This year is set to be the year of celebrity bubs as we begin to welcome the latest pint-sized additions into the Hollywood circle and impatiently wait for the rest of the baby bumps to go full term.
This month Simon Cowell and Lauren Silverman met their first baby on Valentine’s Day, a little boy called Eric. Actress Emily Blunt and her husband John Krasinski had a baby girl, who they called Hazel. And screen siren Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green welcomed their second son, with the name yet to be announced.
Check out the new bubs and expecting mums of 2014 here!
The X Factor judge is full of “love and pride” for his first born son Eric.
No pics have been released of Emily and John’s first child, a darling little girl called Hazel.
Megan Fox and former 90210 star Brian Austin Green welcomed their second son.
The wait continues for Olivia Wilde and the rest of these beauties…
Megan Gale posted this picture of her by the pool at the 26-week mark.
Teresa Palmer takes her pooch and her bump for a walk.
Kristen Cavallari hits the gym.
Kelly Clarkson dresses her bump in some sparkle.
Bump selfie! Gwen Stefani snaps herself.
Jennifer Love Hewitt shows off her pregnancy curves.
The cheeky reality TV star was photographed having a great time – perhaps too great – with his surprising drunken antics providing the nights entertainment for the other Aussie celebrities and fans of the show.
Manu swooned the ladies with his dance moves, pleased the crowd with circus tricks – including balancing a chair on his chin – and enjoyed plenty of his native country’s speciality, bottles of Moet.
See party animal Manu snapped in action here.
The hunky chef causes a stir at the MY Kitchen Rules Brisbane launch party!
Manu sweeps up Channel Seven’s weather presenter Liz Cantor.
It doesn’t look like too much judging is going into this dish.
MKR’s charmer looking slightly inebriated.
We’re not sure if he’s coming or going here – it doesn’t look like he knows either!
Manu politely offers The X Factor winner Dami Im his cheek for a kiss.
But sneakily turns his head as the singer falls for his favourite party trick.
With Aussies now working longer and more likely to have several different jobs, what are the best ways to successfully change careers and be on the road to a more fulfilling profession?
Public servant turned horticulturist, Alison Flakemore, said the key step to changing careers is having the confidence within yourself to do it.
“People need to have faith in themselves to follow what they want to do. It’s incredible how many people say: ‘I can’t do that’ – but there are so many sources you can tap into [for help] in this day and age. If you have a dream, get on the internet and find mentors or organisations for support,” says Tasmanian-based Flakemore, who grew up on an apple orchard in the Huon Valley.
The daughter of a horticulturist, Flakemore was working at Transport Tasmania when she began realising her dream of launching a garden and landscape business. Flakemore completed a trade certificate in horticulture at night while working full-time.
“I always looked out the window thinking: ‘I have to get a job outside, I can’t stand being cooped up in here’. It was something I wanted for my own happiness, flexibility and wellbeing – I knew if I worked somewhere for any length of time I would only come home with X amount of dollars,” says Flakemore.
It was when Flakemore was on maternity leave with her first child that she decided to bite the bullet and drop brochures advertising her horticulture business into neighbourhood letterboxes. Within hours Flakemore had her first job, and within the first week had lined up four full days work.
After four years of building a strong local client base, Flakemore branched out by applying for government tenders. She won her first horticultural contract with the Department of Health and Human Services in 2000. In 2011, Flakemore earned a finalist position in the business owner category of the Telstra Tasmanian Business Women’s Awards.
Now, more than 15 years after launching Alison’s Garden and Landscape, Flakemore’s success in a male-dominated industry is evident as her business continues to secure lucrative state government contracts and services the whole of Southern Tasmania.
Identify your current skills, values and work style and how that matches up with what you are looking to move into. Research how the people you admire in your chosen new industry got to where they are today. Volunteering for a relevant organisation can also give you a taste of the area you want to enter and uncover what skills you need to add or improve on. Additionally, using a professional career coach can help you write a solid plan that details how you will reach your new job goals. Flakemore’s final tip is the importance of networking. “I offered free consultations and let everyone I know [about the business]. If you see women’s networking lunches, book yourself a ticket and go along – you will meet so many people from different walks of life and learn from other peoples’ inspirations.”
To get started, you need to download the bunny mask in the link below, then just follow our eight simple steps for a crafty Easter-inspired crown your little one will love.
White cardboard poster-sized sheet, medium thickness (450gsm)
Mask template printed onto A4 paper
Cotton wool balls
Pink felt
Striped paper straws
Scissors
Glue
Paintbrush
Double-sided tape
Also required: pencil
How to make the mask
1 Cut out the mask template, including the eye holes, nose and ear inners.
2 With the cardboard sheet in landscape position, place mask in the centre and trace around. Extend the strap markings on the template to the edges of the cardboard with your pencil so your mask will be long enough to wrap around your child’s head.
