Six billion stories... SBS

January this year marked the return of Nine's balls with the network's revamped image as it tries to win back #1 position in the ratings.  February marked the advent of ABC1 as our national broadcaster ABC set out to "redefine television" by re-branding its two channels.

And now, SBS is set to also ring in the changes with a rework of its fifteen-year-old logo as a means of re-inventing itself after a rather controversial 2007 - marked by the departure of long-time newsreader Mary Kostakidis and the move to insert commercial breaks within programs.

The Australian today reports that the SBS logo and its overall on-air presentation will receive a facelift following eighteen months of audience research, and a similar period of fairly lack lustre on-air presentation comprising remnants of the channel's last revamp in 2004. But managing director Shaun Brown has insisted that the familiar Mercator map logo, launched in 1993, will not go away, "Why get rid of it? We love it anyhow, and the research has confirmed it's widely admired, so we were only going to make it a little bit more contemporary."

With the new-look logo will be a new slogan "Six billion stories and counting", which co-incidentally matches the initials SBS.

SBS' revamped presentation is intended to give the channel a more contemporary feel although The Australian suggests that some critics will feel it is just window-dressing a network now becoming more familiar as a pseudo-commercial media outlet that has abandoned its multicultural charter.

The date for the new-look SBS has not been announced although the network does have one of its most popular events, the Eurovision Song Contest, being broadcast over three nights next month and which may be an ideal time to unveil its facelift to a willing audience.

It's Fugly time again!

Hollywood has the Razzies, and for the past seven years Australian TV has had its own anti-awards event, the Fugly Awards - and this year is no exception.

Voting is now open for the 2008 Fugly Awards - giving Australians a chance to vote in categories that perhaps the TV Week Logie Awards may have overlooked, such as the 'Eddie' for most over-exposed TV  personality (Bert Newton was last year's winner), or most spankable female personality (previous winners have included Myf Warhurst, Sami Lukis and Sandra Sully, pictured)

Apart from awarding Australia's worst TV celebrities and TV show, among other categories, there is a chance to acknowledge those that don't always grace the cover of TV Week but do us just as proud.  Previous winners for most under acknowledged TV personality have included Adam Hills, Andrew Denton and Deborah Mailman.

And this year the public are also asked to nominate themselves for Australia's best TV viewer.

Voting closes 21 April and the winners of the 2008 Fugly Awards will be announced on 2 May.

