Seems as though I'm not the only one who thought the Cow v Hilux incident was pretty damn funny! Brisbane's The Courier-Mail reported the incident using my photographs - Click the image above for the full story or read online at http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,21824622-10388,00.html
See all my "Australia" pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
Now, I'm not sure about you but there is no way I'd be leaving my car in the middle of the road if hundreds of horny (haha) cattle were barrelling down the road towards it. What about the driver of this spanking new Toyota Aurion? I'm guessing it is a hire car and I would love to see if it was covered by insurance if it had have been dented (like a car was yesterday). Imagine fronting up to Hertz - "Umm, the car has a couple of big dents in the side" - "How did that happen" - "Well, it was headbutted by a hundred cows in the middle of a Bowen street"...
See my "Australia", the movie pics at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
With her riding instructor Craig Emerton watching closely Nicole put the finishing touches on the cattle drive scene yesterday. Things have got a bit quieter around town over the last day or two - seems as though Bowen locals just see it as another day at the office now but with the added bonus of having a quick peek at a Hollywood star during their lunch breaks!
Last night I went to the Queens Beach hotel for Monday night footy and a counter meal and who should be there but Bryan Brown and Ben Mendelsohn. They were having a great time too and seemed just as at home in country pub as any local.
Now, David Wenham's riding skills must be a little lacking compared to Nic, Hugh or Brandon. I'm yet to see Davo without a stackhat! Either he has a wild horse or he's taking to riding a bit slower than everyone else.
See my "Australia" gallery at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
MOVIE heart-throb Hugh Jackman took to the waves of Horseshoe Bay with children Oscar, 7, and Ava, 22 months, yesterday.The outing helped blow out the cobwebs following the massive party he and co-star Nicole Kidman hosted on Saturday night.
The two stars of the Baz Luhrmann epic Australia threw a thank you party for the 500-strong cast and crew at Bowen's Grand View Hotel.
It included a surprise performance by Kidman's husband Keith Urban, who was joined on stage at the hotel by a mix of local musicians that the singer dubbed the Bowen Carney Boys after the Carney cattle company featured in the film.
Urban played from 8.45pm until just before midnight. "It was an amazing performance," Grand View's assistant manager Mike Burgess said.
After a day off yesterday, the third week of filming will resume today.
Source: Amy Harris/The Courier-Mail
Ok, maybe I used a bit of creative licence with my headline but the stampede of cows down George St and Herbert St Bowen may as well have been in Pamplona. There were some pretty scary horns amongst the herd and as they swarmed past me I hoped like crazy that they didn't break through the barriers. Nic and Hugh kept their distance, playing it safe, and will undoubtably be edited in for the final release.
Speculation is still running through town about a possible concert by Nic's hubby Keith Urban at the Grand View Hotel tonight but to be honest, I doubt it. My feeling is that it would be somewhere where all the cast and crew could attend and the beer garden of the Grand View would be WAY too small. Anyway, let's see what happens!
See my "Australia" gallery at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
Today just seemed to drag on and on and on. After a few too many ales celebrating Queensland's win in the State of Origin I wasn't really in the mood for a long day. However it was a bit of a treat to win a 'battle of the wits' with publicists and security for long enough to come up with some quality images! Action centred around Carneys Cattle Co. with Bryan Brown yelling from the balcony and Hugh and Nicole doing their best imitations of seasoned horse riders. They sure looked the part and didn't fail to impress with their riding talents!
From what I hear shooting is falling behind schedule however I'm sure they will make that up over the coming weeks.
And while I have the chance, if you are ever in Bowen MAKE SURE you stop in at Jochheim's Bakery for a pie or a coffee. Jayne & Paddy run what must easily be the busiest pie shop in Australia and it is a Bowen landmark. And thanks to Erin for my 17 latte's in 4 days! (A free Hunky Hugh pie for that plug wouldn't go astray!)
See my "Australia" gallery at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
Looking like Larry "J.R" Hagman Bryan Brown made his first appearance on the balcony of the Carney Cattle Company headquarters today. The scene allowed Brown to have quite a number of slugs of whatever Baz Luhrmann had put in his bottle of Kanga Bitter. Cheers Bryan!
See my "Australia" pictures at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
Seems like groundhog day each day now, scenes are filmed over and over and over and ....... But I guess that is how it goes in the movie business. Conner Cruise cruised the streets of Bowen on horseback for the second day in a row - no doubt he will give him Mum a run for her money when they get together for a race. Now that is one horserace I would LOVE to photograph! Hugh Jackman spent a few hours shooting a dusty scene on horseback outside the Territory Hotel and gave me the opportunity to shoot something TOTALLY DIFFERENT to what I have been doing (but I still did something saleable!)
See my "Australia" pictures at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
Friday night saw the commencement of night filming on the set of "Australia". Action concentrated around the Pearl Picture Gardens with a large crane holding thousands of litres of water soaking the set in a simulated rainstorm.
Today was a pretty good day around the set - Nicole and Hugh took 20 minutes out of their day to sign autographs and pose for pictures with Bowen volunteers and locals. No, I'm not from Bowen and can't afford to volunteer but no stopping me getting a pic with Nic!
See some of my pics from Bowenwood at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
Bowen locals had the opportunity to meet the stars during a "Traditional Welcome" ceremony on the set of "Australia". I was given the opportunity of looking around the set and seeing the incredible detail that has gone into the creation. Chinese gardens, outdoor picture theatres, a traditional brothel, cattle yards and pearl trading businesses are only part of a mass of streets that make up the set. The centrepiece of the movie is The Territory Hotel, which was the scene of yesterday's ceremony and will be the opening scene in the movie - Nicole Kidman's character arrives off a ship and walks up the jetty into the township just as Hugh Jackman's character is punched through the window of The Territory Hotel. Great introduction to Australia!
See some of my pics of the movie so far at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/2849094
Was given a nice treat today, a special look at the set of the new Baz Luhrmann movie "Australia" currently in production in Bowen, Australia. Had the opportunity to photograph Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in costume and get a general overview of what is a stunning set creation. Can't wait to see the final product!! Had to take the opportunity to have a pic with Bowen's No.1 celebrity and all-round nice guy, mayor Mike Brunker.
See the story at http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21726759-2,00.html
Tired of scrolling through thousands of photos just to find pics of your favourite Cowboys? Try my search engine at http://www.cameronlaird.com/gallery/1467283. Works wonders!
What a terrible way to kick off your debut period with the Cowboys. Unlucky Ben Farrar suffered a Jones fracture of the right foot (injury to the fifth metatarsel) at training on Friday. After playing a super debut game against top-of-the-table Manly, he is now out for approximately six weeks. Best of luck with the recovery Ben!!
See my pics of Ben at http://www.cameronlaird.com/search/index.mg?searchWords=ben+farrar&searchType=InUser&NickName=camlaird
Let's just see how many nerds out there with a fairly quick broadband connection read this blog! :-) I have a fair few invites to Joost available soon so if you are keen, add a comment to this post with your first name, surname and email address. Don't stress, you won't get spammed by me at all, I will just add your details to my Joost invite list. Oh - and if you don't know what Joost is then you better get along to www.joost.com - it is destined to be massive and is a look into the future of broadcast television.
Cheers! (and here is a screen grab of a Joost window)
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