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Dazzling looks, memorable moments, and award sweeps: The best of the 2023 Oscars

<p dir="ltr">Actors, producers, and creative souls from all over arrived at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre to strut their sparkle down the 2023 Oscars’ champagne carpet. </p> <p dir="ltr">The event, otherwise known as Hollywood’s night of nights, was always set to break records and draw attention from film fanatics across the globe - hopefully for all the right reasons - with the likes of <em>Everything Everywhere All at Once</em>, <em>Elvis</em>, <em>The Banshees of Inisherin</em>, and <em>Top Gun: Maverick </em>up for Best Picture. </p> <p dir="ltr">In fact, <em>Everything Everywhere All at Once </em>was nominated for 11 awards by itself, with <em>All Quiet on the Western Front</em> and <em>The Banshees of Inisherin </em>following right behind with an astounding nine nominations each. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Everything Everywhere All at Once </em>snagged a staggering seven awards in the end - most notably, the cast and crew secured the top honour of Best Picture for all of their hard work.</p> <p dir="ltr">In the Hollywood comeback of the decade, Best Actor went to Brendan Fraser for his part in<em> The Whale</em>, and Best Actress to the multi-talented Michelle Yeoh for her performance in <em>Everything Everywhere All at Once</em>, who took the opportunity to remind women everywhere that “you are never past your prime”. Michelle also made history with her win as both the first Best Actress nominee and winner to openly identify as Asian. </p> <p dir="ltr">Meanwhile, their supporting award counterparts went to <em>Everything Everywhere All at Once</em>’s Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. </p> <p dir="ltr">There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Ke Huy Quan accepted his award - and made history as the first Vietnam-born actor to ever do so. He began by thanking his 84-year-old mother, who was watching from the comfort of home, saying “my journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. </p> <p dir="ltr">“They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe it’s happening to me - this is the American dream.” </p> <p dir="ltr">Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert snagged Best Director for <em>Everything Everywhere All at Once</em>. And for those with a great appreciation for the songs that make moments come to life, MM Keeravaani and Chandrabose were awarded Best Song for the catchy hit ‘Naatu Naatu’ in <em>RRR</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">The ceremony also saw special guest appearances from <em>The Banshees of Inisherin</em>’s Jenny the Donkey, a fuzzy bear presenter, and appearances from a whole host of stars - as well as an emotional tribute to those Hollywood had lost over the past year, with John Travolta’s emotional words for the late Olivia Newton-John, to whom he remains “hopelessly devoted”. </p> <p dir="ltr">But, of course, the Oscars aren’t only about who goes home with the coveted golden statues, and the stars paraded down the champagne carpet - formerly the red carpet - in typical fashion in a shower of shoulder pads, sparkle, and swagger. </p> <p dir="ltr">Check out 2023’s best dressed and top moments below, and the <a href="https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2023">full list of winners here</a>. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Getty</em></p>

Movies

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Why this man was lucky to ONLY be fined $2300

<p dir="ltr">A man has been slapped with a fine after feeding a wild dingo some biscuits. </p> <p dir="ltr">The 23-year-old was on Fraser Island, about 250km north of Brisbane, and was photographed by a local feeding the dingo - known as wongari in the local Indigenous dialect - back in April. </p> <p dir="ltr">The images were sent to Queensland’s Department of Environment and Sciences (DES) who issued the man a $2,300 fine. </p> <p dir="ltr">“A member of the public told rangers the man was at the front of the vehicle line while he was waiting for the ferry at Hook Point back in April,” DES compliance manager Mike Devery said in a statement.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The person said the man was ‘brazenly’ feeding the wongari, and given his place at the front of the queue, his offending was witnessed by multiple people.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Thankfully, the member of the public was able to take photos of the man as he fed the wongari, and they provided them to rangers.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Mr Devery confirmed that after being questioned, the man admitted to feeding the dingo. </p> <p dir="ltr">“The man told compliance officers that he threw biscuits in the sand to the wongari when he was cleaning out his vehicle.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The man was lucky to be only fined $2,300 as a court can fine a whopping $11,500 for humans feeding the wild animal. </p> <p dir="ltr">With around 400,000 people visiting the island, Mr Devery said the rules were in place to help protect both people and animals. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Queensland Department of Environment and Sciences</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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“A disgrace”: Calls for Fraser Anning to be expelled following “Egg Boy” response

