Bumped: Lost

At last a 'bump' of the good kind.....

Seven has relented on its plan to air a split finale for Lost, and will now air the final two instalments together from the earlier time of 9:30pm.

It will screen on Thursday June 5, pushing Trinny and Susannah out of schedule.

I suspect Seven is doing this to wrap up the season given last week's appalling figure of 392,000 would only be duplicated twice. The fact that Trinny and Susannah also didn't perform especially well makes this an easier decision.

Lost airs tonight and on June 5. Next week it is off due to the US resting a week also.

No word on the future of the British makeover ladies....

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Lawrence Leung chooses his own series

The ABC began shooting Lawrence Leung's Choose Your Own Adventure today, a 6 part comedy being produced by the Chaser team.

Written by and starring, Leung, the documentary style series is about the journey of a lifetime, as he attempts to achieve the dreams he had for himself as a 10-year-old-boy. Leung is certainly a rising talent, having impressed crowds from Melbourne to Edinburgh. He has won the Age Critic's Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Leung said, "I'm looking forward to doing all the things I wanted to do as a kid - except to meet Michael Jackson."

The series shoots in both Melbourne and Sydney.

Press Release:
ABC TV announced today that principal filming has commenced on the 6-part comedy series, Lawrence Leung’s Choose Your Own Adventure.

Written by and starring, Melbourne comedian Lawrence Leung, the series is about the journey of a lifetime, as Lawrence attempts to achieve the dreams he had for himself as a 10-year-old-boy.

The documentary-style comedy is about the innocence of childhood ambition and the realities of adulthood. It’s about finding out who we are, how we’ve changed, and what we can be.

The 9-week shoot will take place in and around Sydney and Melbourne.

Head of ABC Arts, Entertainment and Comedy, Amanda Duthie said: "Lawrence is a fantastic talent, and all-round nice guy, who I’m positive audiences will totally adore. His adventures, I am sure, will captive and excite, as he lives out his childhood dreams."

Leung said: "I'm looking forward to doing all the things I wanted to do as a kid - except to meet Michael Jackson."

The series is a co-production between Chaser Broadcasting and ABC-TV.

Executive Producer for ABC TV is Megan Harding, and Executive Producers for Chaser Broadcasting are Martin Robertson and Julian Morrow. Series Producer is Andy Nehl. Read more...

Hole in the game plan as crowds buzz

If pre-show buzz is anything to go by, Hole in the Wall will premiere to a big crowd. That's the good news.

And how do we know this? It's based on the fact that studio audiences for the shoots turned up in droves -so much so that producers had to turn many away. That's the bad news.

In television production, organisers frequently overbook audiences, to factor in the usual "no-shows" who simply don't turn up. It often leaves them having to be creative on the day of the shoot.

In the case of Hole in the Wall, it seems everybody turned up, which TV Tonight hears was a more than awkward situation. Angry ticket-bearing patrons were none too happy they had travelled to the studios for their night of entertainment only to be turned away. It follows on from audiences being sent home at Seven's Deal or No Deal last week due to the illness of the host.

A spokesperson for FremantleMedia apologised for the inconvenience saying they had structured audience numbers in keeping with all their event programs.

"But with the hype and excitement around Hole in the Wall we had a far better than average role-up for the first few studio records.

"Unfortunately we had to turn some people away and then did our best to include them in the audience for a future record. We adjusted our numbers for the later episodes. If the audience response is any indication Hole in the Wall is going to be a massive hit."

If you went along to a shoot, or were turned away, let us know your thoughts in the Studio Audience Spoilers. Read more...

Russell T. Davies quits Dr. Who

Russell T. Davies, the man credited with reviving Doctor Who, is stepping down as the show's lead writer and executive producer.

Davies said, "It's been a delight and an honour working with Steven, and I can't wait to see where his extraordinary imagination takes The Doctor. Best of all, I get to be a viewer again, watching on a Saturday night!" Davies is one of the UK's best contemporary television writers having also created Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Queer as Folk and Bob & Rose.

But there is good news in his replacement - writer and producer Steven Moffat (Jekyll) will take over for the next series to air in 2010. Moffat has written several Who episodes including 'Blink', for which he won the Writer Award at this year's BAFTAs, series two's 'The Girl In The Fireplace' and, from the series currently running in the UK, 'Silence in the Library'.

Moffat said, "My entire career has been a secret plan to get this job," he said. "I applied before but I got knocked back 'cos the BBC wanted someone else. Also I was seven.

"Anyway, I'm glad the BBC has finally seen the light, and it's a huge honour to be following Russell into the best - and the toughest - job in television. I say toughest 'cos Russell's at my window right now, pointing and laughing."

The BBC said Moffat and Piers Wenger, who is also joining Who as an executive producer, were already planning the fifth series. There will be no series in 2009, as previously announced.

No doubt the next question will be 'will David Tennant stay on without Davies?'

The ABC has told TV Tonight the new Who will air this year -it just didn't say when.

Source: DigitalSpy Read more...

No soup for you as new channels shelved

The Rudd Labor Government has shelved the launch of several new TV channels amid concerns policy and technical flaws would make them unviable. Communications Minister Conroy said the government could not auction the spectrum set aside for the channels until it undertook yet another review.

More than a dozen new digital channels were expected to start this year under changes by the former Howard government aimed at introducing greater competition to the $12 billion sector in the wake of media ownership reforms, The Australian Financial Review reports.

The services were to include at least 15 mobile TV channels for hand-held devices such as mobile phones and a similar number for in-home digital set-top boxes, increasing competition for existing networks.

"We'll reach a decision on whether to proceed or not during the second half of the year, there's no suggestion of an auction in the near future," Conroy said.

Senator Conroy blamed a deal struck two years ago by his predecessor Helen Coonan to appease Nationals MPs for the delay, but Senator Coonan accused him of caving to pressure from commercial networks.

Senator Conroy also flagged overhauling concessions given to pay TV giant Foxtel when it entered the market more than 10 years ago, because some could no longer be justified given the company was profitable.

Source: news.com.au Read more...

Flower Show Blitz for Durie

Jamie Durie and project manager Wes Fleming have won gold at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Durie was clearly taken by the win, saying, "I still can't believe it. . . we met the Queen. . .she said 'what a lovely curve in the deck' and she seemed to be really taken with the garden. . .we presented her with a Brachychiton rupestris [Queensland bottle tree] for her own garden.

"Then Prince Phillip came along and said 'what a lovely tree fern'. I told him it wasn't a tree fern but a cycad. . .he said he wasn't there for a lesson!"

"Not long after, Prince Albert of Monaco came by and we got the impression he wanted a bottle tree . . .so we gave him one too!"

The Durie garden was planted with indigenous plants – a first time at at Chelsea. It included Xanthorrhoea (grass trees), Brachychiton (bottle trees) and Macrozamia, complemented with a back layered planting to make a carpet of texture and colour.

He insisted the win was a team effort with a 20 strong team working full time for close to a month to prepare it for the show.

Durie will front a new show for Channel Seven this year, Outdoor Room.

The winning Chelsea garden was designed by Durie and constructed by teams from Ian Barker and Associates while Atkinson Pontifex constructed the signature curved deck.

Source / Photo: Sydney Morning Herald Read more...