3 Cut out the mask and eye holes (gently pierce a hole in the centre with the sharp end of your scissors and then cut around the line. Alternatively, use a scalpel on a cutting mat or chopping board). Use your nose and ear inner template to cut out a felt version. Don’t forget to do two ear inners! For a stiffer nose, glue the felt onto a small piece of cardboard before cutting out.
4 Glue the ear inners into the centre of each ear, leaving white space around it to fit cotton wool.
5 Have your child paint glue onto the rest of the mask. Gently spread apart each cotton wool ball and stick in place over mask, leaving space for the nose.
6 Cut a straw in half lengthways with scissors; discard one half. Pinch halved straw in the centre, flattening out approximately 2cm. From each end, carefully cut up the length of straw to flattened centre to create five whiskers. Use double-sided tape to stick felt nose on top of flattened centre of whiskers. Stick in place on mask with double-sided tape. Be sure to stick whiskers and nose to the cardboard of the mask, not the cotton wool or it will pull the wool off.
7 Stick a strip of double-sided tape to the end of one mask strap. Peel off backing plastic, wrap around child’s head and stick into place on other strap (be careful not to get their hair stuck).
Dubai is becoming a popular stopover destination for Aussies, but what’s behind the surface? Bryce Corbett dips his toe in the Emirates experience, and takes a good hard-look at Dubai.
Forgive me for my brutality, but as a travel destination, Dubai is the urban version of an answer to a question no-one appears to have asked.
A collection of gleaming skyscrapers that have been magicked up out of the dust for no reason apparent to the casual visitor other than to provide a sun-worshipping destination for European holiday makers, a high-end shopping spot for Saudi Arabian visitors and a geographically-convenient stopover for weary Australian travellers making the trek to the European continent.
I have no doubt that Dubai exists for a very important reason – and the purpose it serves doubtless has much to do with its convenience as a hub for the “financial services industry” – whatever that may mean.
But as a travel destination, the city’s raison d’etre is a whole lot more muddied.
In recent years, Dubai has asserted itself among Aussie travellers as a viable alternative to the traditional European stopover destinations of Singapore, Bangkok and Tokyo. And never more so than since the announcement last year of a code-share alliance between our national carrier Qantas and the local airline, Emirates.
The result of this tie-in is 98 flights a week from various Australian capitals to Dubai, and onwards to such European destinations as London, Paris and Frankfurt. And faced with the opportunity of testing out a new sun-soaked stopover destination while enduring the 24-hour flight to Europe, Aussies are taking up the new proposition in droves.
So what does Dubai offer the Australian traveller en route to Europe? As a stopover destination, what can the average traveller expect?
First up, you can expect a neat-ish divvying up of that awful journey. Thirteen hours from Sydney to Dubai, then seven hours from Dubai to London.
Let’s be honest: there’s nothing inherently pleasant about spending 20-odd hours on a plane. It’s an experience to be endured rather than enjoyed.
If you are lucky enough to be travelling in business class aboard one of Emirates brand-spanking new A380s, you’re in for about as smooth a ride as its possible to get.
The state-of-the-art flat-bed seats, the wide-screen LED entertainment systems, the excellent service: they are all dished out with the airline’s trademark beige-and-red-uniformed style.
The A380s are deceptively quiet, somehow managing to lug their several hundred tonnes worth of weight through the atmosphere with a minimum of whine, bump or effort.
Down in economy class, which your correspondent also had the distinct pleasure of experiencing, the journey is markedly less comfortable – as is the way of these things.
Service on Emirates at the pointy end of the plane is faultless, but down on the ground it’s a different story.
The newness of Emirates’ fleet and the relative space afforded each economy-class passenger in an A380 helps to soften the blow, but twenty-something hours on a plane is twenty-something hours on a plane, no matter how you dress it up.
On the day we flew home from London to Sydney in economy class, it was the end of the school holidays, the planes were overbooked (according to the check-in clerk) and the ground staff and cabin crew were either too stressed out or too poorly trained to offer anything in the way of either politeness or service: an area the airline is going to have to work hard to rectify if it is going to continue to attract return custom and compete with a dizzying array of other inter-continental flight options.
The verdict then on the Emirates experience? Business class cannot be faulted. Economy, could try harder.
Which brings us then to Dubai itself. To say that Dubai has no culture would be unfair. It does have culture. It’s just that it’s hard to discern through the ubiquitous dust clouds and refracted glare from glass-encased tower blocks.
As a stopover destination with a raft of comfortable hotels with pools to laze by for a day or two while the worst excesses of jet lag work their way through your system, Dubai is tops. Just don’t roll up expecting to be immersed in world of fascinating cultural difference.
There are glimpses of the Arabian culture that preceded the skyscrapers, but you have to be determined to seek them out.
