Celeste Barber wants to make people laugh by “taking the p***” out of celebrities.
The 40-year-old social media star rose to fame by parodying A-listers on Instagram and explained that her work is a look at the “multi-billion dollar body shaming industry”.
She said: “I realized that there were all these kinds of images being put out there, that were sold off as being normal and every day.”
The 40-year-old social media star rose to fame by parodying A-listers on Instagram and explained that her work is a look at the “multi-billion dollar body shaming industry”. Credit: Supplied
“When you bought a magazine you knew, oh that’s Cindy Crawford being Cindy Crawford but on social media, it got sold as, ‘this is what everyone looks like,’ and I was like, ‘no, I don’t reckon that’s how people really look,’ or ‘I know I don’t look like that,’ so I did ap***-take on it.
“It’s a look at celebrity culture, the beauty industry, the fashion industry, the multibillion-dollar body-shaming industry so it’s just kind of nice to cut through that a bit.”
The comedienne – who has garnered almost 10 million followers online and has impressed the likes of Naomi Watts, Bella Hadid, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow and Drew Barrymore with her videos – explained that Hollywood stars realize that she is commenting on a “bigger” issue when she creates a parody of them and is able to “cut through” industry norms with her photos.
She told the New York Times’ Page Six column: “They understand it’s a look at something bigger than the individual. The world that they’re in… it’s cutting through the industry, you’re not taking it too seriously.”
“But I think the success that I’ve had is that I’m funny … My goal is first and foremost to make someone laugh. You make someone laugh and then we all kind of even out. That’s always been my goal, to make people laugh.”
As candidates for the protagonist of a post-apocalyptic power fantasy go, feral cats (ginger, no less) are an unlikely pick. With no opposable thumbs, aiming a gun will prove a challenge, and what feline could hope to outrun, say, a band of Mad Max-style villains racing scrapheap muscle cars? stray, however, presents a different sort of end-of-world vision, a city slum abandoned by humans and instead inhabited by their bipedal robot servants, who dutifully sweep the streets and weed and water the flowerbeds. In this context, the vagrant cat proves a potent cipher. In the dense and warren-like subterranean slums, maneuverability and the capacity to lithely slip through rusty railings are far more valuable assets than raw animal strength and military-grade weapons (although a bit of firepower does eventually, inevitably, come your way).
Stray’s world is based, compellingly, on Kowloon Walled City, the claustrophobic, densely populated real-world Chinese enclave in Hong Kong that became, prior to its dismantling, a notorious hotbed of human vice. Stray’s city is ostensibly rundown, but with its Instagrammable strings of amber lanterns and geek-chic neon-lit bars, it’s a more sanitized, Pixar-esque interpretation of shantytown poverty. There is no prostitution or gambling here, only launderettes, robot buskers and backyard electronics fixers. The humans moved out and took the sin with them, apparently. What remains is a place of abandonment, not exploitation, where the robot citizens have been left behind to rust and decay among the paraphernalia of human desertion.
Casting the player as a cat brings more value to stray than mere marketing clout (cats remain ripe for memeification, even at this advanced stage of the internet’s development – or decline). Every sill, shelf, bedframe and railing is a point for potential launch and landing, enabling you to slip and leap through the world with pleasing haste. You can nuzzle the legs of robots to whom you take a shine, claw at yielding rugs and even curl up in a ball and snooze if you find an old mattress on a rooftop. The substance of your feline life, however, is the mission to escape the slums by helping those enterprising robots who dream of following their makers out of the shadows. This means running errands, searching abandoned apartments for useful items and figuring out spatial-reasoning puzzles while outrunning the occasional gang of face-huggers you meet down a dark alleyway.
The game’s wonder is in the delicate details: knocking over piles of books; tinkling your way along the keys of an old piano. It’s elegantly designed and well told, and in opting to build a compact world dense with detail and intrigue rather than one that sprawls flimsily, stray feels like a high-production proposition despite its modest-sized production team. Most enduringly, this is a game in which playing as a cat is not a mere gimmick but intrinsic to the experience, proving that survivors are not always the strongest, but those who best fit their environment.
Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies director Peter Jackson has weighed in on Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings” TV series.
