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7News star lashes out at criticism over news segment

<p>Comedian Mark Humphries has hit back at critics, responding to the criticism surrounding his satirical segment on Channel Seven's evening news. </p> <p>Many viewers responded angrily to his new gig after the first airing of <em><span id="U8416974660538MC">The 6.57pm News</span></em> that airs on Friday night, with Humphries admitting he found the controversy over the lighthearted segment "bizarre". </p> <p>“I was so stunned because I did five years at <em>7.30</em>, the ABC’s flagship current affairs program, which I think of all the shows to have a comedy segment, that’s even less likely to have one,” he told <span id="U841697466053tzC"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/stellarmag/?hl=en"><em>Stellar Magazine</em></a></span>. </p> <p>“I didn’t know people felt so strongly about the 6 o’clock news and how its integrity must be defended. And, you know, it’s the last three minutes at the end of the week before Better Homes And Gardens. I’ve said this before, but the great thing about <em>The 6.57pm News</em> is that if you want to avoid it, you know exactly what time to tune out. [The reaction] was bizarre.”</p> <p>He added: “The worst thing that was said about me, that stays with me is, ‘I look like a Ken doll gone wrong!’”</p> <p>The addition of the satirical segment came courtesy of newly appointed news director Anthony De Ceglie who said the segment “will use satire to cut through political spin and translate current affairs in the universal news language of taking the piss”.</p> <p>When the comedy segment first aired in July, many were quick to voice their disapproval. </p> <p>“This was an appalling segment … hire, rather than sack, journos,” said one on 7News’ social media.</p> <p>“It was a deplorable segment that has no place in a news bulletin,” another added. </p> <p><em>Image credits: Seven</em></p>

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Seven's insane plan to ambush Lisa Wilkinson exposed

<p>A bizarre plan pitched by Channel Seven for Bruce Lehrmann to ambush Lisa Wilkinson has been revealed. </p> <p>According to several close friends of Mr Lehrmann, Channel Seven's <em>Spotlight</em> program suggested that Lehrmann hover around the Sydney suburb of Cremorne in the hopes of catching Lisa Wilkinson unawares. </p> <p>They proceeded to explain to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/sevens-plan-for-bruce-lehrmann-to-ambush-lisa-wilkinson-in-public/news-story/1e6df346affc123ad23f1f7efcb12136" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news.com.au</a> how they wanted Lehrmann to confront Wilkinson while a cameraman stood close in the hopes of manufacturing a must-see TV moment. </p> <p>Mr Lehrmann's friends said he was not keen on the idea, although the program continued to suggest the ambush. </p> <p>As the fallout continues over untested allegations in the Federal Court that Mr Lehrmann leaked Brittany Higgins’ private text messages to the current affairs program, the former Liberal staffer’s mates are spilling the beans on claims of the program’s bizarre plan.</p> <p>“Bruce very much wanted a third program. But that was a bridge too far," another friend said.</p> <p>“Seven were desperate for ideas. They raised it several times. On many occasions I met with Bruce after meetings and they were pushing for it."</p> <p>“The plan as described was (they) wanted Bruce to be at a local cafe that they knew Lisa Wilkinson would go to and they would have a TV camera confront her.”</p> <p>When asked what Mr Lehrmann planned to say during the ambush, the friend admitted, “I dunno. I don’t know if they thought that far ahead.”</p> <p>Mr Lehrmann’s inner circle claim that it was just one of a number of wild ideas floated by <em>Spotlight</em> producer Steve Jackson as they pitched ideas for future programs about Lehrmann. </p> <p>Another confidante of Mr Lehrmann’s said the Wilkinson plan was “bizarre” and joked it seemed to involve Mr Lehrmann jumping from behind a pot plant to startle the TV star, an idea the former Liberal staffer wasn't keen for, despite the Seven “ideas factory”.</p> <p>“It wasn’t something that Bruce (Lehrmann) pushed," the source said.</p> <p>“<em>Spotlight</em> had a million viewers and so they were always looking for any excuse for a third program. The plan was to spark some sort of public row.”</p> <p>Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial was delayed in the wake of Wilkinson’s ill-fated Logies speech, but his barrister Steve Whybrow SC has hailed the speech as keeping him out of jail.</p> <p>“Frankly, if it wasn’t for Lisa Wilkinson’s speech at the Logies, Bruce would probably be in jail. Thank God for that speech," Mr Whybrow said.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p>

Legal

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Ozempic is in the spotlight but it’s just the latest in a long and strange history of weight-loss drugs

