News: Two and a Half Men Season 9 Promo Picture Released

CBS has released the first promotional picture for the ninth season of Two and a Half Men, which has obviously generated a lot of buzz, due to Charlie Sheen's firing, and to a lesser extent, Ashton Kutcher joining the cast.

Most people have been unwilling to dismiss the new addition so far, basically because no-one has actually seen any episodes. But, if you haven't been a fan of the show before, it isn't looking likely that Kutcher will change anything.

... Especially given this latest promo. It's clear that the show won't become any less smutty.

I guess the promo is effective in generating interest, but the whole thing just seems bizarre- a nude Angus T. Jones? Isn't he still supposed to be "half" a man?

Anyway, it the premiere will be still worth watching, if for no other reason than to see how they dispose of Charlie Harper- if they do anything else but kill his character off, won't that just leave the door open for more speculation about a return?

The show premieres on September 19 on CBS in the US - expect Channel Nine in Australia to fast-track it.

Finale: Offspring - Season 2

After a stellar season of the breakout Australian drama Offspring, it is drawing to a close for 2011.


Season 2 has seen two new relationships for the central character Nina, as well as her sister Billie become engaged to her partner Mick after they lost their first unborn child, and their brother Jimmy was also on the verge of getting married.


The final few episodes of the series has however shaken things up a bit, and it seems that the finale will draw together loose ends as well as dropping a bombshell or two that will be sure to leave viewers wanting more.


Here are the questions to be answered:


Will Nina choose Chris or Patrick? (For those who have been across the information regarding the actors playing those roles, they would know that the answer may in fact already be spoiled, unfortunately- but for those who don't know what I'm talking about, I won't give anything away)


Will Jimmy commit to a relationship with Zara, or at least prove he is responsible enough to help raise their unborn child?


What is the "family secret" that Cherie uncovers?


Will anything stand in the way of Mick and Billie's marriage?


Offspring airs at 9:00PM on Network Ten. It will return for a third season in 2012.

Tonight's Pick: Conan - Special Guest: Bryan Cranston

Fresh from the record breaking premiere of Season 4 of Breaking Bad, Bryan Cranston will be making one of many appearances on talk shows on TBS' Conan.

Conan has not only proved himself as a fantastic comic actor in Malcolm in the Middle, but has also rejuvenated his career by proving his dramatic acting chops in Breaking Bad.

This has led to a flood of movie roles, with parts in Larry Crowne, The Lincoln Lawyer and Contagion all having been filmed, with upcoming roles in the Total Recall remake as well as in Rock of Ages, among other movies.

He is always a very generous talk-show guest, and someone who never seems to take his success for granted and is passionate about his work.

Conan airs at 11:30PM on GEM in Australia.

It airs at 11:00PM Monday-Thursday on TBS.

Review: Bear Grylls: Worst Case Scenario

Having been a fan of Man Vs Wild I was quite looking forward to Bear Grylls' new series Worst Case Scenario.

And it's pretty self-explanatory; Bear runs through various dangerous scenarios and tells you the best way to get out of them.

In tonight's premiere episode there was a "Burning Car" and a "Boating Accident".

And the scenarios themselves are fairly interesting to watch, for the mere fact that Bear knows his stuff and offers up some pretty decent and inventive ideas- such as in the event of someone being trapped in a burning car, ripping up a T-shirt, wetting it with some coffee (or any available liquid), then placing it over the mouth of someone trapped in the wreckage to avoid smoke inhalation.

This is similar to the way he can fashion a raft out of some vines and other jungle-crap on Man vs Wild, however, the vaguely off-putting thing about this show is that all the situations are so blatantly contrived.

And yes, I know that it would be somewhat hard to throw Bear into an actual accident which has just occurred, but at least they could make a bit more realistic. Oh- this guy in the car just happens to have a bag with a half-full coffee thermos? First of all, how many guys carry bags? Anyway, the fact that Bear carries on as if he doesn't know what is in the car just makes it more off-putting.

There's also this over-the-top, jerky camerawork, which, apart from conveying a false sense of drama, just makes it so bloody hard to make out what's happening.

