101 essential things to do in 2010
We've got a full 12 months' entertainment mapped out for you, Sydney. If you only do 101 things this year, do these
By Nick Dent, Vivienne Egan, Andrew Georgiou, Erin Moy, Myffy Rigby, Andrew P Street and Jonathon Valenzuela
TOP 5 REMAKES
Nothing's new under the sun, nor on the cinema screen...
1 Alice in Wonderland 4 Mar
Tim Burton jumps down the rabbit
hole for a live-action version of Lewis Carroll's disturbing fantasy.
Johnny Depp is a scary ginger Mad Hatter, and Helena Bonham Carter has
an enlarged head - we're there!
2 The Wolfman 28 Feb
The vampire bit is getting old, but werewolves are still as fresh as that newly bitten flesh. Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Hugo Weaving star in a remake of the 1941 Wolf Man.
3 Clash of the Titans 1 Apr
This remake of the stop-motion 1981 Greek mythology epic has some big armour to fill. We have faith in Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson.
4 Robin Hood 13 May
Russell Crowe is Robin and Cate Blanchett is Marian in Ridley Scott's version of the classic English tale. Oscar Isaac (Balibo) portrays bad Prince John.
5 Gulliver's Travels Dec
The little people of Jonathan Swift's 1726 novel get a big-screen update with funnyman Jack Black as a travel writer shipwrecked on Lilliput.
TOP 5 BLOCKBUSTER SEQUELS
Absolutely, positively guaranteed to be better than the original. Would we lie to you?
1 Iron Man 2 29 Apr
The ever-charismatic Robert Downey Jr reprises his role of Tony Stark with Mickey Rourke and Scarlett Johansson joining the cast.
2 Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps 22 Apr
Oliver Stone follows up his 1987 hit with a GFC-related sequel. Michael Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko, and Charlie Sheen's back, together with fresh faces Shia LaBeouf and Carey Mulligan.
3 Sex and the City 2 3 Jun
Women and gay men: save the date for this blockbuster sequel. Cameos from Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand and Penélope Cruz sweeten the deal.
4 Predators 7 Jul
Director Nimrod Antal and producer Robert Rodriguez will try to recapture the action and chills of the original Predator film (rather than ape the lacklustre Alien vs Predator).
5 Toy Story 3 24 Jun
Fifteen years after the first film started a CGI revolution, Woody, Buzz et al make a return - but their owner, Andy, has grown up...
TEN NOSTALGIA ACTS TOURING THIS YEAR
The Gen X greats are coming
1 Pixies
Hordern Pavilion, 14-16 Mar
The reunited indie legends play their Doolittle album in its entirety.
2 Faith No More
Soundwave, Sun 21 Feb; Hordern Pavilion, Mon 22 Feb
We never thought Patton would get the old gang back together.
3 Pavement
Enmore Theatre, 4 & 5 Mar
The slacker quintet slouch their way down under.
4 Salt N Pepa
Good Vibrations, Sat 13 Feb; The Metro, Wed 17 Feb
Who'd have thought DJ Spinderella would be the hold out?
5 Jane's Addiction
Soundwave, Sun 21 Feb; Enmore Theatre, Tue 23 Feb
They cancelled last year, but Farrell and Co are coming back, baby.
6 Echo & The Bunnymen
St Jerome's Laneway Festival, Sun 31 Jan, The Metro, Tue 2 Feb;
The post-punk warhorses keep on keeping on.
7 Dinosaur Jr
The Metro, Thu 11 Mar
They're the only indie-rock band whose reunion discs have been as good as their old stuff.
8 Naughty by Nature
Good Vibrations, Sat 13 Feb
They'll put out an OPP, one assumes.
9 Sunny Day Real Estate
Soundwave, Sun 21 Feb; UNSW Roundhouse, Tue 23 Feb
Emo inventors finally get their due.
10 Spandau Ballet & Tears for Fears
Sydney Entertainment Centre, Fri 23 April
It's an 80s pop extravaganza!
FIVE FAAAABULOUS QUEER THINGS TO DO IN 2010
1 Try not to faint, because Whitney Houston is looking lean, clean and mighty keen on wowing audiences at the Hope Estate in the Hunter Valley on Saturday 27 February.
2 Work your queer muscle power and get behind the Facebook petition to get George Michael to extend his February Australian tour to include a quick show at Mardi Gras.
3 Scream like a six year old girl over the fact that this years Mardi Gras festival pool party is upgrading from Victoria Park Pool to the Ivy Pool and bar.
