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Jolene to debut in Play School
Jolene Anderson (Rush, All Saints) makes her first appearance as a Play School presenter on April 1st.
She will appear with fellow presenter, Andrew McFarlane, as part of a new three-week series which began on Tuesday March 2nd.
Anderson is one of the newest recruits to the iconic children’s series which also includes actress Abi Tucker (McLeod’s Daughters, The Secret Life of Us) and film actress Essie Davis (Hey Hey its Esther Blueburger, The Matrix Reloaded) and actor Hugh Sheridan (Packed to the Rafters).
Aussie writer to be honoured by US Publicists
Australian writer and NCIS Executive Producer Shane Brennan will be honoured by America’s ICG Publicists.
Brennan, who also oversees NCIS: Los Angeles will be feted at the publicist society’s 2010 awards in March, receiving a small-screen showmanship award.
“Shane has been described as a whirl of energy, producing, writing and editing episodes of two of television biggest hits,” awards committee chairman Henri Bollinger said. “He also has a keen sense of what will attract an audience. Something we call showmanship.”
Last year’s recipient was Chuck Lorre.
Brennan joined Crawfords Productions as a scriptwriter on Cop …
Second season for Spartacus: Blood and Sand
Little known Australian actor Andy Whitfield looks set for US stardom if this trailer for Starz Entertainment’s series Spartacus: Blood and Sand is anything to go by.
Whitfield, who has had guest roles in Packed to the Rafters, McLeod’s Daughters, The Strip, All Saints and lead role in the film Gabriel, looks very convincing as a hero in this trailer.
The series has already won a second season, provisionally titled Spartacus: Vengeance, and the first hasn’t even premiered yet.
Filmed in New Zealand, the series, co-produced by Sam Raimi also features Lucy Lawless, John …
Libby to Nine’s Rescue
Last week Nine confirmed its casting for its newest drama, RESCUE Special Ops (yep more titles with CAPS!).
To be produced by Julie McGauran (Out Of The Blue, Home and Away) and Sarah Smith (The Alice) the 13 part series will feature Les Hill (Underbelly), Libby Tanner (Scorched), Peter Phelps (Underbelly: A Tale Of Two Cities), Daniel Amalm (Two Fists, One Heart), Gigi Edgley( The Starter Wife), Katherine Hicks (Out Of The Blue) and newcomer Andrew Lees.
Playing brothers Dean Gallagher and Chase are Les Hill and Andrew Lees: competitive alpha males, who …
Airdate: Dirt Game
The next Australian-produced drama, Dirt Game, will be featured in a prime 8:30pm Sunday night slot on the ABC.
With a cast including Joel Edgerton, Freya Staford, Gerald Lepkowski, Shane Connor and Katie Wall, Dirt Game tells the story of the industry’s men and women – from the faction-torn board, to the workers at the hazardous ore face – striving to save a proud, if crippled Australian firm.
The six part series written by Michael Harvey and produced by David Taft and Michael Harvey (State Coroner) is set before a backgrop of deep …
Southern Star sells to Dutch for $75m
After months of speculation, Fairfax Media has sold its Southern Star Group to Endemol in the Netherlands.
The Dutch production giant is buying 100% of the company from Australia’s Fairfax Media adding 14,000 hours of programming.
The deal includes Southern Star International, Southern Star Entertainment and Southern Star’s 49% share in the 10-year-old Aussie joint venture company Endemol Southern Star. The deal is dependent on regulatory approval, but is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2009.
Hugh Marks will continue as CEO of Southern Star Group. The Australian firm’s distribution arm …
A very Gyngell summer
A line from Nine’s CEO yesterday in a Press Release is a surprising example of network spin.
“Unlike other networks, Channel Nine is committed to quality programming and entertaining viewers every day of the year,” David Gyngell said.
While many might debate how entertaining some of Nine’s shows have been this year, it’s the first three words that seem pretty hard to take.
Was it really necessary to draw in other networks into your own marketing spin?
And unlike which other networks? All of them? Some of them? Pay television too?
TV Tonight would suggest that …
Bud to bloom in Roses
Veteran actor Bud Tingwell and Phillip Quast (Play School, South Pacific, Les Miserables) have joined the cast of the second season of Bed of Roses, which began photography this week.
Extended from six to eight episodes and shot in HD, the drama sees the return of Kerry Armstrong, Julia Blake, Caroline Gillmer, Jay Laga’aia, Dina Panozzo, Kaarin Fairfax and Hanna Mangan-Lawrence.
Head of ABC TV Drama Miranda Dear, says, “We knew whilst making series one that we had something special on our hands and so went straight into developing a second series. …
The dumping ground of television
It’s become one of the stories of the 2008 television year: dumping shows ad infinitum. This month we’ve lost Fringe, Cold Case, Wipeout, Battlefronts, Kitchen Nightmares USA, Kath & Kim (US), 90210, Bondi Rescue: Bali and even a repeat series of Friends. Dropping shows isn’t new, but its rapidity is increasing, confusing audiences and disintegrating trust between viewers and networks.
Nine’s Head of Acquisitions, Daytime and HD programming Les Sampson spoke to TV Tonight about the challenges and ramifications of scheduling.
As we all know, delivering demographics to advertisers is an artform. Programming …
Cast all at Sea once more
Set to guest star in the Sea Patrol: Red Gold are Jessica Napier (McLeod’s Daughters, Stingers), Blair McDonough (Big Brother, Neighbours) and Tasma Walton (Blue Heelers).
But the real ‘coup’ for the third series is actor Robert Coleby, who appeared in the ABC’s Patrol Boat (1979 – 1983). Coleby’s inclusion is a terrific touch from the casting department.
He played Lieutenant Charles Fisher alongside Andrew McFarlane in the series produced by James Davern (A Country Practice). Like Sea Patrol, that series was also produced with the co-operation of the Royal Australian Navy.
Principal …
Fringe
Mental note to self: never, ever take a flight with screenwriter J.J. Abrams. He’s the guy who crashed Oceanic Flight 815 onto a tiny Pacific island in Lost. Now he opens his newest television drama, Fringe, with another disastrous flight.
This time a virus breaks out aboard a jet descending into Boston. Nobody survives a rapid, flesh-eating outbreak. Enter FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), called in to investigate as part of an interagency task force.
When her partner, and bed mate, Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley) falls victim to the virus, …