Gallery: Big Brother launch





















Big Brother 2008 is off and running. Here are select highlights from the launch show.

Fourteen housemates were revealed in a highly edited season premiere (despite the constant LIVE HOUSE watermark). Kyle Sandilands (in slimming black) made a grimacing ringmaster in his stand-and-deliver, cynical style. Jackie O sought to link through the opening routines with a functional presentation, that allowed Sandilands to interject with his commentary. She almost stumbled over asking a contestant "do you think intelligence can help you win the game?" So far the sum total of both is a long way short of the versatile and singular Killeen -but its early days, no doubt they will make their mark for better or worse.

We were promised a "non-frathouse" but there are plenty of 'frat-style' housemates, all but one is under the age of 33. At this early stage of the game, it is Terri, 52, who should hit the front of the popularity stakes.

True, there is diversity in age, race, religion, (not a lot of class distinction yet), and presumably sexuality will be thrown in there somewhere along the way too. David, the former Exclusive Brethren doubtless has quite a story to tell. But why do I get the feeling this year BB has consciously sought to cast polar opposites in the hope they will collide? That's drama, yes, but at what cost?

Oh and BB voice (#1), get off the script and stop sounding so sensitive. You're in charge, you actually need to sound meaner than Sandilands.

Big Brother watch

This post updates.

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Grievous harm in current affairs

Both Today Tonight and A Current Affair pounced on the 'Todd McKenney story' tonight, just the sort of celebrity scandal the shows love.

An interview of McKenney was titled "exclusive" on TT, but managed to be used on ACA as well (some clever zooming of the image meant the TT watermark dropped from view).


What was most curious however, is that it was actually Today Tonight that went with a voice analyst, John Ryan, who studied McKenney's voice patterns from said interview.


"He starts to stress as far as 'I know nothing about those drugs,'" he said.

"I can't turn around and say he's or liar or he's being honest. I can say there are indications there that some parts of what he had to say were deceptive, and that makes me even more believe he should be doing a person to person test."


TT said the equipment was FBI computer programme that measured frequencies and stress in itnerviews to determine if somebody is lying.

It also said the results were not conclusive.

Never one to let inconclusive results get in the way of a good TT story, it's certainly interesting to see this angle emerge on McKenney's own network.

NB: As there are charges pending for McKenney please note comments will not be approved.
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Gone: A Touch of Frost

Seven is making further adjustments to is Saturday schedule, dropping A Touch of Frost repeats immediately.

It will replace the UK crime drama with movies.

Sat May 3 8:45pm Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Sat May 10 8:45pm Independence Day
Sat May 17 9:10pm Air Force One

The drama has been hit hard by Nine's Harry Potter movies, and beaten by The Bill on the ABC.

Last Saturday it attracted 633,000 viewers, with Seven (23.2%) trailing Nine for the night at (31.8%).

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Fake Corey just part of the Act



No that isn't Corey Worthington, but this promo made by the Movie Networks Channel was enough to trigger complaints by viewers who felt it inappropriate to hire the notorious party boy.

It is in fact someone else known to TV viewers, hired to mimic Worthington for the Movie Greats 80's Party held last weekend.

To find out who... read on.

ANSWER: It's Shane Jenek, aka gender illusionist 'Courtney Act' from Australian Idol series 1.
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Charges against Chaser stunt dropped

Charges against the ABC's Chaser team arising from a TV stunt at last year's APEC Summit have been dropped by the Department of Public Prosecutions.

Giles Hardie, a video producer who was an "extra" during the stunt, in which a fake motorcade was waved through two security checkpoints, said he was relieved at the news.

Mr Hardie, one of the extras running alongside the Chaser limousine that breached APEC security, was charged with entering an exclusion zone under laws enacted specifically for the summit in Sydney.

Ten men, including two of the show's stars - Julian Morrow and Chas Liciardello - and one woman were charged.

"I think relief is a word that springs to mind,'' Mr Hardie said.

