News, Top Stories Archive:
Looking for the magic touch
TEN’s line up for 2009 includes more factual series than ever, returning favourites and new international content. After a disappointing 2008, especially in the second half, TEN will need the magic touch to win back loyal viewers.
The network made the announcement today as part of a three day tour across the country.
Headlining the announcement is the acquisition of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Cooking show MasterChef Australia will replace Big Brother across a 7pm timeslot mid year.
Another 7pm strip show is yet to be announced.
The new locally produced factual shows include …
Masterchef to replace Big Brother
First news from the TEN launch is trickling in….
Big Brother is to be replaced by a 10 week local version of a BBC series, MasterChef Australia.
FremantleMedia will produce the series to air six nights a week.
The show has seen a number of format changes in the UK but essentially involves amateurs cooking including inventing a dish from scratch in 50 minutes, working a lunchtime shift at a busy restaurant, cooking a final meal of two courses, with ingredients of the contestants’ choice in one hour etc. It originally ran from 1990 …
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 …
How Rush nearly blew up City Homicide
Tonight’s episode of Rush features a bomber with an agenda, who creates more than a few headaches for the Tactical Response Team.
In fact, as has been previosuly reported, one member from the team will die next week as a result.
What isn’t so widely known is that for the filming of the Rush episode, the bomber could have taken out the team from City Homicide.
The location used for the explosions in the TEN drama, is the actual building used to house the production team from City Homicide. If you can’t beat …
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 …
ONE HD bumps TEN HD into limbo
TEN’s “science fiction Thursday”, Neighbours catch-up, timeshifted News and documentaries on TEN HD could become a thing of the past with confirmation that there is no contingency plan announced alongside the launch of ONE HD.
TEN HD will continue on air until April when it is overtaken by TEN’s 24hr sports channel ONE HD. The current home of TEN HD, Channel 12, will broadcast the sports content in standard definition.
That leaves Smallville and other fan favourites in television limbo. Other shows including Torchwood, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights …
Rush: who dies?
Hope you’re sitting down for this one.
TV Tonight can reveal one of the characters in Rush is about to get bumped off.
Next week sees the Tactical Response Unit tackles a bomber in a taut, unsettling episode. But not everything goes to plan…
The following week one of the characters will die. At just eleven episodes in to the new TEN series it’s a big call (wouldn’t you hate to be that actor?).
I dunno about you but I’m not really ready to lose any of the team just yet.
The episode will air 9:30pm …
The thin blue line
Tomorrow night on Rush, Inspector Kerry Vincent (Catherine McClements) is pulled over for drink driving. Without giving too much away, she doesn’t take kindly to the directive, which begs the question: how much can you get away with when you’re filming a drama about the force?
Rush and City Homicide both depict a fictional “State Police” which affords them the luxury of stories that aren’t in collusion with Victoria Police.
Producer John Edwards spoke to TV Tonight about the benefits of not having to seek police approval on scripts.
Surprisingly, the move is not …
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 …
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 …
Vince out for Underbelly 2
No surprises here, Vince Colosimo is the latest Underbelly actor to rule himself out of the sequel, being prepared by Screentime for the Nine Network.
He told Moviehole his part won’t factor into the storyline of the next series.
“The next instalment is ’75 to ’85,” he said. “Then, next year, they might do ’85 to ’95 – and the character I play will come into it again. So I’m not in this next one, but if they get the all clear to do it, I’ll be in the next one”.
A large …
ABC beats TEN as Seven wins
It was the week that American critics began to knife Kath & Kim (officially), ABC told staff it would cut up to 35 production jobs, Nine denied having a contract with the wife of a convicted crim, an actor lambasted his former soap, Today Tonight announced its next host would be a sports presenter and said its film crew helped -not hounded- an interviewee, Seven ’streamlined’ its Lotto results, buyers eyed a key production company, the Imparja / Nine Darwin deal fell apart, a TV critic died, and suddenly so did …