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-dawes-1445353">Laura Dawes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p>Losing weight conveniently, cheaply, safely. That’s been the holy grail of weight-loss ever since 19th century English undertaker and weight-loss celebrity William Banting’s 1863 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/57545/57545-h/57545-h.htm">Letter on Corpulence</a> spruiked his “miraculous” method of slimming down.</p> <p>Since then, humans have tried many things – diet, exercise, psychotherapy, surgery – to lose weight. But time and again we return to the promise of a weight-loss drug, whether it’s a pill, injection, or tonic. A “diet drug”.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674281448#:%7E:text=Childhood%2520Obesity%2520in%2520America%2520traces,problem%2520facing%2520American%2520children%2520today.">history of diet drugs</a> is not a glowing one, however.</p> <p>There have been so many popular drug treatments for excess weight over the years. All, however, have eventually lost their shine and some have even been banned.</p> <h2>Ozempic is a recent arrival</h2> <p><a href="https://www.novonordisk.com/our-products/our-medicines.html">Ozempic and its sister drug Wegovy</a>, both manufactured by Novo Nordisk, are the latest offerings in a long history of drug treatments for people who are overweight. They contain the same active ingredient – semaglutide, which mimics a hormone, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1544319118303273">GLP-1</a> (glucagon-like peptide-1) that acts on the hypothalamus (the brain’s “hunger centre”) to regulate appetite.</p> <p>As an obesity treatment, semaglutide appears to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573908/">work</a> in part by reducing appetite.</p> <p>These are injections. And there can be <a href="https://www.novonordisk.com.au/content/dam/nncorp/au/en/pdfs/Ozempic-1mg-cmi-v3.0.pdf%22%22">side effects</a>, most commonly nausea and diarrhoea.</p> <p>Although marketed as treatments for chronic obesity and diabetes, they have <a href="https://www.forbes.com/health/body/ozempic-for-weight-loss/#footnote_1">exploded in popularity</a> as diet drugs, largely thanks to social media.</p> <p>This has helped drive a <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/shortages/information-about-major-medicine-shortages/about-ozempic-semaglutide-shortage-2022-and-2023#:%7E:text=Why%2520the%2520Ozempic%2520shortage%2520happened,label%2520prescribing%2520for%2520weight%2520loss.">shortage of Ozempic</a> for diabetes treatment.</p> <h2>From ‘gland treatment’ to amphetamines</h2> <p>But Ozempic is not the first weight-loss drug. For example, organotherapy (gland treatment) was <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674281448#:%7E:text=Childhood%20Obesity%20in%20America%20traces,problem%20facing%20American%20children%20today.">hugely popular</a> in the 1920s to 1940s.</p> <p>It rode on a wave of enthusiasm for endocrinology and specifically the discovery that “ductless glands” – such as the thyroid, pituitary and renal glands – secreted chemical messengers (or “hormones”, as they came to be known).</p> <p>These hormones coordinate the activities and growth of different parts of the body.</p> <p>Doctors prescribed overweight people extracts of animal glands – either eaten raw or dried in pill form or injected – to treat their <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674281448#:%7E:text=Childhood%20Obesity%20in%20America%20traces,problem%20facing%20American%20children%20today.">supposedly “sluggish glands”</a>.</p> <p>For slaughterhouse companies, this was a lucrative new market for offal.</p> <p>But organotherapy soon fell from favour. There was no evidence excess weight was usually caused by underperforming glands or that gland extracts (thyroid in particular) were doing anything other than <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21741-thyrotoxicosis">poisoning you</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://nyupress.org/9780814776391/on-speed/">Amphetamines</a> were first used as a nasal decongestant in the 1930s, but quickly found a market for weight-loss.</p> <p>Why they worked was complex. The drug operated on the hypothalamus but also had an effect on mental state. Amphetamine is, of course, an “upper”.</p> <p>The theory was it helped people feel up to dieting and gave pleasure not found on a plate. Amphetamines too, <a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2007.110593">fell from treatment use</a> in the 1970s with Nixon’s “war on drugs” and recognition they were addictive.</p> <h2>Another decade, another drug</h2> <p>Each decade seems to produce its own briefly popular weight-loss drug.</p> <p>For example, the popular <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/23/science/how-fen-phen-a-diet-miracle-rose-and-fell.html">diet drug</a> of the 1980s and 90s was fen-phen, which contained appetite suppressants fenfluramine and phentermine.</p> <p>During the height of its craze, vast numbers of users testified to dramatic weight loss. But after users experienced heart valve and lung disease, fen-phen was <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9688104/">withdrawn</a> from the market in 1997. Its producer allocated a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-08-23/pfizer-asks-end-to-fen-phen-suits-linked-to-lung-ailment">reported US$21 billion</a> to settle the associated lawsuits.</p> <p>The hormone <a href="https://www.webmd.com/obesity/features/the-facts-on-leptin-faq">leptin</a> aroused excitement in the mid-1990s. Leptin seemed, for a brief moment, to hold the key to how the hypothalamus regulated fat storage.</p> <p>Pharmaceutical company Amgen <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.7732366">wagered millions</a> buying the <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30532682/">rights</a> to the research in the hope this discovery could be turned into a treatment, only to discover it didn’t translate from mice into people. Far from not having enough leptin, people with obesity tend to be <a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/leptin-101">leptin-resistant</a>. So taking more leptin doesn’t help with weight-loss. Amgen <a href="https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/01/obesity-reviving-the-promise-of-leptin/">sold</a> the rights it had paid so much for.</p> <p><a href="https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ephedra-sinica">Ephedra</a> was popular as a weight-loss treatment and as a stimulant in the 1990s and 2000s, finding buyers among athletes, body builders and in the military.</p> <p>But the US Food and Drug Administration <a href="https://ods.od.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Ephedra.aspx">banned</a> the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedra in 2004 after it was linked to <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmc1502505">health problems</a> ranging from heart attacks and seizures to strokes and even death, and in Australia ephedra is <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2023L00864">prescription-only</a>.</p> <p>Now we have Ozempic. Just because the history of diet drugs has <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3362858/">been so dire</a>, we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about new ones – Ozempic is not a drug of the 1920s or 1960s or 1990s.</p> <p>And as <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674281448#:%7E:text=Childhood%2520Obesity%2520in%2520America%2520traces,problem%2520facing%2520American%2520children%2520today.">history recognises</a>, multiple complexities can combine to push a drug into popularity or damn it to history’s rubbish bin.</p> <p>These include patients’, physicians’ and industry interests; social attitudes about drug treatment; evidence about safety and efficacy; beliefs and knowledge about the cause of excess weight.</p> <p>One noticeable contrast with past diet drug experiences is that now, many people are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/well/ozempic-diabetes-weight-loss.html">happy to talk</a> about using Ozempic. It seems to be increasingly socially acceptable to use a drug to achieve weight-loss for primarily aesthetic reasons.</p> <p>(Due to Ozempic shortages in Australia, though, doctors have been <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/shortages/medicine-shortage-alerts/ozempic-semaglutide-supply-update">asked</a> to direct current supplies to people with type 2 diabetes who satisfy certain criteria. In other words, it’s not really meant to be used just to treat obesity).</p> <h2>Our enduring search for weight-loss drugs</h2> <p>Ozempic is predicted to earn Novo Nordisk <a href="https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/comment/novo-nordisk-ozempic/">US$12.5 billion this year alone</a>, but it’s not just industry interests stoking this enduring desire for weight-loss drugs.</p> <p>Patients on an endless cycle of dieting and exercise want something more convenient, with a more certain outcome. And doctors, too, want to offer patients effective treatment, and a drug prescription is a workable option given the constraints of appointment times.</p> <p>The body positivity movement has not yet ousted anti-fat bias or stigma. And despite <a href="https://www.who.int/teams/health-promotion/enhanced-wellbeing/first-global-conference">decades of recognition</a> of the major role our physical and social environment plays in human health, there’s little political, public or industry appetite for change.</p> <p>Individuals are left to personally defend against an obesogenic environment, where economic, cultural, social, health and urban design policies can conspire to make it easy to gain weight but hard to lose it. It is no wonder demand for weight-loss drugs continues to soar.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209324/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/laura-dawes-1445353"><em>Laura Dawes</em></a><em>, Research Fellow in Medico-Legal History, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/ozempic-is-in-the-spotlight-but-its-just-the-latest-in-a-long-and-strange-history-of-weight-loss-drugs-209324">original article</a>.</em></p>

