News: The Joy of Sets to begin filming soon - How to be in the audience

One of the shows that continually seems to slip under the radar for the rest of 2011 has been The Joy of Sets, featuring Tony Martin and Ed Kavalee - mainly because details surrounding it have been sparse.


But today, Zapruder's Other Films has put out a call for people to be in the show's audience (bad news if you're not in Sydney) as well as giving some clues as to what the show will involve. 


From the outset, it's clear they know what they are dealing with in Martin and Kavalee, when saying they are the stars of the "greatly-missed" Get This.


They also confirmed the show will be a "unique take on television; the good, the bad and the fabulously misguided."


Here's what they had to say about audience tickets and the rest of the show:

Written and hosted by Tony and Ed, The Joy of Sets is an affectionate and funny journey through the world of television. Each episode will deal with a different part of the television universe. By the end of the series, keen viewers will have learnt enough to create their own smash hit, TV format – or their money back*

The show will be recorded in Sydney, and we start taping very soon. If you want a front row seat email us at josaudience@zapruder.com.au. Get in quick, as numbers are limited. It’s sure to be dizzy stuff, folks.

When: Fridays - August through to October, 7pm – 9pm

Where: Technology Park, Alexandria, Sydney

From Zapruder’s Other Films (producers of The Gruen Transfer) for prime time on the Nine Network, The Joy Of Sets will take you to parts of the television universe you never knew existed.

*Offer applies to free-to-air television only.

They have also just advised that seats for episode one are all gone - but there will be more, just follow them on Twitter for more updates.


The fact that they are taping this month means the Channel Nine show can't be far away - I'd hazard a guess that the end of the month will see the first episode air (taking into account promotion for the show, etc.).

Show Preview: Hamish and Andy's Gap Year

What do we know?

Hamish and Andy will host a show from a "desk" in a warehouse, where they will interview various celebrity guests, as well as cut to pre-filmed segments, out and about in New York. What the rest of the show will be made up of is unknown.


Who's in it?

Hamish Blake and Andy Lee will host.

Their radio show's "button pusher" Jack Post will feature as a "butler" of sorts, and has hinted that he will be wearing a suit t-shirt with white gloves.

Ryan Shelton will appear in an as-yet unknown capacity. Will he file individual comedy segments filmed in NY, or will he be another co-host?


What does Episode 1 hold in store? 

Taylor Swift will be a guest, as first alluded to by Hamish and Andy on last Friday's show, and also confirmed by Channel Nine today.
She is obviously great friends with the boys, especially after the gave her the "Australian" nickname "Swifty Taylor" a couple of years ago.


Will it Work?

Hamish and Andy will not try to reinvent the wheel with this one. They have a great brand and they know it. They also have hours of TV and Radio experience under their belts, so opening night jitters shouldn't be too much of a problem.

They also have hoardes of fans that will follow them wherever they go. The main thing that they need to work on is honing their focus and product. If the show seems too slap-dash with no structure, it will turn away people who aren't mad fans- there is little chance it will be too much the other way, with Nine stating beforehand that they would give the pair complete creative control... However, they still need to make sure they don't make the show too casual in its approach.

There is no doubt that it will work, as their specials on Ten have been successes- point a camera at the boys running amok somewhere and hilarity will follow.

The only question is whether the show will become a huge hit- and this can only be achieved if they can bring some of that live and edgy radio energy into a studio.

During their specials on Ten, they often had in-studio links between segments- these were the weakest parts of those shows. If these (which this time will be longer and likely feature guests and other hijinks) are less scripted and contrived in their Nine show, it will be the best thing they have ever done.


Ratings Predictor

Their large listener base will likely provide for a solid audience in Episode 1 (especially given they have been in New York broadcasting for a couple of months now, talking about the show). So think at least 1.2 million listeners will tune in.

Then add in the promotion-factor- Nine have put up billboard ads all across Australia. Add another 200 thousand.

Then consider that there will be very little competition from other networks- Seven has the cancelled Law and Order: LA premiere, while Ten has The Renovators, which doesnt look like it will put up much of a fight. ABC1 also has the very average Crownies. Add another 200,000 people curious channel-surfers.

Then add another 200,00 or so for the sheer fact that it's a new, expensive product, and a pure comedy show.

I put the premiere's ratings at 1.7-1.8 million.


When does it air?

Hamish and Andy's Gap Year airs on Thursday at 8:30PM.

Analysis: Double Standards, Conflicts of Interest and more... All Par For The Course In Today's AFL Media?

In what must be one of the most low-key, yet heated rivalries in the AFL, Sam Newman has thrown another barb at Before the Game panelist Samantha Lane.

Channel Ten was successfully sued this week for $85,000 after Nicole Cornes accused Mick Molloy of damaging her character after he implied that she slept with an AFL player.

Sam Newman, obviously still holding a grudge after she wrote a critical piece slamming the Footy Show for their treatment of women, blasted Samantha Lane tonight for not writing a similarly condemnatory piece about her colleague Mick Molloy (she sits next to him on the Ten program).

