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The 8cm funnel web spider that was donated to the Australian Reptile Park this week. (AAP Image/Supplied by the Australian Reptile Park)
A massive funnel web spider with fangs so long they could bite through a human fingernail has been donated to a lifesaving antivenom program at the Australian Reptile Park.
The arachnid has been named Megaspider and the park says she is roughly twice the size of a typical funnel web spider, more comparable to a tarantula.
The 8cm funnel web spider's 2cm fangs will be milked for venom that can be turned into antivenom.
The Australian Reptile Park on the NSW central coast is the only funnel web spider venom milking facility in the country and the antivenom produced there saves up to 300 lives a year, the park says.
Australian Reptile Park education officer Michael Tate has "never seen a funnel web spider this big".
"She is unusually large and if we can get the public to hand in more spiders like her, it will only result in more lives being saved due to the huge amount of venom they can produce," he said.
The park encourages citizen scientists to safely catch funnel web spiders to donate to the antivenom program.
The Megaspider was donated in a clear plastic container with no marking to say where it came from, and the park is now seeking its donor to find out where it came from in the hope of finding similarly large spiders.
Spiders can be donated to the park itself, as well as at a number of drop off points around Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.
© AAP 2021
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Bert Newton at the 2018 Logie Awards (AAP Image/Dan Peled)
Hundreds of family and friends will farewell entertainment legend Bert Newton at a state funeral in Melbourne on Friday, which will be broadcast live.
The man affectionately known as "Moonface" died aged 83 on November 30 at a private Melbourne clinic after his leg was amputated in May due to a life-threatening infection.
Friday's state funeral will be held at St Patrick's Cathedral in East Melbourne from 10am, for up to 500 guests.
While the public will not be able to attend due to COVID-safe requirements, the service will be streamed online and broadcast live on television networks Nine, Seven and Ten.
Melbourne-born Newton started in the radio business aged 12 and scaled the heights of Australian entertainment on stage and screen.
Alongside Graham Kennedy and Don Lane, he was part of a trio known as the kings of Australian television.
A stalwart of Australian theatre, Newton performed in Beauty and the Beast, The Sound of Music, Annie, The Rocky Horror Show, Grease and Wicked.
Several Melbourne theatres dimmed their lights for one minute at 7.30pm on Thursday to honour Newton's contribution to the industry.
"Bert was a great professional and an esteemed colleague and friend," Her Majesty's Theatre owner Mike Walsh said.
Theatre producer John Frost said he was a "wonderful mentor to young performers".
"Thank you Bert for all the laughs over the years; our industry is a lonelier place without you," he said.
The four-time Logie winner mentored comedians Adam Hills and Rove McManus, who each remembered him in tributes on social media.
"Bert Newton was the ultimate entertainer. Australian TV wouldn't be what it is without Bert. It's up to us all to take what he taught us, and keep his spirit alive," Hills said on Twitter.
McManus said he had lost a "mentor and friend" and Australia had "lost an icon".
"But most importantly a family has lost their hero and soul mate. Sending love to all the Newtons, especially Patti. My heart is broken. Rest In Power, Albert Watson Newton," he said on Twitter.
Newton is survived by Patti, his wife of more than 46 years, children Lauren and Matthew, and grandchildren.
© AAP 2021
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People Magazine has named Paul Rudd '2021's Sexiest Man Alive' and the 52-year-old actor himself and some fellow celebrity friends have hilariously addressed his new title.
According to People Magazine, Rudd had a hard time accepting his new title but spoke to the publication and flaunted his sexy self in a photoshoot which will appear on the cover of the latest issue.
People announced the news on their social media accounts with the caption,
"Introducing 2021's #SexiestManAlive, Paul Rudd! 😍 In this week's cover story, the actor reflects on his new crown, what it was like telling his wife about the title and how he's going to own being this year's Sexiest Man Alive. ❤️ Pick up the issue on stands this week, and tap the link in our bio for more. | 📷: @alexeihay"
Speaking to the magazine he mentions that there are other people who should've got the title before him. He said, "I do have an awareness, enough to know that when people hear that I'd be picked for this, they would say, 'What?' This is not false humility. There are so many people that should get this before me."
