Whilst I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing about Kyle Sandilands and the 2DayFM lie-detector stunt, I just saw (on the late channel 9 news) a 'story' about the so-called family of the young girl at the centre of the scandal featuring on A Current Affair and basically 'outing' the girl as a liar.
So I went to the ACA website and saw the video of the story - which I decided not to embed here because it is ludicrous and wrong in so many ways. Basically the girls bogan aunts and cousin (who all have fake names and their images distorted) call the 14-year-old girl a tramp and a liar. They insist that any sexual activities the girl has been involved in have been consensual. ACA then showed footage from the channel 9 program Missing Persons Unit which featured the girl and her mother (previous to the radio incident) when the girl had run away.
I have to ask ... What the hell is ACA doing? Last week when the story broke that the girl had chosen to withdraw her complaint to police I wondered; 'why do we need to know this?' and 'how is this in the public interest?' - but this ACA story takes the cake.
From what I can tell it seems ACA is wanting to clear Sandilands of any wrongdoing by trying to put the blame not only on the mother but on the (may I repeat) FOURTEEN YEAR OLD CHILD.
Here's the thing channel 9 - it doesn't matter if, how, with whom or under what circumstances the girl had sexual relations - Austereo and the producers and announcers of the 2DayFM breakfast program ARE TO BLAME for the innapropriate use of a child in an on-air stunt.
The public does not and never did need to know anything about this girl - so why is her privacy continually being breached?
It's difficult for me to be shocked by current affairs programs, but considering even Today Tonight chose to feign disguist at ACA's story - surely that indicates that it's out of line.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Packed with Advertising
I've noticed during the final ad-break for Packed to the Rafters (channel 7, Tuesdays 8:30pm) that there is an advertisement for Sunrise with Mel and Kochie talking about a hot-topic from the show. For example, tonight it was something like this; (Kochie says to camera) "Wow, Trish certainly has some tough times ahead, join us tomorrow when we talk about separation and finding yourself divorced in middle-age." (- relating to the plot-line of tonight's Rafters and the character "Trish" dealing with her divorce).It's been happening every week. Then of course, the Sunrise ad is followed by an ad featuring Jessica McNamee (who plays Sammy in the show, and is also currently starring in channel 7's Dancing with the Stars) flogging some kind of insurance. Later in the ad break we have Zoe Ventoura (who plays Mel) flogging a skin product.
And another thing - speaking of overkill, I'm looking at you Delta Goodrem. Let's see, Delta flogs Nintendo DS, Sunsilk, So Good, Proactive skin products, and even Australia in general ...
I couldn't tell you when she last released an album - or anything she's done in the way of singing actually (besides above, of course) - I guess the ads are paying pretty well.
Oh, and if that's still not enough, you can also see Delta in ads for Australian Idol at the moment where she will be featuring as a guest judge.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Idle Idol
So the ratings are in and the first episode of Australian Idol last night was beaten by Domestic Blitz (channel 9) and Dancing with the Stars (channel 7). It was only pipped at the post by DWS but it was still down from last years launch episode.
So have the public spoken? Are the ratings down purely because of Kyle Sandilands? Or is Australia just sick of over-edited, we-already-know-the-winner, let's-just-make-fun-of-people reality television? Will Australian Idol go the way of Big Brother? I guess we'll see in a few weeks when Sandilands is no longer a feature of the show.
Speaking of Kyle, he really showed what a great bloke he was on last nights episode by (a) leering at the young girls, (b) asking a contestant about their sex life - they were over 14 so that's ok, right? and (c) asking a lovely man who seemed to have an intellectual disability, "so how many sandwiches short are you?". I might say that I was shocked, but I really wasn't.
Idol last night was generally underwhelming. I don't know what's wrong with me but I just don't get any joy out of asshole producers making fun of people ... sure I was yelling at the TV "He is sooooooo shit!" - but that was mainly at the ones they actually let through to Sydney. There was one clearly tone-deaf man who sang Over the Rainbow who was interviewed before going in and was basically set up to look like an idiot. As was the overweight woman who, we were told, has her "fiance" (said in a condescending manner as though someone so unattractive could hardly have a fiance) to comfort her in her failure.