<p><span class="CmCaReT" style="display: none;">�</span></p> <p>In what has been a jam packed week for Fraser Anning, it only continues to build as he faces increasing pressure from all sides.</p> <p>His abrasive comments in the wake of the Christchurch shooting has not just been condemned by Australia’s very own Prime Minister, Scott Morrison and New Zealand’s Jacinda Arden – it has caused fury online as well as internationally.</p> <p>The senator is now facing an unprecedented tide of public backlash that has seen over one million signatures on an online petition to see him kicked out of parliament.</p> <p>The online petition has become the largest in Australian history, far eclipsing the Sydney Opera House horse racing advertising backlash last year. The creator of the appeal has only one demand – to remove Anning from his position in parliament.</p> <p>“Senator Fraser Anning’s views have no place in the government of our democratic and multicultural country,” the petition reads.</p> <p>“Within the bounds of Australian law, we request that he be pushed to resign from his position as Senator, and if appropriate, be investigated by law enforcement agencies for supporting right wing terrorism.”</p> <p>It points to the Queensland politicians’ divisive comments made just moments after the horrific attack which killed 50 Muslim people. His statements lashed against the Christchurch terrorist mass shooting victims on Friday.  </p> <p>“Does anyone still dispute the link between Muslim immigration and violence?” Anning tweeted shortly after 50 innocent Muslims were shot dead in their place of worship.</p> <p>“The real cause of the bloodshed on New Zealand streets today is the immigration program which allowed Muslim fanatics to migrate to New Zealand in the first place,” he said in a later statement.</p> <p>Since then, the extreme far-right politician has seen the public in all its fury, even being ambushed by a 17-year-old Australian boy, Will Connolly – who cracked a raw egg over his head on Saturday.</p> <p>Anning, who was answering media questions at Melbourne airport responded by promptly slapping the teenage boy twice over the head.</p> <p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the senator should be charged.</p> <p>“The full force of the law should be applied to Senator Anning.” he told reporters.</p> <p>Victorian police have since released a statement, explaining Anning “retaliated and struck the teen twice” before Mr Connolly was dragged to the ground by supporters</p> <p>“The incident is being actively investigated by Victoria Police in its entirety,” the statement read.</p> <p>Greens leader Richard Di Natale told <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/greens-want-senator-fraser-anning-expelled/news-story/7268a950f52a3068d2924e5192616ac2" target="_blank">The Australian</a> </em>the party is looking to expel him from federal parliament.</p> <p>“We are exploring all options, including amending section 8 of the Privileges Act to allow members of parliament to be expelled by their fellow MPs.</p> <p>“While politicians should be held responsible for their actions by the voters, in extraordinary circumstances like these where there is a pattern of behaviour that is so far outside acceptable norms, we must be willing to take extraordinary action to protect the community.”</p> <p>New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden has also publicly condemned Anning.</p> <p>When asked by a journalist what she thought of the comments the politician made, she replied: “They’re a disgrace.”</p> <p>A GoFundMe page set up to raise AUD$2000 to pay for Mr Connolly’s “legal fees” and “more eggs” has exceeded over AUD$25,000 on Sunday.</p> <p>The site says most of the money will go to the victims of Christchurch mass shooting.</p> <p>After being released from police custody due to slamming a raw egg onto the head of Anning, the teen urged viewers to not follow in his lead.</p> <p>“Don’t egg politicians. You get tackled by 30 bogans at the same time,” he said in a video. “I learnt the hard way.”</p>

News

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Meet Biddy, a 76-year-old award-winning Kiwi cheesemaker