Knowing about his new title before it was publicly announced, he said his wife was the only person he told and said she was stupefied. He said, "She was stupefied. But you know she was very sweet about it. After some giggling and shock, she said 'Oh, they got it right.' And that was very sweet. She was probably not telling the truth, but what's she going to say?"
The Marvel superhero said he was expecting his friends to give him grief after the announcement saying, "As they should. I would. I mean I'm going to lean into it hard. I'm going to own this. I'm not going to try to be like 'Oh, I'm so modest.' I'm getting business cards made. But all of my friends will destroy me and I expect them to. And that's why they're my friends."
Rudd hilariously jokes he hopes to finally be invited to sexy dinners with fellow 'sexy' celebrities like George Clooney, Brad Putt and Michael B Jordan, joking, "I'm hoping now that I'll finally be invited to some of those sexy dinners with Clooney and Pitt and B Jordan,"
"And I figure I'll be on a lot more yachts. I'm excited to expand my yachting life. And I'll probably try to get better at brooding in really soft light. I like to ponder. I think this is going to help me become more inward and mysterious. And I'm looking forward to that."
Fellow Marvel actor Mark Ruffalo who plays Bruce Banner/Hulk took to Instagram to hilariously say he's always been a fan, sharing an old video of the two at Comic Con and writing, "Is that Paul Rudd…#sexiestmanalive?! I knew this day would come. Congrats, man 🥳 I hope you continue to never age so you can continue to hold this title."
Judd Apatow, director of 'This Is 40' in which Rudd starred in, said he had mixed emotions about the news. He wrote on Twitter:
I have mixed emotions about this. https://t.co/1RQ7VXzMpp
— Judd Apatow (@JuddApatow) November 10, 2021
Even Ryan Reynolds who held the Sexiest Man Alive title in 2010, responded to the news in an interview on the Today Show, saying, "I think that this opportunity will be wasted on him... He's going to play it shy, he's going to play bashful, humble. If I know what I knew now, I wouldn't do that. You got to seize the moment."
If I had to lose out to someone, I’m happy it’s Paul. https://t.co/10J90Ru8ql
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) November 10, 2021
Hilariously, Al Yankovic who Rudd previously dressed up as for Halloween posted to Twitter congratulating him posting the photo of Rudd dressed as him:
Congratulations to Paul Rudd on being named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive of 2021. pic.twitter.com/DjgqwAPHjc
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) November 10, 2021
Image Credit: (@people / Twitter)
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Many movies that we enjoy and consider to be timeless classics were filmed on movie sets that contained disastrous events - and not just an isolated incident but a string of them. Almost as if the set was cursed. Some of these movies did deal with especially dark topics involving evil and scary concepts, so it does make you wonder if something unexplainable was happening. Deadly curse or just bad luck? Have a read and make up your own mind...
The Poltergeist Trilogy (1982-1988)
The Poltergeist Trilogy of movies is considered a classic franchise in the horror genre. The movies consist of three titles: "Poltergeist", "Poltergeist II", and "Poltergeist III". While all three of them are considered great, they are also notorious for their curse.
Several cast members died on set, but the franchise as a whole had more than its share of hard luck. Carol Anne, the youngest daughter in the series, is an infamous case. Her character was played by several actresses throughout the trilogy's lifetime: Heather O'Rourke (1982-1988), Dominique Dunne (1982), and Oliver Robins (II and III).
Carol Anne's death was just one of many for the franchise, but it certainly stands out. She fell ill after coming into contact with contaminated water while filming in North Carolina. Despite efforts to save her life, she died before reaching an Atlanta hospital.
