland Theatre Company, haven't bothered with the Bard in years.
The congress website lists what is on:
* Bell Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
* Expressions Dance Company: Virtually Richard3
* Fairbanks Shakespeare Theatre: Henry V
* Harvest Rain: The Works of William Shakespeare (by chicks)
* The Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble: Shakespeare's Briefs, or Let's Kill All the Lawyers

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but Oprah Winfrey and her best friend Gayle King say they are not gay. I'm glad they've brought that out into the open...

Podcasting and MP3 players are having a minimal impact on broadcast radio in Australia. At least that's according to a survey released by Commercial Radio Australia, the organisation that represents the interests of boradcasters. The Neilsen Media Research survey found that only 16 per cent of Australians aged 14-plus own an MP3 player, with less than a quarter of owners saying they have ever downloaded a podcast. In contrast, 39 per cent of survey respondents say they listen to six or more hours of commercial radio per week.
[Source: Commercial Radio Australia media release dated July 18, 2006]

Crime writer Mickey Spillane has died at age 88. I ws interested to read that the author of 12 hardcore novels featuring Mike Hammer became a Jehovah's Witness in the early 1950s.

I'm not sure whether he's sufficiently famous to be entered into my Celebrity Deaths Archive but I feel I must note the passing of Robert Brooks, the chairman of the Hooters restaurant chain. According to the BBC, Hooters features scantily clad waitresses and has the slogan: "Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined". Brooks was 69.

Channel 9 held a function tonight for the cast of The Footy Show, headed by Paul "Fatty" Vautin. Among the attendees were local media identities David "Luttsy" Lutteral from Nova 106.9 and the exotic Bruno Bouchet from 4BC. I was also there - and here are the pictures to prove it:

I also have another video of Christopher "Kip" Wightman to post, but that may have to wait for a few days while I edit it.

If you want to see the Alan Jones video that's doing the rounds, it's here.
[Warning: saucy language.]