Australian News

Woof! Woof! Shut Up! Woo… Oh dang! Scout The Dog Vs Helicopter [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

George Lucas is giving new Star Wars director J.J. Abrams free reign to do what he pleases with the new sequel This could be good and bad, the creator of the franchise is going to be a bystander in the new production. According to Access Hollywood via Yahoo! News Lucas isn’t even talking to Abrams regarding the sequel. “I have not spoken to J.J. He’s been busy with Star Trek and I’m sure that he’ll let me know when he’s got some questions,” Lucas said. “So, you know, that’s all going well.” But if that seems a little nonchalant, that wasn’t the case initially as Bloomberg Businessweek reported back in March. According to their report Lucas had a hard time turning over the his rough sketches when Disney purchased LucasFilm. When the director finally started attending meetings he seemed to warm up to the idea. Eventually creator George Lucas made clear to executives taking over the franchise what was allowed and what wasn’t when it came to Star Wars. Lucas is staying on as “creative consultant” which sounds very removed from any real influential role when it comes to the production. If you are a fan of the original trilogy, you need to remember that Lucas also helmed the prequels, which were received with mixed reviews and had followers of Han Solo and company crying foul due to the darker undertones in the films, which was not the style of the originals. Slashfilm reports that Lucas seems to welcome the change of not being in charge of such a large endeavor and has promoted Abrams as being an ideal choice for the production. Both men seem to have admiration for one another. J.J. Abrams has said that plans to ask Lucas for help if he needs to and he has stated that, “The advantage here is that we still have George Lucas with us to go to and ask questions and get his feedback on things, which I certainly will do.” George Lucas said of giving J.J. Abrams the reins of his Star Wars empire, “I think it’s great. I don’t have to worry about these guys any more.” [Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com] George Lucas Gives J.J. Abrams Free Reign For ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

When Laura Grambrel graduated from Indiana University her mother Carol decided to get her a special graduation cat cake. If that sounds a little strange give yourself a pat on the back. You recognized something that Carol’s baker did not. According to Yahoo News, Carol Grambel asked for a photo cake from her local bakery and asked if they could put a “cap” on her daughter’s head. The baker heard the word cat and, instead of asking for clarification, created the world’s first graduation cat cake. Laura said: “I can only image them doing it and thinking I was going to vet school or something.” Carol added: “I told them not to scrape it off. It was one of those young kids behind the counter and he seemed a little distracted with someone else ordering a cake a foot away from us. We went through the school colors and everything, and I said, ‘Oh, could you draw a cap on her head?’ And he gives me this look … When I went to pick it up at the store, I could not stop laughing.” The photo was posted on Reddit this week where it quickly went viral. Laura and Carol were even invited to appear on Good Morning America. Carol said: “We were all just cracking up. Who would have thought she’d get her 15 minutes with a cat cake?” Here’s a video about the graduation cat cake from ABC. [Image Via Reddit] Graduation Cat Cake Goes Viral After Bakery Mishap is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a piece that first appeared in Encore, Emily Hoskins from ARN tells us how to do her job. What does a radio newsreader actually do? A radio newsreader has to be switched on from the moment they sit at their desk. At the Australian Radio Network each journalist writes, researches, edits and reads their own news bulletins under tight deadlines – every 30 minutes during the breakfast shift and every hour after 9am. Via the Classic Hits network, we offer the most comprehensive FM news in the country. We make every bulletin different by constantly looking for fresh stories and re-working existing stories with new angles. This is done by utilising contacts, conducting phone interviews and scouring sources like newspapers, AAP, Twitter etc. If there is a late-breaking story, there can be just minutes to frantically write it before the news theme starts. If the bulletin itself sounds effortless on air, we’ve done our job right. What skills do you need to be good at the job?  An inquisitive nature is a must, along with a good voice and the ability to condense a lot of information into three tight, punchy paragraphs. Being adaptable, organised, persistent and able to handle the pressure of deadlines is also important. News is a 24/7 beast, so it’s not the sort of job you switch off from at the end of a shift. You need to keep up with what’s going on in the world of politics, sport, entertainment – a bit of everything really. You also need a good news sense and to understand what is an interesting story for your audience. Who are the people you work closest with?  As well as being the news director, I read the breakfast news for the Chrissie & Jane Breakfast Show on Mix 101.1 in Melbourne which involves working closely with the on-air team and producers, but also content directors and various media officers. I have the pleasure of working with a great news team. It’s so important to have a good chemistry and working relationship with those around you at four in the morning. There’s no room for drama. Is there any lingo we need to know to do the job?  Snippets of audio are called ‘grabs’, ‘reax’ is reaction to a story, a phoner is a phone interview, a presser is a media conference, a pre-pack is a story that’s prepared ahead of time for the next day. What does a typical day on the job entail?  Rising at 3am, writing, writing, writing, choosing what stories to run and what order they will fall, walking into a news booth, presenting a bulletin, taking a deep breath, and then doing it all over again until around midday. What’s the best part of the job? I get a buzz out of being the first person to tell listeners what’s happening as they wake up or jump in the car to head to work. As a journalist, there are also times when you have the opportunity to witness history in the making which can be exciting. And as a news director, I enjoy mentoring the younger staff and watching them develop their skills. What’s the biggest challenge? Other than deadlines, simplifying complex stories into bite-size pieces that are easy for the listener to digest. Fitting a selection of stories into a designated two-and-a-half minute window can also be tricky. How do you become a radio newsreader? Get as much practical experience in news as possible. I started by writing articles for my university magazine, then writing advertorials for a local newspaper and working on community radio. Be prepared to move anywhere. Most of the people in my team started out at a radio station in a country town. Be ready to work early mornings, late nights, Christmas and public holidays. And if you’re not already, become a news junkie. This story first appeared in the weekly edition of Encore available for iPad and Android tablets. Visit encore.com.au for a preview of the app or click below to download. The post Fake it til you make it…as a radio newsreader appeared first on mUmBRELLA.

