May 5, 2024 – SparklyPrettyBriiiight

(courtesy IMDb (c) Ludo Studio) Article via Liz Giuffre , Senior Lecturer in Communication, University of Technology Sydney via The Conversation There is nothing like a wedding episode. Bluey’s first 28-minute special, “The Sign”, was the ultimate wedding television. Full of family, and family-friendly, the wedding between Bluey’s godmother Frisky Continue Reading

Everyone deserves a chance to fly: Epic new trailer drops for Wicked the movie

(image courtesy IMP Awards) SNAPSHOTWicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy, Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Continue Reading

Book review: Key Lime Sky by Al Hess

(courtesy Penguin Books Australia) Key Lime Sky was provide as a preview through NetGalley and is due for release in print and digital formats on 13 August 2024. It is always impressive to read a book by an author where an audaciously out-there premise is not only brilliantly and fulsomely Continue Reading

Tons o’ TV trailers: The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power S2, Only Murders in the Building S4, House of the Dragon S2 + news on Heartstopper S3

(via Shutterstock) August is shaping up to be a busy month in streaming land! Ah, what are saying? In the age of digital streaming plenty, every month, week and day is frantic, manic and full-on, ironically turning something that should be, and once was, escapist fun, into something more akin Continue Reading

Book review: Sit, Stay, Love by Amy Hutton

(courtesy Simon & Schuster Australia) It goes without saying, and yet of course we are going to stay it still, that romantic comedies come up with a bulging Cupid’s quiver full of tropes, clichés and expectations. That’s not a bad thing necessarily since the reason we love a particular type Continue Reading

A trio of terrific movie trailers: Twisters (new trailer), Good One and Fancy Dance

(via Shutterstock) As the year moves on, so does the ceaseless release of movie trailers. This post’s selection is a mix of blockbuster and arthouse which neatly matches this blogger’s eclectic taste in films; sometimes you watch something epic and bombastic, sometimes quiet and interior but always with a good Continue Reading

No more champagne and the fireworks are through … The Eurovision Song Contest 2024 wrap-up

(courtesy Eurovision.tv (c) Corinne Cumming) We have a winner! Switzerland’s non-binary identifying Nemo took the top prize this year with his empowering song “The Code” in a contest that was, unfortunately, marked as much by controversy as inspiring moments. Nemo romped away with the jury votes with a clear majority Continue Reading

#Eurovision cultural festival 2024 book review: Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius

(courtesy Bloomsbury Publishing) Stolen by Ann-Helén Laestadius (translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles)is that most universal and yet achingly specific kind of novel. At once a coming-of-age tale of one young Sámi woman battling to find in place in a world that holds obstacles and antagonism within and without, sometimes violently so, she Continue Reading

Movie review: Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

(courtesy IMP Awards) In a sweeping saga like the Planet of the Apes series, it’s easy to get lost in the blockbuster weeds, to see only the big, massive moments when what’s left of humanity and apes clash, the once-set master-servant relationship now turned on its world transforming head. And Continue Reading

#Eurovision cultural festival 2024 streaming review: Love & Anarchy (Kärlek & anarki) S1

(courtesy IMDb (c) Netflix) Ah but it’s a good and glorious thing to have your expectations thoroughly and robustly thwarted! Especially when it comes to a TV/streaming show such as Love & Anarchy (Kärlek & anarki), a Swedish series which presents itself in its whimsically light and frothy trailer as Continue Reading

Songs, songs and more songs #106: Lawrence, Alice Merton, BYHAZE & SAFA, Sabrina Carpenter + Ayumu Imazu + ABBA’s Waterloo piano moment

(via Shutterstock) You need to groove a little more! Yes you do, and so do I; there’s something about just the right mid-fi pop song coming on with all the right beats and a just-so sense of atmosphere and style to make all the stress fall away. All that matters Continue Reading

Something borrowed, something Bluey: why we love a TV wedding (curated article)

Road to Eurovision 2024: Week 7 – The Big 6 – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, UK (Grand final)