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NSW Premier delighted with new Sydney casino plans; Packer Crown Limited pending jackpot

2012-02-27T23:49:00.001+11:00

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The Australian casino (or gaming) wars have got to a whole new level. It's Packer's Crown VS Echo Entertainment in an almost 'State Of Origin' type battle for the bulk of Australia's land based casinos. One that will take place in a boardroom, rather than on a football field, but make no mistake - it's war.

But, there is no war but peace between Crown Limited and NSW Premiere Barry O'Farrell.

The New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell advised he is very pleased with plans for a second Sydney casino at Barangaroo.

James Packer's Crown Casino - Crown Limited gaming giant desires to construct a world class hotel, casino and entertainment complex at the site based Sydney Harbour.

It's a given that Packer has been watching the success of Echo Entertainment's The Star, which overlooks Sydney Harbour - but has recently got itself into a few scandals.

Last week Crown Limited increased its stake in Echo Entertainment, which runs The Star casino.

Mr O'Farrell says the proposal for a second venue would bring jobs and tourism to Barangaroo, however it would need to achieve regulatory approval before moving forward to development.

John Lee from the Tourism Transport Forum says it would add life to the area.

"You only have to go to Melbourne and see that area around the Yarra River, yes there's Crown Casino there, but there is also movie cinemas, bowling alleys - there's all sorts of things that entertain people when they go to the precinct," he said.

"It's actually a place now, or a destination that people love to go to."

Currently the law allows for only one Sydney casino licence until 2019.

Greens MP John Kaye says Sydney does not need a second casino.

"There shouldn't be a back door deal between the Packers and the Premier - this should be a matter of public debate," he said.

"If you put this to the people of New South Wales they will say no to a new casino because they know it increases problem gambling, they know it increases connections to organised crime."

Packer and his team have a history of getting things done... perhaps move than that of say Prime Minister Julie Gillard.

Watch this space.

NSW Premiere Barry O'Farrell applauds Packer proposal for a second casino...

The NSW Premier, Barry O'Farrell, has embraced plans by James Packer's group for a hotel and second Sydney casino at Barangaroo on land set aside as playing fields for office workers.

On Friday Mr Packer's casino group, Crown, advised Mr O'Farrell that Crown wanted a second Sydney casino as part of a hotel and restaurant complex in the centre of the harbourside site, which the Barangaroo Delivery Authority says is intended for "civic, educational and recreation spaces".

Mr O'Farrell said: "I think it's an exciting proposal which could add extra life to Barangaroo, give Sydney another world-class hotel, generate jobs and boost tourism."

The plan also involves building a 5 star hotel well north of the proposed commercial precinct, ensuring guests on upper floors have unobstructed views of the Sydney Opera House and the Heads.

"It's the sort of tourism-related investment we want in Sydney but everyone's aware there are a range of regulatory approvals needed before it could proceed," Mr O'Farrell said.

Those approvals include permission from government bodies for a second Sydney casino because the law now allows only one licence until 2019.

On Friday Crown increased to 10 per cent its stake in Echo Entertainment, which owns the Star casino, and has sought permission from regulators to increase its stake further.

If Crown Limited can gain control of the Star, its executive chairman, Mr Packer, could in fact pursue his plan for a Barangaroo casino to operate under an extended licence for the Star.

He has flagged that such a casino would not need poker machines and could simply have gaming tables, of which the Star can have an unlimited number.

As well as approval for a second casino, Crown Limited or another developer would need the government to change planning rules for the site which now restrict any building to 30 metres high and allow only 60,000 square metres of development in the whole of Barangaroo Central.

Last week a US landscape architect, Peter Walker, who has been retained to design Barangaroo's headland park, revealed that his plans included open playing fields for office workers, similar to the Domain on the eastern side of the central business district.

He has also proposed an outdoor space or amphitheatre for concerts in the central area of Barangaroo, which is proposed as a transition between the commercial towers in the south and the headland park in the north.

James Packer planning $1.5bn casino investment...

Crown Limited plans to spend more than $1.5 billion on building new luxury hotels in Sydney and Perth, after boosting its investment in rival casino operator Echo Entertainment, Crown's executive chairman James packer advised The Australian Financial Review.

Mr Packer's plan to expand the Crown chain beyond Melbourne is part of a campaign to attract wealthy Chinese gamblers aka "Oriental whale VIP high rollers" to Australia's shores, he told the newspaper.

“Australia needs to have truly world-class hotels,” he said, acknowledging that regulators would probably raise competition concerns.

“I want to build one in Perth and one in Sydney to go with what we have in Melbourne. It puts these cities on the map."

Mr Packer's comments come after Crown spent more than $250 million lifting its stake in Echo, which owns The Star casino in Sydney, and Jupiters on the Gold Coast, to 10 per cent, from 4.9 per cent previously.

Echo rejected Mr Packer's call for representation on the company's board.

*the writer is an investor in Crown Limited, Network Ten and Virgin Enterprises

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Marvel Entertainment Incredible Hulk Scoop From Avengers Movie, by Greg Tingle

2012-02-27T12:24:00.000+11:00

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Hollywood and AussieWood is continuing its lover affair with superhero themes, movie revamps and the like, and Australian fans are lapping it up with the superhero jackpot bonanza.

From Bondi Beach to the USA (home to the original Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno), most of the world loves Marvel Entertainment superhero genre motion pictures.

This year we're looking at a ton of sequels, prequels, remakes... you name it. The Hollywood studios will be pumping out their best efforts in order to make as much money as they can muster, and who is to blame them... especially in this strained ecconomy.

Entertainment giant Marvel Entertainment are going to be spinning out their “The Amazing Spider-Man”, hitting us hard with "The Avengers", "Ghost Rider" is about to ride into "Sin City" Sydney, Australia, and then there's Australia's favorite son, Hugh Jackman back in "The Wolverine".

The Incredible Hulk Sneak Peak From Avengers...

Here's the Incredible Hulk close up you have been waiting for.

This time around it's Mark Ruffalo who is the actor that plays the Hulk’s alter-ego Bruce Banner. It’s reported that the Hulk character was rendered using motion-capture so he should have a natural look and feel to him.

The movie stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, and Samuel L. Jackson.

You have 6 awesome super heroes that come together to take out an enemy that’s threatening the world's safety and security. It’s strongly rumoured that the Red Skull is going to turn up to join evil Loki in causing chaos. The movie hits U.S theaters on May 4th, and Australia should soon follow.

Here’s a look at some of this year’s coming attractions...(US dates)

Nicolas Cage provides a winter warm-up with “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (Feb. 17), returning as the bounty hunter from hell on a mission to rescue a child from the devil.

“The Avengers” (May 4), teaming Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

Next is “The Amazing Spider-Man” (July 3), with Andrew Garfield taking over as Peter Parker in director Marc Webb’s new take on how a mutant spider bite turns a teen into a web-slinging hero.

Christian Bale returns as Batman in “The Dark Knight Rises” (July 20), director Christopher Nolan’s third and final tale of the well to do vigilante with all the cool gadgets. Anne Hathaway joins the cast as Catwoman.

After the late Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” Nolan went with a lesser-known villain: This time, it’s Bane (Tom Hardy), known to comic-book fans as the brute who breaks Batman’s back and puts him in a wheelchair.

The Avengers are assembling...

Disney released more stills from its superhero superteam movie reving up fans who are eagerly awaiting the answers to the age-old question, who would win in a fight between The Incredible Hulk and The Mighty Thor.

The first image shows Captain America (Chris Evans) in full updated costume and shield, flanked by Avengers teammates Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Joahnsson), the three heroes walking as if they mean business. The second still is slightly less dramatic, simply showing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) gripping a conference room chair, pondering heavy thoughts next to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).

"When you walk out of your trailer and you bump into Chris Hemsworth with the cape on and you see Downey in the Iron Man suit and that’s when you really get excited and you start geeking out a bit,” Evans told The News last year from the film's New Mexico set.

Fans are already starting to geek out, more than two months before the film's May 4 (U.S) release date.

The Marvel Studios movie, which is directed by fanboy favorite Joss Whedon, unites three franchises (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Hulk) within an even bigger franchise that’s expected to be one of the biggest box office hits of all time.

Avengers News cont...

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.

Marvel Release Dates Updated (U.S)

In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013; and "Thor 2" on November 15, 2013.

Andrew Garfield as Spiderman Featured in an Avengers (English, 2012) Cameo...

Mumbai, Feb 13, 2012 - A few days ago we reported the rampant Internet rumor that Andrew Garfield’s Spiderman would be featured in an Avengers cameo. All of this was built off a statement made by actress Jenny Agutter who has a small role in the Whedon production. Well, we’ve stumbled across another source who confirms Spider mans cameo in Avengers.

“This will be similar to how Wolverine made a quick cameo in X-Men: First Class and Sony’s going to make sure to promote their new Spiderman movie any way they can. Andrew (Garfield) isn’t a widely known actor so they want to get his face on everything, including The Avengers even if it’s for a couple seconds.”

This is an absolute multiple bonanza for the superhero fans.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The movie is to release in India on 27th April, 2011.

Marvel Comics and Movies Alive And Well At Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment...

Marvel superhero fans - great news... more superhero themed online games rumoured to be soon hitting PartyCasino. Stay tuned to the Media Man network for more on that.

If it sounds like 2012 is going to be a pretty good year for superhero movies, both on an entertainment front (for fans) and business angle (for studios etc), that's because it is. Enjoy brigadiers, and as Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say - Excelsior!

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Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music Opens At State Theatre, Sydney, Australia

2012-02-27T12:22:00.000+11:00

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Sing-a-long fans will love this... Sing-A-Long A Sound of Music has returned to Sydney, Australia.

As you can guess, audience members are invited to sing a long with the performers (as well as encouraged to dress the part too).

This is the most popular movie musical ever! Take in its irresistible score and a wonderful cast of characters.

See the classic movie on the big screen, re-mastered to its original cinematic glory with song sub-titles so everyone can sing along to their hearts delight.

So what is it exactly? ...Sing-a-Long-a Sound of Music is a screening of the classic Julie Andrews film musical in glorious, full-screen technicolor, complete with subtitles so that the whole audience can sing along!

The fun-filled show starts with a vocal warm-up led by the evening’s host, who also takes the audience through their complimentary ‘magic moments pack’, containing various props to be used at strategic points throughout the film.

Then of course there is the famous fancy-dress competition in which everyone who has come in costume is invited onto the stage to show off their fantastic tailoring skills.

So get those vocal chords warmed up, cut up those chintz curtains and hurry down for another dose of the international smash-hit sensation!

Sydney Dates: 24th, 25th, 26th Feb 2012

Promo...

“Irresistible fun! A new favourite thing!” NEW YORK TIMES 2011

The most popular movie musical ever with its irresistible score and a cast of characters known to everyone returns to the State Theatre. See the classic movie on the big screen, re-mastered to its original cinematic glory with song sub-titles so everyone can sing along.

Get together with a few of your favourite friends, frock up (audiences have come as anything and everything from the film – limited only by your imagination) and come along to what is a fun, fantastic, interactive event and one of the best nights out you will ever have.

The celebrity host leads a vocal warm up, gives a guide to the use of the fun pack and accompanying actions and judges a costume parade – a highlight of the night.

Cheer for Maria! Hiss at the Baroness! Boo the Nazis! Sing rousing choruses of Climb Every Mountain!

About Sing-a-Long-a (based in the UK)

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start…

Allegedly the first ever sing-a-long happened at an old people’s home in Inverness. The nurses wanted to involve the old people in an interactive group therapy and so screened Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and gave out song sheets so that everyone could sing-a-long. The idea was then developed for the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in London in 1999 before opening at the Prince Charles Cinema in August of that year. Initially, there was an eight-show run but the show sold out very quickly, picking up amazing TV coverage and amassing a stack of newspaper stories. The regular shows of Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music then began at the Prince Charles Cinema and the show has been running there ever since.

Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music has been on tour around the UK since January 2000 visiting almost every major venue in the country. In 2001 over 7,000 dressed up to an outdoors sing-a-long-a at the famous Kenwood House in London. The show has also taken the world by storm including Amsterdam, Dublin, New York, St Louis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Oslo, Stockholm and many other major cities around the globe. A highlight has been a series of sell-out performances to 18,000 people each time at the famous Hollywood Bowl.

In 2001, Elton John and 40 of his friends dressed up as nuns to ‘sing-a-long with Julie,’ hiring the show for a private party to celebrate David Furnish’s birthday. After a celebratory lunch at the Ivy, the party of 40 donned habits and tuned their vocal chords to sing-a-long and celebrity faces spotted under their wimples included Elton and David, Lulu, Janet Street Porter, Neil Tennant of The Pet Shop Boys, Hugh Grant and Joan Collins.

Sing-a-long-a Sound of Music was followed by the first ever live show – Sing-a-long-a Abba which celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a tour in 2011. It enjoyed a highly successful run at The Whitehall Theatre in London’s West End in 2003 and has played in Toronto, New Zealand and St Petersburg, Russia, as well as a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival in 2002.

2011 saw the addition of Sing-a-long-a Grease, the film that audiences have been asking for since the very beginning. It has been running in London since May 2011 and will tour the UK from January 2012.

Other Sing-a-long-a shows include Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (launched by Donny Osmond in 2002), The Wizard of Oz, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hairspray and, in 2004, the second live show, Sing-a-long-a Elvis. (Credit: Sing-a-Long-a)

Musical Numbers...

Act I

"Preludium" – Nuns
"The Sound of Music" – Maria
"Maria" – Sister Berthe, Sister Sophia, Sister Margaretta, and the Mother Abbess
"My Favorite Things" – Maria and the Mother Abbess
"My Favorite Things" (reprise 1) – Maria
"Do-Re-Mi" – Maria and the children
"Sixteen Going on Seventeen" – Rolf and Liesl
"The Lonely Goatherd" – Maria and the children
"The Lonely Goatherd" (reprise) – Gretl
"How Can Love Survive" – Max and Elsa
"The Sound of Music" (reprise) – Maria, the Captain and the children
"Ländler" (instrumental)
"So Long, Farewell" – The children
"Morning Hymn" – Nuns
"Climb Ev'ry Mountain" – Mother Abbess

Act II
"My Favorite Things" (reprise 2) – Maria and the children
"No Way to Stop It" – Elsa, Max and the Captain.
"An Ordinary Couple" – Maria and the Captain †
"Gaudeamus Domino" – Nuns
"Maria" (reprise) – Nuns
"Confitemini Domino" – Nuns
"Sixteen Going on Seventeen" (reprise) – Maria and Liesl
"Do-Re-Mi" (reprise) – Maria, the Captain, and the children ‡
"Edelweiss" – The Captain
"So Long, Farewell" (reprise) – Maria, the Captain, and the children
"Finale Ultimo" – Nuns

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Crown Limited - James Packer keen on Barangaroo for Sydney casino complex, by Greg Tingle

2012-02-26T10:21:00.000+11:00

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Casinos Australian Casinos Crown Limited Crown Casino Echo Entertainment The Star Property World Casino Directory World Directory

The Australian casino (or gaming) wars have got to a whole new level. It's Packer's Crown VS Echo Entertainment in an almost 'State Of Origin' type battle for the bulk of Australia's land based casinos. One that will take place in a boardroom, rather than on a football field, but make no mistake - it's war.

A takeover war is hovering over the head of Echo Entertainment...the owner of Sydney's The Star casino...as James Packer yesterday made an audacious bid to be represented on the company's board.

The Star has been recently embattled in a scandal regarding inappropriate behaviour of a former director, so its all very interesting timing, and perhaps sees them in a weak position at the moment. Channel Seven is also planning follow up stories on The Star, and to Joe Blogs the casino does like a bit like a soft target right now.

Mr Packer's Crown yesterday fired off a missile more than doubling its stake in The Star's owner to the current 10 per cent maximum it is allowed to hold. Crown also applied to NSW and Queensland authorities for permission to go above the 10 per cent cap: prompting talk Mr Packer wants to in fact take over Echo.

This is understood to be the big move in plans to build a land based casino at Sydney's Barangaroo.

In paperwork sent off to Mr Packer yesterday, Echo Entertainment chairman John Story rejected Mr Packer's board bid.

Mr Packer told Rupert Murdock owned The Daily Telegraph he was "disappointed" in the reaction: "This is a good synergy for both companies, and today's rise in Echo's share price shows that the market thinks so as well," he said.

Mr Story's letter to Mr Packer stated in part: "The board believes that it is inappropriate for a Crown nominee to be appointed to the board as Crown is a competitor organisation. Accordingly, we will not agree to your request."

There have been some signs of an unhealthy business relationship between the two outfits in the lead-up to yesterday's announcement by Crown.

One source of tension has been Echo's constitution, which details a cap preventing any one party from having "voting power" of more than 10 per cent of Echo. Late last year, senior Packer advisor Guy Jalland let loose an attack on Echo's shareholder limit, describing it as a "poison pill" that was not in the interests of the company's shareholders.

Key sharemarket analysts have tabled that Echo Entertainment is one of the market's most obvious takeover targets because of its strategic value to Crown - already a giant in the gaming sector in the Asia Pacific region.

The theory was tested in Echo shares yesterday, which leaped up 50 cents to $4.30 on the understanding that Mr Packer would now move forward a takeover bid.

There was also speculation yesterday that Crown may be looking for a slice of Echo's high-roller VIP "whale" business. The Star has improved its performance in the "whaling" sector since its relaunch late last year.

Packer has torpedos and plenty of bait to snare in Echo. Echo's original "whales" will help with Packer's bottom line net profit, and further helps cement his place as one of the world's real big fish casino moguls. Echo is a touch on the nose at the moment, thanks to the scandal that rocked their boat and captain Packer and his loyal shipmates look poised to go in for the kill.

Will it be ships ahoy, fair winds or man overboard? Stay tuned as the Media Man agency continues to probe to probe the murky waters of the Australian casino wars.

James Packer planning $1.5bn casino investment...

Crown Limited plans to spend more than $1.5 billion on building new luxury hotels in Sydney and Perth, after boosting its investment in rival casino operator Echo Entertainment, Crown's executive chairman James packer advised The Australian Financial Review.

Mr Packer's plan to expand the Crown chain beyond Melbourne is part of a campaign to attract wealthy Chinese gamblers aka "Oriental whale VIP high rollers" to Australia's shores, he told the newspaper.

“Australia needs to have truly world-class hotels,” he said, acknowledging that regulators would probably raise competition concerns.

“I want to build one in Perth and one in Sydney to go with what we have in Melbourne. It puts these cities on the map."

Mr Packer's comments come after Crown spent more than $250 million lifting its stake in Echo, which owns The Star casino in Sydney, and Jupiters on the Gold Coast, to 10 per cent, from 4.9 per cent previously.

Echo rejected Mr Packer's call for representation on the company's board.

*the writer is an investor in Crown Limited, Network Ten and Virgin Enterprises

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Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg help buy Wizard Of Oz slippers - 23rd February 2012

2012-02-25T22:51:00.000+11:00

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Leonardo DiCaprio may have returned back to Hollywood from his Great Gatsby assignment in Sydney, Australia, but it hasn't slowed down Leo's pet projects... of the festish like nature.

No, not a fetish for the world's hottest models...Australian, American or otherwise, but of the foot fetish kind - Wizard Of Oz slippers no less.

Judy Garland's sexy ruby red slippers from The Wizard Of Oz have found their way back home.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says it has acquired one of the four known surviving pairs of the iconic shoes made for the classic 1939 movie, with the help of Hollywood high fliers Leonardo DiCaprio and Steven Spielberg.

The shoes, regarded as one of the world's best-known film props, are understood to have been worn by Garland's character Dorothy when she clicked her heels three times to return to Kansas from the fantasy land of Oz near the conclusion of the famous movie.

The slippers were previously due to be sold by Los Angeles auction house Profiles in History in December, with an estimated price tag of $US2-3 million. But they did not sell at that time.

Some Hollywood collectibles get their price talked up in an unrealistic fashion, while some can be purchased cheaper than expected.

The Academy, which organises the annual Oscars ceremony, advised DiCaprio and Spielberg headed a group of "angel donors" to purchase the shoes for a planned museum.

Academy officials politicly declined to say how much was paid.

A pair of red test slippers for The Wizard Of Oz from the collection of actress Debbie Reynolds sold for $US612,000 in May 2011.

"Leo's passionate leadership has helped us bring home this legendary piece of movie history," Academy chief executive officer Dawn Hudson said.

"It's a wonderful gift to the Academy museum project, and a perfect representation of the work we do year-round to preserve and share our film heritage."

A Media Man agency spokesperson said "Leo and Steven must really love their shoes. Only they know for sure in they share a foot fetish of sorts, or if it is just a mutual appreciation of Hollywood's rich history. Hat's off to the Hollywood heavyweights who were in the financial position to get the props back to their original home. I'm sure Australia will remind Leo of his good deed when he does the red carpet in Australia later this year".

The shoes, marked "#7 Judy Garland", are said to be the most pristine of the four pairs of slippers known to exist.

One pair is in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, one is in private hands and another was stolen from the Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota.

The Academy and the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts announced plans in October to establish a museum to display movie-related treasures.

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Jennifer Hawkins Opens Myer Liverpool; Host Of New Beauty And Fashion Brands

2012-02-25T18:07:00.000+11:00

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Australian model, former Miss Universe and Myer brand ambassador Jennifer Hawkins, attended the official opening of the revamped Liverpool store this afternoon.

Jennifer met fans, shoppers, posed for photos and signed some autographs while celebrating the store’s revamp.

Hawkins advised media she was "thrilled" to be visiting Liverpool Myer.

"I hear the space looks amazing. I am especially excited to visit the fashion and cosmetics floor with all the new brands. I can’t wait to have a little shop," Hawkins said.

The remodelled store sports Australian fashion brands and a refurbished cosmetics hall.

There's four new full-service beauty rooms including facilities for customers who are after a more personalised health and beauty treatment.

Many new brands are now available at Liverpool including cosmetic brand SKII, womenswear brands Guess, Levis, NF by Nicola Finetti, Seduce, Wish and Sportscraft.

So shoppers, those in the west need not feel left out from the fashion and beauty scene any longer. Get yourself down to Myer Liverpool.

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Casino mogul Wynn dumps friend-turned-foe

2012-02-25T16:25:00.001+11:00

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Kazuo Okada

Casino mogul Steve Wynn ousted his former friend and partner Kazuo Okada from the board of his Wynn Macau unit on Friday, in the latest twist to a gripping legal joust that shines a light into gaming industry governance.

The board's decision to un-seat Okada was effective immediately, Wynn Macau said in a brief statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange.

The removal of the Japanese billionaire from Wynn Macau's board signals a definitive end to a successful 12-year partnership with Wynn, CEO of parent Wynn Resorts, and could trigger a protracted legal battle.

Despite a very public tit-for-tat spat over donations and alleged "unacceptable conduct" and "inappropriate payments," Okada - an engineer who helped bankroll Wynn's $14 billion gaming empire - is still on the board of Wynn Resorts, which needs to convene a shareholder meeting to remove him.

Wynn Resorts has already forcibly redeemed Okada's nearly 20 percent stake in the company after an internal investigation by former FBI Director Louis Freeh revealed Okada - who made his fortune from pachinko and is CEO of Universal Entertainment Corp - violated U.S. anti-corruption laws.

On Friday, Okada refused to attend a meeting of Wynn Macau's nine-person board, called specially to remove him, and blasted the internal report as being based on "false and misleading assertions."

"Removing him from the board was easy, but the actual legal case could drag on for years," said Victor Yip, analyst at UOB Kay Hian in Hong Kong.

"Everything points against (Okada) now unless he can come up with something new," said Teng Yee Tan at CIMB Securities. "He's fighting alone against all the others."

BUSINESS AS USUAL

The falling-out between the two self-made tycoons was triggered last month when Okada filed a suit against Wynn for blocking access to financial documents related to a $135 million donation by Wynn Resorts to the University of Macau.

Each now claims the other made improper payments to foreign gaming regulators to win favor in their respective Macau and Philippines markets, and the acrimony has attracted the attention of legal regulators and investors worldwide.

On Friday, there was little sign of the boardroom drama on the gambling floors in Macau.

In the upmarket Wynn Macau, gaming tables were packed and business was booming beneath the opulent chandeliers. Crowds of mainland Chinese surrounded baccarat tables, with one chain-smoking gambler in a black leather jacket patiently waiting his turn with a stack of 10,000 chips.

Away from the action, the likely legal showdown will test regulators monitoring the tycoons' operations in Macau and the Philippines, where Okada's Universal Entertainment's $2 billion casino is due for completion in 2014.

The feuding has already drawn attention to possible cultural, as well as legal, differences over business practices in Asia and the United States, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has said it is investigating Wynn.

A second court hearing on Okada's lawsuit against Wynn Resorts - which had revenues of $5.3 billion last year - has been delayed until March 8.

In Manila, President Benigno Aquino said Cristino Naguiat, the head of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the country's gaming regulator, would face a cabinet-level inquiry into allegations he received "inappropriate" payments and gifts from Okada.

"There's a formal process. Let's have the allegations, let him answer it, then we will weigh the allegations versus his defense. We should afford him also the benefit of hearing him out before we can give judgment," Aquino told reporters.

Naguiat has denied receiving bribes, dismissing the allegations as "outrageous, politically-motivated and untrue."

PARTNERS TO RIVALS

Steve Wynn, the Vegas showman known for building high-end properties such as the Bellagio and Mirage, has maintained that Okada - after whom he named his casinos' upscale Japanese restaurants - went against a board decision to pursue a property in the Philippines, making him a direct competitor.

Okada is seeking to file a suit in Las Vegas for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to protect the interests of his subsidiary, Aruze USA, Inc in Wynn Resorts and to prevent the redemption of its shares.

Estimated to be worth $2.1 billion by Forbes magazine in 2011, Okada made his riches in pachinko - a uniquely Asian game that mixes slot machine style gambling with pinball, and which rakes in about 20 trillion yen ($250 billion) annually - more than the GDP of Hong Kong.

A resident of Hong Kong where he lives with his wife and young daughter, Okada was Wynn Resorts' largest shareholder, holding more than double the stake of Steve Wynn himself.

Wynn Macau shares closed up 1 percent on Friday, outpacing a flat benchmark index. (Credit: Reuters)

Wynn Macau Limited Removes Kazuo Okada from Board of Directors

MACAU, Feb. 24, 2012 - Wynn Macau, Limited, a subsidiary of Wynn Resorts, Limited, today announced that its Board of Directors met today to review Mr. Kazuo Okada's status as a Director of the Company. All of the other Directors voted unanimously to remove Mr. Okada from the Board and the removal is effective immediately.