There's also dramatic music, in case you missed the fact that these situations are meant to be, you know, just a touch dangerous. This doesn't really seem that out of place in Man vs Wild (whether it's planned or not, at least you can believe that the vast majority of things he does is actually dangerous) but in this show it's trying to create drama that just isn't there.

The show is designed as more a tutorial than anything else, as opposed to the "adventure" like feel of Man vs Wild- everything in this show is planned, the people are trained stuntmen or actors and the events are controlled.

Trying to convince viewers otherwise is just a textbook treating-your-viewers-like-idiots move.
The other thing about the scenarios is that, well, some of the advice is just a little unnecessary; take the boating accident, apparently it's a good idea to "Use buoyant objects to float". What, so don't use "Heavy objects that sink to float?" You get what I mean...

In between scenarios we get little tips such as finding out that the best way to unstick your fingers if they have been stuck by super-glue is NOT by using a knife, and NOT by using just soap and water, but by using nail polish remover. Who would have thought, huh?

Unfortunately for Bear, the show comes off as a blatant exploitation of the Bear Grylls brand. There is still some of the intuitive and likable Bear that shines through in this show, but the rest of it is lost in a desperate bid to make the show seem as dramatic as possible. Possibly if it was stripped back a bit, and filmed less frenetically, it would be more palatable, but at the moment, it just lacks the earthy, down-to-earth (for lack of a better description) charm of Man vs Wild.

Premiering: The Hour - Britain's Supposed Answer to Mad Men

Tonight in the UK sees the premiere of a new classy drama entitled The Hour.

It is about the launch of a mid 1950s news program, and stars Romola Garai and The Wire's Dominic West. 

If you live in the UK, it sounds well worth a look, especially given some of the early reviews coming out about it. 

Of course there have been comparisons to Mad Men, given it is set in a similar era, but here is a pretty definitive judgment on the show from Ruth Margolis at tv.com:

"The Hour is no Mad Men, but that doesn't mean it's a disaster..."

"...And actually, it's pretty great. The script twinkles and the casting is flawless."

But as for Australian viewers, there is no word as to when it will hit our TV screens. 

One would think that with the astounding popularity of such shows as Downton Abbey, that it would be a great fit on Channel Seven's primetime schedule.

But if Seven fails to pick it up, it will most likely fall through to the keeper in the ABC. 

It airs at 9PM on Tuesday on BBC2.

News: Web Therapy Premieres Tuesday Night in the US

Tuesday night (US time) sees the premiere of a new comedy entitled Web Therapy on the Showtime network. 

It stars Lisa Kudrow as therapist Fiona Wallice, Victor Garber and Lily Tomlin along with a host of other notable guest stars including Jane Lynch and Courtney Cox. 

But here's the twist: it originally aired as a web series, with most of the episodes up on YouTube. 

Here's the official description: 

"Fiona Wallice is a therapist with no patience. Tired of hearing about people's dreams and feelings for fifty long minutes at a stretch, she devises a new kind of treatment, the three-minute video chat. And still, the sessions end up being largely about her. Emmy Award® winner Lisa Kudrow co-created, produces and stars in this outrageous therapeutic send-up. Originally produced as a series of webisodes, WEB THERAPY features a unique visual format and an A-list guest cast who, along with Kudrow, improvises their performances with hilarious results."

Hopefully Australia gets to see it soon, as it would make a great fit on Ten's multichannel Eleven, given its affinity for Showtime content (Dexter, Nurse Jackie, etc.) and its youth skew. 

Today's Must-Watch: The Late Show with David Letterman

Whether you love them or slightly dislike them, it's hard to dispute the staying-power of U2.

Tonight Bono and The Edge appear on The Late Show With David Letterman for a rare interview and performance.

They will be performing an acoustic version of "Stuck in a Moment".

The last time they appeared on re legendary show, they performed a spectacular five-night extravaganza of old and new songs to promote their album "No Line on the Horizon".

And fortunately, from Monday onwards, Letterman has been airing at the much more sensible time of around 11 O'Clock, thanks to the fact the 6:30PM will only air once a day now, at 6:30PM (Funny that).

Letterman airs tonight at 11:00PM on Ten after the Late News.

Radio News: The Triple M Mid Week Rub - New Show Announced

The Triple M Footy Rub has long been one of the most popular football radio shows, especially the Friday evening and Saturday midday shows, which feature Garry Lyon, James Brayshaw, Danny Frawley, Jason Dunstall, Damien Barrett, Dr Peter Larkins, Billy Brownless, Luke Darcy and Ashley Chua.