Appearing on the THR Awards Chatter podcast recently, Jackson revealed that Amazon Studios did originally ask him to be involved with its upcoming megabudget series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”.
They also apparently promised to send him scripts – then never contacted him again, effectively ‘ghosting’ him:
“They asked me if I wanted to be involved – [writer-producer Fran Walsh] and I – and I said, ‘That’s an impossible question to answer without seeing a script’. So they said, ‘As soon as we get the first couple [of] scripts, we’ll send them to you.’ And the scripts never showed up. That’s the last thing I heard, which is fine. No complaints at all.”
Jackson also emphasized he harbors no hard feelings toward Amazon’s series and is eager to watch it as a fan of the franchise:
“I’ll be watching it. I’m not the sort of guy who wishes ill will. Filmmaking is hard enough. If somebody makes a good film or TV show, it’s something to celebrate. The one thing I am looking forward to is actually seeing it as a perfectly neutral viewer.”
Amazon Studios responded to Jackson’s comments with a statement:
“In pursuing the rights for our show, we were obliged to keep the series distinct and separate from the films. We have the utmost respect for Peter Jackson and The Lord of The Rings films and are thrilled that he is looking forward to watching The Rings of Power.”
The statement rings true as while both Amazon and showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay have expressed their high regard for Jackson, there are legal concerns that requires keeping the Warner-owned films and the Amazon-owned series separate.
Sources for the trade also say the estate of author JRR Tolkien was against having Jackson on board. Said estate had no involvement with his films by him, and Christopher Tolkien has previously slammed the trilogy in the press. However, the estate is involved with the series.
Jackson admits a movie studio wouldn’t greenlight his original trilogy today, saying: “Probably not. Not with a director like me and a studio that would put its money on the line for three movies.”
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” premieres on Prime Video on September 2nd. Check out a recent behind-the-scenes featurette for it below.
Actor Anne Heche has been hospitalized after a crash in which her car smashed into a house and flames erupted, according to a friend.
Key points:
Police say Anne Heche’s speeding car ran off the road and into a Los Angeles house
It started a blaze that took fire crews more than an hour to put out
She was rescued with critical injuries, according to fire crews
“Anne is currently in a stable condition. Her family and friends ask for your thoughts and prayers and to respect her privacy during this difficult time,” Heather Duffy Boylston, Heche’s friend and podcast partner, said in a statement.
Earlier reports suggested Heche was in hospital in a critical condition.
Heche’s speeding car came to a T-shaped intersection and ran off the road and into the house in the Mar Vista section of Los Angeles’ westside shortly before 11am Friday, Los Angeles police officer Tony Im said.
The car came to a stop inside the two-storey house and started a fire that took nearly 60 firefighters more than an hour to put out, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD).
The LAFD reported that the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle was rescued after being critically injured in the crash.
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Television news video showed a blue Mini Cooper Clubman, badly damaged and burned, being towed out of the home, with a woman sitting up on a stretcher and struggling as firefighters put her in an ambulance.
No other injuries were reported, and no arrests have been made. Police are investigating.
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A native of Ohio, Heche first came to prominence on the US soap opera Another World from 1987 to 1991.
She won a Daytime Emmy Award for the role.
In the late 1990s, she became one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, a constant on magazine covers and in big-budget films.
She co-starred with Johnny Depp in 1997’s Donnie Brasco; with Tommy Lee Jones in 1997’s Volcano; with Harrison Ford in 1998’s Six Days, Seven Nights; with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix in 1998’s Return to Paradise, and with an ensemble cast in the original 1997 I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres from 1997 to 2000 heightened her fame and brought immense public scrutiny.
Anne Heche (right) had a high-profile relationship with Ellen Degeneres in the late 1990s. (AFP: Hector Mata)
In the fall of 2000, soon after the two broke up, Heche was hospitalized after knocking on the door of a stranger in a rural area near Fresno, California.
Authorities said she had appeared shaken and disoriented, speaking incoherently to the residents.
In a memoir released the following year, Call Me Crazy, Heche talked about her lifelong struggles with mental health and a childhood of abuse.
She was married to camera operator Coleman Laffoon from 2001 to 2009.
The two had a son together.
She had another son during a relationship with actor James Tupper, her co-star on the TV series Men In Trees.
He has worked consistently in smaller films, on Broadway, and TV shows in the past two decades.
