Brisbane

Cirque du Soleil is returning to Australian next year, with a fresh production of Saltimbanco, the show that introduced Australians to the Cirque experience 12 years ago. Rather than under the big top, it'll be in theatre mode at entertainment centres. Dates include Perth in April, Melbourne in May and Brisbane and Sydney in July. Tickets on sale October 18. Details here.

It was my last regular 612ABC spot this morning (before I head overseas again) and, to celebrate, Spencer Howson and I went to the streets to ask people if they could provide surnames to match 10 "famous" Brisbane first names. The results are here. Interestingly, the three people everybody knew were Anna Bligh, Kevin Rudd and Wally Lewis. In a bonus segment, not put to air, we showed people some photos of famous faces and sought names. Results here.

He may have threatened to pull the pin back in March, but the word around the Brisbane media traps is that Jamie Dunn is signing on the dotted line again as breakfast host at 4BC. While Dunn and co-host Ian Calder's audience share has grown a little lately, they are yet to reach the ratings heights of commercial talk stations in other state capitals. The next bunch of figures, to be released on Tuesday, will be interesting.

1. What's the difference between a motoring holiday and one taken on the tilt train? Well, according to the Queensland Rail ads, the train is particularly relaxing if you leave your screaming, kicking child at home.
2. Can anybody tell me why the only ads on Brisbane trains are for QR or for sports teams etc. that QR sponsors? I would have thought space on trains would be attractive to advertisers. I'm happy to consult with QR on getting a slice of the advertising action; it might help keep fares down.
3. Oh, and on the subject of fares, it's outrageous that the fares for trains to the Ekka carry a supplement. Sure it costs more to provide the service, but there are more passsengers, which should even things out.

Attention Brisbane readers: If you think the annual Exhibition could be better, here's your chance to make it happen. As I said on the Spencer Howson program on 612ABC this morning, some years ago a few friends of mine decided that they could take over the local bowls club if enough of them joined up and created a voting bloc at the annual general meeting and rolled the office bearers. I speculated whether membership of the RNA would give you the same power over the Ekka. The answer, according to a caller off-air, is yes. So if you've got a big enough beef about the agricultural show, and you have enough like-minded friends, you could soon be running it!

Outside a cafe in Wickham Terrace, Brisbane's specialist medical precinct.

At least customers would be in the right place if they'd consumed old sushi.

The quickened pace of the news cycle continues to confuse traditional media. For newspapers, one of the big questions these days is: should we publish something in print after it's already appeared online, especially on our own websites? In the case of the Courier-Mail today, the answer was yes (in regards to a picture on page 14 which was all over its webpage yesterday). Today, the printed C-M finally caught up with the death of the world's oldest Twitterer, Ivy Bean, who passed away on July 28. A two-day lag for news from Britain used to be commonplace, but it's not now. Meanwhile, mX surely set some kind of record yesterday with an item about this controversial new website, catsthatlooklikehitler.com. Sorry to burst the bubble, but it's been around since June, 2006 (do a search on the Wayback Machine if you doubt me)! A hip'n'groovy, youth-oriented paper like mX oughta know stuff like that.
PS: This intro from the C-M could have been written by the copywriter for a washing powder commercial:

NEW tests have smashed Queensland's first case of DNA innocence testing after analysis found a convicted killer was 45 billion times more likely to be linked to blood from the scene.

More likely than who or what?

In an ever changing world, some things stay the same. One of those things used to be the fact that Channel 9 broadcast the highest-rating commercial television news service in Brisbane and, indeed, in Australia. That success was built on solid news judgment, selective hirings from other networks (particularly the ABC) and a reputation for trustworthiness. Somewhere in the past few years, though, the banner has been passed to Channel 7. Sure Nine is still the home of Laurie Oakes, the journalists' journalist, and a few other heavy hitters, but people aren't buying it like they used to. In Brisbane, Seven is now the viewers' station of choice. Today, Seven claimed the ratings year for news and current affairs. In a media release, the network said its News, Today Tonight and Sunrise had an "unassailable lead in the 40 week ratings year in south east Queensland". The statement continued:

7 News and Sunrise have both won 22 from 22 weeks while Today Tonight has won 21 from 22 weeks in the 40 week ratings year. Max Walters, Managing Director of Seven Brisbane said,“ This is the fourth year running that our flagship news and public affairs programs have won the ratings year in south east Queensland, a wonderful achievement in such a competitive market . SEQ audiences continue to turn to 7 News, Today Tonight and Sunrise to keep them informed on local, national and international events.”

PS: In its media release, Nine claims overall SEQ victory last week (by a whisker), bringing its total this year to 17 out of 22 surveys.

