On Friday, November 21 five of the country's most popular designers are showing off their latest collections...for a great cause.  Charlie Brown, Nina Maya, Bowie, One Teaspoon and Bettina Liano are each taking part in the Five Designers Fashion Show; an annual event that aims to raise money for the Starlight Foundation. In case you didn't know, the starlight foundation exists to bring fun, laughter and joy to children living with serious illness or injury. The event will be held at Sydney's Hilton Hotel; where drinkies and canapés will be served and hosts Bianca dye and Kate Waterhouse will keep things interesting. Tickets are $95 and guarantee a fabulous night for a fabulous cause.

As YEN contributor Cara mentioned yesterday, There's an exciting new Australian film about to hit cinemas. Newcastle tells the story of Jesse; a young surfer struggling to step out of the shadow of his bad-ass, ex-pro half brother. On the eve of a local surf comp, Jesse and his boys plan a trip  away with some local girls for a weekend of surfing and partying but when his half brother turns up with posse in tow, an unofficial surf contest ensues and tragedy unfolds. One of the highlights of the film is its fantastic cast of up-and-comers including Lachlan Buchanan and Xavier Samuel. Newcastle opens in cinemas november 5 and to celebrate, YEN is giving away 10 prize packs containing a double pass to see Newcastle and, to get a bit of a beach-babe vibe happening, a Le Tan Shimmer Bronzer Brush and Le Tan Jet Dry self-tanner. To be in to win, email me with NEWCASTLE in the subject heading.

I'm very excited for the chance to catch Baltimore native and "MIA protege", Rye Rye, this weekend. At only seventeen this prodigous young lady can already count Diplo, MIA, Blaqstarr, The count and Sinden and Afrikan Boy as collaborators and is described as "the reigning princess of club hop". If you haven't already, check out the above video for Shake it to the Ground - girl has some mad moves. I'm also mildly obsessed with this crazy as hell Crookers remix of Wassup Wassup. Rye Rye's Australian dates are as follows:

Melbourne, Oct 23 at Miss Libertine
Perth, Oct 24 at The Bakery
Sydney, Oct 25 at Oxford Arts
Newcastle, Oct 26 at the Clarendon Hotel

The Renault New Generation Art show is bringing to the fore a new generation of Australian artists. Held at Sydney's Royal Hall of Industries this weekend, the event will be chocka with work from Australia's ones-to-watch; including Emma Hack, Benedict Dos Remedios, Sam Ash and Abbie McCulloch. If you have a bit of spare cash then this is a prime opportunity to invest it in work that's set to explode in the coming years. As part of the New Gen show, Renault is offering a peoples choice award - simply head here, click on your favourite young artist and you could be helping them get a $5000 leg-up. All votes go in the draw for a weekend away at the Bellachara Boutique Hotel in Gerringong. Swishay!

This one goes out to my Adelaide and Brisbane readers: WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU DOING? Did I not tell you last week that I have double passes to the Stereosonic Festivals in your respective towns? Brisbane, you particularly dissapoint me - I thought you lot were always down to party? Let me remind you who's playing: Sneaky Sound System, Crookers, Carl Cox, Paul Van Dyk, Booka Shade, PNAU, Midnight Juggernauts, Devlin and Darko (of Spank Rock fame), TV Rock, Tommie Sunshine, Faker, lost Valentinos and MORE!
Email me now, not later, tell me your three festival essentials and the tix are yours. Get to it already!

"I tried taking pictures, but they were so mediocre. I guess every girl goes through a photography phase. You know, horses... taking pictures of your feet".

**sigh** If you hope your own photography career to have a longer shelf-life than that of Scarlett's whiney Lost In Translation Character then be sure to enter the YEN/Hansel photographic comp. Running throughout this month, the competition asks you budding snappers to interpret the title of Hansel's latest collection: Square-y Mary. The winning entry will not only have their shot featured in the DEC/JAN issue of YEN as well as the Hansel website, but they'll also find themselves the new owner of a Hansel wardrobe worth $2000. Head here for more info.

It's getting to that time of year when everyone starts making tentative plans for New Years Eve. For what's meant to be the most celebratory event of the year NYE is quite a stressful one - "what if all my friends are away while I'm stuck in X", "I hope I don't ring in the New Year in some shitty, last-minute-choice basement bar like last time", or worse "I hope I'm not counting down while on the train" (this has happened to me...twice). That's why this New Years we should all make a mad exodus to a place where there are no shitty basement bars or underground trains - The Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne, New Zealand.
If the fact that Gisborne is the sunniest town in NZ and the first place in the world to see in the New Year wasn't alone worth the plane ticket, then consider three days of performances from Santogold, Franz Ferdinand, Late of the Pier, The Kooks, Carl Cox, Digitalism, Jamie Lidell (i.e, my future husband), Ajax, The Datsuns and, like, heaps more. Did I mention the venue is the famed Waiohika Estate vineyard? Umm delicious food and succulent wines anyone?
If you've missed out on Falls and pretty much every other NYE event that sold out in two seconds than I would seriously recommend making the journey - if you get in early via sites like webjet then you can pick up flights to Auckland pretty cheap, from there it's just a matter of bussing or chipping in for a hire car (roadtrip!). There's also heaps of accommodation options available and, most importantly, I guarantee you will have the time of your life. Rhythm and Vines runs from December 29 - January first with event passes starting at $185 (NZ).
www.rhythmandvines.co.nz