Did you all enjoy George Clooney in the Norwegian bank commercial? Then how about some ‘House of Häagen-Dazs’ + Bradley Cooper?
I know celebrities have been shilling brands abroad for years (see Clooney, above, or any of the big names doing ads in Japan). But is it going to become more of a thing in the U.S.? Will we be able to look forward to cheeky ads starring Robert Downey, Jr.? One can only hope. Do you have a favorite celebrity ad?
Filed under recommendations
I’m a goblin handmaiden! I’m a goblin handmaiden!
How many people can say that?
On Midwinter’s Eve, a ballroom in Melbourne will be transformed into an interactive masquerade ball. Goblins and faeries will mingle with masked guests, a murder mystery will unfold, spells will be cast, hexes will be blocked, and snow will fall from the ceiling. And I’ll be right in the midst of it, playing one of the characters.
This all came about thanks to the magic of Facebook, where I saw a friend post about The Goblin Ball, which a pal of hers is putting on. A pitch to my editor later, I was interviewing the creator, Dan, for a feature article for Time Out Melbourne. I then ended up being asked to be one of the actors on the night.
I’m playing the part of Quiver, a member of the royal court:
Quiver: Part Goblin and Part Fey, she is the Handmaiden to the Ice Queen. Proud of her royal duties, she rarely mingles with common Goblins. Quiver has aspirations larger than the land itself. Quiver holds a gift for each of the visitors from the Ice Queen herself.
Read my article for Time Out Melbourne and see if you can be convinced to come. It sounds like one enchanting evening, doesn’t it?
As for me, I can’t wait to get my makeup done by the professional special effects company, put on my costume, and start taking shiny bribes from people who want an audience with the Ice Queen…
THE GOBLIN BALL
Saturday 22 June, 7pm
The Regal Ballroom, 216 High St Northcote VIC 3070
Tickets
Who’s craving some Downton Abbey? You? Yeah? Want it as a musical?
It’s by 54 Below, which is a luxe NYC nightclub that puts on cabarets by Broadway stars — this time, featuring songs about Downton. (Oh, and the guy narrating? Not actually series creator Julian Fellowes, but rather Whose Line is It Anyway star Colin Mochrie.)
Bonus Downton spoof: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon‘s ongoing “Downton Sixbey” series (four episodes and counting):
Which spoof do you prefer? Me, I would pay good money to see Downton as a full musical. Get on it, someone!
Filed under recommendations
It’s always neat to know that you live in the best place in the world. Think I’m kidding?
Look at it this way: Melbourne is the most-livable city in the world.
Fitzroy, where I live, is the best neighborhood in that city.
Ergo, I live in the best place on the planet.
Okay, okay — so this article about Melbourne in Travel + Leisure magazine actually says that it’s one of “two must-visit neighborhoods” — the other being the CBD (Central Business District in Antiopodean parlance, aka downtown). But who wants to live in the CBD? Exactly.
Let’s take a look at the article. First off, their opening paragraph claiming you can “ride the public tramway next to longtime resident Geoffrey Rush, absorbed in his latest script”? Not so much. At least, I’ve never heard of a single person running into him on the tram.
The rest of it, though? I’m happy to report that it’s not only about my neighborhood, it’s about the street I live one block from. Here are the places they mention:
There’s nothing better than seeing a worldwide publication single out your street as one of the best things about your city. So while I’m patting myself on the back for living somewhere so great, I hope you’ll be planning a visit so we can explore all of these places. I think a cocktail at Cutler & Co. is in order to celebrate living in Fitzroy, don’t you?
Filed under Australia
An Australian-based podcast focused on storytelling? That’s something I can get behind!
I’ve been going to storytelling nights around Melbourne ever since I researched an article about them for Time Out Melbourne last year. One of the benefits (aside from getting out of my comfort zone by telling stories on stage) was that I became friends with some of the people who run the nights.
Now Jon Bennett and Cathy Culliver, who run the monthly/fortnightly Willow Tales and Bazaar Tales, have a new podcast sharing some of these tales. Cock & Bull‘s tagline is “Three stories, one theme.” In the tradition of The Moth, they select several stories told live on stage, letting everyone in on the storytelling action. They were even selected for Time Out‘s Top 10 Melbourne Podcasts (written by a familiar name, non?).
To keep their just-launched podcast going, they’re running a campaign on Pozible. You may have heard of Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, or one of the myriad of crowd-funded websites. For your donations, which are only processed once the target has been reached. It’s only 6% funded, with 16 days to go. I know I just asked you to pledge money to Mindful in May, but here I am, asking you to do it again. The difference with this one is you’ll get presents!
And find out where Jon Bennett is performing around the world (Orlando, Montreal, and Edinburgh are all upcoming venues).
In the meantime, make sure to subscribe to Cock&Bull on iTunes. You never know — you might just hear my voice on it someday!
Love him or didn’t-vote-for-him-either-time, you’ll have to admit this video — shown at the recent White House Correspondents’ Dinner — is quite a funny one:
The glimpse of a shirtless Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye in Last of the Mohicans doesn’t hurt, either.
Did you know that my home state of Illinois has given the U.S. FOUR Presidents? Lincoln, U.S. Grant, Reagan, Obama were all either born in, or elected from,good ol’ Illinois. Not a bad track record, all told.
Filed under recommendations
When my doctor told me I should start meditating, I felt I had to listen. Here he was, a middle-aged Australian physician working at a public hospital, looking as conservative as could be. When I told him I had a fast heartbeat, he said I could either do tons of exercise — or practice yoga and meditation. “I haven’t ever meditated,” I told him, glancing over the times I’d done guided meditations, or that one time I spent on the floor of a stranger’s house in a paroxysm of laughter. (Yup, it was a laughter meditation session.) “What do you mean, you don’t meditate?” he asked, incredulous. It was his look, disapproving yet encouraging, that made me want to try it.
And what better excuse to start than with a meditation campaign a friend of mine is running throughout the month of May? That’s right — the stars could not have aligned better.
Called Mindful in May, its mission is to simultaneously get people to stop, pause, and meditate for ten minutes a day — all the while raising funds to build wells in impoverished nations.
I was lucky enough to interview Elise for Time Out Melbourne. Check out my article by clicking on the photo:
In a nutshell, here’s what it’s all about:
According to [Dr. Elise] Bialylew, MIM focuses on innovation (“it’s combining meditation and philanthropy” that benefits the charity charity: water), attention (“just like going to the gym and training your muscles, it’s training your mind to be more fit”), and contribution (“donate whatever you feel and spread your mindfulness ripple throughout the world”). Since being launched last year it’s reached 12 countries and amassed $30,000 of donations.
What does this mean for my foray into the world of meditation? Well, I think I can commit to ten minutes a day for a month — plus the daily emails with prompts are going to help. Having a community of people is going to be good, too: there are already 1,500 people signed up around the globe, with a whopping $45,000 $57,000 raised. And today’s only the first day of the program! I’m fortunate that I’m not going it alone — my friends Chris and Alex, both in Melbourne, are on my team. Because I haven’t done anything like this before — I’ve never run a race for charity, I’ve certainly never solicited funds for giving up alcohol for a month, as some of you creatures have done — this is going to be an interesting journey, one that I hope you’ll help me complete.
So yeah. You. Remember that time I donated to your cause? It’s about time you helped me out! DONATE TO MY TEAM HERE!
(Any of you are free to join my team as well if you, too, want to meditate to change the world. Registrations are open until 10pm on May 4th.)
And with that, I’m off to do my first meditation of the month. I’ll keep you updated on Twitter and Facebook of my, and my team’s, progress!