The "Poltergeist" curse continued after Carol Anne's death. Dominique Dun ne, who played the oldest daughter in the first film, was murdered by her boyfriend after he became agonized with jealousy.
Heather O'Rourke's character's sister was played by actress Jessica Harp from 2008 to 2011.
Jessica died of a suspected heart attack at just 23 years old, having only come into contact with Poltergeist in the third movie.
The Omen (1976)
A superstitious tale about a child who begins to suspect that his birth was an attempt at human sacrifice by evil forces is rife with danger and misfortune, but nothing like what happened on set. It's no wonder that this film has been deemed cursed more than once.
Filming for "The Omen" was plagued by several accidents that maimed or killed cast members. A special effects technician caught on fire while setting up a scene involving the explosion of a door, an animal handler severed the head of his own beloved chimp with a cleaver, and star Gregory Peck almost drowned when he fell into the sea during a scuba diving scene.
The most memorable of the accidents occurred when the set was attacked by an actual murder of crows that seemed to be an omen themselves. The birds pecked at several cast members and crew, drawing blood in some cases before they were chased away by crew members with brooms.
Of all these deaths and accidents, no one actually died on set. However, star Gregory Peck's son Jonathan was killed by a single punch from a drunk man as he walked home.
The Crow (1994)
Horror films often include darkness and evil forces that punish those who dare to tamper with their domain. Such is the case in "The Crow", a gothic tale of loss and vengeance. The film is well-known for its dark tone and graphic violence, but nothing about the movie has gained as much notoriety as the curse that plagued its filming in 1993.
The set was filled with alarming occurrences from the start. On the first day of shooting, a crew member accidentally ran over a housemate's dog. A few days later, another crew member was injured when he fell through the roof of a building that collapsed beneath him.
The cast and crew were not immune to these disasters either. Actress Brittany Murphy, who played lead singer Irena, had just finished shooting her first scene when she learned that her mother had died. The next day, the film's star Brandon Lee was seriously injured when shrapnel from an effect hit him in his abdomen.
He died before surgery could begin to save his life. His death was later ruled accidental. Brittany Murphy died of pneumonia at age 32 six years later in 2009.
Born on the 4th of July (1989)
A movie about an injured Vietnam War veteran struggling to cope with life after the war should come with a warning for those who suffer from PTSD. The drama is based on real-life events and real-life people, including Ron Kovic (played by Tom Cruise).
Cruise actually broke his ankle during filming and had to continue shooting while recovering from surgery. He spent months after physical therapy to battle the pain and regain his mobility, while director Oliver Stone often had to shoot hours of footage for just a few minutes of the film.
Kirk Douglas, who plays Ron's father in the movie, also suffered an injury when he fell through some steps on set and broke his leg. While this seems like a minimal accident, it was actually the beginning of a string of accidents and deaths that plagued this production.
A propane tank exploded and destroyed much of the set, killing three crew members in addition to injuring other cast and crew. Kirk Douglas' son Michael was among those injured during the explosion, though he recovered enough to continue filming.
The Twilight Zone (1959-64)
While there is no actual evidence that this classic series was cursed during production, it certainly has an eerie history after its cancellation. The show's creator and host Rod Sterling passed away at age 58 due to heart failure caused by blood poisoning, and his death has later ruled a suicide.
The sister of actress Anne Francis committed suicide by shooting herself in the head at age 45. Actor Vic Morrow died during an illegal helicopter stunt that went wrong when he was crushed to death by a falling piece of equipment from the set. His children were also killed in this accident.
Deadly Curse or Just Bad Luck?
While there is no way to prove that these accidents and deaths were caused by some sort of curse, it seems strange that so many people would die around one production. Is "The Crow" cursed because of the tragic death of its star, or was the original script accident-proof until a bunch of inexperienced people took over?
What about "The Twilight Zone", which was filming for years without any major accidents before the tragedy on set ended its run? Though some might say these incidents are just a coincidence, there is no denying that they have earned their places in Hollywood history.
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