Private Sydney

Why the 'cheese' set is cheesed off SYDNEY'S fashion set is in a tizz over a smooth-talking, designer-clad Italian dubbed "the Talented Mr Mancinetti" after he racked up huge bills across town for a series of lavish fashion shoots. Smiley-faced Dan Mancinetti lured Sydney's top photographers, stylists, models and designers with an irresistible opportunity to work for a new global fashion magazine he claimed was about to be launched, to be called Geil.

Exhibitions

Art Gallery of NSW Charles Bayliss Pioneering Oz photographer. Until May 25.

Mixed Signals On V70

Volvo's acclaimed new station wagon is idling in the queue for Oz arrivals, says Brent Davison.

Chalk Up Another For Oz Know-how

THE "Australianisation" of the global property market shows no sign of tailing off, with Centro Properties' latest $4.3 billion US shopping centre deal again illustrating how the sophistication of the listed property entities and the unusual dynamics of Australian investment markets have coincided to open up a global opportunity.

Circusmasters

Political satire, original tricks and an anarchic spirit. Far from being a McDonald's of circus, anything goes at Circus Oz, writes Jill Stark.

Outrageous Mercs To Target Oz Market

MERCEDES-BENZ is extremely serious about pulling away from its previous image of building sensible cars for the middle-aged driver. While it still does that, and always will, these days it's heavily involved in Formula One racing, winning the drivers' championship for the last two years. Now

An Enduring Spell

NEWCASTLE'S Young People's Theatre can be assured of hanging out the `house full' signs each time it stages The Wizard of Oz. The story of Dorothy's adventures with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in the magical land of Oz has constantly been the most popular of the group's shows in the

My Newyear's Resolutions For Australia

WHAT a heady thing to be asked to draw up some new year's resolutions for dear old Oz. I shall try to make at least a partial list, to which you, dear reader, can add. In a year whose close finds me still not the sylph I promised to become at year's beginning, and unlikely to achieve sylph-hood in 1

In Search Of Soul

BLADE RUNNER - The Director's Cut: Nine, 9.30pm. A Los Angeles multinational company, The Tyrell Corporation, manufactures life-like robots known as Replicants. The Nexus 6 models are smarter and more personable than your average traffic lights, talking stove and answering machine. Much smarte

Election Fever ... Or Flu?

* Not campaigning, slagging * Rose is a misFitz * Dame Angela and the emu * The things people do * Poms and the Oz experience * Heligan, a blooming best-seller Oh to be in England Now the election's here ... A conference on the performing arts drew me this week to London for three

Win On Sunday ... Sell On Monday?

With touring heroes virtually on the Mt Panorama grid, Peter McKay ponders whether motor sport is a true test-bed of technology - or just an excuse for high-velocity hype. Is the race car a high-speed laboratory, feeding boffins with important data for future road-going models for th

Holy Grail Loses Its Lustre For Wizards Of Oz

IN 1969, the Australian Government made the first moves which would see a revival in filmmaking and the development of a local film industry: it set up the Australian Film Development Fund and the Experimental Film Fund, and announced that a national film school would be established. But it wasn't t

Wanted: An Australian Philanthropist For Kids' Literature

MAYBE some local philanthropist with an interest in words - Mr Murdoch or Mr Packer, perhaps? - would care to set up a children's book prize along the lines of the US and UK models: the Whitbread Children's Novel awards, the Newbery, Caldecott, Carnegie and Greenaway medals. This would be a fine aug

Repositioning Spree Spawns Outpouring Of Limited Editions

AT LEAST we've seen the end of ``beat the Budget" advertising. What buyers have to watch out for now is called the ``repositioning" of models in the market frame. The problem that car makers have to deal with is that outright discounting is bad for dealer and customer morale mainly t

Microsoft To Fall Under Tpc's Spotlight

THE Trade Practices Commission has agreed to look into complaints about Microsoft from a few local companies, including Oz-Email, but a spokeswoman told CyberSpy that this does not amount to an "investigation". She said the TPC had merely told the complainants to go away and prepare furth

Supermodels Wear Oz Designs

CLAUDIA SCHIFFER in Lisa Ho, Linda Evangelista in Howard Showers and Carla Bruni in Simona. You're thinking something's not quite right here? Wrong. Get set to see a new look for Australian fashion this summer as Myer/Grace Bros sets the pace in fashion retailing. In a bid to boost its fashion i

What's Right And Wrong With Life In Oz

Stephanie ALEXANDER Restaurateur The unique character of the Australian landscape. My feelings for its shapes and colours as well as its resilience contribute to my consciousness of being an Australian. 2. Australians are uncomfortable with the notion of excellence preferring the safer

Bimbos Bite Back

AUSTRALIAN models are still the flavour of the month in the fashion capitals that count. Witness the departure from our shores this week of Sydney girl Lenita Vangellis for Europe. She told The Diary that she is leaving Oz to pursue her career for two months in the world's major fashion capitals

Oz Made

FINDING money tighter and tighter, these days? Are you budgeting carefully, with a fearful eye on the economic downturn, and shopping around conscientiously for the best price? Do you worry about the balance of payments crisis and look for "Australian made" labels? The descriptio

How To Spot Car Value In 'buy Aussie' Campaign

WITH the nation staggering under the weight of another massive current account deficit, the Government is resurrecting the "Buy Aussie" campaign. Only days before the latest $2.7 billion trade deficit figures, Aussie ad man John Singleton was handed the contract to flog Oz to Au