MAN ABOUT TOWN

John Barrowman, who plays the roguish bisexual leader of the Torchwood Institute in Dr Who spin-off Torchwood , on BBC 3, has tied the knot with his partner Scott Gill in a civil union service in Cardiff. Any hopes I had of Barrowman sweeping me off my feet are now utterly dashed. Excuse me for a moment while I throw myself onto my chaise lounge and sob uncontrollably, will you? On the other hand, at least I can console myself with the fact that an eyepatch-wearing friend with the habit of saying 'Arrrrr' a lot has a copy of the Dr Who Christmas Special for me to watch this weekend...

At the opening night of Entertaining Mr Sloane last night, a friend Stella said that she knew a bloke who she wanted to set me up on a date with, but added that he was afraid that I'd blog about him afterwards. I think he reads this. Well yes, I admit that is entirely possible, but I am the essence of discretion, sir, I assure you. Should I decide to blog about you at all, you'd become an initial, nothing more. Stella, get matchmaking, please!

Sedition was the buzzword in the arts sector in the first half of 2006, and political themes kept cropping up across artforms, although as previously noted, they were not always successful. Something that was a success was the Festival Melbourne 2006 , the free arts festival run in conjunction with the Commonweath Games . Expect to see more cash thrown at sporting events in the years to come... Meanwhile, ‘Queen’ Mary Delahunty retired as Arts Minister, and also as the member for Northcote after seven years in state Parliament, prior to Victoria ’s November 25 election. Delahunty’s replacement, former Education Minister Lynne Kosky , was markedly silent for the couple of weeks it took to appoint her new Media Advisor after the election, but came out with guns blazing as soon as that appointment was finalised. “ Arts push the boundaries,” she told The Age in a recent interview . “It's good to have controversy.” Kosky’s comments were made during an interview conducted by s...

There’s been no end of drama in Melbourne ’s visual arts community this year. Leading the way was the high profile imbroglio between influential curator Juliana Enberg , and young artist Ash Keating . Their very public dispute at an opening at the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) in June, centered around Keating’s appropriation of artwork by Barbara Kruger , herself the focus of a popular ACCA exhibition this year (pictured at left) which he had recycled from a dumpster behind ACCA. A compatriot of Keating’s videoed the slanging match between the artist and the curator (a potential invasion of privacy as far as Enberg was concerned) and the resulting tape became the art world equivalent of John Safran ’s famous interrogation of Ray Martin (originally shot for the pilot of a subsequently axed TV series in 1998, but never shown – at least on the national broadcaster – until screened by Media Watch in 1999). As far as I know, the video Keating’s mate shot of Enberg ...

There are very few writers whose names become synonymous with the style they championed. The American horror writer H. P Lovecraft is one. Another is the English playwright and social satirist Joe Orton . Even before his death, at the hands of his hammer-wielding lover, Kenneth Haliwell, in August 1967, Orton’s fame was assured thanks to his savagely humourous attack upon the morals of the day. Through a series of plays, including Entertaining Mr Sloane (1964) Loot (1966) and What the Butler Saw (produced postumously in 1969) Orton mocked the pretentions of British society and the restrictive views of the day concerning sexuality. Today, the phrase ‘Ortonesque’ is used in literary and theatrical circles to describe work that is outrageously or hilariously macabre. The Melbourne Theatre Company launched their 2007 season tonight with a new production of Joe Orton ’s first, full length play, Entertaining Mr Sloane . The MTC describe it as "Orton's classic dark comedy ab...

The recent criticisms surrounding this year’s short play festival, Short & Sweet at the Arts Centre, which reverberated throughout the Blogsphere, was one of the major stories in Melbourne ’s performing arts sector this year. Rather than rehash recent columns, I refer you to Alison Croggon’s informative and insightful blog Theatre Notes for the full story. Also at the Arts Centre, the success of the FULL TILT program proved that the real creativity in Melbourne ’s theatre scene is definitely happening on the fringes. That said, the Melbourne Theatre Company proved that their middle-of-the-road reputation was not necessarily deserved , thanks to their staging of Festen , an unsettling play by David Eldridge adapted from the Dogme film of the same name. Elsewhere, the Store Room Theatre re-opened after being dark for too long, re-branding itself as the Store Room Theatre Workshop , and also installed air conditioning, thank the Muses; while the legendary La Mama Theatre ,...