Arabian Adventures, Emirates’ land-based Dubai tourism operator, offers excellent half-day city tours of Dubai (whose staff are uber-efficient, welcoming and very well-informed) and a very well-organised desert and dinner experience (including camel rides, belly-dancing, a display of falconry and a half-hour of four-wheel driving through the sand dunes) which comes highly-recommended – even if you occasionally feel as if you’ve inadvertantly stumbled onto the Arabian Culture ride at Disneyworld.
It’s Arabia dished up in bite-sized chunks, served in mostly air-conditioned comfort by – rather confusingly – an agreeable army of Pakistani migrants.
And then of course, there is the famed shopping. The malls have to be seen to be believed. At the flagship Dubai Mall, the rows of high-end and high-street stores are punctuated here by an ice-skating rink, there by a four-storey aquarium.
Prices on most goods don’t appear much different to those you would find at home. But to stand with a bag-full of shopping in the shadow of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is to marvel at human ingenuity.
Ditto to look upon the elegant Burj Al-Arab hotel and its distinctive spinnaker design, or indeed the enormous indoor ski-slope (complete with its own flock of penguins).
Say what you like about the place, but if nothing else, Dubai is a kind of Disneyland for fantasy architects and anyone interested in how a metropolis can be built in complete opposition to its environment.
One thing that cannot be faulted is the range and quality of accommodation on offer in Dubai. Whether it’s a simple bed for the night – somewhere to rest your weary head after multiple hours on an airplane – or the complete five-star hotel experience you want, Dubai has it covered.
The jewel in the city’s hotel crown is the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray. Located on the outer-ring of Dubai’s famous ‘Palm’ chain of man-made islands, the Zabeel Saray is the last word in hotel elegance. From its grand, sweeping lobby to its extensive breakfast buffet and sprawling, palm-fringed swimming pool, the Ottoman-themed property is the splurge the long-distance traveller treats themself to for a couple of days of sustained, indulgent jet-lag recovery.
The rooms are finely appointed, the bathrooms are good enough to live in, the five separate restaurants cater to every taste and the round-the-clock cinema offers a dark, air-conditioned respite from the oppressive heat outside. Hotel employees patrol the lawns around the swimming pool handing out ice-cold water, and refreshing glasses of mint and lemon juice are proferred at every turn (it is, after all, the little things).
Special mention must be reserved for the hotel’s spa, where possibly the best post-flight massage ever encountered is on offer. After thirteen hours on a plane, there is little more welcome than an expert pummelling in the most tranquil of surrounds.
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel, perched on the Arabian Gulf, does an excellent line in Dubai luxury accommodation. The Zabeel Saray’s in-house spa is a long-distance traveller’s haven.
The Zabeel Saray’s in-house spa is a long-distance traveller’s haven.
So, Australian travellers: would a Dubai stopover be recommended? No more so than the other traditional routes, it has to be said. Despite its best efforts (and the locals could not be making a more concerted effort) – Dubai feels like it is trying too hard to be something it fundamentally isn’t. That said, the city is perfectly located for a convenient breaking of that awful flight to Europe. And as Emirates continues its ascendancy among international carriers (and hopefully improves its service along the way), the offering may just be too good to refuse.
HOW TO GET THERE
Emirates to London:
Emirates offers fares from Australia to London, one of 35 European destinations, from $2164. Emirates operates 84 flights per week from Australia to Dubai, with eight onward direct flights to London daily, on a range of the very latest aircraft, including the Emirates A380. Guests enjoy one of the world’s most generous baggage policies, with 30 kg of checked luggage per passenger in Economy Class, 40kg for Business Class and 50kgs for First Class travellers. For flight information and bookings contact Emirates on 1300 303 777, visit your local travel agent or go to www.emirates.com/au
Emirates Dubai Stopover Packages:
Emirates Dubai stopover packages allow travellers to enjoy special rates on a range of hotels. For Emirates Dubai stopover information and bookings contact Emirates on 1300 303 777, visit your local travel agent or go to the Emirates Dubai stopover site.
Emirates – Qantas Global Aviation Partnership:
Emirates and Qantas now offer a combined total of 98 flights a week between Australia and Dubai and share frequent flyer benefits. From Dubai, passengers are able to connect to 65 one-stop destinations in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel:
This hotel is the jewel in the city’s accomodation crown. For more information and to book, visit the hotel’s website.
There are just two short months to go until TV’s annual night of nights and while we’re eager to see the red carpet fashion, we’re even more excited to find out who wins all the big awards – which is where YOU come in.
We need you to visit the Logies website and cast your vote for all your favourites. Voting is open from Monday, February 3, to Sunday, March 2 so vote now to ensure you don’t miss out.
Wow! Halle Berry has stepped out looking fitter than ever in her first public appearance since welcoming her son!
