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Alex de Minaur has called on his new-found firepower to push aside Pablo Andujar and reach the Australian Open's round of 16 for the first time.
The 32nd seed beat the Spanish veteran and regular hitting partner Andujar 6-4 6-4 6-2 in another commanding display in Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.
De Minaur will now face Italian 20-year-old world No.10 Jannik Sinner, who has beaten the Australian in both previous encounters, for a place in the quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old, ranked 42 in the world, lost the first set in his first round clash but has won his past nine to build his best home campaign.
Andujar, who will turn 36 on Sunday, joined the tour in 2003 and has returned from three separate surgeries on his right elbow to hit a ranking high of 32 in the world seven years ago.
He made the Australian earn it, but de Minaur obliged in trademark fashion to run down the Spaniard's best and counter with some scintillating shot-making of his own.
De Minaur rifled a forehand down the line to secure the decisive break in the first set, while a pinpoint lob earned applause from his opponent in the second set after the Australian had somehow scrambled to stay in the point.
The cracks opened, a double fault handed de Minaur a break in the third set and he rammed home his advantage with another monster forehand in the next game.
"You've got to be aggressive and really take it to them," de Minaur said.
"You can't just sit back and let them bully you around ... everyone nowadays hits the ball so hard, so you kind of have to improve with the rest of them."
De Minaur is set to rise at least nine spots to No.33 in the world thanks to his career-best performance at Melbourne Park.
Breakout ATP star Sinner poses new threats but de Minaur is confident his off-season power boost has him well placed to drag one back on the young star.
"I know what's coming - immense firepower," he said.
"I'm going to have to be ready to not get bullied around the court and really take it to him."
And the Australian will have Rod Laver in his corner, the tennis great on hand to watch de Minaur on Saturday night in the stadium named after him.
"It's one of those moments you kind of dream of. Play night match, 7pm prime time on Rod Laver Arena on your own merits, and have the legend Rod himself watching you play," he said.
"So it's definitely a great moment to savour for many years to come.
"And, of course, to go out there and play such a good match and win on this occasion, it's a great feeling."
© AAP 2022
Image: Alex de Minaur
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A Wollongong man is among 30 COVID-related deaths during the 24 hours to 8pm last night.
The man in his 70s was vaccinated against COVID-19.
He was one of seven people aged in their 70s who died.
Others included one person in their 50s,15 people in their 80s and seven aged in their 90s.
Nine people were unvaccinated, and one had received only one dose.
Along with the man from Wollongong, 10 people were from south-western Sydney, five were from Sydney’s eastern suburbs, three were from Sydney’s south, two were from Sydney’s inner west, two were from Sydney’s north west, two were from the Northern Rivers region, two were from the Central Coast, one was from inner Sydney, one was from Dubbo and one was from Coffs Harbour.
This brings the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,054.
There are currently 2,762 COVID-19 patients being treated in the state's hospitals, including 204 people in intensive care, 70 of whom require ventilation.
There were 20,148 new COVID cases in the 24 hours to 8pm last night – including 8,566 from rapid antigen tests and 11,582 from PCR tests.
The RATs included 1,178 from South Western Sydney Local Health District, 1,105 from South Eastern Sydney, 1,075 from Western Sydney, 946 from Hunter New England, 894 from Northern Sydney, 705 from Sydney, 458 from Illawarra Shoalhaven, 453 from Central Coast, 392 from Nepean Blue Mountains, 340 from Northern NSW, 304 from Mid North Coast, 222 from Murrumbidgee, 209 from Western NSW, 149 from Southern NSW, 21 from Far West LHD and 115 are yet to be assigned to an LHD.
The cases detected via PCR included 1,892 from South Western Sydney LHD, 1,888 from Western Sydney , 1,302 from Hunter New England , 877 from Sydney , 855 from South Eastern Sydney , 819 from Northern Sydney , 706 from Illawarra Shoalhaven , 620 from Murrumbidgee , 604 from Central Coast , 473 from Nepean Blue Mountains , 460 from Northern NSW LD, 342 from Western NSW , 272 from Mid North Coast , 167 from Southern NSW , eight from Far West , six from correctional settings and 291 yet to be assigned to an LHD.
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Australians & Hollywood: A Tale of Craft, Talent and Ambition is careful to cast its net wide, showcasing the behind-the-scenes work of designers, cinematographers and editors, among others, as well as the above-the-title actors who carry a movie and those who direct them.
Two years in the planning, it is the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's first self-devised show in 20 years.
"Our film industry is punching above its weight internationally and it's an important move for us to share some of our collection in an exhibition we've curated ourselves," curator Tara Marynowsky says ahead of Friday's opening in Canberra.
Visitors enter the exhibition space along a red carpet and past a grid of glowing screens, recalling a media wall at a premiere.
Featuring 77 moving image and sound components spread across dozens of digital monitors and projections, the show is complemented by key costumes, props and memorabilia from films such as Moulin Rouge!, Somersault, Animal Kingdom and The Sapphires.
The Evil Cat and a Singing Mouse from Babe even make an appearance.