The Board of Directors issued the following joint statement:

"The Board considered the information disclosed by Wynn Resorts, Limited concerning the independent report (as further described in the 20 February Announcement) commissioned by the Compliance Committee of Wynn Resorts, Limited. After due consideration of the independent report, taking into account the Company's high ethical standards, the Board determined that it was obligated to remove Mr. Okada as a non-executive Director given the unacceptable conduct by Mr. Okada, his employees and associates detailed in the independent report. Accordingly, the Board resolved to remove Mr. Okada as a non-executive Director of the Company."

About Wynn Resorts

Wynn Resorts, Limited is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker symbol WYNN and is part of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100 Indexes.

Our Las Vegas operations (Wynn Las Vegas and Encore) feature two luxury hotel towers with a total of 4,750 spacious hotel rooms, suites and villas, an approximately 186,000 square feet of casino space, 35 food and beverage outlets featuring signature chefs, an on-site 18-hole golf course, meeting space, an Ferrari and Maserati dealership, approximately 97,000 square feet of retail space as well as two showrooms; four nightclubs and a beach club.

Our Macau resort is a resort destination casino located in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China with two luxury hotel towers (Wynn Macau and Encore) with a total of 1,008 spacious rooms and suites, approximately 265,000 square feet of casino space, casual and fine dining in eight restaurants, approximately 54,200 square feet of retail space, recreation and leisure facilities, including two health clubs and spas, a pool.

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Rudd denies Clubs Australia pokie claims - 23rd February 2012

2012-02-25T00:42:00.000+11:00

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Politics Clubs Australia Clubs Gambling

Kevin Rudd says he has never asked any MP to speak to Clubs Australia about pokie machine reforms and has categorically denied claims to the contrary.

"The claims are entirely untrue," a spokesperson for Mr Rudd said in a statement late Wednesday.

"The Foreign Minister has never asked any MP to speak to Clubs Australia at any time on any matter relating to poker machines.

"The Minister would consider the publishing of such a claim as defamation, and would take action accordingly."

The former foreign minister's comments come after the Seven Network aired a statement on Wednesday night by Clubs Australia that claimed the lobby group had met with an MP "close to Kevin Rudd" in November last year.

AAP contacted Clubs Australia late on Wednesday night following the report and was sent a copy of statement.

"Clubs Australia did meet with an MP close to Kevin Rudd in late November which was specifically to discuss the issue of mandatory pre-commitment," Clubs Australia spokesman Jeremy Bath said in the statement.

"It was made clear at that meeting that Kevin Rudd was sympathetic to the concerns of clubs and as Prime Minister he would kill mandatory pre-commitment.

"Clubs Australia was encouraged to continue the campaign and was advised that we should target a select number of MPs.

"Clubs Australia then sought confirmation of Kevin Rudd's support through a known Rudd ally, which we duly received several days later."

In the Seven Network report on Wednesday, Labor backbencher Alan Griffin reportedly confirmed that he had met with Clubs Australia in November, but he denied he was acting on behalf of Mr Rudd.

Mr Griffin reportedly also told the network that he did not mention Mr Rudd during the meeting.

Mr Griffin told ABC Radio on Thursday he met with Clubs Australia twice - including once in his Parliament House office late in 2011.

He said Clubs Australia was visiting a number of MPs at the time.

Mr Griffin said he expressed "concerns about the policy and how it might operate" and the fact there was considerable consternation within the Labor caucus about it.

But he denied he gave a guarantee that if Mr Rudd was re-elected prime minister he would kill the pre-commitment scheme. (Credit: AAP)

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PartyCasino News: Escape to Las Vegas with a 5 Star Dream Ticket!

2012-02-24T10:22:00.002+11:00

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Escape to Las Vegas with a 5 Star Dream Ticket!

Starts: 00:00 ET, 12th January 2012
Ends: 23:59 ET, 26th March 2012

Join the fun at PartyCasino for your chance to win a 5 Star Vegas Dream Ticket worth $5,000!

The Vegas Dream Ticket includes flights for you and a friend and a weekend stay in a luxury hotel. We'll even throw in some spending money so you can really live it up Vegas-style. You could hit the casinos, catch a show or party through the night it's up to you!

Find out how you can win:

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Winning a 5 Star Vegas Dream Ticket is easy. Just opt-in and collect as many points as you can between 12th January and 26th March 2012 to go shooting up our leaderboard and into the prize spots:

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1st $5,000 Vegas Dream Ticket
2nd–6th $100 cash bonus
7th–11th $50 cash bonus
12th–16th $40 cash bonus
17th–21st $30 cash bonus
22nd–31st $20 cash bonus
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Winning a 5 Star Vegas Dream Ticket is easy… Just make your first deposit at PartyCasino and you’ll be entered into a special prize draw held on 30th March 2012.

The first player picked at random will win a VIP Weekend in Las Vegas, plus we’ve got a whole host of cash bonuses for the runners up:

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1st $5,000 Vegas Dream Ticket
2nd–11th $25 cash
12th–21st $10 cash bonus
22nd–31st $5 cash bonus

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Marvel Entertainment Movies: Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, The Wolverine and Ghost Rider

2012-02-23T12:33:00.000+11:00

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The Amazing Spider-Man Spider-Man The Avengers Ghost Rider The Wolverine Movies Hollywood

Hollywood is continuing its lover affair with superhero themes, movie revamps and the like, and Australian fans are lapping it up with the superhero jackpot bonanza.

This year we're looking at a bush tucker bag of sequels, prequels, remakes... you name it. The Hollywood studios will be pumping out their best efforts in order to make as much money as they can muster, and who can blame them.

Entertainment kingpin Marvel Entertainment are going to be spinning out their “The Amazing Spider-Man”, hitting us hard with "The Avengers", "Ghost Rider" is about to ride into "Sin City" Sydney, Australia, and then there's Australia's favorite son, Hugh Jackman back in "The Wolverine".

The Warner Bros. - DC Comics tag-team is going to attempt to combat that Marvel onslaught with the next instalment of Batman - "The Dark Knight Rises", but most tipsters are picking Marvel to win the movie superhero fight over DC Comics this year, but time will tell.

Here’s a peek at some of this year’s coming attractions...(US dates)

Nicolas Cage provides a winter warm-up with “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (Feb. 17), returning as the bounty hunter from hell on a mission to rescue a child from the devil.

“The Avengers” (May 4), teaming Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Chris Evans as Captain America, Mark Ruffalo as the Incredible Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.

Next is “The Amazing Spider-Man” (July 3), with Andrew Garfield taking over as Peter Parker in director Marc Webb’s new take on how a mutant spider bite turns a teen into a web-slinging hero.

Christian Bale returns as Batman in “The Dark Knight Rises” (July 20), director Christopher Nolan’s third and final tale of the well to do vigilante with all the cool gadgets. Anne Hathaway joins the cast as Catwoman.

After the late Heath Ledger’s Academy Award-winning performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” Nolan went with a lesser-known villain: This time, it’s Bane (Tom Hardy), known to comic-book fans as the brute who breaks Batman’s back and puts him in a wheelchair.

The Avengers are assembling...

Disney released more stills from its superhero superteam movie reving up fans who are eagerly awaiting the answers to the age-old question, who would win in a fight between The Incredible Hulk and The Mighty Thor.

The first image shows Captain America (Chris Evans) in full updated costume and shield, flanked by Avengers teammates Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Joahnsson), the three heroes walking as if they mean business. The second still is slightly less dramatic, simply showing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) gripping a conference room chair, pondering heavy thoughts next to S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg).

"When you walk out of your trailer and you bump into Chris Hemsworth with the cape on and you see Downey in the Iron Man suit and that’s when you really get excited and you start geeking out a bit,” Evans told The News last year from the film's New Mexico set.

Fans are already starting to geek out, more than two months before the film's May 4 (U.S) release date.

The Marvel Studios movie, which is directed by fanboy favorite Joss Whedon, unites three franchises (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Hulk) within an even bigger franchise that’s expected to be one of the biggest box office hits of all time.

Avengers News cont...

Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures “Marvel’s The Avengers”--the super hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel super heroes Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon from a screenplay by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when “Marvel’s The Avengers” assemble in summer 2012.

Marvel Release Dates Updated (U.S)

In addition to "Marvel's The Avengers," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013; and "Thor 2" on November 15, 2013.

Andrew Garfield as Spiderman Featured in an Avengers (English, 2012) Cameo...

Mumbai, Feb 13, 2012 - A few days ago we reported the rampant Internet rumor that Andrew Garfield’s Spiderman would be featured in an Avengers cameo. All of this was built off a statement made by actress Jenny Agutter who has a small role in the Whedon production. Well, we’ve stumbled across another source who confirms Spider mans cameo in Avengers.

“This will be similar to how Wolverine made a quick cameo in X-Men: First Class and Sony’s going to make sure to promote their new Spiderman movie any way they can. Andrew (Garfield) isn’t a widely known actor so they want to get his face on everything, including The Avengers even if it’s for a couple seconds.”

This is an absolute multiple bonanza for the superhero fans.

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson, and written and directed by Joss Whedon, “Marvel’s The Avengers” is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series “The Avengers,” first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since.

“Marvel’s The Avengers” is presented by Marvel Studios in association with Paramount Pictures. The film is being produced by Marvel Studios’ President Kevin Feige and executive produced by Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Victoria Alonso and Jeremy Latcham. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

The movie is to release in India on 27th April, 2011.

The Wolverine Gets Release Date...

It is official, a sequel to that 2009 X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie will be coming to a theatre near you on or around July 26th 2013 (depends if your in the U.S, Australia or elsewhere). After months of production delays, including replacing Darren Aranofsky as director, that cigar smoking, 'bub' saying, furry Canadian Logan will once again rip things up. The film sequel is running with the title: The Wolverine and will take Logan to Japan where he finds a forbidden romance and the Silver Samurai to deal with. Hugh Jackman has already praised the script as being "one of the best we've ever had." This is good news for those fans and critics who felt the first Wolverine movie offering could have been better. We trust that director James Mangold and Hugh Jackman deliver on this to keep both Marvel hardcore and casual fans happy. What the critics will think is anyone's guess, but as a few stars have noted - movies are made for fans (not critics).

'Ghost Rider' movie controversy; Red hot back story...

The new "Ghost Rider" movie's ticket sales are not very strong, but the controversy raging in the comic-book community is like a mega fireball.

The story begins back in 1972, when the flaming motercyclist was created at Marvel Comics by writer Mike Friedrich, editor Roy Thomas and artist Mike Ploog. Comics creators in those days - and often today - don't own anything they create for the major publishing houses, because of a contract called "work for hire." But when the first "Ghost Rider" movie came out in 2007, Friedrich sued Marvel for partial ownership of the character on a technicality - which would result in a windfall from the movie.

He desperately needed the money. Friedrich, now 69, is unemployed, broke and suffering from liver problems. He has been getting through the days by selling autographed "Ghost Rider" items at conventions as a paid guest, which according to documents amounted to a total of $17,000.

But ownership of trademark and copyright isn't something that comics publishers take lightly. Both of the major comic publishers (ala Marvel and DC Comics) make more income from licensing their library of characters than they do selling comic books. Here's the thing: According to U.S. law, failure to defend a trademark can lead to losing it.

So Marvel - and parent company Disney - went after the lawsuit, including a countersuit demanding the $17,000. They were victorious. In December, the court threw out Friedrich's suit and ordered him to pay Marvel. Also, his future income was constrained, in that he can sign and sell only "Ghost Rider" material that he buys retail.

The creative and fan community responded with fury. Blogs across the Internet excoriated Marvel, or started petitions for the $17,000 to be forgiven. Steve Niles, creator of "30 Days of Night," led a charge on Twitter and set up a Facebook page for contributions (www.steveniles.com/gary.html). Creators such as Gail Simone ("Batgirl") and Jill Thompson ("Scary Godmother") tweeted encouragement. Longtime creators'-rights champion Neal Adams was one of many who auctioned original art, with proceeds going to Friedrich.

As you might expect, there were calls to boycott the new film, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance." That might have contributed to the film's disappointing third-place finish on its opening weekend in the U.S, with $22 million at the U.S box office.

If the movie did well, it would still be overshadowed by the back story - comics creators and fans rising up like a tidal wave to help one of their own.

What a red hot and real superhero story.

Check out the "Support Gary Friedrich" Facebook page (www.facebook.com/supportgaryfriedrich) for more.

Marvel Comics and Movies Alive And Well At Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment...

Marvel superhero fans - great news... more superhero themed online games rumoured to be soon hitting PartyCasino. Stay tuned to the Media Man network for more on that.

If it sounds like 2012 is going to be a pretty good year for superhero movies, both on an entertainment front (for fans) and business angle (for studios etc), that's because it is. Enjoy brigadiers, and as Marvel living legend Stan Lee would say - Excelsior!

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2012-02-23T11:07:00.000+11:00

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PartyPoker: Online Poker News - Maximus Pointus March! The Gladiator returns to the arena

2012-02-23T00:47:00.000+11:00

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Daily targets now start at just one point - new elite targets for most dedicated

Starts: 00:00 ET on 1st March, 2012
Ends: 23:59 ET on 31st March, 2012

Step into the arena for a month of exciting poker action where you could emerge with prizes fit for a champion. The minimum daily points target is just one point – so all you have to do to receive your first reward is to hit the minimum daily points target for a period of five days. The first reward you could claim is a much-deserved entry into a $500 freeroll.

The more days you earn points on, the bigger your prize. There’s up to $4,000 in cash to be won and anyone who wins a cash prize will also claim a seat in a $25,000 freeroll, giving you even more chances to win.

Finally, we've added a massive incentive for the most dedicated players. Earn 1,200 points on 30 days and you’ll win a WPT package worth $8,000 which you can use for the event of your choice. With March having 31 days, you have an extra day's rest — vital for those dedicated to reaching the very top prizes.

Gibraltar – 23rd February 2012 – ‘The Gladiator’ returns to PartyPoker.com for the month of March and, as ever, only the strongest survive in the online colosseum! In new twists, however, the popular promotion is more accessible than ever with the daily points target now starting at just one point - as well as more appealing to those who want to play a lot with ambitious new targets for the most dedicated players.

A PartyPoker.com spokesman said: “The promotion has been adapted with the most frequent and infrequent players in mind. From the 1st – 31st March all players have to do is opt-in and hit the minimum daily points target of one point and the road to prizes start. With the minimum daily points target at just one point – all you have to do to receive your first reward is to hit the minimum daily points target for a period of five days. The first reward you could claim is a much-deserved entry into a $500 freeroll.”

“The premise of ‘The Gladiator,’ is simple, the more days you earn points on, the bigger your prize. There’s up to $4,000 in cash to be won and anyone who wins a cash prize will also claim a seat in a $25,000 freeroll, providing even more chances to win. We've also added a massive incentive for the most dedicated players. Earn 1,200 points on 30 days and you’ll win a WPT package worth $8,000 which you can use for a WPT Main Tour event of your choice. With March having 31 days, you have an extra day's rest — vital for those dedicated to reaching the very top prizes.”

“For the players that want to push themselves even harder there is an exclusive elite target. Players who earn 1,500 points on 40 days between 1st March and 15th April will win a huge $15,000 WSOP* package**.”

You don’t even have to earn points on consecutive days: we’ll just count up the number of days where you made the targets during the promotion.

For example, if you earn 10 points every day for 10 days, take five days off and then earn 10 points on 10 more days of the promotion, you’ll get the $15 cash prize for earning 10 points on 20 days and entry into the $25,000 freeroll.

Players can keep updated on how many points picked up so far in ‘The Gladiator’ by checking their PartyAccount. Points are not removed from player accounts following the promotion – they all count towards Palladium VIP targets. Step into the arena from 1st to 31st March for a month of exciting poker action where you could emerge with prizes fit for a champion.

*World Series of Poker"® and "WSOP"® are registered trademarks of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. No license, affiliation, sponsorship or endorsement is claimed, or should be inferred from the use of these trademarks here. We are not licensed by or otherwise affiliated with Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. or the World Series of Poker® in any way.

Shuffle Master to Buy Ongame Network...

American casino equipment manufacturer Shuffle Master is expected to purchase the Ongame Network from online gaming giant bwin.party, according to a report by the UK’s The Sunday Times. The move is likely being made by Shuffle Master as a way to position itself when and if online poker is legalized and regulated in the United States.

The Ongame Network has been on the auction block for a year, a casualty of bwin’s merger with Party Gaming last March 31st. The network was purchased back in 2005 by bwin for £474 million, but that was pre-UIGEA and pre-Black Friday, two dark days in online poker history that have significantly changed the valuation of Ongame. Now, the deal with Shuffle Master looks to be for a mere £13 million ($20 million). Prior to the completion of the bwin/Party union, a bwin spokesperson said that the Ongame Network was considered a “surplus asset” and that it was “no longer needed” by the combined company.

The Ongame Network currently ranks as the 6th largest online poker room network/room in terms of cash game players, according to PokerScout.com. With a seven day average of 2,150 players, it falls just behind PokerStars.it (2,250) and just ahead of Winamax.fr (2,100). PartyPoker, which has remained separate from Ongame, ranks 2nd with a seven day average of 4,750 cash game players.

The problem Shuffle Master will face, however, is that the Ongame Network will likely not be as large after the purchase as it is now, although that is probably reflected in the purchase price. The headline room of the network is bwin.com, whose customers will almost certainly stay with bwin.party after the sale. What remains to be seen is what will happen with the other rooms on the network, particularly Betfair, the best known room after bwin.

Shuffle Master is best known for its automated card shufflers, installed in gaming tables, including poker, in casinos all over the world. The company also operates Shuffle Interactive, a division which offers casino games on a variety of platforms, including PC, Mac, Facebook, iOS, and Android. The games can be licensed by online casinos.

Investment bank Roth Capital Partners said in a research note last week, “We view the interactive gaming opportunity as the most under-appreciated aspect of Shuffle’s growth story.”

Though Shuffle Master and other American gaming companies (such as International Gaming Technology, which bought the Entraction Network for $115 million last May) are making moves under the expectation that the online poker market will open up in the United States, it does not appear that that will happen until at least next year. As we reported this weekend, the disappointing news first came from reliable Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Howard Stutz, who tweeted, “One Wall Street analyst opinion: Internet poker legalization not being attached to the payroll tax bill means the issue is dead for 2012.” It is not completely out of the question that something could get passed this year, as there are slight hopes that a poker rider could be attached to the Obama Administration’s jobs package or the upcoming cyber security legislation, but those are not strong possibilities. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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Call Me Fitz - FX Event At Swifts, Darling Point, Sydney with Jason Priestley

2012-02-23T00:20:00.000+11:00

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Movies Television Hollywood Sydney Australia

The grounds of the famous Swifts Mansion were abuzz with fans and media as actor Jason Priestley and a good spread of other actors did the rounds to promote FX's 'Call Me Fitz', in which Priestley stars.

Priestley, better known to Australians and most of the world for his former role in Beverly Hills 90210 has put Brandon Walsh in the history books and has created a cool, dark character in Richard "Fitz" Fitzpatrick.

FX is an upcoming new Fox International entertainment channel which we understand Foxtel are very keen to launch asap.

Promo...

Canadian-American actor Jason Priestley was every teenage girl's poster boy as Beverly Hills, 90210 character Brandon Walsh, one of the show's most popular figures. Priestley's role as Brandon Walsh catapulted him into international fame and since then he has starred in other television shows like Saturday Night Live, Tru Calling, Colditz, Medium and My Name is Earl.

Priestley's brand new television show Call Me Fitz stars him as the main character, a morally bankrupt used-car salesman whose consequence-free life is complicated by the arrival of a do-gooder who claims to be his conscience.

Call Me Fitz is one of many shows to be broadcast on Foxtel's new television channel, FX, which will welcome Priestley to Swifts mansion in Darling Point tonight to celebrate its launch in Australia. The series will have its debut on the channel on Wednesday, March 7 and will be broadcast alongside an array of other popular shows including hit zombie series The Walking Dead.

Priestley will walk the black carpet at this exclusive invitation only launch party at Swifts in Darling Point tonight, alongside Ben Esler, Damon Herriman, Hernan Lopez and Karin Simoncini. Media wishing to cover the black carpet will need to advise Marlene Richardson on the details listed below.

Call Me Fitz synopsis...

A twisted family dramedy about a morally bankrupt salesman who is forced to become business partners with his inner conscience, an off-beat do gooder intent on healing Fitz's mangled psyche, one hilarious disaster at a time.

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Virgin boss victorious in .xxx Branson pickle - 21st February 2012

2012-02-22T13:12:00.001+11:00

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Virgin Enterprises Limited Richard Branson Domain Names Websites

Cyber-squatter owns diddly-squat in domain ruling

Sir Richard Branson has wrestled a .xxx domain off a cybersquatter in a challenge over richardbranson.xxx.

The Virgin Group founder discovered last week that his Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organisation was successful.

The WIPO panelist handling the case found that the cybersquatter, Australian Sean Truman, lacked rights to the address and had registered it in bad faith.

Truman, who bought the domain four days after the .xxx registry went live last December, said in his defence that he snapped up the address as a "souvenir". He also claimed that Branson had "ample opportunity to register the name if he believed that his rights may be under threat by another person", according to the decision.

But "you snooze, you lose" is not a defence to cybersquatting under the UDRP's rules, and the panelist found in favour of Branson. The domain will now be transferred to Virgin.

But because Virgin is not a porn company, and therefore does not qualify to register .xxx domains, richardbranson.xxx will likely be set as a "non-resolver", meaning it will not work when you type it in your browser address bars.

It is the second UDRP case to have been decided since .xxx first started selling domains last year. The first saw the domain heb.xxx transferred to a Texas-based grocery chain. Other disputed addresses include foxstudios.xxx and kayjewelers.xxx, according to UDRP records. There have been 13 cases filed since 29 December.

Uniquely, the .xxx space has a second way of resolving cybersquatting disputes that is much faster, more secretive, and turning out to be just as popular as the standard UDRP.

This Rapid Evaluation Service, which can take down an obviously cybersquatted domain in as little as two days, has been invoked 15 times so far, according to the National Arbitration Forum, which handles the cases. NAF has taken down 12 .xxx cybersquats since December, according to recently released statistics. Each case took on average two days for a preliminary decision.

Unlike UDRP, which transfers the domain to the aggrieved party, domains seized under the $1,300 RES are turned off permanently, so the winner does not have to pay annual recurring fees.

But RES decisions are not published, so it's not clear which domains were cybersquatted or what rationale the NAF panelists used to suspend the domains. (Credit: The Register)

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Media Man Network accepting approved advertisers and campaigns

2012-02-22T10:43:00.000+11:00

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The Media Man Network is currently accepting approved advertisers and campaigns - both online and traditional campaigns.

Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company.

They were established in 2001 and are a multi-time award winner.

Ranked in the Hitwise Australia top ten (entertainment - personalities category), Google 'Best Of The Web', and AllExperts (TV and Radio).

Campaign portfolio includes WWE, UFC, Messages On Hold, Human Statue Bodyart, PartyCasino, Virgin Games, Marvel Entertainment, Aston Martin, Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, PlatinumHD, Ric Drasin, Eva Rinaldi Photography, Music News Australia, Richard Bradley Productions, Gizzi's Cafe, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, Palazzo Versace, IGT and Endemol.

The Media Man website network currently attracts approximately 5 million hits per month.

Media Man is regularly quoted in mainstream media including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Daily Telegraph, B&T, The New York Times blog, Gambling911, Street Corner and News Limited blog websites.

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Australian Casino News: The Star, Crown Casino; New Zealand Casino News: SkyCity

2012-02-21T10:23:00.001+11:00

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Australian Casinos casinos World Casino Directory Australia New Zealand

Star casino has 'extreme' party culture...

A former Star employee says the Sydney casino is plagued by a culture of parties, irresponsible gambling and sexual harassment.

The claims come just days after the NSW Gaming Authority announced an inquiry into the casino, following the sacking of its CEO Sid Vaikunta over sexual harassment allegations two weeks ago.
In an interview with Channel 7, former manager Elizabeth Ward said in her 24 years working in casinos she had never witnessed a culture as extreme as that at the Star.

"It's a permanent party," she told Seven.

Another employee who wasn't identified told Seven there was 'chronic drug abuse' within senior management.

He also claimed senior managers were encouraged not to report breaches within the casino.
"There's financial incentives not to report any breaches," he said.

Ms Ward, who worked at The Star for 16 years, claimed in one incident a senior minister from a foreign government was ejected from the casino for gross and obscene behaviour but was allowed to return after complaining to executive staff.

"No matter what you do or what you report or what you see, nothing gets done," she said.
The employees claim high-rollers are protected by senior management, and encouraged to stay at tables for up to 48 hours.

Ms Ward said her investigation of a suspected drug scandal involving a high-roller cost her and her husband their jobs.

She claimed the high-roller was good friends with three casino executives.

"The more I investigated it the uglier things seemed to be getting for me," she said.

The employees said they were willing to testify as part of the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority inquiry.

Echo Entertainment says the allegations made on Seven News are inconsistent with the findings of the Casino Liquor Gaming Control Authority's recent review of The Star casino licence.

The company says The Star's intolerance of breaches of its Code of Conduct is evidenced by the sacking of its former managing director after allegations were made against him.

It rejected Ms Ward's claim that the jobs of she and her husband were terminated after they investigated a high-roller over a suspected drug scandal.

"Ms Ward was unable to return to work after an eight-month absence and so her employment was ended," Echo Entertainment said in a statement.

"Six months before a restructure of table games Ms Ward's husband asked for a voluntary redundancy and The Star granted his request."

Echo Entertainment did not deny that reporting breaches was entwined with performance indicators.

It said reporting breaches was taken seriously but that a recent report by Ms Gail Furness SC to the Casino Liquor & Gaming Licence Authority did recommend a review of performance indicators for senior staff.

"She observed that The Star had already taken action to substitute a more appropriate KPI (Key Performance Indicators) in place of zero breaches," the company said.

The company also did not deny claims a foreign minister had been readmitted to the casino after being ejected for bad behaviour.

It said: "The Responsible Service of Alcohol is treated seriously and applied uniformly regardless of the status of the client visiting the casino."

Inquiry launched into sacking of casino boss Sid Vaikunta...

AN inquiry has been launched into the circumstances surrounding the sacking of The Star casino's CEO, Sid Vaikunta.

The NSW Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority said today it was establishing the inquiry, with powers conferred by the Royal Commissions Act.

Mr Vaikunta left the Sydney casino amid allegations of sexual harassment.