Hitting the red carpet for the Acapulco Film Festival, the mother of two looked amazing after giving boirth to son Maceo-Robert less than four months ago.
The 47-year-olf X-Men star sizzled in a chic black and metallic AllSaints dress as she was awarded the coveted Silver Jaguar Award.
Hallee and her actor husband Olivier Martinez, welcomed their first child together on October 5.
Check out more celebrity after baby bodies here.
Halle Berry shows off her post baby figure.
Halle Berry hit the red carpet 4 months after her pregnancy.
Halle looked, happy to be back on the red carpet.
Hilaria Baldwin shows off her post baby figure.
Fifi Box recently revealed her slimmed down figure in *Woman’s Day*.
Fifi Box recently revealed her slimmed down figure in Woman’s Day.
Jessica Simpson has slimmed down with the help of Weight Watchers.
Rachael Finch recently showed off her amazing figure in *Woman’s Day*.
Rachael Finch recently showed off her amazing figure in Woman’s Day.
Penelope Cruz was comfortable and relaxed on the red carpet just months after giving birth.
Super model Heidi Klum was back on the catwalk just 5 weeks after her pregnancy.
Nicole Kidman had her skinny figure back in no time after welcoming Sunday Rose.
Miranda Kerr was back on the catwalk just three months after having her son.
Angelina Jolie stepped out looking stunning four months after giving birth to twins.
Lara Bingle and Sam Worthington have taken the next step in their relationship – walking the red carpet as a couple.
The loved-up pair attended the AACTA Awards in Sydney last night, whispering in each other’s ear and laughing as they posed for the waiting photographers.
The appearance marks a significant milestone in the pair’s relationship – after all, we all know it’s not true love until you’ve attended an A-list event together.
Sam looked dashing in a slim-fitting Louis Vuitton suit, while Lara wore an unusual gown from Australian label Ellery.
Lara and Sam have been dating for several months and have spent much of that time travelling the world posing for glamorous selfies.
Lara and Sam looked very loved-up on the red carpet
Bindi Irwin shot to fame as a tiny wildlife warrior so you could be forgiven for failing to recognise the glamorous young woman who walked down the red carpet at the AACTA Awards last night.
The 15-year-old looked quite the lady in her long-sleeved floral frock, on-trend biker boots, tousled blonde hair and expertly-applied makeup.
But while her appearance has dramatically changed in the past few years, Bindi’s adventurous spirit and fun-loving personality appear to be unaltered – she couldn’t stop laughing and smiling as she walked the gauntlet of photographers, posing more confidently than stars three times her age.
Bindi was just seven when her father Steve Irwin died after a stingray barb pierced his heart while he was filming in the ocean.
She recently opened up about her late father, declaring him to be “the greatest dad on the planet”.
Bindi with mum Terri in 2006, shortly after Steve’s death.
Knox, who was sharing a house with Miss Kercher in Italy at the time of the 2007 murder, was sentenced to 28 years and six months in jail. Her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, was also found guilty and sentenced to 25 years.
In a statement, the American said she was “frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict”.
However, Knox is living in Seattle and will only serve her sentence if she is extradited, a process that could be expected to take a year while the verdict is finalised. Sollecito, on the other hand, is Italian and could be arrested at any time.
Lawyers for both indicated they would appeal against the verdict.
“Having been found innocent before, I expected better from the Italian justice system,” Knox said. “The evidence and accusatory theory do not justify a verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Rather, nothing has changed. There has always been a marked lack of evidence. My family and I have suffered greatly from this wrongful persecution.”
Knox acknowledged that Miss Kercher’s family deserved respect and support but also hit out at the “overzealous and intransigent prosecution, prejudiced and narrow-minded investigation, unwillingness to admit mistake, reliance on unreliable testimony and evidence, character assassination, inconsistent and unfounded accusatory theory, and counterproductive and coercive interrogation techniques that produce false confessions and inaccurate statements”.
Knox and Sollecito were first found guilty of murdering Miss Kercher at a 2009 trial, when headlines dubbed her “Foxy Knoxy” in a case that attracted widespread global attention.
Prosecutors claimed at that trial that the couple and drug dealer Rudy Guede had been involved in a drug-fuelled sex game that led to Miss Kercher’s murder. Guede is currently serving a 16-year sentence over her death but courts have said he did not act alone.
Knox and Sollecito were cleared following an independent review of the evidence in 2011 and released. In March last year, an Italian court overturned the appeal and ordered a fresh trial.
Miss Kercher’s family was in court to hear the verdict. “We didn’t know what to expect. We are still in shock,” her sister Stephanie Kercher, said.
-(1).png?resize=380%2C285)
.png?resize=380%2C285)
.jpg?resize=380%2C285)
.png?resize=380%2C285)
.jpg?resize=380%2C285)
.jpg?resize=380%2C285)