NSW Director of Public Prosecutions Nicholas Cowdery said in a statement that the Chaser team had carried out an examination of the area on September 5, when police procedures had differed from September 6, when the stunt occurred.

"The offence is one of strict liability. Consequently, the defence of honest and reasonable mistake of fact is available to the accused,'' Mr Cowdery said.

"Put another way, it is a defence to establish, or to raise a reasonable doubt that there existed, an honest and reasonable but mistaken belief in a set of facts which, if they had existed, would have rendered the conduct innocent.

"In the cases of all 11 accused I am satisfied that on the evidence presently available the prosecution would not be able to negate, beyond reasonable doubt, the existence of an honest and reasonable (but ultimately mistaken) belief that they would not enter or be taken into the restricted area.''

The matters are listed for mention in the Local Court tomorrow, when the charges will be formally withdrawn.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald
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Airdate: Hell's Kitchen: Bumped: Canal Road, My Kid's a Star

UPDATE: Bumped Hell's Kitchen / Canal Road
Channel Nine has just announced it is revamping its Wednesdays, beginning this week. Try to concentrate as we work our way through this mess...


Nine will premiere Hell's Kitchen (season one) in the line-up, where would it be without Gordon Ramsay?

The show will screen at 9:30pm this Wednesday night. It makes three consecutive nights for the swearing cook.
In Melbourne the show will air at 8:30pm followed by CSI: Miami (rpt).

The failed reality series My Kid's a Star is moving to Saturday at 12pm immediately. It is replaced by another episode of Two and a Half Men from Wednesday. This means two new eps from 7:30pm following the 7pm repeat this week.


But from May 7 observational series Fire 000 and Search & Rescue screen at 7:30pm / 8:00pm instead.


But the really bad news is the resignation of local Aussie drama Canal Road, which in its third week is bumped to 10:30pm across all Nine affiliates, including its hometown. Nine has moved the show effective immediately.

This bumps Sensing Murder out of schedule and wipes out plans for Blue Murder to air from May 7.

Wed April 30

7:30pm Two and a Half Men (2 eps new)

8:30pm Underbelly

9:30pm Hell's Kitchen

10:30pm Canal Road


GTV:

7:30pm Two and a Half Men (2 eps new)

8:30pm Hell's Kitchen

9:30pm CSI: Miami rpt
10:30pm Canal Road


Wed May 7

7:30pm Fire 000

8:00pm Search and Rescue

8:30pm Underbelly

9:30pm Hell's Kitchen
10:30pm Canal Road


GTV:

7:30pm Fire 000

8:00pm Search and Rescue

8:30pm Hell's Kitchen

9:30pm CSI: Miami rpt

10:30pm Canal Road


'Search and Rescue' indeed.... a bit like Nine programming? The only positive here is that My Kid's a Star was not axed entirely, allowing the kids a little self-respect in at least having their final performances air. It moves to a midday weekend timeslot, the same fate TEN delivered Teen Fit Camp. Clearly Aussie audiences do not like seeing kids so young in reality genres.

Don't be surprised to see more tweaks to this erratic schedule... Victoria really needs to fall in line with other states now Underbelly is ending, but this line-up still separates Hell's Kitchen in different time zones, and that's particularly tricky for a show affected by classification changes from M to MA at 8:30pm / 9:30pm. Nine rates the first 3 eps as M across all affiliates.

Nine is also now in danger of overdosing on Gordon Ramsay at the expense of those Nine viewers who don't enjoy his style. Three nights in a row? F***!

Press Release:
Wednesday, April 30 on Channel Nine
8.30pm – Melbourne
9.30pm – Sydney , Brisbane , Adelaide and Perth

A tasty extra serving of Gordon Ramsay is dished up in Hell’s Kitchen, with the colourful king of cuisine ready to roast a batch of aspiring American restaurateurs in a new series commencing this Wednesday night, April 30.

Hell’s Kitchen will follow Underbelly at 9.30pm and screen at 8.30pm in Melbourne .

