The 2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival – Poster Artwork

Fifty Foot Female by Linh









Throughout mythology, literature and films there have been numerous gendered monsters, from the masculine monsters like Dracula and King Kong to the fearsome females such as Medusa and the Wicked Witch of the West (from The Wizard of Oz). Another thought would be that monsters do not have genders but exhibit various characteristics stereotypical of either male or female.

It is with some curiosity that the 10th Adelaide Cabaret Festival poster features Mitzi in a parody of the character Nancy from the film Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman. The poster of the original 1958 film shows Nancy holding a car which may signify an overpowering or threat to male supremacy, but the Adelaide Cabaret Festival is more explicit with an actual man being held. A clever alteration to the artwork is the inclusion of the Adelaide Festival Centre, over which Mitzi stands in all her glory.

The main difference could be the message conveyed between the two posters. In the film poster for Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, Nancy looks like she is on an angry rampage in the heart of the city, and according to the film’s story line, Nancy is seeking revenge on her cheating husband and the authorities (all male) who have falsely claimed she is mentally unstable.

The 2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival poster shows Mitzi as more of a gigantic spectacle than a threat, who is hard to ignore and pleasing to the eye. This could reflect the Adelaide Cabaret Festival’s image as a fantastic event that must not be missed and is the biggest thing in town.

The 2010 Adelaide Cabaret Festival

Fab Cab Fest by Linh

This year marks ten years of fabulous cabaret and musical theatre fun and entertainment for the Festive State (South Australia). Artistic Director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, David Campbell has again delivered the musical goods to attract some of the best and brightest talents to Adelaide. The gorgeous Natalie Cole, effervescent Caroline O’Connor, superb tenor David Hobson and zany comic pianist Mark Nadler are among the 250 artists, playing over 120 performances across 16 days.

All performers come from a range of musical backgrounds and experiences, yet they are all equally exciting and excellent. This year there are more local talent, after some criticism about last year’s internationally-renowned stars edging out local musicians.
Of course, David Campbell cannot take all the credit for organising the world’s biggest cabaret event, with hundreds of volunteers and Festival Centre staff putting in the long hours to make the 10th Adelaide Cabaret Festival the best yet.

2010 Tasting Australia; Feast For The Senses in Adelaide, Sunday 2 May (Part Two)

The coveted Pasta Challenge Trophy. Image:Linh.

One of the events I attended at the 2010 Tasting Australia: Feast For The Senses, was the San Remo Pasta Challenge Celebrity Cook-Off hosted by the two Michaels – television personalities, Michael Angelakis and Michael Keelan from Channel Nine’s Out of the Blue programme.

The judges were Adelaide’s own chef extraordinaire Dorinda Hafner, Adam Swanson, who is the Executive Chef of Zucca Greek Mezze in Holdfast Shores and first-time international visitor, Rosemary Shrager, presenter of the hit UK television series Ladette to Lady and Rosemary Shrager's School for Cooks.
The brave contenders for the San Remo Pasta Celebrity Cook-off were 891 ABC Adelaide radio personality Carole Whitelock, Netball star of the Adelaide Thunderbirds Natalie von Bertouch, The Advertiser Newspaper’s Antimo Ianella and Melissa Rowland, also from the Thunderbirds.



Team One are Antimo Ianella and Melissa Rowland. Image:Linh.





Team Two are Natalie von Bertouch and Carole Whitelock. Image:Linh.


A large screen erected along the riverbank, displayed all the action and close-ups of the food, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of the celebrity cooks as they battled it out for culinary supremacy.
The hosts, Michael Angelakis and Michael Keelan, exchanged playful banter as they weaved in, out and around the challengers who concentrated hard and worked fast to finish their pasta dishes. The crowds watched, chatted and cheered on the cooks as the judges offered them some handy advice.

As Rosemary Shrager counted down the final seconds, the cooks scrambled to plate-up their pasta dishes for the judges to taste. I was barracking for Ant and Mel, but I noticed their dish didn’t look as delectable as Carole and Natalie’s pasta dish. Being the fickle type, I quickly changed my preferences to Carole and Natalie.
The judges, Dorinda, Adam and Rosemary, were in consensus that both teams failed to add enough seasoning to their pasta dishes to enhance flavour. Dorinda gave a valuable tip on seasoning the meat in advance before cooking. After much deliberation, the judges came to their decision.


The judges Dorinda Hafner, Adam Swanson and Rosemary Shrager dish up the pasta for the taste test. Image:Linh.



Rosemary Shrager gives Natalie von Bertouch and Carole Whitelock her assessment on their pasta dish. Image:Linh.




Dorinda Hafner gives Antimo Ianella and Melissa a few comments on their pasta dish. Image:Linh.


The winners were…..
Carole Whitelock and Natalie von Bertouch.
Carole and Natalie each received a fabulous Pasta Challenge trophy, before Antimo and Melissa were presented with cool Pasta Makers.

Winners Announcement. Video:chameleonfun.



