News Archive:
Jacobz wins Seven dance
Actor Luke Jacobz has won the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars, defeating boxer Danny Green.
The Home and Away star landed a perfect score as did footballer Paul Licuria, who was the first to be eliminated from an all male 3-way battle. Licuria also did a “Tom Williams” and danced shirtless, in an exhibition (or exhibitionist?) dance, despite the fact he had been cut from the title earlier.
Violinist Andre Rieu also appeared. With shirt intact.
The eighth series has been the lowest rating ever for Seven, with a new host and …
The race that tops the nation
It was the week a Pay TV spokesperson called broadcaster feuding “juvenile” while another exec wanted better inclusion at the digital switch table, a TEN programmer conceded it had massive timeslot problems, Nine axed production staff, Sonia Kruger was criticised for an on air joke, a former soap star said he didn’t really enjoy soaps, belated guide amendments left viewers confused, an ABC journo pleads guilty to charges in Singapore, drug charges against a Seven personality were dropped, Seven revisits its C7 case against Pay television, the ABC launches its new …
TEN failing 7pm test
This will come as no surprise to any reader of this site. But it’s good to hear the problem being addressed publicly.
TEN’s chief programmer has conceded it is in the doldrums due mostly to the 7pm timeslot.
“Where the problem is for us - and it’s the elephant in the room - is 7pm and there’s no question it’s our biggest challenge,” Mott told the Daily Telegraph. “It’s hurting us and we have to bring people back . . . at 7pm.”
TEN has cycled through Friends, Taken Out, Friends (again) and …
Melissa George, more Away than Home.
A story on former Home and Away star Melissa George today notes that she doesn’t spend much time with Aussie ex-pats in Hollywood.
‘”I work so much and think that most Aussies who are doing anything over here are on location or working most of the time, so it’s not how you would think, we don’t get to hang out,” she told news.com.au
But there is no mention of an earlier comment, also with News Limited, that she has relinquished her Aussie citizenship for America.
Earlier this week George said she voted for …
Packered by the Rafters
It was the week the Packer family parted ways with Nine causing David Gyngell to vow to prove James Packer wrong, TEN announced a new channel, Pay TV launched another three, Minister Stephen Conroy signalled support for increased ABC & SBS funding, commercial networks (briefly) found a conscience but upset David Leckie, WIN sat down at the gambling table, Kath & Kim (US) got a greenlight for a full season, Andrew Denton announced the end of Enough Rope, David Tennant set his exit from his iconic role, Rove visited …
Out of the Blue gets a lifeline
EXCLUSIVE: Australian soap Out of the Blue is getting a second shot on UK television, despite slumping on the BBC earlier this year.
The Manly-based serial, commissioned by the British broadcaster, will move to Five in the UK alongside other Aussie soaps, Neighbours and Home and Away.
The lifeline for the 130-episode drama will see the show re-aired from Episode One in a bid to find a new UK audience. With an ensemble cast including Sophie Katinis, Zoe Carides, Diane Craig and John Atkinson, the plot kicks off with a murder amongst a …
Sharni Vinson on CSI: NY
Former Home and Away actress Sharni Vinson will appear in next week’s episode of CSI: New York.
Vinson, who played Cassie in Summer Bay, plays a pregnant woman held hostage in a bank hold-up in the season 4 finale.
Last year she was dating A.J. Buckley (pictured) who plays CSI:NY’s ‘Adam Ross’ but the couple have since split.
“Hostage” can be seen at 9:30pm Wednesday October 29th on Nine.
Irish eyes smile for Home & Away
Irish public broadcaster RTE has renewed a deal with distributor Southern Star to retain Home and Away for another five years.
The Seven soap has enjoyed an uninterrupted 20-year run in its weekday schedule. “We were the very first broadcaster in the Northern Hemisphere to show Home and Away and it continues to be our most popular daily show on RTE2,” says RTE’s Dermot Horan.
The deal also includes picking up rights to other Aussie shows including Hi-5 and Packed to the Rafters.
“The sheer range of the Southern Star catalogue, from the best …
Current affairs surge at Seven
It was the week that current affairs and finance dominated. Ray Martin lamented the state of commercial news and current affairs at the same time as a former sports presenter won his first week behind a public affairs desk, a CEO lashed out at his rival networks but shot off about the starting date of his new current affairs project, while the network signed a former Sunday journo, TEN reported a 25% slump in earnings, a Telstra boss said Foxtel subscriptions were slowing, another Murdoch stitched up a production deal with …
Oi, Kylie, you’re nicked!
Heads up for some interesting appearances in forthcoming episodes of The Bill.
In the second of this Saturday’s double header there’s a very dodgy Kylie Minogue impersonator singing “Can’t Get You Out of my Head” in a gay bar. She’s decked out in the complete white shroud outfit, which looks pretty funny when she runs down the street from the Sun Hill coppers.
Aptly, the episode is even titled “Lucky, Lucky, Lucky.”
And early next month there’s an appearance by former Home & Away actor …
NRL wins it but Seven takes glory
It was the week that TEN was in breach of subliminal ads (a ruling first leaked by TV Tonight), ACMA instructed Nine to sell part of its Darwin operation, two former premiers will now defend Pay TV v Free to Air battles, while two television gardeners faced off over the environment, a Footy Show comedian defended a school principal under fire, a musical about the media in Beaconsfield was branded as tasteless, a former Idol died in tragic circumstances, Perth’s Telethon broke its own record, SBS lost a top Drama …
Telethon raises $7.5m
Perth’s Telethon always manages to raise an extraordinarily high amount per capita. On the weekend it broke last year’s record total of $6.5 million to raise $7,535,678.
A surprise $1.5 million donation by the Federal government and the sale of the Telethon regional home had Telethon get off to a fast start, reaching the $3 million mark early on Saturday night.
The total includes a $1 million donation by a Perth grandmother who won the $13 million Oz Lotto jackpot in July. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, also donated another $1 …