Ramsay the perfectionist is guaranteed to deliver more liberal sprinklings of real-life drama, high emotion and culinary passion as he attempts to instil his love of all things food in 12 restaurant contestants.

The contestants are introduced to Hell’s Kitchen in Red and Blue teams. Ramsay immediately throws all the normal food rules into the fire as he orders up the dozen’s signature dishes, before giving the chefs a rude awakening with his withering critique.

With Ramsay’s international reputation on the line, he drives them to achieve their best. But who will have what it takes to survive the special trial by fire in Hell’s Kitchen and win the prize of their own restaurant?

With the premiere of Hell’s Kitchen, Canal Road will move to the 10.30pm.


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Week 18

Saturday:
1 Doc Martin ABC 1,507,000
2 Seven News Seven 1,289,000
3 Australia's Funniest Home Video Show Nine 1,094,000
4 Nine News Saturday Nine 1,043,000
5 ABC News ABC 1,001,000
6 The Vicar Of Dibley Seven 947,000
7 The Great Outdoors Seven 935,000

Seven: 26.7
Nine: 22.8
TEN: 22.1
ABC: 21.7
SBS: 6.7


Friday:
1 Seven News Seven 1,392,000
2 Today Tonight Seven 1,318,000
3 Better Homes And Gardens Seven 1,171,000
4 Midsomer Murders ABC 1,168,000
5 ABC News ABC 1,122,000
6 Nine News Nine 1,103,000
7 Home And Away Seven 1,082,000
8 Big Brother: Friday Night Live Ten 1,032,000
9 A Current Affair Nine 961,000
10 Two And A Half Men Nine 912,000
11 Big Brother Ten 883,000
12 Seven's AFL: Round 7 Seven 854,000

Seven 32.7
Nine 22.7
ABC 19.9
TEN 19.8
SBS 4.8

Thursday:
1. The Biggest Loser Ten 1.886
2. Seven News Seven 1.473
3. Today Tonight Seven 1.355
4. Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares Nine 1.216
5. Home and Away Seven 1.216
6. ABC News ABC 1.198
7. National Nine News Nine 1.186
8. The Footy Show Nine 1.140
9. A Current Affair Nine 1.112
10. Two and a Half Men Nine 1.081
11. Big Brother Ten 0.986
12. The 7:30 Report ABC 0.974
13. Getaway Nine 0.968
14. Catalyst ABC 0.889
15. Deal or No Deal Seven 0.854
Deal or No Deal 0.854m
How I Met Your Mother 0.834m
That 70s Show 0.807m
Ghost Whisperer 0.714m
Lost 0.683m
Antiques Roadshow 0.651m
IPL Cricket 0.355m

Nine: 28.5 / Ten: 28.5
Seven: 22.1
ABC: 16.5
SBS: 4.3

Wednesday:
1. Seven News Seven 1.639
2. Today Tonight Seven 1.490
3. RSPCA Animal Rescue Seven 1.382
4. Underbelly Nine 1.344
5. The Real Seachange Seven 1.318
6. Hell’s Kitchen Nine 1.275
7. National Nine News Nine 1.261
8. ABC News ABC 1.237
9. Two and a Half Men – 7:30pm Nine 1.236
10. Home and Away Seven 1.235
11. Big Brother Ten 1.198
12. A Current Affair Nine 1.165
13. Spicks and Specks ABC 1.165
14. Two and a Half Men – 7:00pm Nine 1.028
15. The New Inventors ABC 1.013
16 House TEN 0.986
17 Raiders Of The Lost Ark Seven 0.986
18 Deal Or No Deal Seven 0.942
19 Ten News At Five TEN 0.982
20 7.30 Report ABC 0.874
21 Back To You TEN 0.838
22. Neighbours TEN 0.808
23 Numb3rs TEN 0.749
24 Friends TEN 0.741
25 The IT Crowd ABC 0.734
Antiques Roadshow Nine 0.644
The Armstrong And Miller Show ABC 0.551
Canal Road Nine 0.433
Food Safari SBS 0.369