News: Top Gear Season 17 Coming Soon to Nine

Australian Top Gear fans can rest easy- the show's seventeenth season, which began just over two weeks ago in the UK, will finally have an airdate in Australia.

Today Nine have begun airing their "The best is still to come" promos, which feature a montage of the second half of the year's shows, including Underbelly: Razor, Hamish and Andy's Gap Year, Top Design and Bear Gryll's Worst Case Scenario.

There is also a mention of new Top Gear, though, which tells us it isn't far away.

It won't be seen for the next two weeks but my tip is....

News: Top Gear Season 17 Episode 4 Details

From TVRage, we have the latest synopsis for the seventeenth season of Top Gear. Quite significantly, Rowan Atkinson will be making his first appearance on the show (presumably he will be promoting his latest flick Johnny English Reborn).

News: Can of Worms Ep1 Guests + Set Revealed!

Before its premiere tomorrow night on Ten at 8:30pm, the Can of Worms set has been revealed. Here it is thanks to Can of Worms audience member @thatcarlaK... Go ahead and follow her!

News: Top Gear Season 17 Episode 2 and 3 Guests, Challenges, Reviews

After Episode 1 of Season 17 featured Alice Cooper in the "Reasonably Priced Car", as well as a tribute to the Jaguar E-Type and reviews of the Marauder, BMW 1 Series M Coupe and Mini John Cooper Works WRC, the hijinks for episodes 2 and 3 have been revealed.

Analysis: Can of Worms: Will Denton open a Can of Beast, Tench or Gruen?

Another month, another "Zapruder's Other Films" program premieres.

In recent times, Andrew Denton and Anita Jacoby's production company has churned out shows including Hungry Beast, AFP, The Gruen Transfer and Gruen Nation, all to varying degrees of success.

On the whole, there is a consensus that shows that they formulate are new and inventive, if nothing else. Before their respective premieres, they are also shrouded in secrecy, with man of the key talent kept under wraps, as well as the format, premise and general feel of the show.

This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to predict the success of the show. Their policy of secrecy is a double-edged sword, as obviously not knowing anything about the show builds up a sort of mystique, and of course builds the curiosity factor. It also encourages people to watch the show for the central premise, rather than fob it off after seeing a personality one dislikes on the promo (Dicko is nowhere to be seen on the talking-head promos, despite the fact that he is the host).

On the other hand, the vague "Australia, we need to talk" tagline is not quite explicit enough for some people to feel an urge to tune in.

The "talking heads" that appear to discuss various issues which touch on "porn", religion and the internet. So its clear that we're in line for some modern, frank discussion. Presumably there is a newfound market for this kind of discussion, what with these type of discussions being brought up frequently on Q and A.

Obviously the show wants "Australia" to start talking. It wants families to start these type of discussions in their own house. This will create further word-of-mouth between friends, etc. etc.

Whether the show is aiming to set the agenda on new issues or rather react to issues in the news is unknown.

So, what do we know we can expect?

Read on to find out...

Opinion: Can Nine Reclaim Some Glory?

Channel Nine is currently undergoing a resurgence of sorts, after a very lacklustre start to the year.

After heavily promoting the fourth series of The Block in its new 7PM timeslot, it has proven a decent new alternative in its first week on air.

Of course, its strong first week figures will be slightly inflated due to the massive publicity push, but it has arguably begun to turn around Nine's fortunes.

And let's face it, any old show that can pull half-decent figures for Nine (we're talking over a million) will be more than welcome on its schedule, as its first half of the year has certainly been one to forget for the network.

After starting the year touting itself as the "Home of Comedy" it put forth its first offering in the form of Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth. And we all know how that one ended:



Low ratings combined with the worst critical reception to a show in recent memory made for a genuine, out-and-out stinker of a show.

Faced with failure, Nine felt it had no choice but to flog the hell out of its imports in Two and a Half Men and Top Gear, two programs that had done very well for the network in 2010.

However, repeating these "hit shows" ad nauseam led to viewer fatigue, and pretty soon they began turning off in droves.

Today, Top Gear is nowhere to be seen on Nine's main channel, with Two and a Half Men pushed late into the night. You can find it now at 10:30PM on a Tuesday night.

Continue reading after the jump...

TV News Wrap: Friday May 27

Not much in the way of news today... just some notable guest-casting coups;

• James Van Der Beek ("Dawson's Creek") is heading to Law and Order: SVU. He will also be appearing on the new TNT show Franklin and Bash.

• Martin Short and Alan Quinn will also pop up on Season 7 of the Showtime series Weeds.

• Star of Mad Men, Jon Hamm, will direct the first episode of the fifth season of the hit AMC show. Of course, you'll have to wait until March 2012 to see it though.

AUSTRALIAN NEWS

• You can watch Hamish and Andy's going away drinks party on the Herald Sun website from 6PM today. They will fly to the US to produce their show, Hamish and Andy's Gap Year for Channel Nine.