4 Spam the crap out of Kevin Rudd until gay marriage becomes legal in this country. It's a fundamental right and queer people have great taste in wedding cakes to boot.
5 Tap into your inner teen and get down to The 80s Are Back exhibition at the Powerhouse.
TEN AMERICAN PLAYS TO SEE IN 2010
Local theatre companies are bringing the best of US playmaking to town this year. Don't miss:
1 Brooklyn Boy
Ensemble Theatre, 21 Jan-6 Mar
Donald Margulies' comic drama is about a Jewish author who only becomes successful when he embraces his Jewishness.
2 Orestes 2.0
SBW Stables Theatre, 17 Feb-13 Mar
Charles Mee has reset Euripides' post-war tragedy in contemporary times, channel surfing between ancient Greek text and American pop culture.
3 Rain Man
Ensemble Theatre, 4 May-3 Jul; Glen St Theatre 7-18 Sep
Alex Dimitriades takes the Tom Cruise role - and Daniel Mitchell the Dustin Hoffman part - in the stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning movie. Bring tissues.
4 Long Day's Journey into Night
Sydney Theatre, 29 Jun-1 Aug
Andrew Upton directs Eugene O'Neill's gut-wrenching 1941 masterpiece. Oscar-winner William Hurt plays James Tyrone, and Robyn Nevin his wife Mary.
5 The God Committee
Ensemble Theatre 15 Jul-29 Aug
Mark St Germain's nail-biting play is about the medical professionals who decide who should receive a heart transplant when demand far outstips supply.
6 Between Us
Ensemble Theatre, 29 Jul-11 Sep
Two college friends who dreamed of becoming professional photographers reassess their lives many years later in Joe Hortua's poignant play.
7 August: Osage County
Sydney Theatre, 13 Aug-12 Sep
America's famous Steppenwolf theatre brings their original production of Tracy Letts' August: Osage County to Sydney, courtesy of STC. It won five Tonys!
8 Our Town
Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 14 Sep-17 Oct
Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-winning 1938 play is a powerful call to appreciate life while we are in it.
9 True West
Wharf Theatres 27 Oct-5 Dec
Philip Seymour Hoffman returns to the STC to direct Wayne Blair in Sam Shepard's classic about two brothers, one a screenwriter and the other a criminal.
10 The Last of the Red-Hot Lovers
Ensemble Theatre, 25 Nov-9 Jan 2011
Sharon Millerchip plays multiple roles in Neil Simon's 1969 play about a nebbish (Mark Kilmurry) who wants to join the sexual revolution before it's too late.
FIVE SHOW-STOPPING SONGS FROM MUSICALS
Expect to get a lump in your throat during...
1 ‘Memory' Cats, Lyric Theatre, Star City, from 18 May
‘Midnight/Not a sound from the pavement/Has the moon lost her memory?/She is smiling alone'
2 ‘Somewhere' West Side Story Lyric Theatre, Star City, from 2 Jul
‘There's a place for us/Somewhere a place for us'
3 ‘Defying Gravity' Wicked Capitol Theatre, ongoing
‘And nobody in all of Oz/No Wizard that there is or was/Is ever gonna bring me down!'
4 ‘Working My Way Back to You' Jersey Boys, late 2010
‘I'll keep working my way back to you babe/With a burning love inside/I'm working my way back to you babe/With a happiness that died'
5 ‘Fame' Fame, Oct
‘I'm gonna make it to heaven/Light up the sky like a flame/I'm gonna live forever/Baby remember my name'
FIVE ARTISTS TO WATCH AT THE BIENNALE OF SYDNEY
From 12 May-1 Aug, the 17th Biennale, "Songs of Survival in a Precarious Age," brings works by major global art stars to town including...
1 Louise Bourgeois
She French/American, she's 98, and she's probably the greatest living sculptor in the world.
2 Paul McCarthy
America's great art clown has done things with Barbie Dolls, sausages and Santa Claus that defy belief.
3 Kent Monkman
Toronto artist Monkman parodies 19th century landscape painting from a gay, postcolonial point of view.
4 Cai Guo-Qiang
China's hugely ambitious installation maker is one of the hottest artistic properties in the world right now.
5 Mark Wallinger
See this Turner Prize-winning artist dress as a bear and dance around an empty art gallery. It's deeper than it sounds.
TOP 5 CLUB TRENDS FOR 2010
We have seen the future of partying in Sydney...
1 Smaller venues
Clubs are going the way of bars in 2010, boosted by the success of bar/clubs like Chingalings and Doctor Pong. Along with being smaller they are harder to find, such as GoodGod Small Club, which is only accessible by walking through the dance floor of La Campaña.
