culture
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Eamon Flack named as Belvoir theatre's artistic director from 2016Sydney theatre’s associate director will take over from Ralph Myers with focus on new talent and Indigenous theatre -
Triple J nominates the seven best Australian music videos of 2014Chet Faker, Client Liaison and Sia are among the nominees for the radio station’s J award for music video of the year
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David Shrigley: my art doesn't need explanation – it is what it is‘I like sausages and I like Germany,’ the Glasgow-based artist tells Oliver Milman of a 400m-long coiled sausage (called Beginning, Middle and End) he has brought to Melbourne -
Artist Nick Cave’s wild and whimsical soundsuits – in picturesAmerican artist Nick Cave’s vast practice spans performance, fashion, music, dance and these human-sized wearable sculptures on show at Sydney’s Carriageworks
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The mixtape: Thelma Plum, One Day, Ani DiFranco, Katy Perry and moreThelma Plum is Australia’s answer to Lorde, Ani DiFranco gets happy, and Jack Ladder sings for all the goth lovers
reviews
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Frank Gehry at UTS: a first look inside Dr Chau Chak wing buildingArchitect Frank Gehry courts curves and controversy, and the deputy vice-chancellor of UTS admits to a degree of trepidation. Jermaine Chau takes a first look inside to see whether those fears were justified
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The Drop review: James Gandolfini's swansong unfolds at Brooklyn fightsThe last screen performance by James Gandolfini is one of the quieter pleasures in this gamey New York procedural thriller starring the ex-Sopranos star and Tom Hardy
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Let’s Be Cops is a dumb movie with comic smartsThe signs weren’t good, but Damon Wayans Jr, Jake Johnson and director Luke Greenfield’s losers-turned-coppers have real comedy pedigree
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Mariah Carey review – no bells but plenty of whistles for the divaThe leading lady of R&B and hair-raising displays of melisma admits to feeling bleak, but still hits all the high notes, writes Shuk-Wah Chung
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Tori Amos review – a dark queen presiding over longing and elationThe 51-year-old singer projects playfulness and power, and clearly takes delight in playing live
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 review – revolution will be advertisedDirector Francis Lawrence manages to thrill despite working with a thin story, creaky script and limp special effects
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Guy Pearce: Broken Bones review – the surprise package of 2014An assured, confident debut album draws from the actor’s genuinely appealing voice and a who’s-who of New Zealand sidemen
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Pink Floyd: The Endless River review – a fitting footnote to their careerThis “new” record based on 20-year-old outtakes sounds the most like Pink Floyd than any of album with their name in the past 25 years, writes Alexis Petridis
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Machine Head: Bloodstone & Diamonds review – visceral and emotionalThe finest mainstream metal album of the year is equal parts force, melody and experimentation, writes Dom Lawson
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Pop to Popism review – shock and social critique, with an Australian threadA summer blockbuster exhibition reveals the role Australian art played in the most influential art movement of our time, writes Andrew Frost
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Interstellar review: Nolan’s biggest spectacle – and biggest disappointmentMatthew McConaughey stars in this colossal space adventure that is as visionary as Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, but not nearly so subversive, writes Peter Bradshaw
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My Mistress review – BDSM coming of age story that plays it too safeA troubled kid meets a professional dominatrix in a film that trades a potentially challenging hypothesis for a much more familiar path
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Finding Vivian Maier review – fascinating study of a brilliant undiscovered talentDocumentary uncovering the mysterious life and times of Maier, a nanny whose photographs bear comparison with Cartier-Bresson, writes Peter Bradshaw
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Two Days, One Night review – small-town tale with a universal punch
The latest from the Dardennes brothers stars the superb Marion Cotillard in an intimate drama with thriller-like intensity, writes Xan Brooks
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Flight Facilities: Down to Earth review – a familiar playlist of daydreamy hitsWith years of radio-friendly singles under their belt, the Sydney electronic music duo finally release a hazy debut album, writes Doug Wallen
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Taylor Swift: 1989 review – leagues ahead of the teen-pop competitionWhy do people take Taylor Swift so much more seriously than her peers? Great songs, smart turns of phrase and a noticeable lack of the usual hollow pop platitudes all help, writes Alexis Petridis
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William Kelly’s War review – big-minded small-budget war movieGeoff Davis filmed his battle scenes on the family farm and cast his sons as leads in a film that falls down on its screenplay, writes Luke Buckmaster
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Pride review – power in an unlikely unionBill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and George MacKay sparkle in this tale of lesbian and gay activists’ support for the miners’ strike, writes Mark Kermode