• I can't believe that there's even speculation that someone will replace Adam Hills on Spicks and Specks for a number of reasons. 1) Because the combination of Adam, Myf and Alan is the show, when one element is taken out, it ceases to be Spicks and Specks; 2) Even if they tried, there would almost certainly be backlash, whoever they chose to replace him and 3) ABC would not even consider it because of these reasons, at least not for a couple of years.

TV News Wrap: Sunday May 22

• Fans of the recvently cancelled Fox TV show "Breaking In", starring Christian Slater, might be able to hold on to some form of hope, after The Hollywood Reporter has reported that the show "...Might Get Renewed" if you watch the finale on Tuesday night in the US, which stars Mike Tyson and Voltron. This is because Fox has floated the possibilty of renewal if it gets good ratings on Friday.


• They have also thrown up a very likely reason as to why it was cancelled in the first place (even though it attracted ratings of around 7 million): "... (Fox) may find Breaking In too niche (read: too geeky) and not strong enough with female audiences."


• TVLine reports that another British actor has scored a major role on big-budget Fox show Terra Nova, it's Rod Hallett from The Tudors (he played Sir Richard Rich in the show).


• In other casting news, Ana Ortiz, best known from her role as Ugly Betty's sister in the ABC show, is heading to Detroit to star alongside Thomas Jane in the HBO show Hung. In keeping with the show's theme, she will be playing a woman who needs anger management and a prostitute... so no guesses as to what sort of things she will be getting up to in the show's third season. Ah well, you gotta what you gotta do to get by in the acting biz, don't you? Here she is/was in Ugly Betty as Hilda (on the left).

Those people eagerly anticipating Season 4 of Breaking Bad will be waiting for any scrap of information/footage relating to the new season (as to which there has been very little information released). I think this classifies as a "scrap", but it's something nonetheless.Here's  a video of star Bryan Cranston emploring fans to send in a video of how much they love Breaking Bad. But if you look at 0:33 onwards, there is a snippet of Season 4 footage, showing Cranston's character Walter White, still sporting his beard/moustache combo and throwing a burning pack of empty matches (possibly?) to the ground with Saul Goodman's face and slogan on it. Make of it what you will.

http://www.movieweb.com/v/VIaQvMDo14Iwdi

• In Australian news, The Sydney Morning Herald reports that hit NBC show The Voice has been picked up by Channel Nine (both the US version and the rights to an Australian one). You have to wonder if Australia is ready for another reality/talent competition, let alone another singing contest, but with this show's emphasis on well, the "voices" rather than their look, etc. it isn't exactly the worst pick-up news. But once again, it will come down to the choice of host, and in particular, the judges/mentors/coaches.


• TV Guide reports on the fact that Oprah's favourite guest of all time is Dr. Tererai Trent, a woman from Zimbabwe who endeavours to give the gift of education to children. I'd imagine John Travolta would be fuming.

Between the Lines Review: A Nice Surprise, but can it Join the Ranks of "Specks", GNW, TAYG?

I was pleasantly surprised by Nine's latest foray into the panel/quiz show formula. Ten has its pop culture quiz show in Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation, its news quiz show in Good News Week. ABC has its music quiz show in Spicks and Specks and its sports quiz show in The Trophy Room. So how does this stack up?

Well, first off Eddie McGuire as host : he did the job just fine, there was never any question of that. As always, it always comes down to whether you are a fan of his or not, or rather, if you can tolerate him or not. But whether you like him or not, he knows when to let the guests crack their jokes or tell their stories, and when to keep the show moving (though it was not live).
But at the end of the day, even if you don't like Eddie, he doesn't dominate the show, so it would be tolerable at worst.

The two team captains were Mick Molloy and Ryan Fitzgerald, who were both quite funny. Molloy came with a few succinct one-liners that he's used to delivering on Before the Game while Fitzgerald was quite good at responding to situations and making jokes up on the spot.

The comedians were Peter Berner and Ed Kavalee, and they were predictably brilliant, however, I couldn't help feeling a pang of nostalgia and excitement for the two shows these two were/are involved in (The Einstein Factor and The Joy of Sets).

The stars Lauren Burns and James Tomkins didn't really have a lot to offer except for a couple of amusing anecdotes, but I guess you need them on there given it is a sports show. And having 6 comedians on a show can sometimes be too chaotic.

So it's really no different to most panel-type shows- it will live and die by the quality of its guests. For example, I would watch if people like Ed Kavalee were on, but not if someone like Ruby Rose were on.



Also, speaking of female guests, many have remarked that there is not a strong female presence, which opens it up to a barrage of criticism. Here's a suggestion for another female guest- Mieke Buchan. She is also on Eddie's Triple M breakfast show, and has good chemistry with him. Also, and most importantly, she knows her sport- she is also associated with Channel Nine as she does voiceovers for the AFL Footy Show.