An outdoor ad posted on the back and sides of a bus that showed a topless man and woman embracing over “Sexy Tea for 2” has been nbanned by the Ad Standards Board. Advertiser Global Herbal Products said two versions of the ad were made one featuring the text, “Vigor Tea. The Sexy Tea for 2” and second version that read, “Improve your sex life”. The advertiser said the second version of the ad was posted on buses on the Gold Coast before it was officially approved by Go Transit. Among the complaints: “I object and am offended because we see this bus while driving my kids to school. It’s wrong that my children are exposed to such disgust and we can’t even get away from it because it is stopped at a stoplight or we are having to sit behind it. Think about the discussions that we are FORCED to have due to this advertisement. Also if you go to their website, it is soft porn. I can imagine there are children that are interested in finding out what this product is and are exposed to soft porn after searching it on the internet. Just disgusting.” The advertiser said the oversight was identified before the complaint was received and the ads had been returned to the original catchphrase ‘The Sexy Drink for Two”. Although the board found the phrase relevant to the product, and determined it was not a strongly sexualised statement, they said ‘improve your sex life’ was a strong statement, and breached the code. However both phrases were inappropriate for outdoor advertising, the board ruled. “The image accompanied by the various words and other components of the advertisement created a more than mildly sexualized image. The Board noted the broad audience including children who would be exposed to the images on the buses. The Board considered that the advertisement did not treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience and that it did breach Section 2.4 of the Code,” the ASB determined. Both ads have been removed by the advertiser. The post ‘The Sexy Drink for 2′ removed from buses appeared first on mUmBRELLA.

Former UFC fighter Paul Kelly has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for heroin trafficking in his home country of England. The 28-year-old and his childhood friend, Christopher St. John McGirr, were arrested last May in connection with a drug trafficking ring in Liverpool and Sefton. Police found marijuana plants, heroin, and large amounts of cash during the raids. Kelly, who fought in the lightweight division of the UFC for three years, was determined to be the mastermind behind the drug ring. In May, a jury came to a unanimous guilty verdict after a four-day trial, and Kelly was sentenced to a “long” prison term. Judge Mark Brown handed down the 13-year sentence last weekend. “You were in business with Mr. McGirr supplying heroin to other dealers. You are an individual who has travelled widely in the course of MMA and as such would have contacts abroad,” Brown told Kelly during his sentencing. “It is significant that the seizures involved large amounts of import quality heroin. In my judgement you decided to supply Class A drugs when your contract with UFC was terminated. You obviously enjoyed the high life and saw selling heroin as an easy way to make money,” he added. Prosecutor David McLoughlin said that Kelly and McGirr “were not soft enough to get their hands dirty and sought out others to do the dirty work for them.” The duo’s friend, 28-year-old Paul Rogers, was arrested for selling worth up to  £10,000 ($15,000) when he was found with  £100,000 ($150,000) worth of import quality heroin under his car seat. Paul Kelly made his UFC debut at UFC 80 on January 19, 2008, in Newcastle. Kelly, who was 7-0 in MMA at that point, took Fight of the Night honors with a unanimous decision victory over Paul Taylor. Three years later at UFC 126, Kelly was again involved in a Fight of the Night, dropping the bout to Donald Cerrone by rear naked choke. He was released from the promotion after the match, finishing his UFC career with a 5-4 record. Former UFC Fighter Paul Kelly Sentenced To 13 Years In Prison For Drug Trafficking is a post from: The Inquisitr

