Accessing Universal Intelligence.
Human Ingenuity and Creativity. Our Cultural Heritage.
Favourite things. Music and Movies. Nature. Items that interest me on any topic.
Something about the (complex) way this photo was taken makes it strangely compelling.
Picture: Peter Solness
A portrait of a firefighter looks out across the Winton Wetlands, near Wangaratta, Victoria.
Picture: Rene Martens
Kelly Brooks grew up on a beef farm at Rubicon in Victoria’s High
Country, tearing around on motorbikes with her two brothers and playing
guitar around the campfire. She is now an aspiring country singer, based
in Queensland with her kelpie, Dusty. Picture: Luke Marsden.
Why do some creatures get a bad rap even though they’re amazing? Take
this native fish, which is found in freshwater habitats all along the
east coast of Australia. This one’s in the pond at Sydney’s Royal
Botanic Gardens, where it will lead a pretty mundane life preying on
crustaceans, insects, fish and ducklings for the first 90 per cent of
its existence.
Picture: Matty Smith
Grumblebum developed a taste for beer when his owner, Crockett Paterson,
inadvertently poured him one one hot summer day. It’s now a weekly
treat, and XXXX Gold is his preferred bevy.
Picture: David Sproule
A blessing of the fleet, featuring statues of the Virgin Mary, a throng
of people and an archbishop, who prays for a safe and bountiful year.
Sounds like medieval Italy, doesn’t it? In fact, it's in hip, modern Fremantle.
Picture: Tony McDonough
Human endeavours always look different from the air. Take the St Ives
gold mine near Kambalda, WA. Photographed from a plane, the mine’s
tailings dump resembles an abstract charcoal artwork, with tiny flecks of colour that turn out to be bulldozers.
Picture: Sheldon Pettit
It takes a certain type of courage to step out over a 200m abyss.
I am really enjoying this mini-series and can recommend it!
For Caitriona Balfe, walking away from
the catwalk and into the acting world after a successful, decade-long
career modelling for brands such as Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana was a
leap of faith. “Especially at 30, which is a dirty number in the [film]
industry, you know,” she says.
Although modelling to acting
is a well-trodden path in Hollywood, the 36-year-old Irish actress says
crossing the threshold between the industries was the most challenging
thing she has done. “I had no idea how to get into the industry: how I
was going to get an audition, let alone a job,” she tells Review from
Los Angeles.
It was, in fact, something of a full circle for
Balfe, who, at age 18, had been studying theatre at the Dublin Institute
of Technology before being approached by Ford Models. “After a while it
became clear that modelling wasn’t a passion, and that was getting very
frustrating,” she says. In 2009, Balfe dropped everything to pursue her
original career choice. “For me it was now or never. I think when you
have a passion or a dream in life you have to give it a shot, because if
you don’t, you’ll be miserable”.
Balfe has certainly landed on her feet with a breakout role in TV’s Outlander as Claire Fraser, and now a major role in Jodie Foster’s upcoming film Money Monster, which also stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Dominic West.(The Affair,Burton And Taylor and others).
Money Monster
is a part of the growing genre of financial thrillers: here, a leading
investment firm, the fictional Ibis Clear Capital, has lost $800 million
overnight and Balfe’s character, Diane Lester, is its righteous and
determined communications officer. Meanwhile, financial television host
Lee Gates (Clooney) has been taken hostage by an irate investor
demanding answers.
Balfe says that only a few weeks before she read the script, she had been deeply affected by a Rolling Stone
article about Alayne Fleischmann, the whistleblower at JPMorgan Chase
who, after the financial meltdown of 2008, gave evidence that resulted
in a US$9 billion settlement to the US government.
It was the
correlation between Fleischmann’s story and the character of Diane that
resonated with Balfe. “There is a sense of naivety to her, which I quite
liked,” she says. “Diane believes in the company she works for and has
no reason to question what she’s being told. But once she begins to
grasp the full picture of the consequences of her job, she very quickly
becomes a truth-seeker”.
Money Monster is Foster’s fourth
film as director and Balfe revelled in the opportunity to be involved in
the project. “She is just this incredibly generous, down-to-earth
person who knows exactly what she wants and is able to express that in
such a direct and succinct way; it was really incredible to watch,” she
says.
“One thing I found surprising was her technical knowledge.
Of course she’s been around film sets all her life, but I wasn’t
expecting her to have such prowess. She would even ask if I wanted to be
taught about different things, which was great. I always think that it
helps you as an actor to have all the information; yes, you’re a cog in
this big wheel, but it’s so great to know what that whole wheel is
doing.”
Far from the world of economic hostages, Balfe has returned to our screens in a second season of Outlander. Based on the bestselling books by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander
is a historical drama whose first season is set in the rugged Scottish
Highlands.
It follows Claire, a married nurse during World War II, who
is transported back in time to 1743 where she falls in love with a
highlander named Jamie (played by Sam Heughan). In the second season,
which premiered on Foxtel’s SoHo in April, Claire and Jamie are in
France to undermine the Jacobite rebellion and change the course of
history.
Since 2014, Outlander has garnered critical
acclaim worldwide, gained a fiercely loyal fan base, and received
multiple award nominations, including at last year’s Golden Globes.