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Rolling Stones live review – an energetic trip down memory laneThe always seductive Mick Jagger led a Stones performance that was deliberate, entertaining and enthralling, writes Bob Gordon
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(When the Sun Sets Over) Carlton review – it's time to revisit Melbourne rockA new compilation charts how bands such as the Skyhooks, Sports and Daddy Cool were the cultural wing of the radical shifts that swept Australia in the 1970s
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Revolution by Russell Brand review – the barmy credo of a Beverly Hills BuddhistRussell Brand’s desire to lead a global revolution is undermined by his smug, shallow manifesto, writes Nick Cohen
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Alvin Purple rewatched – the raunchy heart of 1970s Ozploitation filmsThis racy comedy doubles as a commentary on giving the public what they want and rubbing it in prudes’ faces
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Antenna film festival review – internet addiction and an autistic man's quest for loveChinese teens sent to boot camp and af 29-year-old on a road trip to lose his virginity are among the stories covered in the fourth year of Sydney’s documentary film festival, writes Michael Safi
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The Trouble With Harry review – Eugenia Falleni's story is compelling but crowded out
Stage The Trouble With Harry review – Eugenia Falleni's story is compelling but crowded out
3 / 5 starsLachlan Philpott and cast resurrect the wider world of the woman who lived as a man in turn-of-the-century Sydney, but his central character gets lost in the process -
Bloke: Milawa Monologues review – flawed bushmen leave lasting impressionThe men portrayed by Glenrowan playwright Margaret Hickey are simple creatures – but only on the surface, writes Rebecca Dargie
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Quiet Faith review – Christian Australia in its infinite varietyWhile the press focuses on conservative politics and religion, David Williams amplifies a variety of Christian voices in this subtly devised verbatim show, writes Jane Howard
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TI: Paperwork: The Motion Picture review – the hip-hop star diversifiesTI’s ninth album features some surprises amid the catchy, ho-ridden singles, writes Kitty Empire
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Ben Howard: I Forget Where We Were review – a slow burn that finally takes offThe Brit award winner returns with an album of slowly building songs that, at their best, could give John Martyn a run for his money, writes Molloy Woodcraft
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This Is Where I Leave You review: Fey and Bateman in tale of sibling ribaldryJason Bateman, Tina Fey and Adam Driver play the offspring of Jane Fonda, required to come home and remain there for a week after the death of their father. The performers excel, but the schmaltz can send a shiva down the spine
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Whiplash – first look film review
JK Simmons stars in a study of musical obsession which brings the anarchic yearning for success familiar from sports to the world of the conservatoire
• Key films of Sundance – in pictures
• The Green Prince – first look review -
ABC TV's Kitchen Cabinet returns with Silver Bodgie on the menuAnnabel Crabb and dinner guest Bob Hawke serve up half an hour of bloke jokes and political banter – with a side of barramundi
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Team of Life review – dance theatre mixes sport and therapyTwo stories run in tandem: a young couple expecting a baby and a former child soldier as comfortable with a soccer ball as a gun, writes Alexandra Spring
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Hipbone Sticking Out review – a tale of two cultures, a play of two halvesAmbitious vision, tragic themes and excellent performances combine in a piece of theatre as complex as the relationship between black and white Australia, writes Van Badham
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Primo review – La Clique. For children. In a fish tankSwimmers in kaleidoscope waters prove a visual event for young theatregoers still learning the parameters of their own bodies, writes Van Badham
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My Lover's Bones review – the Bunyip of ancient legend is rebornBrown Cab theatre are at the top of their game crafting a show from an Indigenous source text with craft and originality, writes Van Badham
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La Bayadère review – long-awaited, lavish masterclass of techniqueAustralian audiences have waited long enough for a full production of La Bayadère, and the Australian Ballet do everything right with Stanton Welch’s choreography, writes Michaela Marshall
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Nikki Lane/the Delines review: from bar room to lounge, the best in countryNikki Lane has the joint jumping with a barnstorming set while the Delines provide a languid contrast with elegiac tales of troubled souls
talking points
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Redfoo under fire over ‘misogynist’ song Literally I Can’tUS rapper defends appearance in new Play-N-Skillz video as ‘satirical’ as pressure builds to sack him from Australia’s X Factor
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Bad sex award: who do you think should win?
Eight passages of raunchy prose are in contention for Literary Review's bad sex awards. Which do you think deserves to go all the way?