Now Triple M have announced that there will be a Triple M Footy Mid Week Rub, which will feature "All the boys hitting the big footy issues from both on the field and from up in the commentary box!" It will air on Wednesdays at 5:30PM, meaning it will be incorporated into the Monday-Thursday program the Rush Hour. 


You will also be able to podcast it within the Rush Hour podcast.


It features a winning mix of hard-hitting footy news and merciless ribbing of each other, and if you've never heard it, now is the perfect time to tune in, with Danny "Spud" Frawley recently being exposed in a "Wikileaks" type affair for enquiring about a lighter shade of make-up for when he appears on TV. 

Opinion: Is Can of Worms' Controversy Ploy Working, or Blowing Up In Its Face?

So, it turns out that Can of Worms is turning out to be quite the little trouble-maker.

Yes, the show itself is the one behind all of this mischief and controversy and the like, not the loudmouths seemingly spouting out this rubbish.

Well, that’s not entirely true, but it’s certainly a ploy that is becoming increasingly more apparent.

The show set out to cause trouble, as set out in its mission statement; 

"There can never be a ‘wrong answer’ on Can of Worms. Our guests won’t be expected to give an expert opinion or politically correct view." 

So, everything was fair game- nothing was off limits, apparently. And everyone soon found out that they would stick very close to their word, and last night was the perfect example of it.
 John Elliot, a former Liberal Party President and Carlton Football Club President, has found himself in hot water after saying the word "Abos" to refer to Aborigines. And he is quite rightly copping a savaging in the media for it. But in the end, who is more at fault, John Elliot, or Ten for airing it?


Well, I'd even go further than that and say the show is more at fault for getting him on in the first place. For the past three weeks or Can of Worms' run, I've been critical of their decision to plug the show with loudmouths such as Jason Akermanis in Episode 1, and hoped it wasn't a trend that would continue.


It wasn't so much that I disagree with what Akermanis or Elliot said, but the way they go about getting their point across, and the fact that they are usually not able to support them with well-reasoned points. 

News: Dexter, Breaking Bad, Lost favourites find new roles

Dexter actor David Ramsey, last seen in Season 3 of Dexter, will be appearing in the second season of Blue Bloods on CBS.

He played the role of "Anton Briggs", the boyfriend of Debra Morgan.

Breaking Bad revelation Giancarlo Esposito has also joined Once Upon a Time, the ABC drama series which will premiere this US fall season. He will be playing the role of Sidney/The Magic Mirror.

In Breaking Bad, currently in its fourth season, he is currently playing the role of menacing druglord Gus Fring, to great acclaim.

But rest assured, Breaking Bad fans, he will stay on the AMC drama, as the fourth series has finished filming, allowing him to act on the ABC drama.

Finally, AOL reports that Titus Welliver, who played the "Man in Black" in the final season of Lost will be heading to FX's new series Powers. The show is based on a comic book and is based on detectives who investigate crimes involving people with superhuman abilities. It hasn't yet been picked up to series, but it sure sounds promising.

News: Ricky Gervais Writing New Show "Afterlife"

Today EW is carrying the exclusive of Ricky Gervais teaming with Clyde Phillips, a former showrunner for Showtime's Dexter to write a new comedy series entitled Afterlife.


The show apparently centres on "an atheist who dies and goes to heaven", with Gervais only taking on a cameo role. 


Its focus on religion is obviously a favourite topic to be mined for comedy for Gervais, with The Invention of Lying being a big allusion to the Bible, and religion in general. And it has also been the subject of one of his more famous stand-up routines. He also feels passionate enough about his life as an atheist that he has now written a number of essays, one entitled "Why I'm An Atheist" for the Wall Street Journal and an "Easter Message" on his blog.


The show will film in early 2012.


This marks the first time Gervais has partnered with someone else apart from Stephen Merchant (his writing partner on The Office, Extras and Life's Too Short) to write a TV show. He has, of course, written a movie with Matthew Robinson in The Invention of Lying.

News: Body of Proof Coming Soon to Seven

Australian fans of Desperate Housewives might have been wondering what happened to Dana Delany after she left the show in its sixth season...


