TV talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres to fly Aussies to LA

Ellen DeGeneres fans wait on the steps of the Sydney Opera House. Picture: Bill Hearne Source: The Daily Telegraph

 

Leigh van den Broeke, Holly Byrnes and Ian Walker, The Daily Telegraph, report

If the early bird catches the worm two of these fans are a good chance of jet-setting off to Los Angeles for The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Dozens of Ellen fans massed on the steps of the Sydney Opera House overnight after the talk show host announced two lucky people will win a free trip to see her show in the US.

In typical Ellen fashion, there was plenty of singing and dancing to pass the time until the winners are announced during a live cross about 10am this morning.

"There was nobody here when I first got here (at 5pm yesterday),'' Christian Burke, 22, from Liverpool said. "I thought I was the only idiot, (however) some people started showing up about 10.30pm.''

Mr Burke rushed to the Opera House after a job interview, but if he's not lucky enough to win a ticket to LA he has a plan to introduce Ellen to some culture Down Under.

"I've started a Facebook page for an Aussie Backyard Barbecue for Ellen DeGeneres,'' he said. "If she won't give me tickets to her show she can at least come around for a barbecue.''

DeGeneres is set to go one better than former TV rival Oprah Winfrey's Australian adventure - by today surprising two lucky Australian fans with a free trip back to see her US chat show.

"(Tuesday's) a big day, Australia. If you're near the Sydney Opera House you may wanna pack a bag and get your passport ready. Seriously," she teased her Twitter followers.

Upping the stakes, ahead of nte Ahead of her first visit to the birth country of her wife, Portia De Rossi, DeGeneres teased her Twitter followers with the prize.

She urged local fans to bring their passports and luggage to a live cross with her producers from the Opera House.

About a dozen Ellen show crew flew into Melbourne on Saturday night, then on to Sydney on Sunday, after a day in Melbourne, to begin scouting for locations for the host's Oz odyssey.

The producers and the show's "street reporter" Jeannie yesterday toured Circular Quay, took a Sydney BridgeClimb and enjoyed lunch at Cafe Sydney before settling on the upper level of the Opera House for today's 11am live cross.

The "surprise" will see two fans join the production crew on their flight home to Hollywood the same day, with co-sponsor Qantas helping to fast-track any visa requirements with the help of immigration officials.

DeGeneres later added last night on Twitter: "Before I go Down Under, someone in Sydney's gonna have a chance to come up over. I hope you're free tomorrow at 9:30am." Ellen tweeted.

The TV trek is part of the US market launch of Australian wellness company, Swisse, with global brand ambassador Nicole Kidman helping announce the special giveaway to studio guests during a taping earlier this month.

Each of the 400 audience members won holidays to Australia which they can choose to take at their leisure or when DeGeneres visits.

The popular presenter and her Melbourne-born actor wife Portia are expected in Australia from March 17, when DeGeneres says they will "do tape pieces and meet the fans and hang out."

NSW tourism officials are also hoping to capitalise on the opportunity to promote local destinations to the show's international audience.

Local fans keen to try their luck during the live cross are advised to be at the western boardwalk of the Opera House no later than 10am today.

Eleanor Harrison, 30, from Quakers Hill will be armed with a packed suitcase and her passport.

She said she was devoted to the show since becoming a stay-at-home mum.

"I love her. Her show makes me laugh and smile every day and it keeps me sane with three toddlers," Eleanor said.

"It would be life changing if I won, it would be amazing."

Getting into the spirit of things, Ellen fans did The Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph's Down Under Dance on top of one of the most iconic Aussie landmarks - the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Sydney BridgeClimb staff, clad in blonde wigs, and celebrity choreographer Adam Williams showed off the exclusive dance designed for boogie-loving Ellen for when she arrives in Australia.

Organised by the Sunday Telegraph and put together by choreographer to the stars Adam Williams, the dance includes moves that mimic boxing kangaroos and walking on hot sand at Bondi beach.

"We dived right in and did our best moves on top of The Bridge and it was so much fun. The wind was ideal for the Ellen hair," Williams said.

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary staff have been filmed doing the dance underwater while TV host Kerri-Anne Kennerley turned out with a troupe of 150 young dancers and celebrities like Justice Crew to urge Ellen to do the Down Under Dance, especially created for her.

The episode featuring the Sydney cross is expected to air locally on Channel 9 and Foxtel tomorrow.

The Symphony and the Siren

Garrett Bithell, SX, reports

Celebrated songstress Tina Arena makes a triumphant return to the Australian stage performing with the Sydney Symphony. She speaks to Garrett Bithell.

A woman in possession of a voice that can raise the roof, buttressed by a symphony orchestra at full throttle, is an awesome experience. Hence when one of the original darlings of the Australian music industry, Tina Arena, teams up with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for a run of concerts at the Opera House, the demand is overwhelming.

“It’s so lavish,” Arena tells SX. “It’s like getting behind the wheel of a Ferrari. It’s really beautiful watching those charts come alive with the orchestra playing, and you’re hearing an oboe or a French horn or the timpani drums popping out of somewhere – it’s an absolute pleasure.”