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Eric Bogle: I don't like Joss Stone's cover of No Man's Land, but I won't sueThe missing verses and rock arrangement diminish the antiwar message. Glorifying war? No. But sentimentalising it – maybe
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Is Allen Jones’s sculpture the most sexist art ever?Zoe Williams goes among the women as fetish furniture at the RA’s new show to find out
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Blackfish and our lingering obsession with animals as entertainmentJazz Twemlow: The story of an enormous killer whale named Tilikum, kept in a knackered jacuzzi for most of his life, was obviously going to end well
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How Taylor Swift's Blank Space video redefines music, politics and everything else everLast week, Taylor Swift redefined the entertainment industry by withdrawing from Spotify. This week she’s released a new video and literally changed the world for ever by smashing every paradigm
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! (The Song Formerly Known As) by Regurgitator – towering electronic fuzzIt’s hard to find a sound system worthy of this confessional love song cum shut-in manifesto, writes Clem Bastow
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Gravity: my most overrated film | Alan EvansForget the five-star reviews and out-of-this-world technical wizardry – Alfonso Cuarón’s epic space odyssey is the cinematic equivalent of a drum solo, writes Alan Evans
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How Isis got its anthemA stark Arabic chant is emerging as the anthem of the Islamic State. And it’s just the tip of a booming industry turning out songs of bloodshed and devotion. Alex Marshall investigates the rise of the jihadi ‘nasheed’
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Top six actor-turned-musician breedsGuy Pearce is not the first Hollywood A-lister to come out of the musical closet. Here are the six main categories actors with musical urges fall into
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Opera in 2014: a year of tectonic shiftsThe ground is shifting in the opera world – across Australia as elswhere – but the national review and a touch of showbiz are re-booting the sector beyond Melbourne and Sydney, says Lindy Hume
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Anzac and Gallipoli: the novelist's terrain as much as the historian'sFor too many Australian authors the Anzac centenary is little more than a marketing opportunity, but Steve Sailah’s A Fatal Tide is a subtle challenge to the mythologisers, writes Paul Daley
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Gallipoli rewatched – Weir scathingly deconstructs war as grand adventureWhat starts as an archetypal sports movie ends with the most horrifyingly high-impact finale of any Australian film, writes Luke Buckmaster
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Zaha Hadid's Tokyo Olympic stadium slammed as a 'monumental mistake' and a 'disgrace to future generations'Oliver Wainwright: The 2020 Olympic stadium has faced two years of widespread criticism and budget cuts. Now prominent Japanese architect Arata Isozaki has launched a blistering attack on the designs
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Guo Jian on his Tiananmen Square stand: 'I'm so proud of what I did'The Chinese-born Australian artist tells <b>Monica Tan</b> about the day he was detained and later deported from Beijing for daring to make art about China today
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Health goth really is a thing: are your black tracksuits at the ready?Fashionistas seem to think doing health goth is as easy as popping on a some black Lycra to dull the glare of white teeth at your local Fitness First, writes Myf Warhurst
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The mixtape: No Zu, Jackie Onassis, La Yegros, the Church and moreCut Copy’s Melbourne snapshot, Argentine electro-folklore queen La Yegros and Jackie Onassis’s party music for heartbreak
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A Place to Call Home: not Australia's Downton Abbey – yetAll the ingredients are there in this fresh serving of the period drama but only time will tell if this course improves with age
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Aria singles chart to include audio stream figuresA new integration of streams with sales purchases in the Aria charts may favour songs that are played multiple times by fans
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Kurt Cobain’s Montage of Heck tape: his ex-girlfriend sets record straightAs the internet implodes over the Nirvana frontman’s ‘newly’ surfaced mixtape, Everett True hears from one of its original recipients about how it was really made
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The art world’s shame: why Britain must give its colonial booty backJonathan Jones: The self-righteousnessness of British museums stops them from returning masterpieces pillaged long ago to their rightful owners. It’s time they stopped hogging the world’s treasures
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David Attenborough or World's Richest Dogs – which would you rather watch?Who would have thought that when Life on Earth first aired in 1979, it was a preview of the best 2014 had to offer, canine dinner parties and millinery notwithstanding
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Noise rewatched – Australian police drama at its sophisticated bestMatthew Saville’s debut film is utterly compelling with Brendan Cowell in the role of his career as a tinnitus-afflicted officer, writes Luke Buckmaster
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Reality television to dominate Australian screens in 2015Expect more cooking and renovation shows. Amanda Meade reports on what we’ll be watching – like it or not
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The Babadook's monster UK box office highlights problems at homeHorror film’s opening weekend in UK beats entire Australian run, but film-makers hopeful of word of mouth pick-up for DVD release
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The 50 best covers of all time: do you agree with the latest poll?Always on My Mind by the Pet Shop Boys has been voted the best ever cover song in a recent BBC census, which lists the best 50. So what did the listeners miss?
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Filthy first pages: do they make you want to read on?Christos Tsiolkas has opened his new short story collection with a bang. But, Johanna Leggatt asks, is an explicit first page likely to turn off readers?
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Stayin’ Alive by Bee Gees – embracing a very un-Australian anthemFew things in this world make the average white Australian male as uncomfortable as the thought of dancing, writes Jack Kerr
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Survivor: why mess with a reality TV formula that has lasted 4,000 years?Watching a Survivor participant spear fish in their underwear is moderately more interesting than a choreographed Big Brother twerk, writes Jazz Twemlow
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From Python to Seinfeld - are these 12 classic comedies still funny?They’re known as “comedy gold” – but are they? Really? Our critics cast an unsentimental eye over 12 from the hall of fame
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Five must-read books by Indigenous authorsIn response to Barry Spurr’s comments about Indigenous literature, Sandra Phillips says these books ‘astonish, perplex, and at times comfort the reader into re-imagining our relationships’
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Barry Humphries and Barry Spurr are a comedy double act no one needsHow can Barry Humphries support freedom of speech for Barry Spurr when censorship is just fine for his international cabaret festival? Maeve Marsden withdraws her application
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Gough Whitlam and It's Time: what happened to the political campaign song?It’s Time will be the soundtrack to countless remembrances of Gough’s life over the coming weeks – reminding us of the power of a good jingle and the artlessness of modern politics, writes Myf Warhurst
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Dating Naked: reality TV nobody should be exposed to on a sofaJazz Twemlow: Genitals are a fruitless (and blurry) gimmick in Channel Ten’s punishing new dating show where everyone’s in the buff
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Gotham: before there was Batman, there was another wannabe prequelGotham looks impressive, says Jazz Twemlow, but do we really need a cast of hipster villains or to see yet another set of Wayne parents die?
