Final episode for Talking Heads

ABC’s weekly interview program Talking Heads with Peter Thompson (pictured) signs off next week for the last time.

The half-hour program, based in South Australia, started in March 2005 and since then has featured almost 250 guests from all walks of life. The program has delivered a startling insight into its guests’ backgrounds and personal and professional histories as well as highlighting some of the significant moments and people in their lives.

Some of the TV names to have featured in the program over the last six years have included Paul Mercurio (the show’s first interviewee), Max Gillies, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, Lorraine Bayly, Paul Cronin, Simon Townsend, Clive Robertson, Toni Lamond, Jeff McMullen, Jeanne Little, Stuart Wagstaff, Noeline Brown, Graeme Blundell, Shane Bourne, Bill Collins, Denise Drysdale, Patricia Lovell, Barry Crocker, John Blackman, Hazel Phillips, Wendy Hughes, Todd McKenney, Googie Withers, John McCallum, John Clarke, Lorrae Desmond, Rex Hunt, Posie Graeme-Evans, Tina Arena, John Wood, Anne Deveson, Garry McDonald, Richard Roxburgh, Mark Holden, Ray Martin and Kerry Armstrong.

The final Talking Heads features environmentalist David Suzuki.

Talking Heads – final episode. Monday 29 November, 6.30pm. ABC1

1990: March 24-30

Kate bows out on a high
A fear of heights and a brewing thunderstorm ensured that Kate Raison’s final scenes in A Country Practice would be her most terrifying.  The wedding between Raison’s character, Cathy Hayden, and new love John Freeman (William McInnes) was filmed on a clifftop with a wild storm headed its way.  Producers almost had to abandon the wedding scenes as the storm hampered progress with filming.  “It certainly wasn’t a glamorous ending for my days on A Country Practice,” Raison (pictured, with co-star Georgie Parker)told TV Week.

Annie’s left holding the baby!
TV Week has a sneak peek at the upcoming Seven Network mini-series Jackaroo, starring former Neighbours star Annie Jones.  Jones plays Clare Mallory, a spoilt, rich, city kid who falls for Jack Simmonds (David McCubbin), the overseer of her family’s property, and the couple have a child.  The romance is a controversial one, as Simmonds’ indigenous heritage puts him at odds with Clare’s conservative parents who are against their daughter having a mixed-race marriage.  Simmonds is thrown off the family property and Clare, with baby in tow, is sent away.  Simmonds then embarks on a dramatic search for his lover and child.  Jackaroo is set to air on the Seven Network later in the year.

It’s a Forties triple treat!
Rebecca Gibney, Kerry Armstrong and Lisa Harrow head the cast of ABC’s new mini-series, Come In Spinner, set in Sydney in 1944 and following the lives and loves of three women who work in a beauty salon.  Also starring in the series are Justine Clarke, Zoe Bertram, Gary Sweet, Rebecca Smart and Bryan Marshall.  In auditioning for the role of Guinea Malone, Gibney (pictured) was so determined to get the part that she borrowed one of Grace Sullivan’s old dresses from the Crawford Productions wardrobe and also enlisted the help of the make-up artist from her former series, The Flying Doctors, to give her a genuine 1940s look.  “I’d have loved to have really lived in that time.  The Forties were my favourite era, and I love the movies from those days.  They had real stars back then,” Gibney told TV Week.

Briefly…
There’s romance on the set of Neighbours with Stefan Dennis said to be an “item” with co-star Gayle Blakeney, who joined the series last year with twin sister Gillian.  The off-screen romance comes as an upcoming storyline in the series will have Paul Robinson (Dennis) moving in to share a house with the twins and the three falling into a complex romantic triangle. 

Pop princess and former Neighbours star Kylie Minogue (pictured) is believed to have bought a million dollar property in a leafy, east Melbourne suburb, sparking off a lot of gossip and speculation by her future real-life neighbours.  Locals have spotted the pop star checking on progress on renovations to the older-style house.  It is not known if Minogue will move into the house with her boyfriend, rock star Michael Hutchence.

Network Ten is funding the development of a new series which it hopes will rival the success of the hit US series The Golden Girls.  The series, based on the stage comedy Lipstick Dreams which has recently played in NSW and Victoria, is set to include Lorraine Bayly (The Sullivans, Carson’s Law) and Felicity Soper (Richmond Hill).  The pilot episode for the series will be filmed in the coming months.

John Laws says…
”Just when Kerry O’Brien’s Lateline program has begun to find its feet comes the news that it has aroused a wave of resentment among some ABC staffers.  At the core of the problem are the allegedly excessive costs of mounting the Lateline program.  The joke around the ABC canteens is that program should be called ‘Wasteline’.  I’m surprised that Lateline, which has a basically simple format, should cost a lot of money.  After all, only one subject is tackled on each program three nights a week, 90 minutes in all, and most of it committed to interviewing one or two people in the studio.  How can this cost a lot of money?”

