Feature: 'Go for it!' for The Courier-Mail

Published June 10.

Doing improvisation makes you get up, have fun and be in the moment, radio journalist Natalie Bochenski, 30, of Spring Hill, tells Anna Angel.

I DID ballet and dance as a young girl. When I was a teenager that progressed into theatre and I've been involved with impro since the late '90s.

Acting and theatre is my hobby. I'm a journalist by trade and a lot of the time I do straight politics.

You'd be surprised at how much cross-over there is. I won't be at Parliament and bust out some improvised sketch, but I can be at impro and throw in a political joke.

While I still do a lot of scripted theatre, impro is a wonderful outlet. You're tapping into the imagination we all had as kids, but we're told as adults we're not allowed to have any more because we have to be sensible.

Feature: 'Attack of the superhero' for The Courier-Mail

8 June 2011

There's something about men in tights, writes Anna Angel.

GREEN Lantern Corps, the intergalactic police squad, fights some of the universe's nastiest villains, but will struggle to topple Marvel's heroes at the box office.

DC's much-loved comic series Green Lantern opens on June 17 in a live-action, 3-D adaptation starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

The timing lands it in a battle for movie-goers' dollars with Marvel's mutant prequel X-Men: First Class, which has been called the thinking man's superhero movie, and Captain America's live-action debut on July 28.

It's also fresh on the heels of Marvel's portrayal of Thor, god of thunder, which won over the fans despite being labelled a ``Shakespearean epic for nerds''.

The marketing team behind Green Lantern, which centres on a test pilot bestowed with a mystical green ring and responsibility for keeping universal peace, have all claws out. Two trailers for the Warner Bros production have gone viral.

With the third Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, and Avengers set for release next year, comic fans can expect this standoff to get even bloodier.

Feature: 'Brought up by Broadway' for Biscuit Magazine

Biscuit Magazine issue 9. It's a really great issue, glad to be a part of it!

Feature: 'Roll up in your soles' for The Courier Mail

Written for The Courier-Mail's Friday liftout, CM2. Also published online.

Barefoot bowls is a perfect way to have a good time with your mates, so kick off your shoes and have a go at this game of concentration and technique, writes Anna Angel

IF THERE'S a better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than with a few drinks in the sun, and some friendly competition between mates, I'd like to hear about it.

Barefoot bowls, lawn bowls' younger and less uptight cousin, is winning over Queenslanders young and old.

In a successful bid to breathe new life into the sport, bowls clubs across the state have kicked off their shoes - literally - and shaken off a stigma of the game known as ``old man's marbles''.

Brisbane clubs have been bowled over by how popular their combination of cheap food, drinks and entertainment is with those in their teens through to late 40s.

Inteview: The Vines for Tom Magazine

For TOM Magazine. Published June 1.

Aussie rockers The Vines return with their long-awaited fifth record ‘Future Primitive’. Frontman Craig Nicholls and bassist Brad Heald sat down with Anna Angel and dished their Splendour in the Grass must-sees and tips for living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.

Future Primitive is the band’s first release since 2008, but delays are due more to a change of record company than a change of direction. "I wanted to get it out end of last year, but we were still getting it all wrapped up," Nicholls says. "It’s all right to wait that extra bit of time, to make sure everything’s right for when it does come out."

Fans can expect a classic Vines vibe from their latest offering, somewhere between psychedelic ‘60s rock and ‘90s garage. "I’m not for believing that every album has to be completely different," Nicholls says, spinning his cigarettes on the table. "It’s just kind of rock music, with a bit of a different flavour."