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The Bachelor finale: there are no winners in competitive datingJazz Twemlow hopes those disappointed by Blake’s breakup with Sam will remember falling in love isn’t easy, especially on national television
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Living with the Enemy? No, they're just an average Muslim coupleRailing against everyday Muslims for the crimes of extremists is like screaming at kids kicking a ball because of your (justifiable) hatred of Fifa, as one SBS program shows
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Big Brother has always been a big bully – why the new outrage?Big Brother is founded on humiliation, yet it’s only when the abuse is made conspicuous that we kick up a fuss, writes Jazz Twemlow
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Doctor Who's invisible enemy: a bogeyman for the age of terrorDepressing, isn’t it, that a TV show about a wizard in a phone box is doing a better job at digesting our fears than most newspapers, writes Jazz Twemlow
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Big Brother – viewers are the latest victims of reality TV's torture chamberJazz Twemlow: The psychotropic nightmare of the BB house now has a fishbowl into which housemates are put, making them even more pitiable
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Australian TV is a hot mess: The Block, The Bachelor and Big BrotherJazz Twemlow finds little to celebrate in his six-month anniversary of wading through the stagnant pool of Australian reality television
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Big Brother is back and it's time to push the boat out – foreverThe subtext of the reality show’s latest biblical promo is terrifying, writes Jazz Twemlow – were the world to end, that Big Brother contestants would be the ones repopulating Earth
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The Bachelor and X-Factor – in perpetual motion but going nowhereJazz Twemlow fears that with more contestants added, we could end up watching The Perpetual Bachelor: Till Blake’s Death Do Us Part
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Are porn documentaries too titillating for their own good?Jiggling flesh in a serious look at our porn problem? You might as well run a health farm with face masks cut with heroin, writes Jazz Twemlow
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Eric Abetz and George Brandis give The Bachelor a run for idiocyTime to get the popcorn out – politicians blurting out tosh bring drama, comedy and horror to the small screen, writes Jazz Twemlow
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The Bachelor: Tinder meets Wolf of Wall Street under a gilded clocheWhile generating the next fake fairytale is all part of this show’s ‘journey’, Jazz Twemlow asks: does anyone watching care where it’s headed?
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The Block and The Voice Kids: knock them down and start againJazz Twemlow looks at the week in Australian TV, where it's the staid formulas, not the buildings, that are in need of renovation
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TV's singing competitions: welcome to the age of fame entitlementWhen it comes to age, fame-chasing doesn't discriminate, as contestants on The X Factor and The Voice Kids prove
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Surviving Progress: we're advancing to oblivion one hashtag at a timeJazz Twemlow looks at the week in Australian TV, where a timely documentary shows that the government’s environmental policy may as well just be the emoticon for a shrug
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When Love Comes to Town: dating show's fizzling finaleJazz Twemlow looks at the week in Australian TV, where the wheels fell off one reality show and another went hurtling in the race to the bottom
features
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Guy Pearce: people say 'ooh, let’s see if he’s any good'Already a master of one discipline, what made the Australian actor release a self-penned album? Only a 30-year backlog of songs, he tells Monica Tan
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Alice Waters: supermarkets steal our language, but not our links with foodThe woman who launched the US farmers market movement is in Australia to stir things up ahead of the G20, with supermarket monopolies, fancy chefs and school meals in her sights
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Once upon a bot: can we teach computers to write fiction?They submit manuscripts on time. They never suffer writer’s block. And they don’t spend hours Googling their Amazon sales. There’s just one thing wrong with robot authors – their stories stink. Tom Meltzer talks to the scientists teaching creative writing to the next generation of androids, while Nicholas Lezard reviews the latest robot fiction
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Adelaide's Tkay Maidza on drugs, Drake and music industry snakesThe Adelaide rapper – child of carol-singing Zimbabwean miners – is Australia’s latest hip-hop export. Alexander Bisley meets her, mid-charm offensive, in New York
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Tim Winton: 'By the time I was five I knew. Hospital was trouble'Many of life’s extreme human moments, good and bad, take place in hospitals. Tim Winton explores his own complicated attitude to an institution that has loomed large in his life
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Serial: listeners of podcast phenomenon turn detectives – with troubling resultsBased on a real-life murder, Serial has captivated listeners around the world. But when the show’s fans started doing their own investigations on Reddit, it took the phenomenon into uncharted waters
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What now for AC/DC, after Phil Rudd's arrest and Malcolm Young's retirement?Whatever the verdict in the court case, AC/DC’s drummer appears to be in no state to return. So where does that leave the great rock band?
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Christine Kenneally: I was thrilled to find out I'm a convict princessAuthor who blends DNA research with personal stories to examine how people inherit their family’s experiences says understanding how history has shaped you is empowering, writes Johanna Leggatt
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Miriam Margolyes: ‘I do say things possibly other people don’t say'She doesn’t like Tony Abbott’s swimwear or policies, thinks Nigel Farage is frightening, loves Australia – mostly – and thinks Israel can be blind to its own faults. Anything else to add to the list?