And speaking of chaos, if you stack it up against GNW, Eddie keeps his show under control. Which isn't to say that the chaos doesn't work for GNW.

It is also a bit more structured than Talkin Bout Your Generation, as that show requires a looser format to allow Shaun Micallef room to weave his magic, the elaborate games to play out and allow the guests to have some good ol' fashioned fun.

However, it is not as structured as Spicks and Specks. It does borrow heavily from its games such as the "pick a subject" questions, and the "true or false" anecdotes. However, I for one couldn't care less. If a show is good, I don't care if it borrows elements from other shows. After all, we're all friends here....

There was, however, one part I disliked was the segment in which the contestants had to pick the "real" Gary Cosier. It isn't really the fault of the comedians, as they are there to make jokes, but they proceeded to take potshots at the five "Garys" based on their physical appearance. It only served to demonstrate the sort of blokey ribbing with more than a hint of nastiness that would cause many to switch off. For example, Molloy kicked it off by saying one of the "Garys" "is clearly on day release". Ed Kavalee's were less malicious, saying one looked like he wants to "go (him)", while another looked like "Con the Fruiterer". Molloy, though, finished by saying one looked like he was born in "1896". On the other side, Berner said "Get two Kerry Bousteads and tape them together" to get one of the "Kerry Bousteads" in the line-up.

I just hope five women aren't put up next week or else it could get very ugly...

So in the end, it turned out to be a decent show. Not exactly a rip-snorter, but it has the capacity to turn out some decent laughs every week. However, it all comes down to the ratings tomorrow...

Between the Lines: The Crappy Art of Replicating a Formula

Here's one for ya, how big a failure will Nine's "new" "TV show" be?

A. A "Let Loose Live" failure

B. A "Ben Elton" failure

C.

D.

Too harsh? Possibly. But I'm usually all for giving new Australian shows a go. But I'm less "forgiving" when it comes to Australian shows that are slapped together and thrown into viewers lounge rooms which try to capitalise on the success of another show.

Take the Todd McKenney abomination, You May Be Right. It tried to capitalise on the success of Dancing With the Stars, of which Todd McKenney was the nasty, yet intelligently catty judge, as well as the runaway success that was (and continues to be) Spicks and Specks. With these two elements together, surely Seven was on to a winner? All it needed now was to plug the rest of the panel holes with "celebrities" and other such "funny-funny makers", as they're known in the industry. It also, laughably, centred around not only music, but also TV shows and movies, because, you see, this automatically made it better (and different) to Spicks and Specks.

However, it was an unabashed failure. Incidentally, in 2010, a similar attempt was made to presumably relaunch You May Be Right, or at least the concept of it. This time, it came in the form of The White Room. Yes, there were games, a panel, celebs... but, get this: there were TWO hosts this time. Thus, it was better, etc.

Anyway, the point remains, replicating a winning idea remains a difficult, and mostly scorned tactic, especially in the mind of the viewer.

However, it can be done, as was proven in 2010 with the success of My Kitchen Rules, or in other words, MasterChef @ Home But With That French Chef That Was On MasterChef Once Or Twice But Is Now On This Show. And although it's basically the same show (people put food on a plate to be judged, rinse, repeat), Channel Seven managed to successfully make it look different to MasterChef (though its lower production values may have just been a budget issue). They also didn't try to top MasterChef (and this was subsequently reflects in its ratings), and hence why many people have commented that it has served as an entree to the main course of MasterChef.

The problem with Ed's new show, however, comes in the fact that they are trying to throw together all manner of formats and pass it off as a fun new show.

Let's break it apart: it's a sports quiz show. But wait, there's more! From TV website TV Tonight comes the press release:

"Competitors will take part in Q&A segments with pictures, video clips, guessing games, special guest rounds, performance rounds and sporting challenges."

I sincerely hope Q&A was not slipped in there gratuitously, given the success of the ABC program... actually, I wouldn't put it past Nine.

And "guessing games" really sound like they will be the winner amongst that group.

Each episode will feature guest appearances from sporting identities who will provide anecdotes from their careers. The teams will then be required to say whether the stories they’ve just heard are true or false."

Surely it goes without saying for Spicks and Specks viewers, but it sounds eerily similar to a certain game on that show, where contestants must pick the correct anecdote from a choice of three.

"Between The Lines will also include a special segment that gives viewers a rare peek into the locker room to hear never-before-told tales from Australian sporting heroes."

Soooo, a sports quiz show. There hasn't been one of them since The Squiz on SBS, and H2H on the ABC. And, of course, we all know where we have seen the "quiz" aspect.

It is also trying to recreate the jokey, blokey atmosphere of the Footy Show by bringing in Dermott Brereton and Billy Brownless, while also bringing in the "new generation" of comics in Mick Molloy and Ryan "Fitzy" Fitzgerald (who are a part of the team on Ten's Before the Game- one can only guess how this conflict will play out).

It is also combining the "winning" chemistry of Mick Molloy and Eddie McGuire, who have seemingly hit it off big-time after spending mornings together on the Hot Breakfast on Triple M.