Seven: 29.6
Nine: 28.8
TEN: 20.7
ABC: 16.6
SBS: 4.3

Tuesday:
1. Seven News Seven 1.563
2. Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares Nine 1.535
3. Today Tonight Seven 1.504
4. Australia’s Got Talent Seven 1.358
5. Bondi Rescue TEN 1.354
6. NCIS TEN 1.320
7. Big Brother TEN 1.315
8. NCIS (r) TEN 1.267
9. All Saints Seven 1.251
10. National Nine News Nine 1.229
11. ABC News ABC 1.218
12. Home and Away Seven 1.199
13. A Current Affair Nine 1.172
14. 20 to 1 Nine 1.078
15. Ladette to Lady Nine 1.050
16 Two And A Half Men Nine 1.032
17 7.30 Report ABC 0.972
18 TEN News At Five TEN 0.887
19 Deal Or No Deal Seven 0.874
20 Neighbours TEN 0.851
21 Friends TEN 0.670
22 Mistresses Seven 0.678
Antiques Roadshow 0.626
Millionaires' Mission ABC 0.511
Balls Of Steel Nine 0.497
Foreign Correspondent ABC 0.454
Insight Network SBS 0.349
Taking On The Taliban - The Soldiers' Story SBS 0.277
Jennifer Byrne Presents ABC 0.256

TEN: 27.5
Nine: 27.1
Seven: 27.0
ABC: 13.2
SBS: 5.2

Monday:
1 Seven News Seven 1,677,000
2 Border Security Seven 1,594,000
3 Today Tonight Seven 1,571,000
4 Big Brother - Launch Special TEN 1,511,000
5 Home And Away Seven 1,367,000
6 Desperate Housewives Seven 1,311,000
7 National Nine News Nine 1,285,000
8 A Current Affair Nine 1,260,000
9 Sea Patrol II - The Coup Nine 1,258,000
10 SCU: Serious Crash Unit Seven 1,175,000
11 Australian Story ABC 1,148,000
12 David Attenborough's - Life In Cold Blood Nine 1,142,000
13 ABC News ABC 1,084,000
14 More Than Enough Rope ABC 1,031,000
15 Two And A Half Men Nine 1,011,000
16 CSI: NY Nine 979,000
17 Deal Or No Deal Seven 923,000
18 Good News Week TEN 918,000
19 TEN News At Five TEN 915,000
20 Four Corners ABC 887,000
21 Neighbours TEN 823,000
Dirty Sexy Money Seven 757,000
Law & Order TEN 453,000
Sunrise Seven 384,000
Mythbusters SBS 354,000
South Park SBS 346,000

Seven 27.6
Nine 25.5
TEN 23.9
ABC 17.6
SBS 5.4

Sunday:
1. So You Think You Can Dance Ten 1.847
2. So You Think You Can Dance – Winner Ten 1.821
3. Seven News Seven 1.774
4. The Biggest Loser Ten 1.561
5. National Nine News Nine 1.504
6. 60 Minutes Nine 1.452
7. Gladiators Seven 1.366
8. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Nine 1.260
9. Police Files Seven 1.184
10. Rove Ten 1.182
11. Animal Emergency Nine 1.123
12. RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service Nine 1.121
13. My Name Is Earl Seven 1.104
14. Grey’s Anatomy Seven 1.088
15. Without A Trace Nine 1.035
Brothers & Sisters 0.860m
AFL: Kangaroos-Sydney 0.662m
East of Everything 0.655m
NRL 0.485m

TEN: 32.3
Nine: 26.4
Seven: 24.2
ABC: 12.1
SBS: 5.1

Additional source: Tribal Mind
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Dance TEN, Ratings 1.8m

Over 1.8m viewers watched TEN's finale for So You Think You Can Dance last night.

The show peaked at 2.2m viewers.