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Tony Tuckson's abstract masterpieces left to Australian nation by his widowAs Margaret Tuckson, artist’s wife and unlikely life model for his work, bequeaths 22 paintings to galleries across Australia, David Marr remembers her
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Vivian Maier: mysterious and eccentric nanny who took stunning photographs
Documentary out this week tells remarkable story of Maier and the photographs she shot – and then deliberately kept secret
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James Rolleston: New Zealand's teen star on why he's 'nothing flash-as'The Kiwi actor who impressed in Boy is back with two new homegrown films. But will the building trade claim him before Hollywood does? Alexander Bisley meets him
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Meet the ghost-sign huntersEnthusiasts travel miles to photograph faded hand-painted adverts for products and businesses that no longer exist - symbols of defiance against the city’s relentless progress
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What's wrong with Australian cinema?Two decades after the double gold of Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla, Australian film is having a moment. A soul-searching moment. What’s stopping audiences watching it in the cinema?
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Is there such a thing as ethical porn?The actors say they’re happy, the makers say it’s guilt-free – but what exactly is ‘fair trade’ porn? Zoe Williams finds out
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Elena Ferrante: the global literary sensation nobody knowsShe shuns publicity and her identity is a mystery. Yet, as the last in her acclaimed series of novels about two friends in Naples is published, Elena Ferrante’s reputation is soaring, with Zadie Smith, James Wood and Jhumpa Lahiri among her fans. Meghan O’Rourke on a literary mystery
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The big-eyed children: the extraordinary story of an epic art fraudIn the 1960s, Walter Keane was feted for his sentimental portraits that sold by the million. But in fact, his wife Margaret was the artist, working in virtual slavery to maintain his success. She tells Jon Ronson her story, now the subject of a Tim Burton biopic
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Around the world – and Australia – in five foreign film festivalsFrom Soviet-era Russia to swinging 60s Soho, via Israel, Tokyo and Athens, tour the world from your own cinema seat, writes Anna Madeleine
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Northern soul attracts a new – and younger – demographic down underAs a film about the scene’s 1970s heyday is released, Australians are keeping northern soul alive in the southern hemisphere, writes Pete Smith
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Peter Carey: 'Privacy should be a human right, but we've been tricked out of it – it's easy to give information away. It is sort of evil'
Books Peter Carey: 'Privacy should be a human right, but we've been tricked out of it – it's easy to give information away. It is sort of evil'
The Australian author talks to Luke Harding about surveillance and Julian Assange -
John Gould: an enduring witness to Australia’s lost mammalsThe 19th century ornithologist had a surprisingly progressive view of Australian animals, championing the fast-disappearing thylacine and broad-faced potoroo, writes Fred Ford – even if he also knew how to cook a wombat
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Briggs: there's no such thing as black and white hip-hop, just good and badAdam Briggs thinks Australia is ready for a different voice as he brings his new album back to the small town that inspired it, writes Rob Boffard
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How Jonathan Franzen almost stopped me writing my novelPaul Daley tells how he nearly walked away from his tale set in Canberra after one of his favourite authors came to town preaching against political fiction
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Anne Neill: Australia's first secret agent invited behind the iron curtainHow was a widow from South Australia drawn into espionage, counterespionage and a 1952 visit to Moscow? David Horner explains in this exclusive extract from his new history of Asio
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Artist Alex Seton on asylum: 'Someone died trying to have a life like mine'Is Australia’s treatment of asylum seekers reconfiguring its national identify? Seton’s marble palm trees and lifejackets challenge the country’s image as an ‘island paradise’
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Top six actor-turned-musician breedsGuy Pearce is not the first Hollywood A-lister to come out of the musical closet. Here are the six main categories actors with musical urges fall into
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Melbourne festival 2014: one perfect daySuffering from Melbourne festival FOMO? Get a quick fix this Saturday with our jampacked guide to what’s on when. Yes, you may have to sneak out early a couple of times but it’ll be worth it.
