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“I was not at all prepared.” How audiences are reacting to House of the Dragon.

Updated 9:46am 22 Aug 2022

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9:46am 22 Aug, 2022

“I was not at all prepared.” How audiences are reacting to House of the Dragon.

By Isabella Ross

The Game of Throne’s prequel House of the Dragon is officially out and audiences are raving about it online. 

The ten-part fantasy series is set approximately 200 years before the events of the original series and is based on chapters from author George R. R. Martin’s ‘companion’ book Fire & Blood. 

House of the Dragon is set to focus on the rise and fall of House of Targaryen. And it appears that the gaping Game of Throne’s hole in many people’s lives may just be filled with this shiny new prequel. 

And it better be good considering the budget of the prequel is reported to have been around $300 million to make.

Overall, the first episode has gone down well – but once again, the confronting gore scenes have left a few viewers pretty shocked. And it has everything to do with a pregnant woman giving birth…

Warning: Some of these tweets feature spoilers!

New episodes of House of the Dragon premiere Mondays at 11am on Binge and Foxtel.

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7:45am 22 Aug, 2022

Hundreds gather in Melbourne to farewell legendary singer/songwriter Archie Roach.

By Isabella Ross

Content Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following article contains images, names and voices of people who have died.

Archie Roach's family has given permission for his name, image and music to be used.

Legendary singer/songwriter Archie Roach was farewelled today. 

He passed away at age 66 after a long-term illness, with his sons releasing a statement to announce the death of the Gunditjmara (Kirrae Whurrong/Djab Wurrung), Bundjalung Senior Elder, songman and storyteller.

"Archie passed, surrounded by his family and loved ones, at Warrnambool Base Hospital after a long illness. We thank all the staff who have cared for Archie over the past month. Archie wanted all of his many fans to know how much he loves you for supporting him along the way," they said.

"We are so proud of everything our dad achieved in his remarkable life. He was a healer and unifying force. His music brought people together."

Today a procession took Roach through Melbourne. His remains were in a hearse held in high esteem among Indigenous Australians. The hearse was purchased by the Aboriginal Advancement League in Melbourne in the 1970s and carried Mungo Man back to Lake Mungo in 2017.

The Southern Warriors Aboriginal Motorcycle Group then escorted Roach’s remains to a location near Warrnambool, where a private funeral was due to take place.

Motorcycle group vice president, Jason Kelly, a Mutthi Mutthi Wamba Wamba man, said to The Age the procession was a spiritual event.

“It’s really fitting because he has the opportunity to say goodbye to everyone,” Kelly said.

You can read our full deep dive on Archie Roach’s life and legacy here.

Feature Image: Twitter/Instagram.

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7:45am 22 Aug, 2022

Development after bodies of children found in suitcase in NZ.

By Isabella Ross

A woman believed to be a family member of the two children whose remains were found in suitcases in New Zealand is in South Korea, Seoul police say.

The woman, a Korean-born New Zealander, arrived in South Korea in 2018 and there was no record of departure since then, a police officer told Reuters.

Her whereabouts, and whether she had other relatives with her when she arrived in the country, were not immediately known.

"New Zealand police had requested confirmation whether the person who might be related to a crime case was in South Korea," the police officer said, adding that given her past address and age, she could be the children's mother.

Police launched a homicide inquiry in Auckland this month after the children's remains were found by a family going through the contents of a storage locker they had purchased unseen.

The children had been aged between five and 10 years old and had been dead for some time, New Zealand police said.

The family who found the bodies are not connected to the deaths.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was asked about the case in Wellington on Monday and said she wanted to be cautious due to the ongoing investigation.

"I find any reporting that involves children very, very difficult. But I think everyone does," she said.

With AAP.

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7:44am 22 Aug, 2022

JLO and Ben Affleck’s new wedding controversy.

By The Spill

In exciting TV news, Gogglebox Australia is returning to our screens this week, and here’s everything you need to know about the brand new cast members.

In slightly less exciting TV news, it appears that John Corbett really is returning to the Sex and the City universe as Aidan Shaw in the new season of And Just Like That. Now, a year ago, this would have been very welcome news, but today we are violently against it.

And after officially marrying in a Las Vegas ceremony last month, and then enjoying an extensive Parisian honeymoon, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have just gone back for round two and hosted a three-day wedding event. While there are some truly romantic moments from the wedding festival, three big controversies have now emerged.

Get today’s episode of The Spill in your ears now!


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8:38pm 21 Aug, 2022

PM to receive legal advice on Morrison's secret ministry, and all the news you need to know this morning.

By Brielle Burns

Morning everyone, 

Welcome to your live news feed for Monday, August 22.

In case you missed it, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck tied the knot (again) over the weekend. We've rounded up everything you need to know about the couple's three-day wedding right here.

But first, let's take a look at the top stories making a buzz this morning. 

1. Legal advice on Morrison to be handed down.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will today receive advice from the solicitor-general on whether Scott Morrison breached any rules after he secretly appointed himself to five portfolios.