Program Highlights (March 24-30):
Saturday:  ABC, HSV7 and GTV9 all devote most of Saturday evening to coverage of the Federal Election from the National Tally Room in Canberra.  Andrew Olle heads ABC’s coverage, with Dennis Grant and Derryn Hinch on Seven, and Jim Waley and Ray Martin on Nine.  ATV10’s election coverage is limited to fifteen minutes after Bill Collins’ Golden Years Of Hollywood movie, and SBS presents brief updates in between regular programs throughout the evening.
Sunday:  GTV9’s Sunday current affairs program presents a special post-Election edition.  Sunday night movies are Deadly Pursuit (HSV7), Suspect (GTV9) and Best-Seller (ATV10).  ABC, in a rare move, screens a Sunday night movie, a Swedish-language (with English subtitles) drama, My Life As A Dog.
Monday:  With the Federal Election now over, Andrew Denton presents the final edition of The Party Machine.
Tuesday:  GTV9 presents a delayed telecast of The 62nd Academy Awards.  Nominated for Best Picture are Born On The Fourth Of July, Dead Poet’s Society, Driving Miss Daisy, Field Of Dreams and My Left Foot.
Wednesday:  Daryl Somers hosts the return of talent quest series New Faces on GTV9.  ABC presents the first episode of World War II mini-series Come In Spinner (pictured).
Thursday:  ATV10 presents a one-hour documentary, Teenage Sexuality: The Best Years Of Our Lives, hosted by Brad Robinson.  Teenagers openly discuss their first sexual experiences and attitudes to contraception and promiscuity.

Source: TV Week (Victoria edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.   
24 March 1990. Southdown Press.

Logies Hall of Fame names leaked

The Australian’s media columnist Amanda Meade has leaked an “unauthorised” list of names being considered for this year’s TV Week Logie Awards’ Hall of Fame.

Normally the award is nominated and voted in private by an industry panel, with the winner announced prior to the awards ceremony.

According to Meade the following names are on the short list:

Brian Henderson, host of ‘60s pop music show Bandstand and a newsreader for TCN9, Sydney, for almost forty years, retiring in 2002.

Brian Naylor (pictured), host of children’s talent show Brian And The Juniors before becoming newsreader for HSV7 and later GTV9 before retiring in 1998.  Hosted Nine’s Carols By Candlelight for ten years.  Was tragically killed last year in the Black Saturday bushfires.

Les Murray, one of the founding presenters at SBS and has led the network’s World Cup soccer coverage since it first telecast the event in 1986.

George Negus (pictured, in 1981), former This Day Tonight journalist who became a household name as one of the founding reporters on 60 Minutes in 1979.  Later hosted Today, Foreign Correspondent and George Negus Tonight and is currently host of Dateline and contributor to The 7PM Project.

Ken Sutcliffe, sports presenter who got his big break being hand-picked by Graham Kennedy to co-host his new late night show, Graham Kennedy’s News Show, in 1988.  Continues to present the sports report for Nine News in Sydney and various Wide World Of Sports telecasts.

Maggie Tabberer (pictured, in 1970), former fashion model turned publishing identity and TV personality.  A two-time TV Week Gold Logie winner (1970, 1971) and more recently a presenter on pay-TV.

Ian Ross, long-time journalist and newsreader for National Nine News in Sydney and, for several years, for Today nationally.  Came out of a brief retirement to front Seven News in Sydney, and led the 6.00pm timeslot for the next six years at the expense of traditional rival Nine.  Retired from Seven at the end of last year.

Ray Meagher, veteran actor and the only founding cast member of Home And Away to still be on the series, 22 years on.

Prisoner (pictured), the Grundy Productions drama series that broke new ground when it launched in 1979 with a predominantly female cast and without the usual gloss of prime-time soap operas.  The series ran for eight years, sold well overseas and won a swag of TV Week Logie awards.  As testament to its long-standing popularity, all 692 episodes of the show have been released on DVD – the largest such DVD release in Australia, if not worldwide.

One name that this blog might suggest would be worthy of a Hall of Fame award is Western Australian TV personality Jeff Newman (pictured).  Newman recently retired from TVW7, Perth, after over 40 years of service, including an outstanding commitment to TVW7’s annual Telethon.  Although Newman is not well known outside of Western Australia, his commitment and service to the television industry in WA is a fantastic achievement.

Previous winners of the TV Week Logie Awards’ Hall of Fame have included Graham Kennedy, Bert Newton, Mike Walsh, Don Lane, Mike Willesee, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, James Davern, Charles ‘Bud’ Tingwell, Ruth Cracknell, Maurie Fields, Sam Chisholm, Bruce Gyngell, Johnny Young, Bill Collins and Steve Irwin.  Three programs have also been entered into the Hall of Fame – 4 Corners, Neighbours and Play School.