The web entries were torn to shreds - one of them was actually pretty good but was nevertheless ridiculed with Funniest Home Video style commentary.
I know, I know - the contestants are to blame - they put themselves out there to be ridiculed after all. But some are very young, some are very naive and some are very stupid. When did we become a society that loves watching people being taunted so cruelly? Their hopes dashed? their dreams crushed? I know that there are stupid people out there - I don't need to see them being made fun of on what is supposed to be family viewing.
Sandilands is only one part of the program that is offensive.
Of course I'll keep watching, because my sensibilities aren't so delicate *wink*.
So have the public spoken? Are the ratings down purely because of Kyle Sandilands? Or is Australia just sick of over-edited, we-already-know-the-winner, let's-just-make-fun-of-people reality television? Will Australian Idol go the way of Big Brother? I guess we'll see in a few weeks when Sandilands is no longer a feature of the show.
Speaking of Kyle, he really showed what a great bloke he was on last nights episode by (a) leering at the young girls, (b) asking a contestant about their sex life - they were over 14 so that's ok, right? and (c) asking a lovely man who seemed to have an intellectual disability, "so how many sandwiches short are you?". I might say that I was shocked, but I really wasn't.
Idol last night was generally underwhelming. I don't know what's wrong with me but I just don't get any joy out of asshole producers making fun of people ... sure I was yelling at the TV "He is sooooooo shit!" - but that was mainly at the ones they actually let through to Sydney. There was one clearly tone-deaf man who sang Over the Rainbow who was interviewed before going in and was basically set up to look like an idiot. As was the overweight woman who, we were told, has her "fiance" (said in a condescending manner as though someone so unattractive could hardly have a fiance) to comfort her in her failure.
The web entries were torn to shreds - one of them was actually pretty good but was nevertheless ridiculed with Funniest Home Video style commentary.
I know, I know - the contestants are to blame - they put themselves out there to be ridiculed after all. But some are very young, some are very naive and some are very stupid. When did we become a society that loves watching people being taunted so cruelly? Their hopes dashed? their dreams crushed? I know that there are stupid people out there - I don't need to see them being made fun of on what is supposed to be family viewing.
Sandilands is only one part of the program that is offensive.
Of course I'll keep watching, because my sensibilities aren't so delicate *wink*.
Become Good Friends
Let's talk about Neighbours, shall we?
Neighbours is an Australian institution. It's a breeding ground for young actors, writers, sound engineers, cameramen, and any other television production role there is. People like Kate Langbroek and Marieke Hardy have cut their writing teeth on the drama unfolding in Erinsborough and I don't need to rattle off the list of actors and musicians that have sprung from the humble brown-brick that makes up the ironically named Ramsay Street (on account of it actually being a court).
So what are soaps really about? They're basically drama, mostly light-hearted drama. They have to do with relationships, growing up, growing old, growing apart, growing a serious hydroponic set-up in the roof ... - hang on, that's Home and Away, not Neighbours. Basically they are an escape to a happy, sunny street where if you "find the perfect blend" you can overcome most anything. The way stories are scripted means that conflicts are usually resolved either within an episode or within a week. Basically, everything comes up roses - the way it should do in a perfect world.
The reason I've been thinking about soaps is that I read this blog post by Clem Bastow (music writer, radio announcer and blogger among other things) that basically assessed a recent death on Neighbours as being punishment for underage sex. Which - it pains me - I have to disagree with.
A few weeks ago the much loved Didge (Eloise Mignon) died after a dramatic car accident. Didge had recently become a teenage mum with her boyfriend Declan (James Sorensen) and was a favourite on the show among its younger viewers. I have to admit, I watch Neighbours fairly regularly if I'm at home (there! - my dirty little secret is out!) so I'm familiar with the characters and storylines. Neighbours producer Susan Bower had actually pointed out, after the moral-panics raised questions about a teen pregnancy, that the storylines would not glamourise being a teen parent but try to show it as accurately as possible. In fact, the amount of whingeing from Didge about not being able to do the things her friends were doing actually became rather annoying.
My argument for Neighbours though, is not that it reflects reality (because it certainly does not) or that it is a perfectly acceptable moral compass for young people (because it certainly is not) - but that it is not supposed to be either of these things.