The casino's owner Echo Entertainment Group announced his departure a fortnight ago, citing his behaviour "in a social work setting".

Barrister Gail Furness SC will run the inquiry.

Melco interested in $1 bln Manila casino project

(Reuters) - A casino operator run by Australian billionaire James Packer and the son of Macau gambling tycoon Stanley Ho has expressed interest in investing in a $1 billion Manila casino project, the Philippine gambling regulator said on Tuesday.

Macau-based Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd MPEL.0 was "very interested" in the project, Cristino Naguiat, chairman of the state-owned Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corp (Pagcor), told Reuters after meeting with Melco officials last week in Manila.

He said Hong Kong-listed Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd (0027.HK) was also interested in a project in the more than 100-hectare Entertainment City near Manila Bay, construction of which is to begin late next year.

Pagcor, the country's largest casino operator, awarded four licenses in 2008 and 2009 to operate casino resorts in the Manila Bay area. Pagcor expects the resorts to generate annual gambling revenue of as much as $11 billion after five years of operation, overtaking Las Vegas.

Pagcor requires a minimum investment of $1 billion from any firm awarded a gaming license, Naguiat said.

CASINO RESORTS

Naguiat did not know if Melco was looking for local partners, but said Galaxy was in talks with local groups and "could be" in discussions with local property and leisure firm Belle Corp (BEL.PS) for a partnership.

Belle, controlled by the country's richest man Henry Sy, was looking to lease at least 10 hectares of land from Pagcor for its second casino project in Entertainment City. The project could also cost $1 billion.

Belle is building an integrated entertainment resort complex called Belle Grande Manila Bay, which features a 30,000-square-metre casino, within the Entertainment City.

Three other groups are pursuing developments in Entertainment City, the biggest being the $2 billion casino-hotel project being built by a unit of Japan's Universal Entertainment Corp (6425.OS) set for completion in 2014.

The other developers are Bloomsbury Investments and the joint venture between Genting Hong Kong Ltd (0678.HK) and Alliance Global Group (AGI.PS).

Naguiat said Universal Entertainment remained interested in pursuing its Philippine project despite a much-publicised fight between Japanese gaming mogul Kazuo Okada and his former business partner, Las Vegas casino tycoon Steve Wynn.

Okada owns Universal Entertainment and Wynn is chief executive at Wynn Resorts Ltd (WYNN.O). Both claim the other made improper payments to win favour in their respective Macau and Philippines markets.

"I don't know what's going on between Mr. Okada and Mr. Wynn. We have to be outside that fight," Naguiat said. "From the way I look at it, there was nothing wrong with our transactions with Mr. Okada."

Naguiat said he had discussed the issue with Okada, who promised to pursue his Philippine project. "No change in plans, everything will push through."

Pagcor grew its total revenues by 16.5 percent to a record 36.7 billion pesos last year. It expects revenues to grow at least 16 percent this year.

The season for auction fever about to set in...

THE commercial auction year in Melbourne will start in earnest when Burgess Rawson offers 10 properties, including shopping centres, service stations, and liquor outlets, next week.

The auction will be on Wednesday, February 29, in the River Room at Crown Casino at 11am. Up for sale are a Coles Express at Rye, an office in Cheltenham, a car wash in Springvale, a BP service station in Ballarat and an IGA in Seymour. The interstate properties include a supermarket and warehouse in Queensland, a Woolworths in Launceston and two Dan Murphy's liquor stores in New South Wales.

In Echuca, Fitzroys and Charles L. King & Co will offer four commercial/residential development sites for auction this Saturday from 1.30pm. The property at 557-561 High Street, one of the last development sites in the Port precinct, is expected to fetch more than $2 million. The other sales prices should be between $1 million-$1.8 million.

In Southbank, Savills Australia is marketing a warehouse with development potential close to Southgate and Crown Casino. The property will be auctioned on Thursday, March 8, at 1pm on site, and is expected to fetch more than $950,000. Located at 11-13 Hancock Street, the level warehouse on a 168-square-metre site is zoned Mixed Use (allowing residential and commercial development).

Receivers and managers have been appointed to sell The Avenue, a prominent shopping centre in Sunshine West. Colliers International, under instructions from PPB Advisory, has listed the centre at 136 The Avenue for sale by tender.

The anchor tenant at the shopping centre was a Coles supermarket and was complemented by a strong tenancy mix incorporating a Cellarbrations liquor outlet and other specialty stores.

Knight Frank is to sell an industrial property at Tullamarine. Located at 9 Fellowes Court, the property comprises a clear-span warehouse with a two-level office and loading docks. The expressions of interest campaign closes on March 15 at 5pm. The expected selling price is more than $4 million.

Adelaide Casino earns $19m in first half - 16th February 2012...

SkyCity Entertainment Group is continuing talks with the State Government on the redevelopment of the Adelaide casino.

New Zealand-based SkyCity has casinos in Auckland, Hamilton, Queenstown, Adelaide and Darwin.

Adelaide Casino was the group's best performing Australian asset, lifting earnings 13 per cent to $19.1 million in the six months to December 31 on a 7 per cent rise in revenue of $82.6 million.

SkyCity on Wednesday reported a 17.4 per cent increase in net profit for the first half of the 2011/12 financial year to a record $NZ78.8 million ($A61.81 million).

The group said that since December SkyCity had been working closely with the South Australian casino taskforce regarding the future regulatory framework for the Adelaide casino.

``The outcome of these discussions will allow us to determine whether to proceed or not with progressing our plans for the transformation of the Adelaide casino,'' SkyCity said.

``While we are excited about the outstanding growth opportunity this transformational project potentially represents for SkyCity, shareholders should be assured that this project will only proceed if we can be confident of achieving an acceptable return on the potential investment.''

SkyCity says it could transform the Adelaide casino into a world-class entertainment facility, featuring a five-star hotel, expanded gaming facilities, restaurants and bars, a spa and a roof-top pool lounge.

SkyCity said that since 2010, the Darwin casino had experienced some challenging times caused by a soft tourism market, the high Australian dollar and the ban on live cattle exports.

However, gaming revenues were now returning to growth.

Construction of SkyCity's new Lagoon Resort in Darwin was on budget and scheduled to open in July.

The Lagoon Resort would include special facilities for international gamblers, enabling SkyCity's Darwin property to compete in the international VIP market.

``This, together with the recently announced business class flights direct from Singapore, Darwin's proximity to Asia and the recently announced $32 billion Inpex Ichthys LNG project, gives us confidence that our Darwin property has a very bright future,'' SkyCity said.

Overall, the group said strong first half earnings were driven by the revitalised flagship Auckland casino and hotel complex, the Rugby World Cup finals in New Zealand in October, and continued success in attracting more international gamblers.

SkyCity chief executive Nigel Morrison said the group had enjoyed strong momentum in the six months to December 31, and it had continued into January and February 2012.

SkyCity expected its normalised net profit for the full year to be at the top end of its previous guidance range in the high $NZ140 millions, up from $NZ130.9 million ($A102.68 million) last year.

SkyCity spent $NZ50 million ($A39.22 million) rejuvenating its Auckland operations, including new VIP gaming facilities.

SkyCity said talks were continuing with the New Zealand government over the construction of an international convention centre, which could result in the SkyCity investing $NZ350 million ($A274.54 million) in the project.

Shares in SkyCity were two cents lower at $2.78 on Wednesday.

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Contraband Movie Premiere In Sydney Australia With Mark Wahlberg

2012-02-21T10:01:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Movies Hollywood Sydney Australia

Australian big name actor Mark Wahlberg drew a strong crowd at Event Cinemas, George St, Sydney this afternoon with the Australian premiere of the highly anticipated 'Contraband'.

Contraband opens in Australia February 23.

Fans of Marky Mark and as well as those into the thriller genre are going to love this.

Trivia...

Mark Wahlberg is taking his role as a model father seriously...he takes his kids to accompany him to get his tattoos removed!

Promo...

Mark Wahlberg leads the cast of Contraband, a fast-paced thriller about a man trying to stay out of a world he worked so hard to leave behind and the family he’ll do anything to protect. Set in New Orleans, the film explores the cutthroat underground world of international smuggling—full of desperate criminals and corrupt officials, high-stakes and big payoffs—where loyalty rarely exists and death is one wrong turn away.

Contraband is directed by Baltasar Kormákur and stars Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster, Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, Caleb Landry Jones, Diego Luna and J.K. Simmons.

Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Writers: Aaron Guzikowski (screenplay), Arnaldur Indriðason (film "Reykjavik-Rotterdam")
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi and Kate Beckinsale

Websites

Contraband

Universal Pictures

Universal Studios

Event Cinemas

Splash News & Pictures

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Music News Australia

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Casino News: Australia, New Zealand, Las Vegas, Land Based, Online...

2012-02-20T19:07:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Gaming Gambling Politics Australia New Zealand World Casino Directory

SkyCity gives more detail of casino expansion plan...

SkyCity has revealed its vision for the Adelaide Casino, as part of a redevelop the Torrens riverbank precinct.

The company wants to expand the casino to include a hotel, more gaming facilities, VIP suites, more restaurants and bars and a spa and rooftop pool.

It says the work would involve no removal of any part of the current heritage building and its plan would give casino site visitors even better views of the heritage building.

SkyCity CEO Nigel Morrison says the redevelopment will not proceed unless the South Australian Government comes up with concessions.

"We're working closely with the casino taskforce in South Australia regarding the regulatory framework for the Adelaide Casino and the outcome of those discussions will determine whether or not we're able to proceed in progressing our plans for the transformation of the Adelaide Casino," he said.

In the first half of the financial year, SkyCity Entertainment Group recorded a net profit of nearly $79 million, a 17 per cent rise, and revenue at the Adelaide Casino was up 6.9 per cent.

Queensland Casinos make pre-commitment...

Voluntary pre-commitment modules will be added to 3000 of Queensland pokies, bringing the percentage of the state's machines with the technology to 18 per cent.

But anti-gambling campaigner, independent federal senator Nick Xenophon, has labelled the move relatively empty.

Retiring state member and the minister responsible for gaming Paul Lucas yesterday announced that Echo Entertainment Group, which owns the Jupiter-branded casinos and hotels in Townsville and the Gold Coast, as well as the Treasury Casino and hotel in Brisbane, would begin rolling out the technology this month.

Mr Lucas said it was part of a $625 million upgrade Echo Entertainment had planned for their three Queensland properties. The allocation of 500 extra gaming machines for their south-east complexes would be conditional on the introduction of the technology.

Mr Lucas said the addition of 500 machines across the Brisbane and Gold Coast casinos had been sourced from "within the current state wide gaming machine cap" and there would be no overall increase in pokies across Queensland.

He said 11 per cent of the state's 44,000 poker machines already had voluntary pre-commitment technology installed and the Echo Entertainment Group's decision brought that figure to 18 per cent or 7800 machines.

"We've seen our problem gambling rates more than halve since 2001," Mr Lucas said.

"What that shows is measures such as voluntary pre-commitment work. That's why we continue to support voluntary pre-commitment but won't be supporting moves for mandatory pre-commitment until more research is done into its effectiveness."

But Mr Xenophon said voluntary pre-commitment did nothing for the gamblers who needed the most help.

"Voluntary pre-commitment is about as effective as voluntary speed limits and voluntary drink driving laws," he said. "It doesn't work and those who need it the most won't do it. So this is a case of more window dressing, more smoke and mirrors, surrounding the real issue."

Fellow independent senator Andrew Wilkie withdrew his support for Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government this month, when he said she reneged on their deal to implement an agreed pokies reform.

The agreement included mandatory pre-commitment for high-loss machines and a one-dollar limit on all other machines, with a May deadline. The federal government effectively walked away from the deal last month.

Mr Xenophon said he still believed major pokie reform was possible in Australia.

"I think it will happen because most Australians want it to happen. But you have the major parties caving into the poker machine lobby."

Release of legal advice on gambling reform...

Bill Shorten, Jenny Macklin - Tuesday, 1 February 2011...

The Australian Government today released legal advice on the Commonwealth’s power to legislate for important reforms to address problem gambling.

The Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, agreed with the Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, to commission this legal advice. The Prime Minister and Mr Wilkie also agreed that the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform would be informed of the legal advice.

The Australian Government is committed to working with the states and territories and industry to introduce key reforms which address the harm from problem gambling, including a full pre-commitment scheme for poker machines.

State and territory governments are responsible for the regulation of the gambling industry, except for online gambling.

However, problem gambling is a serious issue and the Australian Government believes more must be done to help problem gamblers and their families, particularly by reducing the harm caused by poker machines.

Research shows that three-quarters of severe problem gamblers have problems with poker machines.

Problem gambling can destroy families and ruin lives.

Problem gamblers spend an average of $21,000 a year on gambling. That's a lot of money by anyone’s standards – money that isn’t being spent on food, bills or the family mortgage.

We have written to Mr Wilkie, as Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform, to our state and territory colleagues on the Council of Australian Governments Select Council on Gambling Reform, and to Professor Peter Shergold AC, Chair of the Ministerial Expert Advisory Group on Gambling Reform, to provide them with the legal advice.

The advice from the Australian Government Solicitor confirms there are a range of constitutional heads of power available to the Australian Government, including corporations, trade and commerce, telecommunications, banking, currency, taxation and territories powers.

While this advice identifies the legislative options available to the Commonwealth, the Australian Government remains committed to reaching an agreement with the states and territories to progress these important reforms.

Gambling is a legitimate industry and a valued form of entertainment for many Australians. We will work with industry to implement these reforms in a staged, evidence-based way. We have established the Ministerial Expert Advisory Group on Gambling, chaired by Professor Peter Shergold AC, to seek advice from the industry, academics and gambling support services on how to best implement the reforms.

The Productivity Commission recommended the Commonwealth intervene if the states and territories do not agree to implement gambling reforms Australia wide.

Legislation for National Gambling Reforms, by Jenny Macklin - 17 February 2012

The Australian Government today released the draft National Gambling Reform Bills 2012 which will deliver long-lasting reforms to help the five million Australians affected by problem gambling.

The Bills put into action the reform package the Government announced on 21 January this year, including implementing pre-commitment technology and dynamic warnings on poker machines and introducing a $250 daily ATM withdrawal limit in pokies venues.

The Bills build on the Australian Government’s work on pre-commitment technology through the Council of Australian Government’s Select Council on Gaming Reform. At this forum in May last year, state and territory gaming ministers agreed to support the required infrastructure for pre-commitment technology in all jurisdictions.

These Bills give a clear timeline for the implementation of pre-commitment in pokies venues across Australia.

From next week the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Treasury will begin formal consultations with industry groups, manufacturers, community groups and the states and territories on the draft Bills.

Following the consultations, the Bills will be introduced into the parliament in the current session.

The Government has a clear plan to deliver the most significant and far reaching national reforms to tackle problem gambling ever seen in this country.

This is the first time the Commonwealth has taken national action to help problem gamblers and their families.

The draft legislation is available at www.fahcsia.gov.au

New star performers for SA...

SYDNEY, NSW - IGT announces that its set to release of two new games for its IGT bluechip Neo® cabinet in South Australia - taking its SA game offering for this new cabinet to seven since launch last. Age of Shogun™ and Wild Girls™ offer different play styles and game features to excite existing players and attract new ones.

The latest addition to IGT's very successful Shogun-themed games, Age of Shogun™ is a high denomination game featuring three progressive jackpots as well as triple prizes during 25 free games. Wild Girls™ on the other hand, is a low denomination game with a unique feature that offers extra substitutes and an interactive game screen during free games.

Bill Maglaris, IGT's SA State sales manager, commented: "IGT was the first gaming manufacturer to bring 3-level progressive jackpots to South Australia and it's great to see this feature teamed with one of IGT's popular game themes in Age of Shogun. If past Shogun games are an indication, this new game should prove popular with players. Wild Girls offers something new to the low denom market allowing players to collect symbols to gain additional substitutes and providing venues with a configurable hold percentage to suit their individual requirements."

We're pleased to be releasing two more games to our bluechip Neo game library in South Australia. This library now features a mix of denominations and low volatilities to ensure venues can choose games that meet their needs".

IGT is the world's largest gaming manufacturer. IGT Australia is a subsidiary of IGT and has served the local market for over 20 years. IGT Australia delivers the global strength of our parent via innovative products designed to maximise the potential of gaming floors across Australia and New Zealand. IGT's comprehensive range of value added services and systems ensures that venues get the most from their investments.

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Murdoch to launch Sun on Sunday next weekend - 20th February 2012

2012-02-20T11:04:00.001+11:00

Profiles

Rupert Murdoch Media Companies News Corp Australia

Rupert Murdoch and James Packer

The Sunday version of Rupert Murdoch's top-selling British tabloid The Sun will hit the shelves for the first time next weekend, the Australian-born media tycoon's News International has announced.

"Rupert Murdoch said during his visit on Friday that a new Sunday title would be published 'very soon' - and that is a week from today," said an internal memo sent to staff at Murdoch's company.

The Sun's website ran a story saying the paper, called The Sun on Sunday, will be launched on February 26.

News International closed down its News of the World Sunday tabloid last year after revelations of widespread phone hacking by reporters.

At the time both Mr Murdoch and his son James said there were no immediate plans to launch a Sunday paper to replace the News of the World.

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Tropfest Opens In Sydney, Australia - 19th February 2012

2012-02-20T10:58:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Sydney Tropfest Movies Australia

Australian actor / director / producer John Polson will produce a multi-million dollar film tribute to Sydney in the last half of this year, with many of Australia’s best-known and respected Oscar award winners keen to get in on the action.

The news came to light today - open day of Tropfest Sydney.

Polson has confirmed a number of Aussie actors are signed for his 'ode to Sydney' - with the list said to contain Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett.

"It won’t be a huge time investment, but in the end it will feel like some of Australia’s best talent got together and made a film, which can only be a great thing," Polson said.

"It will happen in the second half of 2012," said Polson. "It’s a film which is a series of short segments that are all set in Sydney that are made either by people who live in Sydney, who love Sydney or who are from Sydney."

"We’ve put together a dozen of the most exciting film names, certainly in Australia, but also around the world. It’s a pretty incredible list," Polson said. "I mean, look at the talent we have here - people either born here or living here - and yet no-one’s ever really tapped into that."

It was a big day for Polson, with his Tropfest opening - a celebration of 20 years of the iconic short film festival.

It's estimated that about 150,000 people saw the event live, with the Sydney leg taking place at The Domain, and the forecast of rain (which got heavier as the night went on) didn't appear to dip the crowd.

Recognized as the largest short film festival in the world, Tropfest is also praised for "its enormous contribution to the development of the Australian film industry by providing unique platforms for emerging filmmakers through its events and initiatives, and new and expanded audiences for their work."

Finalists...

KITCHEN SINK DRAMA

THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS

THE MISTAKE

RGB

PHOTO BOOTH

ONE THING

MY CONSTELLATION

MIN MIN

MATCHBOX BROTHERS

LEMONADE STAND

JACK & LILY

“I’M FREE TO BE ME”

HOW MANY MORE DOCTORS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHTBULB?

BOO!

ALICE’S BABY

Nicole Kidman Appears At Tropfest 2012...

Having flown back to Australia this past week with her family, Nicole Kidman stepped out for an appearance at the Tropfest 2012 short film festival in Sydney.

The 45-year-old actress was smiling a lot as she journey through the arrivals area, then onto the black carpet and beyond.

Websites

Tropfest (Australia)

Tropfest

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2012-02-19T13:56:00.000+11:00

News

PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month'

O'Farrell aide accused of conflict of interest as Premier's link to casino scandal

Packer shifts gaming chips

Packer casino hits jackpot in Macau

Shane Warne is shocked by link to porn site

Dame Judi reveals sight scare

Sydney hoteliers move to ban patrons with visible tattoos

Hulk Hogan heading to New Zealand

CHYNA I Got Screwed Over By a Hulk Hogan Imposter

MEL GIBSON Invited to Whitney's Funeral ... He Tried to Save Her

Ex 'Survivor' Producer Bruce Beresford-Redman to Stand Trial for Wife's Death

BRUCE BERESFORD-REDMAN I'm Ready to Talk... for a Price!!!

WWE's Dave Bautista Joins Vin Diesel in 'Chronicles of Riddick 2'

Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan Starts Wrestling Company

George Clooney's Squeeze Stacy Keibler Sparkles in Marchesa at The National Board of Review

U.S. Seizes 16 Unauthorized Sports Streaming Sites Ahead of Super Bowl

Stars turn out for Whitney's funeral

Leaked video shows Rudd swearing

Masked men plunder ancient Olympic artefacts

Daredevil to cross Niagara Falls on tightrope

Shane Warne in internet porn shock over 888 online poker website

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance: Film Review

Bring It Back!: "WWE WrestleFest"

World's Strongest Induction

WWE(R) Annual Shareholders Meeting to Be Held on April 27, 2012

WWE(R) Declares Quarterly Dividend

Search for the 2012 WWE Community Champion begins in the U.K.

Shuffle Master seeking European alliances

Harley-Davidson Joins Forces with Marvel

Survivor producer to face trial for wife's murder

Special investigation: Charities use the hard sell

Revenge consumes 2 million viewers

McCartney honoured on Walk of Fame

Watch the Second Amazing Spider-Man Trailer

PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month'

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Australian Open Of Surfing; Manly Beach, Sydney, Australia; The Living End Rocks

2012-02-19T11:19:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Sydney Manly Music Australia

The inaugural Australian Open of Surfing has hit Sydney, Australia via Australia' home of surfing - Manly Beach.

In excess of 100,000 people are expected to have embarked on Sydney's Manly Beach by the end the nine-day event. Today it looked like 150,000 were at Manly Beach.

Make no mistake - this is Australia biggest surf, skate and music festival combo.

The weather has been changeable throughout the event, but today was blue skys all the way.

Locals supported home grown surfers such as Cooper Chapman, a 17-year-old from Narrabeen.

The youngster came into the competition as a wildcard entrant and surfed one-on-one with world number-two Joel Parkinson.

“I’ve always looked up to (Parkinson), he has been one of my favourite surfers for a long time,” Chapman told the Manly Daily.

Surfing is just one of a number of cool activities.

Skaters (skate board riders) as young as eight, as well as international pro, have been competing for $US50,000 ($47,000) in prize money in the Beach Bowl skate bowl.

The nine-day Australian Open of Surfing has been declared a success by organisers, sponsors and supporters, including the state government's Destination NSW program.

"It brings the best of surf, skate and music to the harbour city, embracing youth culture and promoting the unique energy of Sydney's outdoor lifestyle," says the Minister for Tourism, George Souris, eyeing an extra $6 million tourism boost.

The Manly extravaganza is based on the US Open of Surfing, a week-long celebration of surfing, skating, BMX, fashion, art and lifestyle held annually at Huntington Beach, California.

"It's just huge there. Attracts about a million people," says Jason Haynes, the general manager of surfwear company Hurley, principal co-sponsor with Billabong of the Manly event.

His expectations in Manly are more modest. "We're just getting started. We'd be pleased with 100,000," Haynes says. "So far it ticks all the boxes in terms of location, weather, waves, community support."

The Australian Open - which has been several years and a "substantial", though undisclosed, budget in the making - has been booked initially into the calendar for three years.

"We want it to be part of the calendar. We hope families will book their holidays in Australia round the event," says Bob Hurley, the company's chairman and founder. He also hopes to attract more top male surfers.

Top line music performers are also sharing the stage of success with the surfers and skaters.

Music acts like Sneaky Sound System, Children Collide and Stonefield are entertaining the masses at the event also, with Children Collide and The Living End whipping up a storm this afternoon.

The Australian Open of Surfing concluded today.

Websites

Australian Open Of Surfing

The Living End

Cardinal Spin

Sydney.com

Billabong

Hurley International

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Roxette Australian Tour: Sydney Entertainment Centre Double Shot; 1927 Opens

2012-02-19T11:17:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Sydney Music Australia

Roxette have topped the charts three times down under in Australia and with a portfolio of massive hits including It Must Have Been Love, Joyride, Listen To Your Heart, How Do You Do, Sleeping In My Car, Dressed For Success and The Look, this is fully expected to be one of the best live music events of 2012.

Last night they drew strong numbers at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, and tonight they did it once again.

Promoter Live Nation had taken a change of bringing the Swedish group out here after two other Australian promoters knocking them back. By all accounts Live Nation's punt has paid back dividends, both to the fans, the group, and to the bottom line.

Scandanavian pop acts have an illustrious chart history here. Fellow Sweeds ABBA could vouch for that.

Entertainment industry experts have gone on record that its the Australia's 30 to 40 year old audience remembering the powerful and emotional songs that they heard in their youth that explains the strong drawing pull.

It was back in 1995, not long after their commercial high spot, they didn't perform to so many people.

Charm School is their first album in ten years and its built upon the foundation that made they great.

The band is the platform for vocalist Marie Fredriksson and songwriter and guitarist Per Gessle.

The appreciative crowd lapped up Dressed For Success, Joy Ride and The Look.

'It Must Have Been Love' was a definite karaoke moment to say the least.

They combine really catchy numbers, solid voices, charisma, fashion sense and strong drawing power.

The band is expected to continue to draw strong audience numbers while touring Australia.

Tracks

1. Dressed For Success
2. Sleeping In My Car
3. The Big L
4. Wish I Could Fly
5. Stars
6. She's Got Nothing On But...
7. Perfect Day
8. Things Will Never Be The Same
9. Opportunity Nox
10.7Twenty7
11. Fading Like A Flower
12. Crash! Boom! Bang!
13. How Do You Do?
14. Dangerous
15. Joyride
16. Watercolours In The Rain
17. Spending My Time
18. The Look
19. Listen To Your Heart
20. Church Of Your Heart

1927 Opens The Show...

1927 were a perfect band to open things up for Roxette.

The are an Aussie pop/rock band formed in Melbourne in 1987 with James Barton on drums, Bill Frost on bass guitar, his brother Garry Frost on guitar and keyboards, and Erik Weideman on vocals, guitar and keyboards. They were extremely popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s with their major hit songs "If I Could", "Compulsory Hero" and "That's When I Think of You" and their multi-platinum #1 album ...ish.

Some of the crowd was so into 1927, it would be reasonable to suggest the for some fans 1927 were the stars, supported by Roxette. Whatever the case, it was an awesome double act.

Tracks

1. Fright Of Your Life
2. To Love Me
3. Don't Forget Me
4. You'll Never Know
5. Tell Me A Story
6. Hero
7. If I Could
8. That's When

Websites

Roxette

1927

Sydney Entertainment Centre

Live Nation

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Music News Australia

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Call Of Duty hits billion-dollar mark

2012-02-17T00:37:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Call Of Duty Activision Games Movies Hollywood Promotions Publicity

Sales of the latest instalment of Call Of Duty have topped $US1 billion barely more than two weeks after its release.

