Even a supermodel has got to have a huge bout of faith in a product to put her child’s name to it, and that’s precisely what Kate Moss has done with her latest fragrance, Lilabelle, named in honour of her daughter Lila, with the ‘belle’ bit naturally translating to ‘beautiful’.

Kate says the fragrance is a gift to her first-born, “for her to enjoy in years to come”, hence she’s lent it a classic, timeless touch.

The fragrance’s top notes include mandarin, osmanthus flower and freesia, with heart notes of white lily, jasmine and plumeria, and base notes of sandalwood, musk and suede. Despite such a broad combination of ingredients, says Kate, “It’s a really soft and gentle scent yet also a bit daring.

“I created it for both for grown women who want to remain young at heart and teens who want glamour and sophistication; my gift to every woman and girl who lives life to the full.”

Kate Moss Lilabelle EDT 30ml $30 and EDT 50ml $39 available from Target, Priceline and selected pharmacies nationally. For stockists phone 1800 812 663.

You’ll notice today (Feb 22) that Google features a constantly moving doodle of colour that might appear like a glitch at first, but rest assured it’s there for good reason. The doodle represents the electromagnetic waves that are the basis for radio.

Indeed, today is the 155th anniversary of the birthday of German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, the man who invented the apparatus that could produce and detect radio waves, leading to the evolution of the everyday medium we often take for granted.

Sadly, Hertz died at the early age of 36, having been diagnosed with Wegener’s granulomatosis, an incurable vascular disease that affects several organs at once. His legacy lingers, though, every time we look at a radio dial, with the ‘Hz’ that appears in MHz after digits like 92.9, 94.5 and 96 all standing for ‘Hertz’.

Hooray to a genius who helped provide us with hours of on-air entertainment. Now, if only someone would invent an apparatus that killed off Kyle Sandilands for good…

Skate competitions and demos are most certainly not few and far between at the moment. There’s been the Hurley Australian Bowl-Riding Championships, the current Big Day Out Skate Tour and the Beach Bowl at the impending Australian Open of Surfing. Sure they’re fun and offer the riders a bit of incentive to dig harder, but not nearly as luring as the inaugural VANS Bowl-A-Rama.

Still claiming the ranking of largest skate event in the Southern Hemisphere, VANS Bowl-a-Rama has again picked up its game in regards to a 25% increase in the prize pool. Skate stars from around the globe will venture into the hipster scene on Bondi Beach for the week of skateboard infused cultural festivities including parties, art shows, parties, music shows, parties and other entertainment, and the aforementioned overall prize pool of $80,000.

Kicking of with Tic Taco, a local art show at native eating hole Beach Burrito Company, the week of festivities will be home again to the Love and Guts art show, a ruckus of a launch/sign-up party and an even more outrageous Official After Party.

The entire event, the skating not the debauchery filled nights, will be broadcasted live online as well as via television courtesy of Fuel TV, so all the lazy folks who can’t be bothered to deal with the 5000+ crowd that gets drawn won’t miss out on the fun.

You heard it from us. VANS Bowl-A-Rama. Be there or be square.

VANS Bowl-a-Rama will take place from the 21^st – 26^th February, with the actual main event on the 25^th at Bondi Beach Skate Park.

For more information on the event and surrounding festivities visit www.bowlarama.com.au.

The great thing about the Big Day Out is that it draws such an eclectic crowd of movers and shakers, thanks to an artist bill that spans the grand spectrum of pop, rock and dance music. Future might focus on electronica; Groovin’ In The Moo is big on indie; and Peats Ridge is skewed toward the more folk-like. But Big Day Out opens its great big arms avidly to all genres.

This year’s  lineup was massive with veteran rockers sharing the same stages as arthouse electronic acts, rap artists and sample-loving DJs.

Soundgarden were a highlight, playing all gigs across the country, with singer Chris Cornell (above) and the boys delivering innovative renditions of classics like Black Hole Sun and Blow Up The Outside World. Kanye West thrilled east coast BDO goers but disappointed Perth fans by not making it across. Kasabian made up for it, injecting more oomph into their performance than at previous gigs (though we’re a little disappointed they neglected to play Empire). And Foster The People embraced everything great about pop and kept fans well pleased.