TEN divided the event into 'two shows' Dance Australia: Winner Announced (1.87m) and Dance Australia: Finale Night (1.83m). TEN has previously used this strategy with Idol and Big Brother finales, it helps bump more shows into the weekly and annual top tens.

"Dance Australia has captured the hearts and imagination of the Australian public and spawned a dance craze right across the country," said TEN's chief programming officer, David Mott.

Press Release:

THE SEASON'S LAST DANCE PEAKS AT 2.22 MILLION VIEWERS
- No.1 show in key demos YTD; No.1 show Sunday in all major demos; TEN's best night of the year in audience and share -

The first season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia (Dance Australia) went out with a bang last night with a peak audience of 2.22 million across its two hours 15 mins.

An average audience of 1.87 million watched the final thrilling half hour of Dance Australia: Winner Announced where Jack Chambers was crowned king of dance.

The Winner Announced was easily the top program of the night and has earned its place as the No.1 show year-to-date in all key demographics.

Importantly, 52.2 per cent of viewers aged 18-49 who were watching commercial television at that time were switched on to Dance Australia.

Dance Australia: Winner Announced (21:18-21:45)
"Dance Australia has captured the hearts and imagination of the Australian public and spawned a dance craze right across the country," said TEN's chief programming officer, David Mott.

"The show met viewers' high expectations head-on and blew them out of the water.

"The ratings and viewer response over the course of the season has been nothing short of breathtaking.

"The show consistently ranked in Australia's most watched shows in 18-49 week in week out," he said.

Earlier on, Dance Australia: Finale Night averaged 1.83 million and dominated its timeslot in all major demographics.

Dance Australia: Finale Night (19:31-21:18)

5 Metro Markets Network 10 Network 9 Network 7
CSHR Ppl 18-49 52.2% 20.0% 27.8%
CSHR Ppl 16-39 56.0% 16.7% 27.4%
CSHR Ppl 25-54 47.8% 24.2% 28.1%
Total People 000s 1.87m 1.15m 984k

5 Metro Markets Network 10 Network 9 Network 7
CSHR Ppl 18-49 48.1% 23.3% 28.6%
CSHR Ppl 16-39 51.7% 19.7% 28.6%
CSHR Ppl 25-54 43.8% 27.1% 29.0%
Total People 000s 1.83m 1.38m 1.12m

Over 2008, Sunday's Dance Australia and Monday's Dance Australia Results won their
timeslots in all key buying demographics: 18-49, 16-39 and 25-54; and attracted an average audience of 1.45m and 1.32m respectively.

Average commercial share
TEN also won Sunday night in all major demographics with its best share and audience of the year. Rove easily won his slot in all main demos and took his highest audience of the year with 1.06m viewers.

Turning to the Dance Australia website, the site has been hugely popular with hordes of dance fans logging on to get more from the show.

Average weekly unique visitors to the Dance Australia website reached more than 85,000; average time spent online was 11.37 minutes; and video views touched on 2.5 million. Dance Australia returns to our screens next year and no doubt it will be as hugely popular as the first series!

5 Metro Markets Dance Australia Dance Australia Results
CSHR Ppl 18-49 40.6% 44.1%
CSHR Ppl 16-39 44.6% 49.7%
CSHR Ppl 25-54 37.4% 39.1%
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Bogie Awards: and the 'winners' are...

On the eve of their reality super-launch, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O have just "won" awards they would probably rather ignore.

In the Sun Herald's 'Bogie Awards' reader votes, Sandilands was voted both 'Most Annoying Person' and a Black Bogie (for most over-exposed). Sidekick Jackie O scored 'Most Unnecessary Personality.'

The number of votes recorded on the TV blog is by no means comprehensive, but that didn't stop Nine from winning 'Worst Network' or Daryl Somers dubbed 'Furthest Past Use-By Date.'

Later this week the Fugly Awards, generally seen as the ultimate "anti-Logies" will be announced. You can still vote for those here.