<p><em><strong>Once a fine artist, Biddy Fraser-Davies became a cheesemaker at 60. This year she turns 76, and will celebrate her birthday at The Great Eketahuna Cheese Festival supported by her husband Colin, with whom she runs a unique tourism attraction in rural New Zealand.</strong></em></p> <p>Cheese and model trains seem an unlikely combination, but nestled amongst the rolling hills in the Wairarapa/ Tararua districts of New Zealand, is Middleton Model Railway and Cwmglyn Farmhouse Cheese.</p> <p>The business is run by Biddy and Colin Fraser-Davies, a couple who both switched careers in their sixties, and are now considered guiding lights within their own professions.</p> <p><strong>The cheese maker</strong></p> <p>Biddy’s foray into cheesemaking came when she was 60 – after having moved from Wellington to Cwmglyn Farm at Mount Bruce, which is located between the North Island towns of Masterton and Eketahuna just off SH2. She had previously worked as a fine artist in the field of enamelling and alongside Colin, co-authored a book called The Enamellists’ Handbook which is now on display in their reception area.</p> <p>“I taught myself how to hand-milk after being given a four-day calf I named Gwendolyn,” recalls Biddy. “When she grew up and had her own calf, she literally “swamped” me with milk – 26L a day – so I thought to myself, what else can I do with all this milk? Cheese seemed a great solution and gave me something new to focus on.”</p> <p><img width="500" height="375" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816337/intext-1_500x375.jpg" alt="Intext -1 (1)" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Since establishing the Cwmglyn Farmhouse Cheese brand, Biddy has made 2767 “wheels” (or truckle as it is known in Britain) of a traditional English cheddar style cheese with a wholly natural rind that is matured for three to seven months. The “wheel” is made from between 20 – 45L of milk, which comes from her cows (who have lovely names like Dizzy, Patsy or Lily) that have been machine milked by her husband Colin, then stipped milked by Biddy after the milking cluster is removed. The cheese making process - from milk to insertion in the press - takes most of the day. The wheel then spends between 24 - 72 hours in a cheese press, before being air-dried for a couple of days to develop the rind, which is then painted with melted clarified butter (made from the cream of the same cows). It is then placed in storage where it is wiped and turned daily. </p> <p>The result is a beautiful tasting, complex cheese that has earned Biddy several awards including a Super Gold at the 2014 World Cheese Awards which saw an entry field of 2,700 cheeses from 33 different countries.</p> <p>Over the years Biddy has become an advocate for small scale cheesemakers after courting controversy in 2009 when she appeared on a New Zealand television show called Country Calendar. She says after the programme finished at 7.30pm, she received her first email from the Food Safety Authority at 7.31pm. Subsequently three inspectors visited her property.</p> <p><img width="500" height="378" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816338/intext-3_500x378.jpg" alt="Intext -3" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>“They admitted the cheese room was one of the cleanest they’d ever seen but said my paper work wasn’t up to scratch,” she recalls. “I don’t want to minimise the problems there would be if an invasion of pathogen material were to occur if you don’t do your job correctly, but there are two things to remember here. There is a big difference between making soft and hard cheese. And secondly scale. I make one or two batches of hard cheese, versus the 800 – 1000 cheeses in a Fonterra batch, but I still had to pay the same for testing procedures and for a risk management plan. To me, that seemed wrong, so I challenged it.”</p> <p>In 2011, Biddy addressed a select committee and as a result MPI developed a Risk Management Template for Farm House Cheese designed to support small operators. This has enabled small businesses like Cwmglyn to survive but Biddy believes there is still a long way to go to grow a national culture that persists in producing and preserving traditional cheesemaking skills.