Last year saw Arena experience a major case of déjà vu when she was a judge on the second-coming of seminal television show Young Talent Time, which launched her career in the 1980s. “I experienced all sorts of emotions,” she says. “Seeing those kids on stage and understanding how they’re feeling – the flashbacks I had were pretty surreal. But the great thing was being overcome by the beauty I saw in their innocence – it’s terrific when you’re surrounded by non-calculation.”

As Arena tells, watching the fresh batch of contestants on Young Talent Time reminded her of how naive she was during her time on the show all those years ago. “If I could go back in time and give that young Tina some advice, I would say ‘be aware that not everyone sees things the way that you see them’. I was a little too idealistic. I didn’t have enough discernment to judge characters or understand who was there for the right reasons.”

After her time on Young Talent Time, Arena relocated to America, and eventually released her debut album, the disco-heavy Strong As Steel. But it wasn’t until her sophomore album Don’t Ask dropped in 1993 until she hit the big time with ‘Chains’. Since then, she has released a further 10 studio albums and sold over 4.5 million units in the process.

But Arena’s French success is particularly unique, having sold over one million albums in France alone, including two chart-topping albums in French language. She has lived in Paris since 2008 and is one of the few Australians to be awarded the ‘Order du Merit’ for her outstanding contribution to French culture. “To say I was shocked would be an absolute understatement,” Arena laughs. “It was a special evening and the Minister for Culture, Frédéric Mitterrand, is an absolute champ!”

In 2009, Arena took to the stage at the Mardi Gras Party alongside Alison Jiear. “The Mardi Gras gigs are definitely some of the highlights of my career,” she says. “The support of the gay community has been a fundamental cog in my wheel, and without that cog, the wheel would have been unbalanced. I’ve always had such a great time in that environment and always feel a great deal of love and support.”

Tina Arena performs at the Sydney Opera House 13 – 16 June, www.sydneyoperahouse.com

Opera 'bad boy' Alfie Boe to play with Olivia Newton-John at Sydney Opera House

Alfie Boe is looking forward to catching up and performing with Olivia Newton John at the Sydney Opera House. Picture: John Fotiadis Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

If anyone is a walking example of the repercussions of speaking your mind to the media, it's Alfie Boe.

The opera singer caused classical music aficionados to recoil in horror last year when he remarked to Desert Island Discs on the UK's Radio 4 that he found opera "boring" and never went to see it.

"Boe bites the hand that feeds him!" screamed The Independent. "Should Alfie Boe be knocking the business that made him?" asked the UK's The Daily Telegraph.

Overnight, the softly spoken tenor from Lancashire became opera's Bad Boy, a moniker that, much to Boe's amusement, has stuck.

"I've always been a bit different than your run-of-the-mill opera singer, but being bad? Yeah, that was new," he jokes, pulling an uncomfortable face before bursting into laughter.

Despite having flown long-haul to Sydney a mere 16 hours ago, Boe is in fine spirits, joking with the photographer and mock-covering his face when a magpie swoops dangerously low to his head ("I was dive-bombed by a bat last night," he says. "It got so close to me I could see its horrible little red eyes and smell its breath").

Even Olivia Newton-John - the reason for his visit to Australia (they are performing with the Sydney Symphony over three nights this week) - isn't spared a gag.

"I'm going to give her my room key and just say, 'You know, if you're feeling bored or something like that, come up to my room and we'll see what kind of duet we can come up with!' " he says with a grin.

It seems Boe has waggish repartee for every question shot his way except, unsurprisingly, his Radio 4 confession. Doesn't he find it a bit odd - a classically trained opera singer professing a disinterest in his profession?

"I'm an opera singer and I trained as an opera singer and, yes, I find watching opera boring," he says frankly.

"I love performing opera and I love listening to it at home but watching a production drives me crazy. I get so bored."

Despite this (or perhaps because of it?) Boe, whose first leading role was in Baz Luhrmann's Broadway adaptation of La Boheme 10 years ago, has never been more in demand.

His second studio album Alfie just went platinum, he's singing with Sir Elton John and Sir Paul McCartney at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in London in June, and he has a cult following on YouTube, thanks to a series of homemade videos he and mate Matt Lucas (of Little Britain fame) posted of themselves singing to musical soundtracks in Lucas' kitchen.

"He's got this amazing voice, which no one really knows about,"Boe says.

"I lived with him for a while, so I got to know him really well and he's just like part of the family now."

Olivia Newton-John And The Sydney Symphony, Sydney Opera House; March 1-3, 8pm, $35-$149, 9250 7777, sydneyoperahouse.com

Romantic reunion of a kind on stage for Olivia

Before heading to Sydney for the Opera House concerts, Olivia will be performing in Perth and Melbourne. Seats for the Sydney shows are available on the Sydney Symphony website (banner above).

Suzanne Carbone, The Age, reports

Olivia Newton-John has several reasons to be counting down the days to her performances with the Melbourne Pops Orchestra at the Regent Theatre.

Singing her favourite songs during the A Summer Night concerts is one reason and the other is having Daryl Braithwaite as her special guest. The two used to be classmates at Christ Church Grammar School in South Yarra and sang in the choir together.