Well, it turns out she was rightly snapped up by another ABC (US) show in Body of Proof, which is coming soon to Seven.

News: ABC Announces Comedy series "At Home With Julia"

The ABC has today announced that they will be producing a new "narrative comedy" series entitled "At Home With Julia"... and yes, as the name suggests, it will revolve around our Prime Minister, Julia Gillard and her partner Tim Mathieson.

But here's the twist- it's actually a fictional show, and the parts will be played by Amanda Bishop (who is one of a few Gillard impersonators who was seen on Double Take in this high-larious parody) and Phil Lloyd (best known as Myles Barlow).

There will only be 4 episodes of the show, each of them 30 minutes long.

It will be written by Rick Kalowski, Amanda Bishop and Greg Quail and directed by Erin White. Rick Kalowski was one of the writers for Comedy Inc. - The Late Shift, so that will give you some sort of idea what the show will be like.

So, what do you make of this? Obviously this country has been crying out for some decent scripted-comedy for quite some time now, or really, any scripted comedy, but is this really the answer?

I understand, though, that there seems to be quite a lot of jokes to be mined out of Gillard's time in office, as well as her personal life, but do we need to be reminded of it all again?

I worry it will seem like a sketch in Double Take that is dragged out to 30 minutes.

And the fact that it is being filmed now (it will air later in the year) will cause some of the jokes to appear dated, won't it? I mean, that's one of the reasons that a show like this is usually more suited to a weekly sketch show.

But hopefully it will be able to overcome all of this with some sharp writing... and here's a taste of what the comedy will be like (from the ABC press release);

“They’re just like any other busy modern couple,” said executive producer / co-writer Rick
Kalowski (Comedy Inc.-The Late Shift). “Trying to balance their relationship with critical tasks
like introducing taxes no-one voted for.” 

Though the show’s about Julia and Tim’s private life in The Lodge, the team promises they’ve
been respectful. “As writers, we agreed the First Couple’s bedroom was off-limits,” said costar
/ co-writer Amanda Bishop. “That’s why we put all the sex scenes in Julia’s office”.

The show also busts many myths about the real couple. “A lot of people think Tim just hangs
‘round The Lodge all day doing nothing,” said co-star / co-writer Phil Lloyd. “Not true.
Sometimes he pops down the shops or goes for a bit of a drive.”

Most surprising has been Gillard’s support of the project, including use of real locations.
“There’s a Malaysian detention centre she keeps asking us to stay at, which is really nice,”
said director Erin White (Rush, Sundance-screened short Dugong).

ABC Head of Comedy Debbie Lee can’t wait. “We’ve long been concerned about generous
Government funding for the ABC. Hopefully At Home With Julia will put a stop to that.”

The ABC calls it a "Part rom-com, part guaranteed lawsuit" and will begin production this week in Sydney.

News: Top Gear Season 17 Episode 5/6 Details Revealed

From Wikipedia,

Episode 5 - Jeremy Clarkson tries out the new Lotus T125, and an updated version of the classic Jensen Interceptor. Also, the team employs all manner of second-hand military equipment to knock down a row of derelict houses, aiming to complete the job in less time than a team of demolition experts.

The star in the reasonably priced car will be Bob Geldof.

Episode 6 - Jeremy Clarkson and James May set out for the seaside in a pair of electric cars, the Nissan Leaf and the Peugeot iOn, stopping off in Lincoln along the way. Richard Hammond meets an extraordinary rally team in which everyone is an amputee with a military background, and finally the new Lamborghini Aventador is taken out on the track.

The special guest will be Simon Cowell, quite astoundingly making his
third appearance on the popular motoring show (his first in series 3,
and his next in series 10).

News: Latest Dexter Season 6 Promo: Thank God Dexter's Here

In what could be seen as the beginnings of one of the most adventurous seasons of Dexter yet, a new promo for the upcoming season has debuted. 

Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/TVWrapDexter

It shows Dexter walking through what looks like a church, and surrounded by all manner of holy statues. 

We also get the intriguing question from Dexter: "Is it possible I serve a higher purpose?" which also, of course , alludes to the upcoming themes of either religion, faith or possibly all of the above (quite literally). 

