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So what’s been your summer gem?
The other week a journalist asked me for some quotes on how our TV summer season was faring and I pointed out that historically, the 09 / 10 season has offered an abundance of choice -at least compared to when we had just 5 channels, half of which were stuck on sport.
This year the amount of content has boomed, thanks to our extra digital channels.
But when the article appeared in print, readers hit back saying summer is still a dead zone. I got slammed. Well, it is if you stick with …
Returning: Chandon Pictures
ABC picks up Movie Extra’s Chandon Pictures a second time round, offering the show as comedy fare over summer.
Created and directed by Tropfest winners, Rob Carlton and Alex Weinress, the series returnes to follow the misadventures of Tom Chandon (Rob Carlton) and his fledgling video production company.
This season’s guests include Don Hany, Lynette Curran, Roy Billing, Marshall Napier and Doug Scroope.
In the Season Two, Tom returns somewhat defeated from a brief stint in Hollywood. His brother Carmichael has taken a job in Singapore and Chandon Pictures have opened up new headquarters. …
The Don’s hit list
In the last two years actor Don Hany has appeared in a string of television’s most credible projects: East West 101, False Witness, Underbelly, Dirt Game, Chandon Pictures, The Last Confession of Alexander Pearce and Rush.
Next up he will appear in both Legend of the Seeker, which begins on FOX8 this Sunday, and TEN’s 2010 telemovie Offpsring.
No less than five projects he has been involved with are up for AFI Awards next month (although Hany appeared in Underbelly’s first season).
Hany is also nominated for a Lead Actor award for East West …
2008-09 Production Report
Screen Australia has released the findings of its annual Production Report on the state of film and television.
Never wanting to paint a bleak picture, it manages to find optimism with a healthy state of production, if boosted by the big investment of George Miller’s Happy Feet 2 and the $100m Hollywood animation Guardians of Ga’Hoole in Sydney.
TV Tonight has taken a look at the television sector separately, and the results are still very good. While series / serials were down, mini-series (which also includes telemovies) were up.
The …
Josh Lawson for US comedy series
Josh Lawson has landed a lead role in a new US comedy series opposite Alyssa Milano.
In Romantically Challenged he will play a thirtysomething man torn between his new girlfriend (Milano) and needy best friend (Kyle Bornheimer). The multicam comedy is written by writer Ricky Blitt (Family Guy) and will air on the ABC network.
In picking up the series from its pilot, ABC has replaced actor Eric Christian Olsen with Lawson.
In 2008 he struck an exclusive talent deal with FOX after impressing the network’s head of casting, Marcia Shulman. She described …
US Rafters in development
It was last year that Packed to the Rafters began to attract international attention.
“After the second week’s ratings results here, the overseas people just came out of the trees to buy the show – US networks, US studios, UK producers – and everyone wanted copies,” Seven programmer Tim Worner said last December.
Even Lost’s Damon Lindelhof and Carlton Cuse wanted to take a look at it.
Now Lionsgate Television, maker of Mad Men and Weeds, is reportedly working on a US adaptation, with ABC network also involved in the development.
Lionsgate has previously picked …
Thank God You’re Here: May 6
UK actress and comedian Josie Long will be a guest on the next Thank God You’re Here. Long who had played the school counsellor in Skins, finds herself glammed up for a red-carpet arrival.
Chandon Pictures’ Rob Carlton also makes his debut.
Returning is Hamish Blake and Peter Rowsthorn.
Lookout too for Australian test bowler Damien Fleming.
It airs 7:30pm Wednesday on Seven.
A gold year for Rebecca
Last night Julie and Dave Rafter, Australia television’s favourite new mum and dad, decided to keep the baby.
At age 44 ‘Julie Rafter’ faces a number of health challenges that were laid out to her by a doctor, some of which could be life-threatening.
The episode capped off an extraordinary first season for the new Seven drama.
Less seriously, actress Rebecca Gibney, also 44, could be facing a challenge of her own, when the TV Week Logie nominations are announced next week.
Packed to the Rafters was one of the success stories of 2008, arguably …
Funny business
England, Poland, Romania, Finland, Serbia, USA and Russia -all territories that have picked up Movie Extra’s Chandon Pictures. Not a bad innings for a series that sprang to life after Rob Carlton and Alex Weinress won Tropfest 2006, albeit with another project.
The comedy series set within the ailing video production company headed by Tom Chandon (Carlton) is back for more hapless adventures.
“For those viewers familiar with Series One we learn a lot more about Lucy Tennant (Rebecca Massey), the producer behind the team,” said Carlton. “We go and visit the greyhound …
Molloy to star in The Jesters
A case of art becomes art? Mick Molloy has a new television comedy project, The Jesters, to begin filming for Movie Extra in Sydney on Monday. It promises to be a satire about the day-to-day battles of a sketch comedy veteran turned producer.
Molloy, who returned to TV last year in TEN’s Before the Game, who will star in the lead role of Dave Davies, alongside Deborah Kennedy and Susie Porter.
“The Jesters is a funny and dark look into the world of television comedy from the writers’ room to the network board …
Chandon takes a second Picture
The second season of Chandon Pictures, which returns to Movie Extra this month, has lined up some familiar faces for its guest cast: Josh Lawson (Thank God You’re Here, Wipeout), Lachy Hulme (The Hollowmen), Dan Wyllie (Love My Way), Roy Billing (Underbelly), Don Hany (Underbelly, East West 101) David James (The Hollowmen), Lynette Curran (Love My Way, All Saints) and Marshall Napier (City Homicide).
Both Lawson and Hulme appeared in S1.
The story for the second season sees Tom (Rob Carlton) return somewhat defeated from a brief stint in Hollywood. The Chandon crew …
Denton, Safran and drama lead ABC charge
While attention in the first week of ratings turns to a brawl between Seven, Nine and TEN, the ABC is focussed on the 52 weeks that make up our television year. Over summer it delivered several feature series that upstaged the commercials -at least in terms of quality.
It will soon launch its latest locally-produced drama, The Cut, starring John Wood, Matt Passmore and Julieanne Newbould.
Set to premiere at 9:30pm Monday February 23, the timeslot is another break away from the network’s traditional Sunday programming for local drama.
ABC’s Director of Television, Kim …