Soaps are fantasy - they are fiction. They are only supposed to reflect reality enough that you can relate to them, but that's it. Otherwise it's the fact that they are in no way realistic that makes them so appealing. It's not just the horny teens that get killed off - the wholesome gals and guys of Ramsay Street meet sticky ends too. Case in point, Toadie's (Ryan Moloney) dead bride Dee (Madeleine West) and Libby's (Kym Valentine) cowboy husband Drew (Dan Paris) - who fell off a horse, of course, of course.
There's generally a fair bit of dying to be done in soaps due to the high turnover of characters - and there are only so many times that a character can "move to Queensland" (ie. go to London to do a season of pantos and return a year later to do a guest spot on All Saints). There are also teens having sexual relations that don't end up disemboweled in a farming accident ... case in point Donna (Margot Robbie) and Ringo (Sam Clark) - in fact, Donna was portrayed as a promiscuous floozy not too long ago. She has since "come good" and is surprisingly healthy and happy - until actor Margot Robbie inevitably moves on to bigger and better things of course - in which case Donna will probably die a terrible death.
Basically it's a series of life events - birth, annoying-kid, teen-rebellion, courting, marriage, divorce, illness, death - throw in some crime, adultery and natural disasters and you have the basic life-span of a soap character.
If parents are counting on soapies to teach their kids what is morally right and socially acceptable they need a head-check. Whilst Neighbours is generally wholesome fair for the family, if one relied solely on it for moral guidance one might turn out to be a socially-retarded, extroverted egomaniac, speaking only of oneself in the third person and relying on internal dialogues to find resolutions to problems.
* Coming soon to a blog near you: Neighbours V's Home and Away AND Technical Marvels in Neighbours Post-Editing
Neighbours is an Australian institution. It's a breeding ground for young actors, writers, sound engineers, cameramen, and any other television production role there is. People like Kate Langbroek and Marieke Hardy have cut their writing teeth on the drama unfolding in Erinsborough and I don't need to rattle off the list of actors and musicians that have sprung from the humble brown-brick that makes up the ironically named Ramsay Street (on account of it actually being a court).
So what are soaps really about? They're basically drama, mostly light-hearted drama. They have to do with relationships, growing up, growing old, growing apart, growing a serious hydroponic set-up in the roof ... - hang on, that's Home and Away, not Neighbours. Basically they are an escape to a happy, sunny street where if you "find the perfect blend" you can overcome most anything. The way stories are scripted means that conflicts are usually resolved either within an episode or within a week. Basically, everything comes up roses - the way it should do in a perfect world.
The reason I've been thinking about soaps is that I read this blog post by Clem Bastow (music writer, radio announcer and blogger among other things) that basically assessed a recent death on Neighbours as being punishment for underage sex. Which - it pains me - I have to disagree with.
A few weeks ago the much loved Didge (Eloise Mignon) died after a dramatic car accident. Didge had recently become a teenage mum with her boyfriend Declan (James Sorensen) and was a favourite on the show among its younger viewers. I have to admit, I watch Neighbours fairly regularly if I'm at home (there! - my dirty little secret is out!) so I'm familiar with the characters and storylines. Neighbours producer Susan Bower had actually pointed out, after the moral-panics raised questions about a teen pregnancy, that the storylines would not glamourise being a teen parent but try to show it as accurately as possible. In fact, the amount of whingeing from Didge about not being able to do the things her friends were doing actually became rather annoying.
My argument for Neighbours though, is not that it reflects reality (because it certainly does not) or that it is a perfectly acceptable moral compass for young people (because it certainly is not) - but that it is not supposed to be either of these things.
Soaps are fantasy - they are fiction. They are only supposed to reflect reality enough that you can relate to them, but that's it. Otherwise it's the fact that they are in no way realistic that makes them so appealing. It's not just the horny teens that get killed off - the wholesome gals and guys of Ramsay Street meet sticky ends too. Case in point, Toadie's (Ryan Moloney) dead bride Dee (Madeleine West) and Libby's (Kym Valentine) cowboy husband Drew (Dan Paris) - who fell off a horse, of course, of course.