The full 'winners' are here:

Most annoying person. Mike Munro got 3 votes; Sonia Kruger 3; Bindi Irwin 6; Andrew O'Keefe 9; David Koch 20. And the winner, with 54 votes, is Kyle Sandilands.

Most offputting commercial. The Coco Pops ad in which two turds with French accents harass a housewife 7; "the one where the girl is accompanied by a beaver" 18; "the one where the tongue leaves the body in search of a drink" 29. And the winner, with 30 votes, is the series of Commonwealth Bank ads, particularly the Mad Max koala.

Most unnecessary program. 20 to 1 3; The Mint 5; Rules of Engagement 7; The Power of Ten 12; Animal Emergency 19. And the winner, with 29 votes, is Out of the Question.

Most unnecessary personality. Lara Bingle 3; Grant Denyer 5; Karl Stefanovic 7; Candice Falzon 10; Richard Reid (gossip reporter for Nine's Today) 10; The Sunrise "family" 22. And the winner, with 35 votes, is Jackie O.

Most unnecessary adaptation of an overseas show. Big Brother 3; 60 Minutes 4; The Chopping Block 4. And the winner, with 39 votes, before it has even started, is Top Gear Australia.

Most overhyped. Desperate Housewives 2; Border Security 2; Underbelly 2; The Moment of Truth 3; the Neighbours relaunch 3; Dirty Sexy Money 4; Australia's Next Top Model 7; Big Brother 8; Grey's Anatomy 16. And the winner, with 36 votes, is Cashmere Mafia.

Most Underrated. Nip/ Tuck 2; Robin Hood 2; Jekyll 2; Brothers and Sisters 2; Burn Notice 5; 30 Rock 6; Lost 7; East-West 101 9; Big Love 11; Boston Legal 18; Newstopia 19. And the winner, with 24 vote, is Life on Mars.

Most jerked around by the networks. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles 2; Torchwood 2; Family Guy 2; The Sopranos 2; Battlestar Galactica 3; Stargate 4; 30 Rock 5; ER 6; Veronica Mars 7; Weeds 9. And the winner, with 32 votes, is Scrubs.

Most missed. Doctor Who 2; The Sopranos 2; Buffy 2; Uninterrupted programs on SBS 4; The Glasshouse 4; The Games 5; The West Wing 6; Summer Heights High 6. And the winner, with 36 votes, is The Chaser's War on Everything.

Most repeated. Mean Girls 2; MASH 2; ; About a Boy 3; Border Security 3; anything with Gordon Ramsay 4; Friends 4; Bridget Jones 9; CSI 12; Love Actually 13. And the winner, with 29 votes, is The Simpsons.

Worst network. SBS 3; Seven 10; Ten 10. And the winner, with 59 votes, is Channel Nine.

Most surprisingly smooth skin. Juanita Phillips 4; Anne Sanders 5; Marcia Cross 5; Catriona Rowntree 5; Richard Reid 8; Sigrid Thornton 11; Sandra Sully 15. And the winner, with 16 votes, is Kerri-Anne Kennerley.

Most embarrassing program (the Naomi Robson Cup). The Sunrise special with Guy Sebastian 6; My Kid's A Star 7; The Mint 7; The Biggest Loser 8; The Wedge 8; Monster House 10; The Footy Show 18; And the joint winners, each with 22 votes, are Today Tonight and A Current Affair.

Furthest past use-by date (the Bert Newton Trophy). Catriona Rowntree 2; Barry Humphries (in any incarnation) 3; Ray Martin 6; Paul Vautin 8; Sam Newman 12; Kyle and Jackie O 14; Richard Wilkins 16. And the winner, with 21 votes, is Daryl Somers.

The Black Bogie (the Eddie McGuire Chalice). David Koch 25; Richard Wilkins 28. And the winner, with 39 votes, is Kyle Sandilands.

Source: Tribal Mind
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TEN tries to get social

The launch of Big Brother today marks a significant step by Network TEN to ramp up its approach to social networking. And it does so without being encumbered by the Yahoo or MSN portals of Seven and Nine.