The San Remo Pasta Challenge Celebrity Cook-Off was an exciting and fun event for all the family. I will definitely return next time to see who is daring enough to take on the next Pasta Challenge and who the judges will be to crown the next pasta dish victors.

2010 Tasting Australia runs from 29 April to 6 May at various venues across Australia.

2010 Tasting Australia; Feast For The Senses in Adelaide, Sunday 2 May (Part One)

For a weekend, Adelaide turned from the City of Churches into the hub of fantastic Australian food and wines. Adelaideans, interstate visitors and tourists flocked to the banks of the River Torrens in Elder Park to indulge in the best food, wines, family entertainment, cooking demonstrations and a celebrity Pasta Cook-Off presented by San Remo.

Celebrity guest chefs, television and radio personalities participated in various culinary challenges as audiences cheered them encouragingly. All of the other events were free, with some sessions requiring registration to attend, as seats are limited.
I was avoiding most of the wine stalls (as I don’t drink alcohol), but hovered like a moth to a candle around the food outlets where delicious aromas wafted in the air while mouth-watering plates of food were served.

My first dish was double Samosas with a garlic naan and mint sauce, an entrée from Harvest of India. The naan bread was light and not too fluffy, with a smooth texture on the palate. The naan did not go soggy when dipped into the mint sauce, and the sauce was not too runny, and it had a delicate minty sweetness.




The Samosas were larger than most served in restaurants, and had more filling. The outer crust was a golden brown colour, crispy and not too dry. The filling (vegetarian) was still hot, tasted and smelt divine.





Forty minutes later, I was lining up for my mains, a Prawn Plate, at the very popular Oysters and Seafood stall. The Prawn Plate consisted of five shelled prawns, potato wedges with Mango Honey and Sweet Chilli sauce. Other choices of sauces included garlic butter or sweet chilli sauce. The prawns were small, but succulently splendid. The wedges were lightly fried and tasted fine, but were superb if dipped into the Mango Honey and Sweet Chilli sauce.







As I ate, I watched the elegant black swans glide gracefully along on the River Torrens, passing onlookers and paddle-boats. Their black feathers gleamed in the sunshine as they dipped their red beaks in and out of the water.













Over an hour later, I made a beeline to Cocolat for my dessert – the most expensive on the menu. The Choc Waffles with Gelati and marshmallows was the most appetising item compared to the myriad of gelati, waffles and hot chocolate drinks. I chose the Ferrero Rocher Gelati to accompany my chocolate waffle and a few large fluffy marshmallows on the side. Final verdict: heavenly and all kinds of awesome.




2010 Tasting Australia runs from 29 April to 6 May at various venues across Australia.

2010 Adelaide Fringe Festival; Peter Helliar's Dreamboat Tour

Image: Token Artists.

Don’t be fooled by the title of Peter Helliar’s new stand up comedy show. There aren’t any nautical jokes or boating gags, but you can expect plenty of laughs.
Peter Helliar is best known for his ‘supporting’ role on rove. alongside Rove McManus for ten years, and has also worked in radio. He has recently completed writing, producing and starring in a romantic comedy film entitled I Love You Too which screens in Australia in May.

The Dreamboat Tour is Peter Helliar’s most personal show so far, and he has based it mostly on his memorably funnier moments with his family members. He speaks of hilarious, frustrating times such as trying to understand his lovely wife and how his inquisitive and gifted son appears more mature compared to Peter’s child-like nature.

He jokes about being a government supervisor on the lottery draws for Channel Seven, draws laughter from the audience when he uses performance techniques to enact some of his funniest experiences when trying to enjoy some down-time with mates.
During the show, Peter Helliar laments over the difference between a tea towel and a cloth, plugs his upcoming film by involving a few audience members, observes the delights of making, receiving and drinking a “cuppa”.

Peter Helliar’s Dreamboat Tour is a fantastically funny and riotously refreshing show with insights of a family man’s perspective on marriage, child-rearing and finding some time to see the blockbuster 3D film Avatar. It’s a genuinely laugh-out-loud hour of stand-up, theatrics and audience involvement from one of Australia’s best comedians.

Peter Helliar’s Dreamboat Tour runs from 22 – 28 February, in The Spiegeltent at The Garden Of Unearthly Delights.

Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2009

Last night, the 2009 Adelaide Cabaret Festival began with an impressive line-up of talent from Australia and overseas, showcasing some of their vocal vigour and comedic flair; with funnygirl Julia Morris, impressionist Steven Brinberg as Barbra Streisand and Adelaidean Hugh Sheridan from top rating TV series Packed To The Rafters, on stage to launch the night’s festivities.

The red carpet was rolled out as the celebrities rolled up; including Foxtel presenter Antonia Kidman (younger sister of Oscar winner Nicole Kidman) and comedienne and actress Magda Szubanski. Magda will be appearing in the new Aussie musical film Bran Nue Dae alongside Geoffrey Rush, Ernie Dingo and Australian Idol runner up Jessica Mauboy, which will screen at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August.