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Never-before-seen CCTV sheds new light into Bruce Lehrmann rape allegations

<p dir="ltr">Bruce Lehrmann, the man who was accused of sexually assaulting former political staffer Brittany Higgins in Parliament House, has shared his take in his first television interview with<em> 7News Spotlight</em>. </p> <p dir="ltr">The rape charge against Lehrmann - which was eventually dropped - could be traced back to March 2019, when both Lehrmann and Higgins were working for Linda Reyonlds, a former defence minister. </p> <p dir="ltr">In the time since, Lehrmann has repeatedly denied the accusations, and continued to do so while speaking to <em>Spotlight</em>’s Liam Bartlett. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to Lehrmann, he was with Higgins and fellow Defence staff members for drinks on the night of the alleged rape, with Lehrmann suggesting that they should move their festivities to a different venue - a nearby club.</p> <p dir="ltr">Their night out continued into the small hours of the next day, and Lehrmann noted that he had suggested sharing a ride home with Higgins, as they both apparently lived in the same direction from the party. </p> <p dir="ltr">As he told Bartlett, he had to grab his keys - as well as file some notes - from the office en route, with the two arriving at Parliament House at around 2am. Lehrmann didn't have his pass, claiming that he “probably just forgot it” as he “wasn’t expecting it to be a big night.”</p> <p dir="ltr">And as he informed Bartlett, he remembered Higgins telling him that she needed to visit the office too, and claimed that he didn’t know why.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, over the course of the rape trial, Lehrmann offered three different reasons as to why he’d had to visit Parliament House. The police were told that he needed his apartment keys, but Parliament House security were told that he had been asked to pick up some documents, ​​ and Reynolds’ then-chief of staff Fiona Brown was told that the two had gone into the office to share whiskey. </p> <p dir="ltr">While that detail is unclear, the episode featured never-before-seen CCTV footage of Lehrmann and Higgins that confirmed the two had been together at both bar and Parliament House. </p> <p dir="ltr">First, the two could be seen at Canberra’s The Dock bar with their colleagues. And then, at 1:47am, they were recorded entering Reynold’s office, before Lehrmann was spotted leaving Parliament House at 2:30am.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lehrmann claimed that once they were let into the office, he and Higgins didn’t exchange any words, and instead parted ways. According to Lehrmann, that was the last he saw of her. </p> <p dir="ltr">He told Bartlett that he hadn’t let Higgins know he was leaving, only for Bartlett to ask why they hadn’t gotten a ride home together. </p> <p dir="ltr">“She didn’t tell me she needed to go home,” Lehrmann said. “She told me she also had to go to parliament.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Bartlett questioned it further, wondering why Lehrmann hadn’t checked in on Higgins, but Lehrmann maintained that his mind “was focussed on getting my keys, noting down what I needed to note down.”</p> <p dir="ltr">And when asked about Higgins being found naked in Reynold’s office, Lehrmann continued to deny the allegations, instead offering that he couldn’t “talk to her because I never saw her again. That was news to me, with the rest of the country.” </p> <p dir="ltr">As Bartlett then pointed out, “you can then see the contradiction in this. She’s naked on a couch, but here you are acting like a Buddhist monk, making post-it note stickers for a minister.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: 7NEWS Spotlight / Seven</em></p>

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Investigation launched after helicopter crash sees four dead

<p>Investigators have begun searching for answers about the fatal helicopter crash that left four people dead on the Gold Coast.</p> <p>After a mid-air collision on Monday afternoon, the distressing scene played out in front of thousands of guests visiting Sea World, and the busy Gold Coast Broadwater for the New Year’s Day public holiday.</p> <p>Initial reports suggest one helicopter was taking off as the other was landing when they collided.</p> <p>“One was trying to leave and they both smacked into each other,” a witness told 7NEWS.</p> <p>“Then they broth dropped and one of the helicopters actually lit on fire.”</p> <p>Another witness described the explosion that followed the collision.</p> <p>“We just looked up and they instantly hit each other,” she said.</p> <p>“Blades went flying, flames everywhere.”</p> <p>One helicopter fell upside down into a sandbank at the water’s edge scattering debris over a wide area around 2 pm on Monday near the popular theme park.</p> <p>On board, four people were killed and three passengers were critically injured.</p> <p>The second aircraft landed safely, but the windscreen was damaged. Queensland Ambulance supervisor Jayney Shearman said another six patients were treated primarily for glass shrapnel wounds.</p> <p>He said the “airframe has crashed and it was upside down”, and its front was severely damaged.</p> <p>The helicopter had no nose and no windscreen, after both were blasted off in the moment of impact and those below the crash could only run from the blades of the first helicopter spearing into the sand.</p> <p>Tourists became rescuers, as people on jet skis and in boats rushed to help the victims at the small sandbank before paramedics and police arrived on the scene.</p> <p>They were confronted with a “significant incident”, Queensland Police Acting Inspector Gary Worrell said.</p> <p>Members of the public rendered immediate assistance, working alongside police to remove people - including at least one child - from the wreckage as it burst into flames.</p> <p>They commenced first aid and tried to get those people to safety from the airframe that was upside down, Worrell said.</p> <p>Jayney Shearman from QAS said they attended to 13 people from both helicopters.</p> <p>“There were three critical patients that were treated and there were six with minor injuries that were all transported through to hospital,” she said.</p> <p>“The minor injuries were mainly glass shrapnel that had come from the impact.”</p> <p>Shearman said there were a number of critical injuries, “what we call multi-system trauma which means that there was a lot of impact to the body”.</p> <p>In the initial stages, she said, it was very important to have some basic life support which was being conducted by first-aiders.</p> <p>Two people, a woman and a child were taken to Gold Coast University Hospital while another child was airlifted to Queensland Children’s Hospital.</p> <p>Six other people are at Robina Hospital being assessed in the emergency department and it is understood some may be eventually transferred to Gold Coast University Hospital.</p> <p>Sea World’s chief pilot Ashley Jenkinson has been confirmed as one of the victims. He leaves behind a wife and a young son.</p> <p><em>Images: 7News</em></p>

News

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Strictly Ballroom star Paul Mercurio reveals serious health condition