The network is developing a series of complementary internet media channels to cater for the core 16 to 24-year-old fans of the reality show.

TEN's head of digital media, Damian Smith, said the network experimented with a Facebook profile for So You Think You Can Dance Australia, which ended its first season last night with about 28,000 Facebook fans.

It also launched a Facebook application, a "Which Top 20 Member are you most like?" quiz that users could add to their Facebook profile.

The Big Brother Facebook profile will include a news feed and other features.

"Over the next week there'll be interesting things you can get for your Facebook profile," Mr Smith told The Australian. In the past, TEN used MySpace.com.au and video-sharing website YouTube to promote its programs online, in addition to the official TV show sites on its ten.com.au platform.

Australian TV shows have been relatively slow to develop a big presence on stand-alone social networking websites, although ABC productions such as Summer Heights High, Spicks and Specks and Kath & Kim (now on Seven) have made an appearance on sites such as Facebook. Another to make the leap is Nine's Underbelly.

"We're very happy to work with a range of social networking sites," Mr Smith said.

"We regard them as complementary to the core website," he said. "Everyone's a competitor and potential partner right now."

He said TEN had more freedom in relation to the websites that it could form alliances with, as it did not have a partner offering its own social networking services.

"We're hopefully in a better position than some to exploit (social media)," Mr Smith said. "We are a little more Swiss (in that) we are not linked with a US portal.

"We all want the same thing: access to the advertising and marketing dollar," he said.

Advertisers are sponsoring the official Big Brother 2008 website, which will for the first time include user-generated videos and vastly expanded blogs.

"We've got an audience that loves to interact, express its opinions and create their own video, and that's pretty exciting," Mr Smith said. "There's going to be a lot more blogging on the site (such as) Big Brother's Little Sister, which will be a different-toned blog from the rest of the site. It's from people working for (production company) Endemol Southern Star and taking an interesting perspective on what's going on in the house."

Last year the Seven Network made news for banning Facebook on staff computers. Meanwhile Nine's CEO David Gyngell promised his network would better embrace social networking platforms in 2008.

But TEN is already attracting comment from fansites for banning members on Big Brother forums who have sourced information from behindbigbrother.com after it leaked details of the launch show, ahead of its premiere.

The Big Brother launch show was recorded last night for screening tonight on TEN.

Source: The Australian
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2008 Big Brother Housemate biographies

This is veterinarian Alice, one of fourteen housemates entering the Big Brother house tonight (or are they?*).

TV Tonight can reveal biographies of the first batch that will compete for TEN's reality series, including a bricklayer, belly dancer (also a 'little person'), abattoir worker and truck driver - and even someone who looks suspiciously like the Supernanny.

For the first online look at three more housemates, and biogs of all fourteen, read on.

Alice, 24, Vet, Vic.
There is a doctor in the house – meet Big Brother’s first female vet, Dr Alice. Alice is a high achiever with a private boarding school education – a scholarship student who fought hard to keep her place and get into Uni to study vet science. Alice is confrontational and feisty; she will not shy away from a disagreement. She is ultra competitive and looking for Mr. Right.


Ben, 19, Law Student, WA
Ben, a law student, is a quintessential head boy with a wicked sense of humour. Ben’s considerable wit is dry and delivered with expert timing. Despite often being the voice of reason and an organizer, Ben is easily frustrated. He admits to bouts of road rage and is constantly annoyed by slow walkers! Ben is single – he has only had one girlfriend.


Bianca, 18, Student, QLD
Bianca’s family describes her as the three B’s: “Bitch, Boobs and Brains!”. Of Italian parentage, Bianca is bring and passionate about the works of Plato and Shakespeare. She says her voluptuous body is both an asset and a liability. She rarely goes on dates and claims she has a sign in her head, which says, “RUN.”

Brigitte, 20, Waitress, ACT
Brigitte is a self-confessed drama queen and party girl. She loves photography, shopping, dressing up and having fun. Brigitte would “NOT be caught dead on national TV with no make up on.”

