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Jon Olb: Hitmaker
With three hit shows Director Jon Olb has been keeping a frenetic pace lately. But if ever there was truth to ‘making hay while the sun shines’ it’s now. The economic gloom has powered his television gigs, Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, Spicks and Specks and Thank God You’re Here.
As Series Director on all three -and on three different networks, no less- he has to be one of the hottest properties in television right now. So while all his shows are firing, Olb’s recent workload has been relentless. He’s lucky all three …
HG Nelson brushes up on the bush
The ABC has announced a new television series, about poetry no less.
To be hosted by HG Nelson, Bush Slam is a 6 x 30 min. series produced by Freehand Productions (Top Gear Australia, Dancing with the Stars, and Missing Persons Unit). No stranger to hosting contests, Nelson has recently been hosting Comedy Slapdown on Foxtel.
The series will be taking two different poets and / or lyricists to six rural towns in Australia to explore the culture, the beauty, the folklore and the humour.
Each poet will be given just three days to …
This is Your Laugh
Andrew O’Keefe’s pet project This is Your Laugh finally hit screens last night, airing exclusively on 7HD.
The digital-only channel allows the show to find its feet without the same pressures as its analogue channel. Seven has experimented with 7HD before, when The Night Cap aired briefly earlier this year. Using the channel for ideas like this is a clever “off-Broadway” path for new shows.
The format for this show is chat meets improvisation. O’Keefe, who already takes a chat chair on Weekend Sunrise, flies solo here and is clearly loving the freedom …
Comedy Slapdown
Ever since Theatresports was franchised in the 80s, improvisation found a new home in popular culture.
The ABC used to screen such games from a theatre in Sydney. Many years later, along came Whose Line is it Anyway? from both the US and UK. Working Dog’s variation Thank God You’re Here has been ripping fun for its scarce seasons.
Now the Comedy Channel revisits the format, set in a wrestling ring for Comedy Slapdown.
With two teams of celebrities, a referee / host, judge and wrestling ring supports, it’s pitched as a no-holds barred …
Airdate: Comedy Slapdown
The Comedy Channel’s newest local production, Comedy Slapdown will premiere on Saturday November 8th at 7:30pm.
Hosted by HG Nelson, the improvisation series is set in a wrestling ring, where celebrities try their hand at outscoring one another.
The line-up for the series will include Matt Tilley, Stephen Hall, Corrine Grant, Julia Morris, Stephen Gates, Damian Callinan, Paul McCarthy and Julia Zemiro.
Shot in Melbourne, the series is produced by FremantleMedia.
Vote for Comedy Gold
‘H.G. Nelson’ will host the Comedy Gold event at the 2008 Screen Producers’ Association on the Gold Coast in November.
The event is an opportunity for comedians, writers and emerging producers to create a new 13part comedy series for the Comedy Channel.
Amongst the twelve finalists are actor Adam Zwar, comedian Marty Fields and radioman Steve Bedwell. Five of twelve finalists will participate in the Gold Coast pitch-off. Voting for the top 5 is open to the public; you can see the finalists here.
Last year’s winners were I Can’t Believe It’s Not …