She recently had recurring roles on the network series Chicago PD and All Rise, and in 2020 was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars.
Better Together, the podcast hosted by Heche and Duffy Boylston, is described online as a celebration of friendship.
Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim and fiancée Sarah Budge head out for lunch in Sydney’s Double Bay
By Kinta Walsh-cotton For Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
Former Kings Cross nightclub owner John Ibrahim and his fiancée Sarah Budge appeared sombre on Friday as they went for lunch at Saké in Sydney’s Double Bay.
The pair matched all in black with John, 54, sporting a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans against the chilly weather along with a black coat thrown over his arm.
He accessorized with black and white sneakers and dark designer sunglasses, which contrasted with his stylishly disheveled gray hair.
Kings Cross personality John Ibrahim, 54, (pictured) and his fiancée Sarah Budge appeared somber on Friday as they headed out to lunch at Saké in Sydney’s Double Bay
Meanwhile, his glamorous partner Sarah, 31, wore a black shirt tucked into matching slacks and a fluffy black coat.
Her short dark hair fell over her face which she covered with black designer shades while donning black and white sneakers and carrying a canvas bag.
Sarah and John have been dating since 2015 after meeting when John bought the Potts Point building where she ran a restaurant.
The pair matched all in black with John sporting a black long-sleeved shirt and jeans against the chilly weather along with a black coat thrown over his arm
He accessorised with black and white sneakers and dark designer sunglasses which contrasted with his stylishly disheveled gray hair
In June, sources confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the couple recently got engaged.
A friend of the couple confirmed the birth of their son Elvis in early September 2021, and it’s understood the baby arrived on August 31, 2021.
John has two other children from past relationships, including a grown-up son, Daniel, 31.
John’s glamorous partner Sarah, 31, (pictured) wore a black shirt tucked into matching slacks and a fluffy black coat
Her short dark hair fell over her face which she covered with black designer shades while donning black and white sneakers and carrying a canvas bag
He also has an eight-year-old child who he shares with his long-time friend.
The day out comes after photos recently surfaced from the set of upcoming crime drama Last King of the Cross.
They showed a red light district come to life, with strip clubs and adult stores.
Sarah and John have been dating since 2015 after meeting when John bought the Potts Point building where she ran a restaurant
A restaurant and coffee lounge called the Cosmopolitan is also pictured, but the most iconic set piece is arguably the legendary Porky’s strip club.
The club was previously featured in the TV series Underbelly: The Golden Mile and officially closed its doors for good in 2018, after 30 years.
The 10-part series will tell the story of brothers John and Sam Ibrahim, who were prominent figures in the Kings Cross nightclub district.
It may also explore key events in John’s life, including surviving a near fatal stabbing and other attempts on his life, with Lincoln Younes playing his role.
Sources close to the production say he was ‘very particular’ about the actor playing him but was impressed with Lincoln’s, 30, acting ability and his similarly dark complexion and light eyes.
The day out comes after photos recently surfaced from the set of upcoming crime drama Last King of the Cross. The 10-part series will tell the story of brothers John (pictured) and Sam Ibrahim, who were prominent figures in the Kings Cross nightclub district
One Sunday morning recently — stretched out like a croissant on the grass of Carlton Gardens — a friend said to me, “I’m 29 years old and I’ve never been to the club or worn a tiny top!”
I’m also 29, and although my friend and I both google things like “Phoebe Waller-Bridge how old when” routinely, our twenties have unfolded in markedly different ways.
I’ve spent many a night peeling my shoes off the floor of the proverbial club, and I’ve worn plenty a tiny top, but I still don’t understand how money works, and I’ve only just started my “career” .
“I’m 29 years old and I still don’t understand what the jobs are,” I replied, and as these words left my mouth I realized we were saying exactly the same thing: I have a sneaking suspicion I’ve done it all wrong.
Crisis? What crisis?
As much as I’ve tried to be very cool and relaxed about it all, the cliched late 20s existential crisis has come for me too (like The Vengabus, but do we really like to party?).
It seems rude to burden a single decade with the pressure of a lifetime, but culturally we can’t get enough of it: “Live it up while you can! Travel, party, follow your heart, your head is a wet blanket.”