Albanese say he wants reform to ensure a presidential-style acquisition of powers can't happen again in the Westminster system.

"There's separate questions about the functioning of our democracy, about conventions and whether any conventions have been overturned and whether there's a need for any reforms required to ensure that something like this can never happen again," Albanese told Sky News on yesterday.

"Very clearly, there's a need for proper scrutiny of what occurred here, this was an undermining of our parliamentary democracy."

One of Morrison's former ministers, Karen Andrews, has called on him to quit, while Liberal MP Bridget Archer, believes the Member for Cook should reflect on his position in parliament.

"I do just think that people should reflect on the great privilege and responsibility that they have when they are elected to these roles, and think about whether they are fulfilling those obligations," Archer told the ABC.

"If they are not, then they might want to reflect on doing something else."

The Sydney MP could also face questioning by a powerful parliamentary committee over his secret appointments.

Greens leader Adam Bandt has written to Speaker Milton Dick requesting the matter be referred to the privileges committee to investigate whether there had been a breach or contempt of parliament.

2. Govt. to conduct royal commission into COVID response.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says a royal commission into Australia's COVID-19 response will be held as soon as is practical. 

The inquiry would examine the role of state governments in managing the pandemic as well as that of the federal coalition under former prime minister Scott Morrison.

"Clearly you need to look at the response of all governments... the different jurisdictions," the prime minister told Sky News yesterday.

"The pandemic exposed (the fact that) some of the issues with our federation can often be quite difficult with overlapping responsibilities."

Albanese said he could not envisage a circumstance where a once-in-a-century global pandemic and in response, the largest economic stimulus Australia had seen, was not evaluated.

He said a royal commission would place the entire health care system under the spotlight including the interaction between government departments, hospitals, GPs and pharmacies.

Australia reported another 10,500 cases and 36 fatalities yesterday, with the nation on track to record its 10 millionth case within a week.

3. Actor Gary Busey charged with sex offences.

US actor Gary Busey has been charged with sexual offences at a fan convention in New Jersey this month.

The 78-year-old was charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one count of attempted criminal sexual contact and one count of harassment on Friday. 

The charges stem from alleged offences at the annual Monster Mania Convention at the Doubletree Hotel between August 12 and 14 in Cherry Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia, police said.

Busey, who lives in Malibu, California, was scheduled as a featured guest for all three days of the event.

Busey is widely known as a character actor, largely in supporting roles, though he came to attention and was nominated for an Oscar for best actor for playing the title role in the 1978 film The Buddy Holly Story.

He has also appeared in movies including Lethal Weapon, Point Break, A Star Is Born, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

4. Free cancer test available for young Aussies in world-first. 

In a world-first program aimed at saving lives, young Australians can now access a free test which detects risk for certain types of cancers and heart disease.

Melbourne's Monash University will lead a national screening program of at least 10,000 people aged 18-40, who will be tested for genes that increase the risk of certain types of cancers and heart disease that often go undetected.

Supported by researchers and clinicians across the country, DNA Screen will identify people with variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that lead to an increased risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in women. These genes are also linked to breast and prostate cancer in men, although not as strongly.

"We expect to identify about one in 75 people at high risk of these diseases," Monash University's co-lead for the national project Jane Tiller said.

"Those found to be high risk won't necessarily get the disease, but pinpointing risk before symptoms appear enables prevention through regular check-ups, medication, or risk-reducing surgery. It could save their life."

The test, which is available to everyone in Australia aged 18-40, is free and involves placing a saliva sample into a small tube received by mail, and sending it back in a postage paid envelope.

5. Singapore to decriminalise gay sex.

Singapore will repeal a colonial-era law that makes sex between men illegal, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced.

Lee said Singaporean society, especially young people in the city-state, are becoming more accepting of gay people.

"I believe this is the right thing to do, and something that most Singaporeans will now accept," he said in his annual national day rally speech, adding that the government would repeal Section 377A of the penal code, a law that criminalises sex between men.

It was unclear when exactly the law would be repealed.

Singapore is the latest Asian country to move closer to ending discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

However, the prime minister says there are no plans to change the legal definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman 

"We believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman, that children should be raised within such families, that the traditional family should form the basic building block of society," he said.

Singapore will "protect the definition of marriage from being challenged constitutionally in the courts", he said, adding: "This will help us repeal Section 377A in a controlled and carefully considered way."

That's it, you're all up to speed. We'll be back to bring you more top stories this afternoon. 

- With AAP.

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8:02pm 21 Aug, 2022

What it's like to be Australia’s first Minister for Autism.

By The Quicky

Last week, the South Australian Government appointed the first minister of its kind. 

Emily Bourke is the country's first ever Assistant Minister For Autism, in a bid to ensure those experiencing the neurological condition are better represented. 

In this episode of The Quicky, we speak to Minister Bourke and Jacqui Borland, the CEO of Aspect, Australia's largest service provider for people living with ASD to find out why a dedicated Minister For Autism is needed and how it will benefit those living with Autism. 

Feature Image: Twitter/Instagram.

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