Other highlights included the kooky and delightful Architecture In Helsinki, local rockers The Jezabels, soul-delivering lovely Kimbra, experimental rock band Battles, and Perth hip-hopper Drapht.

Oh, and one rather spunky Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds, looking rather healthy since not having played with his younger bad brother Liam for a while…  Antonino Tati

Photography by Jayga McMullen.

(above and below) Kasabian

 



(above) Foster The People

(above) Architecture In Helsinki

(above) Battles

(above) Drapht

(above) The Jezabels

All ecstatic front-row styleeee

Pam Ann is a woman time forgot. Looking like having stepped straight out of the Sixties, fitted in a polyester Pucci knock-off, she possesses the style of Jackie O, but the mouth of a drunken sailor. The mock stewardess, whose name is an anagram of that failed airline from Panama circa 1979, is touching down in Oz this August to play various intimate venues.

Having toured with Cher and crewed a private jet for Elton John, Cream asked Pam if she gets picky about her passengers.

“I’m a bit misunderstood,” she says. “I can be really nice. I look after my first class passengers; I’ll carve a roast for them. But it’s all based on labels, really. If someone’s wearing a K-mart t-shirt in the front row, they’re thrown down the back in two seconds flat.”

Hopefully she’s referring to those sitting in the front row of a fantasy plane, not some poor sod dressed casually at one of her performances.

For guaranteed laughs, especially with all that’s gone wrong with Qantas, expect airline know-it-all Pam Ann to entertain well.

Pam Ann Tour Dates and Venues are as follows:

ADELAIDE
Festival Theatre – Playhouse
Wednesday 1st August
Bookings: www.bass.net.au or 131 246
Tickets: $50 Adult/ $45 Concession/Group

SYDNEY
State Theatre
Friday 3rd August
Bookings: www.ticketmaster.com.au or 136 100
Tickets: $80 First Class (front 4-6 rows, inc comp glass of champagne & keyring); $60 Adult; $55 Concession/Group

BRISBANE
Brisbane Powerhouse
Friday 10th & Saturday 11th August
Bookings: www.brisbanepowerhouse.com.au or 3358 8600
Tickets: $80 First Class (front 4-6 rows, incls comp glass of champagne & keyring); $60 Adult; $55 Concession/Group

MELBOURNE
Athenaeum Theatre
Friday 17th August
Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849
Tickets: $80 First Class (front 4-6 rows, inc comp glass of champagne & keyring); $60 Adult; $55 Concession/Group

PERTH
Astor Theatre
Friday 24th August
Bookings: www.bocsticketing.com.au or 9484 1133
Tickets: $80 First Class (front 4-6 rows, inc comp glass of champagne & keyring); $60 Adult; $55 Concession/Group

For every big-name music producer there’s a bedroom boffin just waiting to be discovered. With software and digital devices easily accessible to create quality music, punters are able to lend their own influence on a track, or indeed come up with original music of their own. So it’s nice to see a pop star of huge proportions, like Beyoncé, inviting budding producers to remix one of her tracks.

The singer is inviting fans to remix her number one urban and pop club single End Of Time from her latest album 4. Already a rapturous, percussion-driven delight in its original form, mix maestros will have their work cut out for them to come up with something even better and upload it to SoundCloud.

The grand prize winner will receive US$4,000 as well as the opportunity to have his or her remix appear on an upcoming Beyoncé release. The contest is open to entrants in 25 countries including Australia, the US and UK. Oh, but last entries must be in by March 9, so get those nimble fingers to work!

To enter, visit www.beyonceonline.com and download the audio stems of ‘End Of Time’.

Pop singer Whitney Houston has died, at age 48.

Houston was discovered dead in a bathtub in her hotel suite at the Beverly Hills Hilton hotel just hours after being seen partying loudly at the hotel bar. A member of her entourage made the discovery, to which paramedics were called but failed to resuscitate her, pronouncing Houston dead at the scene.