But you don’t want to rent forever! Are you thinking about children? Stay in, get eight hours of sleep, drink enough water, when the physio gives you exercises for your knees, actually do them.’
The messaging is conflicting and relentless.
I haven’t made it through a single 30th birthday without being caught in a conversation where we go around the circle and list all the reasons why we’re not ready to be in our 30s.
It doesn’t matter if people have a partner, a PhD, a house, or a wallet full of (significantly devalued) Bitcoin, no one feels like they’ve done it right.
something missing
When I was 23, I went to New York with my best friend.
We shared a fold-out bed in the basement of a Brooklyn brownstone, and lived off tacos and watered-down happy hour cocktails. It was a scrappy kind of bliss.
No matter how our 20s unfold, it feels like there’s always something missing.(Supplied: Chloe Elisabeth Wilson)
One night on the subway, I looked up from my phone and said something to him about wanting to start saving for a mortgage. He thought about it for a moment, before replying, “Why would you want to think about that right now?”
It’s funny to me now that the thought even entered my mind. I had no interest in securing a mortgage, and practically it was near impossible.
It was just the first time I’d seen people around me doing it (through my splintered phone screen, from the other side of the world). No matter how our twenties unfold — tiny tops, big careers, stable foundations, unpredictable adventures — it feels like there’s always something missing.
Many ways to live a life
None of these are unique thoughts, of course. I also don’t know that they’re as specific to the bridge between twenty and thirty as two stressed millennials on the grass of Carlton Gardens would have you believe.
At any age, how can we really pick apart what it is we want, and what it is we think we’re supposed to want?
Maybe some people are immune to this, or maybe it’s genetic. If you are one of these people and you’ve never felt any of the pressures outlined above, you should capitalize on this and create a learning course on it as soon as possible (you’re welcome).
There are just so many ways to live a life. I’m trying my best to remember that. When I worry that I’ve spent too many years following my frustratingly impractical heart, I tell myself that my head isn’t going anywhere.
Tiny tops are for all ages and careers extend far beyond 29. I keep coming back to this quote from Sharon Olds: “I was a late bloomer. But anyone who blooms at all, ever, is very lucky.”
Chloe is a writer and artisanal snack connoisseur based in Naarm/Melbourne. She runs a monthly newsletter called tall tales, and can be found on Instagram at @chloeelisabeth.
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On Sunday morning, the X Men shared actor emotional tribute to his French Bulldog Dali and revealed he died at the ripe old age of 11.
“It’s a very sad day for our family,” Jackman wrote. “He would’ve been 12 next month… which I’m told is a long life for this breed.”
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Hugh Jackman announced his 11-year-old dog Dali has passed away. (instagram)
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“I always, always called him the ROCKSTAR. Because he was! He marched to the beat of his own drum, was beloved by the whole world, and boy did he have a good life.”
“We will miss him but know he’s howling in heaven, ruling the roost and enjoying the all you can eat buffet,” said the actor. “RIP Dali Rockstar Jackman. We love you!”
The touching obituary was accompanied by some adorable photos of Dali and Jackman cuddling up together.
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Dali has been a big part of the Jackman family’s lives since his adoption in 2010.
The Greatest Showman actor often shared photos of them going on beach trips or walking on the mean streets of Manhattan.
Dali is survived by Jackman’s other dog, a poodle-terrier mix named Allegra.
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Live and back on Larrakia Country, this year’s National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) was a powerful celebration of First Nations talent past and present.
Playing out under the stars at Darwin Amphitheatre, Baker Boy was the biggest winner of the ceremony, walking up to the podium twice Saturday night.
The rapping-dancing Yolŋu sensation won Album of the Year for his inspiring debut album Gela and was named Artist Of The Year. It’s the third time the Fresh Prince of Arnhem Land has won in that latter category, bringing his total NIMAs tally to nine trophies since he first gracing the ceremony as an Unearthed competition winner back in 2017.
Fresh from the release of their self-titled debut album, King Stingray claimed the coveted Song Of The Year for scorching bush-disco belter ‘Milkumana’ (voted #56 in triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2021). The Yolŋu rock band also proved why they’re one of Australia’s deadliest live acts with an electrifying performance to close out the ceremony.