There is also the light-hearted panel vibe which has seemingly been pioneered by the folk on The 7pm Project.

They have also had previous form together on TV - fun times.

We all know about Nine's track-record in 2011. Let's just say it hasn't been fantastic.

And Eddie McGuire has had somewhat of a hit with his Million Dollar Drop, as well as Hot Seat, yet it is well known that interstate viewers don't respond well to him in many other roles.

This isn't to say I won't give it a go... but these days, trying to replicate a formula almost invariably sets a show up for failure.

Note: I am aware that Spicks and Specks bares many a similarity to "Never Mind the Buzzcocks", and the TV Guru has very perceptively alluded to this fact, but I am talking about trying to replicate the often intangible nuances of successful shows in Australia, for example, the chemistry between stars on the show.

Hamish and Andy's "Gap Year" in NY: Their TV Show Plans Revealed

UPDATE: Turns out the show will be called "Hamish & Andy's Gap Year"

Today Hamish & Andy held one of their "family meetings", famous for containing their big announcements. These have included announcing their Caravan of Courage stunts (among other harebrained ideas) and more recently, confirmation of their deal with Channel Nine.

Today, they announced their intentions for their TV show.

They will "set up shop" in New York, where they will film their adventures.

Andy describes it as a Caravan of Courage trip but "longer".

But don't worry, fans of the radio show, they will continue their weekly radio show.

First they spoke of having a "6 day weekend", and all of their extra time.

They have decided to fill this spare time, they will be moving to New York for a couple of months to have a "Gap Year".

This will take place in the second half of the year.

Their TV show will be based around their adventures living in New York.

The title still remains a mystery, and will Nine air it as a series of specials ("Hamish and Andy's Gap Year", "Hamish and Andy Take New York", that sort of thing) or simply call it "Hamish and Andy"... like their cancelled Seven show?

Who knows, but it sounds like a great idea to me, with their travel specials such as the Caravan of Courage specials (in which they visited America), usually drawing the best ratings for them.

They are also at their best doing stunts, meeting people, etc. rather than reading off an auto-cue, cooped up back in a studio in Melbourne.

They have also spent a week in LA, where they participated in the Rove LA specials, where they broadcasted their radio show.

But it will certainly bring more attention to their show, at least in the beginning. It will also provide easier access to celebrities, which will draw even more publicity.

But if I were Channel Nine, I'd start to get worried about them spending so much time in America... it's only a matter of time before they hit the big time, isn't it?

Hamish and Andy's "Gap Year" in NY: Their TV Show Plans Revealed

UPDATE: Turns out the show will be called "Hamish & Andy's Gap Year"

Today Hamish & Andy held one of their "family meetings", famous for containing their big announcements. These have included announcing their Caravan of Courage stunts (among other harebrained ideas) and more recently, confirmation of their deal with Channel Nine.

Today, they announced their intentions for their TV show.

They will "set up shop" in New York, where they will film their adventures.

Andy describes it as a Caravan of Courage trip but "longer".

But don't worry, fans of the radio show, they will continue their weekly radio show.

First they spoke of having a "6 day weekend", and all of their extra time.

They have decided to fill this spare time, they will be moving to New York for a couple of months to have a "Gap Year".

This will take place in the second half of the year.

Their TV show will be based around their adventures living in New York.

The title still remains a mystery, and will Nine air it as a series of specials ("Hamish and Andy's Gap Year", "Hamish and Andy Take New York", that sort of thing) or simply call it "Hamish and Andy"... like their cancelled Seven show?

Who knows, but it sounds like a great idea to me, with their travel specials such as the Caravan of Courage specials (in which they visited America), usually drawing the best ratings for them.

They are also at their best doing stunts, meeting people, etc. rather than reading off an auto-cue, cooped up back in a studio in Melbourne.

They have also spent a week in LA, where they participated in the Rove LA specials, where they broadcasted their radio show.

But it will certainly bring more attention to their show, at least in the beginning. It will also provide easier access to celebrities, which will draw even more publicity.

But if I were Channel Nine, I'd start to get worried about them spending so much time in America... it's only a matter of time before they hit the big time, isn't it?

Radio LOL of the Day: Thursday 25th March - Andy Lee talks footy, wanting to be a certain footballer

Show: Rush Hour

Network: Triple M

Quite an awkward, and somewhat unexpected moment surfaced today courtesy of an interview between Rush Hour hosts James Brayshaw and Billy Brownless and Andy Lee.

Normally conductors of irreverent interviews, JB and Billy were throwing questions at Andy regarding football and his life. Of course, up until this point, everything but Megan Gale was mentioned.

But it was quite a good interview, and first they spoke about footy, as Andy is a mad "blue-bagger", as Billy put it.

Andy: Should be a good one. I'm looking to Matty Kreuzer coming back...

Billy: Yes indeed, and Jordan Russell's a fan of yours. I'm just reading the profile here in the (Football) "Record" at the ground here today; "if you weren't an AFL footballer, what would you like to be?"

