News Archive:
AFI apologises to Working Dog
The Australian Film Institute has apologised to Working Dog for a production error on the night of the AFI Awards that meant the team who won both Best ScreenPlay in Television and News Limited’s reader award for “Favourite Australian Film” were not invited to the Media Room.
After Working Dog won the favourite Aussie film for The Castle, they were ushered back to their seats in readiness for the subsequent presentation of the Best Screenplay award, won for The Hollowmen.
But a production assistant, misunderstanding the directions for their first win, neglected to usher the team …
Belly full of glory
Underbelly dominated the television winners at the 2008 AFI Awards last night, scooping 6 of 7 awards.
It won Best Drama, Direction and acting awards for Gyton Grantley, Kat Stewart, Damian Walshe-Howling and Madeleine West.
“It was our story, an Australian story, and it was fascinating,” said Best Lead Actor Gyton Grantley. “And we made it come alive and made it entertaining.”
Chris Lilley was the other big winner of the night winning Best Comedy and Best Performance in Comedy for Summer Heights High.
Lilley was also awarded the Byron Kennedy Award.
“I just want to …
TEN: “We are disappointed.”
Channel TEN is licking its wounds over the loss of its hit comedy show Thank God You’re Here to Seven.
It had been trying to lure the successful show back to screen for the better part of a year. At the end of 2007 it was is in discussions with Working Dog for a “bigger and better” Thank God You’re Here or 2008. But it never eventuated.
Instead the team comprising Rob Sitch, Tom Gleisner, Santo Cilauro, Jane Kennedy and Michael Hirsch returned to the ABC for The Hollowmen. They wrote, directed, produced …
And no Panel xmas wrap either…
It just won’t be the same Christmas this year.
The Working Dog team won’t be wrapping our Christmas night this year. The news follows an announcement yesterday that Thank God You’re Here is shifting to Channel Seven next year.
Until yesterday there was still some possibility that The Panel xmas wrap might be possible for 2009. A TEN spokesperson told TV Tonight yesterday that the Working Dog team were having a break from their workload (on the ABC’s Hollowmen) and were looking at reinventing it for 2009.
“The Working Dog guys came back and …
TV Forums report card
Since the advent of online, television fans have had ways of letting networks know what they think. No more writing letters to newspapers, it’s as easy as logging onto a network website anonymously and speaking your mind.
TV Tonight has been looking at how our networks embrace free and open discussion. Here’s how they stacked up.
ABC:
Within the ABC site there are individual show pages, many of which have open forums. Shows including Enough Rope, Compass, Can We Help?, At The Movies, Life at 3, Good Game, Media Watch, Spicks and Specks and …
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 …
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 …
New, local content wins Seven week
It was the week the “Prince of Darkness” descended upon Nine, the Imparja takeover of NTD9 inched closer, Seven lost an appeal relating to a children’s court case and lost a packet in the financial freefall, TEN signalled the return of boxing only to have its promoter caught up in a drug arrest, two networks fight over the contracts of one presenter, ACMA cancelled a community broadcasting license while a leak led to a Federal Police raid, the Government introduced a bill to firm the switch to digital, TEN turned off …
An empty House at TEN
After starting the week so well, TEN’s healthy figures dropped through the floor last night, coming fourth behind the ABC for the evening.
An 18.4% share is disappointing on any night, but doubly worse when you look at what appears to be a competitive line-up. TEN programmers must be scratching their heads today and who can blame them?
A season premiere of House, fasttracked by little more than a week attracted a lacklustre 914,000 viewers. TEN should have been looking past 1.25m for this, minimum. Instead that went to Criminal Minds (1.32m), with most …
Bored rigid by lack of competition, it’s Seven.
It was the week that Seven and Nine argued over Karl Stefanovic, Grant Hackett signed with Channel Nine, ASTRA again attacked the anti-siphoning rule –prompting an hilarious “bored rigid” response from Seven, Nine denied a takeover of its Darwin affiliate by Imparja, Grant Denyer landed in hospital, a former Idol was assaulted, WIN trimmed its Queensland newsrooms, SBS said sponsors wouldn’t affect its editorial on Top Gear Australia and networks and advertisers all held their breath as the US financial market went into meltdown.
And unsurprisingly it was another win by Seven …
Seven wins as TEN is taken out
It was the week that Ernie Dingo and Kyle Sandilands had a spat on radio, the ABC renewed its push for a kids’ channel, Access 31 was put on the market, TEN picked up women’s netball from FOX Sports, GTV9 won a Heritage listing, Nine axed its Euro correspondent, Underbelly won the right to start screening in Victoria (sort of), TEN and Seven fought over AFL sponsors and a 17yo reality contestant took a stand on her show’s conduct.
And it was another big win for Seven with 29.9% in Week 37 …
Seven packed with hits
It was the week ASTRA and Seven got into a stoush over AFL, gardening gurus came out fighting, SBS took its funding campaign to the people, Today Tonight apologised to a dating a dating agency and Lateline apologised to the Corbys, WIN TV sacked a news chief, David Koch stumbled over the marvels of “fasttracking v downloading,” we lost a veteran actor with a huge list of credits, and our first gardening celebrity, while actor Mark Priestley was laid to rest.
And it was another win for Seven, with 29.4% in Week …