Spooky new Aussie mystery will have you hooked
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Point of order! CFMEU on the lips in Victorian parliament
It is the perennial challenge for any media organisation in 2025 – get the youth to watch, read, subscribe and God forbid, pay for the news. This is a particularly steep challenge for News Corp's prestige national broadsheet, The Australian, whose cantankerous columnists can't seem to figure out why the under-25 set doesn't share their enthusiasm for cool things like negative gearing, the Liberal Party, nuclear energy and Benjamin Netanyahu. To the Murdoch empire's credit, the paper did have a red-hot go at targeting younger readers with the 2022 launch of an online-only, youth spinoff, rather confusingly and unimaginatively called The Oz. Featuring a zoomer-friendly aesthetic, articles on influencers and vapes, and staffed by most of the paper's younger, female journalists (who have now nearly all left), The Oz had the blessings of all the right higher-ups: News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson; executive chair Michael Miller; even the big fella, Lachlan Murdoch, himself. But it was a particular brainchild of former editor-in-chief Chris Dore. That turned out to be a kiss of death when Dore was dumped in late 2023 after allegedly making lewd comments to a woman at a media event in California. In one of her first shots across the newsroom, Dore's successor Michelle Gunn scaled back The Oz to an Instagram-only play, before it eventually disappeared for good. Dore has landed on his feet as editor-in-chief of billionaire Kerry Stokes' The West Australian and his digital-only newspaper, The Nightly. But it looks like The Oz, too, could be due for a comeback of sorts. CBD hears there's been discussion among the strategy folks over at Holt St about resurrecting it, although one insider assured CBD it would not come to pass. As for what any new iteration might look like, well, the influencers are still there and so are the vapes (despite what Health Minister Mark Butler insists). Except now there are also trendy labubus to write about, and the experts say that more young men have conservative views. Hell, why not get the royal family themselves involved. After all, Lachlan's 19-year-old son, Aidan Murdoch, was interning at Holt Street last year. Gift diplomacy If you've ever been nervous about buying the perfect present for the in-laws, imagine the pressure of choosing the perfect party favour for a head of government. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (a former general with a bespeckled history, to say the least), tried his best in May. He presented Anthony Albanese with a wooden carving of the famed Garuda Statue, according to the PM's parliamentary register update from Wednesday. How generous of him. Depicting a Hindu deity, the actual statue took almost 30 years to complete and is more than 100 metres tall. If that wasn't spiritual enough for you, it's also located in the province of Bali, a sacred spot for all Bintang singlet-wearing, beer-drinking Aussie folk. It's good to see that Subianto has mellowed out since 2024, when he gifted Richard Marles an actual rifle. If Parliament House security aren't happy about metal keep cups entering the building, we can't imagine they'd be pleased with long-barrelled firearms. Subianto also raised eyebrows in Canberra earlier this year when he uploaded a minute-long video of a private call with a newly re-elected Albo. We hear this is a faux pas within world leader circles. Most top dogs want to keep things behind closed doors. As for Albo's trip to the Vatican to meet new Pope Leo XIV, all His Holiness could manage was a carved terracotta plaque. We expected a bit more bling from the Catholic Church.