Former Colenso BBDO creative Jae Morrison has signed on as a director with production house Finch. Morrison worked as a creative at the Auckland agency Colenso – Mumbrella’s current creative agency of the year – from 2005 to 2007 and 2010 to 2012. In between he was creative director on client Sony Playstation from TBWA\London. He moved to directing last year with Thick As Thieves. Morrison’s directing work includes a raunchy commercial for NZ clothing company Hallenstein Brothers and a global brand campaign for Fisher & Paykel on behalf of Colenso. Finch managing director Rob Galluzzo says, “Jae’s going to be fucking famous.” The post Finch signs director Jae Morrison appeared first on mUmBRELLA.

A speeding driver was just trying to dry off his car when an officer clocked him going 112 mph — or at least that’s what the guilty party claimed when he was pulled over on an Alberta highway. While officers have probably already heard every excuse speeding drivers can come up with, the 67-year-old’s explanation likely threw them for a loop. On Tuesday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced that the man, a local who lives near Black Diamond, Alberta, was fined $800 for speeding. He also had his license suspended for 45 days. While excuses for speeding, like drying off your car, may seem a bit out there for those who have an aversion to lying to the police, the Canadian driver’s explanation is not the strangest officers have heard. Consumer Reports laid out the top 10 excuses for speeding in a recent article. Of 500 drivers aged 18 and over, 20 percent of those who were pulled over for speeding claimed they couldn’t see a sign telling them not to speed. The next most popular excuse was that the driver was lost and/or unfamiliar with the roads. There were also cop outs, such as, “everyone else was doing it,” and “I didn’t know I was going over.” But, surprisingly for some, there were also strange excuses, like, “My GPS said it was the right thing to do.” Also in the realm of strange excuses, speeding drivers have claimed to be in labor, have rats running around the car, and even have a colonoscopy bag leaking. But one of the best explanations, according to Murfreesboro, Tennessee Police spokesman Kyle Evans, was when a driver told him, “The reason I was going so fast is because I couldn’t see the speedometer.” Evans looked inside the car and saw that the speedometer appeared to be just fine. The driver went on to explain, “Sir, I had my head so far up my butt there’s no way I could possibly see how fast I was going.” Evans gave the driver a warning citation, saying, “It was the most original excuse I’ve heard in my 10 years as a traffic officer.” Have you ever been pulled over for speeding? What explanation did you give? [Image via ShutterStock] Speeding Driver’s Excuse Of Drying Off Car Doesn’t Cut It In Court is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Popocatepetl volcano near Mexico City has exploded in spectacular fashion. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano recently saw a visit from a UFO. In the video clip, the UFO seems to approach the Popocatepetl volcano, slow down, and then deliberately enter the lave-filled crater. Experts say that the video wasn’t faked, but so far the best explanation for this UFO sighting is that it was an aircraft heading off into the horizon, making it appear as if it was “descending” due to the curvature of the earth. Seeing the Popocatepetl volcano erupt so soon after the UFO incident may have some people getting their tin hats out. But the 4.5 million Mexican residents living within 50 kilometers of Popocatepetl volcano were already at “yellow phase two.” The name for the Popocatepetl volcano translates into “smoking mountain” so it seems obvious such volcanic activity isn’t unprecedented. The Popocatepetl volcano actually erupted back in 2000 in one of the most largest ever in recent history. The last time Popocatepetl volcano erupted the surrounding countryside was evacuated, but this time Popocatepetl volcano’s rumblings only lasted a short while. Still, it was quite a sight to see. Mexican observers likened it to a rocket going off. Director of Puebla’s Civil Protection department Jesus Morales said the Popocatepetl volcano sparked fires throughout the region: “There were clouds at the time of the eruption so it was possible to observe the large shock wave accompanied by a plume of ash and incandescent material.” The Popocatepetl volcano eruption video clearly shows the shockwave that shook houses like an earthquake. Do you think the Popocatepetl volcano eruption has anything to do with the UFO sighting? Popocatepetl Volcano Eruption After UFO Sighting Scares Mexico [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The family of murdered Melbourne woman Jill Meagher has thanked police and prosecutors after her killer was jailed for life.