Being that I'm on leave this week, I've been spending the last two days catching up on films, with more to see in the next few days before I head back to work next week. First off the rank was George Miller's animated epic about dancing penguins, Happy Feet . This is the story of Mumble (adequately but blandly voiced by Elijah 'Frodo' Wood), the alienated young Emperor penguin who is cast out by his tribe because he expresses himself through tapdancing instead of singing. Consequently our young hero embarks on the sort of standard hero's quest that we've come to expect in fantasy films, in search of the alien outsiders whom Mumble's believes is responsible for the fish shortage that is slowly starving his tribe . Along the way Mumble falls in with an endearing troupe of Adelie penguins, led by the irrepresible Ramon (Robin Williams) and faces off against a truly menacing leopard seal, a small pod of killer whales, extremely Ocker elephant seals, and even...

In a year that saw James Hewison step down as director of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), moving on to helm the Australian Film Institute , there were plenty of surprises in store for the film-going public in 2006. Sadly, Hewison’s unveiling of the opening night film at MIFF this year, the identity of which had been kept under wraps in order to generate interest and boost ticket sales, was no longer surprising by the time the screening started. So many pundits had tipped that we’d be seeing the high school drama 2:37 , directed by 21 year old South Australian Murali Thalluri , that any sense of mystery had long been lost by the time the film was introduced. What was surprising was how derivative the film was of Gus Van Sant ’s accomplished Elephant . Another surprise was the controversy which developed in the weeks after the film’s Australian premiere, centered on suggestions that Thalluri had invented the ‘friend’ whose suicide allegedly inspired his director...

Seems to be spectacularly unsuccessful so far. I just tried transfering my blog, and it didn't work. Guess I'll just keep posting here for the time being, and see what happens in the coming days...

After a remarkably pleasent Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day, there's really very little to report that's blogworthy. Christmas Eve saw me hanging out with old friends Hugh and Chiara, who I met within my first year of moving to Melbourne in 1986 . Although we only catch up a few times each year now, we slipped straight back into easy banter and rapport over lunch in the Westgarth cafe strip, around the corner from their home. That night I rang my girlfriend Cerise to wish her the compliments of the season, only to be invited on the spur of the moment over for a roast dinner with her and her housemate Melody, and a couple of their friends. Much wine, champagne and absinthe was also consumed, making for a delightful evening. Christmas Day saw me open a bottle of bubbly at breakfast, a bottle of red at lunch, eating prawns with lime juice and chili, grapes, a fruit platter, icecream and shortbread, and watching the first three episodes of the US TV series Rescue Me , which...

The liver is evil, and must be punished, so the saying goes. I certainly gave mine a good workout last night. With my friends from Glasgow, Bec and Bob in town (and temporary residents of my loungeroom) last night saw us head out to dinner at an Indian restaurant with a few other folks, including our mutal friends Craig and Sarah, both of whom Bec and I met through the youth arts organisation Express Media , where we were co-CEOs for a couple of years. The service at Guru Da Dhaba was chaotic, but the food was divine, and I highly recommend it if you haven't eaten there before. Six or seven bottles of wine were consumed between eight people, which was an excellent start to the evening. Then it was on to Abbotsford, for a house-party thrown by my lovely friend Lisa. One of the many highlights of the party was drinks around the kitchen table and intense discussion about how apparently picky I am as far as potential boyfriends are concerned, as a light rain fell outside and more alc...

Spent the morning doing the laundry because Mum was coming down from the country to stay the night (and then the next two nights my friends Bec and Bob from Glasgow will be staying over) and I wanted to make sure I had clean sheets for the sofa-bed, and clean towels for the morning, for all. Then this afternoon I had a long overdue lunch with the one-of-a-kind Ms Fits , worked on next week's 'Art of the City' column for Beat magazine, and did more housework. Tonight I took Mum out to an opening at ACCA - British artist Mike Nelson's Lonely Planet , which is an evocative, melancholy and superb installation - then to see the new Barry Humphries show, Back with a Vengeance at the Art Centre. Not until we arrived at the theatre did I casually mention to Mum that we were having drinks with Barry after the show. You should have seen her face when I told her - this is, after all, the woman who introduced me to Barry Humphries (as well as The Goon Show , Monty Python and Th...

...the last 100 visitors to my blog! You've come from all over the world, including: Istanbul, Turkey Fairbanks, Alaska Somewhere in Morocco Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia The Leap, Queensland Madison, Wisconsin Riga, Latvia Bayan, Kuwait Lakemba, New South Wales Leatherhead, the UK So why have you come to my blog, that's what I want to know? WHY? Over to you, dear readers...

I just had a meeting with the General Manager of Evolution Publishing, in whose publishing stable MCV is a part. I've officially been offered the job of MCV Editor, four days a week (which is perfect for me) starting from early February. Whoo-hooo!

Bah, humbug. It's a stupid season. People shopping themselves stupid, maxing out their credit cards, fighting with relatives, drinking themselves into oblivion, praying to a non-existent god, and generally behaving like cunts. Stay safe and sane, people, especially if you're spending the day with relatives!