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Party Tricks: Asher Keddie out to prove there is life after OffspringPart romantic comedy, part political drama, this new show from the star and makers of Offspring has some big boots to fill, writes Amanda Meade
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If Courtney Barnett is slacker rock, it's pulled its socks up since the 90sShe’s yet to release an album and her style might borrow from grunge but there’s nothing Gen X about this singer’s self-motivation and her causes, writes Monica Tan
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Steen Raskopoulos: an elite comedy athlete from sporting stockThis son of a Socceroos captain and brother to three seriously talented siblings has been flexing his funny muscles for years, discovers Monica Tan
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Kryptonite: China, Australia and the 'you don't understand' conversationAustralian Dylan and Chinese Lian embody for each other the good, the bad and the ugly of their respective nations in Sue Smith’s bold play, writes Monica Tan
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The Code: Australian political thriller set for the world stageABC’s hacking drama has been sold to the UK, US and Latin America before it even airs. Amanda Meade meets creator Shelley Birse who reveals her inspiration for the series
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Brisbane festival 2014: one perfect dayWant to maximise your festival fun? Circle Saturday 20 September in the diary. You’ll need skates to zoom between venues, but it’s the day to experience the best of Brisbane, writes Alexandra Spring
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Margaret and David's memorable At The Movies moments – video
Some of the most memorable moments of the TV partnership of Margaret and David from the ABC's At The Movies
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Bardot – Poison: before Idol and X Factor, there was PopstarsAussie Anthems: in the innocent days before the reality show craze, Popstars’ Bardot proved the popularity of on-the-fly television, writes Everett True
pictures and video
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Shotguns and sundaes: Gordon Parks's rare photographs of everyday life in the segregated SouthLost for more than 50 years since they were featured in Life magazine, Gordon Parks’s stunning images show daily life for one Alabama family in the shadow of race riots, bus boycotts and the fight for civil rights
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The world's best tall buildings of 2014 – in picturesThe eco apartment block One Central Park in Sydney has been named best tall building in the world, topping a list dominated by the Asia-Pacific region
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Hugh Jackman on stage: from Oklahoma! to The River – in picturesBefore becoming Wolverine and Jean Valjean, Hugh Jackman started out as a stage actor. As he returns to Broadway in Jez Butterworth’s The River, revisit his theatrical career
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Guardian Australia culture podcast – Melbourne festival and more
The culture team are back from Melbourne to talk about the most intriguing shows of the festival and pick November's must-sees
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The ABC's Roast team delivers final, stinging farewell to Canberra - video
The Roast team takes a typically acerbic look at the nation's politicians to say farewell after three years on the air
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Cartonography art – around Australia in fruit and veg boxesIf a collection of boxes doesn’t sound like art, meet artist Sean Rafferty, whose part project, part exhibition Cartonography, shows there’s more to fruit and veg cartons than meets the eye
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New Breed: five fresh Australian choreographers to watch – in picturesTake a sneak peek at Australia’s freshest choreographic talent rehearsing New Breed, Sydney Dance Company’s showcase of new contemporary dance at Carriageworks
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Moran prize 2014 – 30 Australian portraitsArtists outnumber celebrities and ‘selfies’ abound in these portraits by the finalists of Australia’s 2014 Doug Moran National Portrait prize
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The Roast: can G20 Brisbane handle the truth on climate change? – video
If the G20 is primarily an economic forum, what about the world it's held on?
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Sydney's Sculpture by the Sea 2014 – in picturesFrom a giant frying pan to a supersized slinky, the 109 sculptures lining the coastal walk between Sydney’s Bondi and Tamarama beaches may be the most kitsch selection yet
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Bill Shorten's backing for same-sex marriage gets the Roast treatment – video
News that Australia's opposition leader has done something 'progressive' and voiced support for marriage equality has the team from the Roast bringing out the Bill Shorten dancers
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Romance Was Born: fashion duo show off new kids show - video
Fashion duo Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales – better known as Romance Was Born – discuss the NGV's new gallery show for kids
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Melbourne festival 2014: the Aussie Rules of circus – video
Circus dominates at this year's Melbourne festival, but there's no big top, tiger or ringmaster in sight. Nancy Groves reports
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Invisible women: can you spot the mothers in these photographs?
The Victorian mums who disguised themselves as chairs, couches and curtains – to hold their children still for photographs
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A burqa across Australia – in picturesPhotographer Fabian Muir set out on a 10,000km journey of Australia to photograph the burqa in the country’s natural landscapes in his series, Blue Burqa in a Sunburnt Country
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Melbourne art trams add colour to the city's streets – slideshow
Artist Jeff Makin climbs aboard as eight decorated art trams brighten up Melbourne's streets for the second year running
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Framed movements: art at Melbourne festival 2014 – in picturesFrom urban grasslands sprouting on the state library steps to Carsten Höller’s golden mirror carousel at NGV, the best of the art at Melbourne festival
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The many faces of John Bell's stage highlights - in picturesAs John Bell announces his retirement from Bell Shakespeare, the company he founded to make Shakespeare accessible to all Australians, we take a look back at his long career treading the boards
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Hipbone Sticking Out at Melbourne festival: 'no story is neutral' – video
Scott Rankin and Trevor Jamieson discuss Hipbone Sticking Out, which covers thousands of years of Pilbara history, and the death in custody of John Pat, in a single performance
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The Roast: Parliament High, Ebola edition – video
The Roast team take on Ebola's place in Australia's collective consciousness, via the medium of a classic teen TV show
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Martu Art from the Far Western Desert exhibition – in picturesA new exhibition at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art brings together 29 Martu artists to present a series of works filled with vibrant colour
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John Bell's greatest roles from Lear to Richard III – video
Relive some of John Bell's greatest performances, from King Lear and Richard III to Faustus
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Comedian Josh Thomas slams MP Bob Katter on Q&A for views on gay people – video
Comedian Josh Thomas attacks MP Bob Katter for his stance on homosexuality
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The Preatures: 'There's no romance in celebrity' – video
The Preatures' Izzy Manfredi and Jack Moffitt sit down to talk about how the band met, keeping a sense of mystery and the 'Medusa head' of modern celebrity