Activision Blizzard, producers of the wildly popular military first-person shooter video game, say Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 hit the billion-dollar mark 16 days after its November 8 release, breaking by one day a money-making record set by the hit 3D film Avatar in 2009.

"Call Of Duty has become that rare entertainment franchise that transcends its own genre," Activision Publishing chief executive Eric Hirshberg said in a statement.

"Every year, new people are drawn into Call Of Duty."

The game has attracted more than 30 million players, with 6 million people having registered to play with or against one another online.

Website Network

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Roxette Australian Tour: Sydney Entertainment Centre

2012-02-16T23:13:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Sydney Music Australia

Roxette have topped the charts three times down under in Australia and with a portfolio of mega hits including It Must Have Been Love, Joyride, Listen To Your Heart, How Do You Do, Sleeping In My Car, Dressed For Success and The Look, this is expected to be one of the best live music events of 2012.

Last night they sold out Brisbane and tonight they drew strong numbers at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Entertainment industry experts say that its the Australia's 30 to 40 year old audience remembering the powerful and emotional songs that they heard in their youth that explains the strong drawing pull.

It was back in 1995, not long after their commercial high spot, they didn't perform to so many people.

So popular they are, that they are back at the Sydney Entertainment Centre again tomorrow night.

Charm School is their first album in ten years and its built upon the foundation that made they great.

The band is the platform for vocalist Marie Fredriksson and songwriter and guitarist Per Gessle.

The appriciative crowd really got into Dressed For Success, Joy Ride and The Look.

They combine really catchy numbers, solid voices, charisma, fashion sense and strong drawing power.

The group is expected to continue to draw strong audience numbers while touring Australia.

Websites

Roxette

Sydney Entertainment Centre

Live Nation

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Media Man News

Music News Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

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Take A Bite Out Of Life - 16th February 2012

2012-02-16T19:16:00.001+11:00

Model Laura May looks good enough to eat ahead of the launch of March Into Merivale tonight. The launch will include a gourmet extravaganza stretching the length of Ash St and into the Ivy room from 6pm to 9pm. The festival's theme is Eat My Words this year and will feature more than 60 culinary events across 21 venues until April 5. www.merivale.com (Credit: mX)

*Human Statue Bodyart helped create the model's look featured in today's front page news story on 'March Into Merivale'.

Websites

Merivale

Merivale (Ivy Bar)

Merivale (March Into Merivale)

Human Statue Bodyart

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

Media Man Entertainment

Media Man Entertainment Website Updated

2012-02-16T18:52:00.004+11:00

Website

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‘Ultimate Fashionista: The Young Hollywood Style Guide’ Book Review

2012-02-16T18:52:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Last night many of Sydney's leading fashion folk celebrated the launch of Alana Wulff’s latest book ‘Ultimate Fashionista: The Young Hollywood Style Guide’.

There's no shortage of fashion reading in the world, but Alana has shed some new light on the subject and made it virtually must read material for Australia's (if not the world's) young women.

Having worked at some of the most popular women's magazines such as TV Hits, Girlfriend and OK!, Alana has seen a lot of changes in fashion over the years.

Each chapter of the book offers up something different. You have profiles on style icons such as Zoe Kravitz, Blake Lively, Dakota Fanning and Emma Stone. Then you have interviews with some of Australia’s leading designers and fashion folks across media and retail. There's also a section that lists online stores, a "how-to" packing guide, "must-haves" and much more ladies.

Here's Alana's official description...

Written by Alana Wulff
Published by Random House

What do Blake Lively, Emma Stone and Dakota Fanning have in common (aside from beauty, fame and fortune obviously)? They are all featured in Alana Wulff’s latest book ‘Ultimate Fashionista: The Young Hollywood Style Guide’.

Alana Wulff is an entertainment writer and celebrity interviewer and she uses her pulling power to bring together celebs to grill them on their style, inspirations and wardrobes. Plus she also interviews some of Australia’s leading designers and fashion insiders from PR, print and retail. There is also some cool info at the back of the book about online stores, a packing/travel guide and a list of wardrobe essentials.

The book is colourful, packed full of pictures and has loads of tips and tricks about fashion and styling, referenced through stylish celebs. It is well-researched, with interactive activities (who doesn’t love a good quiz?) and space to write your own notes throughout. Functional and frivolous at the same time - this book is fabulous for those girls who are just starting to become aware of their style or those who would love a sneaky peek inside the lives (and wardrobes) of their fav celebs.

AUD $24.99
224 pages

Websites

Random House Books Australia

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Music News Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

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Media Man Entertainment

National Multicultural Festival 2012; Festival Opens In Canberra, Australia - 10th February 2012

2012-02-16T18:49:00.001+11:00

Profiles

Music Canberra Australia Politics

Today the National Multicultural Festival commenced in the nation's capital Canberra, with live music and fine food playing a significent part in the celebration.

More than 200,000 people are going to converge in Canberra's city centre this weekend for the annual celebration of multiculturalism.

The 16th festival features a record 350 stalls representing just about every nation on earth.

There are four stages and three platforms where much of the live entertainment will take place.

Tonight's opening concert starred Australian performing artist Anthony Callea, with Coloured Stone fronted by Bunna Lawrie getting a fantastic reception.

Music News Australia had the pleasure to interview Bunna after his performance and he said much of the meaning was about "hope, peace and a coming together of energies".

The food and dance spectacular on Saturday and Sunday will include an Indigenous showcase, Carnivale, Turkish bazaar, Greek glendi, Indian display and Chinese New Year celebrations.

Festival project manager Jancye Winter advised in excess of 300 groups and 70 diplomatic missions are involved.

"When you bring food and dance together, you find all of the community works very hard together. We see this particularly at this time of the year, that all of the community groups are working very cooperatively together," she said.

"By going around the stalls you will see the real diversity of all of the cultures here. It's a true celebration of Canberra's diversity."

Ms Winter says many of the visitors and entertainers travel from interstate and overseas.

"The festival brings in so many visitors and has an impact across not only accommodation but many of the tourist outlets, and indeed the shops in Civic enjoy a boost in retail because we bring people right into the heart of the city centre," she said.

Festival ambassador Wolfgang Blass immigrated to Australia from Germany in the 1960s, establishing the well-known Wolf Blass winery in South Australia's Barossa Valley.

He says the festival helps bring different sections of the communities together.

"We have to live together, we have to learn to live together and this multicultural event is going to bring people together," he said.

"Let's hope we all, in a united way, have a good time and enjoy the food that each culture is going to present."

Mr Blass says Australia is a lucky country that has come a long way.

"We are now a society entering a leisurely lifestyle," he said.

"Politically we don't have any big problems. There is no unrest in this country. We have a very strong sporting mind and it is important that we are free and have a strong democracy."

Mr Blass also emphasised that it was "time to party", and started that "Canberra really knows how to put on a party".

Mr Blass also shared the stage with Joy Burch MLA ACT Minister for Multicultural Affairs.

So far the festival looks to have been a wonderful success.

Websites

National Multicultural Festival 2012

Australian Capital Territory Government Information Portal

Australia.com

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Media Man News

Music News Australia

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Mardi Gras Fair Day At Victoria Park; Sydney, Australia - 12th February 2012

2012-02-16T18:47:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Sydney Australia

For many Sydney-siders Fair Day was a great way to kick off the official Mardi Gras season, with a fun and relaxed day at Sydney's Victoria Park.

Estimates indicate that about 70,000 people came to enjoy Fair Day.

The 2012 Fair Day featured a range of activities.

The main music stage offered up Maxine Kauter, Brendan Maclean, Mary Kiani Gen Chadwick, Shimtastic, Kristy Apps, Candy Royalle, Sloppy Joe, Miss Gaynor Tension and Blackcat Lounge - Queer Cabaret.

There was also the traditional Mr and Mrs Fair Day comp which was hosted by Charisma Belle, with judges Anthony Defina (Chelsea Bun), Glenn Hansen and Fiona Gamble.

Other entertainment on the day included Pot of Love, an interactive stall by artist Amanda King, Rainbow Reuse and performances from Mardi Gras Youth Festival participants.

Pet's of the four legged kind even showed up to join in the fun. Dogs and their owners competed in Owner/Dog Look-A-Like, Best ‘Pick Up’ Dog, Best Dressed Dog and The Famous Doggywood Obstacle Course.

The Gaydar Lounge, incorporating Gaydar Radio was popular with those wanting to chill, as was The Finlandia Lounge.

Victoria Park Camperdown is the place to be to take in the Mardi Gras Fair Day up till 8pm tonight.

Websites

Mardi Gras official website

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Music News Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

Media Man News

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Il Divo Orchestra in Concert At Sydney Opera House - 14th February 2012

2012-02-16T18:46:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Sydney Music Australia

Il Divo (divine male performer in Italian) performed at the world famous Sydney Opera House tonight - Valentine's Day in Australia.

They are a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. They are currently signed to Sony Music Entertainment.

The group was originated in the UK, however most people believe they were formed in Italy.

Il Divo is a group of four male singers: French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, American tenor David Miller, and Swiss tenor Urs Bühler. To date, they have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide.

Sebastien told the press: "We're so excited to be kicking off our 2012 tour in Australia. Valentines Day, performing at the Sydney Opera House is going to be such a memorable start to a world tour... it really feels like coming home. It’s a country full of my favourite things: Tim Tams, Whale Beach, shopping on Chapel Street and one of the best zoos in the world. We can't wait to have the time whilst on tour to enjoy it all!"

Izambard, who married Melbourne publicist Renee back in 2008, also said he couldn't wait to spend time at the beach and have barbecues with his Australian relatives.

"It always feels like coming home for me," he said.

They have more than 25 million album sales globally, 150 gold and platinum discs and have more than 2 million concert tickets sold.

The idea behind Il Divo's creation came to Cowell after hearing Andrea Bocelli singing Con te partirò while watching The Sopranos.

They combine amazing voices, class and great looks.

The group is expected to continue to draw strong audience numbers while touring Australia.

Websites

Il Divo

Sydney Opera House

Live Nation

Flourish PR

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Media Man News

Music News Australia

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David Jones Autumn Winter Launch With Samantha Harris, Next Top Models At David Jones Sydney

2012-02-16T18:44:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Fashion Samantha Harris Australia

Australian fashion icon Miranda Kerr was back to promoting fashion wares once again today, returning to DJ's, Sydney, as part of the latest, greatest David Jones Autumn Winter launch.

The fashion celebs were in abundance as Kerr was joined by dozens of Australian fashion super elite, many international names.

In front of a crowd of hundreds, fashion and entertainment industry elite including Dannii Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Megan Gale, Alex Dimitriades and Miranda Kerr did the red (actually black) carpet and mingled with press.

The retailer transformed the top floor of its sin city Sydney store into a fashion salon - New York style, with a runway.

New York-based Australian supermodel Nicole Trunfio made a huge splash on the intimate Paris-style runway super show

All the new pitched trends for autumn and winter were there, with designer's all looking to get a leg up on the competition.

Splashes of screaming hot red and sunshine yellow punctuated the mostly muted palette favoured by designers and the perennial winter favourite - black.

But last night the department store giant fought back with its new big gun, Dannii Minogue.
DJs pulled off its ambitious fashion coup after back-to-back controversies of a high-profile sexual harassment scandal and the absence of crowd favourite Kerr.

Retail giant David Jones streamed the event live over the internet for its virgin time via its official Facebook page.

Well done to DJ's, models and everyone involved in the fab event. We look forward to seeing you at the next as Australia's fashion wars continue to heat up.

Quotes and gossip...

"Australian women are smart, they're chic, they're international, they want to be in control," said the store's make-up supplier, Napoleon Perdis. "We've got to push for more women on seats in boardrooms across the country!" Naturally, the right lipstick - matte orange, or a rich bordeaux - and winter's key "smokey eye" makeup, will help the cause. "Women like to mark their territory," Perdis continued..."On a collar, on a glass, on somebody's lips..!"

"This is an awe-inspiring season," womenswear controller David Bush said. "We love and adore every single one of our fashion family: Collette Dinnigan the queen of lace, Akira (Isogawa) the most sublime individual, Carla Zampatti who brought us a new ladylike way of dressing..."

Websites

David Jones

Miranda Kerr

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Media Man News

Music News Australia

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Aston Martin DB5 Starring in James Bond’s Skyfall Movie, by Greg Tingle

2012-02-16T17:10:00.001+11:00

Profiles

James Bond Skyfall Casino Royale Movies Hollywood Aston Martin Auto Promotions Publicity Brands

From Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia to the UK, Hollywood and beyond, the world knows of the James Bond franchise, as well as his famous cars... especially the Aston Martin.

Australia's most famous beach is understood to be home to at least a dozen Aston Martin's, but we know some owners like to hide they away, rather than to show them off, with some locals preferring to hide their wealth these days.

A bit of history... It was the Aston Martin Silver Birch that featured in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger”.

It is considered to be the most famous car in the world. Ok, so the car has never received an Oscar or other movie award, the DB5 has continued on since Goldfinger to enjoy the spotlight in a number of James Bond movies.

1964’s Goldfinger movie spotlighted the DB5 as a complete spy control center. It sported an awesome machine gun, an ejector seat, chariot-style slicing wheel and a revolving license plate.

It went on to star in such great James Bond films such as Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies and Casino Royale.

007 just wouldn’t be the same with the appearance of such as famous co-star as the Aston Martin DB5. It has been seen on the latest James Bond movie set, shooting scenes for Skyfall. It will be the first time that the DB5 has appeared complete with super spy gear since Sean Connery manned the wheel in the movie Goldfinger.

The latest Aston Martin DB5 has kept its exceptional styling.

Under the hood quite a bit of work has been done. It hosts a DOHC straight six engine that gives more than 400 horsepower. Telescopic shock absorbers keep the drive smooth, and it can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 7.1 seconds.

Additional updates include new 15” wheels, Girling disc brakes and twin hydraulic brake servos. The Aston Martin DB5 Vantage received different camshafts and 3 Weber carburetors to further enhance its performance. This tie they have also added electric windows.

Finally, a convertible is also available with an additional steel hard top.

Collectors will be checking out both the car and new Bond movie very closely.

Websites

Aston Martin official website

Skyfall official website

James Bond official website

Media Man News

Website Network

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Media Man

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Casino News Media

Advertise And Promote Your Business Enterprise Via The Media Man Network

2012-02-16T14:35:00.002+11:00

For more information...

Advertising Promotions Publicity Brands Testimonials

Media Man is primarily a media, publicity and internet portal development company. Media Man was established in 2001 by media entrepreneur, Greg Tingle.

Websites

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Casino News Media

Global Gaming Directory

Media Man Entertainment Website Updated

2012-02-15T20:22:00.001+11:00

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Miranda Kerr David Jones Sydney - Organics Valentine's Day Event - 14th February 2012

2012-02-15T20:18:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Fashion Sydney Australia

Today - Valentine's Day in Sydney, Australia, world famous Australian model - Miranda Kerr made an in store public appearance at David Jones Sydney to promote her range of KORA Organics product range.

Hey, even super models are entitled to have their own business ventures also, and by all accounts Miranda's KORA Organics is a high quality, customer focussed operation. Not only that, its a part family owned and operated company.

Miranda's mum, Therese, the top brass of the brand, was also on hand at today's event, however husband Orlando Bloom was not able to attend - understood to be currently working in Europe.

Miranda writes on her blog...

The KORA Team and I have put this blog together for the purpose of providing you with information on everything you might find interesting in the health and wellness industry. We are blessed to have renowned practitioners and others in all areas of health & wellness, natural medicine, nutrition, spirituality, exercise, supplements, organics, skincare, etc regularly contribute to our blog. Through the KORA Organics Blog I also get the opportunity to share information about my life; how I live, what I like to eat, where I shop, what foods and supplements I personally buy and like to take etc. My hope is to share with you my organic, healthy, natural life.

Here's some product blurb we know you've been waiting on...

KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr Rosehip Body Oil

Give the gift of luxuriously smooth skin this Valentine's Day with this Rosehip Body oil by KORA Organics. Miranda herself says, Valentines Day is all about spoiling one another and the KORA Organics Luxurious Body Oil is a beautiful gift and a great excuse for an all over body massage. It is available for purchase from KORA Organics, and to top it off, the first 150 people to buy 2 or more products in David Jones in the lead up to Valentine's Day will receive a custom made Valentine's Day card for Miranda to sign personally on the day - details can be found here.

Websites

Miranda Kerr official website

KORA Organics

David Jones

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Media Man News

Music News Australia

Website Network

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Media Man

Media Man News

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PartyCasino Gets News Games; $3000 Sign Up Bonus

2012-02-15T20:03:00.002+11:00

PartyCasino.com gets new games.

New players get up to $3000 sign up bonus.

Media Man Most Popular Slot Games: Cleopatra, Sinatra, Mission: Impossible, Rambo, The Terminator, Monopoly, Sin City, The Godfather

2012-02-15T11:54:00.002+11:00

Profiles

Cleopatra Sinatra Mission: Impossible Rambo The Terminator Monopoly Sin City The Godfather

PartyCasino new players get up to $3000 sign up bonus via Media Man and Casino News Media

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Media Man Inks b2b Deal With Jackpot Party - WMS

2012-02-14T14:30:00.001+11:00

Websites

Jackpot Party Media Man Int

Website

www.JackpotParty.com

Profiles

Jackpot Party WMS Games New Games New Casino Games Slots Casinos

Media Man Inks Deal With Jackpot Party - WMS

Media Man, the world renown media, publicity and internet portal development company has today inked a b2b agreement with Jackpot Party - the online arm of gaming firm, WMS.

A Media Man spokesperson said "We are delighted to have finally got in place a b2b agreement with Jackpot Party - WMS. This adds further great value for our clients and online entertainment and gaming audience by offering a range of world class slot games such as John Wayne, Bruce Lee, The Wizard Of Oz and Star Trek."

About WMS

WMS has been a world leader in interactive gaming entertainment since Harry Williams founded the company nearly seventy years ago, in 1943. Harry invented the tilt device for pinball machines, and this revolutionized pinball machines in the United States. The company adopted this spirit of innovation and delivered it to the home video market in the 1980s and 1990s and then to the casino gaming industry beginning in the early 1990s.

Since then, WMS has become a leading supplier of innovative casino gaming machines around the world. Our portfolio of games includes many of the industry's most popular themes, including well-established titles such as Reel 'em In!®™ and Jackpot Party® (which was the naming inspiration behind the Jackpot Party site you're reading now). WMS has also brought to market world famous licensed titles such as MONOPOLY™, TOP GUN™, THE WIZARD OF OZ™, and STAR TREK™, the latter two of which are available to play online at Jackpot Party right now.

Over the last few years, WMS has emerged as the industry innovator in establishing new standards for gaming entertainment with the introduction of four revolutionary technology platforms:

Community Gaming®™
Sensory Immersion Gaming
Transmissive Reels®™ Gaming
Adaptive Gaming®™

As a result, WMS is known worldwide for creating great gaming experiences. Now, with the Jackpot Party online casino (provided by a wholly owned subsidiary of WMS in the licensed jurisdiction of Alderney) you can experience all the benefits of this innovative approach for yourself from the comfort of your own home.

Through imagination, talent and technology, WMS creates and provides the world's most compelling gaming experiences. And now, for the first time ever, these unique experiences are available to you online.

About Media Man

Media Man is a world renown media, publicity and internet portal development company. The own and operate over 20 destination website portals and were established in 2001. Media Man covers a wide array of sectors such as entertainment - celebrity, gaming, technology, business and finance, travel and lifestyle, property and community.

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The Great Gatsby Movie Set: Classic Cars Gallore Alas No Leonardo DiCaprio Today

2012-02-13T22:21:00.001+11:00

Profiles

Leonardo DiCaprio The Great Gatsby Movies Hollywood Sydney Australia

* (Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi Photography)

Today it was almost all hands on deck at the old site of the White Bay Power Station in Sydney's Rozelle, as about half a dozen classic cars rolled up and down The Great Gatsy set.

Producer / director Baz Luhrmann (fully recovered from his hitting his head on the boom just before Christmas) was spotted, as was plenty of security officers, a few technical folks, a bus boy, a "dogs body" and a few good looking honey wagons. The only apparent news media anywhere within a stones throw was us.

It was great to see Gatsy back in our own backyard, last month doing shooting at Manly - the northern beaches region of Sydney, with the odd scene also being completed at Fox Studios, Moore Park. We should also mention that we're not convinced that the Blue Mountains location shoot ever happened, as it was a rumour that started on the Sydney sets, but make your own minds up when you watch the movie - due to hit the big screen in Australia this coming December.

We must say that the reconstructed upper class gardens, manicured lawns, complete with water fountain, that the Gatsy hands on crew put together look just fabulous. Water sprinklers were going at full blast on the lawn set to ensure the grass maintained its lushness - reserved for fine folks like the Gatsby's.

Dozens of shots of classic cars and bikes featured in the flick were secured today.

We were glad to hear that some of the movie cast and crew took time out to frequent a couple of local cafes in the area, with crew today ducking into Balamin's Cafe 2041, and last week even Leo and friends popped into a cafe at Lilyfield. Great to see Gatsby sharing the wealth with local business enterprise.

Other Leo News...

Leo DiCaprio with Australia's Next Top Models At Sydney's Beach Haus...

If you blinked and missed it, we can report that Leo and a number of ANTMs were spotted at the exclusive Beach Haus nightclub at Kings Cross last Friday night.

Our spies think that Leo may have already moved forward from his Victoria's Secret model girlfriend Erin Heatherton. There was no sign of the said model. She's the lass who made a public appearance with DiCaprio last December last year at a UFC event at Luna Park

Australia's Next Top Model third-placed Simone Holtznagel was there, along with Montana Cox, Holtznagel was seen chatting to DiCaprio throughout the night.

Leo wore his baseball cap backwards, as per usual, and instead of hiding in the corner all night as hi often does, this time he hopped up on the couch for a brisk dance.

"He seemed pretty chilled. He was mostly texting on his Blackberry but Holtznagel was definitely the standout of all the girls trying to get his attention," advised a leak. "And she was one of the few girls he really spoke to."

Leo also spent some catch up time with good mate Lukas Haas, owner of the popular night haunt.

With girls gave plenty of attention to not only DiCaprio, but also Haas.

It's been said "Lukas and Montana left together. Leo was a little more discreet. He left unaccompanied just after 3am and a few minutes later Simone left too."

Websites

Bazmark

Leonardo DiCaprio official website

Warner Bros.

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

Eva Rinaldi Photography

Media Man News

Music News Australia

Website Network

Media Man Int

Media Man

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Hollywood's Arnold Schwarzenegger And Sylvester Stallone Share Surgery Together, by Greg Tingle

2012-02-13T20:55:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Hollywood Movies Games Arnold Schwarzenegger Sylvester Stallone Casino Whales Media Man

Arnold Schwarzenegger And Sylvester Stallone share surgery room

From the golden sands of Bondi Beach, to our Sydney International Airport, in Hollywood and in just about every other part of the world, the names Arnold Schwarzenegger And Sylvester Stallone are synonymous with action movies, but at the moment they are both sharing a surgery room.

Yeah, action heroes sometimes needs to take time out to heal their wounds, "The Terminator" included.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, 64, and Sylvester Stallone, 65, just got matching shoulder reconstructions and tweeted a photo of the pair in (separate) beds during their hospital stay.

It was stunt-related injuries that happened on the set of The Expendables 2 that did the damage.

In the original The Expendables it was WWE Superstar and pop culture legend "Stone Cold" Steve Austin that broke Sly's neck (for real), but these aging real life superheroes just keep coming back for more punishment.

Movie fans fear not - Arnie and Sly will soon be co-starring in another action flick entitled The Tomb.

Schwarzenergger penned on the the photo for the world to read:

@Schwarzenegger After all the action, stunts & physical abuse shooting The Expendables 2 and The Last Stand, it was time for a little tune up on my shoulder. Look who was coincidentally waiting in line behind me for his shoulder surgery. Now we're ready for another round of great times and action when we shoot The Tomb. #greattobeback say.ly/ePS1oo4

The announcement of the pair’s new film alongside the hospital photo lead some media commentators speculating the picture could be simply a publicity stunt.

A Media Man spokesperson said "I wouldn't put it beyond Sly and Arnie to orchistrate an elaborate publicity stunt. They were masters of generating massive puplicity and hype decades ago before other movie types jumped on the bandwagon. Whatever the case, well done to the Hollywood tag team. What's next? WWE WrestleMania together, with a Stone Cold stunner thrown in their for good measure - we can only hope so".

The fact Stallone also appears to have a syringe sticking out of his neck also lead some folks to suggest it was a spoof.

In their latest project, The Tomb, Stallone will play a fella who designs an inescapable high-tech prison, who becomes a prisoner after being double-crossed.

Schwarzenegger will play a friendly fellow inmate who helps Stallone in his quest.

Arnie and Sly have done numerous business projects together including in the gaming, igaming and hospitality business.

Websites

Arnold Schwarzenegger official website

Sylvester Stallone official website

The Expendables 2 official website

Broken Skull Ranch (Steve Austin official website)

Media Man News

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World's Biggest Gamblers; History Of Bets At Casinos - Kerry Packer, David Walsh Et Al

2012-02-13T16:18:00.001+11:00

Lloyd Williams plays blackjack with the late Kerry Packer at Melbourne's Crown Casino

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Want to try your luck at a casino? ... Land based or online - there's all sorts of options out that, but first here's some real life stories regarding whales aka VIP high rollers at casinos, the racetrack and elsewhere.

PS: how about those Aussies - they will bet on anything won't they. World's biggest gamblers we heard.

Zeljko Ranogajec – Bookies beware! Allegedly, the world’s biggest gambler is an Australian billionaire of Croatian descent. After studying law in Tasmania, Ranogajec got a job in a casino where he learnt the tricks of the trade. Starting with an initial stake of hundreds, he went on to win millions on casino betting before turning his attention to horses. He now employs a full staff to compare odds and find him the best bets, putting around $1 billion a year on races around the world.

Kerry Packer – Staying Down Under, the late Kerry Packer was the media-mogul who was a thorn in Rupert Murdoch’s side – and a prolific gambler. This was the man who would happily walk into casinos and wager millions, supposedly losing $28 million in three weeks of gambling while in London. Another time he lost $15 million on the roulette tables, the staff saying he walked out with "no regrets". However, on his better days he has won up to $7 million in one casino betting session. There’s even a legend that Packer made a bet of $100 million dollars on the toss of a coin, but his opponent backed down.