Go to the site at http://www.fugly.com.au

1978: April 15-21

Holiday's new Bill of fare:TV Times previews the new series of ABC's Holiday, hosted by Bill Peach (pictured) with reporters Jan Kingsbury and Jeff Watson. The new series covers destinations across Australia, New Zealand, France, Greece and the Pacific region.
No blankety rift with channel, says Harry M:Harry M Miller, manager for Graham Kennedy, denies rumours that he will be seeking to move Kennedy's Blankety Blanks to another Melbourne channel following public criticism of Melbourne's ATV0 by Kennedy. "That's ridiculous," Miller told TV Times, "after all, we do have a contract with them and we're in no position to be talking about going somewhere else." Now in its second year, Blankety Blanks continues to win the important 7.00pm timeslot in Sydney but struggles in Melbourne. Both Miller and an ATV0 spokesman confirmed that there had been criticism over the channel's lead-in program to Blankety Blanks, the lower-rating game show $30,000 Treasure Hunt, but this situation had been rectified with the recent expansion of the local Eyewitness News to a one-hour format.
Gunston in harness with Ben Hur! Norman Gunston (Garry McDonald) interviewed Hollywood great Charlton Heston for his Hollywood special to air on the Seven Network: "Did you ever run across my Aunt Naomi, Ben.. sorry Mr Heston. She and Uncle Remo live in Malta, which can't be that far from your old stomping ground." (A rather timely interview, given that Heston passed away this same week, thirty years later.)
Mary takes a risky trip:
Ernie Sigley, who recently filled in for Mary Hardy (pictured) on HSV7's Penthouse '78 while she was covering the Academy Awards for radio 3AW, could be a regular co-host with Hardy on the Saturday night variety show. However, this week's co-host for Penthouse '78 is Willesee At Seven reporter Paul Makin which could be interesting as after the last time Makin appeared on the program, Hardy was quoted that he would be back "over my dead body."
Philip Brady's wild party:It was a reunion of many of Melbourne's radio and TV personalities when Philip Brady (pictured) celebrated his 20th year in the business. Among the celebrities gathered at the party were Joff Ellen, Happy Hammond, Jack Little, Evie Hayes, Tommy Hanlon Jnr, interstate guests Mike Walsh and Jimmy Hannan, and GTV9 personalities Eric Pearce, Vi Greenhalf and Pete Smith.
Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:"Thank goodness Graham Kennedy lost his voice on Blankety Blanks! The show, such as it is, was much better without him acting the ass. The gentleman who took his place was a great improvement." E. Allen, NSW.
"I thought Marcia Hines' Music was great. It was really good to see our queen of pop doing a show such as that. She is a fantastic singer and feeds good publicity. I hope she will be coming to Brisbane soon." C. Close, QLD.
"There's this commercial for a well-known brand of fly spray: a father and son come inside for lunch. The father spots a fly, which is quickly dispatched with the aid of the fly spray. Then follows a homily, from the father, about dirty disease-carrying flies, following which both father and son sit down to eat without washing their hands!" A. Dickens, NSW.
What's On (April 15-21):ABC presents the final episode of Marcia Hines' Music, featuring guest stars Johnny Farnham and Linda George.
Weekend sport includes Saturday night VFL replays on ABC and HSV7, Sunday afternoon VFA Football on ATV0, and Australian Sports Sedans on ABC.
GTV9 presents the British Film And TV Awards to be hosted by Susannah York and Andrew Gardner with an appearance by the president of the British Academy of Film and TV Arts, Princess Anne.
Sunday night movies are Street People (HSV7), Once Upon A Time In The West (GTV9) and The Last Summer (ATV0) up against another episode of I Claudius on ABC, followed by The Tinder Box, a ballet based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen.
Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 15 April 1978. ABC/ACP

YouTube: The Saturday Show

Last month's post dedicated to Saturday night TV failed to mention one title that some may remember or, in this author's case, at least remember the send-ups that followed several years later.

The Saturday Show was a weekly variety show on ABC in the late-'70s and early-'80s with a cast of regular performers, including Michael Cole, Darryl Stewart, former Young Talent Time member Jane Scali, and the dance troupe The Natural Seven. The Saturday Show was produced in a different vein to variety shows on commercial television in that featured traditional musical variety rather than more contemporary acts.

Although the legacy of The Saturday Show is that it ended up providing fodder for later comedy shows. The D-Generation's The Late Show (1992-93) regularly featured forgettable performances from The Saturday Show archives as part of its "Toilet Break" segment.

The Saturday Show also gave inspiration to the Seven Network's Fast Forward (1989-92) who parodied the program as a mix of inappropriately performed songs with cheesy backing tracks and gawdy backdrops.

The Fast Forward version of The Saturday Show was hosted by Eleanor LaGore (Gina Riley). This clip on YouTube shows a collection of Ms LaGore's performances and who could forget Barry Crocker's rendition of I Am Woman?



Another clip found on YouTube features LaGore performing a somewhat different adaptation of the '80s anti-war song I Was Only 19, complete with toe-tapping dance break:



YouTube: tizzo99, damo2310

ABC in the hunt for Gold

Today's announcement of nominations for the 50th annual TV Week Logie Awards came with some interesting names. As well as the usual parade of soap stars and, ahem, Bindi Irwin, there were some surprises in the Gold Logie nominations list.

The national broadcaster ABC, who usually deny having any interest in popularity contests such as ratings and publicly-voted Logies, have received three nominations for the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television:

Andrew Denton (Enough Rope)

Adam Hills (Spicks And Specks)

Chris Lilley (Summer Heights High)

The rest of the Gold Logie nominations list comprises Rove McManus (Rove), Kate Ritchie (Home And Away and It Takes Two), John Howard (All Saints), Natalie Blair (Neighbours) and Lisa McCune (Sea Patrol). McManus already has three of the golden statuettes to his name, McCune has four, and Ritchie won her first Gold Logie last year.