"Hamish or Andy."

So, if you weren't a superstar in the media, what would you rather be... wanna be... a Carlton footballer?"

Andy: Carlton footballer... maybe Shaun Hampson (Gale's current boyfriend).

This was met with about 4 or 5 seconds of JB and Billy being unsure of what to say. All that can be heard is JB guffawing.

JB quipped, "I think you've been him... you can't pick blokes you've been".

Andy Lee then told the story of why he didn't end up being a footballer; his mother didn't allow him to play after his dad sustained an injury.

Conversation also turned to their deal with Nine, and how the new show is shaping up.

And it remains as unclear as ever, as to what format the show will take, as apparently they still "don't know" what the show is.

Apparently the only thing they know is that they "want to do a show".

So what have they been doing with their spare time?

"A lot of spontaneous purchases", apparently.

But that's what we love about them, anyway.

And apparently Andy Lee, of all people, was to press the button to sound the siren to kick off the 2011 AFL season.

Hamish and Andy announce TV show on Nine

Hamish Blake and Andy Lee have announced that they have joined Channel Nine and will produce a new show to air later in 2011.

This afternoon on the Hamish and Andy show on the Today Network, Blake and Lee made the announcement, ending weeks of speculation.

On the 25th of February, Hamish Blake tweeted "Two big announcements on this arvo's show! Three, if you include the "goooooood afternoon" bit. H", adding further anticipation.

Up until today, it had been unclear as to what type of show they would produce: would it be variety, sketch, chat or more along the lines of their "specials" such as the Caravan of Courage specials.

And certainly today was indeed a "crazy day of announcements" for the pair.

The first announcement was the shaving of Hamish's mullet.

But, the second, was to do with TV. "Channel Nine have agreed to screen our adventures," Andy said.

"We've scammed them- that's the good news."


They have admitted that they don't know what it is yet, though.

Also, responding to "the amount" in the papers- because "if it's in the papers it must be true".

They also said that the $17 million salary was "way off".

It has been said that they will earn $17 million a year for their show, however, it should be factored in that this will cover production costs too.

Ben Elton Live From Planet Earth Review S01E02: Any Better?

UPDATED: Well, here we are. Are we witnessing television history in the form of Ben Elton's last show? Or, are we witnessing yet another great Australian come-from-behind win, a Stephen Bradbury, even? Yes, that's the type of humour that is still hanging around the show.

[caption id="attachment_185" align="alignnone" width="590" caption="Hey! I'm Ben "Young Ones" Elton. You're actually meant to be laughing NOW. And if you're not, you don't understand COMEDY. But don't tweet about it if you don't understand my humour, U ID"][/caption]

Anyway, the big question was, will Elton actually change his style of humour dramatically in response to his critics (read: everyone on Planet Earth)?

And the answer is: well, not really.

He opened with some "satire"- which he pointed out to us, just after the sketch finished- of Julia Gillard. Yes, the impression was good. But then came the references to "moving forward", etc. It would've been funny if it came maybe, say, around November last year. But what do I know?



Hey, at least it was something we hadn't seen last week. Right?

But what ruined the show for mine, came only in the first segment.

It was Ben Elton responding to critics.

Not by stating he would be changing his act, but by attacking the people who criticised him.

He called tweeters "twats", because apparently, the opinion of plebs doesn't really matter, and if it does, we don't know anything. We also don't know what's funny. And Elton does. So just sit back and LAUGH, DAMMIT!

It became clear that he wasn't going to change his style of humour, but defend it to the very end. I was ready to give him another go, but it was obvious that he didn't want to take any criticism on board. So don't expect any goodwill from anyone. But I will still comment objectively... well, you be the judge.

He also went on another rant against the people who criticised his naughty language, or rather the idea of naughty language. He just came off like an indignant little kid, not wanting to go to the naughty corner.

[caption id="attachment_187" align="alignnone" width="590" caption="BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND"][/caption]

Oh, and just in case you thought that things had changed from last week, they haven't. The schoolgirls are still there. So are the chardonnay-sippers. And this time, the didn't make the audience laugh once. Once.

OK, so to be fair, there were a few things that were different. Elaine Front was brought to the front of the show. And it was still pretty good- yep, so not much had changed. Even the joke about her name being pronounced EEE-laine Front.

Some things also got the chop from Week 1, like the female... Male bodybuilder and the offensive public school teacher. Remember them? Me neither... (Well I do, it's kind of hard to forget, but you know).

They were seemingly shafted to make way for the new Julia Gillard and big miner tax; while they were a step up from some of last week's stuff, they still don't quite cut it.

But, they were slightly better nevertheless. So it makes you wonder why they didn't just go all out and press refresh on the entire show- try all new characters (save for maybe, Elaine Front).

[caption id="attachment_188" align="alignnone" width="590" caption="HE'S A RAPPER RAPPERS SAY WORDS LIKE BIZZLE THAT'S WHY IT SAYS BIZZLE BEHIND HIM. Oh you don't get it, do you?"][/caption]

There was also a female singer who spewed words like "FUCKING" and a male rapper (who was played by a woman) who spewed words like "pussy". Yep, Elton was persisting with smut, that was for sure. I didn't find it funny, but what do I know- I'm just a tweeter.

[caption id="attachment_191" align="alignnone" width="590" caption="In case you missed it last week, let me explain this sketch to you. OK, so that's Amy Winehouse. She likes drugs..."][/caption]

OK, then there's Girl Flat. There was yet another parody of Amy Winehouse's "Rehab". Yep, even the song was the same.



Hey, but this time she said "JIHAD". The characters are still one-dimensional. Like a proper journalist, here's a proper quote and that to prove it. "Beyonce" sings "My bootylicious booty" and my "booty is so bootylicious" to her song "Single Ladies".

There was also Fiona O'Loughlin who was quite good. And the inimitable Tim Minchin. However, and here's some real criticism. They actually bring the show down. Because they are so good that they make the rest of the show seem crap... or crapper.

(I have been informed by commenter "Sophie" that Tim Minchin's song he performed was called "Lullaby".)



But once again, I have to compliment the performers, who, I still believe rise above the dated material. And Ben Elton is still good as a host. If only he didn't keep saying "Live comedy"... if you still need the novelty of it being "Live" to prop up your show, then you may be in a touch of trouble. Yes, the live factor is great, but at the end of the day, it isn't going to save it from being trite.

Then, there was some more "gentle satire", labelled for us, once again. It was a "big miner". It seemed more like a serious pundit on A Current Affair- especially since he used words like "UnAustralian" and "Fair go", without any laughs in the background to prove it was actually meant to be funny. The "joke" came in the form of a play on "Fair go"; apparently "big miners" want to "Fair bugger up the country, then go". Don't expect any more laughs if there's only one joke in a sketch.



But Elton might say, look at Minchin, his song isn't peppered with gags. Yes, true. But his song was utterly entrancing, actually controversial, and actually funny.

So, after all that talk of altering the show, it didn't seem all that different at all. Myself and many more people were generous enough to give it another shot, only to be insulted by more of the same stuff that had people turning off in droves last week.

And then his attacking of Twitter came across as merely a bitter man unwilling to face up to his mistakes. The idea of him taking on criticism was at odds with him criticising his critics. And then, what really took the cake at the end of the show, was seemingly a complete backflip, and he began to beg for approval: "Why not give us a friendly tweet?"

Um, no thanks Ben.



So, what did you think? Any better?

How Long will the Negus Project Last?

Yes, I am well aware it is not in fact called the "Negus Project", but that is in fact what many people will see it as. An attempt by Channel Ten to reinvent the way news is brought to you of an evening. More significantly, it is an attempt to make lightning strike twice after the relative success of the 7pm Project.

As any average new show starting out in Australia, it was met with considerable derision when 7pm first premiered. And why not? It was easy enough to criticise virtually any aspect of the show; Dave Hughes is a comedian, not a newsreader/commentator (and not even a funny one at that), Charlie Pickering taps his pen on the desk too much, Carrie Bickmore is annoying, etc.



Then there were the inevitable changes as it was finding its feet, ie. the focus on fewer stories to allow more room for banter to fly, the apparent removal of James Mathieson and Ruby Rose (who were promoted as being core team members, but rarely made consecutive visits to the show- even once-a-month visits for Rose became rare).

This all led to viewer confusion, as well as an increased amount of target to level potshots at. Ratings took a nosedive rather quickly, with many shrugging it off as a confused mix of news and comedy... And if people wanted "comedy" they would turn to Two and a Half Men on Channel Nine, and if they wanted serious news they could turn to ABC News. Surely the whole gamut had been covered- there was no room for any newcomers.

But seemingly against the odds, it made a resurgence. Many people, even if they disliked the format, gained respect for Channel Ten for sticking with it, despite increasingly dire ratings. Here is a look at its first 17 weeks graphically.



As you can see, there was not much improvement at all, with its lowest weekly average coming in at 613,200. Yet the format was consistently tweaked in minor ways, including Charlie Pickering's hair transformation which seemed to symbolise a more serious skew.

Now, in the week before ratings begins, its figures are more than respectable, with Monday night's figure 901,000 trouncing Two and a Half Men on 801,000, and only trailing Home and Away and ABC News by around 100,000. Efforts like these are more than enough to keep it safe for a long, long time. Especially when you consider that Ten's only successful show in the 7pm slot pre-7pm was Masterchef and to an extent, the Biggest Loser. Other attempts to fill the void such as Yasmin's Getting Married and Taken Out were complete failures, to say the least. In comparison, 7pm's success has been the best thing to happen to Ten since Masterchef.

Now, comes the new newcomer, 6pm with George Negus, which premiered two weeks ago.  However, it is not as clear-cut as 7pm.

Many people will attempt to parallel the two shows.

Both news programs trying to appear to be "different" to every other offering.

Both are trying to place less of an influence on the tabloid style gossip mongering of shows such as Today Tonight and A Current Affair.

However, critics have been more reticent in slamming Negus. One, because he is a respected journalist with bucket-loads of presenting and reporting experience. Two, because it's a more conventional news program more similar in style to Dateline (which Negus previously fronted), and three, because he's George Negus.

Many have shown restraint in saying something to the effect of "Let it find its feet first".

However, it certainly isn't that hard to highlight its fairly average to terrible ratings.

It debuted with 605,000 viewers on a Monday.

Tuesday it had 505,000

Wednesday 443,000

Thursday 429,000

and Friday 439,000

In Week 2, the Monday show drew 540,000, with 487,000 tuning in for the Ten Evening News

Tuesday 443,000 - 471,000

Wednesday 465,000 - 413,000

Thursday 398,000 - 362,000

Friday 411,000 - 384,000

Now, while 7pm had low ratings in the beginning, it only stooped to the 500,000s a handful of times; mostly on a Friday... let alone the 400,000s.

However, if you afford it some leeway because it's in a 6pm timeslot- fine, 6pm slots tend to draw lower ratings than later in the night (less people home, etc.). However, Ten would be worried about the fact that the Simpsons, in the final week of ratings, in the same timeslot drew, from Monday to Friday;

446,000

446,000

482,000

495,000

515,000

This is almost the same as Negus' Week 2 ratings. However, for a show that would cost considerably more to put to air, you would need to see an improvement to at least 500,000 to 600,000 a night to make it worth their while. An even bigger factor is the element of having a good lead-in to the Ten Evening News, which, as you can see, almost loses viewers. And that would need to be at least 550,000 to merely match what Neighbours was pulling in the final week of ratings;

565,000

581,000

587,000

523,000

467,000

Possibly 6pm's ultimate failing will be its failure to stand out from the crowd. Now that 7pm has established itself it has become a show people can tune into to catch a snapshot of the days news, but also see the lighter side of things. It is also boasts a great rotating roster of experienced journalists such as Jennifer Byrne, Steve Price and Gorgi Coghlan.

Its Metro Whip-Around really hit the ground running and became one of the most successful segments on the show. It is now sure of itself and is significantly different from anything else on TV. Once again, Ten and Roving Enterprises need to be commended. While it isn't perfect (Dave Hughes still doesn't quite seem to be the right fit for a predominantly serious news-based show), it is now a fixture of many people's daily viewing schedules.

It would be hard to imagine Ten pulling Negus (hmm) before the end of the year, as the 7pm Project is the best of example of good things coming to those who wait. However, it will be hard to justify (not to mention the embarrassment involved) when or if ratings regularly languish in the 400,000s... or God forbid, the deadly 300,000s...

One really has to wonder if the $20m news shake-up will have been worth it.

Ben Eltons wants sitcom, pony, Jupiter, etc.: An education in Australian TV

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Ben Elton has already been floating ideas for an "all-Aussie sitcom" in the Herald Sun, even before the first episode of his "live sketch comedy show" goes to air.

Talk about getting ahead of yourself... or counting your chickens before they're hatched... or something. Either way, Elton isn't quite well-versed in the way of Australian TV yet. Here's a quick rundown.

If you want to have any chance of pitching a show, you need to become an established success, a proven ratings winner. You can do this one of two ways; the Shaun Micallef approach.

Pretty much the only person on commercial TV at the moment who could pitch a sitcom would be Shaun Micallef. However, this has been after years of hard work on smaller projects, such as Newstopia, Welcher and Welcher, the Micallef P(r)ogram(me), etc. You even have to endure slight ratings failures such as Micallef Tonight. However, he can lay claim to having something called "integrity". Now, he has shown that he can produce a show that rates in Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation. He is now the most powerful man on TV.

Him and Charlie Sheen.

Unfortunately.

Yes, this is the other approach you can take. But hey, that's Australian TV, you've got to accept the good with the bad and the bad and the bad.

I am almost certain that if CBS wanted to send some sort of vague message by canning Charlie Sheen/Two and a Half Men that he could fly to Australia and produce a miniseries in which Sheen just lies on the ground, a là Hasslehoff's hamburger-eating stylings. Just Call it "One Man".

If you add in another line like "One Man: It's Like Underbelly", and feature strobe-like flashing of breasts, it's already got another million viewers before you can say "Matthew Newton". Oh, and don't forget celebrity guests, or "friends", as Shane Warne likes to call them. For that matter, Shane Warne would be the perfect guest.

He would almost certainly give them their first exclusive by showing some choice videos off his mobile that he has filmed with Elizabeth Hurley.

So, if he wants to go talking up the next big sitcom, I suggest first making sure his current show Live From Planet Earth is a hit.

And just one thing, I'd suggest not to start posing with schoolgirls (or actors dressed as them). Sometimes context is important.