</p> <p>She believes her ability to “stand-up for the little person” comes from a variety of life experiences including being self-employed.</p> <p>“Looking back, I think that’s why I’ve survived in these two careers – fine arts and now cheesemaking. I’ve always been self-employed and had to reply on myself to make it work. It helps that I’m also stubborn and articulate, especially when dealing with bureaucracy. In that regard I think it’s a shame that many people who could blossom, from a business point of view, don’t because they don’t have the self-esteem to cope or fight the system when required.”</p> <p><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816339/in-text-2_498x245.jpg" alt="In -text -2" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><strong>On track With Colin</strong></p> <p>Right on the same site as Cwmglyn Cheese is Middleton Model Railway one of the largest model railways in New Zealand. The layout contains over 300m of track, over 227 points, 10 stations, a marshalling yard, a harbour with train ferry, an ironstone mine and a chalk quarry. Visitors can walk around and under the entire layout and view it through glass. Afterwards they can see purchase everything they need to build their own model railway.</p> <p>Colin, a former data architect for TranzRail, spent months creating the model railway after the couple moved from Wellington to the district in 2003.</p> <p>“Trains and model railways had always been a hobby and when we moved here I decided to grow my hobby and share it with others whilst also helping Biddy establish Cwmglyn Cheese,” he says. “It’s great for visitors as they can see this comprehensive display of railway models, take a turn operating the controls and little children can play with a smaller layout built just for them. Afterwards they can taste Biddy’s cheese and come away with a truly unique experience.”</p> <p><img width="500" height="333" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7816340/in-text-4_500x333.jpg" alt="In -text -4" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p><strong>The Great Eketahuna Cheese Festival</strong></p> <p>Both Biddy and Colin are involved in The Great Eketahuna Cheese Festival, a celebration of small artisan cheesemakers on Monday, 14<sup>th</sup> May in the Eketahuna Community Hall. The festival will bring together artisan cheesemakers from all over New Zealand selling their cheese to the public, chefs, trade, and industry leaders in the field of soil and agriculture as well as several guest speakers.</p> <p>These include Nick Haddow, founder and managing director of Bruny Island Cheese Co (the first producer of Australian Raw Cheese); Craig Prichard, the associate professor of Massey School of Management; Doug Edmeades, a soil and agriculture scientist; Gabrielle Kervella, a goat cheese maker; Colleen Dennison who founded Evendale Cheese from Dunedin and John King, who will talk about sustainability in farming.</p> <p>Also attending is Dr Paul Neaves, a UK dairy microbiologist and Gill Palmer, senior consultant &amp; cheese auditor of Palmer and Randall – both of whom are on the technical committee of the UK Specialist Cheesemakers Association. In addition, Biddy and Calum Hodgson, an Auckland based cheesemonger for the fine food store Sabato, will give “light-hearted” talks about cheesemaking including discussing New Zealand’s regulatory requirements for producing raw milk cheese.</p> <p>Afterwards they will all celebrate Biddy’s 76<sup>th</sup> birthday.</p> <p><strong>Details:</strong></p> <p>Middleton <a href="http://www.modelrailway.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Model Railway</span></strong></a> and Cwmglyn Farmhouse Cheese</p> <p>36 Morgans Rd</p> <p>RD2 Eketahuna</p> <p><strong>Event:</strong></p> <p>The Great Eketahuna Cheese Festival</p> <p>Monday, May 14, 2018</p> <p>For full details, <a href="http://www.eketahunacheesefestival.com" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>click here</strong></span></a>.</p>

