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FremantleMedia Australia appointments
FremantleMedia Australia has announced two external appointments and three internal promotions as part of a new management structure.
Jason Stephens (The King, Choir of Hard Knocks, Triple Zero Heroes, Newstopia, Killing Time) has been elevated from Director of Development to Creative Director. Focussing on new business opportunities and creative partnerships, he will continue to develop new formats.
As Director of Television Content, Cathie Scott (MasterChef, Big Brother, So You Think You Can Dance, The Biggest Loser) will oversee factual and entertainment programs. For the past 6 years Scott has been an executive producer …
TV Tonight Awards 2009: The year of Shaun Micallef
The votes are in.
Readers have spoken on their best and worst television for 2009 in the third annual TV Tonight Awards.
The winners: Shaun Micallef, MasterChef and Packed to the Rafters.
Over 1000 surveys were completed this year, and there were some definite trends. Some choices were clear decisions, others were tight races.
Several “winners” were also “losers” elsewhere, showing a divided audience, and a number of populist shows proved their mettle by staying ahead of underdogs.
Shaun Micallef won both Favourite Male and Most Underrated Performer, while Talkin’ ‘Bout Your …
August 09: Kyle dumped, Double Take & City Homicide apology, GO! arrives
August:
Lebanese TV passes ACMA scrutiny
Futurama cast on board
David Leckie, back after this break.
Top ABC executive quits
Australian Idol axes Sandilands
US critics praise Battlestar
Sea Patrol loses 3 cast members
TEN to raise $138m
News boss returning in consultancy role
Paula Abdul quits American Idol
Southern Star boss quits
True Blood stars engaged
Actors strike on overseas ads
‘Squatter’ to face trial over TT assault
Talia dances on US Dance finale
Multiview to track Pay TV
Philadelphia given cold shoulder by Cold Case
Australia gets to GO!…
No risk for 20-TEN
A year ago when TEN unveiled its programming for 2009 it brazenly shocked the nation when it said Big Brother would be replaced by a cooking show. And it promised other local titles including Talkin’ ’Bout Your Generation, Guerilla Gardeners, Bondi Vet and even some that never eventuated: Australia’s Hidden Genius and Undercover Boss.
Unveiling its 2010 titles last night in Melbourne, TEN programmer David Mott played it both safe and sure, only promising one new local title, the Junior Masterchef spin-off. …
TEN to launch new channel
The TEN Network will launch a new digital channel in 2010, reports the Courier Mail.
A third digital channel will launch sometime in the next 12 months, it reports.
Commercial networks are currently allowed two SD channels and one HD channel. Currently TEN has TEN, ONE HD and ONE SD which retransmits the feed from the 24 hour sports channel. But as GO! and 7TWO offer entertainment formats they potentially erode TEN’s market share. And as half the country is now on digital it makes the ONE SD channel less viable -except for …
So Britain thinks it can dance
Borrowing a leaf out of Simon Cowell’s book to appear in cross-Atlantic shows, Nigel Lythgoe is taking So You Think You Can Dance to the UK.
The British version, which will rival the popular Strictly Come Dancing (aka Dancing with the Stars) will also feature Cat Deeley as host, judge Arlene Phillips and a rotating, guest judge.
On offer is £100,000 and the chance to perform live on the US version of the show.
Lythgoe is also a producer on American Idol and created Superstars of Dance for NBC, which is yet to air …
Returning: Go Girls
Good news for fans of New Zealand drama Go Girls which returns to screen next month
It’s back on TEN at 10:25pm Friday September 11.
As expected, the show is being returned following the end of So You Think You Can Dance (US) which was bumped to a later slot, elbowing this out temporarily.
Now go thank the local quota gods….
Bumped: So You Think You Can Dance. Gone: Go Girls
TEN has moved on its Friday programming, following a dismal share on Friday of just 14.6%.
So You Think You Can Dance will now playout later in the evening, following an hour of The Simpsons and a movie. This week it screens Never Been Kissed at 8:30pm then Nanny McPhee and The Break Up in coming weeks.
That pushes Dance (this week with Katie Holmes) back to 10:30pm. As a result the NZ drama Go Girls is out of schedule. TEN was clearly gaining local drama points for this one, but …
Ugly Betty gig for Abdul?
Paula Abdul’s publicist must be working overtime. Possibly more than when she actually had a gig on American Idol.
The latest speculation is in a role on Ugly Betty (you remember that show, right?).
ABC has confirmed the network is in talks with her just days after ABC President of Entertainment Steve McPherson said publicly he’d love for her to appear on Dancing With The Stars.
But Entertainment Weekly says she’d be playing a new temp at Mode who bonds with Becki Newton’s Amanda on Betty.
Abdul already has a recurring turn on Drop Dead …
Drop Dead Paula
It hasn’t taken long for Paula Abdul to return as a judge on the small screen.
The former American Idol regular was back to work Thursday as a different kind of judge , shooting a guest appearance for Drop Dead Diva.
She follows a number of celebs who have appeared on the show including Rosie O’Donnell. Others set to appear include Jorja Fox, Elliot Gould, Tim Gunn, Liza Minnelli, Kathy Najimy, Nia Vardalos, and Hilary Duff.
Abdul plays a judge in a dream sequence to give Jane (the lead lawyer played by Brooke Elliott) …
Talia dances on US Dance finale
Talia Fowler has danced on the US finale of So You Think You Can Dance, part of the prize package she received after winning the 2009 Australian series (pictured).
She performed a contemporary dance accompanied to Audio Bullys version of Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).”
In introducing Fowler, judge Nigel Lythgoe said: “I got invited down to Australia to help them choose their Top 20 dancers.
“This young ballerina was absolutely remarkable in that everything she was asked to do, she just did brilliantly, and o …
Next Top bullies?
If reports today are true that Australia’s Next Top Model judges have slammed a runner-up on social networking sites it surely requires serious addressing from Granada Productions and Foxtel.
According to frockwriter.com, Charlotte Dawson confirmed her Facebook comments that Cassi (let’s just leave her surname out of this for now) would end up as the “poster girl for Sunbury Centrelink.”
Dawson is angry that the show’s runner-up declined an offer from a US modelling agency. She has since signed with a local one.
“Stupid Cassi – she’s really put her modelling career into …