There's generally a fair bit of dying to be done in soaps due to the high turnover of characters - and there are only so many times that a character can "move to Queensland" (ie. go to London to do a season of pantos and return a year later to do a guest spot on All Saints). There are also teens having sexual relations that don't end up disemboweled in a farming accident ... case in point Donna (Margot Robbie) and Ringo (Sam Clark) - in fact, Donna was portrayed as a promiscuous floozy not too long ago. She has since "come good" and is surprisingly healthy and happy - until actor Margot Robbie inevitably moves on to bigger and better things of course - in which case Donna will probably die a terrible death.
Basically it's a series of life events - birth, annoying-kid, teen-rebellion, courting, marriage, divorce, illness, death - throw in some crime, adultery and natural disasters and you have the basic life-span of a soap character.
If parents are counting on soapies to teach their kids what is morally right and socially acceptable they need a head-check. Whilst Neighbours is generally wholesome fair for the family, if one relied solely on it for moral guidance one might turn out to be a socially-retarded, extroverted egomaniac, speaking only of oneself in the third person and relying on internal dialogues to find resolutions to problems.
* Coming soon to a blog near you: Neighbours V's Home and Away AND Technical Marvels in Neighbours Post-Editing
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Nine Keen for Success
Channel 9 launches the new digital channel Go! tonight, after some massive ratings failures over the last few weeks, I'm sure the hope is that Go! draws a few younger viewers in - a demographic channel 9 has largely ignored over the last few years.
The website says it all;
Either way, it's good that another station is getting on board the digital bandwagon - it's just unfortunate that it consists mainly of more American crap.
The website says it all;
Attention, everyone who's young or young at heart: it's time to GO! digital. GO! is available now on fee-to-air television via channel 99 (or channel 88 for regional affiliates), offering more choice and entertainment than ever before.Obviously there aren't a lot of funds being put into locally made content - and The 7pm Project over on channel 10 might have a run for it's money with "the worlds favourite entertainment news program" Entertainment Tonight.Typical programs on GO! include favourites such as Gossip Girl, The Hills, TMZ, Fringe, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Weeds, The Wire, Survivor, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, CSI and hit comedy series Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Either way, it's good that another station is getting on board the digital bandwagon - it's just unfortunate that it consists mainly of more American crap.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Australian Web Use
I've been enthralled by this amazing site (found via Mumbrella) following the history of Australian use of the internet since 2001 - click on the pic below to check it out.
The most interesting bubble of course is Facebook and the rise and rise of social networking. Also interesting are the changing trends of search and government sites and the reminders of what was once the "next big thing" ... *waves to myspace*.
The most interesting bubble of course is Facebook and the rise and rise of social networking. Also interesting are the changing trends of search and government sites and the reminders of what was once the "next big thing" ... *waves to myspace*.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Kyle Unfit? ... Shocking!
In an announcement today from Austereo publicity manager, Kate Whitby, the Kyle and Jackie O show has been suspended indefinitely;
It seems Kyle is 'unable to perform his duties'. - That's a laugh, considering his 'duties' up to this point seem to have been to behave like a self-obsessed wanker, I'd say he's currently excelling at his duties.
There has also been talk of channel 10 possibly dropping him from Australian Idol, the thing is, he would simply be replaced with someone else exactly like him. Just like if the Kyle and Jackie O show was never to be reinstated - I doubt its replacement would be anything of any higher quality than the crap we hear on any commercial station.
The best result we can hope for from this event is that the Broadcasting Codes of Practice are reassessed.
"... following a great deal of consideration and having consulted Jackie O and all stakeholders, Austereo has formed the view that it is in the interest of all parties, for the Kyle and Jackie O show to go into recess until we have completed an across-the-networks review of the principals and protocols of our interaction with our audience. This review commenced last Wednesday, July 29."
It seems Kyle is 'unable to perform his duties'. - That's a laugh, considering his 'duties' up to this point seem to have been to behave like a self-obsessed wanker, I'd say he's currently excelling at his duties.
There has also been talk of channel 10 possibly dropping him from Australian Idol, the thing is, he would simply be replaced with someone else exactly like him. Just like if the Kyle and Jackie O show was never to be reinstated - I doubt its replacement would be anything of any higher quality than the crap we hear on any commercial station.
The best result we can hope for from this event is that the Broadcasting Codes of Practice are reassessed.
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