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Australian life in 22 prize-winning photographs – in picturesFrom Indigenous cowboys and footballers to Sydney sunbathers and pieshops, the photos shortlisted for the 2014 Australian Life prize show a nation in technicolour – and transition
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12 beautiful Australian bridges – in picturesWith the 50th anniversary of Sydney’s Gladesville Bridge, we look at a number of historic and eye-catching bridges across the country
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The Bush author Don Watson on the jolly swagman – exclusive video
Reading from his new book The Bush: Travels in the Heart of Australia, Don Watson profiles the jolly swagman of fact, fiction and song
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Bling ring: jewellery of the rich and famous – in picturesCate Blanchett’s Oscars brooch and a record-breaking necklace designed for Nicole Kidman twinkle alongside Egyptian amulets and 3D design in Sydney
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10 beautiful Australian libraries – in picturesCraigieburn Library in Hume, Victoria has been named public library of the year award following a cross-continent competition – here are nine more amazing library buildings across Australia
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Glittering world: Navajo jewellery of the Yazzie family – in picturesTo celebrate its 20th anniversary, the National Museum of the American Indian is displaying 300 pieces of jewellery made by one Native American family in New Mexico. The show explores the jewellery’s historical, commercial, artistic and cultural significance and explores the meanings behind its symbolism
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Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley on Alan Turing and The Imitation Game: 'There's an armour around his heart' – video interview
The stars of a biopic about the Enigma codebreaker tell Andrew Pulver how his sexuality forced his isolation and why his genius deserves widespread recognition
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From Chernobyl to Rwanda: horrific 'dark tourism' hotspots – in picturesEarthquake tours in China, Nazi massacre villages in France and genocide memorials from Rwanda to Cambodia ... Ambroise Tézenas’s unsettling images show the people drawn to honeypot dark tourism sites around the world
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Madonna's Like A Virgin turns 30 - in picturesTo mark the 30th anniversary of Like A Virgin, a new book entitled Madonna: Ambition. Music. Style will be released – it features images that chart the singer’s journey from her first photo session to the Sticky & Sweet stadium tour
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Bodypainted contortionists – in picturesAt first glance you might be forgiven for thinking that these images are supersized art work. But look a little closer and you’ll see incredible contortionists covered with intricate body art
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Behind the beat: Savages and Bo Ningen on how dadaism inspired Words to the Blind – video
Savages and Bo Ningen discuss their collaboration Words to the Blind, a 37-minute 'simultaneous sonic poem' inspired by the dadaist movement
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Stephen Hawking and Brian Cox take part in Monty Python sketch – video
Clip: In a new documentary about the comedy revival, Eric Idle persuades the two scientists to take part in a sketch about physics
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Love unlimited: Tod Papageorge photos at the height of Studio 54's fameGallery: Photographer Tod Papageorge documented the beautiful people he found inside glittering New York disco club Studio 54 – in all their debauchery, glamour and cool
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Taylor Wessing photographic portrait prize 2014: the winner, and the best of the rest – in picturesThis year’s Taylor Wessing photographic portrait prize 2014 has been won by David Titlow – see his work here along with the other shortlisted images, plus highlights from the rest of the exhibition – including some by Guardian photographers
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Who's on I'm a Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here 2014Yes, it’s the ultimate Z-list lineup (with one or two intriguing wildcards). From Tinchy Stryder to, ahem, Michael Buerk, here are the celebrities ready to rumble in the jungle
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Ten bikes that made history – in picturesTwo-wheeled transport has come a long way over the last two centuries. Take a pictorial spin through the bicycle’s journey from the wood and iron era to the age of carbon fibre
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Boardwalk Empire, Toast of London, Peaky Blinders, Detectorists: TV review – video
Telly addict Andrew Collins gives his rundown of the week's TV
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André Kertész: the photographer's photographer – in picturesThe Hungarian artist who pioneered photojournalism, influencing Cartier-Bresson and Brassaï, is back in the spotlight with an auction of his most moving images
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 premiere – in picturesThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1premiere at the Odeon cinema in London’s Leicester Square was attended by scores of celebrities keen to revel in its European opening
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Japanese end of life preparations – in picturesIn Japan, like most other countries, funeral arrangements tend to left to loved ones – but the latest trend in the land of the rising sun is for the elderly to prepare their own funerals and graves
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Poetry in motion: the Royal Ballet dance WH Auden – in picturesThe centrepiece of the Royal Ballet’s new triple bill is The Age of Anxiety, a world premiere choreographed by Liam Scarlett and inspired by Auden. All photographs by Tristram Kenton for the Guardian
world view
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Amazon and Hachette end publishing disputeAmazon, which earlier pulled several of Hachette’s books from its inventory, will resume selling all of Hachette’s catalogue
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Nuri Bilge Ceylan on Winter Sleep: ‘I don't like comedies – I don't like to laugh’The Turkish director talks to Peter Bradshaw about the battles with distributors and fights with his wife in the creating of his Palme d’Or winning film
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From Napoleon to the Nazis: the 10 most notorious looted artworksRomans, Nazis, Victorian-era Brits, noughties cat-burglars – they have all stolen priceless works. Here are the most shocking art thefts of the last two millennia, writes Ivan Lindsay
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Liam Neeson: ‘I've never been more nervous than when singing in front of Julie Andrews’Stuart Heritage: Liam Neeson on his amateur boxing glories, acting into his 90s and leaving voicemail messages on his son’s phone
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Usher on Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber and the struggle to stay a superstarHe had the biggest album of the noughties and has dabbled in musicals, movies and mentoring. But could the R&B star be at a career crossroads? ‘Music is being used as free goods,’ he tells us, before announcing that his next single will be free with Cheerios
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Q&A: Dave Gorman gets to the point – 'most of the world is lovely'The comedian opens up about forsaking alcohol for laughs, his PowerPoint double act … and his cat
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The day with Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson, Tyler The Creator, and Duck Dynasty becoming a musicalComing up: the Fast and the Furious, Far Cry 4, Kelis and Breach, Adam Sandler for some reason and more, so much more. Tunes, gifs, pics, vids, trailers and all manner of internet bounty ALL THE LIVELONG DAY (ie until pubtime). We want to hear from you so get in touch @guideguardian.