We live in an age of celebrity. You can't pick up a newspaper or magazine, or switch on the TV, radio or internet, without seeing something about Brad and Ange, Tom and Katie, Lindsay or Britney. Like it or not, they've become the subject of many a watercooler conversation and, dare I say it, are genuine "household names". On the national front, there are the big names of TV (Bert, Kerri-Anne, Eddie and Ray among them), plus a smattering of musicians and, largely now-expat, movie makers (Hugh, Russell and Nicole). Recently, the finalists of MasterChef, Callum and Adam, have joined that hallowed society -- but for how long is anyone's guess. You'll note here that I've mentioned only first names but I reckon almost everybody reading this would know exactly who I'm referring to. Which brings me to the big question for Queensland readers only: Who are Brisbane's household names? Which homegrown talents, in whatever field, are instantly recognisable to a large portion of the population (not just the media junkies who read this blog) by their first name or nickname? I've got a few ideas of my own, but I won't be writing them down just yet. Suggestions by email or by Tweet, please. When I've assembled a list, I'd like to test the theory with members of the GP. Maybe we'll all get a surprise as to who's really on the A-list and who isn't.

The big question about the Brisbane Festival is: who is it for? As I said on 612ABC this morning (the audio is here), there is plenty for people who like contemporary dance but not a lot of breadth or depth to the "high arts" program, and precious little for the Average Joe or Jo (apart, of course, from Riverfire). The community section seems to be targetted more at the community that creates art than the communities who might want to consume it, and there's not much in the way of family entertainment. A lot of this year's program was obviously put in place by former artistic director Lyndon Teraccini; the challenge for the new AD, Noel Staunton, is to decide what the festival is all about and put his own stamp on it. Hopefully, he will decide that it's not just for elites; that it should include some truly popular entertainment that will engage the entire Brisbane community. As I've said before, I'd love to see the return of a Warana-style community parade, built from the grassroots up, and we definitely need an Edinburgh-style fringe festival to inject a little fun into proceedings.
PS: This is a personal thing, but I think the new logo is amateruish; remiscent of the rush of wacky typography we saw when computer users discovered the likes of ComicSans.

Anne Wood and the cast of Mamma Mia, the Divas, the cats of Jesus Christ Superstar, David Hamilton Puppets, Greg Moore, Velocity Dance Company and Oscar Theatre Group are among a growing bill for the Hats Off Briz-Vegas concert at the Playhouse, QPAC on August 23. Tickets $40; proceeds go to the Oz Showbiz Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS charity. Book here.

In the Courier-Mail today (July 16, 2010), Matt Condon writes of his frustration with the stock reply he received from the Premier's office when he wrote, as a private citizen, to ask Anna Bligh to intervene on behalf of Brisbane's Regent theatre, which is scheduled for part-demolition to make way for an office tower. About 20,000 people have joined Facebook groups to protest the proposed development, and an online petition to state parliament has more than 6000 signatures.
Condon writes:

I also know enough about life to understand that any government that treats its people and their concerns as unworthy of mindful consideration, that deems it satisfactory to subject them to cut and paste mimeographhs on matters that go to their hearts, and that frankly disrespects them as fools who know no better, has lost its grasp of democracy, its purpose and its obligation to the people it pretends to represent.

I think everybody who received the same form letter should write again to the Premier with specific questions -- such as: How long will the deal to screen films in the "cinema" in the new tower, albeit it on a limited, weekends-only basis, remain in place?; Why is this tower necessary when Brisbane already has a glut of office space and even the government is dentralising its staff?; and Why did the state government change its mind on this issue after initially ordering the protection of the whole building?) -- and demanding real answers. Don't let the Premier and her team treat us with contempt.
(Cross-posted, with additions, from www.savetheregent.com)

What a line-up - a reminder that the big names of the arts and music industry are opposed to the current plans for the redevelopment of the Regent. Be there if you can!

At the time of writing, Kevin Rudd has just held a press conference saying there'll be a leadership ballot tomorrow morning. While Rudd is likely to get rolled by Julia Gillard, he's still PM tonight. That doesn't seem to have sunk in properly for whoever updates Facebook for Brisbane radio station Triple M's the Cage breakfast show, though:

I was not alone in commenting that it ain't quite over yet for KRudd. It's a sage lesson for people who rely on Facebook (or commercial FM radio) for their news.
PS: Times shown in screen grabs are UK. Add nine hours for AEST.
Update: To be fair, here's what Channel 7 tweeted in the heat of the moment:

It's great news for Brisbane theatregoers that Wicked! will finally open at the Lyric Theatre in January next year. But that will be two-and-a-half years after its Australian premiere in Melbourne -- in which time, according to its producers, it has played 866 shows seen by more than a million people. In other words, the lion's share of the return from the show in terms of arts tourism dollars has gone into the Victorian coffers and, to a lesser extent, to NSW. Of course, if Brisbane had another large venue -- say a renovated Regent Theatre -- such big shows could be debuting in Queensland, rather than coming in at the end of their run after the diehard fans have already spent up big on package tours to see them.