It's been a busy week, post Meredith, and as you'll have noticed I haven't been posting a lot. There's been the usual things going on - work, writing, Board obligations, that sort of thing, but it's all a bit dull and I'm sure you don't want to hear about it. Some of the more interesting activities I've got up to this week have included: Telling the Managing Director at Evolution Publishing that I'd be interested in throwing my hat into the ring when Troy Gurr, the editor at MCV , steps down in February. It would mean a few changes in my life, taking over as the editor of the paper instead of just working there two days a week, but I think I'm ready for that. Attending the launch of the Midsumma Festival on Wednesday night, and the final week of the Short & Sweet short play festival immediately afterwards at the Arts Centre. This Sunday night is the Gala final performance and awards presentation - I'll be presenting the Media Judges...

It's been rather a busy week. I'll update soon, I promise.

Arriving home yesterday afternoon from the Meredith Music Festival , I went straight to the shower and washed off two and a half days worth of dust and dirt, then went to bed for four hours. I felt so much better when I woke up. I'd had about three hours sleep on Thursday night before leaving for the festival, as a result of having far too much fun seeing fantastic Scottish group My Latest Novel at the Corner. On Friday night I drank heavily and partied hard, and consequently didn't get more than three or four hours sleep - I woke up at 7am because of the sunlight streaming into my tent and couldn't get back to sleep. Then on Saturday night I had virtually no sleep at all, due to a combination of heat, noise and too much speed... Consequently I was exhaused by the time we left the festival around 11am Sunday. I was also on edge due to the homophobic mutterings Glen and I had overheard that morning from the group of straight country boys who were camped next to us. They...

Things that were good about Meredith this year: Great company Shirtless boys Midlake The Presets Massages Staff passes that let you bypass the queue of cars at the gate Things that were bad about Meredith this year: Heat Dust Bushfire smoke Heat stroke Homophobes Rose Tattoo Sleep deprivation

...my guests were: John Bailey filled us in on the latest news and gossip in the arts scene, in Shoot the Messenger , including word on the latest war of words in the theatre-blog scene over Short and Sweet . You can learn more about the original drama at the cached version of her blog here , and fill yourself in on the ruckus about her comments over at Alison Croggon's Theatre Notes . Amy Dobson came in to talk about new theatre piece The Maya Project , based on a Hindu text that posits the world and all who live in it is but illusion ... On at McCulloch Gallery, 8 Rankins Lane Melb. (off Lt Bourke St, between Elizabeth and Queen Sts.) until Dec 10 - Bookings: Ph FireEngine Blue on 03-9347-5530 Novice documentarian Benj Binks joined us to chat about the new movie he's making, Mongolian Bling , all about Mongolia's burgeoning hip-hop scene. It's the end on an era for the graduate students from Box Hill Institute who've been studying their Diploma of Visual...

It's been a stressful couple of weeks, what with some Fringe drama , three days full of interviews at the National Gallery of Victoria for the next round of Young Ambassadors , and the usual chaos of my existence. Last night I dragged Mike along to see the opening night of Robert Reid's play about dissociative disorders, A Mile in Her Shadow - great performances and lighting, not to sold on the script and direction - at the newly re-branded Store Room Theatre Workshop. Go check out his blog for a far more detailed and lucid review of the play... I just got home half an hour ago, giving me long enough to check emails and return a couple of calls and quickly update my blog; after which I'm going to grab a shower before heading back into town to catch week two of the Short & Sweet play festival. I'm feeling pretty knackered, and I definitely need a holiday - all I can say is, thank the gods the Meredith Music Festival is on this weekend. Two and half days of countr...

This is Limp Wrist , a queer hardcore band from the USA. They're playing the Arthouse on NYE, and I am so going to be there!

Ten, 10-minute plays a night for three, one-week seasons at the Arts Centre. Last night, everything from comedy to mature drama, and dysfunctional relationships to cyber-sex and traffic accidents. What's not to like?

...my guests were: John Gregory spoke about his new book, Carnival in Suburbia - The Art of Howard Arkley ( Cambridge University Press ) which has been released alongside the enlightening Howard Arkley retrospective now showing that the NGVA at Federation Square until February 25. Ben Harkin , Artistic Director of the rebranded Store Room Theatre Workshop , came in to speak about the changes there, and about playwright Robert Reid's A Mile in Her Shadow , opening tonight and running until Sunday December 10. DiVino is the end of year extravaganza from the National Institute of Circus Arts , on now until December 9. I spoke with Whittney and Juan , two of the students appearing in the show. Killing Jeremy is a new play on at the Carlton Courthouse, now playing until December 16. It was written by Bridgette Burton and directed by Wayne Pearn , who were my guests on the show today. Photographer Andrew Kelly has fused fashion and documentary photography to create Sikh Chic ,...