Puffio

Sunday Spectrum at the Adelaide Festival Centre presents a mixed bill of delights, with all concerts from 2pm. On Sun 10 Feb it's a showcase from the 2007 Recitals Australia Lunch Hour Awards; performances from some of the state's finest young musicians, who originally presented their work at the Pilgrim Church Lunch Hour concert series.

Opening in the Exeter Gallery on Tues 19 Feb is the photographic exhibition 'One', a collection of fine works by James Stocks and Lucy Spartalis, the latter being a contributing photographer to dB Magazine, and therefore her work is most highly thought of. To see more check out www.juxtaposition.com.au

What a good score, and congratulations to Sarah John, who is the winner of the $10,000 Neil Curnow Award for theatre training. She now gets to study with international theatre company Teatro de los Sentidos in Barcelona, Spain, having graduated from the Advanced Diploma of Arts (Acting) at Adelaide Centre for the Arts,TafeSA in 2003. She is also a co-founder of highly regarded theatre company floogle, who this year will present 'Ollie & The Minotaur' during the Fringe Festival.

A quite intriguing and first time exhibition in Adelaide is the 'Yulparija Artists Of Bidyadanga', on show at the AP Bond Art Gallery on Unley Road from Wed 27 Feb. These are 22 paintings from the people of the Great Sandy Desert on the Canning Stock Route in Central Australia.

After Puffio wandered around the Big Day Out the other day and couldn't help noticing how many young men appear to want to be known as Corey, it was interesting, but slightly spooky to receive an email claiming the pesky party animal who has shown Australia how to be genuinely trivial has sparked something of a sales crisis in - the sunglasses industry!!! "[An unnamed brand's] sunglasses help Corey handle the glare of stardom" screamed the press release. Apparently the brand in question has found it difficult to fill the vast number of orders for their $14.99 sunglasses.

Works by two South Australian filmmakers - Sarah Crowest and William Allert - have been selected in an elite group of 16 finalists for Sony Tropfest 2008, the world's largest short film festival. Isn't that neat? Battling through the pool of nearly 600 entries, Sarah has been selected for her short film 'Looped' and William for his short film 'Dusk'. The national winner is to be announced live from Sydney on Sun 17 Feb, so good luck to both. Presented in Adelaide by the Media Resource Centre (MRC), Sony Tropfest 2008 will be held on Sun 17 Feb in Rundle Park, adjacent to the Garden of Unearthly Delights, the free screening running from 3pm to late.

Throughout the Festival and Fringe the place to be for some serious and in-depth coverage is Radio Adelaide on 101.5 fm, and in particular the programme 'The Big F', from 3:30 - 5:00pm Mon - Fri. Cath Kenneally and David Jobling will be aided by a ten person review team, and will br e bringing together a programme full of interviews, news and reviews.

In case you hadn't heard... of the latest celebrity birth in this fair city... congratulations to Amanda Blair and her partner Michael are blessed with the birth of their son Frank Oswald Farquharson (3.5kg) who was born on Wed 23 Jan at Calvary Hospital - Amanda and Frank are doing very well.

'Space Sea & Fantasy' is an exhibition of mixed media artworks by Paula Kerr, currently on display at Gallery M at the Marion Cultural Centre, and concluding on Sun 17 Feb. It all looks a bit New Age, y'know?

Also at Gallery M is a collection of photography, artifacts and images by Susan Hayfa, entitled 'Enduring Freedom: Afghanistan In Transition', which sounds like a reasonably optimistic idea, given the current seasonal warfare which erupts across the country. Perhaps Hayfa is examining the personal struggle for freedom and freedom of expression which gives rise for hope amongst all thoughtful people, women included.

With this perfectly summery weather - including perfectly balmy evenings - there may be no better way to have fun with hundreds of your closest friends than a night out at Moonlight Cinema, which continues its season until the first week of March. This week some of the classic fillums are being rolled out: on Wed 6 Feb it's 'Monty Python & The Holy Grail', surely one of the very best comedies ever scraped together from the cutting room floor. Actually, the week of Moonlight attractions just gets a little more power from that point, because on Thurs 7 Feb it's 'Hitman', on Fri 8 Feb it's the very recent 'The Assassination Of The Outlaw Jesse James...' and then on Sat 9 Feb you can be horrified by 'Alien vs Predator Requiem', not only by its big scary monsters and the rustling in the trees, but because of it's appalling plot and script. Laugh like you've never laughed before. Oh, and on Sun 10 Feb it's the old Richard E Grant classic 'Withnail & I'. Moonlight Cinema is in Botanic Park, with entry via Plane Tree Drive, and screenings begin at sundown (gates from 7pm).