<p>Aussie actor Paul Mercurio has opened up about his “wake up call” after being taken to hospital and spending time in the critical care unit for a heart issue.</p> <p>In March 2022, the Strictly Ballroom actor and former Dancing with the Stars judge turned Victorian Labor MP was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular and often rapid heartbeat.</p> <p>The 59-year-old said the condition had since worsened and he had suffered seven attacks this year alone with four being in the more recent months.</p> <p>On Monday December 13, Mercurio was taken to cardiac critical care unit in Melbourne and underwent ablation to try and bring his heart rate back to normal. He was cleared to go home the following day.</p> <p>“When you go into atrial fibrillation there’s an electronic signal from somewhere else in your heart that decides: ‘Hey, I want to have a party,’ and they take over and your heart can beat up to 150/200bpm, or it just goes out.</p> <p>“I realised it has been happening to me for quite a long time over my life. I just didn’t know what it was.</p> <p>“But I’ve got to say, since I had COVID a couple of years ago it’s gotten worse ... and this year I’ve had about seven attacks. It doesn’t make you feel real good.”</p> <p>He said he was going to have ablation in 2023, but changed his mind during a dinner with his wife for their 35th wedding anniversary. He decided to do the operation earlier.</p> <p>“That night I went into a-fib again. For no reason whatsoever, and I guess there was that point where I thought: ‘There is no way I can control this. It’s not going to be alright’,” Mercurio said.</p> <p>Last month Mercurio ran as the Labor candidate for the Mornington Peninsula seat of Hastings and won. He believes the stressful campaign as well as recently having COVID-19 exacerbated the heart condition and also admitted he needs to stop “pushing it”.</p> <p><em>Image: 7 News</em></p>

Caring

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Am I ever gonna see your face again? Nuanced and thoughtful, Kickin’ Down the Door puts The Angels back in the spotlight

<p>When I was a kid, my dad Max took me to basketball games at Melbourne’s Entertainment Centre. I’d wait in my plastic bucket chair as the cheerleaders shook their pom poms and the teams did lay ups. The music was loud, and around the time everyone had found their seats, one song would often come on. </p> <p>It opened with a wailing, single note guitar, followed by a chunky, palm muted riff, driving along until bursting into the chorus when the vocals would demand “Am I ever gonna see your face again?” And as I licked my lemonade icy pole I’d delight as the whole stadium would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/australia-culture-blog/2014/apr/15/australian-anthems-the-angels-am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again">chant back</a> “No way, get fucked, fuck off.”</p> <p>I had no idea the band was called The Angels. I didn’t know they were supposed to be the next AC/DC but didn’t quite “make it”. The intense relationships at their core were lost on me. I was just delighted by how wild it felt, this song the audience owned, breaking rules, answering back. </p> <p>A new documentary, Kickin’ Down the Door chronicles Australian band The Angels across four decades, from suburban Adelaide to the gloss of <a href="https://themusic.com.au/news/iconic-alberts-music-studios-to-be-torn-down-to-make-way-for-luxury-apartments/wSnS1dTX1tk/08-10-15">Albert Studios</a>and beyond.</p> <p>The classic Oz rock vibe is omnipresent: dudes, riffs, volume. </p> <p>But this story’s star quality is how hard it works to showcase the band from both front of house and backstage, offering something far more nuanced than the well-thumbed tale of these national music icons.</p> <h2>Finding intensity</h2> <p>The documentary centres on the songwriting team of the Brewster brothers, vocalist Bernard “Doc” Neeson, and a revolving cast of drummers, bass players and producers. </p> <p>The themes are what you might like in a documentary about Australian rock ‘n’ roll: journeys to adulthood, mateship, resistance, lashings of hope, dollops of luck. Interviews from the band and their nearest and dearest sidle up against archival footage with cute animations bridging scenes. </p> <p>There’s the ubiquitous drop-in from a couple of international names to provide cred – thankfully a Bono-free endeavour. There’s a slither of pre-hat Molly Meldrum. The eye candy of 70s and 80s Aussie life abounds.</p> <p>The songs are central to Kickin’ Down the Door, but rock ‘n’ roll has always been about theatre, and front man Doc Neeson’s lead in creating an unsettling intensity at live shows lifted The Angels beyond the meat and potatoes of standard Oz rock.</p> <p>In one scene, the lighting guy talks about how Doc used silence and darkness as a tool of intensity – the antithesis of rock show bombast.</p> <h2>A complex portrait</h2> <p>Like The Angels did with rock ‘n’ roll, Kickin’ Down the Door offers a key change in the way it positions the people behind the scenes. Director Madeleine Parry has brought together a complex web of relationships pivoting on creative jubilation, obligation, devotion and estrangement.</p> <p>At an early gig, the Brewsters’ mother is recalled as dancing on a table in a “sea of blokes”. These were her boys, who could do no wrong.</p> <p>Mothers, girlfriends, wives and children are elevated close to the story’s centre, anchored within the nostalgic rhythm of white suburban Australian life to contrast with the band’s sprint – then marathon – to rock ‘n’ roll stardom. Beyond the band bubble, everyone’s sacrifice is apparent.</p> <p>“We all supplied the stability while they chased the dream,” says Neeson’s then partner. </p> <p>In bringing women to the front, Parry frames the main players as multi-dimensional, emotional and expressive. The intensity of volume, riffage and flamboyance sits in dialogue with each band members’ reflections to present the way that “performance” seamlessly slides across gender and genre.</p> <p>This deep thoughtfulness shines through the dizzying foray of complex legal and financial arrangements bands can be thrown into, setting them up with lifelong debt. </p> <p>This is the persistent myth of “luck” in rock ‘n’ roll. This myth grinds against the power imbalance inherent in an incredibly competitive, brutal and sometimes hedonistic global business culture. For decades, rock ‘n’ roll has relied on the exploitation of artists who sacrifice family, health, economic security and friendships to have sustainable careers.</p> <p>This documentary skilfully weaves the devastation that comes when these pressures evaporate years of work for bands and their teams. </p> <p>It isn’t so much a story about the big bad music industry swallowing up another Australian wanna be. Rather, it is a well-crafted assemblage of the pervasive way rock ‘n’ roll’s mystique works behind the scenes, prioritising profits over health and wellbeing, and the sustainability of artists and their families.</p> <h2>The sonic legacy</h2> <p>Undoubtedly the biggest names now in Australian guitar driven music – Amyl and the Sniffers, Courtney Barnett, King Gizzard &amp; the Lizard Wizard, Tame Impala – are part of the sonic legacy of bands like The Angels. </p> <p>But they also show a marked shift in how they do business when courting international markets, maintaining elements of independence and control that The Angels had no blueprint for.</p> <p>This current crop of bands also show we are on the road to far better gender representation of what contemporary rock music looks and sounds like. And in other genres, artists like Baker Boy, Genesis Owusu, Barkaa and Jaguar Jonze continue to contest and take ownership of “the sound” of Australian music. </p> <p>Incidentally, I never went on to play basketball. I picked up an electric guitar instead.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/am-i-ever-gonna-see-your-face-again-nuanced-and-thoughtful-kickin-down-the-door-puts-the-angels-back-in-the-spotlight-194057" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p>

