Pattinson heads to South Australia to shoot The Rover

Twilight actor Robert Pattinson packed his talent and took the plane Down Under to shoot new thriller The Rover. Working alongside Australian actor Guy Pearce, Pattison will play a thief in the futuristic Western.

The film will paint a dangerous and dysfunctional near future set in the Australian desert. Perspectives for the set are promising as most scenes will be shot in the stunning Flinders Ranges, while others will be filmed in Adelaide Studios.

It's set 20 years in the future, in Australia, Robert Pattinson said recently of the film. Basically, I'm an American whose brothers are in a criminal gang in Australia. Guy Pearce's character kidnaps me to try and find my brother. Other than that, it's really complicated. But it's cool. It's really fun.

The movie will be directed by David Michôd, an Australian filmmaker and director known for the highly-acclaimed film Animal Kingdom, which he directed and co-wrote. Animal Kingdom tells the story of a seventeen-year old who, after his mother's death, goes on to live at his grandmother's house.

Far from finding a home and being safe, Josh finds himself surrounded by criminal uncles and a concealing grandmother. In the midst of corruption, drugs, murder and violence, Josh tries to survive with the help of a policeman. Undeniably, Animal Kingdom is a ground-breaking drama with a high dosage of emotion and tremor-provoking scenes. Should The Rover be anything like Animal Kingdom, it will be a marvelous film, indeed.

On another note, fans of the couple Pattinson-Stewart have their eyes and ears on alert mode to keep up to date with the status of their relationship. The couple had a rough summer after Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert with Snow White and the Huntsman director. Now that their relationship faces the trial of such a long distance, curious followers are eager to know if it will survive the separation.

Lifeline Bookfest 2013

Book lovers, rejoice! The book event of the year is back in Queensland's capital this month.

The Lifeline Bookfest 2013 – the universe's largest second-hand book sale based in Brisbane- opens this Saturday 19 January in Halls 3 and 4 of the Brisbane Convention Centre. Never-ending piles of second-hand books will fill the tables at the festival until 27 January. Reading aficionados can get their hand wipes ready to clear the dust while scanning through the books.

Brisbane's Lifeline Bookfest began back in 1989 and since then it has grown bigger and stronger year on year. In its origins, books lay on bales of hay. Today, there is such a substantial quantity of books that three kilometres of tables are needed to allocate them.

With over 2 million books for sale across two giant halls, the massive sale has books on every subject between heaven and earth, ranging from science fiction to cook books, children's books, new fiction and war craft. University students can also find text books in a good condition. The endless publications are split into three sections of high quality, priced and without it.

Visitors can sip on coffee and try some awesome snacks while they immerse themselves in the magic in words that fill the halls. And there's no doubt that books and coffee sounds just right, whether you are reading for pleasure or carefully studying a text book for your university course.

All funds raised at the Bookfest help support Lifeline's 24-hour 13 11 14 Crisis Counselling Line, counselling services and support programmes for children and families throughout the Brisbane and Greater Brisbane region.

You can get there by train or bus to Southbank, and it is only a short walk from the Convention Centre. If you are getting there by car, it is recommended to arrive before the opening time to find a park in the surrounding streets or you will be have to pay ridiculous fees in the Convention Centre Parking.

The Water Factor in a Vampire Love Story

Australian actresses Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin were already famous in Oz for their performance in teenagers' TV Show H2O: Just Add Water. Claire left the show after season 2 and the series ended the following year.

Time passed and many fans were content to see the attractive, familiar faces of the actresses back on the small screen, but this time, under a different light and in an American TV show. And it is a big contrast, indeed, not only in theme but also in terms of scenery.

From playing the roles of teenage mermaids in H2O, now the actresses feature in a show about creatures of the night: The Vampire Diaries. They have left the stunning beaches blessed with sunshine in the Gold Coast and surrounded in the gloomy and violent town of Mystic Falls. The happy endings of the teenage show differ from the constant deaths and strong violence that takes place in The Vampire Diaries.

Their characters are still supernatural but they are more complex, deal with more tumultuous feelings and face more dramatic duels. Claire Holt plays Rebekah, a powerful vampire confronted with tragic loneliness. Forsaken by loved ones and betrayed by family, Rebekah plays a dangerous vampire that is actually in search of affection.

Phoebe Tonkin plays Hayley, a free-spirit werewolf. Her character is newer and her arrival thickens the plot in a mysterious way. Her own secrets, particular quest and personal feelings for one of the characters in the TV show twist the fate of Mystic Falls.

The Australian actresses featuring in American productions follow a current trend in the US. It seems that the American public is very prone to appreciate Australian talent, and world-class Aussie actors keep amazing critics and audience.

The Vampire Diaries is a drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by L.J. Smith. The Series premiered on The CW Television Network back on 2009 and is now on its fourth season. Set in a small town of Virginia named Mystic Falls, the main focus is a love triangle between main character Elena gilbert and vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore. As the narrative has evolved, it has been focusing on the history of the mystical town.

Eskimo Joe turn to Crowd Funding in the making of their 6th Album

Popular Australian rock band Eskimo Joe have pioneered a revolution in the music landscape with their crowd funding initiative on Australia's leading creative platform, Pozible. By engaging the audience through the newest technological possibilities, the multi-platinum artists are campaigning to raise AUD$40k for the production of their forthcoming album.

We are really lucky with the support we've had over the years from the record companies, but this time around we took advantage of the unique opportunity to do a fan-driven album, commented Kavyen Temperley, lead vocals and bass guitarist of Eskimo Joe.

This creative experimentation in the recording of their sixth album has marked a turning point in the national music industry. Namely, this initiative will be the biggest contribution campaign for music by an Australian artist on the Pozible platform.

Fans of the band can head to Pozible website, in the Eskimo Joe section and there they can become a part of the creative process through the recording, mixing and mastering of their 6th studio album due for release mid-2013. Through social media updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, the band has committed to keep participants informed and involved in the making of the album. The project ends on February 9th, 2013.

Supporters will also have access to a number of packages, including advance copies of the band's forthcoming new single, to exclusive unreleased material or a BBQ with the band. The most active participants will be offered the chance to see the band perform the record in full live in the Perth Studio before the album release, as well as a custom-made guitar which has been hand-crafted by guitarist Stuart MacLeod.

The story behind this project began back in early 2012 when Kavyen, Stuart and drummer Joel Quartermain started jamming in their brand new Perth Studio, The Wasteland. What started out as an unrestrained creative process sparked the writing of a series of spontaneously produced demos. After acknowledging the strength of the new songs, the band decided to look for a fresh approach in order to keep embracing this inspired route.

The band decided to go-it-alone in this record because we felt it was a good chance for us to creatively spread our wings, commented Kav. Also, Joel stated: I guess crowd-funding makes perfect sense for the way we are making this record. Not that we probably write differently, but I just think there is a feeling that we can do anything with this record.

The band expressed their satisfaction with the production of their 6th album –which will be recorded through March and April 2013- and the sense of freedom in the studio. Joel said: It is nice to be working on our terms and in our own time not having any expectations. He added that the band was enjoying playing music for themselves rather than rushing to record.

According to the band, the 6th album is not only a new start for them, but also a travel in time to the origins of Eskimo Joe. This new process takes you back to before you made your first record when you started jamming with some mates, said Joel. It feels like we have gone back to the start of things in a sense, but we are less naïve and it's a little bit more honest and less dark, he added.