"George Miller has been super-nice to loan us these special items from his own collection," Marynowsky says of the furry lifelike models.
Miller's vision and daring loom large in the exhibition, which begins with a section devoted to the Mad Max director.
"We have three customised steering wheels from Mad Max: Fury Road as well as a head costume worn by Tom Hardy," Marynowsky says, pointing to an image of the actor strapped to the front of a car from the 2015 reboot.
The next space, Adam Arkapaw and the New 'New' Wave, showcases the noted cinematographer and winner of two Primetime Emmys for Top of the Lake (2013) and True Detective (2014).
Arkapaw also lensed David Michod's Oscar-nominated Animal Kingdom and, more recently, The King, as well as Justin Kurzel's harrowing Snowtown.
From there, it's a quick shoe-shuffle to Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin and their collaborators.
In this room one finds the slinky red gown Nicole Kidman wore playing the role of legendary showgirl Satine in Moulin Rouge! along with Luhrmann's production notebooks and personal diaries, and more can-can costumes than you can shake a leg at.
Next, Nicole Kidman and Her Contemporaries acknowledges the star power of actors whose careers have gone, well, stellar, with nods to Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Toni Collette and Russell Crowe among others.
Finally, trailblazing First Nations directors Rachel Parkins and Warwick Thornton are honoured in a room including a three-screen video essay about Thornton, also an acclaimed cinematographer, produced by Garuwa Creative.
Emile Sherman, one of three producers who took home an Oscar for best film for The King's Speech, has loaned his statuette to the exhibition, as has Steve Courtley, who won in the visual effects category for The Matrix.
A favourite section of Marynowsky's is that devoted to the late costume designer Norma Moriceau, who fashioned wardrobes for characters in films as diverse as Newsfront, Crocodile Dundee I and II, Dead Calm, Patriot Games and Babe: Pig in the City.
"She also designed the costumes for Mad Max II and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, so she took it to the next level," Marynowsky says, pointing to the designer's sketchbooks and a series of Polaroids.
"You can see her testing out various costumes in these photos."
An interactive element allows visitors to collect animated GIFs on their phones as they move through the exhibition space on two 'journeys' - one focused on directors, the other on designers.
"You even get a digital show-bag at the end," Marynowsky teases.
Two years in the making, the exhibition draws heavily on the institution's trove of footage, photography and objects, which numbers three million.
"As curators, we marvel over things in the collection and think, wouldn't it be great if everyone could enjoy them?" Marynowsky says.
"So it's pretty exciting to be able to showcase footage, photos and objects that people never get to see."
Archive CEO Patrick McIntyre says he wants Australians to be inspired and invigorated by our contemporary cinematic stories.
"This show is filled with memorable, shared experiences of our homegrown storytellers," he says.
"Film has the ability to connect us as humans."
Australians & Hollywood runs until July 17. The National Film and Sound Archive is screening all four Mad Max films this weekend. For further details, go to nfsa.gov.au
Image: National Film and Sound Archive
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Weighing in at 52,800 tonnes and held fast by six million hand-driven rivets, Sydney Harbour Bridge officially opened for business in the midst of the Great Depression on Saturday, March 19, 1932.
Outfitted in full military uniform, Francis Edward de Groot infamously gate-crashed the occasion, swooping in on horseback and slashing with a sword the ceremonial ribbon about to be cut by NSW Premier Jack Lang.
The Irish-born fascist was convicted of offensive behaviour and fined five pounds for the misdemeanour, and so it was that one of Australia's most recognised landmarks acquired one of its more noted controversies.
As the bridge's 90th birthday approaches, however, the call has gone out to anyone with an untold story to share about the Coat Hanger's past or even able to offer up previously unidentified bridge memorabilia.
The request has been issued by tourism outfit BridgeClimb, which is willing to consider each submission for inclusion as an exhibit in its Pylon Lookout & Museum.
CEO Deb Zimmer is convinced some intriguing tales and artefacts are bound to be discovered.
"Everyone has a story that involves the Sydney Harbour Bridge," she said.
"Whether you've scaled to the summit with us, watched it put on a spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks display or simply taken a train ride over it, the bridge has played a part in many people's lives and we're so excited to see what we uncover."
Hot on the heels of the de Groot brouhaha, another lesser known episode in Harbour Bridge folklore took place when Wirth's Circus took seven elephants and a Shetland pony across the fledgling structure in April 1932.
The publicity stunt was designed to promote the big-top show, with records showing toll collectors charged two pence per pachyderm and an unknown amount for the short-legged horse.
Four decades later, a story more Australians might be familiar with unfolded.
Although well before his international rise to fame as Crocodile Dundee, 23-year-old Paul Hogan landed a job as a rigger on bridge in the 1970s.
The future comedic star stuck with the gig for more than a decade, and was still at it when discovered and thrust into the limelight.
With 90 years of history behind it, the iconic arch is brimming with stories to tell, Ms Zimmer says.
To submit them, visit https://bit.ly/3I58a3H
Image: Glenn Ellard
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