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Olivia Newton-John in 2010 ( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images)
Australians will get a chance publicly mourn Olivia Newton-John, with the beloved entertainer's family accepting an offer for a state memorial service.
Newton-John's niece Tottie Goldsmith accepted the offer on the family's behalf when speaking with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday morning.
A venue and date for the service have yet be announced, with further discussions under way between the family and the premier's department.
But Mr Andrews flagged the event will be more of a concert than a traditional funeral service.
"The family were quite touched at the prospect of Victorians being able to come together and celebrate Olivia's life," Mr Andrews said.
"As tough as this time is ... it's made a little easier by all the outpouring of grief and support, and the very fond memories people are sharing of such an amazing person."
The actress, singer and activist was reportedly planning to write an introductory letter to new Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas, federal Health Minister Mark Butler and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to push for greater access to medicinal cannabis.
Ms Thomas said she had not received any correspondence from Newton-John but was aware of her passion to support people living in pain with cancer and other chronic illnesses.
She noted medicinal cannabis is available to be prescribed where appropriate to Victorians by their doctors and clinicians.
British-born, Melbourne-raised Newton-John died in her sleep at her California home on Monday aged 73.
Best known for her role alongside John Travolta in the smash movie musical Grease, she endured a recurring battle with breast cancer.
Her husband John Easterling posted a tribute on Newton-John's Instagram page overnight.
"Our love for each other transcends our understanding. Every day we expressed our gratitude for this love that could be so deep, so real, so natural," he wrote.
"We were in awe of this great mystery and accepted the experience of our love as past, present and forever. At Olivia's deepest essence she was a healer using her mediums of song, of words, of touch.
"She was the most courageous woman I've ever known. Her bandwidth for genuinely caring for people, for nature and all creatures almost eclipses what is humanely possible."
He ended his message thanking the "vast ocean of love and support that has come our way".
Newton-John battled breast cancer three times throughout her life after first being diagnosed in 1992.
Her experience led her to create the Olivia Newton-John Foundation to fund research into cancer therapies.
She also founded the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, which supports people living with the disease.
Newton-John was admitted to the Australian Recording Industry Association Hall of Fame in 2002 and made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2019.
Across Australia on Tuesday night, famous landmarks - including the Sydney Opera House, Melbourne's Flinders Street Station and the MCG, and Optus Stadium in Perth - were bathed in pink light as tribute to her contribution to breast cancer awareness.
(AAP Image/Steven Saphore)
© AAP 2022
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Disney has surpassed streaming rival Netflix in the total number of subscribers for the first time, the company's Q3 reports show.
Having gained 14.4 million subscribers to its Disney+ the franchise now maintains 221 million total subscriptions across its streaming offerings.
That compares to Netlfix's reported 220.67 million total global subscribers.
It is the first time any competitor has passed the streaming giant on the number of total subscribers.
"We had an excellent quarter, with our world-class creative and business teams powering outstanding performance at our domestic theme parks, big increases in live-sports viewership, and significant subscriber growth at our streaming services," Disney chief executive Bob Chapek said.
"With 14.4 million Disney+ subscribers added in the fiscal third quarter, we now have 221 million total subscriptions across our streaming offerings."
© PAA 2022
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Tyler Scott Hoover, a professional Spider-Man cosplayer and model, in the classic costume of the Marvel comic superhero (Image: Tyler Scott Hoover via AP)
Spider-Man fandom is in Tyler Scott Hoover's blood, but not because he was bitten by an irradiated arachnid. His father had collected Marvel comic books featuring the character since the 1970s.
"He passed down a ton of comics to me," says Hoover, 32, of Glen Burnie, Maryland. "It kind of makes it almost like a religion. It would have been hard for me not to become a fan of Spider-Man."
There are legions of fans of Spider-Man, who this month marks 60 years in the vast world of comic books, movies and merch. Among those fans are devotees such as Hoover, a professional Spider-Man cosplayer and model who doesn't resemble the longtime "canon" presentation of the character. However, in the cinematic and comics universes, a black Spider-Man is now reality.
Hoover is biracial - of black and white ancestry - and stands at 188cm. And the story of his fandom illustrates an important point about New York City's favourite wall-crawler: the appeal of the character long ago transcended its original iteration as a white, unimposing, orphaned teenager.
Spider-Man's classic costume is a key ingredient to the character's appeal across race, gender and nationality. Almost anyone can imagine themselves behind the character's wide-eyed, web-patterned mask.
"The older I got, slowly but surely, I saw how relatable the character was," Hoover says. "He had to work through his struggles while still maintaining a secret identity and doing good for the people. That kind of moral compass is powerful, especially for an impressionable mind."