The news of her death arrived on the eve of the Grammy Awards, of which Houston has been a respected attendee since her debut in 1985 with her self-titled album (pictured). Last Thursday, it is alleged Houston was rehearsing for a performance at a Grammy-related party being hosted by longtime mentor Clive Davis. According to a person at the rehearsal, the singer looked dishevelled and was sweating profusely with the smell of liquor and cigarettes on her breath.

Drug and marriage problems aside, Whitney Houston will be best remembered for being one of the world’s most remarkably talented singers whose hits included Where Do Broken Hearts Go?, Didn’t We Almost Have It All?, How Will I Know?, and her debut single The Greatest Love Of All. Fans continue to send messages of mourning through their Facebook and Twitter pages.

Lady Gaga has announced even more dates to her ever-extending Australian and New Zealand tour. The Born This Way Ball will now play Auckland on June 7, 8 (both sold out) and 10 (at Vector Arena), Brisbane next on June 13, 14 (sold out) and now 16 (Brisbane Entertainment Centre, followed by Sydney on June 20 (limited tickets), 21 (sold out), 23 (limited tickets) and now 24 (Allphones Arena), Melbourne June 27, 28, 30 (sold out) and now July 1 (Rod Laver Arena), and Perth July 7 and 8 (Burswood Dome). Tickets  are available through www.livenation.com.au or Ticketek (Australia) and Ticketmaster (New Zealand).

Just a brief heads-up that we’ll have all the best moments caught on camera from the Big Day Out posted online over the next week. Coming up next on the festival calendar is Future Music, this year being headlined by electro pioneers New Order (pictured above). You can bet the band’s visuals are going to be as outstanding and indelible as their dance music discography that includes such club classics as Bizarre Love Triangle, True Faith, Regret, Krafty, and of course Blue Monday.

Artists joining the big N.O. on the bill include the mix maestro who needs no introduction Fatboy Slim, UK indie popsters The Wombats, UK funksters Friendly Fires (pictured below), hip-hopping rockers Gym Class Heroes, sampling maestro Professor Green, laser lovers Knife Party, and dubstep prodigy Flux Pavilion. Throw in pop darling Jessie J, South Africa’s insane interpretation of Eminem in Die Antwoord, and US party starters The Rapture, and you’ve got one eclectic lot landing on our shores come March 3rd.

FUTURE MUSIC DATES ARE:

Brisbane – Saturday 3^rd March, Doomben Racecourse.

Perth – Sunday 4^th March, Arena Joondalup.

Sydney – Saturday 10^th March, Royal Randwick Racecourse.

Melbourne – Sunday 11^th March, Flemington Racecourse.

Adelaide – Monday 12^th March, Ellis Park (new and imporoved venue).

Tickets on sale through www.ticketmaster.com.au or by phoning 136 100 or through the usual outlets.

It’s official. Madonna will tour Australia in early 2013, announced yesterday on her official website. The 85+ date tour, which will beat all previous tours in terms of number of dates, kicks off in Tel Aviv, Israel on May 29, 2012 (where we can probably expect a political statement or two delivered on stage). More details are available at www.madonna.com or www.livenation.com.

Early on Saturday morning AEST, Madonna herself officially posted her new video clip for Give Me All Your Luvin’ on the world wide web, only a few short hours after it was previewed on American Idol. Click on either still image above or below to go directly to the video in all its high definition glory. We adore that slowed-down bridge two-thirds into the track when she goes all Marilyn Monroe-meets-Robo Cop style. As for Nicki Minaj’s wicked rapping and Adidas-ed boobies, and M.I.A.’s glammed up nu-look, we loves it.

Watch carefully and you’ll notice one of Madge’s yoga moves emulates the Sicilian symbol of the three-legged magic man otherwise known as a triskelion, the capability of which is astonishing enough to spook Gaga right out of her jump-cut-video-ed wits. Yep, the real biatch is back, baby.

‘Give Me All Your Luvin’ is out through Universal Music.

‘MDNA’ is released March 26th but available to order now through iTunes in Deluxe Version (pictured, below right).

A standard version (pictured, below left) will also be made available.