''He was a sweet boy then and he's a lovely man now,'' Newton-John said. ''I get to sing a lot of my songs through the ages. I'm really excited because he's a great singer.''

The way Braithwaite remembers it, they may have held hands for a second and he recalled the childhood crush in his Melbourne Life column last November.

What a thrill it would be if the duo sang the Grease hit Summer Nights to relive their school days.

Otherwise, Newton-John has a packed catalogue of songs to choose from: Hopelessly Devoted to You, I Honestly Love You, Have You Never Been Mellow?, Let It Shine, Xanadu, Magic and Physical.

The Grease star, who revived her movie career in the Australian A Few Best Men and features on the soundtrack, is happily married to John Easterling and after her fight with breast cancer in 1992, she's fighting fit.

One day in winter will also be momentous for the singer because her long-awaited Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre will be opened by Austin Health in July.

''It will be a wonderful place of healing,'' she said.

Olivia Newton-John performs A Summer Night with the Melbourne Pops Orchestra at the Regent Theatre on Monday and Tuesday at 8pm

Opera House likely to get Heritage nod

 

The Sydney Opera House – World Heritage site and popular movie location

Peter Lewis, ABC News, reports

The Sydney Opera House looks likely to obtain World Heritage listing this week when international delegates meet in Christchurch, New Zealand, to consider adding it to the register of sites.

There has been a sea change in attitudes towards World Heritage listing since the battles in the 1980s over the Tasmanian wilderness and Queensland's wet tropics.

They are now among Australia's 16 sites of natural and cultural significance.

Also on the list - the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, the Blue Mountains and Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building.

UNESCO's director of World Heritage Francesco Bandarin says this week the 21-country committee will hear 45 proposals for listing alongside 830 sites including the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal and Mt Everest.

He rates Sydney's Opera House a strong chance, calling it an icon of world architecture.

The Sydney Opera House has appeared in several movies and television shows. 

In the Cheryl Ladd television movie Now and Forever (1983), Ian Clarke (Robert Coleby) is having lunch at a café next to the Sydney Opera House when he is befriended by a woman who buys him a drink. Little does he know about Margaret Burton’s (Christine Amor) past and the trap she is luring him into. 

The iconic building was also featured in Panic at Rock Island (2011), The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), Mission Impossible 2 (2000), Looking for Alibrandi (2000), One Night Stand (1984), and Starstruck (1982). More recently, the Opera House forecourt hosted the taping of Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure (2011).

Newly named Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards announces nominees for 2012

Josh Lucas and Rachael Taylor in Australian film Red Dog. Picture: Source: AdelaideNow

 

 

Holly Byrnes, The Herald Sun, reports

IT'S the Hunter versus a Storm, a Red Dog, a Mad Bastard and a few serial killers.

Throw in some Oranges and Sunshine and you've got the finalists for best film at the inaugural Samsung Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards, announced in Sydney today.

Nominations for the gongs, previously known as the AFI Awards, confirmed six films will contest the key category.

The Hunter, the debut feature from director Daniel Nettheim, was the standout ceasing 14 nominations and going head-to-head with veteran Fred Schepisi's adaptation of Patrick White's The Eye Of The Storm.

Completing the best film nominees are: Mad Bastards, Oranges and Sunshine, Red Dog and Snowtown.

In a sign of the industry's depth and strength this year, nominations were spread across 14 feature films, 14 documentaries, four short animations, six short fiction films and 23 television productions.

The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Sydney Opera House on January 31.

Janet Jackson cancels tonight's Sydney Opera House concert an hour before show

Kathy McCabe, The Daily Telegraph, reports 

JANET Jackson fans got a rude shock when they turned up to her Sydney Opera House show tonight to find she had cancelled the performance just an hour before she was due on stage.

A short statement issued by Janet Jackson’s Australian promoter pulled the gig at 7.30pm.

Jackson interrupted her “Up Close And Personal” tour of Australia last week to return to America for the trial of her brother Michael’s doctor Conrad Murray.

She returned to perform one concert in Melbourne which squeezed three planned shows into a not-so-intimate and shortened one night stand at Rod Laver Arena.

Fans who had paid more than $300 were left disappointed by her late arrival and truncated performance.

Jackson lobbed in Sydney on Friday for her opening Opera House show on Saturday.

But fans who turned up to tonight’s show, many of whom had organised babysitters and travelled into the city to find out they had arrived at a non-event, were told their concert would not be rescheduled.

"Doctors have ordered Miss Jackson to undertake vocal rest for the next 2 days, so she can complete the 3rd and final show of her Australian tour, this Tuesday night at the Sydney Opera House," the statement read.

Fans will receive a full refund via the box office at the Sydney Opera House, 9250 7777.

Olivia Newton-John heads back to the Sydney Opera House in March 2012

Great news for Aussie Olivia Newton-John fans… ONJ is scheduled to perform two concerts at the Sydney Opera House in March 2012. An after party will be held after her show on Thursday 1 March. See below for details!

 

For more information, go to http://www.sydneysymphony.com/seasons/2012/productions/3562-Olivia-Newton-John/details/