Music

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Not without my dog! Man wins anti-discrimination case against pet chihuahua

<p>Queensland pet owner Raymond Matthews has won an anti-discrimination claim against his local pub after his assistance chihuahua, Coo-ee, was denied entry.</p> <p>Matthews' favourite watering hole was The Woombye Pub, a stone's throw from his home on the Sunshine Coast. “I’d go up there for a chicken parmi and a beer, maybe once or twice a week,” he told <a href="https://7news.com.au/sunrise/sunshine-coast-man-wins-8000-discrimination-claim-after-pub-refused-entry-to-his-assistance-chihuahua--c-8079310" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7 News</a>.</p> <p>However, that all came to an end in 2017 when new management started refusing entry to Coo-ee.</p> <p>“(The) dog almost got run over one night, having had to stay outside. I went back inside and got directed out and barred for a month and made out to be the bad guy - that I’d intimidated people.”</p> <p>Three years of consistent refusal-of-entry to The Woombye then caused Matthews to say enough was enough and seek legal recourse.</p> <p>In a case opened against the pub, the tribunal found the venue broke anti-discrimination laws and awarded Matthews $8000 in compensation.</p> <p>Matthews said he tried to explain the significance of Coo-ee to the new owners but they wouldn’t listen.</p> <p>“The more I tried to convince them, the more I sounded like a broken record,” he said. “I’d been to the doctor to get the dog signed off as an assistant.</p> <p>“What she does is she introduces me to myriad people - the amount of hurdles I’ve got over because of the dog, just breaking the barriers down that normally exist with bureaucracy.</p> <p>“I take the dog with me and it just brings people down to a level playing field and you can speak with them, you can get along with them, you’ve got a common denominator and the dog, I feel, is the one that does it.”</p> <p>In a happy ending – certainly for Coo-ee at any rate – Matthews and the pup have now been welcomed into the venue.</p> <p><em>Image: Sunrise</em></p>

Family & Pets

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What Olivia Newton-John wanted after her death

<p dir="ltr">A never before seen interview of Olivia Newton-John before her tragic death has aired on TV.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Grease star lost her battle with breast cancer on August 8 when she passed away peacefully at the age of 73.</p> <p dir="ltr">Olivia appeared in a special interview on <em>Spotlight: Olivia - A Magical Life</em> where she explained what she wanted to happen when she died.</p> <p dir="ltr">The beloved singer said she wanted her ashes to be scattered in Byron Bay, California and “in other places I love”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Olivia’s late mother and sister also had their ashes scattered in the popular holiday destination.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I don’t think I’ve really thought about it that deeply. We all should,” Olivia said in the interview.</p> <p dir="ltr">“But I’d like to be with them, I’d like to be with them … that would be nice.”</p> <p dir="ltr">The <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/honouring-dame-olivia-newton-john" target="_blank" rel="noopener">news of Olivia’s passing</a> was announced by her husband John Easterling on Instagram via his late wife’s account, and included an appeal to continue her good works in the field of cancer research:</p> <p dir="ltr">“Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in Southern California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time,” he wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the @onjfoundation."</p> <p dir="ltr">Her daughter Chloe also shared a series of <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/no-words-emotional-images-from-olivia-newton-john-s-daughter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heartwarming photos</a> upon the news breaking as celebrities and fans alike offered their condolences.</p> <p dir="ltr">The family have also accepted a state funeral from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Seven</em></p>

Caring

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Moving company accidentally sells $120,000 worth of family belongings

<p>An elderly couple from Bribie island in Queensland are fighting for compensation after a removalist company sold their belongings during their interstate move to Bega, NSW.</p> <p>Gary and Lorraine Taylor are in their late 70s and had originally planned to use removal company ‘Wridgways’ before they liquidated in July 2021. This saw ‘Kent Removals and Storage’ taking on 160 new clients.</p> <p>The Taylors had packed all of their worldly possessions, including furniture and sentimental belongings, into two removal trucks. One truck contained $120,000 worth of furniture - little did they know they would never see these belongings again.</p> <p>Kent Removals &amp; Storage have since apologised and describe the incident as a result of human error, where the company had been court-appointed to assist liquidator Hall Chadwick. Chadwick was in charge of selling off Wridgways’ assets, which included items like office furniture.</p> <p>This is where the swap unknowingly took place - and the Taylor’s container was accidentally sent to online auction company ‘Grays Online’.</p> <p>Of course, everything was auctioned off for a fraction of the price.</p> <p>Lawyers representing the retiree couple say they would have to take $50,000 from their pension to recover only a few of the items, leaving them in complete limbo. Some of the furniture was unfortunately split between the two moving containers, meaning what did arrive couldn’t be assembled.</p> <p>“We’ve been married for 60 years, and 60 years of our bloody furniture has just gone down the tube and nobody cares,” Gary told 7NEWS.</p> <p>Lorraine spoke through tears as she told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/nsw/elderly-couple-left-in-limbo-after-home-contents-sold-off-by-removalist-company--c-7794935" target="_blank" rel="noopener">7NEWS</a> the incident was “very hard to describe”.</p> <p>“It’s not believable what we’ve been through,” she said.</p> <p>“Its been terrible for both of us, and for our family.”</p> <p>Kent Removals and Storage CEO, Steve Alves has said the matter had been referred to Kent’s insurers but that, “the matter was incorrectly internalised between Kent, Grays Online and Hall Chadwick with a view to establishing liability for this error”.</p> <p>“As Kent Relocation Group contracted with Mr and Mrs Taylor and, irrespective of where the liability resides, Kent Relocation Group could and should have taken a lead role in this process and did not.”</p> <p>Alves said the company “apologises for the way in which this matter has been handled”.</p> <p>“Our team will focus on ensuring we support Mr and Mrs Taylor in any way we can to bring closure to this matter for them.</p> <p>“In terms of the missing items, given the quantum of the potential claim, the matter has been referred to Kent’s insurers along with an instruction to ensure that the matter is expedited in a prompt, efficient and reasonable manner for Mr and Mrs Taylor”.</p> <p>So far only 40% of the moving charges have been refunded, but since the matter was escalated Alves said Kent Removals &amp; Storage would work to refund 100% of all moving chargers. As to whether they will see a refund of their $120,000 worth of lost furniture, they must wait for the companies’ insurance process to run its course.</p> <p><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