Akio Kashiwagi – Known as ‘The Warrior’, this Japanese businessman became a casino legend before meeting a violent end. A master of baccarat, he regularly wagered $200,000 a time in US casinos, once winning $6 million in one night. However, he wasn’t always so lucky; he died in 1992 after being stabbed 150 times with a samurai sword while still owing casinos millions.

Archie Karas - Perhaps the most extraordinary of recent legendary streaks is possessed by Mr. Archie Karas, a Greek immigrant, who in 1992-1993 had one of the greatest runs in Vegas history. Starting with a borrowed stake of ten thousand dollars, Archie went on a rampage of poker at Binion's Horseshoe, defeating 15 of the world's greatest poker players in head-to-head competition, including World Champions Chip Reese, Stu Unger, Puggy Pearson, and Johnny Chan. When he ran out of poker competitors, Archie headed to the Horseshoe's craps tables where he won millions more. At one point in his run, Archie possessed all of the Horseshoe's $5,000 chips -- over 11 million dollars worth. When the run was over, Archie was up over 17 million dollars between poker and craps, all at the Horseshoe.

Betfred vs Betvictor – The names behind two of the biggest high street bookies were involved in what may have been the biggest sports betting wager in British history. Fred Done of Betfred fame and Victor Chandler of Betvictor bet on the outcome of the Premier League in 2005. Fred and Victor supported Manchester United and Chelsea respectively, so they wagered £1 million, as you do. It was Chelsea who came out on top and Done paid up in one of the best bets we’ve seen; what could be better than two sports betting giants walking it like they talk it?

Steve Whitely – Arriving by bus with a free ticket to watch racing at Exeter, 61-year-old heating engineer Steve Whitely turned a couple of quid into millions back in March last year. He didn’t bother to compare odds or make an effort to find the best bets, he just used his two pounds to make a Tote bet. A few hours later and he was minted after winning the jackpot when he correctly predicted all six of the winners. So, what is Steve’s sage advice to budding punters who want to win millions? “I like racing, yeah, but I don’t know nothing about it, do I?” Cheers Steve.

David Walsh - Not a great deal is know about this Tasmanian - Australian, but he founded MONA - (Museum of Old and New Art). Australian press has described him in a few colourful ways, such as - "multi-millionaire professional gambler and one of the nation's leading art collectors - dismisses himself as "just a privileged guy with a megaphone". He might be right. But the world is about to discover just how wonderful, disturbing, beautiful and occasionally challenging that megaphone is". In the second year of his science degree at the University of Tasmania, he was asked by friends to develop a model that would enable them to win at blackjack in the nearby Wrest Point Casino. When he discovered that the scope for winning at card games was limited he dropped out of his degree and, for most of the ’80s and early ’90s, spent 100 or more hours per week developing a mathematical model that would enable him and his partners to win at other forms of gambling, especially horseracing. This he now pursues on a large scale in a number of countries. There is a network of people involved in Walsh’s outfit, most notably his business partner of 30 years, Zeljko Ranogajec. Walsh met Ranogajec at university where the latter studied law and economics before he too dropped out to pursue a career in gambling. Walsh describes Ranogajec as a “relentless motivator and a loyal friend” who, despite not sharing his interest in art, has provided financial support for his collecting mania “whenever my cashflow dried to a trickle”. As Walsh inelegantly puts it: "I am throwing the shit, he is happy to be the fan. And he doesn’t even like the shit."

Other names whose win/loss positions move in the multiple millions in a single night include Malaysian tycoons Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay and Quek Leng Chan, Indonesia’s Putera Sampoerna, and Hustler founder Larry Flynt.

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Australian Blues Music Festival Comes To Goulburn, NSW

2012-02-13T15:32:00.000+11:00

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The Australian Blues Music Festival, now in its 16th year, is one of Australia's greatest music festivals down under bar none.

The festival wasn't always as big as production as it is today.

When the fest was in its infancy it was a privately controlled one-venue event. Today it is a multi-event festival outsourced via a private management company.

The festival actually happens at a wide array of venues and consists of mainly free performances, with a couple of ticketed shows.

Over the four day duration of the fest fans, media and everyone else has a chance to enjoy some of the favourite blues performers close up.

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Poker News Media: Bluff Media U. S. Operations Purchased By Churchill Downs, Inc.

2012-02-12T18:19:00.000+11:00

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Bluff Media U. S. Operations Purchased By Churchill Downs, Inc...

In a stunning late afternoon announcement on Friday, the famed equine organization Churchill Downs, Inc., announced the purchase of the entirety of the Bluff Media organization’s United States properties.

Although terms of the sale were not disclosed, the purchase by Churchill Downs, a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the tag “CHDN,” is viewed as a potential move by the company to enter into the online gaming business. In the press release announcing the sale, Churchill Downs representatives state, “(It is Churchill Downs) intention to further expand and build upon Bluff Media’s current content and business model…this acquisition potentially provides (Churchill Downs) with new business avenues to pursue in the event there is a liberalization of state or federal laws with respect to internet poker in the United States.”

The sale is literally for the entirety of Bluff Media’s U. S. operations. Bluff Magazine (in both its print and online versions) and several of its blogs, forums, rankings and other URLs (interestingly, such as BluffPoker.com) will be under the new ownership, but another part of the company that was purchased may be of interest to players. ThePokerDB, one of the more reliable poker databases on the internet, will also be under the Churchill Downs twin spires.

While Churchill Downs has purchased the entirety of Bluff Media, the powers that be will remain in their current positions. Co-presidents Eddy Kleid and Eric Morris, who have been at the helm of the company since its inception, and vice president of online operations Jeff Markley all will remain with Bluff Media and continue to lead the company going forward. Foreign versions of the magazine, such as Bluff Europe, are not expected to be impacted by the sale.

The sale of Bluff Media has once again sparked consideration that the movement towards federally legislated internet poker in the United States. On the Two Plus Two forum, poster ‘oneonth3run’ asks, “Anyone in the know care to speculate what this could mean in the larger picture? They must be expecting certain things to happen at the top, and I wonder how they will utilize BLUFF going forward.”

Others in the 2+2 thread picked up the discussion as to why Bluff made this move at this time. Poster ‘AdamSmall’ stated, “Bluff was a perfect acquisition target really. They’re a US-based, US-heavy poker media company that presumably got hurt badly by Black Friday. They have a lot of reach and a good amount of history in the industry, and I think between their history and their brand name they have a lot of value still. The name Bluff is a very noticeable, reputable and easy to remember name for both current and prospective customers.”

The history of Bluff has been one of the success stories of the poker industry. Starting out as a bimonthly magazine in 2004, within a year it was published on a monthly basis. The magazine became the primary challenger to one of the venerable poker publications in the industry, CardPlayer Magazine, and also has been a partner with the World Series of Poker for its online and radio coverage.

The new partnership will be a way for one of the most recognizable names in the thoroughbred industry to enter into any potential U. S. online poker industry. The owners of the namesake racetrack which hosts the Kentucky Derby, the company also has interests in other racetracks around the United States, its own website (twinspires.com), and half-ownership in Horse Racing TV, among other items. Prior to the announcement of the purchase on Friday, Churchill Downs, Inc. closed at $55.87 on the NASDAQ exchange, a $.44 drop (.78%) from their Thursday price. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

WPT Lucky Hearts Poker Open Day 1A: Uri Kadosh, Eliyahu Levy Lead Jason Mercier...

The first of two Day Ones is in the books for the World Poker Tour’s Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida, with a cozy starting field that should get larger after Saturday’s play.

125 players stepped up on Day 1A, putting up their $3500 buy in for this non-televised event and, although the field was a bit smaller, there were still challenges around the room. Season Ten Player of the Year leader Will “The Thrill” Failla, reigning POY Andy Frankenberger, Jonathan Little, “The Raw Deal” host Tony “Bond_18” Dunst, Shaun Deeb and Matt Waxman were just a few of the familiar faces at the start of the day, but they would be joined by other challengers who decided to take a late registration option.

One of those tables was particularly challenging. Noah Schwartz, Christian Harder and Matt Stout all ended up on the same felt due to late registration for the tournament, while other players went about their day of work with different results. Christopher Tryba was an early casualty when his pocket Jacks failed to catch against an opponent’s pocket Aces, but former WPT champion Rhynie Campbell was able to drop Steve Levy when his Aces stood up against Levy’s K-Q.

As the players worked their way to the dinner break, the field was dramatically reduced in comparison to the time played and the low blinds. From the 125 starters, only 96 players made their way to dinner in a somewhat happy mood. Campbell was one of these eliminations at the hands of Deeb.

It was thought that this pace couldn’t be maintained but the players actually increased the rate of eliminations as the night wore on. Deeb continued to accumulate chips as, against then-chip leader Matthew O’Donnell, he was able to get O’Donnell to lay his hand down on a 6-5-5-8-9 board to move up to 95K in chips. Dunst was not as fortunate, losing with pocket tens to his opponent’s pocket eights.

The Day 1A chip leader would not be determined until the second to last hand of the night. After a short stack moved all in, Uri Kadosh (who had avoided the limelight for much of the day) made the call and tabled Big Slick against his opponent’s suited 4-2. A four came on the flop but, unfortunately for the short stack, a King was there as well. Once the turn and river didn’t bring another four or a deuce, Kadosh had eliminated his opponent to end the night over the 275K mark and reduce the field to fifty players:

1. Uri Kadosh, 275,500
2. Ely Levy, 218,550
3. Jason Mercier, 176,400
4. Omar Sider, 170,600
5. Nick Avera, 133,200
6. Michael Michnik, 121,100
7. David Tiffenberg, 112,900
8. Shaun Deeb, 112,700
9. Victor Heffesse, 111,900
10. Mike Corbett, 111,300

Other notable names that are above the average chip count (44,347) include Shannon Shorr, Matt Giannetti, Schwartz and Waxman, while Allen Kessler and Failla will have some work to do on Sunday.

Perhaps the reason for the high knockout rate on Friday was the “second chance” option the Lucky Hearts tournament provided. For those players who were eliminated on Day 1A, they could buy in again on Day 1B and take a second shot. Several players, including Todd Terry, Kathy Liebert (who commented over Twitter, “I’m on Level 3 today, I think that’s better than Level 1!”), Dunst, Little and Lichtenberger have decided to step up for that second barrel.

By the end of action on Saturday, the total field size as well as the payouts will be known for this latest WPT event. Befitting the tournament’s name, the final table will be played out on Tuesday (Valentine’s Day) and will definitely award the champion with an excellent six figure score. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

Russia’s Rinat Bogdanov Wins WPT Venice Grand Prix...

Battling through a twelve hour final table – as well as the uber-aggressive opponents surrounding him – Russia’s Rinat Bogdanov emerged as the champion of the World Poker Tour Venice Grand Prix early Saturday morning (Venice time).

When the final six men came to the table on Friday afternoon, Italy’s very own Andrea Dato held the lead with his 1.591 million chip stack. This provided him with a good lead over two other contenders, Day Three chip leader Simon Ravnsbaek (922K) and Bogdanov (905K), while the other three members of the final table – Alessandro Longobardi (558K), Andrea Carini (347K) and Gianluca Trebbi (343K) – had their work cut out for them if they were to make a run at the championship.

From the start, Ravnsbaek and Dato were the major players on the felt, pushing their shorter stacked opponents around and adding to their chip stacks. The duo would even clash with each other, with Ravnsbaek coming out on the worse end of a couple of exchanges to chop his stack from second place to fifth within the first hour of action.

After another hour of play, the first elimination would occur. After Dato raised the pot to 50K, Carini pushed his remaining chips to the center of the felt. After Dato made the call and tabled pocket eights, Carini saw that his chances were slim with an off suit A-3. By the turn, he had a gutshot straight draw to go with his Ace, but couldn’t find either on the river, eliminating Andrea Carini in sixth place.

Following Carini’s elimination, Ravnsbaek began to mount a comeback. He doubled up through Longobardi when his pocket Aces were the cooler to Longobardi’s pocket tens, then would take over the lead when he doubled again with A-Q versus Dato’s pocket eights. After three hours of play, Ravnsbaek had been from the penthouse to the basement and back again, holding a slim 200K chip lead over Dato that, unfortunately, wouldn’t last very long.

After moving all in on several occasions, Gianluca Trebbi was eliminated in fifth place when his 10-7 of hearts failed to catch against Longobardi’s pocket Jacks. Ravnsbaek’s aggressive play finally caught up with him when he pushed all in for 600K with pocket deuces and Bogdanov looked to see pocket tens in his hole cards. Once the board ran with no help for him, Ravnsbaek was out of the tournament in fourth place.

By the time the dinner break rolled around, Dato had moved back into the lead over Longobardi and Bogdanov, with the Russian’s chip stack shrinking in comparison to his two foes. Dato and Longobardi went to battle following dinner, with Dato picking up a big pot on a complete bluff to push his stack to the three million mark and drop Longobardi to just over one million.

It was at this time that Bogdanov began his charge. Basically pushing with any two cards, Bogdanov would find a double through Dato to get back into the mix. After picking up a big hand against Longobardi, the three players were virtually equal in chips.

Bogdanov would make the first breakthrough, resulting in the elimination of Dato. After Dato jammed with an unassuming K-4 off suit, Bogdanov found Big Slick in his hand and made the call. An Ace on the flop basically ended the hand and, once a blank came on the turn, Andrea Dato was out in third place and Rinat Bogdanov became the surprising chip leader.

Within two hands of Dato’s departure, the tournament was over. After losing the first hand, Longobardi raised it to 200K holding an off suit K-Q and Bogdanov made the call with only a 6-4. Longobardi caught a Queen on the flop, but there was a four there as well and Bogdanov called a bet from Longobardi. When a six came on the turn, Bogdanov made two pair and check called another bet from Longobardi. Another four on the river brought the fireworks as, after Bogdanov checked, Longobardi fired off 300K. Bogdanov moved all in and, after a moment, Longobardi made the call, only to see his Queens up vanquished by Bogdanov’s full boat.

1. Rinat Bogdanov, €229,800
2. Alessandro Longobardi, €111,700
3. Andrea Dato, €72,275
4. Simon Ravnsbaek, €52,565
5. Gianluca Trebbi, €42,705
6. Andrea Carini, €32,195

With the end of the WPT Venice Grand Prix, the tournament circuit will come back to the U. S. for their next three tournaments. Beginning today, the Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open is in action while, later in the month, the L. A. Poker Classic will be contested. In March, the WPT will visit San Jose, California, for the Bay 101 Shooting Star and, in April, the WPT will head back to Europe with a stop in Montesino, Vienna, Austria. (Credit: Poker News Daily)

2012 WPT Venice Grand Prix Day 3: Simon Ravnsbaek Leads Tight Final Nine...

It is going to be a short day at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Venice Grand Prix on Thursday. If this wasn’t the World Poker Tour, the nine players remaining might be going to bed mentally preparing for Day 4’s final table action. But this is, in fact, the WPT, and final tables here are six-handed, so Day 4 will see just three eliminations before adjourning. Bagging up the most chips at the end of Day 3 was Denmark’s Simon Ravnsbaek, proud owner of a 795,000 chip stack.

Ravnsbaek isn’t on an island, though. Alessandro Longobardi is right behind with 783,000, Andrea Dato is close with 726,000, and Jason Wheeler is sitting on a stack of 699,000 chips. In fact, it looks like it could still be just about anybody’s tournament, as all but two players have over 400,000 chips. And those two players – Rinat Bogdanov and Massimo Mosele – have 20 and 16 big blinds, respectively, so it’s not like they are already at “all-in with any two cards” mode…yet.

The story of Day 3 was arguably the fireworks that surrounded the chip leader going into the day, Marcel Bjerkmann. The fun started on the bubble when the tight Lionel Tran moved all-in for his last 50,000 chips with pocket Kings. Bjerkmann had tons of chips, so why not call with J-4 suited? Tran was still doing alright after the flop of J-T-8 rainbow, but another Jack on the turn allowed the chip leader to suckout and put everyone remaining into the money.

A little while later, after Bjerkmann had been moved to an aggressive table, he four-bet shoved on Simon Ravnsbaek with just A-4. Ravnsbaek made the call with Q-Q and doubled-up to about 330,000 chips. Bjerkmann was still doing fine, though, falling to 460,000.

After the next break, things got crazy. James Akenhead raised to 8,500 pre-flop and was called by Andrea Dato, Marcel Bjerkmann, and one other player. Upon the Qc-8h-7s flop, the players check to Dato, who bets 15,000. Bjerkmann decided to go with a check-raise to 44,000, forcing the other two players to fold before Dato called. The dealer laid out the 8d on the turn, prompting a 64,000 chip bet from Bjerkmann and another call by Dato. Bjerkmann again led out on the river for 82,000 when the 4h was dealt. Dato proceeded to ponder his move for two full minutes before calling.

As he was the original bettor, Bjerkmann had to show first, revealing he was on a complete bluff with just 5c-9c. Dato must certainly have had that beat, but it almost must have been a tough decision to call, considering how long he took to act. Right? Not quite. Dato flipped over pocket 7’s for the full house.

Bjerkmann was incensed. “That is the sickest slow roll I have ever had in my life,” he growled at Dato. “Do not talk to me dude. If you see me in the street do not talk to me.”

Undeterred, Bjerkmann kept on plugging away, but that didn’t mean he was calm. He continued to jaw at Dato throughout the night, regardless of whether or not the two were involved in a pot together (they were on more than one occasion). Eventually he succumbed to the current chip leader, Simon Ravnsbaek, as his Ah-8h could not improve against pocket 5’s.

Play will resume at 1:00pm local time as the tournament makes it down to the final table. Again, it should be a short day, as only three more players must be eliminated for that to happen.

2012 WPT Venice Grand Prix – End of Day 3 Chip Counts

Simon Ravnsbaek: 795,000
Alessandro Longobardi: 783,000
Andrea Dato: 726,000
Jason Wheeler: 699,000
Gianluca Trebbi: 474,000
Andrea Carini: 430,000
Jeremie Sochet: 402,000
Rinat Bogdanov: 201,000
Massimo Mosele: 163,000 (Credit: Poker News Daily)

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2012-02-12T17:59:00.000+11:00

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PartyCasino VS Virgin Casino iGaming "war" continues

2012-02-10T21:13:00.000+11:00

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PartyCasino.com - Accepts Canadian, Australian and New Zealand players. PartyCasino new players get up to $3000 sign up bonus. Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment is the world's largest and most succesful igaming company.

VirginCasino.com - No US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand players. £100 sign up bonus. Virgin Games is part of Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprises Limited.

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2012-02-08T10:23:00.000+11:00

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Burt Bacharach Farewell to The Symphonies Tour To Hit Australia

2012-02-08T10:08:00.000+11:00

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BURT BACHARACH FAREWELL TO THE SYMPHONIES TOUR

WITH THE BURT BACHARACH BAND, SINGERS & STATE ORCHESTRAS

ADELAIDE MELBOURNE PERTH SYDNEY

16 APRIL - 1 MAY

Legendary composer Burt Bacharach returns with his magnificent band and singers on his Farewell to The Symphonies Tour from Monday 16 April to Tuesday 1 May, for concerts with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, The Sydney Symphony and Queensland Pops Orchestra.

During his previous sold out visit, the ultra cool, cult hero was honoured with his eighth Grammy and proclaimed The Greatest Living Composer (2008 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award) at the 50th Grammy Awards. He is also the recipient of three Academy Awards.

Burt continues to set industry records and creative standards. He broke new ground with his Grammy awarded 2005 album, At This Time, taking on social and political issues in his first-ever lyrical collaborations.

His Grammy awarded musical Promises, Promises, returned to Broadway last year and earned four Tony nominations.

Six decades into one of song writing's most successful and honoured careers, Burt has contributed to the careers of Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Barbra Streisand, Dusty Springfield, Neil Diamond, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall, REM, Sheryl Crow, Gene Pitney, The Beatles and Ronan Keating.

Mike Myers considers Burt his "Lucky Charm" and cast him in all three Austin Powers films.

Burt has written over 500 compositions and produced a phenomenal catalogue with more than seventy timeless hits including -

Alfie, What’s New Pussycat?, Any Day Now, Blue on Blue, Close To You, Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head, There's Always Something There to Remind Me, I Say A Little Prayer, Arthur's Theme, Do You Know The Way to San Jose?, A House is Not A Home, The Look of Love, I'll Never Fall in Love Again, Message to Michael, That's What Friends Are For, Trains And Boats And Planes, This Guy's in Love With You, Only Love Can Break A Heart, Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, Wives and Lovers, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Walk on By, What The World Needs Now Is Love, One Less Bell to Answer and Anyone Who Had a Heart.

In 2007, Burt was so inspired by his Sydney Opera House debut with the Sydney Symphony, that he specifically composed an eleven and a half minute orchestral piece, For The Children, which had its Australian premiere on his second sold-out tour, six months later.

Burt's first live album was recorded on this tour and the thirty-eight track double CD, Burt Bacharach Live at the Sydney Opera House, was released internationally in October 2008, to five star reviews.

Anyone Who Had A Heart will be entranced throughout every sophisticated and magical moment that is Burt Bacharach, his sensational band and singers with our orchestras, in concert from 16 April until 1 May.

Burt's previous tours sold out early so don't Walk On By!

BURT BACHARACH FAREWELL TO THE SYMPHONIES TOUR WITH HIS BAND, SINGERS AND OUR ORCHESTRAS

Mon 16 April Adelaide Festival Theatre Bass.net.au 131 246
Thurs 19 & Melbourne Regent Theatre Ticketmaster.com.au 1300 111 011
Fri 20 April
Mon 23 April Perth Riverside Theatre PCEC Ticketek.com.au 132 849
Thurs 26 & Sydney Opera House SOH Box Office 02 9250 7777
Fri 27 April Ticketmaster.com.au 136 100
Tues 1 May Gold Coast Jupiters Casino Ticketmaster.com.au 1300 888 086

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2012-02-07T23:23:00.003+11:00

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PartyCasino New Players Get Up To $3000 Sign Up Bonus

2012-02-07T12:11:00.001+11:00

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Casino News: Bwin.Party, Fertitta Interactive Applies for NV Online Gaming License, Stallone Casino Talk, Australia...

2012-02-06T23:17:00.000+11:00

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Bwin.Party CEO Sees Legal Online Gaming In US Soon...

-Legalized online gambling in the U.S. is now a case of 'when', not 'if', Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment PLC (BPTY.LN) chief Jim Ryan said Wednesday, adding that he expects the foundations to be laid this year.

But speaking on the fringes of the ICE online gambling conference in London, the co-chief executive cautioned that setting it up will take time.

The process of passing legislation, drawing up regulation, vetting and licensing operators will likely last through 2012, he said, and he speculates that actual operations probably won't get off the ground before next year.

Partygaming, which last year merged with Austrian peer Bwin to form Bwin.Party, along with other European operators withdrew from the U.S. market in 2006 shortly after then-President George W. Bush signed a bill designed to prohibit U.S. banks and credit card companies from processing payments to gambling websites.

Partygaming paid a $105 million fine as part of a non-prosecution deal with the DOJ in 2009, for admitting indirect contravention of US law, but in anticipation of a relaxation of the rules, Bwin.Party last year signed a joint venture with U.S. casino operators MGM and Boyd to operate online gaming if and when it became legal in the U.S.

Ryan's confident tone comes after a recent ruling by the U.S. Department of Justice, which clarifies the scope of the Wire Act, a law that in the past has been used stop online gambling sites. The ruling essentially gives U.S. states the green light to allow gambling within their borders, according to online gambling experts.

Still, Ryan said this doesn't mean the company is in line to recoup any of the$105 million fine.

Bwin.Party and its joint venture partners have already applied for a preliminary suitability review in Nevada which will lay the groundwork for gaining a license there once regulation is agreed.

Ryan also told Dow Jones the sale process for its Ongame poker network is very advanced and he expects to be able to announce further news in the not too distant future.

He confirmed recent reports that the company is looking for an executive to head up its payments processing division CQR with a view to ultimately taking it public, but said this was several years away.

He said the company wants to expand its online payments operations outside of the gambling sector to build an online merchant market place, increasing the value of this asset and ultimately realising shareholder value by listing it on the stock market.

Fertitta Interactive Applies for NV Online Gaming License...

The list of brick and mortar casino owners applying for Nevada intrastate online gaming licenses just keeps growing. Fertitta Interactive is the latest organization to submit an application.

Fertitta Interactive is partially owned by Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, owners of the popular Station Casinos as well as the Ultimate Fighting Championship brand. Former Golden Nugget owners Tim Poster and Tom Breitling also have a stake in Fertitta Interactive. The company acquired software provider CyberArts in the fall of 2011 and they are now taking steps to be a force in the online gambling world.

“We support the regulation of online poker,” said Lorenzo Fertitta, founder of Fertitta Interactive, in a Thursday press release. “Our industry leading software has a track record of complying with the strictest regulations in jurisdictions around the world. Nevada has always been the leader in gaming regulation and we’re pleased to file our application here. Our goal is to provide customers with the best online gaming experience in a safe and well-regulated online environment.”

CyberArts currently supplies its Foundation Poker software to the free play site PurePlay poker. Fertitta Interactive is now one of a dozen companies who have applied for licenses along with brick and morter entities MGM Resorts, Caesars Entertainment, Boyd Gaming, Monarch Casino, and South Point. Software providers Cantor Gaming, IGT, 888 Holdings, Shuffle Master, Aristocrat Technologies, and Bally Technologies have also applied for licenses.

Fertitta’s announcement is the latest in a string of announcements from Las Vegas gaming companies that indicate that regulated online gambling appears to be happening in the near future. Earlier this week, Caesars Interactive and longtime European partner 88 Holdings revealed they are expanding their partnership to include US gaming. Online free money gaming juggernaut Zynga also hinted last month that a real money venture could be a possibility in the future as well.

Ocean’s Eleven Cyprus Style...

Every now and again reports surface about the creation of casinos in Cyprus. Over the past couple of months the frequency of these rumours has increased considerably with various ministers (finance, communications etc) being quoted and billionaire investors itching to be the first to acquire the much coveted licence.

This goes against the President’s anti-gambling principles who stated a couple of years ago that as long as he is in power there will be no casinos. However an Akel MP (Mouskallis) said around the same time that AKEL will favour the creation of a casino provided the time is right. It appears that the recession, rising unemployment, shortage of liquidity are conditions for such an initiative.

However when walking around the main cities one comes across shops with a massive sign hanging outside stating ‘Casino’ or to be more precise ‘On Line Casino’. According to unofficial reports there are said to be close to 200 such establishments. There is even one called the Bellagio which was raided recently by police but no Danny Ocean’s or Reuben Tishkoffs were arrested.