Retirement Life

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How an innocent dance with Camilla cost this TV star his job

<p>Did a TV star get sacked because of a dance with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall? That’s the question on everyone’s lips after Brendan Cole, a New Zealand-born professional dancer on <em>Strictly Come Dancing</em> (the UK’s version of <em>Dancing with the Stars</em>), was fired from the show.</p> <p>The Duchess, who is understood to be a fan of the show, reportedly agreed to dance with Cole during a charity event at Buckingham Palace in November.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 50.74074074074074% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BdCkm6rlpfP/" target="_blank">A post shared by Brendan Cole (@brendancoleinsta)</a> on Dec 23, 2017 at 1:45am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>"I love this," Cole captioned the above photo. "I asked the delightful Duchess of Cornwall if it was ok to ask her to dance. Luckily she said yes ... What a charming host and a wonderful day at Buckingham Palace."</span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/buckinghampalace/"><br /></a></p> <p>However, it has been alleged that Cole broke royal protocol by dancing with Camilla (royals are not to be touched in any manner beyond a handshake), and many believe it to be the reason for his sacking.</p> <p>A show insider told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/5628864/strictly-brendan-cole-sacked-dancing-camilla-buckingham-palace/" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The Sun</span></strong></em></a> it was “the last straw”, saying he displayed “arrogance and diva behaviour” by going against detailed instructions on how to handle himself in front of the royals.</p> <p>“It was a tea dance in aid of an osteoporosis charity encouraging older people to stay active and each of the professionals was to pair up with the guests while Craig danced with Camilla,” the insider said.</p> <p>“But Brendan being Brendan had to make it about him and ignored everyone and made a beeline for Camilla – who politely didn’t cause a scene. Everyone was outraged by the cheek of his actions, he always has to be centre of attention.”</p> <p>Despite the insider’s comments, a spokesperson for the Duchess of Cornwall said Camilla “thoroughly enjoyed” the dance, and Cole himself denies it was why he lost his job after 14 years on the show. He also claims the BBC did not brief him on royal protocol prior to the event.</p> <p>Do you think his dismissal is fair? Tell us in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Brendan Cole/Instagram.</em></p>

Music

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Fraser Island opens up to cruise ships

<p>Fraser Island has opened its shores to cruise ships as part of a new partnership between tourism operators on the UNESCO World Heritage-listed destination and a major cruise line.</p> <p>Fraser Island this month started welcoming mid-sized cruise ships as part of what local authorities say is a major tourism coup.</p> <p>P&amp;O Cruise ship Pacific Aria navigated its way through the Great Sandy Strait to drop anchor off Kingfisher Bay, on the island's west, for the first time on April 3.</p> <p>The cruise line has been interested in Fraser Island for some time, but P&amp;O had to wait until two smaller ships joined its fleet before it could start sailing there.</p> <p>The mid-sized Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden can only sail into Fraser Island's waters during high tide, after which, passengers are transferred to Kingfisher Bay Resort to spend a day exploring the island.</p> <p>A second cruise to Fraser Island is planned for December, with five trips scheduled for 2017.</p> <p>The cruise calls are expected to inject more than $1 million into the local economy, P&amp;O say.</p> <p>The region's tourism office hopes the cruises will increase the area's profile among people from outside Queensland and attract more domestic visitors.</p> <p>"We haven't been able to tap into this market before," Tas Webber from Fraser Coast Opportunities told AAP.</p> <p>"Getting that reach and getting that market awareness is really vital for us." The local tourism office is also buoyed by statistics which show about 80 per cent of cruise passengers revisit the areas that they sailed to within two years.</p> <p>Fraser Island was awarded World Heritage status in 1992 in recognition of the unique environments found on the world's largest sand island.</p> <p><img width="498" height="245" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/26208/image__498x245.jpg" alt="fraser island" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Stretching 120 kilometres, the island's landscape ranges from pristine white-sand beaches to clear freshwater creeks hidden inside dense sub-tropical rainforest.</p> <p>Interspersed throughout the island's middle are sandy tracks that can only be navigated by four-wheel drives.</p> <p>Former deputy prime minister and outgoing Nationals leader Warren Truss, whose seat of Wide Bay takes in the Fraser Coast, thinks P&amp;O's arrival on Fraser Island is a major win for the area.</p> <p>"This puts Fraser Coast and Fraser Island firmly on the global cruising map," he told reporters shortly after the first of the Pacific Aria's 1500 passengers started arriving on the island.</p> <p>Have you ever been to Fraser Island? Do you think you’d like to take a cruise there?</p> <p>Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Jacqueline Le. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/14-candid-photos-show-what-a-mega-cruise-is-really-like/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>14 candid photos show what a mega-cruise is really like</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/royal-caribbeans-ovation-of-the-seas-in-numbers/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas in numbers</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/5-cruise-destinations-to-escape-winter/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>5 cruise destinations to escape winter</strong></em></span></a></p>

Cruising