Sit back, strap in, and prepare to do absolutely no work today -
Readers suggest the 10 best: first world war musicMorale-boosting songs, stirring marches and elegies for the fallen were chosen last week by the Observer’s classical music critic Fiona Maddocks. Here you suggest your 10 best…
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Victorian art ‘comes home’ to London houseFormer home of painter Frederick Leighton is the backdrop for billionaire’s private collection of paintings
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Judi Dench: people asking when I’ll retire drive me spareActor says she hates being asked if it is time to put her feet up and does not want to be told she is too old
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Southbank centre to launch festival of British history to coincide with electionMajor exhibition in London next May, inspired by work of historian David Kynaston, will reflect on life in UK since 1945
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Dapper Laughs is dead, Julia Davis gets a new sitcom, and the rest of the day's breaking pop culture - LIVEChasing the pop culture comet like a tiny unmanned spacecraft, it’s the Guide Daily. Today’s juicy morsels include Michael Palin looking scared, the return of the Wrens and the demise of Dapper Laughs.
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Cumberwatch: is there anything we don’t know about Benedict?Leo Benedictus: From how he likes his tea to why he announced his engagement in the Times, news about The Imitation Game actor has hit new heights this week
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Wanted: cash – Arts Council England’s Clare Titley on the art of givingRunning a struggling theatre? Why not try neuro-linguistic programming?The arts council’s first head of philanthropy gives Stuart Jeffries her funding tips
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Stephen Hawking and Brian Cox take part in Monty Python sketch – video
Clip: In a new documentary about the comedy revival, Eric Idle persuades the two scientists to take part in a sketch about physics
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Dapper Laughs on Newsnight: ‘I did not realise that I was causing a problem’Comedian ‘puts character to rest’ on BBC show following cancellation of UK tour dates due to outrage over rape remarks
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Chris Packham goes really wild and Eminem doesn't learn – today's breaking pop culture newsToday’s onslaught of TV, film and music happenings, including: Chris Packham v I’m A Celeb, Eminem v Lana Del Rey, Mark Ronson v Tame Impala and Kanye West v Lorde
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Four war memorials given Grade I listing for Armistice DayMonuments in Birmingham, London, Newcastle and Wirral upgraded to highest listing with two others raised to Grade II*
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Geri Halliwell to marry Formula One team bossFormer Spice Girl’s engagement to Red Bull’s Christian Horner revealed in a notice in the Times
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Professional dancers ‘paid less than box office assistants’ at Royal Opera HouseLow pay for freelance actors and dancers urgently needs addressing, says Equity performers’ union
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The day they announced Band Aid 30 and Russell Brand covered ParklifeThis was the Guide Daily, your daily repository of enjoyable pop-cultural cack. Tunes, videos, trailers, scurrilous gossip. Ping us at @guideguardian or get at us down there in the comments. We’re here until 5.30pm, by which time the barrel will be well and truly scraped.
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Roland Joffe and Julian Sands: how we made The Killing Fields‘In Thailand for the shoot, I was told to keep my distance from John because he was unstable’
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Parklife! Russell Brand releases parody after being mocked on the internetThe inevitable has happened: after it emerged people on social media were shouting ‘Parklife’ at Russell Brand, the man himself has made a parody video
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Perth festival 2015: from intimate to epic – and high on puppetryPerth will host Royal de Luxe’s giant marionnettes, the Australian premiere of Anthony Minghella’s last production Madama Butterfly and a phone in from Hilary Mantel
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Benedict Cumberbatch: Drawing lets me escape the nonsense of fameSherlock star tipped for an Oscar for his portrayal of codebreaker Alan Turing says sketching and family time keep him grounded
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Prince Charles gives Molly Meldrum a royal ragging over Countdown interviewHeir to the throne recalls disastrous 1977 TV interview, saying while there are warnings not to work with animals or children ‘no-one prepared me for Molly Meldrum’
Music And the G20 band played on: where is Brisbane's culture of protest?