Real Estate

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Sunrise hosts on high alert

<p>The hosts of <em>Sunrise</em> are reportedly concerned about a "rat" in the Channel Seven studios, after <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/caught-out-leaked-audio-as-channel-7-stars-slam-novak">off-air footage went viral</a> of <em>7News</em> reported calling Novak Djokovic an "a**hole".</p> <p>Natalie Barr and David Koch, who are based in the Sydney offices of the Seven Network, are said to be worried that a "rat" could also leak their private conversations, according to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-10409349/Sunrise-Natalie-Barr-David-Koch-worried-rats-leaking-secrets.html">Daily Mail</a>.</p> <p>“Nat and Kochie would be wondering how many times they've had a private chat about something or someone, and will now be forced to watch every single word they say from here on in,” the source claimed, adding that “there’s a lot of backstabbing… in TV”.</p> <p>“Everyone on TV knows there's banter off-air, and when the cameras are on it's a whole other picture.”</p> <p>The leaked <em>7News</em> video went viral last week, as Channel Seven reporters Rebecca Maddern and Mark Amor discussed whether Novak Djokovic should be detained in Australia, after arriving for the Australian Open with an improper visa and vaccination exemption. </p> <p>In the footage, Rebecca remarked, <span>“Whatever way you look at it, Novak Djokovic is a lying, sneaky, a***hole,” as photos emerged of the tennis champion attending events in his native Serbia after testing positive for Covid-19. </span></p> <p>“It’s unfortunate that everybody else stuffed up around him. To go out when you know you’re Covid-positive - well, I don’t think he was even Covid-positive…”</p> <p>Mike also labelled Djokovic an “a***hole”, saying: “You’ve got a bulls**t f***ing excuse and then he fell over his own f***ing lies, which is what happens right?”</p> <p><span>After investigating how the footage emerged, the source of the leak was identified as an employee at the closed-captions company that works with Channel Seven, Ai-Media. </span></p> <p>“As a result of the investigation, Ai-Media has identified that an employee working remotely due to the COVID-19 outbreak was responsible for the unauthorised distribution of the content,” the company confirmed in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange.</p> <p>“Appropriate action has been taken with regard to the employee responsible.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Sunrise</em></p>

TV

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Police launch manhunt after attack on MP's daughter

<p><em>Image: 7NEWS</em></p> <p>Footage has been released of the man wanted over the alleged “political assault” of the daughter of a key Victorian cross-bench MP.</p> <p>Andy Meddick’s daughter Kielan was attacked on a Fitzory street on the evening of November 18th. She sustained head injuries during the attack, in what the MP believes may have been a politically motivated incident.</p> <p>The 25-year-old woman was spray painting over a poster on Smith St about 11 pm when a man approached her, according to police reports.</p> <p>In the security camera footage released by police on Wednesday, Ms Meddick is seen walking away with the spray can in hand as the man follows her.</p> <p>It is then alleged she threw the can towards him while attempting to flee and he threw it back, striking her in the back of the head.</p> <p>Ms Meddick ran into the 86 Bar, where staff treated a three-centimetre gash to the head.</p> <p>The alleged assault came soon after the Animal Justice Party MP expressed concern about threats and intimidation directed towards his family, staff and colleagues over his support for the state government’s proposed pandemic laws.</p> <p>Mr Meddick insists his daughter, who is a transgender artist was not the instigator and was spray painting over an anti-vaccination poster.</p> <p>Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews have both condemned the alleged attack, as police continue to search for the suspect.</p>

News

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Perth mother’s urgent warning after losing her legs and unborn baby

<p>A Perth mother has given a grave warning to others, after she lost her unborn baby, was forced to have her legs amputated and almost lost her life to sepsis.</p> <p>Leana Stendell admitted doctors did not expect her to live, however the woman is still here to share her inspirational story of survival.</p> <p>“He wrote in his notes that I wasn’t going to make it, make the night... but I did!” the woman admitted<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/" target="_blank">7NEWS</a> </em>about her doctor.</p> <p>Stendell revealed she had woken up one morning vomiting and just 12 hours later she was in a coma, which is where she stayed for 12 days.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841550/leana-stendell-3.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a5715d443fb3447682b0c4af34af2bf1" /></p> <p>The woman sadly lost her son, who was delivered as a stillborn at just 33 weeks.</p> <p>“I think for my family, that was traumatic because I was asleep, so I don’t have any memory of that and they are there holding that memory instead,” she said.</p> <p>The Perth mum had Strep A, but it progressed so quickly that she developed sepsis.</p> <p>It was the same infection that took the life of bubbly seven-year-old Aishwarya Aswath at Perth Children’s Hospital.</p> <p>“Sepsis is a time-critical emergency, where the body’s response to an infection can cause shock or organ failure or death,” Royal Perth Hospital Jonathon Burcham said.</p> <p>The mother of two spent four months in hospital, and in that time her legs were amputate just below the knee.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7841551/leana-stendell-2.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/307c6b1921c44551b0dbc693d20473e5" /></p> <p>“I remember making that choice that I was going to be okay, and I was going to be happy,” she said.</p> <p>There are 55,000 cases of sepsis every year in Australia and 8700 deaths – more than seven times the national road toll.</p> <p>Stendell says that despite her losses, she has gained a brighter outlook on life.</p> <p>“More so now I’m just grateful and I see the happiness and joy in things and that’s where I want to be,” Stendell said.</p> <p><em>Image: 7News</em></p>

Body

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Schapelle Corby back in the spotlight