David, 32, Fire Fighter, NSW
David was raised as a member of the Exclusive Brethren, a religious sect that he says ‘denied him the real world’ until he escaped as at the age of 19. He had never eaten in a restaurant and never kissed a girl. Since his “escape”, David has been a policeman and a fireman. David is a natural born leader and gym junkie. He is opinionated and is obsessed with celebrity gossip and scandals!


Dixie, 21, Mental Health Worker / Student NSW
Dixie is an outgoing country girl, a mental health worker who also studies sports psychology at Uni. Her work and tutoring have turned her into an expert counselor. Dixie spent her early childhood growing up on the outskirts of an Aboriginal mission. Dixie’s prized possession is her car, which she has affectionately named ‘Beyonce.’ Although Dixie admits to being “boy crazy” she has never had a proper boyfriend because of her commitment issues.

Nobbi, 21, Commerce Student, Vic.
Nobuyuki, or Nobbi, for short, describes himself as insane and an attention seeker. A high achiever in all fields especially sport and music, Japan-born Nobbi says he is always skating on thin ice but never crosses the line. Only been in love once and then heartbroken, Nobbi is now happily single.

Rebecca, 22, Waitress WA
Rebecca is a promo model / waitress who is very comfortable in her own skin. She says she’s a daddy’s girl, proud of her job and will take on all comers if challenged. Rebecca has a bizarre foot phobia, which leaves her unable to ever be barefoot. She dreams of being a successful model in the short term but has a long term goal to be a nutritionist or dietician, saying overweight people frustrate her!

Renee, 22, Abattoir Worker, NSW
Renee is a rugby-playing tomboy who earns a living as a deboner at her local abattoir. Her mother took her to the doctor when she was five –he tested her to see if she was deaf –but found out she’s just loud. A fair dinkum country girl, Renee is very animated and in your face.

Rima, 25, Performer, Vic
Rima is a professional belly dancer who was born in Melbourne of Lebanese parents. She’s feisty, outspoken and opinionated with a dry sense of humour. Married for just a year, Rima’s husband is excited about her decision to go into the Big Brother house. She’s a small package with a big personality.


Rory, 21, Bricklayer, VIC
Rory’s good looks, chiseled body and funky wardrobe make him very popular with the ladies. He is loud and confident and could struggle with being told what to do. Rory is anti-religion but at the same time has very traditional views. He grew up in a very poor suburb which he refers to as “the ghetto.” His favourite “book” is FHM and his biggest pet hate is being forced to pay 20cents for a sachet of tomato sauce. Rory is recently single.

Saxon, 22, Truck Driver / Doorman, SA. Heavily tattooed and physically imposing, Saxon has led a self-confessed sheltered life. He says he struggles to socialize with “trendy types.” Saxon believes in UFOs, the paranormal and conspiracy theories to the extent that he has the word “Roswell” tattooed on his arm. Saxon has a “psychological allergy to vegetables” and cannot function without meat. He is currently single.


Terri, 52, Retail Manager, NSW
An outspoken mother of two and grandmother, Terri will be the oldest person to go into the Big Brother House. Terri grew up in poverty, but now cites Pauline Hanson as her idol and has right wing views. Terri is passionate and political and frustrated with the younger generation. She is very anti drugs and a vociferous atheist. Her most prized possession is her grandson.


Travis, 20, Marketing Coordinator, NSW
Travis’ trademark is his high-pitched and squeaky voice. He has a unique look and is flamboyant and excitable. Travis is a virgin who attends church and is antidrugs. Women like him –he’s a girl’s best friend. His favourite movie is “The Devil Wears Prada.” He has had three girlfriends but his best friend is his horse named Thunder. Travis is honest and admits he is hoping for a crack at the prize money.

* SPOILER: In his first stunt, Big Brother will keep the housemates from entering the house until they select one of them to leave immediately. This is despite TEN listing the 'First Eviction' as Sunday May 11.

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