When people say your life is an empty canvas, they seldom mean it physically. At the Australian Body Art Carnivale, however, you'll literally see works of art walking the streets.

Registrations are now open for the 2012 event – taking place in Eumundi May 12-13 — which attracts artists and spectators from across Australia and overseas.

The event is centred on competitions in full body art (temporary paint – not tattoo) and face painting, but also includes competitions and exhibitions in wearable art, vehicle art and photography.

“As the name suggests, the Australian Body Art Carnivale certainly has a strong focus on body art in its many and varied forms – from the more readily seen face painting right through to full body painting in the categories of brush and sponge, airbrush and special effects,” Event Manager Danielle Taylor says.

“There are opportunities for artists with backgrounds in visual art, make up and special effects, textile art, street art, graphic art and more,” she says.

Danielle encourages painters, illustrators and visual artists to consider the event – even if they have never embraced the competition categories before.

“It’s simply a matter of getting familiar with the paint or product and then adapting your designs to a different canvas – that of a body, a pavement or a car bonnet!” A bright and vibrant time is ensured for all, so if you're feeling a bit dull come on down for a splash of character.

For more information, click here.

Harry Potter stars, James and Oliver Phelps, will appear at Supanova Pop Culture Expo as part of the Gold Coast Film Festival later this month.

The identical twins — who played Fred and George Weasley — will introduce an encore screening of the final instalment of the Harry Potter franchise, ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2’.

"I am thrilled that James and Oliver Phelps will be with us on Saturday 21st to introduce our special encore screening of the final instalment of Harry Potter,” GCFF director Casey Siemer says.

“As we have always said, the relationship between Supanova and the Gold Coast Film Festival is going to create many exciting experiences for fans. Experiences where we extend and ameliorate audience interaction with film and television guests.

“I hope both events see outstanding support from Gold Coasters and I encourage everyone to get out and attend both Supanova and the film festival next weekend.”

The film screens at Birch Carroll & Coyle Australia Fair Cinemas in Southport on Saturday April 21 at 8.30pm. Fans are encouraged to come dressed in Harry Potter themed costumes, with a fantastic prize awarded for ‘Best Costume’.

The Gold Coast Film Festival, presented by Australia Fair Shopping Centre, will be held April 19-29 at Birch Carroll and Coyle Cinemas at Australia Fair Shopping Centre in Southport.

With applications now open for the Channel [V] Presenter Search 2012, current [V] presenter, Jane Gazzo, encourages anyone who has ever drooled for the position to give it a shot.

“I get people who contact me on Facebook saying ‘I love your job, I’d do anything for your job’, so put your money where your mouth is. If you want to do it, do it,” Jane says.

Channel [V] will be presenting the search as an elimination type series. “We just feel it’s a great way to find new talent in this country; you’ve got ‘X Factor’, ‘The Voice’, all these singing related competitions, why not a presenter related competition?”

Regardless of what you think a TV presenter’s life is like, though, Jane assures us it’s a hard working gig that will take over your life. “It’s a really full-time job. Even though we’re only in the office four days a week it’s an intense four days, then of course we work Saturdays with The Riff. It’s quite difficult to juggle a social life and even to see bands becomes a little bit of taking and giving, we have to sacrifice a lot, especially our weekends.”

But if you’re still keen for the job don’t think a pretty face is all you need; when Channel [V] Presenter Search found Billy Russell three years ago, it was his “quirky qualities” that made him stand out. “Anyone can audition for this who thinks ‘I look a bit alright’; ultimately we’re not looking for a good face for television, we want a package, someone who knows their music, has an opinion about music,” Jane says.

You’re going to need excellent written communication skills too, as an important part of the role includes writing. “I don’t think a lot of people realise that being a Channel [V] presenter involves an incredible amount of writing; you have to write your own script, you’ve got to research about stuff, write opinion pieces for magazines and articles and the Channel [V] website.”

But if you have the skills and the talent to make it, you’ll become part of, and learn from, a great team. “There’ll be a lot of help, people like myself and Danny Clayton, we’ll definitely help us much as we can.”

And what a wealth of experience there is at [V]. Jane has been a music writer, presenter and reporter for countless media outlets both here and in the UK, while Billy Russell has the experience of going through the presenter search process.

“I think we all bring something different to the presenting team; Carissa (Walford), well she’s gorgeous and she loves her hip hop and she unashamedly loves pop music so she brings that element. Danny’s just been there forever; he’s got a producing background and has a wealth of experience and he’s not a bad looking bloke for the girls,” Jane laughs.

Even with this support network, the new presenter will still need to hold their own with musicians and other celebrity identities. Jane, with all her years of experience, can still get caught off guard, as she found at Soundwave this year.

“I knew exactly who I was going to interview; I’d researched all my questions, no problem. At the last minute someone cancelled and I got handed an interview with Clown from Slipknot. Clown is probably one of the most difficult people in rock and roll; he’s from Iowa, he’s a bit of a redneck and he’s probably not the most pleasant of rock stars to interview,” Jane says.

“Our new presenter is going to be faced with a lot of these challenges so we want someone who can be paddling, holding the interview together.”

But with all that’s going to be required of the new presenter, the best piece of advice Jane can offer is: be yourself. “We’re not looking for a clone of any of us, we want someone completely different who brings a completely different slant to the team.”

So give it a shot. If you’ve got what it takes you may just end up with the job everyone else dreams of. “I absolutely adore my job and the team I work with. When you think about it, it is a fucking great gig because it’s not a 9 to 5 job, you’re at a festival one week, you’re hanging out watching the Foo Fighters the next week on Goat Island. That’s what keeps me there ultimately; it’s the best job in the world, why would I want to give it up?”

CHANNEL [V] PRESENTER SEARCH 2012 AUDITIONS ARE NOW OPEN. vmusic.com.au

More than half of Australia attended a live music performance in the last 12 months; that’s according to a recent live music performance survey conducted by Eventbrite, a leading ticketing organisation.

Despite the demand for live performances, the survey, which gathered data from 1000 Australians, found that most Australians thought ticket prices and fee were too steep, discouraging future ticket purchases.

Some more findings from the survey:  

• Almost one in ten attended five or more concerts in the past twelve months.
• Smaller, independent music venues have more appeal than larger arenas.
• Almost half of people surveyed prefer smaller music venues.
• Almost 75 percent of Australians think current ticket fees are too high.
• A large majority of Australians find out about music performances through friends, family and coworkers.
• Almost 60 percent of Australians who are planning to attend fewer concerts in the coming year say they are cutting back because tickets are too expensive.