While it is difficult to trace back to previous Gold Logie nominations (because, we only really ever want to remember the winner, not the runners-up), it appears that this year is the first time that ABC has had this many contenders for the top award, especially as it is only in recent times that the nominations list has been extended to eight. And if Denton, Hills or Lilley can walk away with the Gold Logie, they will be the first ABC personality to do so since Norman Gunston (Garry McDonald) won it back in 1976 - and only the fourth ever, the others being Lorrae Desmond (1962) and Michael Charlton (1963).

ABC also scored nominations for The Chaser's War On Everything, The Choir Of Hard Knocks, Four Corners, Foreign Correspondent, Curtin, Enough Rope, Spicks And Specks, Summer Heights High, Rain Shadow and Australian Story's tribute to Belinda Emmett.

The eight TV Week Gold Logie nominees now enter the 'Race for Gold' with the final vote now open to the public via SMS. Voting closes on the night of the 50th annual TV Week Logie Awards, Sunday 4 May.

The full nominations list follows.

TV Week Gold Logie Most Popular Personality

Natalie Blair
Andrew Denton
Adam Hills
John Howard
Chris Lilley
Lisa McCune
Rove McManus
Kate Ritchie

TV Week Silver Logie Most Popular Actress

Natalie Blair (Neighbours, Ten)
Simmone Jade Mackinnon (McLeod's Daughters, Nine)
Lisa McCune (Sea Patrol, Nine)
Kate Ritchie (Home And Away, Seven)
Magda Szubanski (Kath & Kim, Seven)

TV Week Silver Logie Most Popular Actor

Mark Furze (Home And Away, Seven)
John Howard (All Saints, Seven)
Chris Lilley (Summer Heights High, ABC)
Paul O'Brien (Home And Away, Seven)
Glenn Robbins (Kath & Kim, Seven)

TV Week Silver Logie Most Popular TV Presenter

Andrew Denton (Enough Rope With Andrew Denton, ABC)
Grant Denyer (It Takes Two/Australia's Got Talent, Seven)
Melissa Doyle (Sunrise/Where Are They Now, Seven)
Adam Hills (Spicks & Specks, ABC)
Rove McManus (Rove/Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Ten)

TV Week Silver Logie Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie

City Homicide (Seven)
Curtin (ABC)
East West 101 (SBS)
The King (TV1)
Satisfaction (Showcase)

TV Week Silver Logie Most Outstanding Actor

Stephen Curry (The King, TV1)
Don Hany (East West 101, SBS)
Chris Lilley (Summer Heights High, ABC)
William McInnes (Curtin, ABC and East West 101, SBS)

TV Week Silver Logie Most Outstanding Actress

Diana Glenn (Satisfaction, Showcase)
Claudia Karvan (Love My Way, Showtime)
Asher Keddie (Love My Way, Showtime)
Victoria Thaine (Rain Shadow, ABC)
Alison Whyte (Satisfaction, Showcase)

Most Popular Lifestyle Program

Better Homes And Gardens (Seven)
Getaway (Nine)
The Great Outdoors (Seven)
Things To Try Before You Die (Nine)
What's Good For You (Nine)

Most Popular New Female Talent

Charlotte Best (Home And Away, Seven)
Tammy Clarkson (The Circuit, SBS)
Bindi Irwin (Bindi: The Jungle Girl, ABC)
Adelaide Kane (Neighbours, Ten)
Zoe Ventoura (Kick, SBS)

Most Popular New Male Talent

Jack Campbell (All Saints, Seven)
Sam Clark (Neighbours, Ten)
Lincoln Lewis (Home And Away, Seven)
David Lyons (Sea Patrol, Nine)
Stuart MacGill (Stuart MacGill Uncorked, LifeStyle Channel)

Most Popular Drama

All Saints (Seven)
City Homicide (Seven)
Home And Away (Seven)
McLeod's Daughters (Nine)
Neighbours (Ten)

Most Popular Light Entertainment/Comedy Program

The Chaser's War On Everything (ABC)
Kath & Kim (Seven)
Spicks & Specks (ABC)
Summer Heights High (ABC)
Thank God You're Here (Ten)

Most Popular Sports Program

The Footy Show AFL (Nine)
The Footy Show NRL (Nine)
Inside Cricket (FOX Sports 1)
Sports Tonight (Ten)
The World Game (SBS)