Expect TV Week to announce this year’s inductee to the Hall of Fame prior to this year’s Logies telecast, scheduled for 2 May.

Source: The Australian

TV Week Logie Awards 2009

Packed To The Rafters star Rebecca Gibney has won the TV Week Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian TV.

The hit Seven Network series won a total of six awards in tonight’s presentation, including two for new talent Jessica Marais and Gibney also winning the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress.

The Nine Network’s Underbelly won three awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.  Series stars Gyton Grantley and Kat Stewart won Outstanding Actor and Actress awards.

Network Ten’s Rove McManus won the Logie for Most Popular TV Presenter and Rove won Most Popular Light Entertainment program.

ABC1’s The Hollowmen won for Most Outstanding Comedy Program and current affairs program Foreign Correspondent won for Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report.

SBS’ First Australians won the Logie for Outstanding Documentary.

FOX Classics host Bill Collins was inducted into the TV Week Logies’ Hall of Fame.

The awards presentation was hosted by former Big Brother host Gretel Killeen and also featured performances by Annie Lennox, Jessica Mauboy and Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

List of all winners:

Silver Logie — Most Popular Actress
Rebecca Gibney (Packed To The Rafters)

Silver Logie — Most Popular Actor
Todd Lasance (Home And Away)

Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actor
Gyton Grantley (Underbelly)

Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Actress
Kat Stewart (Underbelly)

Most Popular Reality Program
So You Think You Can Dance Australia (Network Ten)

Most Outstanding Comedy Program
The Hollowmen (ABC1)

Most Outstanding News Coverage
"China Earthquake" (ABC News)

Most Popular Lifestyle Program
Better Homes And Gardens (Channel Seven)

Silver Logie — Most Popular TV Presenter
Rove McManus (Rove/Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?)

Most Outstanding Sports Coverage
Beijing Olympics (Channel Seven)

Most Popular Sports Program
The Footy Show NRL (Nine Network)

Most Popular New Male Talent
Hugh Sheridan (Packed To The Rafters)

Most Popular New Female Talent
Jessica Marais (Packed To The Rafters)

Most Popular Factual Program
Bondi Rescue (Network Ten)

Graham Kennedy Award For Most Outstanding New Talent
Jessica Marais (Packed To The Rafters)

Silver Logie — Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie
Underbelly (Nine Network)

Most Outstanding Children's Program
H20: Just Add Water (Network Ten)

# Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report
"Afghanistan: A Survivor's Tale" (Foreign Correspondent, ABC1)

Most Outstanding Documentary
First Australians (SBS)

Most Outstanding Factual Program
Border Security (Channel Seven)

Most Popular Light Entertainment Program
Rove (Network Ten)

Most Popular Drama
Packed To The Rafters (Channel Seven)

TV Week Logie Awards' Hall Of Fame
Bill Collins

TV Week Gold Logie — Most Popular Personality
Rebecca Gibney

Source: TV Week

Bill Collins joins Logies’ Hall of Fame

TV Week has announced Bill Collins as the 26th inductee into the TV Week Logies Awards’ Hall of Fame.

For over forty years, Collins has shared his passion for movies with many thousands of magazine readers and TV viewers.  Formerly a lecturer at the Sydney Teachers’ College, Collins began presenting movie reviews on ABC’s afternoon program, Roundabout, in the early ‘60s. 

From 1963, Collins started writing movie reviews for TV Times magazine and later moved to commercial television to review and introduce movies – first at TCN9 and then at ATN7 Sydney, where he also presented movie reviews on the Sunday night news!

By the early ‘80s, Collins had moved across to Network Ten where his movie presentations, with passionate and often unscripted reviews that were almost as epic as the movie titles he was presenting, became a long-running staple of Saturday night television across the country.   As well as The Golden Years Of Hollywood, there was The Bill Collins’ Picture Show, and many midday and weekend movie matinee presentations for Network Ten.  Also during the ‘80s, Collins reviewed movies for TV Week and his weekly column, You Asked For It, ran for several years.

In the mid-‘90s, the advent of pay-TV saw classic movies appearing less and less on free-to-air TV – so it was inevitable that Collins would move The Golden Years Of Hollywood to Foxtel where it currently appears on the Fox Classics channel.

The TV Week Logies’ Hall of Fame was introduced in 1984 to recognise the achievements of those who have made significant contribution to the Australian television industry.  The first recipient was legendary TV producer Hector Crawford.  Over the years, the Hall of Fame has welcomed actors and actresses, producers, executives, presenters and even programs that have made extended contributions to television.

Bill Collins will be inducted into the TV Week Logie Awards’ Hall of Fame at this year’s awards presentation on Sunday 3 May.

Source: ABC, TV Week