(JESSE on the BRINK) Winking IT!

by Jesse Archer

My boss was sick and kindly offered me his tickets to the Helpmann Awards, honoring achievement in live art entertainment - sort of an Australian version of the Tony's. I hadn't seen any of the stage shows, but following the Sydney imperative: take any chance you get to go to visit the Opera House or harbour beaches, I went with Gerald. We saw and heard from Tina Arena, Baz Luhrmann and a bunch of people that were of great interest to a bunch of people in the know.

Enjoying a pre-show drink among the gorgeous sails of the Opera House in moonlight. 

Any tribute to Australian arts would naturally include a 20-minute celebration of Kylie Minogue in dance, which was a highlight. But as most of the awards were being accepted by proxies who gave rambling speeches of their own, not to mention many of the shows getting awards being crap Broadway knock-offs from 2005 (Legally Blonde?), a mid-show escape to the Opera Bar outside was in order.

This is winter - beautiful!

We returned for the after-party, which was the best part - and not just for the food and drink. We met this sweet duo, Patty and her gay pal David. They are best friends from ages ago, and have a cabaret act together. Patty's musician husband died this year and he was featured in the musical tribute of the Helpmann's, so it had been an emotional show for her.

Patty and David are looking to revive their act later this year, putting together a "Gershwin meets Liberace" cabaret (!) We talked all night about their past and future, as I kept insisting for their new act we showcase Patty up on the piano sultry and sparkling and purring like Michelle Pfeiffer in The Fabulous Baker Boys. Hopefully we'll have someone to cheer on at the Helpmann's next year!

PLUS....All of Sydney comes together for the most populated road race in the world! City 2 Surf has a whopping 80,000 entrants that includes (from what I saw) Superman, the Big Bad Wolf, and Elvis.

And they're off! The crowd pours out of Hyde Park from the city towards the sea. It becomes a game of Frogger/Dodgem to get around everyone and you begin to understand why there are participant limits to most races because here you can't get into the groove of your pace due to all the $&*$@ people in your way. This is my excuse for just jumping in to avoid the $80 entrance fee! 

I've had a head cold but was really happy with my race, whizzing up notorious Heartbreak Hill and even having the energy to give shout out encouragement to the people running nearby me. Who I'm not sure appreciated the loudmouth vocal encouragement... "hearbreak, nothing! You OWN this!"

I didn't go through the finish chute, but I made it to Bondi ahead of all the kids and grannies (my updated road race fitness goal).

It was a gorgeous midwinter day- 20c/72f - so I joined several runners who dipped into the surf.

Look - it's an official entrant! Bam is on a fitness streak and placed high enough to seed himself in a faster start group next year.

Its All about the Technique!