<p><span>Schapelle Corby is set to return to the spotlight, this time for another Aussie reality show that is much different from <em>SAS Australia.</em></span><br /><br /><span>The convicted drug smuggler, 43, is reportedly going to be a “wildcard contestant” on the upcoming season of <em>Dancing with the Stars.</em></span><br /><br /><span>The only stars that we know are joining the show so far are Home and Away actress Ada Nicodemou, former Daily Edition host Tom Williams and <em>Fox</em> FM radio presenter Fifi Box.</span><br /><br /><span>While that is all the details we have at the moment, other rumoured celebrities to be joining are Luke Jacobz, Lincoln Lewis, Bec Hewitt and Erin McNaught.</span><br /><br /><span>Fifi Box opened up on joining the show, and joked that she “hasn’t left this chair” for two-and-a-half years since before the birth of her daughter Daisy.</span><br /><br /><span>“Fitness has not been my thing for the past two or three years. I haven’t done much … so surprise, surprise, I am about to hit the dancefloor,” she told her radio co-hosts Brendan Fevola and Nick Cody.</span><br /><br /><span>“It’s been 14 years since I was on the dancefloor, it’s a long time between dances … I am back baby!”</span><br /><br /><span>She added: “Being on Dancing With The Stars back in 2007, it was one of the highlights of my life. I loved it so much, it was this incredible experience.</span><br /><br /><span>“I don’t know who else is going to be in it, I don’t know a lot of things, but I do know I have a dancer and his name is Jeremy. I don’t know if he knows what he’s up against,” she joked.</span><br /><br /><span>Fifi was runner up to Kate Ceberano on season 6 in 2007.</span><br /><br /><span>Corby last appeared on Australian televisions when she joined the cast of SAS Australia in 2020.</span><br /><br /><span>Despite being a fan favorite, she didn’t make it past the second episode.</span></p>

News

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Radiant as ever! Meghan and Harry return to spotlight

<p><span>Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are returning to the spotlight by teaming up with young activists to change the online scene.</span><br /><br /><span>The couple made a special appearance from their new home in Santa Barbara with leaders from the Queen's Commonwealth Trust who are working to make digital media a force for good.</span><br /><br /><span>While speaking via video call, Harry joked about feeling old.</span><br /><br /><span>"You've got to stop, we're not old!" Meghan replied.</span><br /><br /><span>"But it's true," Harry said. "This is the world you're going to inherit."</span><br /><br /><span>Meghan quickly added, "And Archie!"</span><br /><br /><span>"And Archie," Harry repeated. "It's on all of us collectively to make the world a better place...and we are."</span><br /><br /><span>Chief executive of the QCT Nicola Brentnall led the 30-minute conversation.</span><br /><br /><span>He managed to bring together four young leaders working to make the digital space safe for everyone: Brighton Kaoma, Founder of Agents of Change Foundation in Zambia; Hunter Johnson, Founder of The Man Cave in Australia; Rosie Thomas, Co-Founder of Project Rockit in Australia; and Vee Kativhu, Study &amp; Empowerment YouTuber and Founder of "Empowered by Vee."</span><br /><br /><span>Prince Harry, 35, spoke about Queen Elizabeth's goals in the modern Commonwealth.</span><br /><br /><span>He spoke about the importance of young people having a voice due to the ever-changing digital landscape.</span><br /><br /><span>"I think everything my grandmother wanted to achieve when she took this huge responsibility on, she’s managed," he said.</span><br /><br /><span>"Hearing you guys, and knowing the broad spectrum that QCT engulfs, you’re the definition of the 21st century Commonwealth, and what it means to be part of it. You are there, standing for equality, for mutual respect and for fairness."</span><br /><br /><span>Meghan, 39, also spoke during the digital conversation, and spoke about how the coronavirus pandemic has driven people online to connect.</span><br /><br /><span>"Everyone's mental and emotional well-being are perhaps more fragile than ever before, certainly with COVID and our dependability on devices right now in the absence of human interaction," she said.</span><br /><br /><span>“People are going online more than ever before to feel community."</span></p>

Real Estate

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Harris Scarfe saved from collapse as Spotlight acquires retail icon

<p><span>Australian discount department store Harris Scarfe has been rescued from receivership after fabric and home fittings store Spotlight agreed to buy the 170-year-old business.</span></p> <p><span>The future of the retailer’s 44 stores and about 1,300 staff is yet to be determined as Spotlight and receivers at Deloitte continue discussing the details of the transaction. According to the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/spotlight-set-to-save-harris-scarfe-from-collapse-20200303-p546bm.html"><em>Sydney Morning Herald</em></a>, the settlement could be finalised by <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/spotlight-set-to-save-harris-scarfe-from-collapse-20200303-p546bm.html">mid-April</a>.</span></p> <p><span>“There is still a lot of work we need to do together to finalise the transaction and we will be working with the Spotlight Group and the Harris Scarfe leadership team to make this happen,” said Vaughan Strawbridge, partner at Deloitte Restructuring Services.</span></p> <p><span>“We are hopeful all of the 44 stores will be retained under the sale but ultimately, this will be dependent on how the transaction progresses over the next couple of weeks.”</span></p> <p><span>The retail chain <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/retirement-income/harris-scarfe-to-close-21-stores-across-australia">fell into receivership in December</a> and closed down 21 stores in early January as receivers at Deloitte sought a buyer.</span></p> <p><span>Harris Scarfe is one of the <a href="https://www.smartcompany.com.au/industries/retail/gerry-harvey-retailers-collapse/">many brands which have collapsed in recent months</a>, with Ishka, Colette by Colette Hayman, Jeanswest, Curious Planet and Bardot entering voluntary administration.</span></p>

Retirement Income

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No spotlight, just sunlight: Ash Barty's winning style