Of course there are plenty of proper ‘pseudo’ casinos in the occupied parts which are crammed with Greeks. The recent rumours though have alarmed the president of the Casinos Association in the north, Mr. Etsensoi, as the realization of such rumours will have a disastrous effect on their industry.

Stay tuned for more from Cyprus.

Anti-gambling pamphlets direct users to TAB hotline...

The Victorian Government has been forced to pulp pamphlets aimed at problem gamblers which directed them to a phone line encouraging them to bet.

The pamphlet for people who want to exclude themselves from gaming venues directs callers to a TAB hotline, where gambling products are promoted.

Victorian Gaming Minister Michael O'Brien says it was an oversight.

"The telephone number that was used for self exclusion was the Tabcorp customer service number," he said.

"It is possible to access self-exclusion services from that general number, but the Victorian Government believes, and Tabcorp and Gambler's Help also agree, that it's far better if the distinct self-exclusion number is used in the future."

The bungle comes as the State Government announces it has decided to delay the introduction of pre-commitment technology for poker machines.

The Government promised before the last election to introduce voluntary pre-commitment by 2013, giving punters the option to set a gambling limit.

But Mr O'Brien says the plan is being delayed until 2016 because confusion around the Federal Government's plans for mandatory pre-commitment would make it too complicated.

"There's the risk that that may be incompatible with what the Federal Government requires," he said.

He says the Victorian Government is committed to introducing voluntary limits.

"We believe that every gaming machine in this state should have pre-commitment on it, we think that's an option that is there for every single player who wants to track their expenditure, help set themselves limits," he said.

"We think that will lead to a much more responsible gambling industry and that's what we want to see here in Victoria and that's what we thing the community wants to see as well."

The move has angered anti-pokies campaigner, Tim Costello, who says the Government is making excuses for doing nothing.

"Proof again of the utter capture of state governments' by the gambling lobby," he said.

NSW deals with its own pokies pressure...

The New South Wales Government has been accused of ignoring problem gambling through recent changes to poker machine laws.

Premier Barry O'Farrell struck a deal with NSW clubs in the lead-up to last year's state election.

A memorandum of understanding was struck which led to legislative changes allowing clubs to build another site without giving up as many poker machine licenses.

The concession was initially only granted in the proposed club was within a new housing estate.

But on Friday the minister responsible, George Souris, expanded the concession to clubs building within a kilometre of a new housing estate.

Opposition Leader John Robertson says Mr Souris has undermined Federal Government efforts to tackle problem gambling.

"We have a government in New South Wales that's actually trying to make it easier for clubs to relocate poker machines around the state, while we've got a Prime Minister who's trying to look at how we can address problem gambling," he said.

"The contrast couldn't be more stark. Barry O'Farrell, who wants to allow and make it easier for poker machines to be relocated, and a Prime Minister who is at least looking at ways that we can reduce problem gambling."

Greens MP John Kaye shares Labor's concerns.

"It has made the laws easier for clubs to move their pokers machines into areas of high concentration of potential addiction," Dr Kaye said.

Meanwhile a spokesman for Premier Barry O'Farrell says the the State Government will hold talks with the Commonwealth about potentially extending a trial of pre-commitment technology into NSW.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced on the weekend that mandatory pre-commitment for poker machines would be trialled in the ACT.

The Federal Government wants clubs just across the border in Yass and Queanbeyan to be included, to stop punters from skirting the trial.

Mr O'Farrell's spokesman says the Premier is opposed to the technology but will wait for a full briefing.

A bid to lure Asian punters to cost a billion dollars plus...

Billionaire James Packer has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars upgrading the Burswood Casino complex and is reported to be willing to spend a billion dollars more revamping it.

It is all part of a bid to attract more oriental customers to Australia.

In December, Mr Packer revealed his Perth-based casino would be re-branded Crown Perth in the second half of 2012.

"It will allow Burswood to utilise the internationally recognised Crown brand in order to increase the number of international and interstate visitors to Perth, especially from the strategically important China market," he said.

The plan is to offer an "integrated resort" - a term more frequently used in the Macau region.

Such a resort is a one stop shop - it is a large scale development which incorporates a number of facilities such as a casino, accommodation, retail shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, cinemas, galleries and even theme parks.

Mr Packer believes integrated resorts growing international tourism and he is in negotiations with the State Government to purchase land to build a new five star hotel and entertainment complex on the Burswood site.

The Burswood Entertainment Complex is already undergoing a $750 million upgrade which is due to be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Packer thinks Australia can crack the Asian market in integrated resorts, a concept that has been highly successful for Asian neighbour Singapore.

Two integrated casinos, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands, were opened there in 2010 and have been highly profitable.

Mr Packer is hoping to emulate this.

"Marina Bay Sands is the most profitable casino in the world," he said.

"Singapore's gross domestic product increased by 14.5 per cent in 2010."

Citi equities analyst Jenny Owen says the tourism boost from these casinos to the Singaporean economy is evident.

"Inbound arrivals grew 20 per cent in 2010 and 15 per cent in the third quarter of the 2010-2011 financial year and tourism revenue grew by 49 percent in 2010," she said.

"The evidence from Singapore is that if you build it, they will come, and the economic benefits extend beyond the direct casino revenues."

Resort World and Marina Bay Sands are predicted to generate a revenue of more than US$71 billion by 2015.

A PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) report is forecasting the Asia Pacific will be the fastest growing region for casino gaming in the next five years.

It predicts that Asia Pacific will overtake the United States as the world's largest casino market in 2013, with a compound annual revenue growth rate of 18.3 per cent between 2011 and 2015.

PWC says Australian casinos are finding it hard to attract high spenders from other countries due to increased competition from Singapore and Macau.

This increased competition was partially to blame for the 8.6 per cent fall in Burswood's 2011 financial year earnings before tax.

The casino's VIP program play revenue also fell, to $535 million last financial year.

Overall, international visitors contribute to 37 per cent of the casino's revenue and part of Mr Packer's strategy is to source new customers from China in order to compete with Singapore and Macau.

Ms Owen says Asian tourists represent the only meaningful growth segment in the near term.

"Inbound tourists from Asian countries spend much more on average on gambling while visiting Australia than tourists from other countries," she said.

"It would seem that revenues are available for Australia to grow its share of the international casino tourists' wallets."

She says the upgrades are also about Australia gaining back its share of the region's gaming market.

"Australia's share of gaming revenue in the South East Asia region has fallen from 30 per cent to 9 per cent in past five years," she said.

"There is money in casinos, particularly those located near Asia."

Apart from the United Kingdom, most of the visitors to Perth come from Asia.

Tourism Research Australia found visitors from Asian countries spent $919 million during their time in WA, almost half the total spent by international tourists.

Tourism Research Australia also found Perth is a popular destination for people from Asia with Singaporeans, Malaysians and Indonesians the state's top Asian markets.

The Tourism Minister Kim Hames says China is WA's fastest growing market in terms of economic value, worth $3.4 billion.

He is hoping for a fivefold increase in Chinese visitor numbers.

"Visitors to WA from China have increased by 55.8 percent to 18,700 for the year ending September 2011," he said.

"The aim is to increase the number of Chinese visitors to WA from the current level to 100,000 a year by 2020.

" Introducing direct flights between Perth and China is part of the strategy and China Southern Airlines is now operating services three times a week".

Dr Hames says he supports the Burswood redevelopment.

"There is no doubt that Chinese tourists would be attracted to a world class integrated resort in Perth and the development of Burswood presents an opportunity for the WA tourism industry," he said.

Apart from the casino complex, Burswood is set to be transformed into a major tourist precinct with the State Government decision to build the new 60,000 seat sports stadium at the site.

Despite the State Opposition's demands that Mr Packer contribute funds towards the sporting complex, Dr Hames says it is not appropriate.

" We saw the evidence of private companies investing in partnership with Government during the WA Inc years and frankly it turned out to be a disaster," he said.

"This is public instructure and we think it is appropriate that the State Government and hopefully the Commonwealth Government fund state infrastructure."

He would prefer Mr Packer to build his hotel.

"We are desperately short of hotels in this state," he said.

"I would much rather put his money into a private enterprise project like a new hotel than starting to do deals with private companies to get public infrastructure."

Mr Packer isn't arguing.

"If we were asked to do that at the beginning, our response would have been we are not in the stadium business, they are not a great business," he said.

"Now the Premier has decided to put it there we are very grateful and I think it is the right place.

Mr Packer believes the expansion of his casino and the new stadium will fundamentally change Burswood.

" I think the Burswood peninsula can be one of those waterfront precincts that really has the opportunity to be something special".

And, will hopefully encourage tourists to flock to Western Australia.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Responds to DoJ Indictment against Megaupload...

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, the largest online gaming company in the world, formed by the recent merger of PartyGaming and Bwin, has responded to the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) 72-page-long indictment against Megaupload.com, a file hosting service. PartyGaming as well as its online poker gaming brand PartyPoker is now part of Bwin.Party. Bwin.Party is also the firm behind the world famous PartyCasino brand.

According to the DoJ’s indictment, PartyGaming has spent more than $3 million on marketing campaigns, as part of which PartyPoker has been advertised on sites that form part of Megaupload.com. The DoJ has accused Megaupload.com of infringing copyright, pirating, and money laundering. As a result of this indictment, 18 domain names belonging to Megaupload.com have been shut down by the DoJ and several people associated with it, including Kim Schmitz, the founder of Megaupload.com, have been arrested.

As soon as Bwin.Party came to know of these developments, it terminated the marketing and advertising agreement it had signed with the company and issued a public statement in which it stated that Megaupload.com had specifically promised that it would not infringe on copyrights belonging to third parties on their sites, which get over 50 millions hits per day.

John Shepherd, the Bwin.Party marketing executive, said, “We had no knowledge about any of the alleged activities undertaken by Megaupload.” Further stating that Bwin.party was totally unaware that Megaupload was involved in such activities, Shepherd said, “We’re a completely innocent party. They (the DoJ) have obviously put the details of our contract in the indictment to help make their case about the amount of money that was going through Megaupload.”

However, Bwin.Party and PartyGaming are not the only parties named by the DoJ in its indictment against Megaupload.com. Also mentioned are names such as PayPal and Moneybookers. Stating that he has absolutely no idea of the reasons for which PartyGaming was mentioned, Shepherd assured the online poker gaming industry that Bwin.Party is totally innocent of and was totally unaware of any illegal activities Megaupload.com stands accused of.

Megaupload.com belongs to Megaupload Limited, an online company based in Hong Kong, which offered several varieties of file hosting services. On Jan 19, 2012, the US DoJ seized 15 domain names belonging to the company and shut down the sites on allegations that company was continuously involved in infringement of copyrights belonging to third parties. Besides, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department froze HK$330 million in assets belonging to the company.

Megaupload Data 'To Be Destroyed In Days'...

Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom

American prosecutors have warned that data from users of file-sharing site Megaupload could be deleted from host servers within days.

US officials have blocked access to Megaupload and charged seven men, saying the site facilitated millions of illegal downloads of movies, music and other content.

Megaupload previously hired outside companies to store clients' data but its lawyer, Ira Rothken, said the US government has restricted this by freezing its funds.

A letter filed by prosecutors on January 27 said storage companies Carpathia Hosting and Cogent Communications Group may begin deleting data from Thursday onwards.

Representatives of the two companies declined to comment on the move.

Last week site founder Kim Dotcom, who was accused of internet piracy, was denied bail in New Zealand ahead of an extradition bid by the US.

The US Department of Justice took control of the company's website and posted an FBI anti-piracy warning.

New Zealand police allegedly found Dotcom - formerly known as Kim Schmitz - in a sealed panic room at his leased mansion.

Officers seized assets worth $50m (£32m) in the raid, including guns, artwork, luxury cars and $8m in cash.

In response, anarchic freedom of speech campaigners launched a cyber attack on US government and mainstream music industry websites.

Mr Rothken said Megaupload is working with prosecutors to try to keep the masses of data from being erased.

He advised at least 50 million Megaupload users around the world are in danger of losing files.

Mr Rothken said that, besides its customers, the data is important to Megaupload so it can defend itself in the legal case.

"We're cautiously optimistic at this point that because the United States, as well as Megaupload, should have a common desire to protect consumers, that this type of agreement will get done," he said.

Some legitimate site users, such as software developers, have complained that their data has been inaccessible since US officials took action against the company.

Megaupload mansion in New Zealand

Internet Gambling Coming to an American State Near You? What the DOJ’s Change of Heart Means for the Immediate Future of Internet Gambling...

Reeling from the federal shutdown of the three biggest Internet gambling websites in April 2011, there was little confidence left in the online gambling industry that the U.S. was any closer to legalizing online gambling as 2012 neared. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) offered a glimmer of hope to states seeking to legalize intrastate online gambling, but the statute seemingly left the Wire Act’s prohibitions in tact. Chances of Congressional action evaporated after two bills calling for federal legalization of online gambling were shelved indefinitely in the fall.

On December 23, 2011, however, in response to several state lottery requests that the DOJ formally reiterate its position on whether the Wire Act prohibits non-sports interstate gambling transmissions, the Department announced it was abandoning its long-held position that the Wire Act proscribed all forms of Internet gambling. The DOJ reversed course, officially adopting the view that the Wire Act only prohibits interstate sports gambling transmissions, allowing states to offer lottery games over the Internet to in-state customers without fear of violating federal law.

While this was certainly welcome news to the state lottery boards, the biggest winner is undoubtedly the Internet gambling community. The DOJ long-maintained that all Internet gambling transmissions, even intrastate ones, violated the Wire Act, arguing that all Internet transmissions inherently travel across state lines. This position effectively prohibited all forms of online gambling in the U.S. Under the DOJ’s new interpretation, however, only Internet sports bets violate the Wire Act, enabling states that choose to do so, to legalize casino-style (non-sports) Internet gambling.

Under the DOJ’s new take on the Wire Act, states that legalize online gambling will still have to comply with certain federal regulations. UIGEA provides that intrastate online gambling is not considered “unlawful” so long as the state utilizes certain safeguards to ensure that the bettor is physically located in a state where Internet gambling is legal and that the bettor is at least 18 years of age. Sports betting over the Internet is still proscribed by the Wire Act.

As states strapped for cash desperately search for new sources of revenue, expect state-regulated online gambling to get a good, hard look from many state legislatures in 2012. It may not be long before a revitalized online gambling industry in the U.S. ushers in federal legalization.

Sylvester Stallone coming to Fallsview Casino...

Don’t worry Rambo and Rocky fans, Sylvester Stallone is not coming to the Fallsview Casino to flog some product. No, the ‘Italian Stallion’ is coming to do two nights of intimate Q&A’s about his career on the weekend of February 24 and 25. Should be interesting for big fans of the action star with a spare $90.

Stallone, who will be seen later this summer in The Expendables 2, is the third actor to do an An Evening with… at the Fallsview Casino. Al Pacino and Sean Penn have both appeared on stage there last year.

For more info and to purchase tickets, visit fallsviewcasinoresort.com.

Official info:

An Evening with Sylvester Stallone
Friday, February 24 and Saturday, February 25
Showtime: 9 p.m., doors open at 8 p.m.
Tickets start at $90

Known for his roles as Rocky Balboa in the Rocky movies, John Rambo in the Rambo movies and most recently Barney Ross in The Expendables, Sylvester Stallone has had a tremendous career. Don’t miss your opportunity to spend an evening with the movie legend Sylvester Stallone, LIVE, on stage for a candid interview and Q&A session with the audience that will highlight his extraordinary career and life.

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Giants beat Patriots 21-17 to win the Super Bowl - 5th February 2012

2012-02-06T15:09:00.000+11:00

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INDIANAPOLIS – Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped Tom Brady and the Patriots again, coming back with a last-minute score to beat New England 21-17 Sunday night for New York's fourth Super Bowl title.

It was a rematch of the 2008 NFL championship, when Manning led New York past New England to ruin the Patriots' bid for a perfect season.

This was the first Super Bowl with two starting quarterbacks who previously won the big game's MVP award -- and they took turns being brilliant. Manning became the first QB to open a Super Bowl with nine consecutive completions. Later, Brady put together a run of 16 completions in a row, breaking another Super Bowl mark.

But in the end, it was Manning -- who was selected as the MVP -- who directed the nine-play, 88-yard drive that put New York ahead.

Ahmad Bradshaw capped the winning drive with a 6-yard run up the middle. He wanted to stop at the 1-yard line but fell backward into the end zone.

Less than a minute later, it came down to one last play, when Tom Brady's long heave into the end zone fell incomplete among a maze of players.

New England had the ball for all of one play in the first 11 1-2 minutes, and that play was an utter failure, a rare poor decision by Brady. After Steve Weatherford's punt was downed at the New England 6, Brady dropped to pass in the end zone and had time. With everyone covered and Giants defensive end Justin Tuck finally coming free to provide pressure, Brady heaved the ball downfield while still in the pocket.

Only problem: No Patriots receivers were anywhere near the pass. The Giants were awarded a safety for Brady's grounding in the end zone.

Manning, meanwhile, couldn't have been more on target early, hitting six receivers in the first period, completing his first nine throws, a Super Bowl record. He also was aided by Ahmad Bradshaw, who hardly looked like a running back with a bad foot. Bradshaw broke a 24-yard run, and New England made another critical mistake by having 12 men on the field on a third-and-3 on which the Giants fumbled.

Instead, New York got a first down at the 6, and two plays later Victor Cruz beat James Ihedigbo on a slant to make it 9-0, prompting Cruz to break into his signature salsa move.

Manning's first incompletion didn't come until 1:19 into the second quarter.

At that point, it was 9-3 after Stephen Gostkowski's 29-yard field goal. The Patriots got to the Giants' 11, but All-Pro DE Jason Pierre-Paul blocked a third-down pass.

Soon after, when the Patriots had a three-and-out and Pierre-Paul blocked another throw, Belichick and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien had a quick discussion. Then O'Brien, soon to take over as Penn State coach, went over to the struggling Brady.

The talk must have helped. On the final series of the opening half, Brady was masterful.

Starting at his 4, and ignoring the last time the Patriots began a series in the shadow of the end zone, he was vintage Brady.

With New York's vaunted pass rush disappearing, Brady went 10-for-10 for 98 yards, capping the drive that included two Patriots penalties with Woodhead's 4-yard TD reception with 8 seconds to go in the half. Hernandez and Woodhead each had four catches on the drive that, stunningly, put New England ahead despite being outplayed for so much of the first 30 minutes.

Brady kept firing -- and hitting -- in the third quarter, with five more completions. The Giants didn't come within shouting distance of the record-setting quarterback. He capped a 79-yard drive to open the second half with a 12-yard TD to Hernandez, but then the game turned. Again.

Consecutive field goals by Lawrence Tynes of 38 and 33 yards brought New York within 17-15.

Brady then threw deep for his tight end after weaving away from two pass rushers. His throw was short, and

Chase Blackburn picked it off early in the fourth quarter.

Although the Giants moved into New England territory again, as they did on every drive to that point, they bogged down and punted.

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Wynn Vs Okada: The Battle for Wynn Resorts

2012-02-06T10:54:00.001+11:00

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Steve Wynn asks judge to oppose top investor’s suit as legal battle heats up...

Steve Wynn’s Wynn Resorts recently urged a US court to reject legal claims made by its largest shareholder, adding fire to an escalating public discord that could impact the future control of the US$15-B casino giant.

In a 117-page filing with the Clark County District Court in Nevada, Mr. Wynn stated that Kazuo Okada, who holds a 20% stake in the firm, was “utilising innuendo, hyperbole, half-truths and sweeping generalisations” in his legal petition that was filed on 11 January.

Mr. Okada, Wynn’s longtime business partner, known for his close relationship with Mr. Wynn, sued the Company for denying him access to Key financial information and has objected to an “inappropriate” UDS$135-M company donation to the University of Macau.

The Japanese businessman owns more than twice the stake of Wynn Resorts stock than Mr. Wynn himself.

Mr. Okada filed his suit through Aruze USA Inc., a unit of his Universal Entertainment Corp, an arcade-game manufacturer and developer of a multi-billion-dollar casino in the Philippines.

Responding to last Monday’s filing in Nevada, Mr. Wynn stated that Nevada law did not give Mr. Okada the right to inspection of the company’s bookd, and his requests were “nothing more than stockholder inspection requests, on behalf of Aruze.”

“Nevada law does not afford Mr. Okada or any other individual director the right to do an end run around the express statutory limitations on stockholder inspection rights, or to play detective, while unnecessarily distracting and burdening Wynn’s management with the endless task of satisfying his unfounded and unarticulated ‘concerns’,” the filing said.

Wynn’s donation to the University of Macau in Y 2011 was approved by the boards of Wynn Resorts and Wynn Macau on 18 April last year, with Mr. Okada the only member of the 12-person board objecting to the payment, according to the filing court filings.

Aruze USA said that as a member of the board of Wynn Resorts, Mr. Okada had the right to inspect the corporate documents he deemed necessary to carry out his duties as a Director.

“The response of Wynn Resorts’ management, while full of colorful rhetoric, cannot explain this away. We look forward to presenting our position to the Court,” Aruze said.

Mr. Okada, a Hong Kong resident who made his fortune in Japanese pachinkos, has also proposed 4 potential candidates for election ahead of Wynn’s Y 2012 shareholder meeting.

If these are endorsed, the Japanese businessman would be pushing out high level executives including Wynn’s Chief Operating Officer Marc Schorr and Linda Chen, President of Wynn International Marketing, whose terms expire this year.

Steven Wynn, creator of the volcano-roaring Mirage and lavish Bellagio in Las Vegas, upset shareholders more than 12 yrs ago with overzealous spending on items including his US$200-M art collection, eating into profitability of Mirage Resorts at the time.

Mr. Wynn, like Las Vegas and Macau rival Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands, has expressed interest in cementing his presence in emerging Asian gaming markets such as Japan and South Korea should legalization allow in the future.

Mr. Okada, who has been investing in Wynn Resorts since Y 2000, is seen as Key to the Company’s potential casino development in Japan due to his vast business links and contacts.

Japan is a market that analysts say would be highly lucrative and could generate revenues of over US$40-B a yr.

It is thought that this negative relationship issue with Wynn Resorts will probably press Mr. Okada to develop a relationship with another US casino gaming company. Certainly Las Vegas Sands has been very aggressive in their desire to do something in Japan, and the expectation is that many large corporates will reach out to Mr. Okada’s organization.

Revenues from Wynn’s property in Macau, the World’s largest gambling destination, accounts for 70% of Wynn Resort’s total revenues, and the Company currently does not have a presence in the fast-growing Singapore market, where LVS has developed 1 of the World’s most profitable casinos. Stay tuned… (Credit: Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr - Live Trading News)

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WWE Legends House May Appear On TV Before WWE Network Hits The Air, by Greg Tingle

2012-02-06T10:00:00.002+11:00

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Wrestling fans from Sydney's Bondi Beach, New York, USA, Hollywood and around the world are buzzing at the news of an upcoming WWE television show - WWE Legend's House, may be one of the showcase programs on the new WWE Network.

However, a source tells us that if the WWE Network takes too long to launch, "Legends House" may start on a TV station such as Sci-Fi.

Filming is to commence next month in Rancho Mirage, California, USA and its turned into quite a news media frenzy with video camera operators and photographers all seeking out shots of the legends.

This February at least eight former World Wrestling Entertainment stars will be under one roof in a show not too unlike MTV's "Real Life" with a bit of "Jersey Shore", "Big Brother", "The Ultimate Fighter" and "Tough Enough" thrown in there for good measure.

WWE Legends House will be filmed in Rancho Mirage at the historic home of late comedian Harpo Marx at the Tamarisk Country Club.

WWE Hall of Famer "Mean" Gene Okerlund, the legendary wrestling announcer and interviewer, has been confirmed for the show. Australian fans will recognise Gene as the host of "WWE Vintage Collection" as seen on Foxtel - Fox 8, usually in a TV spot next to WWE SmackDown or WWE Superstars.

We're been tipped off that other cast members with include "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and The Iron Sheik. We're hoping that Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "The Honky Tonk Man", "The Magnificent" Don Muraco or even Ric Flair (*Flair is currently under contract to Impact Wrestling) are also a chance to appear. Don't expect Scott Hall to appear as the man formally known as "Razor Ramon" has been getting some WWE Wellness Program rehab (for real) in recent years, and to have Hall on the new show would not be a wise risk to take at this stage of the game, however we're hopeful Hall may be able to appear on future episodes of Legends House, should the show be as wildly successful as anticipated.

Sadly Australia's "Outback Jack" - real name Peter Stilsbury (circa 1987 with WWF) won't appear, nor will Nathan "The Front Row" Jones. Neither would be considered an outright WWE legend, however both were certainly well known in their day.

Can you imagine The Iron Sheik drinking, eating and just socialising in general with other WWE legends. Something tells us they are going to have to bleep out much of his foul language, but fans familiar with the very funny and vulgar sheik will get the idea.

Hardcore fans will remember the time Australia's Wide World of Sports on Channel Nine aired the Madison Square Garden matches featuring "The Iron Shiek". One was when then WWF Champion Bob Backlund got caught in the camel clutch by the Iranian and Backlund's manager, (the late) Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel. The other famous sheik match that aired on the then Kerry Packer owned Channel Nine was when Hulk Hogan beat the sheik with his famous clothesline and atomic leg drop. The old WWF Championship Wrestling used footage from the Hogan - Sheik match for its intro music video for many years.

The WWE is going to pitch "Legends House" to audiences as unscripted drama, which is curious as pro wrestlers by nature usually work of a script. Wooooo! - we just broke kayfabe again, but most of the western world knows pro wrestling aka "sports entertainment" has storylines, angles, script writers et al these days, but that's not to say they are not talented athletes - they are indeed some of the best athletes on the planet, but only a few such as Roddy Piper could be considered a very talented actor as far as regular movie appearances go.

The concept does share some similarities to the UFC's Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series, but its wrestling legends - not up and coming UFC stars, who have to prove their worth in matches.

Many fans are hoping for a few outcomes - legends sharing tales from the road trips and locker rooms, who hated who for real, secrets of the profession and that sort of thing. We suppose if a real fight breaks out on set that will be a bonus.

