Independent Australian news and analysis across politics, business, technology, world affairs and culture
Every Avenged Sevenfold fan can tell you exactly where they were on December 28, 2009, because that’s the day Reuters (global news agency) reported that James Owen Sullivan — better known as The Rev, the band’s drummer and co-songwriter — had died at his home in Huntington Beach, California, at 28. This is the story … Read more
Most people meet Kate Walsh the way she’d choose to be met: mid-crisis, in surgical scrubs, delivering a dry one-liner as Dr. Addison Montgomery. Born Kathleen Erin Walsh in San Jose, California, in 1967 (IMDb Biography (the film-industry database)), she has become one of television’s most recognizable medical-drama fixtures. The answers to the questions fans … Read more
When a family vlogging channel turns from daily life to something far darker, few could have anticipated the criminal case that followed: Ruby Franke, once known for her YouTube channel 8 Passengers, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to four counts of aggravated child abuse and is now serving a 4-to-30-year sentence in Utah. Here’s the … Read more
Alexis Arquette spent much of her life in the spotlight — first as a working actor in 1990s Hollywood, later as one of the industry’s first openly transgender activists. When she died at 47 in September 2016, many people learned her full story for the first time. Born: July 28, 1969 · Died: September 11, … Read more
Anyone who has searched for Naveed Akram lately knows the jolt of seeing two very different stories under the same name. One is a 24-year-old facing 78 charges in an Australian terrorism prosecution; the other is a Pakistani former footballer. The official record — the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions page — is where the … Read more
Few actors have walked into a hit show mid-run and made a character so iconic that it becomes impossible to imagine the series without them. David Ogden Stiers did exactly that when he joined the cast of MASH in its sixth season as the pompous, brilliant Major Charles Emerson Winchester III. Born: October 31, 1942 … Read more
Some films settle in quietly and then refuse to leave. The Green Mile has done exactly that since December 10, 1999, when Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s serial novel introduced audiences to a death-row supervisor named Paul Edgecomb and a gentle giant named John Coffey, though the facts around it have blurred over two … Read more
Few TV characters have left a mark quite like Dean Winchester. For 15 seasons, the older Winchester brother drove his 1967 Chevy Impala through monsters, heaven, and hell—all while trying to keep his family together. Show: Supernatural · Seasons: 15 · Portrayed by: Jensen Ackles · Birthdate: January 24, 1979 · Height: 6’1″ Quick snapshot … Read more
There’s a reason Alison Hammond has become one of Britain’s most talked-about presenters. From her breakout on Big Brother in 2002 to her current role co-hosting This Morning, she has a knack for winning people over with genuine warmth. Age: 49 (as of 2024) · Weight loss: 11 stone (reportedly, per Social Glow (lifestyle blog)) … Read more
There’s a reason Gold Coast Suns fans have been buzzing all season — and his name is Matt Rowell. The 23-year-old midfielder, taken first overall in the 2019 AFL Draft, has turned early-career injuries into the most decorated season in the club’s short history. Current Age: 23 (born 1 July 2001) · Height: 180 cm … Read more