arts-and-entertainment

Daily Mail forced to pay first lady "millions" over false escort claims

US President Donald Trump's wife, 46, had sued the publisher of the Daily Mail in Britain and also filed a $US150 million ($200 million) lawsuit against it in New York, claiming the article had cost her millions of dollars in potential business.

The article, which ran in the newspaper under the headline "Racy photos and troubling questions about his wife's past that could derail Trump", was published last August.

2017 Stella Prize: Australia's best women's writing

The winner receives $50,000 — though sadly two of this year's shortlisted writers died last year.

RN's Books and Arts explains the broad range of work by the prize's six shortlisted authors.

An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire

This novel puts an act of sexual violence at its centre. A young woman — Bella — is raped and murdered.

But An Isolated Incident is not another sensationalist account of violence against women.

Bible stories told through Indigenous art

She reached adulthood before she started painting, watching the work of others as she developed her skills.

When she looks at her dot painting — in the rich colours of central Australia — a bright crucifix she has put in it gives her strength, she said.

"I painted the Last Supper, Christ sitting with his disciples."

More than 60 Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal artists have contributed to Our Mob, God's Story, a book just launched in Adelaide.

Selfie Conscious: Lens people went to for the perfect picture

An exhibition at the Museum of Brisbane shows the lengths people of the 1800s would go to when trying to capture an image of themselves that they wanted to share with the world.

Props, backdrops, costumes, animals and touch-ups were all used to create the perfect photo in the 19th century.

The exhibition — Sit. Pose. Snap. Brisbane Portrait Photography 1850-1950 — showcases more than 330 photos from one of Australia's most significant collectors of portrait photography, Marcel Safler.

Why no symphony orchestra in the world makes money

But no symphony orchestra in the world would be financially viable on its own.

That's the startling truth uncovered by Robert Flanagan, a professor of economics at Stanford University and the author of The Perilous Life of Symphony Orchestras.

"They all run an operating deficit, in the sense that the money they earn from concerts, records and so forth does not cover their expenses," he told The Money.

There are many reasons for this, but chief among them is that the expense of running an orchestra is enormous and virtually impossible to bring down.

Heath Ledger documentary to detail actor's passions and struggles

I Am Heath Ledger will showcase never-before seen home footage of the actor, providing a rare look into his personal life and his passion for film.

"There were always cameras around, a video camera, a polaroid camera or the film camera. That's the only way I think of him," model Christina Cauchi said in the trailer.

The documentary is the latest instalment in director Derik Murray's I Am series, which explores the lives of other iconic figures in film, music and the media.

Murray's other subjects have included Bruce Lee, Evel Knievel and Steve McQueen.

Ian McKellen reveals why he didn't play Dumbledore

Some even probably thought it was him.

But renowned actor Sir Ian McKellen has revealed he turned down the role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter film series because the original actor, Sir Richard Harris, did not approve of him.

Speaking on BBC HARDtalk, the British actor who famously played the white wizard Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings franchise and villain Magneto in the X-Men films, said the late Sir Richard was not critical of his acting skills, but believed he lacked passion for the art.

National Photographic Portrait Prize finalists share the stories behind the pictures

Ahead of the announcement, the ABC contacted 10 of the 49 finalists, and asked them to share the stories behind their photographs.

Of the above picture, titled A Moment, photographer Millie Brown said it captured a brief, captivating look from a child playing by the sea in East Arnhem Land.

"[It was] a very organic, brief moment in time where I asked him to look down the lens, and he did, and he gave me that very strong, intense look," she said.

"Then he slipped straight back into the running and the jumping and the diving and the swimming."

STEM enrolments hit 20-year low, but scientists have an idea to stop the slide

The National Scientific Statement, released last week, found participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in Australian schools was declining, with enrolments in these subjects at the lowest level in 20 years.

It also reported that performance in these STEM subjects had slipped and if the decline continued, "Australia may be unable to supply the skills required for the future workforce".

The Aboriginal stand-up comedians cracking up Australia

Melbourne's International Comedy Festival first held its Deadly Funny competition in 2007 and The Deadly Funnies have helped to sustain the genre.

More recently we've have TV shows like Black Comedy8MMM, and Comedy Up Late