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Perth Now
‘Boycott': Aussies fume over Netflix's latest price hikes
Aussie Netflix users have been quick to call out the streaming giant following its sixth price increase since entering the Australian market in 2015. On Wednesday, the platform announced all subscription tiers would be impacted as early as September this year. Understandably, it's not been met with open arms by users already impacted by the cost-of-living pinch. Taking to social media, users even threatened to 'cancel' their subscriptions as they vented their frustrations. 'Greedy company. Raising prices multiple times per year will only push more ships into the sea,' one person said. 'Boycott Netflix. Raising prices again...,' another added. Aussies react to Netflix price rises. Credit: Supplied In response to the promotion of the Netflix original film My Oxford Year, other Netflix subscribers argued the quality of content available for streaming didn't warrant the uptick in price. 'Worst content on your platform in history losing so many shows and you think you need a price increase 😂,' one user said. 'Another price increase? Cancel time,' another chimed in. Subscribers on Netflix's two standard plans will be forced to part with an extra $2 every month, with the 'standard with ads' option shifting from $7.99 to $9.99, and the ad-free Standard plan now set at $20.99 monthly. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have become regular features on Netflix. Credit: Netflix / Netflix Premium subscribers are looking at the steepest leap, with a $3 rise, taking the plan from $25.99 to $28.99. According to tech site Tom's Guide, Netflix's initial prices for Australian users were $8.99 monthly for a basic ad-free plan and $14.99 for premium access, making today's Premium option nearly double the cost. Netflix said the higher prices would allow them 'to bring you even more exciting, new entertainment', promising 'fresh, can't-miss shows and movies every week'. Netflix (inclusive of price updates) $9.99/month - inclusive of ads $20.99/month - Standard ad-free $28.99/month - Premium ad-free Amazon Prime $9.99/month — inclusive of ads $12.98/month — ad-free Stan $12/month — Basic ad-free $17/month — Standard ad-free $22/month — Premium ad-free Apple TV+ $12.99/month — ad-free Disney+ $15.99/month — Standard inclusive of ads $20.99/month — Premium ad-free Binge $10/month — Basic inclusive of ads $19/month — Standard ad-free $22/month — Premium ad-free Paramount+ $6.99/month — Basic inclusive of ads $10.99/month — Standard ad-free $13.99/month — Premium ad-free Australian streaming platform prices compared. Credit: Supplied
Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rocky Horror changed my life 50 years ago. I've been in a time warp ever since
In 1973, I was a 19-year-old hoofer either busking the streets of London in top hat, tails and tap shoes or being the soda jerk at a Knightsbridge cafe, dressing like Ruby Keeler, keeping boredom at bay by tap dancing on tables to 1930s music. Jim Sharman, another Aussie, arrived at the cafe with actor Richard O'Brien, whose unfinished rock musical based on Frankenstein, Jim had agreed to direct. Jim was explaining that the script needed two more servants as one was not enough for back-up vocals. On seeing me, he turned to Richard and said, 'There's your servant.' It was my first professional role on the London stage – in the tiny attic of The Royal Court Theatre, the Theatre Upstairs. A three-week rehearsal period to be followed by a three-week run for a play described by O'Brien as a 'fun knees-up'. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was the result of a symbiotic, creative, relationship between O'Brien, Sharman, set designer Brian Thomson, musical director Richard Hartley, costume designer Sue Blane and, of course, actor Tim Curry. The following year, we all gathered in the freezing cold Bray Studios an hour outside London to begin filming The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Fox offered Jim a big budget and all-star cast but Jim wanted to use the original stage cast so Fox slashed the budget and gave him less than six weeks to shoot it. The one casting that they insisted on was that Brad and Janet be played by Americans. He flew to LA and cast Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick. The film opened to silence. Fox gave it a minimal distribution and it was shelved. But then a man in the publicity department at Fox's LA office decided to take it off the shelf and have a look. He thought it could work being shown at midnight screenings at the Waverly Theatre, New York City and sent it over. The same audience came week after week and began dressing up as the characters. Then they started calling out to the screen – the first one was when Janet puts a newspaper over her head to protect herself from the rain, that was the beginning of the callbacks. Soon after that, they began performing in costume in front of the screen and the 'shadowcast' was born. We had no idea about this until we were invited to New York for a one-year celebration of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and there were fishnets galore – lines of sequinned Columbias, Frank-N-Furters and the rest of the cast. It was fabulous. I think one of the reasons it has become a cult hit is because it is a joyous celebration of all things homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, heterosexual and cross-dressing. The script is witty, there's not a dud song in it, and it doesn't take itself seriously. The film has helped sexually liberate great swaths of conservative America. It took me some time to realise many of the fans were a combination of nerds who stayed in their rooms, unable to express themselves or people struggling with their sexuality. I find it so uplifting to be part of something that has and, 50 years later, continues to liberate so many. Many fans tell me that they had felt isolated or lonely, even cast out by their families, then discovered The Rocky Horror Picture Show community and found their people. I've met so many fans who have met their partners this way and now have a gaggle of mini fans. It brings me so much joy to be part of a film which has had such a positive and profound effect on so many people and continues to this day.