2 Temporary clubs
These have generally been outdoor venues limited to the summer months, like Beck's Festival Bar over Sydney Festival and Chill Trailer as part of By George Laneway Festival. In 2010, we're expecting to see a pop-up music venue at every festival.
3 Retro nights
It's been ten years since the 90s ended, so we're expecting more events focusing on that decade, such as White Men Can't Crump. But it won't stop there. With the success of club nights like Jingle Jangle and the ongoing Britpop, it looks like 2010 will be a retro revival, all over again.
4 Galleries in clubs
Following the lead of venues like Oxford Art Factory and Sugarmill, more venues will use their "unused" spaces like bathrooms and stairwells to showcase local art.
5 Word-of-mouth events
The secret to a good party is a good crowd, and word-of-mouth events are a way to invite your friends and their extended social networks. Expect more parties that are only advertised on Facebook or through subscriber mailing lists.
FIVE MOST ANTICIPATED GAMES OF 2010
1 Bioshock 2
Who's your (Big) Daddy? This time, it's you!
2 Super Mario Galaxy 2
The best Mario game again, now with Yoshi.
3 Red Dead Redemption
Aka Grand Theft Auto: Wild West.
4 God of War III
The final GOW should be extreme-combat-tastic.
5 Mass Effect 2
In space, nobody can hear you level your characters up.
FIVE BARS TO PROP UP IN 2010
1 The Flinders Hotel
Sydney was sad to see the Flinders close late 2009 but mourn not, sweet town: it's coming back under new management. Paul Wilson, marketing manager of Ksubi, has taken over with restaurateur Nick Mathers. Sydney star bartender Andy Penney will be doing the drinks and has described the new-look Flinders as a "New York-style dive bar where everyone's welcome."
2 Shady Pines Saloon
Bartenders Anton Forte and Jason Scott have been working on opening Shady Pines Saloon for quite some time now. And it looks like 2010 will be their year. "It'll be a sly-grog venue with country music. There'll be lots of whiskey, lots of bourbon and lots of fun." We can't wait.
3 Grasshopper
Grasshopper, set to open in early 2010, will occupy as spot neatly in between Ash St Cellar, Establishment and Ivy in Temperance Lane. "Temperance Lane has a great Sydney drinking vibe," observes Martin O'Sullivan. "The space we've chosen is perfect - old world with exposed beams and wooden floors, no plastic and all recycled furniture. And the bar itself is big and there to be perched at to drink and eat."
4 Ivy Small Bar
It may seem like an oxymoron, but we kid you not. The word on the street is that super-club Ivy is opening a small bar this year. If it's anything like Ivy's Ash St Cellar, winner of Best Bar Food at the Time Out Bar Awards, you'll know where to find us.
5 Rooftop
Barrie Barton's small-scale hospitality site in the old Paramount Cinema Building will serve food and screen arthouse cinema to punters slouched in deck chairs and sipping wine and beer. Barton is currently recruiting a Sydney chef for the kitchen and scouting local producers to cater to what he hopes will be a 200-250 seat capacity venue.
TEN THINGS YOU'LL WANT TO EAT AND DRINK IN 2010
1 Skin
You've all eaten pork crackling, but have you eaten fried, salted chicken skin on a stick? Time Out predicts 2010 will be the year we embrace the epidermis.
2 Korean food
Take a walk down Pitt Street in the CBD - everything's coming up Korean. Our hot pick's the Korean fried chicken with soy or chilli sauce.
3 Macarons
These little puffballs of deliciousness are only getting zanier all over town, from olive oil and vanilla at Baroque bistro to Black Star's macaroon macaron. Or just close your eyes and pick a creation from Adriano Zumbo.
4 Fries
We predict that 2010 is going to be about the perfect fry - the skin on, rough-cut chip. The chip we all dream about.
5 Boutique banh mi
That delicious Vietnamese sandwich of a crisp roll, filled with pate, pork luncheon meats, coriander, pickled carrot, chilli, mayo and fish sauce will make it to the big time, oh yes it will.
6 Non-pork charcuterie
Duck ham. Turkey ham. Lamb ham. Just as the noble pig can be cured and made into prosciutto and pancetta, so too can birds of flight and the cloven of hoof. Breakfast Point's El Mercado is doing winged hams, as is Marque restaurant. Look out for more cured meats in the coming year.
7 Shochu
This spirit is often referred to as Japanese vodka but we would prefer to think of it as a light, fragrant gin substitute or simply its own thing. It's being used in cocktails all over town and is dangerously drinkable.