The Media Man agency's spokesperson said "We fully expect that WWE Legends House" will become one of the most popular and most talked about shows on both American and Australian television. WWE top brass genius Vince McMahon has really hit the sweet spot with this one. It's got ratings winner all over it and fits in perfectly with the current "reality era" of the WWE, where the pro wrestling action and scripts carry a much more realistic edge than in the '90 - 2000 era. Australian TV networks, be it Foxtel or Network Nine or Ten, would do well to get in early on this one and secure the rights of a sure fire winner. Kids and parents should try not to copy some of the bad language and practical jokes that are bound to be a staple of this hot new show".

Australia fans are hopeful that Aussie pay TV will get the show. Foxtel, are you listening?

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Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3D; Storm Troopers Invade Cinema

2012-02-05T14:48:00.000+11:00

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Movies Hollywood Village Roadshow Star Wars Sydney

Star Wars fans witnessed storm troopers invade George Street Event Cinema today at around high noon, but fear not - it was a friendly invasion and all part of the global media and publicity machine to help put more bums on seats.

The Star Wars promoter offered up dozens of storm troopers and even a bodypainted 'Phantom Menace'.

A mini orchestra played the Star Wars theme live for fans and media attending, which really helped bring the event to life.

Some lucky fans got photos with laser guns.

20th Century Fox is is hopeful that STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE enjoys success similar to previous Star Wars movies.

STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D is released in cinemas nationally on FEBRUARY 9th 2012

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Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3D Sydney Premiere

2012-02-05T14:47:00.000+11:00

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Movies Hollywood Village Roadshow Star Wars Sydney

Star Wars fans of all ages and from all parts of the galaxy.

Sydney, Australia today enjoyed an out of this world movie premiere today at Event Cinema's, George Street.

Many Star Wars fans dressed up for the occasion with capes, swords, laser guns and cameras a plenty.

The event brought out the inner Storm Trooper and Darth Vader in many otherwise normal movie lovers.

Official media information...

STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D

20th Century Fox is taking the Star Wars phenomenon to a whole new level and generation when a who’s who of talent from Australian television, radio, sport and entertainment and their families take to the red carpet for the Australian Premiere of STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE for the first time in 3D.

George Lucas takes us back to the beginning of the beloved saga, in which Darth Vader is a hopeful nine-year-old boy named Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi is a determined young Jedi knight. This first chapter, which is rich in art, design, costumes, architecture and technology, follows Anakin’s journey as he pursues his dreams and confronts his fears in the midst of a galaxy in turmoil.

WHAT: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
WHERE: EVENT CINEMAS, GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY
WHEN: SUNDAY 5th FEBRUARY 2012
RED CARPET ARRIVALS: 11.00AM
FILM COMMENCES: 11.45AM

VIP GUESTS INCLUDE: ROB MILLS, CHARLOTTE DAWSON, GLENN MCGRATH, JASON STEVENS, NASH EDGERTON, CHRIS BATH, RICHARD WILKINS, GARY MEHIGAN, MANU FEILDEL, LARRY EMDUR, DAMIEN LEITH, MATTHEW HAYDEN, CHARLIE BROWN, HARRY COOK, MAEVE O’MEARA, MARK DAVIS, CANDICE DIXON, BARRY DU BOIS, RACHEL FINCH, MIA FREEDMAN, SOPHIE HENSSER, MELISSA HOYER, PETER KURUVITA, GORDANA WILLESSEE, STEVE BISLEY, PJ MADAM, MIGUEL MAESTRE, ROBERT MAMMONE, ERIN MOYLAND, JUSTIN NORTH, TRACY SPICER, LEANNA WALSMAN, MATT MORAN, MATT SHIRVINGTON, ANTHONY FIELD, STEFANO CANTURI among others, plus DARTH MAUL and Star Wars STORM TROOPERS!

STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D is released in cinemas nationally on FEBRUARY 9th 2012

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Pro wrestlers in Manila for 1-night show - 4th February 2012

2012-02-05T14:32:00.001+11:00

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MANILA, Philippines – Several former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) superstars have arrived in Manila for a 1-night show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The pro wrestlers, led by former WWE Intercontinental Champion John Hennigan, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIAN) Terminal 2 on Friday at 6:30 am.

Accompanying Hennigan were MVP, Carlito, Luke Gallows, John Morrison, Jillian Hall, Shief Daivari, Jimmy Ynag, Shelton Benjamin, Chris Masters, Snitsky, Rhino, Melina Shane Helms and Billy Gun.

The wrestlers will appear at the “World Wrestling Fan Xperience- Champions Showcase Tour 2012” slated at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.

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2012-02-05T14:05:00.001+11:00

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Qatar pays record $250m for Cezanne - 5th February 2012

2012-02-05T13:51:00.000+11:00

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OIL-RICH Qatar has bought Paul Cezanne's painting The Card Players for more than $250 million, by far the highest price yet paid for a work of art.

Previously, a Jackson Pollock - No. 5, 1948 - held the record, sold for $140 million in pre-recessionary 2006.

Vanity Fair magazine points out that only four other versions of Card Players exist - Cezanne painted them as a series in the 1890s. They are all housed in world-class museums, including the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

"The purchase is just the latest bid in Qatar's effort to become an international intellectual hub," the magazine wrote, adding that it "upends the modern art market."

According to the Gulf Times, Qatar has the third highest density of millionaires in the world after Singapore and Switzerland.

The sale, which took place last year, was confirmed to the magazine by multiple sources only last week.

Qatar's royal family declined to comment and all other players involved in the sale signed confidentiality agreements.

The Card Players bought by Qatar is one of three that shows two men at a table playing cards.

"$250 million is a fortune," Victor Wiener, a fine-art appraiser told Vanity Fair. ''But you take any art-history course and a Card Players is likely in it. It's a major, major image."

Cezanne inspired Cubism and helped pioneer abstract art, and Picasso called him "the father of us all." (Credit: GNE)

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Star Wars: Episode 1 The Phantom Menace 3D Coming To Sydney, Australia

2012-02-05T11:35:00.001+11:00

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Movies Hollywood Village Roadshow Star Wars Sydney

Star Wars fans of all ages and from all parts of the galaxy - especially Sydney, Australia. Out of this world news for you... the Star Wars franchise is coming to the mean streets of Sydney for a red carpet movie premiere this Sunday.

Find your cape, sword, laser gun and camera and be there fellow Storm Troopers.

Official media information...

STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D

20th Century Fox is taking the Star Wars phenomenon to a whole new level and generation when a who’s who of talent from Australian television, radio, sport and entertainment and their families take to the red carpet for the Australian Premiere of STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE for the first time in 3D.

George Lucas takes us back to the beginning of the beloved saga, in which Darth Vader is a hopeful nine-year-old boy named Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi is a determined young Jedi knight. This first chapter, which is rich in art, design, costumes, architecture and technology, follows Anakin’s journey as he pursues his dreams and confronts his fears in the midst of a galaxy in turmoil.

WHAT: STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
WHERE: EVENT CINEMAS, GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY
WHEN: SUNDAY 5th FEBRUARY 2012
RED CARPET ARRIVALS: 11.00AM
FILM COMMENCES: 11.45AM

VIP GUESTS INCLUDE: ROB MILLS, CHARLOTTE DAWSON, GLENN MCGRATH, JASON STEVENS, NASH EDGERTON, CHRIS BATH, RICHARD WILKINS, GARY MEHIGAN, MANU FEILDEL, LARRY EMDUR, DAMIEN LEITH, MATTHEW HAYDEN, CHARLIE BROWN, HARRY COOK, MAEVE O’MEARA, MARK DAVIS, CANDICE DIXON, BARRY DU BOIS, RACHEL FINCH, MIA FREEDMAN, SOPHIE HENSSER, MELISSA HOYER, PETER KURUVITA, GORDANA WILLESSEE, STEVE BISLEY, PJ MADAM, MIGUEL MAESTRE, ROBERT MAMMONE, ERIN MOYLAND, JUSTIN NORTH, TRACY SPICER, LEANNA WALSMAN, MATT MORAN, MATT SHIRVINGTON, ANTHONY FIELD, STEFANO CANTURI among others, plus DARTH MAUL and Star Wars STORM TROOPERS!

STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 THE PHANTOM MENACE 3D is released in cinemas nationally on FEBRUARY 9th 2012

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Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Responds to DoJ Indictment against Megaupload

2012-02-04T01:55:00.000+11:00

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Internet Media Companies PartyGaming Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment New Zealand

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, the largest online gaming company in the world, formed by the recent merger of PartyGaming and Bwin, has responded to the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) 72-page-long indictment against Megaupload.com, a file hosting service. PartyGaming as well as its online poker gaming brand PartyPoker is now part of Bwin.Party. Bwin.Party is also the firm behind the world famous PartyCasino brand.

According to the DoJ’s indictment, PartyGaming has spent more than $3 million on marketing campaigns, as part of which PartyPoker has been advertised on sites that form part of Megaupload.com. The DoJ has accused Megaupload.com of infringing copyright, pirating, and money laundering. As a result of this indictment, 18 domain names belonging to Megaupload.com have been shut down by the DoJ and several people associated with it, including Kim Schmitz, the founder of Megaupload.com, have been arrested.

As soon as Bwin.Party came to know of these developments, it terminated the marketing and advertising agreement it had signed with the company and issued a public statement in which it stated that Megaupload.com had specifically promised that it would not infringe on copyrights belonging to third parties on their sites, which get over 50 millions hits per day.

John Shepherd, the Bwin.Party marketing executive, said, “We had no knowledge about any of the alleged activities undertaken by Megaupload.” Further stating that Bwin.party was totally unaware that Megaupload was involved in such activities, Shepherd said, “We’re a completely innocent party. They (the DoJ) have obviously put the details of our contract in the indictment to help make their case about the amount of money that was going through Megaupload.”

However, Bwin.Party and PartyGaming are not the only parties named by the DoJ in its indictment against Megaupload.com. Also mentioned are names such as PayPal and Moneybookers. Stating that he has absolutely no idea of the reasons for which PartyGaming was mentioned, Shepherd assured the online poker gaming industry that Bwin.Party is totally innocent of and was totally unaware of any illegal activities Megaupload.com stands accused of.

Megaupload.com belongs to Megaupload Limited, an online company based in Hong Kong, which offered several varieties of file hosting services. On Jan 19, 2012, the US DoJ seized 15 domain names belonging to the company and shut down the sites on allegations that company was continuously involved in infringement of copyrights belonging to third parties. Besides, the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department froze HK$330 million in assets belonging to the company.

Megaupload Data 'To Be Destroyed In Days'...

Megaupload mansion in New Zealand

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Reality TV News From Australia And U.S; Excess Baggage, Mrs Sly Stallone, WWE Legends House

2012-02-04T00:11:00.000+11:00

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Reality TV Television Celebrities

Excess Baggage For Channel Nine?...

Channel Nine's weight loss reality TV program 'Excess Baggage' might be pulled from TV screens before viewers see the contestants drop weight!

It premiered on Monday with 880,000 viewers. Only 555,000 Aussie's tuned in to watch last night. Its Channel Ten rival The Biggest Loser attracted 734,000 viewers on Thursday.

The Australian newspaper, a Murdoch publication, is reporting that Channel Nine executives held a crisis meeting last night to discuss the future of the program, shown in the paramount 7pm timeslot.

The network is reportedly considering moving the heavily-promoted show to a later timeslot or to one of its digital multichannels.

Production is still underway, however there is the possibility that it will be cut short.

Its replacement may be re runs of US sitcom The Big Bang Theory. The Celebrity Apprentice Australia could also get a fast track back to Nine around Easter time.

The official TV ratings year begins on Sunday, February 12.

Promo...

Eight celebrities, eight ordinary Australians and one life changing decision. Their physical and emotional baggage is holding them back, and they’re ready to reclaim their lives. Travelling far across this country, and deep inside themselves they will discover the secrets to shedding life’s Excess Baggage. Hosted by Kate Ceberano with celebrities: Kevin Federline, Christine Anu, Kate DeAraugo, Gabby Millgate, Darryn Lyons, Brant Webb, Ajay Rochester and Robert “Dipper” DiPierdomenico.

Sylvester Stallone’s Wife Approached Again For Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills...

Sylvester Stallone's wife Jennifer Flavin has reportedly been approached to feature in their reality show The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills.

And it appears that the 43-year-old former model could have the looks, the fortune and the connections to best all the women on the show.

Radaronline.com is reporting that the good looking brunette has been invited in for talks with producers of the Bravo series.

'The producers asked Jennifer Flavin to talk to them about being on the show,' an informer told the website.

Stallone and Flavin own a huge mansion in Beverly Hills... just down the road from her potential co-stars Vanderpump and Adrienne Maloof and her husband Paul Nassif.

The action star and his wife have three beautiful daughters together, Sophia Rose (15), Sistine Rose (13) and Scarlet Rose (9).

As well as being a model, Flavin has also appeared on two reality game shows, including Gladiator and alongside her hubby in 'The Contender'.

The brunette is also a business queen of sorts, owning her own skin care line Serious Skin Care.

She is also said to be already friends with some of the women on the popular programme.

'Jennifer would be great on the show, she’s married to a super famous guy and she’s friends with a few of the women on the show,” the source told media.

'She has her own business and she’s really successful all on her own. Plus she’s got a great personality for reality TV.'

It does however remain to be seen if Sylvester will actually let his wife appear on the show.
The actress' friends are believed to think he will be opposed to the idea.

'Her friends don’t think that Sly would ever let her be on the show,' the source added. 'They don’t think he would ever want her to do it, but he might if she really wants to.'

The news comes as it was reported earlier this month that Camille Grammer does not intend to continue her role on the reality show when it returns for its third season.

And the executives behind the Bravo show are allegedly already auditioning women to replace the blonde.

A source told media 'Producers are asking Lisa Vanderpump, Adrienne Maloof and Kyle Richards if any of their wealthy female friends would be interested in appearing on the show.'

And the informant added that the reality star is displeased with the way she has been portrayed during the current second season of Real Housewives.

The source said: 'It's an open secret that Camille most likely won't be back for a third season. She came off as such a b**** during season one, whereas this season she has been very reserved, and she isn't exactly eager to return.'

The mother of two apparently intends to move on to bigger and better things should she leave the popular show.

The informant claimed: 'Camille has some other projects in the works, but she needs to get released from her Bravo contract before she can pursue those.'

The source told Radar Online that viewers can expect some changes when it returns for a third season.

The blonde denies that Bravo had any influence on the ploy and said she she believes that it was solely the women's idea.

'No, I really don’t think so, no one at Bravo ever told me what to say, there was plenty of drama, there was no need for Bravo to create any,' she said.

'The reunion opened some old wounds, we were ok and then we had to rehash the past arguments, it brings it all out again.'

WWE Legends House May Appear On TV Before WWE Network Hits The Air...

Wrestling fans from Sydney's Bondi Beach, New York, USA, Hollywood and around the world are buzzing at the news of an upcoming WWE television show - WWE Legend's House, may be one of the showcase programs on the new WWE Network.

However, a source tells us that if the WWE Network takes too long to launch, "Legends House" may start on a TV station such as Sci-Fi.

Filming is to commence next month in Rancho Mirage, California, USA and its turned into quite a news media frenzy with video camera operators and photographers all seeking out shots of the legends.

This February at least eight former World Wrestling Entertainment stars will be under one roof in a show not too unlike MTV's "Real Life" with a bit of "Jersey Shore", "Big Brother", "The Ultimate Fighter" and "Tough Enough" thrown in there for good measure.

WWE Legends House will be filmed in Rancho Mirage at the historic home of late comedian Harpo Marx at the Tamarisk Country Club.

WWE Hall of Famer "Mean" Gene Okerlund, the legendary wrestling announcer and interviewer, has been confirmed for the show. Australian fans will recognise Gene as the host of "WWE Vintage Collection" as seen on Foxtel - Fox 8, usually in a TV spot next to WWE SmackDown or WWE Superstars.

We're been tipped off that other cast members with include "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and The Iron Sheik. We're hoping that Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, "The Honky Tonk Man", "The Magnificent" Don Muraco or even Ric Flair (*Flair is currently under contract to Impact Wrestling) are also a chance to appear. Don't expect Scott Hall to appear as the man formally known as "Razor Ramon" has been getting some WWE Wellness Program rehab (for real) in recent years, and to have Hall on the new show would not be a wise risk to take at this stage of the game, however we're hopeful Hall may be able to appear on future episodes of Legends House, should the show be as wildly successful as anticipated.

Sadly Australia's "Outback Jack" - real name Peter Stilsbury (circa 1987 with WWF) won't appear, nor will Nathan "The Front Row" Jones. Neither would be considered an outright WWE legend, however both were certainly well known in their day.

Can you imagine The Iron Sheik drinking, eating and just socialising in general with other WWE legends. Something tells us they are going to have to bleep out much of his foul language, but fans familiar with the very funny and vulgar sheik will get the idea.

Hardcore fans will remember the time Australia's Wide World of Sports on Channel Nine aired the Madison Square Garden matches featuring "The Iron Shiek". One was when then WWF Champion Bob Backlund got caught in the camel clutch by the Iranian and Backlund's manager, (the late) Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel. The other famous sheik match that aired on the then Kerry Packer owned Channel Nine was when Hulk Hogan beat the sheik with his famous clothesline and atomic leg drop. The old WWF Championship Wrestling used footage from the Hogan - Sheik match for its intro music video for many years.

The WWE is going to pitch "Legends House" to audiences as unscripted drama, which is curious as pro wrestlers by nature usually work of a script. Wooooo! - we just broke kayfabe again, but most of the western world knows pro wrestling aka "sports entertainment" has storylines, angles, script writers et al these days, but that's not to say they are not talented athletes - they are indeed some of the best athletes on the planet, but only a few such as Roddy Piper could be considered a very talented actor as far as regular movie appearances go.

The concept does share some similarities to the UFC's Ultimate Fighter (TUF) series, but its wrestling legends - not up and coming UFC stars, who have to prove their worth in matches.

Many fans are hoping for a few outcomes - legends sharing tales from the road trips and locker rooms, who hated who for real, secrets of the profession and that sort of thing. We suppose if a real fight breaks out on set that will be a bonus.

The Media Man agency's spokesperson said "We fully expect that WWE Legends House" will become one of the most popular and most talked about shows on both American and Australian television. WWE top brass genius Vince McMahon has really hit the sweet spot with this one. It's got ratings winner all over it and fits in perfectly with the current "reality era" of the WWE, where the pro wrestling action and scripts carry a much more realistic edge than in the '90 - 2000 era. Australian TV networks, be it Foxtel or Network Nine or Ten, would do well to get in early on this one and secure the rights of a sure fire winner. Kids and parents should try not to copy some of the bad language and practical jokes that are bound to be a staple of this hot new show".

Australia fans are hopeful that Aussie pay TV will get the show. Foxtel, are you listening?

Australian TV Ratings - 2nd Feb 2012...

1 My Kitchen Rules Seven 1,439,000
2 Seven News Seven 1,129,000
3 Nine News Nine 1,050,000
4 A Current Affair Nine 994,000
5 ABC News ABC1 983,000
6 Today Tonight Seven 981,000
7 Home And Away Seven 934,000
8 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Nine 764,000
9 The Biggest Loser Ten 734,000
10 Ten News At Five Ten 684,000
11 7.30 ABC1 678,000
12 Desperate Housewives Seven 620,000
13 The Straits ABC1 599,000
14 Law And Order: SVU Ten 570,000
15 Excess Baggage Nine 555,000
16 Desperate Housewives E2 Seven 537,000
17 CSI: NY Nine 535,000
18 Hot Seat Nine 535,000
19 The Project Ten 527,000
20 A Gifted Man Ten 524,000

SOURCE: OzTam

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Any Questions for Ben? Premiere At Sydney's St George OpenAir Cinema - 3rd February 2012

2012-02-03T23:03:00.001+11:00

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Movies Hollywood Australia Sydney

The Sydney premiere of the rom com Any Questions For Ben? enjoyed its premiere in Sydney, Australia tonight.

The weather was wet, but the atmosphere was warm.

St George Open Air Cinema was the venue for the premiere showing, and actress Rachael Taylor did the honours, coming back to Australia especially for the promos.

"Any Questions for Ben?" is a run romantic comedy with sophistication, so if that's your thing, you will love it.

It's the latest feature from Australian tube production company Working Dog, whose previous pictures ("The Castle," "The Dish") were also helmed by co-founder Rob Sitch.

Marketing dude Ben (Lawson), whose going nowhere life is filled with booze and casual sex.

Human-rights lawyer Alex (Rachael Taylor), a former classmate of Ben's, passes through his life from time time time.

The final scenes of the flick are fortunately really well written.

Rom com lovers should put this in their "must see" list. Lots of fun.

Promo

For 27-year-old Ben (Josh Lawson), life couldn’t be better. A well paid job, friends, parties, girls and nothing to tie him down. But when he is invited back to his old school to join several other ex-students including Alex (Rachael Taylor) and Jim (Ed Kavalee) in talking about their personal achievements, something goes wrong. Ben is the only speaker not to be asked a question by the school kids. This triggers a year of soulsearching and looking for answers in all the wrong places.

From his best friend Andy (Christian Clark) whose solution is that they both take another holiday, to his mentor Sam (Lachy Hulme) who loans him a sports car in the belief that there’s nothing like excessive speed to resolve emotional turmoil. Not even Ben’s father (Rob Carlton) or friends Nick (Daniel Henshall) and Em (Felicity Ward) can offer much in the way of meaningful guidance.

Of course, it’s not easy seeking enlightenment in nightclubs, or on the ski fields of New Zealand, and when you start dating a Russian tennis star things can get really complicated. As the poster boy for a generation desperate to tick every box, Ben begins to suspect that the meaning of life may well reside in the things he's already doing - and a girl he used to know.

A Roadshow Films release of a Working Dog production. (International sales: Working Dog, Melbourne.) Produced by Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Michael Hirsh, Rob Sitch. Directed by Rob Sitch. Screenplay, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Sitch.

With: Josh Lawson, Rachael Taylor, Daniel Henshall, Felicity Ward, Christian Clark, Jodi Gordon, David James, Ed Kavalee, Rob Carlton, Tracy Mann, Lachy Hulme, Chantelle Raleigh, Alan Brough, Liliya May, Tom Carmody.

Distributor: Roadshow Films
Cinema Release: 9 Feb 2012

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Any Questions for Ben? Premiere In Sydney, Australia Tonight

2012-02-03T23:03:00.000+11:00

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Movies Hollywood Australia Sydney

The Sydney premiere of the rom com Any Questions For Ben? enjoyed its premiere in Sydney, Australia tonight.

The weather was wet, but the atmosphere was warm.

With a big name and ultra talented cast, this movie is set to do extremely well in a tough market.

St George Open Air Cinema was the venue for the premiere showing, and actress Rachael Taylor did the honours, coming back to Australia especially for the promos.

Promo

For 27-year-old Ben (Josh Lawson), life couldn’t be better. A well paid job, friends, parties, girls and nothing to tie him down. But when he is invited back to his old school to join several other ex-students including Alex (Rachael Taylor) and Jim (Ed Kavalee) in talking about their personal achievements, something goes wrong. Ben is the only speaker not to be asked a question by the school kids. This triggers a year of soulsearching and looking for answers in all the wrong places.

From his best friend Andy (Christian Clark) whose solution is that they both take another holiday, to his mentor Sam (Lachy Hulme) who loans him a sports car in the belief that there’s nothing like excessive speed to resolve emotional turmoil. Not even Ben’s father (Rob Carlton) or friends Nick (Daniel Henshall) and Em (Felicity Ward) can offer much in the way of meaningful guidance.

Of course, it’s not easy seeking enlightenment in nightclubs, or on the ski fields of New Zealand, and when you start dating a Russian tennis star things can get really complicated. As the poster boy for a generation desperate to tick every box, Ben begins to suspect that the meaning of life may well reside in the things he's already doing - and a girl he used to know.

Stars: Josh Lawson, Rachael Taylor, Daniel Henshall, Felicity Ward, Christian Clark, Jodi Gordon
Director: Rob Sitch
Distributor: Roadshow Films
Cinema Release: 9 Feb 2012

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Any Questions for Ben? Premiere In Sydney, Australia Tonight

2012-02-03T20:27:00.000+11:00

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PartyCasino News: Escape to Las Vegas with a 5 Star Dream Ticket!

2012-02-03T20:01:00.001+11:00

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Michael Bolton's Symphony Orchestra Tour Of Australia - 17th - 27th April 2012

2012-02-03T19:53:00.001+11:00

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We’re excited to be covering Michael Bolton's tour of Australia.

His tour includes most capital cities including Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne and runs from the 17th to 27th April.

Grammy legend Michael Bolton fills Australian venues with soulful classics, power ballads and beautiful arias on the Symphony Orchestra Tour, accompanied by his band and our orchestras.

Accolades for Michael's artistic achievements include two Grammys for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance, six American Music Awards, twenty four BMI & ASCAP Awards, nine Million-Air Awards, Hitmakers Songwriter of the Year Award and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Michael's diverse musical interests have produced eight Top Ten studio albums and nine #1 singles across Pop, Jazz & Classical charts, with global sales of more than fifty three million.

The six time Platinum album Soul Provider gave Michael his first Grammy for the #1 single How Am I Supposed To Live Without You? and hits with Soul Provider, How Can We Be Lovers? and When I'm Back On My Feet Again.

His second Grammy blockbuster, When A Man Loves A Woman, featured on the #1 album
Time, Love & Tenderness and hit singles were also the title track, Steel Bars, Love Is A Wonderful Thing and Missing you Now.

More hits followed with To Love Somebody and Reach Out I'll Be There, That's What Love Is All About, the Grammy nominated Said I Loved You…But I Lied, the tribute Bolton Swings Sinatra and the album of arias, My Secret Passion, which remained at #1 for a record breaking six weeks on the classical charts.

A prolific songwriter, Michael has written for over one hundred artists and penned #1 hits for Barbra Streisand, Cher, KISS, Kenny G and Laura Branigan, collaborated with Lady Gaga, Ne-Yo and Dianne Warren and is one of the few to have co-written with Bob Dylan, which resulted in the mega hit, Steel Bars.

Michael's latest collaborations include duets with Delta Goodrem, Eva Cassidy, Seal, Rascal Flatts and others on his Gems album and Emmy nominated, Jack Sparrow (with The Lonely Island), first exposed on Saturday Night Live and now viral with over fifty four million YouTube hits.

This year's People Magazine's "Sexiest Man In His Fifties" is currently on a world tour and pays homage to Luciano Pavarotti at each concert with the aria Nessun dorma. Michael has also sung with Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Renee Fleming, played guitar with BB King and earned a Grammy nomination for his cover of Georgia On My Mind, which was performed with Ray Charles at the jazz greats induction into the Hall of Fame.