Balfe
can’t pinpoint the precise reasons behind the show’s success, but
mentions a “special alchemy” on set she hoped would translate to the
screen. “Obviously we knew that it was a very popular book series and
you kind of hope that those core fans will transfer their love over to
the show. But I don’t think anyone was prepared for the sheer amount of
success. It’s done so well, I think most of us still get bowled over …
We’re like, ‘really?!’ ”
Described by Buzzfeed as the “feminist Game of Thrones”, Outlander
is praised for its balanced representations of sex. The show has what
Balfe refers to as “the best male feminist you could ever have at the
head of a show” in the form of executive producer Ronald D. Moore. “In
my first ever conversation with Ron he was very adamant that the sex and
the violence was never going to be gratuitous, that it would only be
present if it was necessary to tell a certain part of the story of this
couple,” she says.
Women account for half of the Outlander
writers’ room and female directors are the norm. “It’s always been
important for us to keep that balance,” Balfe says. She says Gabaldon’s
source material has also enabled the characters, regardless of their
sex, to be developed beyond surface level concerns. “It’s a great thing
about our show: yes, we have a central female character, but the male
characters are just as well written and as complex as Claire,” she says.
“I think you can get the converse on some shows where it’s a central
male character, the female characters are just so thinly drawn and you
don’t get a balanced view of relationships. It’s something that I’m very
proud of”.
So what does the future hold for Balfe? A third season of Outlander
is likely, but not yet confirmed. (Moore recently revealed on Twitter:
“Nothing official yet but I’m very, very optimistic and we’re actively
starting to plan.”)
Balfe is reluctant to discuss potential
upcoming projects but says she is keen on challenging roles. She is also
happy to rule out a return to the catwalk anytime soon.
“There’s
just too much I still want to try. I would love to do theatre and I
would love to direct and produce at some point,” she says. “For me it’s
about having a long career, keeping myself interested and hopefully
continuing to be employable — that would be good.”
Money Monster opens nationally on Thursday. Outlander airs on SoHo, Sundays at 8.30pm.
GENEVA
- The “Oppenheimer Blue,” the largest and finest fancy vivid blue
diamond ever offered at auction, sold for a world record 56.837 million
Swiss francs ($57.6 million) on Wednesday after dramatic see-saw
bidding, Christie's said.
“It's the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction,” Christie's spokeswoman Alexandra Kindermann told Reuters.
The rare rectangular-cut stone, which weighs 14.62 carats, previously
belonged to Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who controlled the Diamond Syndicate
in London. It had a pre-sale estimate of $38 million-$45 million.
The packed Geneva saleroom broke into applause as Rahul Kadakia,
Christie's International Head of Jewellery, brought down the hammer
after two phone bidders ended a 20-minute battle for the gem. The
buyer's identity was not immediately known. ($1 = 0.9866 Swiss francs)
- See more at:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/566815/lifestyle/blue-diamond-soars-to-world-record-57-6-million-at-christie-s#sthash.6PLnwDqt.dpuf
GENEVA
- The “Oppenheimer Blue,” the largest and finest fancy vivid blue
diamond ever offered at auction, sold for a world record 56.837 million
Swiss francs ($57.6 million) on Wednesday after dramatic see-saw
bidding, Christie's said.
“It's the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction,” Christie's spokeswoman Alexandra Kindermann told Reuters.
The rare rectangular-cut stone, which weighs 14.62 carats, previously
belonged to Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who controlled the Diamond Syndicate
in London. It had a pre-sale estimate of $38 million-$45 million.
The packed Geneva saleroom broke into applause as Rahul Kadakia,
Christie's International Head of Jewellery, brought down the hammer
after two phone bidders ended a 20-minute battle for the gem. The
buyer's identity was not immediately known. ($1 = 0.9866 Swiss francs)
- See more at:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/566815/lifestyle/blue-diamond-soars-to-world-record-57-6-million-at-christie-s#sthash.6PLnwDqt.dpuf
GENEVA
- The “Oppenheimer Blue,” the largest and finest fancy vivid blue
diamond ever offered at auction, sold for a world record 56.837 million
Swiss francs ($57.6 million) on Wednesday after dramatic see-saw
bidding, Christie's said.
“It's the most expensive jewel ever sold at auction,” Christie's spokeswoman Alexandra Kindermann told Reuters.
The rare rectangular-cut stone, which weighs 14.62 carats, previously
belonged to Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who controlled the Diamond Syndicate
in London. It had a pre-sale estimate of $38 million-$45 million.
The packed Geneva saleroom broke into applause as Rahul Kadakia,
Christie's International Head of Jewellery, brought down the hammer
after two phone bidders ended a 20-minute battle for the gem. The
buyer's identity was not immediately known. ($1 = 0.9866 Swiss francs)
- See more at:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/566815/lifestyle/blue-diamond-soars-to-world-record-57-6-million-at-christie-s#sthash.6PLnwDqt.dpuf
GENEVA - The “Oppenheimer Blue,” the
largest and finest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction, sold for a
world record 56.837 million Swiss francs ($57.6 million) on Wednesday after
dramatic see-saw bidding, Christie's said.
“It's the most expensive jewel ever sold
at auction,” Christie's spokeswoman Alexandra Kindermann told Reuters.
The rare rectangular-cut stone, which
weighs 14.62 carats, previously belonged to Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who
controlled the Diamond Syndicate in London. It had a pre-sale estimate of $38
million-$45 million.
The packed Geneva saleroom broke into
applause as Rahul Kadakia, Christie's International Head of Jewellery, brought
down the hammer after two phone bidders ended a 20-minute battle for the gem.
The buyer's identity was not immediately known. ($1 = 0.9866 Swiss francs)
