The Rocky Horror Show @ Sydney Lyric Theatre from April 2015

The new Australian production of Richard O’Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show will play a limited season at the Sydney Lyric Theatre from April 2015.

Returning in the coveted role of Frank N Furter will be television and theatre star Craig McLachlan, fresh from shooting the title role in the third series of ABC TV’s top rating drama series The Doctor Blake Mysteries. Further cast members will be announced later this year. The new Australian production of The Rocky Horror Show has been nominated for Best Musical and Best Male Actor in a Musical (Craig McLachlan) at the 2014 Helpmann Awards, and received critical and popular acclaim. Craig McLachlan went on to win the 2014 Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical.

The Rocky Horror Show is a true classic and one of theatre’s most endearing and outrageously fun shows. It opened at London’s Royal Court Theatre on June 19, 1973, quickly developing a cult following, and was adapted into the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which has the longest-running release in film history. This iconic brand holds a unique place in theatre history, a show which has defied the decades and continued to grow in popularity. In 2010 the music of Rocky Horror was showcased in the smash hit TV show Glee, seen by over 20 million people worldwide. Rocky Horror even has its own postage stamp.

Millions of people all over the world have and continue to see productions of The Rocky Horror Show and sung along to classics like Sweet Transvestite, Dammit Janet, I Can Make You A Man, Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me, Over At The Frankenstein Place and of course The Time Warp.

‘STILL THE FUNNIEST AND SEXIEST SHOW AROUND’ - Evening Standard

Show Duration: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes (including interval)

Playing from 10 April 2015

Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/The-Rocky-Horror-Show-tickets/artist/804241

Sydney Showground Reveals Infrastructure Upgrades

Spice caught up with Sydney Showground general manager Peter Thorpe to find out what’s in store for the year ahead.

What are the planned infrastructure upgrades?The main upgrades include site-wide fibre and data cable upgrade, kitchen equipment upgrades, CCTV upgrade from analogue to digital and an upgrade to 50,000 hour LED of house lighting and lighting controls within The Dome and Halls 2, 3 and 4, providing significant flexibility of use and the ability to dim all lights collectively or individually making further energy savings.

When can we expect them to be completed?
By the end of September 2015.

What are the obstacles to getting these upgrades approved?
No obstacles, these projects have all been funded and approved but need to go through a rigorous procurement process and take time to undertake in an operating venue where works have to be scheduled around client requirements.

Why do you think it’s important to have light rail access to Sydney Olympic Park?
Sydney Olympic Park corridor represents a significant urban renewal opportunity. It is a pivotal and suitable location for increased density in terms of residential, commercial, retail, educational and cultural activity, however site residents and users need quick and simple access to key areas such as Parramatta and the City. The proposed Light Rail route will provide this access.

How much will it cost?
Unknown at this stage.

Who will pay for it?
It is anticipated that private enterprise would provide 100% of the required funding subject to the required density uplift.

Where is this process up to?It is anticipated that the NSW Government will make an announcement soon after the upcoming state election.

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Anzac Day - April 25 2015, Sydney

In our ongoing commitment to Metro Hotel on Pitt’s corporate social responsibility program, in April on Anzac Day for the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli we have joined with our partners to be serving coffee and tea for before and after the dawn service at 1915 prices!

 

That is 10c a cup and the sales from this and any other donations made on the day, along with 50% of all food sales will be donated to Legacy Sydney to assist in their ongoing commitment to widows and widowers of our fallen heroes.

Private William Dalton Lycett; Nov 1890 – Apr 1975 Diary of his time at the front in the Dardenelles

"Sunday 25th April, 1915

Was awakened this morning about 4.30 a.m. by the sound of heavy firing. We were at the entrance to the Dardenelles and our fleet was bombarding the enemies forts and batteries, we were right in among our cruisers.

The first of the landing party went ashore about 7 a.m. and some hot fighting ensued. The "Lizzie" (Queen Elizabeth) put some of her big shells in and it was a magnificent sight, though awful.
Our fleet made the hills a hell of fire, a wonderful scene, none of our ships seemed
to be hit.

We steamed about 12 miles up the outside of the "Gallipoli" Peninsula about 10 a.m. and we expect to land here soon. Fleet is bombarding the coast all along. Some Australian troops landed at this point this morning and have been fighting all day.

The sound of rifles has not ceased, same with ships guns till about 8 p.m. Hydroplanes and an observation balloon have been up all day. No firing going on at present."

http://www.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/public-holidays/anzac-day

Dawn Service:

The Dawn service starts at 4:15am and the march (from 9:00am) walks straight past us (on Bathurst Street) - A Short Walk from Metro Hotel on Pitt

Metro Brasserie (Located next to Metro Hotel on Pitt)

Metro Brasserie will be open at 4:15am rising with Reveille for service of coffee and tea at 1915 prices of 10c a cup

Tea at 1915 prices of 10c a cup

Chef will be also preparing traditional homemade Anzac biscuits to enjoy during the morning
We will have continuous service up to and including the Anzac Day parade which passes by the hotel on its way to Hyde Park or until Midday

Dawn Service at Martin Place, Sydney

Lest We Forget!

Top Gear Festival Sydney Will Go Ahead

Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are coming – but the show won't be called Top Gear and it will be indoors in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Top Gear Live Festival will go ahead in Australia and Jeremy Clarkson is coming, even though he has been sacked by the BBC from the hit TV show.

BBC Worldwide has agreed that the show can go on but without BBC or Top Gear branding.

A statement from BBC Worldwide said the shows would go ahead "so as not to disappoint the thousands of people around the world who have already purchased tickets. These events will not however feature any BBC Top Gear branding or content. We believe this is a sensible approach in the circumstances".