Michael Bolton's clip with The Lonely island, Jack sparrow, was rated the third highest 2011 view on YouTube as well. Close your ears!!

If your Secret Passion is Michael Bolton, don't miss this Symphony Orchestra Tour with his band and orchestras, from Saturday 14 - Friday 27 April.

Tour Dates

Tues 17 April Riverside Theatre PCEC Perth Ticketek.com.au 132 849
Thurs 19 April Adelaide Festival Theatre Bass.net.au 131 246
Sat 21 April & Sydney Opera House SOH Box Office 02 9250 7777 &
Sun 22 April Sydney Opera House 7pm Matinee Ticketmaster.com.au 136 100
Fri 27 April Regent Theatre Melbourne Ticketmaster 1300 111 011

Bio

Grammy legend and singer songwriter, Michael Bolton, performs with Orchestra Victoria at the Regent Theatre Melbourne on Friday 27 April.

Accolades for Michael's artistic achievements include two Grammys for Best Pop Male Vocal Performance, six American Music Awards, twenty four BMI & ASCAP Awards, nine Million-Air Awards, Hitmakers Songwriter of the Year Award and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Michael's diverse musical interests have produced eight Top Ten studio albums and nine #1 singles across Pop, Jazz & Classical charts, with global sales of more than fifty three million.

The six time Platinum album Soul Provider gave Michael his first Grammy for the #1 single How Am I Supposed To Live Without You and hits with Soul Provider, How Can We Be Lovers and When I'm Back On My Feet Again.

His second Grammy blockbuster, When A Man Loves A Woman, featured on the #1 album Time, Love & Tenderness and hit singles were also the title track, Steel Bars, Love Is A Wonderful Thing and Missing you Now.

More hits followed with To Love Somebody and Reach Out I'll Be There, That's What Love Is All About, the Grammy nominated Said I Loved You...But I Lied, the tribute Bolton Swings Sinatra and the album of arias, My Secret Passion, which remained at #1 for a record breaking six weeks on the classical charts.

A prolific songwriter, Michael has written for over one hundred artists and penned #1 hits for Barbra Streisand, Cher, KISS, Kenny G and Laura Branigan, collaborated with Lady Gaga, Ne-Yo and Dianne Warren and is one of the few to have co-written with Bob Dylan, which resulted in the mega hit, Steel Bars.

Michael's latest collaborations include duets with Delta Goodrem, Eva Cassidy, Seal and others on his Gems album and Emmy nominated, Jack Sparrow (with The Lonely Island), first exposed on Saturday Night Live and now viral with over fifty million YouTube hits.

This year's People Magazine "Sexiest Man In His Fifties" is currently on a world tour and pays homage to Luciano Pavarotti at each concert with the aria Nessun dorma. Michael has also sung with Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Renee Fleming, played guitar with BB King and earned a Grammy nomination for his cover of Georgia On My Mind, which was performed with Ray Charles at the jazz greats induction to the Hall of Fame.

If your Secret Passion is Michael Bolton don't miss this sensational night of soulful classics, power ballads and arias with Orchestra Victoria on Friday 27 April at the Regent Theatre.

Well done to everyone involved in putting on the tour and we look forward to continuing to follow Michael as he tours down under Australia.

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Any Questions for Ben? To Premiere In Sydney, Australia

2012-02-03T19:25:00.002+11:00

Profiles

Movies Hollywood Australia Sydney

We hear that the Sydney premiere of the rom com Any Questions For Ben? is coming up in Sydney, Australia in less than a week.

With a big name and ultra talented cast, this movie is set to do extremly well in a tough market.

St George Open Air Cinema is tipped for the premiere showing, and actress Rachael Taylor is in Australia to do the honours.

Promo

For 27-year-old Ben (Josh Lawson), life couldn’t be better. A well paid job, friends, parties, girls and nothing to tie him down. But when he is invited back to his old school to join several other ex-students including Alex (Rachael Taylor) and Jim (Ed Kavalee) in talking about their personal achievements, something goes wrong. Ben is the only speaker not to be asked a question by the school kids. This triggers a year of soulsearching and looking for answers in all the wrong places.

From his best friend Andy (Christian Clark) whose solution is that they both take another holiday, to his mentor Sam (Lachy Hulme) who loans him a sports car in the belief that there’s nothing like excessive speed to resolve emotional turmoil. Not even Ben’s father (Rob Carlton) or friends Nick (Daniel Henshall) and Em (Felicity Ward) can offer much in the way of meaningful guidance.

Of course, it’s not easy seeking enlightenment in nightclubs, or on the ski fields of New Zealand, and when you start dating a Russian tennis star things can get really complicated. As the poster boy for a generation desperate to tick every box, Ben begins to suspect that the meaning of life may well reside in the things he's already doing - and a girl he used to know.

Stars: Josh Lawson, Rachael Taylor, Daniel Henshall, Felicity Ward, Christian Clark, Jodi Gordon
Director: Rob Sitch
Distributor: Roadshow Films
Cinema Release: 9 Feb 2012

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Village Roadshow Australia

St George Open Air Cinema

Working Dog

Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr

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New Assets Available for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Vita

2012-02-03T19:09:00.001+11:00

Profiles

Marvel Entertainment Capcom Playstation Gaming

Capcom today released an all new set of assets for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PlayStation Vita. New artwork provides a sampling of the exclusive Gold Herald color options available for all characters which can be obtained through costume sharing via the PS Vita’s NEAR function. In addition, new screens and gameplay video from the PS Vita version showcase what players can expect as they unleash their ultimate anytime, anywhere!

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 takes the epic battle to all new heights with 12 new characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes, a refined fighting system, eight new stages and new modes. The PS Vita edition of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 builds upon the console experience, complete with all modes from the console version including Heroes & Heralds mode, plus new features designed specifically for the PlayStation Vita.

The PS Vita version features online and local multiplayer, touch screen functionality, NEAR support and everything you would find in the PS3 version. In addition, the PS Vita version includes a Spectator Mode and Replay function that allows players to watch or share exciting matches over wi-fi. PS Vita exclusive Gold Herald color options are also available for the characters. As an integrated option, gamers can use the PS Vita as the “Ultimate Controller” to play the PS3 version of the game.

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PS Vita is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and carries a low MSRP of $39.99. As a launch title for the PlayStation Vita system, the game will be available alongside the PS Vita First Edition bundle on February 15, 2012. The regular launch date for the PS Vita system is February 22, 2012. The game is also currently available for PS3 and X360.

For all of the new assets from Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 for the PS Vita, please go to: press.capcom.com. And for more info, head over to Capcom-Unity.com.

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World's Biggest Gamblers; History Of Bets At Casinos - Kerry Packer, David Walsh Et Al

2012-02-03T13:18:00.001+11:00

Entertainment, Gaming, Casino And Celeb And Movie News Update - 2nd February 2012

2012-02-02T23:14:00.001+11:00

Profiles

Movies Celebrities Casinos Australian Casinos Gaming WWE Australia iGaming

Lyric Theatre At The Star In Sydney To Get 'An Officer and a Gentlemen'...

Riding on the success of live musicals, The Star, currently host to 'Annie', will be presenting the world famous 'An Officer And A Gentlemen' from 18th May.

Based on the hugely successful Academy Award-winning film, this new production has been adapted for the stage. A rich and satisfying story that has endured for generations, An Officer & A Gentleman is a modern day love story.

Star casino sacks top exec over sexual harassment claims...

The GM of The Star casino, Sid Vaikunta, has been terminated.

The chief executive of Echo Entertainment Group, Larry Mullin, said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange that "Mr Vaikunta's employment has ended after his behaviour in a work setting".

It is understood the statement refers to one of more incidents of sexual harassment in the workplace.

The annoucement comes just weeks after The Star received a clean bill of health and had its licence renewed by the Casino, Liquor and Gaming Control Authority.

Mr Vaikunta has been replaced by Frederic Luvisutto, who joined The Star from Jupiters Gold Coast.

The Media Man agency and its Casino News Media offshoot wish Mr Luvisutto well in his new role.

WWE Wrestlers To Clean House At Sydney's Allphones Arena 31st August 2012; WWE Gets New Creative and Development VP...

Aussie pro wrestling fans - get ready to rumble with the one and only WWE as seen on Australia's Foxtel.

The world's best professional wrestlers aka "sports entertainers" are going to come down under again and ply their craft in front of some of the world's most passionate and knowledgeable wrestling fans.

WWE Gets New Creative Boss...

No, it's not about John Laurinaitis (Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Raw interim General Manager).

Ex Reveille and Warner Bros. exec Eric Pankowski has entered the ring at WWE as Senior Executive Vice President of creative and development.

Pankowski had joined Reveille in September as SVP of creative affairs, overseeing syndicated programming. In his new role with sports entertainment powerhouse, WWE, he will be responsible for all TV creative development, including reality and kids programming.

He will also manage WWE's creative writing teams and oversee the sale of programming to networks, studios and other distributors.

"No more bad storylines like what the world witnessed in the dying days of WCW please. WWE needs storylines for the times - as realistic and possible with a pro wrestling based product", a Media Man staffer was overheard.

"Eric is a creative veteran whose knowledge and experience will be a tremendous asset in both the creation of new WWE content as well as enhancing our core product," said WWE exec veep of creative Stephanie McMahon, to whom Pankowski will report.

Stephanie is the daughter of WWE founder and top brass, Vince McMahon.

Pankowski enjoyed 12 years at Warner Bros, culminating in his role as SVP of production company ParaMedia ("Lopez Tonight"). He has also been director of programming at Telepictures ("The Ellen DeGeneres Show").

Media Man and the existing WWE team wishes Eric Pankowski well in his new assignment and is looking forward to seeing results from his contribution.

Casinos Shares Get Boost...

Casino operators Crown and Tabcorp spinoff Echo Entertainment could increase revenue by billions of dollars if they manage to regain share of Asia's growing gambling market, according to a Citi report.

The report cited estimates by Australian tourism body, Tourism Australia, that the contribution by international tourists to Australian casino revenues had fallen from 12 per cent to 8 per cent since 2004, when rival markets opened in Macau, and more recently in Singapore.

"Australia's share of gaming revenue captured in the region of south-east Asia has fallen from 30 per cent to 9 per cent over the past five years," Citi gaming analyst Jenny Owen's report said.

Little wonder Crown Limited top brass James Packer has been so vocal as to the role that Australian land based casinos play in our tourism industry.

Crown and Echo are investing a combined $3.7 billion to entice mainly oriental clients to their casinos.

A 9 per cent share of the regional market would rocket Australian casino revenues to $3.73 billion this year from $3.43 billion in 2011, the report said.

It said that to give an example of the potential gain, a 15 per cent share of the regional market this year would equate to $5.63 billion in revenue for Australia's casinos.

This could add more than $188 million to earnings before interest and tax at Crown and $137 million at Echo, according to Citi, which based the numbers on last year's revenue share for the two firms.

Citi said Echo Entertainment was better positioned to reap any potential jackpot because its casinos were in more attractive tourism markets than Crown.

"Echo has more leverage in our view as Sydney outranks Melbourne as a preferred destination, and Brisbane and the Gold Coast outrank Perth," the report started.

The Media Man agency director owns shares in Crown Limited.

Problem gambling measures to proposed in Australia...

In Australia, the government of Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced that it plans to introduce new measures to tackle problem gambling including a provision that would limit the amount of money a player can withdraw from an in-venue cash machine to $250.

The government revealed that it will propose legislation in the next Parliamentary session that would also require all new poker machines manufactured from 2013 to be capable of supporting pre-commitment and link up with a state-controlled pre-commitment system from 2016.

“We will also continue to work on pre-commitment technology through the COAG Select Council on Gaming Reform,” read a statement from the Gillard Government.

“At this forum in May last year, state and territory gaming ministers agreed to support the required infrastructure for pre-commitment technology in all jurisdictions.

“The Gillard Government understands that many Australians enjoy gambling responsibly but for others it can have devastating consequences. Problem gambling ruins lives and that’s why in November of 2008 we asked the Productivity Commission to inquire into problem gambling in Australia.

“The Productivity Commission found that problem gambling affects up to five million Australians including friends, family and employers of people with a gambling problem. These far reaching impacts are why the Australian Government is delivering genuine long-lasting reforms to help problem gamblers and their families.”

Regarding online gambling, the Gillard Government is planning to introduce legislation that would further ban the promotion of live odds during sports coverage and extend pre-commitment to those offering wagering services over the Internet. There are also measures planned to ‘crack down on online sportsbetting companies offering credit’ and passing ‘stricter limits on betting inducements’ while increasing the powers of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to enforce any new rules.

“The actions the Gillard Government is taking will be the most significant and far reaching national reforms to tackle problem gambling ever seen in this country,” read the statement from the Gillard Government.

Kerry Packer to be played by Lachy Hulme in Nine mini series...

The role of Kerry Packer will be played by actor Lachy Hulme in the Nine Network's mini-series focussing on the media and gambling tycoon's creation of World Series Cricket.

The Offspring and Hollowmen star will play the role instead of actor Rob Carlton.

Carlton was widely expected to reprise his role in the Nine mini-series after starring as Packer in ABC's acclaimed Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo last year.

However, The Sunday Telegraph reports that Carlton, who received an AACTA Award nomination for playing the mogul, was dumped in favour of Hulme after Nine Entertainment Co chief executive David Gyngell and producer John Edwards witnessed Hulme's audition tape.

Gyngell was reportedly "blown away" by Hulme's impersonation.

Carlton told The Sunday Telegraph: "I had a fantastic time on Paper Giants and was proud of the work I did."

"Obviously I was really looking forward to doing Kerry Packer with Channel Nine and I thought that's what we were all moving towards."

A potential sequel to Paper Giants is tipped for the ABC, however it's not known whether Carlton would reprise his role.

As well as being nominated, Carlton will also present at Tuesday's AACTA Awards which will be televised on Nine at 9:30pm.

Hulme will also star as miner Todd Russell in Nine's Beaconsfield telemovie which will air later this year, also produced by Edwards.

Howzat: The Kerry Packer Story will air later in the year.

Gina Rinehart becomes biggest Fairfax shareholder...

Australia's richest woman, Gina Rinehart, has become the largest shareholder in newspaper publisher Fairfax Media in what could become a play for control of the 181-year-old company.

Ms Rinehart, a mining industry billionaire, had acquired 12.8 per cent of the nation's second-largest newspaper company by late today.

This puts her ahead of Commonwealth Bank's 12.4 per cent, according to IG Markets analyst Chris Weston.

The news pushed Fairfax shares up 7.5 cents, or 10.14 per cent, to a three-month high at 81.5 cents.

Fairfax Media publishers The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian Financial Review and owns a string of radio stations.

Ms Rinehart made her $192 million play at 81.77 cents a share - a 10.5 per cent premium to Tuesday's close - which has increased her stake from 4.9 per cent to just under the 15 per cent ownership limit under current government law.

While neither Ms Rinehart nor Fairfax would comment today, the move has been met by mixed responses elsewhere.

This includes concerns that Ms Rinehart wanted a board seat and influence over editorial content.

Media analyst Peter Cox said there was no way Ms Rinehart was buying into Fairfax as a major shareholder just for a financial investment.

"This has to be driven by her view on politics in Australia," Mr Cox said.

"What's the point of spending that money on it if you're not going to have influence?

"So, I think it's possible she'd want to go on, buy more shares, get greater control and end up as the effective controller of Fairfax."

Ms Rinehart's late father, Lang Hancock, was an investor in Western Australian newspapers The Sunday Independent and the National Miner.

Ms Rinehart, who chairs her privately owned mining company Hancock Prospecting, has been a vocal critic of the Gillard government's mineral resources rent tax (MRRT) and Labor's plan to put a price on carbon pollution.

EL&C Baillieu Stockbroking media analyst Ivor Ries said Ms Rinehart's move on Fairfax was high risk, given he doubted she could influence the board and he doubted that the company would ever return to its profitable heyday.

"She could just be being opportunistic ... she's enjoying the up cycle of mining, media is in a down cycle and she's buying it at the bottom to flip them out in 18 months to two years' time when the media cycle turns better," he said.

Ms Rinehart's personal wealth is believed to have recently doubled to about $20 billion through the sale of a 15 per cent stake in the Roy Hill iron ore project in Western Australia to South Korean corporate giant Posco.

That would mean her investment in Fairfax represents less than one per cent of her fortune, with Fairfax's complete market value only $1.7 billion.

Avatar's James Cameron plans New Zealand move...

James Cameron has snapped up more farmland near New Zealand's capital Wellington, not far from his Oscar-winning colleague Peter Jackson.

Cameron, the director of Titanic and Avatar, two of the highest-grossing films in history, has bought more than 1,000 hectares in the Wairarapa region, around 80 kilometres north-east of Wellington, land information records show.

The area is renowned for its rolling coastal farmland used for beef, sheep and dairy farming, along with vineyards.

News media reports say he paid around $NZ20 million for the two separate properties.

The records show Cameron and his family, who currently live in Malibu, California, plan to "reside indefinitely" in New Zealand, and operate both properties as working farms.

Jackson, possibly New Zealand's most famous export after he directed the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, owns a large estate about 20 kilometres away.

It boasts a 20-metre high castle built on an island in a lake, along with sets from his Oscar-winning films.

Jackson's next film, The Hobbit, the prequel to the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, is due out later this year.

Cameron's property purchases have firmed expectations he will make large parts of two sequels to his 3D science-fiction epic Avatar in New Zealand.

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PartyCasino Wins Media Man 'Online Casino Of The Month' Award

2012-02-02T00:09:00.001+11:00

PartyCasino.com has been awarded the Media Man and Casino News Media "Online Casino Of The Month" award.

PartyGaming's igaming suite has grown a custom to winning awards since they first opened for business in 1997.

The competition for the coveted award was intense again this month with massive bids from both Virgin Casino, PKR Casino and Captain Cooks Casino however there can only be one winner... ladies and gentlemen, that's PartyCasino.com

The award follows PartyPoker's EGR Poker Operator Of The Year and PartyGaming also made the shortlist for EGR Operator Of The Year. Recently PartyGaming's PartyPoker.com also won the Casino News Media "Online Poker Website Of The Month".

The Media Man - Casino News Media accolade is based on a combination of elements including user experience, innovation, trustworthiness, customer service, gameplay, affiliate program offerings, newsworthiness and company values.

PartyCasino.com is one of a number of Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment brands.

The most popular PartyCasino.com games of late include Heist, Circus, Rambo, Palladium Slot, The Godfather, Sinatra, Slotbox, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Mission: Impossible, The Terminator, Cleopatra, Sinatra, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Monopoly, Resident Evil, Melon Madness, Wheel Of Fortune and Mega Fortune Wheel.

The PartyCasino.com jackpot is currently approaching the $2 million mark. Players can also compete for The Big One and Marvel Hero Jackpot, playing the Marvel super hero themed online slot games.

PartyCasino's most recent game releases include Shaaark! SuperBet, Crocodopolis, Alice's Wonderland, Glamour Puss, Super Cubes, Heist, Palladium Slot and Circus Slot.

Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Co-CEO Jim Ryan has gone on record advising PartyCasinowill soon feature more Hollywood blockbuster themed slots. A few in the know journalists and media agents have been recently tipped off that an all time classic movie adaption will be showcased in the PartyCasino portfolio within 1 month. PartyCasino has the world's most impressive line up of Hollywood themed games, and more are just around the corner.

PartyCasino.com and PartyPoker.com customers can also benefit from rewards and bonuses via PartyPoints and the Palladium Lounge. Be certain to check out the PartyCasino exclusive "Cash Machine" that is being championed as one of the greatest online casino promos ever.

Media Man, Casino News Media and Global Gaming Directory do have a b2b relationship with Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment, as they do with dozens of other companies in the gaming, igaming, media and entertainment industry.

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AACTA Award Winners 2012; Australian Entertainment Industry Showcase Event

2012-02-01T22:21:00.000+11:00

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Events Movies Hollywood Sydney Australia News News Entertainment News

It was the hottest ticket in town last night with the who's who of the Australian film and television industry attending the AACTA awards.

The mega event was held at the world famous Sydney Opera House and was broadcast via Channel 9.

The list of winners from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards...

FILM

SAMSUNG AACTA AWARD FOR BEST FILM

• RED DOG. Nelson Woss, Julie Ryan.

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION
• Snowtown. Justin Kurzel.

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
• Griff The Invisible. Leon Ford.

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
• Snowtown. Shaun Grant.

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTOR
• Daniel Henshall. Snowtown.

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS
• Judy Davis. The Eye Of The Storm.

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
• Hugo Weaving. Oranges And Sunshine.

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
• Louise Harris. Snowtown.

TELEVISION

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ACTOR
• Lara Robinson. Cloudstreet - Part 1. FOXTEL - Showcase

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST TELEVISION DRAMA SERIES
• East West 101, Season 3 - The Heroes' Journey. Steve Knapman, Kris Wyld. SBS

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST TELEFEATURE, MINI SERIES OR SHORT RUN SERIES
• The Slap. Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon. ABC1

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION SERIES
• The Gruen Transfer, Series 4. Andrew Denton, Anita Jacoby, Jon Casimir. ABC1

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN TELEVISION
• The Slap - Episode 3 ‘Harry’. Matthew Saville. ABC1

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY IN TELEVISION
• The Slap - Episode 3 'Harry'. Brendan Cowell. ABC1

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
• Alex Dimitriades. The Slap. ABC1

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
• Sarah Snook. Sisters Of War. ABC1

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
• Richard Cawthorne. Killing Time - Episode 2. FOXTEL - TV1

AACTA AWARD FOR BEST GUEST OR SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
• Diana Glenn. The Slap - Episode 3 'Harry'. ABC1

SWITCHED ON AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST TELEVISION PROGRAM
• Packed To The Rafters. Seven Network

SWITCHED ON AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION DRAMA
• Asher Keddie. Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo. ABC1

WINNERS BY PRODUCTION

TELEVISION

The Slap ‐ 5 Awards
• AACTA Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series
• AACTA Award for Best Direction in Television ‐ Episode 3 ‘Harry’
• AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television ‐ Episode 3 ‘Harry’
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama ‐ Alex Dimitriades
• AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama ‐ Diana Glenn
‐ Episode 3 ‘Harry’

Cloudstreet ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Young Actor ‐ Lara Robinson ‐ Part 1

East West 101, Season 3 ‐ The Heroes' Journey ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series

The Gruen Transfer, Series 4 ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Television Series

Killing Time, ‐ Episode 2 ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama ‐ Richard Cawthorne

Packed To The Rafters ‐ 1 Award
• Switched On Audience Choice Award for Best Television Program

Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo ‐ 1 Award
• Switched On Audience Choice Award for Best Performance in a Television Drama ‐ Asher Keddie

Sisters Of War ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama ‐ Sarah Snook

FILM

Snowtown ‐ 4 Awards
• AACTA Award for Best Direction
• AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor ‐ Daniel Henshall
• AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actress ‐ Louise Harris

The Eye Of The Storm‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress ‐ Judy Davis

RED DOG ‐ 1 Award
• Samsung AACTA Award for Best Film

Griff The Invisible ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay

Oranges And Sunshine ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor ‐ Hugo Weaving

WINNERS BY NETWORK...

ABC1
The Slap ‐ 5 Awards
• AACTA Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series
• AACTA Award for Best Direction in Television ‐ Episode 3 ‘Harry’
• AACTA Award for Best Screenplay in Television ‐ Episode 3 ‘Harry’
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama ‐ Alex Dimitriades
• AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama ‐ Diana Glenn
‐ Episode 3 ‘Harry’

The Gruen Transfer, Series 4 ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Television Series

Paper Giants: The Birth Of Cleo ‐ 1 Award
• Switched On Audience Choice Award for Best Performance in a Television Drama ‐ Asher Keddie

Sisters Of War ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama ‐ Sarah Snook

CHANNEL 7
Packed To The Rafters ‐ 1 Award
• Switched On Audience Choice Award for Best Television Program

SBS
East West 101, Season 3 ‐ The Heroes' Journey ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Television Drama Series

FOXTEL
Cloudstreet, SHOWCASE ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Young Actor ‐ Lara Robinson ‐ Part 1

Killing Time, TV1 ‐ 1 Award
• AACTA Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama ‐ Richard Cawthorne
‐ Episode 2

The Music News Australia agency congratulates everyone involved in the success of the AACTA Awards.

Websites

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)

Australian Film Institute

The Lantern Group

Sydney Opera House

Music News Australia

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AACTA Awards Sydney, Australia - 31st January 2012

2012-02-01T22:02:00.000+11:00

Profiles

Events Movies Hollywood Sydney Australia News News Entertainment News

It's the hottest ticket in town - the who's who of the Australian film and television industry are here at the AACTA awards.

The mega event is being held at the world famous Sydney Opera House and was broadcast via Channel 9 at 9.30pm.

The 4 legged star of Red Dog, Koko, was notably absent at the red carpet of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards - alas his film is nominated for 8 awards.

The red carpet at the first-time awards ceremony at the Sydney Opera House played host to some of Australia’s most internationally acclaimed actors including Cate Blanchett, Olivia Newton-John and AACTA President, and Aussie of the Year, Geoffrey Rush.

Cate Blanchett looked great in gold.

Olivia Newton-John performed for the audience and wore a conservative black dress.

Newton-John’s co-star in 'A Few Best Men', Xavier Samuel, who rose to international fame as Riley Biers in 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse', praised the state of the Australian film industry.

“The Australian film industry is thriving. I think Red Dog is a terrific film,” he said.

“The important thing is Australians are going to see Australian films.”

Director of Red Dog, Kriv Stenders, also commented on the quality of current Australian films saying his movie faced strong competition from all of the nominated flicks.

“What’s wonderful is it’s a year where we’ve got great films, and great filmmakers and great creative teams,” he said.

“I think it’s a really good sign of the times.”

He apologised for the absence of the Koko - the star of the film.

“Sometimes we have to let him be a dog,” he said.

Model Miranda Kerr, wife of Hollywood actor Orlando Bloom, wore silver for the night with a Collette Dinnigan gown and confided to press she had not yet seen the top nominated film of the night.

“I really want to see Red Dog,” she said.

“I haven’t seen it but I’m dying to see it.”

The AACTA awards recognise excellence in Australian film and television.

It also has an international awards section, which took place in Los Angeles on Saturday with presenters Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth.

The Music News Australia agency congratulates everyone involved in the success of the AACTA Awards.

Websites

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA)

Australian Film Institute

The Lantern Group

Sydney Opera House

Music News Australia

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Any Questions for Ben? To Premiere In Sydney, Australia

2012-02-01T15:25:00.000+11:00