<p>Ash Barty has made her way into the Australian Open further than ever before as she aims to become the first hometown hero since Lleyton Hewitt to qualify for the finals.</p> <p>Barty was defeated in the quarter-finals last year by Petra Kvitova but got her revenge against the seventh-seeded Czech on Tuesday, winning 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 to keep the dream alive of claiming a second grand slam singles title.</p> <p>The French Open champion will go head-to-head with American Sofia Kenin in her semi-final on Thursday.</p> <p>Kenin’s quarter final victory over Ons Jabeur was the first match on Rod Laver Arena when the game started at 11 am before Barty vs Kvitova followed that clash at lunchtime.</p> <p>When the schedule was announced, there was an outcry from people questioning why the top seed wasn’t given the blockbuster prime time slot at night on centre court.</p> <p>On<span> </span><em>The Tennis Podcast</em>, BBC commentator David Law said: “We all thought she (Barty) should be scheduled in the night match because there’d be so many more eyeballs on it.</p> <p>“A lot of people are at work (during the day), a lot of kids are at school.”</p> <p>When asked by Law in her post-match press conference whether she herself had requested to play during the day rather than at night, Barty gave a cryptic response where she refrained from confirming if that was the case, but did mention how much she loves playing under the sun.</p> <p>“I think everyone has preferences of when they like to play but for me I love playing in the sun, I love playing in the daytime,” she said.</p> <p>“We play more matches in the daytime than we do at night, but I think with the other quarter-final being played in the morning, it was fine as well. I’m happy to play in the sun anytime.”</p> <p>Law then later said: “I asked if she’d requested to play in the daytime because of the conditions being different to what she played Kvitova in last year when they played in the night session.</p> <p>“She didn’t answer explicitly.</p> <p>“It’s quite clear she and the team have made a request to play in the afternoon.</p> <p>“She is the world No.1, she is the big star in Australia and maybe that would have carried some weight.”</p>

News

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Boris Johnson’s girlfriend steals the spotlight: Meet Carrie Symonds

<p>As Boris Johnson, 55, walked into 10 Downing Street as the new Prime Minister, many eyes were focused on his girlfriend.</p> <p>Carrie Symonds, 31, watched on from the sidelines as her partner entered the famous residence alone.</p> <p>A majority of new prime ministers pose for photos with their partners outside the house, but Johnson left Symonds in the cold.</p> <p>It’s been suggested that this is a deliberate move so that she wouldn’t “overshadow” his moment, according to British media.</p> <p>Johnson has been married twice before – first to Allegra Mostyn-Owen from 1987 until 1993,</p> <p><span>and then to Barrister Marina Wheeler from 1993 to 2018. He has four children with his second wife and has admitted to fathering a lovechild after an affair with Helen Macintyre in 2013.</span></p> <p>Nicholas Allan, lecturer in politics at London’s Royal Holloway University, has said that it would be considered “indiscreet” for Johnson to enter the residence with his new girlfriend.</p> <p>“It is difficult for him to walk into Downing Street with another woman when you are still technically married to someone else. That would be considered indiscreet,” Mr Allen told <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1157444/boris-johnson-girlfriend-carrie-symonds-number-10-downing-street-pictures-news-latest" target="_blank">Express</a></em>.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7828991/boris-girlfriend.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/d0206ecb3e8544d085d4c8758dd7b549" /></p> <p>“Boris’s colourful personal life makes the traditional photo call problematic.”</p> <p>Symonds wore a pink, floral midi dress from Ghost, which retails for £120 ($A215).</p> <p>The dress “features a high neckline with back fastening and voluminous sleeves and seam detailing at the bodice for definition,” according to the shop’s website.</p> <p>Johnson has refused to answer questions about whether or not Symonds or the nation’s "First Girlfriend” will move in.</p> <p>“I just don’t talk about people I love," he said last week, according to <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/boris-johnsons-girlfriend-carrie-symonds-steals-the-spotlight-on-his-first-day-in-office/news-story/6646083a4e4bf039179f20065e468856" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>.</em>  </p> <p>“They can’t speak for themselves and you drag them into subjects and areas of controversy and discussion that they don’t, in my view, deserve or want.”</p> <p>Johnson and Symonds have reportedly been living together after the new UK Prime Minister confirmed he split from his second wife last year.</p>

News

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Archie’s first official outing! The royal babies steal the spotlight from their dads

<p>The royal children have stolen the limelight from their dads, Prince William and Prince Harry, who battled it out on the field in the King Power Royal Charity Polo Day.</p> <p>Royal supporters have gotten a rare glimpse into the private lives of Duchess Kate and Duchess Meghan who brought their royal children to cheer on their dads.</p> <p>It is the first time the public has gotten to see baby Archie with his three older cousins, and fans were not disappointed.</p> <p>The Duchess of Cambridge was first seen with her youngest son Prince Louis in her arms while Prince George and his younger sister Princess Charlotte were spotted at Billingbear Polo Club, in Berkshire, southwest of London.</p> <p>The Duchess of Sussex was also out with baby Archie in a white onesie just days after being christened.</p> <p>The new mother enjoyed her day out with her newborn son, nephews and niece in a loose-fitting, olive coloured caftan by Lisa Marie Fernandez, and chose to finish the look with oversized sunnies and tousled hair.</p> <p>The Duchess of Cambridge went for a pink printed chiffon frock by L.K. Bennett with tan espadrilles and red crossbody.</p> <p>The tall heels didn’t seem to stop her from running after her flamboyant 15-month-old son Prince Louis, who enjoyed his time playing in the grass.</p> <p>Prince George and Princess Charlotte caused a delightful muck all on their own with the 5-year-old was dressed in a polo t-shirt and shorts while 4-year-old Charlotte was sporting a floral pink dress.</p> <p>The whole family cheered on Prince William and Harry from the sidelines, however, it was the oldest brother whose team took out the win. The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex were playing for the Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Polo Trophy in honour of the Leicester City Football Club owner, who tragically died in a helicopter crash last year.</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to the royal family's rare day out together. </p>

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Spotlight on Steve Martin

<p>Hollywood funny man Steve Martin is turning 74 this year. We uncovered some of his lesser-known – though impressive – achievements.</p> <ul> <li>Since appearing in his first movie, The Absent-Minded Waiter (1977), Steve Martin has gone on to appear in over 50 movies, including The Jerk (1979), Planes, Train and Automobiles (1987), Father of the Bride (1991), and The Pink Panther (2006).</li> <li>He is an accomplished banjo player and this year was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame.</li> <li>He has won four Grammy Awards for his comedy acts and music.</li> <li>In 2014, his song “Love Has Come for You” won Best American Roots Song.</li> <li>He may have played the father of 12 kids in Cheaper By the Dozen (2003) but only became a first-time dad at the age of 67 in December 2012.</li> <li>Famous for his thick white hair, he began going grey in his twenties.</li> <li>While at California State University in the ’60s, he studied philosophy and considered becoming a professor.</li> </ul> <p><em>This article first appeared in </em><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/true-stories-lifestyle/entertainment/Spotlight-on-Steve-Martin"><em>Reader’s Digest</em></a><em>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=articles&amp;utm_campaign=RDSUB&amp;keycode=WRA93V"><em>here’s our best subscription offer</em></a><em>.</em></p> <p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>

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