8 Crab
Crab is the new lobster. It's cheaper, for one thing, and tastier. Its long, tender striations have all the delicacy of a good crustacean and none of that faintly rubbery, cottony business you can get with lobster.
9 Friendly foie
Always wanted to eat the distended liver of a goose but were against the cruelty of eating a force-fed animal? Your time has come! Australia will soon be importing ethical foie gras, from geese who are free to wander and gorge on huge piles of grain without having a tube stuck down their throat.
10 House-made soda
Rockpool Bar and Grill are already doing it, as are Glebe Point Diner. This will be the year more restaurants and bars reject bottled H20 and make their own soda water. Hey, if you can do it at home with a Soda Stream, what's stopping venues from doing the same?
TOP TEN FESTIVALS
Sydney loves a good festival. Here's what the year has in store...
1 Sydney Festival Jan
It's on right now, stoopid! www.sydneyfestival.org.au
2 Chinese New Year Festival Feb
Welcome in the Year of the Tiger with the markets, dragonboat racing and the ever-popular street parade.
www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/cny/
3 Mardi Gras Feb
The world famous gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex festival will run with all its regular favourites such as Fair Day and the Parade.
www.mardigras.org.au
4 Sydney Comedy Festival Apr
The Festival formerly known as Cracker will bring us a variety of comedy gold this year. Watch out for Ross Noble, David O'Doherty and the Pajama Men. www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au
5 Sydney Writers' Festival May
The Writers' Festival promises a line-up of Australian and international writers, imagining Sydney as "Harbour of the Known" and a "Bridge to the Unknown". www.swf.org.au
6 Vivid Sydney May-Jun
Sydney's festival of music, light and ideas returns for a second year.
vividsydney.com
7 Sydney Film Festival Jun
Brand new features from over 40 countries, short films, Australian films and documentaries. www.sydneyfilmfestival.org
8 The Rocks Aroma Festival Jul
A festival to warm the chilly winter months, this festival celebrates coffee and tea, which was first distributed in Sydney from the historic Rocks district. www.therocks.com
9 Crave Festival Oct
A month-long celebration of all things Sydney, Crave showcases the best in art, food, culture and outdoors. Highlights include Sydney International Food Festival and World's Funniest Island. www.cravesydney.com
10 Homebake Dec
The seminal Aussie rock festival gets bigger each year. Watch out for the 2010 lineup announcement around July. www.homebake.com.au
TEN TV MUST-SEES FOR 2010
1 Hawke TEN
Richard Roxburgh steps into the shoes of Australia's hardest drinking Prime Minister for this biopic.
2 The Pacific TEN
Steven Spielberg produced this WWII epic, and it was filmed on location in Australia, so it's definitely a must-watch.
3 30 Rock Season 4 Seven
Tina Fey and the gang are back for more wildly funny hijinks on this award-winning comedy.
4 World Cup 2010 SBS
Forget the Olympics: the world's greatest sporting event is back, and SBS will be bring you all the action from South Africa live.
5 Lost Seven
It's the final season of JJ Abrams' weird-fiction masterpiece, which means all the loose ends will be tied up... we hope.
6 Underbelly: The Golden Mile Nine
Finally, the seedy side of Kings Cross gets the nod from this popular series. Here’s hoping they find enough source material.
7 V Nine
This 1980s sci-fi series about the integration of aliens into Earth society has been given a slick update for 2010.
8 Like a Virgin ABC
Written by Triple J’s Marieke Hardy, this comedy revolves around a woman whose exes start dying mysteriously.
9 Community Nine
Chevy Chase makes the switch to the small screen in this new comedy about a failed lawyer who goes back to school.
10 I Rock ABC
Full of sweat and swagger, I Rock follows the struggle and strife of an up-and-coming pub rock band.
10 SUPER SHOWS TO CATCH IN 2010
A mixed bag of essential viewing...
1 Bliss Opera Australia (Mar)
2 6 Breaths Sydney Dance Company (Mar–Apr)
3 Edinburgh Military Tattoo (4–7 Feb)
4 Sin City Justice & Police Museum (May 2010–May 2011)
5 Pre-Raphaelites AGNSW (May–Aug)
6 Bebel Gilberto Enmore (8 Apr)
7 The Mahler Odyssey Sydney
Symphony (10–18 Feb)
8 The Silver Rose Australian Ballet (Apr)
9 Wilco State Theatre (1 May)
10 Biodiversity Australian Museum (May–Aug)
1 ESSENTIAL WEBSITE
www.timeout.com/sydney