Created by the late Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Spider-Man appeared in comics as early as June 1962, although the canon date of his debut is August 10, 1962, in Marvel's Amazing Fantasy #15. Peter Parker, a highschooler who was bitten by a spider from a science experiment and developed superhuman strength, the ability to cling to solid surfaces and fast reflexes aided by the ability to sense and anticipate danger.
But on his journey to becoming a superhero, Parker fails to stop a burglar who kills his Uncle Ben, leaving his adoptive aunt widowed. The character then strives to honour the words etched at the end of that debut issue: "With great power, there must also come great responsibility."
Racially and culturally diverse superheroes, generally absent from mainstream comics during their first decades, began to emerge in the years after Spider-Man's debut, particularly at Marvel.
In 1966, Black Panther, also known as Prince T'Challa of the fictional African nation of Wakanda, became the first black Marvel superhero. Making their debut in the 1970s were Storm, the mutant goddess and member of Marvel's X-Men; Luke Cage, Marvel's black Harlemite with superhuman strength and nearly impenetrable skin; Shang-Chi, the master martial artist who is among the first Asian Marvel superheroes; and Red Wolf, the expert archer and first Native American Marvel superhero.
"Sometimes when we think of superheroes, we think of billionaires in suits, brilliant scientists or Norse gods," says Angelique Roche, host of the podcast Marvel's Voices and co-author of the upcoming book My Super Hero Is Black.
Spider-Man turned the idea of mostly privileged humans using their wealth and power to become heroes on its head, she says. Spider-Man iterations, in the comics and in film, have appeared across the so-called "spiderverse". Miles Morales, a teenage, Afro Latino Spider-Man, has become wildly popular and starred in his own animated feature film. Cindy Moon, a Korean-American known as Silk, was bitten by the same spider as Peter Parker.
In July, Spider-Man was inducted into the Comic-Con Hall of Fame during the annual convention in San Diego. Fans flooded the convention hall in costumes that spanned various iterations of the character.
Because of the mask, Spider-Man has been a safer choice for cosplayers hoping to avoid the staunch purists, or those who criticise others for deviating from canonised representations of superheroes. But cosplay doesn't have to be canon, says Andrew Liptak, a historian and author of the book Cosplay, a History: The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who Bring Your Favorite Stories to Life.
"Ultimately, it's about your relationship to the character," he says. "You're literally wearing your fandom on your sleeves."
Liptak also says it's unfair to expect fans of colour to dress up only as superheroes whose appearance or skin colour matches their own.
In the recent film Spider-Man: No Way Home, Electro, the villain played by Jamie Foxx, joked to Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man that he was surprised Spider-Man wasn't black. Whether or not that opens the door to a live-action black Spider-Man, Hoover says Spider-Man should never be boxed into just one look.
"Spider-Man was never really defined by his ethnicity, but more so his social status and the struggles he went through," Hoover says. "That's even more relatable for people of colour and different ethnicities, because there's a lot of struggle involved in life that you have to persevere through."
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Just when you thought this year couldn't get any worse, Starburst lollies will no longer be available in Australian shops.
Australian TikToker @nariman.dein accidentally made this discovery, when she used TikTok to voice her concerns which has since amassed 270,000 views and over 1000 comments and labelling it "a conspiracy".
She said “Can someone tell me where these lollies went? I’ve been looking everywhere for them in... Big W, Coles whatever... these don’t exist!”
"These are the best lollies" she proclaimed. “I’m having this conspiracy theory that they stopped selling them and no one knows.”
@nariman.dein @starburst i need some answers #comedу #westernsydney #fyp #aussie #aussiethings #woolworths #coles #shopping #conspiracy ♬ Clarinet main lazy atmosphere song(878137) - Yukito Hitoe
Confectionary giant Mars Wrigley, who are responsible for producing Starburst, among other loved confectionaries, have since reportedly confirmed that the loved and famous lollies will be made obsolete in Australia.
A Mars-Wrigley spokesperson has sad that “Our Starburst® products are imported from Europe and like many businesses that are importing products from overseas, the brand has been exposed to supply chain difficulties and rising cost pressures over the last two years,” a spokesperson for the company said.
“After reviewing all options, we’ve made the difficult decision to discontinue the brand in Australia from June 2022.”
“We regularly review our Mars Wrigley product range to ensure we’re offering our consumers great tasting products that are also great value for money,” the spokesperson said.
The worst part is that the spokesperson for Mars-Wrigley confirmed to Guardian Australia that the brand’s discontinuation was "a long-term business decision, and not a short-term viral marketing strategy, meaning they're gone for good."
The Mars-Wrigley statement went on to state that, “As a proud Australian manufacturer for more than 60 years, we are taking this opportunity to prioritise and invest in the brands and products we make locally in Australia such as M&Ms®, Maltesers®, Skittles®, Snickers®, Extra® And Eclipse®.”
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