Brett Debritz’s archive

“I’ve been singing for over 30 years – nothing in your training and experience can ever prepare you for having five litres of blood poured on you from eight metres above your head.” So says baritone Michael Lewis in this ABC story on the new Opera Australia production of Verdi’s Nabucco, in which the central character is Saddam Hussein.

Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of Shakespeare, is now wired. Visitors can now hire a PDA for the day, giving them wireless internet access and a guide to the town’s tourist attractions.

Metro Arts in the Brisbane CDB is a little richer tonight after an auction of donated artworks. The board plans to “give the old girl a facelift”, which means a lash of paint and some other much-needed maintenance.

Brisbane’s Radio 4BC has announced a new on-air line-up. Peter Dick is moving into breakfast with Ross Davie, while John Miller will now host the drive shift. Greg Carey has moved from the Sports Today program, which will now be hosted by Rod Tiley, to the afternoon shift. Ian Maurice will take over weeknights, with Tony Murphy moving to the night shift on weekends. Clare Blake will be leaving the station, following Chris Adams who departed last week.

The voices of Piglet and Tigger have died within days of each other. The Celebrity Deaths Archive has been updated to include them and, of course, Brisbane’s “Captain” Jim Iliffe. There’s also a story about Iliffe in The Courier-Mail today.

“Captain” Jim Iliffe, former Channel 9 children’s show host and an icon for Brisbane’s late Boomers and early Generation Xers, has died. At the start of his show each afternoon he would appear to arrive on Mt Coot-tha in a helicopter – something rather special at the time. His proteges include Kerri-Anne Kennerley and Jackie McDonald.

Coming to a screen near you, Dr Death: The Motion Picture. According to The Courier-Mail, there are plans to make a film about Dr Jayant Patel’s controversial stint at the Bundaberg Hospital. After the trial, presumably.

A number of people have been directed to this site via search-engine queries about the manner of ABC broadcaster Paul Bodington’s death. The full, sad story is told by Paul’s father and his colleague Spencer Howson on page 5 of The Sunday Mail today.

Shane Warne and his wife Simone have announced their separation. Apparently this story in the UK Sunday Mirror last weekend had something to do with it.

“I’ve travelled all night, spent a fortune on the ticket, looked forward to it for months and now I’ve got to camp in a swamp. But that’s Glastonbury, isn’t it?” So, with chipper British spirit, says one of the ticket-holders to the famous UK music festival, which was hit by a series of thunderstorms.