News Archive:
Ajay pleads guilty
Ajay Rochester, host of The Biggest Loser, has pleaded guilty to welfare fraud charges in Downing Centre Local Court, says The Age.
A lawyer acting for the television personality entered the plea on her behalf.
Rochester, 39, is charged with 23 counts of receiving the single parent payment from Centrelink when she was not eligible between December 2001 and December 2005.
Previously named Lee Ann Towler, Rochester shot to fame as the author of such books.
She began hosting the The Biggest Loser in 2006 after publication of her books as Confessions of a …
Lipstick Jungle: not so axed?
Hold the phone. Brooke Shields says Lipstick Jungle hasn’t been scrapped after all.
“They thought that because My Own Worst Enemy has been shut down that the same thing had happened to us, and it’s not true,” she has said.
“They’re not breaking down the sets,” she added. “We’re still working. We still have more to do, so it’s erroneously presented that we’ve been canceled, thank God.
“Our bosses are saying, ‘You’re not cancelled, don’t worry. We’re just trying to figure out how to make this make sense.’”
Shields said fans have already sent in …
Why Idol should have turned a negative into a positive
Australian Idol’s website bungle, in which it displayed the wrong elimination numbers for its contestants, has surely left a sour taste for fans of the show during its crucial last week.
The official line, according to TEN and FremantleMedia, is that they are confident it didn’t affect the final outcome. This is based on the number of hits the site received during its erroneous 25 minutes.
The problem is, viewers aren’t so confident. And that’s where it matters.
We are never told how many votes any eliminated reality contestant ever gets (Big Brother at …
24: Redemption
Clocking in at just two, rather than twenty-four hours, this adventure takes place between the hours of 3pm and 5pm. “All events take place in real time” says the Kiefer Sutherland voice-over.
The telemovie (to air in the US this Sunday), is positioned to tantalise viewers before the delayed premiere of the seventh season next January. It’s certainly exhilarating to have Jack Bauer back on our screens, but given we’ve been waiting a year it’s odd to think they went to all this trouble when the real thing is now only two …
Cancer scare for Seven personality
Victorian travel presenter Geoff Cox is to begin chemotherapy after having a tumour removed from his bowel.
Speaking about his cancer ordeal, the Coxy’s Big Break host hopes it will encourage middle-aged men to have regular health check-ups.
“I had the colonoscopy on October 1 and they found this tumour the size of a cricket ball. They removed it and got it all, which is terrific,” he told the Herald Sun.
“Everything is now clean as a whistle and the scar is healing well.
“They have also scanned my lungs and liver, and they are …
Brayshaw handballed Sunday Footy
Nine Melbourne’s long serving sports presenter Tony Jones (pictured) has been dropped as host of The Sunday Footy Show in favour of the (AFL) Footy Show’s James Brayshaw.
Jones, who has hosted the show since 2006, will remain as GTV’s chief sports presenter on Nine News.
Network insiders told the Herald Sun Jones was not happy losing the Sunday role, but Jones said he was “very comfortable” with the decision.
“I’ve spoken to James Brayshaw and told him he’ll have a ball doing it, just like I did,” Jones said. “The worst thing is …
Idol voting line blunder
In its sixth year, Australian Idol has fumbled correct voting information, last night running incorrect numbers on its official website for 25 minutes.
Human error resulted in incorrect phone numbers displayed on the website.
But a TEN spokeswoman insisted the error had not impacted tonight’s results show, which has announced the final two contestants, Wes and Luke, to go head to head at the Sydney Opera House.
“Last night a page including incorrect Australian Idol voting details was posted to the Idol website for a brief period,” she said. “At all times the correct …
Wooley and Fanning add to 60 Minutes
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Charles Wooley is ending his syndicated morning show to 60 Minutes next year.
Wooley’s show is heard on around 40 stations around the country, broadcast from the studios of Heart FM in Hobart.
However, Nine confirms to TV Tonight that Wooley won’t be returning as a key presenter. Both he and Ellen Fanning will be contributors to the programme in 2009.
Last night he interviewed Hugh Jackman in the lead-up to the Australia premiere.
He first joined the show in 1993.
Source: SMH
Vale: Reg Varney
Reg Varney, better known as ‘Stan Butler’ in British sitcom On the Buses on died Sunday. He was 92.
Varney died at a nursing home in south-west England, after a short illness.
Born in east London in 1916, Varney began his career as a singer, piano player and comic in the rough-and-tumble world of pubs, music halls and working men’s clubs. He joined the Royal Electrical Engineers during World War II but continued to perform as part of a touring show entertaining the troops.
After the war he kept touring the music hall circuit …
Screen Australia head questions TV funding
Screen Australia’s new boss, Ruth Harley, starts her position today. The former head of the NZ Film Commission was the unanimous choice of the selection panel advising Arts Minister, Peter Garrett.
The super-agency Screen Australia was borne by the emerging of the AFC, Film Australia and the Film Financing Corporation in July.
But rather ominously, Dr Harley has questioned why Australian television needed Screen Australia support when it was paid for by broadcasters and performing so well.
A number of attendees at the Screen Producers conference on the Gold Coast have told The …
Ben Stiller final Enough Rope guest
Andrew Denton will today record his final Enough Rope, to air on December 8th.
Ben Stiller is the guest of the day, set to appear in front of a live studio audience, before hitting the red carpet for Madagascar 2.
As well as filming a second series of his Elders programme Denton will be busy behind the scenes with Project NEXT for the ABC and advertising industry satire 30 Seconds for Foxtel.
Tonight he speaks with Dr Philip Zimbardo and golfer Stuart Appleby. And next week its Angelina Jolie and Clint Eastwood.
Source: …
Andre Rieu for Ramsay Street
Well they said they wanted a bit more diversity.
Dutchman Andre Rieu will film a guest appearance on Neighbours.
A keen Ramsay Street fan, Rieu has accepted an invitation to appear on the TEN series by executive producer Susan Bower. The waltz king has even featured the theme in an ‘Australiana segment’ during his Australian concerts.
“In Europe we’ve loved to watch it,” he said.
“It’s helped us fall in love with what we would consider to be an Australian way of life - laid back, happy and warm-hearted.”
Rieu’s Melbourne concert on Saturday night …