News, Top Stories Archive:
Tracy sticks with ACA
EXCLUSIVE: In Part 2 of an interview with TV Tonight, Tracy Grimshaw shares her thoughts on the changes that have encroached upon the landscape in the battle between A Current Affair and Today Tonight.
In the last two months there have been major developments to a once-familiar contest.
Anna Coren has vacated the TT chair, taken up by sports presenter Matt White. So far the Seven show has won the national ratings stoush. But this doesn’t tell the whole picture.
After years against local TTs, WIN Television has also begun locally-produced editions of …
Current survivor
EXCLUSIVE: The landscape for television current affairs has been moving almost at the rapid pace with which some journos would chase a shonky builder. There are budget cuts, new hosts, state-based editions and media speculation about the future. Sitting front and centre through it all is Nine’s Tracy Grimshaw, who took up the permanent hosting role on A Current Affair in 2006.
In a rare interview, she spoke to TV Tonight about her thoughts on the current climate of television current affairs, reflecting everything from their content to ratings to Eddie McGuire’s …
Hooray for Hollywood
Television just lurrrves a good Hollywood correspondent.
Both Today and Sunrise have their resident tinsel town storytellers who dish out all the latest goss in their own inimitable style. Set before the Hollywood sign, Sunset Strip or Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Richard Reid and Nelson Aspen can be excitable, flamboyant, rambunctious, or bitchy. But has it always been that way, and how much do producers pressure gossip correspondents to extend their personalities for the cameras?
Richard Reid tells TV Tonight what you see is what you get.
“I’m not putting it on, and I don’t …
Andre Rieu on Today
Waltz king (these days his unofficial title) Andre Rieu is about to bombard us with his lavish concerts and send seniors, and possibly a few others, into a spin. The darling of the Ovation Channel, there have been some complaints about prices being asked to meet the violinist at a ticketed After Party.
His Aussie tour begins in Melbourne on Thursday and ends in Brisbane in December.
The Today show will telecast part of a free concert at Melbourne’s Federation Square on Tuesday morning.
Richard Wilkins will interview Rieu at 7.20am and Steve Jacobs …
Stars align for Carols by Candlelight
The first names are emerging for this year’s Carols by Candlelight.
As previously reported, the event will be hosted by Today show hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson.
Performing on Christmas Eve will be David Campbell, Hi-5, Marina Prior, Ian Stenlake and Anthony Callea, the cast of Wicked. Bert Newton joins the stage musical from this week, replacing Rob Guest.
Georgie Parker and Tim Campbell will make their Carols debut.
Expect more names to follow…
Source: Sunday Herald Sun
Gallery: ABC News Breakfast
ABC News Breakfast launched at 6am on ABC2 today, breaking out the Australian Financial Review and talking in tones that said “we’re not Today or Sunrise.” No doubt their commercial rivals will be saying exactly the same thing.
But it’s good to have choice.
Here’s a few snapshots of the first show, including some that would suggest Rupert Murdoch is anything other than impressed.
For the record, his footage was from the Boyer Lecture recorded previously…
If you saw the show, be sure to leave a comment….
Today duo to host Carols by Candlelight
Today hosts Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson will host Channel Nine’s Carols by Candelight, replacing Ray Martin who is no longer a network regular despite his occasional reports for 60 Minutes.
But the two Sydney-siders are likely to cop a Melbourne backlash in what is a fiercely Victorian institution.
Carols was first hosted by radioman Norman Banks in 1938. Ray Martin -also a Sydney-sider- hosted for 18 years, following the departure of GTV newsreader Brian Naylor in the role.
The Today show is certainly popular with Melbourne viewers, regularly beating Sunrise, but Melburnians are …
Nelson Aspen’s win / WIN book plug
Sunrise Hollywood correspondent Nelson Aspen will appear on “rival” network WIN Television to promote a new book he has written.
Aspen is to pop up on Susie this Friday to plug ‘Hollywood Insider Exposed!’, despite the fact that WIN airs the Today show with Aspen’s entertainment opposition, Richard Reid.
The Herald Sun recently pointed out that Aspen’s comments on the Sunrise team were extremely complimentary, noting Melissa Doyle “loves shoe shopping, champagne and George Clooney” while Kochie’s “devotion to Dame Julie Andrews is genuine and he can sure tell a cracker of …
Hackett: Dancing “wasn’t a show I wanted to do”
Here’s something we all knew, but at least it’s on record now.
Grant Hackett confirmed Seven’s demands he compete on Dancing with the Stars was the reason he walked to Nine.
“I wouldn’t say Seven was a bad place to be, but we just couldn’t agree on the direction that we both wanted to take . . . and neither of us were willing to compromise,” he told news.com.au
“It wasn’t a show I wanted to do . . . I’m the first person to take the mickey out of myself, I don’t …
Daylight robbery for network shows
Now that we are well and truly into Daylight Saving some viewers will be aware that they are seeing their regular programming delayed -or in some cases- more delayed than usual.
Queensland viewers will have noticed that Sunrise and Today are now on a one hour time delay.
A year ago Today attempted to adjust for Queensland airing between 5 and 8.30am, with an extra Queensland-only half an hour. This year the show advises it is sticking with its regular 5:30 - 9am telecast with a delay for Queensland viewers. South Australian, Northern …
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 …
Phantoms in Today’s video library
The Today show ran the wrong footage from Phantom of the Opera this morning for its story on the death of actor Rob Guest.
Instead it showed Australia’s original Phantom, Anthony Warlow.
Guest replaced Warlow who had to bow out due to cancer. Warlow has since recovered including a return to the role.
Rob Guest, who has played the Phantom longer than any actor in the world, died late last night in St. Vincent’s Hospital following a stroke.