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Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung woman Jem Cassar-Daley, aka the indie pop offspring of country legend Troy Cassar-Daley, was named Best New Talent following the release of her 2021 debut EP I Don’t Know Who To Call.
‘King Brown’ by powerful Malyangapa and Barkindji rapper Barkaa was recognized as Film Clip Of The Year, while Indigenous Outreach Projects earned Community Clip of the Year for ‘Loud & Proud’.
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Dobby, the Murrawarri/Filipino multi-instrumentalist rapper and producer behind some of the best First Nations raps going ’round, took home the Archie Roach Foundation Award, recognizing his achievements and supporting his growth as an artist.
Moving tributes to Archie Roach and Gurrumul
Powerhouse vocalist Emma Donovan and Butchulla songman Fred Leone led an emotional homage to the late Archie Roach, pairing up for an emotional performance of the important and influential songwriter and storyteller’s ‘We Won’t Cry’.
Joined on stage by a chorus of First Nations talent, it was a teary celebration of the life of the important and influential Uncle Archie, just days after the Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung), Bundjalung Senior Elder died at age 66.
The ceremony also commemorated the musical legacy and life of Gurrumul, who was officially inducted into the NIMAs Hall Of Fame and honored with a performance by his brother and Saltwater Band co-founder Manuel Dhurrkay.
The acclaimed, otherworldly Yolŋu singer-songwriter died due to liver and kidney damage in 2017 but left behind a stunning catalog of solo records that won multiple ARIAs, NIMAs, APRA and AIR Awards, and was named Double J Australian Artist of the Year in 2018 .
He joins NIMAs Hall Of Fame inductees Warumpi Band, Archie Roach, Roger Knox, Kev Carmody and the band he started out in, Yothu Yindi.
The NIMAs also hosted a live line-up of performances from Thelma Plum, hip hop power couple Birdz and Fred Leone, the soulful Emma Donovan & The Putbacks, traditional dance from Red Flag Dancers, and the elegant pipes of Noongar woman and triple j Unearthed. winner Bumpy.
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The NIMAs have been Australia’s most important celebration of Indigenous music for 16 years but 2022 marked a glorious return to Larrakia Country in Darwin after a two-year hiatus. The ceremony was forced to innovate around the COVID pandemic, going virtual in 2020 and presented as a two-hour special on triple j’s Blak Out last year.
View the full list of winners below and tune into Blak Out this Sunday from 5pm for a highlights wrap of winners, performances, and backstage antics simulcast across triple j, Double J and triple j Unearthed.
National Indigenous Music Awards 2022 Winners
Artist of the Year baker boy
Album of the Year Bakerboy- Gela
New Talent of the Year Jem Cassar-Daley
Song of the Year King Stingray – ‘Milkumana’ (songwriters: Roy Kellaway / Gotjirringu Jerome Yunipingu)
Film Clip of the Year Barkaa – ‘King Brown’ (Directed & Produced by Sonder Films, Executive Producer: Vyva Entertainment)
Community Clip of the Year Numulwar, NT – Loud & Proud (Directors & Producers: Indigenous Outreach Projects/Matthew Mastratisi/Franceska Fusha/Lesley Phillips/Jordan O’Davis/Numbulwar Community & School)
Where is Heartbreak High’s Drazic now? Callan Mulvey finds huge success in Hollywood after playing bad boy in the teen soap and is married to a VERY glamorous teacher
By Ali Daher For Daily Mail Australia
Published: | Updated:
Netflix has announced that the reboot of the beloved Aussie series Heartbreak High will drop on the streaming giant’s platform on September 14.
And with a new series on the horizon, many fans of the original show are wondering what happened to some of its most memorable stars.
Bogdan Drazic, played by actor Callan Mulvey, was arguably the biggest character to come from the show after it moved from Channel 10 to ABC in 1997.
Where is he now? Callan Mulvey has come a long way since playing Drazic on Heartbreak High (pictured in 1998)
While so many viewers will always remember Callan as the troubled bad boy he played on the ’90s soap, the actor has gone on to have huge success in Hollywood.
Before that he played another bad boy, Johnny Cooper, on Home and Away in 2007, and then appeared on four seasons of Channel 10’s police drama Rush from 2008 to 2011.
Callan then packed up and moved to Hollywood, where he landed roles in films like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Avengers: Endgame.