However, the dates have been moved from April to July and the event is now being held indoors rather than at a race track.

Two Melbourne shows have been added to the calendar but the change in dates is likely to leave interstate show-goers out of pocket when they rebook flights and accommodation.

"A decision has been made to reschedule the festival planned for Sydney in April until July of this year and will instead become an indoor arena show staged in both Melbourne on 18-19 July and Sydney on 25 -26 July," the BBC statement said.

It will be the first time all three presenters — Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May — will make the trek Down Under for the performance; the previous Australian Top Gear Live shows only had two of the three presenters, but always with Clarkson as the main host.

The BBC statement said: "We'd like to thank our ticket holders for their continued patience. The fans are the most important people to Jeremy, Richard and James so we're delighted to be able to say 'we're still coming'."

News Corp Australia understands organisers stood to lose millions of dollars — and thousands of fans would have been entitled to refunds — if the show did not go ahead as planned.

Organisers called it "a great solution for the fans".

A statement from Brand Events said ticket-holders will be able to exchange their old tickets for new ones after April 10.

"The new event...will be an arena format starring Jeremy, Richard and James - simply titled ‘Clarkson, Hammond and May Live', and they'll be staged in both Sydney and Melbourne," said a bulletin from Brand Events.

Organisers say they are making “appropriate provisions” to ensure the BBC is not brought into "disrepute" by the presenters during the live shows.

News Corp Australia understands any content directly related to or inspired by Top Gear TV will not be part of the live events, which means The Stig, clips from the TV show and the theme music cannot be used.

Meanwhile, the BBC says the TV show’s future “is not in doubt”.

“We have committed to its renewal and return in good shape in 2016,” said a BBC statement.

Organisers said cancellation of the live show “was always an option” but they didn’t want to disappoint more than 100,000 fans who’d bought tickets.

The consortium insists forging ahead with the show was not a money-grabbing exercise, claiming the priority is to “simply cover costs”.

Exisiting ticket holders will have the choice of swapping for tickets to the new shows, or they will be refunded.

Prices and details for the new shows will be available after April 10.

Organisers said new tickets would only be released after existing ticket holders had an opportunity to swap their entry passes to the new shows.

View Source for more information about this event.

Hockeyroos v China International Challenge 2015 - Sydney Olympic Park

Thrilling world class international hockey hits Sydney this Easter long weekend as Australia's Hockeyroos take on rivals China. 

The Hockeyroos return to Sydney Olympic Park Hockey Centre - the scene of their extraordinary gold medal winning performance at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, with a fit, fast and youthful playing squad featuring Captain Madonna Blyth and drag-flicking specialist Jodie Kenny, alongside emerging talents like Amelia Spence and Brooke Peris.

The perfect family day out, alongside the hockey on show the fan zone will give visitors the chance to try their hand at hockey or show off their shooting skills.

Thursday 2 April - 7pm

Saturday 4 April - 3pm

Monday 6 April - 3pm

Tickets are on sale now from Ticketek for just $10 for kids and $20 for adult. Family tickets and group booking discounts are also available.

Get Tickets and find out additional information about this Sports Event in Australia

International Conference on Telecommunications Sydney (ICT 2015)

The 22nd International Conference on Telecommunications (ICT 2015) will be held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney from 27 – 29 April 2015 right after ICASSP 2015 in Brisbane, Australia.

 Sydney is the capital of New South Wales and is graced with one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. Sydney is known for its harbor lifestyle and fantastic beaches, which contribute to a relaxed atmosphere that pervades the city. 

 It is an ideal place for scientists and engineers from around the world to gather and share their ideas.

Telecommunications networks are advancing to a new era to support the unprecedented growth of the internet and cellular network usage for communications and information services. Therefore, the aim of ICT 2015 is to gather world-class researchers to share their ideas and progress on solving the future challenges that the telecommunication networks face.

ICT 2015 will feature world-class plenary speakers, tutorials and regular and special technical sessions from academia, research laboratories, government and industry to discuss and exchange ideas in the field of wireless and cable telecommunications network, services and applications.

View source post to register and find out more

The EB Expo Returns to Sydney In 2015

The EB Expo Returns to Sydney In 2015

EB Games was hardly going to turn its back on one of its best concepts ever, but just in case there was ever any doubt, today it was announced that the EB Expo is returning to Sydney in 2015.

The official date is October 2 until October 4 and tickets go on sale 9am AEDT on April 16. You can purchase them on the EB Expo website, at EB Games stores or through oztix.com.au. The event will be held, once again, at Sydney Showgrounds. It is, admittedly, a pretty cool venue.

If you’ve been to previous EB Expos you’ll know what to expect: early looks at upcoming video games, some event-style panels, and my personal favourite: a Waluigi made out of balloons.

Most major publishers seems slated to attend. PlayStation, XBOX, Nintendo, Activision, Bethesda, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment are currently confirmed.

“EB Expo continues to set the standards by celebrating the video game industry and embracing pop culture. We’re boasting the most unreleased games of any exhibition in Australia this year,” said EB Games Marketing and Events Director Debra McGrath.

A couple of cool things to note: John Robertson, of ‘The Dark Room’ fame, will be performing at the show. Turns out he’s bringing his critically acclaimed show The Dark Room to the event. I’ve been super keen to check that out, so this is a positive.

Also — bizarrely — The Umbilical Brothers are also going to be performing. That’s cool. I guess? What does it have to do with video games? No-one knows (or possibly cares).

“Every year the EB Expo team will continue to add fresh new elements to the mix and we’re really looking forward to wow-ing our existing and new crowds with original content,” said Debra. I guess that might explain it.

I’ve always enjoyed the EB Expo and it does manage to get its fair share of top notch exclusive content. I played Titanfall there for the first time. That was cool.