And we know that Edward James Olmos will be playing the role of a religious studies professor, and it seems he will have a central role, without being a "big bad" as such, which also plays along nicely with the whole theme. Time will tell, though, how all the pieces fit together.  

I also found it interesting that Masuka, of all people is featured at the end of the clip and also hints at the fact that we may see a bit of character development on his part, due to the addition of a love interest in Brea Grant. 

And I may be reading too much into too little, but out of the few promos we have seen so far, none of them so far suggest to me that Debra will be finding out about Dexter's secret any time soon, and rather, this season will be more about Dexter discovering more about himself than other discovering things about him... If that makes sense. 

But all in all, a promising look at the next season.

Quick Opinion: Want To See What A Live Can of Worms Would Look Like? (It's Better)

So, we all know there's been a small but ever-expanding chorus of people calling for Ten's new, controversial program Can of Worms to be broadcast live.

I happen to be one of them, and think that not only would this make for a more edge-of-your seat viewing experience, but would also alleviate the need to make such jarring edits (in order to adjust the show to run the appropriate time).

And today, I got a mini-taste of what this would look like when Ten released <a href="http://youtu.be/ffdB6hDIOQk">this segment</a>youtu.be/ffdB6hDIOQk featuring the Wrong-O-Meter which didn't make the cut.

Take a look at it, and tell me that the show wouldn't be made instantly better if it was all more like this. You might notice a couple of things; you actually see guests thinking about their responses (making it seem less constrictive and more organic), Dicko actually gets out of his seat and- gasp- speaks without the aid of an autocue. And yes, though pauses and stumbles over his words a bit, it seems instantly more natural and engaging.

So Ten, just bite the bullet and make it live! But what do I know...

News: Mick Malthouse's Silence is Telling on The Footy Show: "I can't turn the tap off"

Mick Malthouse appeared on the AFL Footy Show on Thursday night, and it really was a masterclass in terms of hard-hitting interviews.

Sam Newman- who conducted most of the interview- prodded Mick on his role at Collingwood next year.

Sam, impressively, honed in on one point and one point in particular- if he trusts Eddie to provide him with the right role next year (as Director of Coaching), why won't he say "categorically" that he will be at Collingwood under Nathan Buckley.

Malthouse's bemused silence after some of his questions really said it all. He also admitted that there is a chance he won't be at Collingwood next year.

If we have learnt anything from Sam's questioning, it's that all this is still very much up in the air, or as Sam says, the "door" is still "wide open".

But, even though there is still raging speculation, there were some things that Mick could confidently say.

He got Mick to say categorically "If the job's not right", he won't be there.

James Brayshaw also tipped in with a very tough question indeed: If he was Buckley, "Would (he) want to be in that situation (with Mick Malthouse looking over everything he does)?"

This was also met with silence and more obfuscation.

Mick also admitted that he "can't turn the tap off" (referring to an analogy about the passion for coaching being like a tap that you can't turn on or off), signifying that he may not be able to just stop coaching, even though his wife may want him to for the moment.

But the most brilliant quotes actually came from Sam, who summed up the situation perfectly.

"His players want him to stay on as coach (and) Nanette [his wife] is ticked-off beyond belief (that he might be coaching again)."

... Also met with silence.

Above all, despite all the criticism The Footy Show draws, it still serves as a guide to how to ask the hard questions of someone, not to mention Sam's disarmingly laconic style of interview being a remarkably successful one after all these years.

The show also featured a moving tribute to Allan "Yabby" Jeans, featuring Dermott Brereton telling of the last chat he ever had to him.

Yes, it can be stupid, but moments like these show while it's still the leader among the footy show pack.

News: AFL Guest Wrap: Round 17

News: AFL Guest Wrap: Round 17

Thursday - The Game Plan (One, 8:30PM)

Hawthorn Captain Sam Mitchell

Carlton star Bryce Gibbs

Melbourne star Brent Moloney (live
from Darwin)

Thursday - Footy Show (Nine, 9:30PM)

Live interview with Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse

Saturday - Before the Game (Ten, 6:30PM)

Collingwood ruckman Darren Jolly

Bombers rising star David Zaharakis

Monday - One Week at a Time (9:30PM)

West Coast forward Mark LeCras

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....