The 47-year-old has forged a successful career in Hollywood and appeared in multiple superhero movies (pictured in 2016)
From there, he appeared in a string of superhero movies, including 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
In 2019, I have played double agent Jack Rollins in Avengers: Endgame.
In May this year, Callan was seen on the set of Last King of the Cross, a TV mini series based on the life of Sydney underworld king John Ibrahim.
Action hero: Callan then packed up and moved to Hollywood, where he landed roles in films like Zero Dark Thirty and 300: Rise of an Empire (pictured)
In 2019, I played double agent Jack Rollins in Avengers: Endgame (pictured)
Netflix announced that its Heartbreak High reboot would air on September 14.
A flashy new trailer featuring a line-up of gay and non-binary characters gives fans a taste of the show’s 21st century makeover.
The show is the first major locally produced drama series from Netflix since the pandemic.
In May this year, Callan was photographed on the set of Last King of the Cross, a TV mini series based on the life of Sydney underworld king John Ibrahim. Pictured left with Lincoln Younes
In the preview, characters are seen partying, doing drag and being chased by police.
They will navigate sex, romance and violence as they come of age.
The trailer finishes with one character looking out into the schoolyard saying, ‘honey we’re home.’
Netflix announced that its Heartbreak High reboot would air on September 14 (the original cast is pictured in 1994)
Outside of his career, Callan has been happily married to musician Rachel Thomas since 2010.
The couple met in 2002 when Callan relocated to Byron Bay to focus on his own budding music career.
Rachel works as a music teacher and has a son, Charlie, from a previous relationship.
Callan has been happily married to musician Rachel Thomas since 2010. Pictured together in 2014
As I sat there, I couldn’t help but agree with a lot of the local business owners, that the site is ripe for a redevelopment.
The Coogee Bay Hotel in 1982.Credit:Fairfax
But this proposal is not the correct one. I agree with Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker, who says the size and scale of this redevelopment is “totally incompatible with the village character of Coogee”. And Greens councilor Michael Olive who says “we don’t need another supermarket”. And the community group Keep Coogee A Village, which called the proposal “a gross overdevelopment and wildly outside carefully considered planning controls”.
The proposed apartment block is almost double the 12-meter limit for the area, and we don’t need more than 220 underground car parking spaces, I believe.
Nor do I agree with the owners C!NC Hotels which says on its website their plans would “put Coogee up there – in terms of attraction and amenity – with Bondi and Bronte et al”.
Coogee is not pretentiously wanky and overdeveloped like Bondi, nor a string of souless shopfront cafes, like Bronte. It is a community still a little shabby around the edges in parts, but that’s the way we like it. Maybe the developer needs to ask us locals what we want?
I’m not opposed to a public laneway providing a new café and dining precinct, like say Spice Alley in Chippendale, and a space for pop-up food trucks or other vendors.
The Coogee Pavilion is just one of the pubs in Justin Hemmes’ stable.Credit:daniel muno
Or a sensitive redevelopment like Justin Hemmes has done at the north end of the beach with the Coogee Pavilion. The community may even rally around this, much in the way Hemmes did when he moved to live in the beachside suburb while redeveloping the Pav, with great respect for neighboring residents and businesses.
His Merivale group have created destination dining venues such as high-end Mimi’s, tapas bar Una Mas, the rooftop restaurant and ground floor Will’s that are popular with both locals and tourists alike.
I’d welcome a hotel redevelopment like Merivale has done at the Newport Arms – it’s classy and community centered. Or even the conversion of the Coogee Bowlo, which is now the Coogee Beach Club, where the bowling greens are now a beer garden, and a popular watering hole for locals. Even the Legion Club’s new beachfront rooftop bar attracts more locals than the Coogee Bay Hotel does now.
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The Coogee Bay Hotel was built in the 1850s, but began life as a school run by George Edson “for young gentlemen.” In 1873, it was converted to a hotel, which it has remained for almost 150 years.
We all agree it could use a spruce up. The new-look Murrah restaurant on the ground floor, attracts only intimate duos or trios in terms of musicians. We have a creative community in Coogee that would welcome a new/reworked music venue and dining options, though more apartments seem like a greedy land grab. Whatever happens, please, not another Bondi or Bronte.
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