One question, Eurovision. Why so serious? All these years, you’ve been so gloriously chintzy, with your sappy songs and your wind machines and your over-the-top costumes and your out-of-step dancers and your quest to corner the world sequins market. But this year, there was a distinct lack of cheese. The homage to fromage was notably…
Category: Not sport
The Oscars: a game of peek-a-boob
The most gratifying thing about the Oscars is that no matter how rich or famous or good looking a person might be, or how many hot and cold running stylists and designers they have at their beck and call, they can still stuff up royally on the red carpet. Exhibit A. Heidi Klum. A model….
Do you have Christmas brain?
Reader’s request Last week I turned up at a Christmas party. There was no one there. Not because it was a dud party but because I was a day early. The thing is, I knew about a hundred metres from the venue that I’d be turning up to an empty room. In that pre-party calm…
Turning 50
I reached my half century yesterday. I’ll admit it hasn’t been the most technically brilliant innings. It’s had a bit of the Glenn Maxwells about it — a lot of air swings and inside out shots while going for the big hits. It has on occasion lacked discipline, like a young Dave Warner; elegance, like…
Put out your onions
It’s shaping as your average Monday. A quiet start to the week and, in the evening, a high-fibre diet of televisual roughage served by the ABC. In walks the Communications Minister, fittingly, to shake up the schedule. Except he’s not the Communications Minister any more. He’s challenging the Prime Minister for his job. With that…
Reader’s request: The Trump Show
I know what you’re thinking. This is a sports blog. So why am I getting into the murky waters of the Republican presidential nomination? A few reasons. A reader asked me to and I’m very obliging. Plus, the Don is not without his sporting connections. And try telling any writer with an eye for humour…
Australia rocks the Eurovision stage
Back in February, when it was announced Australia would make its Eurovision debut, even I didn’t fancy our chances. Not that we weren’t good enough or couldn’t bling it. This is after all the land of Peter Allen, Dame Edna Everage, Kylie Minogue and Baz Luhrmann. We know our way around a sequin. But, not…
In search of the Anzac spirit
My patchwork travels have taken me to several places writ large by war. Gallipoli, a place of surprising beauty which, like much of the Turkish coastline, would probably have been a tourist resort were it not for the horrors of a century ago that deem it sacred turf. Kokoda, eleven days of hell. Let’s just…
kazblah 