Oz in Spain

Dame Edna uninvited to The Wedding

By NED BELLY

LEVEL-HEADED TV viewers will be denied the opportunity of watching The Wedding from a less obsequious perspective as the result of a ban by the royals’ humour-less media department. The ABC has been forced to cancel its satirical royal wedding special featuring The Chaser satirical comedy team, after Buckingham Palace announced new restrictions banning drama, satirical and entertainment programs from using footage of the ceremony. (more…)

Nice guy Benji in fight of his life

ONE WEEK before, Wests Tigers and New Zealand star Benji Marshall had been named the “face of rugby league” as the new NRL season loomed. He said at the time he wanted to be “the player that kids want to be when they grow up”. (more…)

Patient Webber set for another tough challenge

(Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

LAST SEASON Mark Webber became the first Australian since Alan Jones in 1981 to lead the Formula 1 driver’s championship. Coming into the final race in Abu Dhabi he had a chance of joining Jones (1980) and Jack Brabham (1959, 1960, 1966) as the only Australian world champions but a poor pit strategy thwarted his chances and he finished third overall in the season-long championship behind arch-rival and Red Bull team-mate Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso.

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…and egalitarian luxury in China

OUR MAN in Bundaberg has arrived back in Europe after a soggy trip to Queensland – via a stopover in the booming southern Chinese city of Guangzhou (Canton). Travel bloz pending after the wellies have been unpacked and the jet-lag has eased…

England/South Africa 1 – Australia 0

HOPES in ASHES (video)

A koala was sitting in a gum tree smoking a joint…

…when a little lizard walked past, look up and said, “Hey, koala, what are you doing?” (more…)

Neil Robertson…the man for the big occasion

By MARGARITA CORTES

IN MAY he became only the second Australian to win the snooker World Championship. Now, Neil Robertson has become the first winner of the new World Open title – and is ranked number one in the world rankings. (more…)

Crocodile Dundee (back) in Los Angeles

By NED BELLY

MOST OF US have no option of avoiding income taxes. The authorities will either nab us at source (IRPF/PAYE) or, if autónomo (self-employed), we will be required to present a rigorously-monitored folder of documents every three months to report revenue, justify expenses and hand over collected IVA.

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Miss Australia third… in that dress!

BRUSHING ASIDE the controversy over her choice of “national dress”, Jesinta Campbell finished third in the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas. (more…)

Peter Andre on whistle-stop tour of Gib

IT WAS THE eve of ex-wife Katie Price’s UK nuptials with cage-fighter Alex Reid – but Peter Andre seemed to have other more pleasant things on his mind as he made a quick trip to Gibraltar. (more…)