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival has undergone a few changes in 2009, and it's all the more exciting for audiences and performers.

Firstly, we say a fond farewell to former Adelaide Cabaret Festival director Julia Holt and welcome new (but local and loved) successor David Campbell – son of Adelaide’s own Jimmy Barnes (of rock band Cold Chisel).


CIAO MEOW: Cabaret Cat image at the 2005 Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Image: Flickr.



Secondly, we say goodbye to the cool cabaret cats after nine wonderful years (it’s said cats have nine lives?) and introduce a stunning redhead (who bears a remarkable resemblance to Hollywood actress Rita Hayworth) as the new face of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.


CABARET CHARM: The new face of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival for 2009.
Image: www.adelaidefestivalcentre.com.au



RAVISHING REDHEAD: Actress Rita Hayworth.
Image: http://www.allstarpics.net/pic-gallery/rita-hayworth-pics.htm


It’s sure to be another successful cabaret festival for Adelaide and there’s definitely something for everyone’s musical and comedy taste, including blues, soul, jazz, musical theatre, pop and rock.

WALL·E (2008); animated family film

PIXAR'S STARS: WALL·E (voiced by Ben Burtt) and EVE (Elissa Knight) in the film WALL·E.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar.

A Robotic Romantic by Linh

WALL•E is the latest animated film from Pixar, bringing together the creative team of animators and producers who were responsible for the animated hit films Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.

Set seven hundred years into the future, WALL•E is simply a love story about a lonely robotic garbologist named WALL•E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth Class) who has been left on Earth to clean up the rubbish left behind by humans. Everyone has relocated to a giant luxury spaceship called Axiom because Earth can no longer sustain life. When WALL•E meets EVE (who is on a mission to find evidence of life on Earth) he is immediately smitten and attempts to win her love. As EVE is taken to the spaceship Axiom, WALL•E believes she is being kidnapped so he attempts to save her.

Andrew Stanton wrote and directed WALL•E based on the concept, "What if mankind had to leave earth, and somebody forgot to turn off the last robot?"
The team behind WALL•E cleverly projects the art of story telling by combining sophisticated visual techniques with audio effects.

The first half of the film contains minimal dialogue and only consists of mechanical noises from WALL•E and his cockroach friend Hal. When WALL•E finds himself onboard the Axiom, we hear human voices from animated humans who look like giant babies sitting all day in hover chairs connected to hologram screens.

Ben Burtt's audio and sound effects wizardry provides the ‘voice’ of WALL•E and another robot named M•O, amongst others. Burtt effectively uses his original mechanical sound recordings to give WALL•E the anthropomorhic touch of human feelings with each vocal inflection and an endearing quality.

The technology used to create WALL•E, and all the other robots is phenomenal. WALL•E has a curious nature and likes collecting unusual and interesting objects amongst the garbage. He has a VHS copy of the musical Hello Dolly, which taught him to sing, dance and hold hands (his way of expressing love). He is solar powered and has twin hydraulic arm shovels. WALL•E's front opens up to gather and then compress rubbish. He also possesses an inbuilt recorder which he uses to record songs from the musical Hello Dolly. WALL•E's eyes are cameras and between them he has a laser. Some of these technical components are used in other ways throughout the film to project human characteristics.

EVE (Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) is voiced by Elissa Knight, and is an advanced probe droid sent to Earth on a scanning mission. EVE is equipped with a laser gun and capable of flight and high speeds. She is determined to complete her task and initially fails to notice her robot Romeo, WALL•E. EVE and WALL•E eventually bond and the more she sees how much WALL•E cares for her, the more she falls for him, ultimately making it her top priority to protect him.

The most adorable and funny little robot is M-O (Microbe-Obliterator). M-O is also a cleaning robot who resides aboard the Axiom. He's programmed to clean items deemed contaminated, and travels around on a single roller equipped with cleaning equipment. M-O befriends WALL•E after he attempts to clean dirt off WALL•E's body.

The only 'real' human who appears in the film is Fred Willlard's character Shelby Forthright, the CEO of Buy N Large, the corporate giant which built WALL•E and the Axiom. Willard gives an impressive and highly animated performance, almost as if he should be a cartoon human like the rest of the people onboard Axiom.

Alien star Sigourney Weaver provides the Computer's voice onboard the Axiom, and is gaining a reputation as the sci-fi siren with her acting credits including Ghost Busters 1 and 2, the Alien movies and the upcoming James Cameron sci-fi thriller Avatar.

Although the stars of the film are the plethora of robots with various functions, the presence of humans gives a gentle reminder of how fragile humanity can be and the importance of caring for the environment. Other underlying issues include consumerism and corporate commercialism.

WALL•E is pure enjoyment for all ages and comes with some food for thought. Few animated films have engaged the imagination and moved the senses as WALL•E, making it exceptional•e extraordinar•e.

THE FINAL FUN-TIER: WALL·E travels into space in the film WALL·E.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar.