News: Mick Molloy compares reaction to Hamish and Andy's Gap Year to criticism of his own

If there's anyone qualified to judge a new comedy variety show it's Mick Molloy.

While he's never really had a bonafide TV variety show hit with his two "solo" efforts The Nation and The Mick Molloy Show, it's hard to doubt his staying power, with The Jesters being a comedy he can be proud of and he has been a welcome addition to Before the Game.

So today on the Hot Breakfast (Triple M Melbourne), he gave his verdict on Hamish and Andy's Gap Year, which premiered on Thursday night, while also offering some words of wisdom drawn from his own experiences.

Mick said the boys' show wasn't too bad ("I think it'll be great"), but he never judges a "live" show after its first episode- "I refuse to do it".

He also said "I know how long it takes to get something up" and you "need a few flying hours" before a show can settle in and hopefully get into a winning groove.

And "It must've been received pretty well" because normally people "line up" to "kick a new show in the head".

He drew on his first experience hosting his TV show (The Mick Molloy Show), and the bollocking he copped the next day in the media.

"I got bagged in every section of The Age in the following day's paper"... "(In the paper) They unleash an unholy war against me."

"The only section that I didn't get bagged in was the motoring section, but had i had a car for sale, it would have been described as a shit box."

So compared to all that, surely the show isn't tracking that badly?

So while Molloy quite sagely alluded to the fact that the radio stars haven't received a lot of harsh criticism in the mainstream media... however, I would caution that the media don't want to start piling into Hamish and Andy (yet, at least), as it would be like killing Bambi.

The main message to take out of it is, is that all shows need time to develop- it doesn't mean that all of them will be successes, but viewers and critics all need to cut some stars some slack, so that in turn the network can.

Here the audio here at 16:10.

The Sweetest Plum bumped to 9PM Weekdays

One of the great new shows on radio this year has been the Sweetest Plum on Triple M radio.

Declan Fay and Nick Maxwell started off doing the "Sweetest Plum" podcast in 2010, which rapidly shot up the iTunes charts. This led to them getting a gig on Triple M 104.9 Sydney in the 4-6PM Monday to Thursday "drive" shift (with Roy and HG doing their show on Fridays). They also assembled a show of the week's best bits for Melbourne's Triple M 105.1 on Fridays.

Unfortunately, since starting the show early in the year, they couldn't manage to lift ratings for the Drive slot- it even slipped a few points south.

But this was not an accurate representation of the quality of the show they put together everyday (it is/was the funniest thing currently on radio, with some calling them the next Martin/Molloy)- and it was every week-day, with a Podcast-only "Friday Drinks" podcast being released on, well, Fridays (this is something that dedicated fans really value, such as back in the day when Spoonman had his night show and released a complementary After the Forking Show Podcast every so-often).

Hopefully these continue.

You just have to put this "bump" down to the results-driven cut-throat world of commercial radio.

However, loyal listeners can at least take solace in the fact that they will be on 9PM weekdays nationally, as well as keeping their Friday show in Melbourne.

And speaking of interstate listeners, they will not really notice much of a difference in terms of podcasts, and the 9PM slot will also allow them to work a lot "bluer". The only downside to the move is that they could have built a stronger following in the Drive shift (more people listening, etc.), and it is somewhat of a "sweeter plum" in terms of a gig (if you will), however it seems that all involved are focussing on the positive.

The move will presumably have them after the Peanut Gallery (whose show airs from 7-9PM Monday to Thursday).

And I guess Triple M should be commended for keeping them on board and at least showing some commitment to producing comedy (most of their other shows have a news/sport skew) like the good ol' days of Martin/Molloy, The Cage (Melbourne), Get This, etc.

But I repeat, this is not an obituary, and if anything I hope it serves to draw more pairs of ears (?) to the program in its new timeslot to help it find a bigger following.

Those bloody scallop-industry thugs...

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.