Most Popular Reality Program

Australian Idol (Ten)
Big Brother (Ten)
The Biggest Loser (Ten)
Dancing With The Stars (Seven)
It Takes Two (Seven)

Most Popular Factual Program

Bondi Rescue (Ten)
Border Security (Seven)
Choir Of Hard Knocks (ABC)
RPA (Nine)
RSPCA Animal Rescue (Seven)

Most Outstanding News Coverage

"East Timor: Finding Alfredo" (Foreign Correspondent, ABC)
"Federal Election" (Sky News)
"Garuda Plane Crash" (Seven)
"Pasha Bulker" (Nine)
"Timor Baucau" (SBS)

Most Outstanding Public Affairs Report

"The Big Sting" (60 Minutes, Nine)
"Final Call" (Four Corners, ABC)
"Hicks On Trial" (Insight, SBS)
"Rwanda: Questions Of Murder" (Dateline, SBS)
"Some Meaning In This Life: Belinda Emmett" (Australian Story, ABC)

Most Outstanding Documentary Series

Captain Cook: Obsession And Discovery (ABC)
Constructing Australia: The Bridge (ABC)
Inside Australia: My Brother Vinnie (SBS)
The Sounds Of Aus (ABC)
The Ultimate Donation (Ten)

Most Outstanding Factual Series

Bondi Rescue (Ten)
Border Security (Seven)
Choir Of Hard Knocks (ABC)
The Force: Behind The Line (Seven)
The Gift (Nine)

Most Outstanding Comedy Program

The Chaser's War On Everything (ABC)
Kath & Kim (Seven)
Summer Heights High (ABC)
Thank God You're Here (Ten)
Wilfred (SBS)

Most Outstanding Sports Coverage

AFL Grand Final (Ten)
Australian Open Tennis Championships (Seven)
3 Mobile Ashes Series, Fifth Test (Nine)
FINA World Swimming Championships (Nine)
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 (Seven)

Most Outstanding Children's Program

Animalia (Ten)
Hi-5 (Nine)
H2O: Just Add Water (Ten)
Lockie Leonard (Nine)
Totally Wild: Antarctica Special (Ten)

Graham Kennedy Award For Most Outstanding New Talent

Tammy Clarkson (The Circuit, SBS)
Adelaide Clemens (Love My Way, Showtime)
Nicole Da Silva (Dangerous, FOX8)
Sean Keenan (Lockie Leonard, Nine)
Zoe Ventoura (Kick, SBS)

1978: April 8-14

Cover Story: A hard day's night:
For Don Lane, life begins at 6.40am - and ends about 1.00 the next morning. TV Times' Veronica Ridge spent a day with the popular man of radio and television. Starting with his morning program with Bert Newton on radio 3UZ, through to rehearsals and pre-recording interviews and promos for that night's The Don Lane Show. Then at 9.30, Bert Newton announces "Welcome to The Don Lane Show. And now, here's Don!" and the curtain goes up on another show, broadcast across Australia.

Jeff Newman's job is a real beauty!
Perth TVW7 personality Jeff Newman has a job that many other blokes would envy, chatting to and interviewing beauty pageant contestants. But Newman, 34, and happily married to wife Pat, says he would rather be watching at home rather than hosting the show, "because you get a better opportunity of seeing the girls without worrying about the next question." This week, Newman will be hosting the Australian Beauty Pageant, the winner of which will represent Australia at Miss Universe in Mexico. Also, this year's pageant will virtually serve as a dress rehearsal for the 1979 Miss Universe contest to be held at the Perth Entertainment Centre and televised worldwide.

When they dimmed the limelight...
For pop king Johnny Farnham, life was very hectic with TV appearances, commercials, and touring around the country. But now, at 29, Farnham is leading a quieter life, able to be more selective about the work he takes on. He refutes suggestions that he had suffered a nervous breakdown. Farnham's manager Danny Finley also confirms that despite the public perception that Farnham has faded from the spotlight, that this is not the case, "he has been seen around Australia on (sitcom) Bobby Dazzler, and ABC's Survival series. He appeared on Carols By Candlelight and Music For The People, and Julie McKenna's New Year's Eve special." However, Farnham does regret that the Crawford Productions pilot Me And Mr Stone, where he co-starred with Gordon Chater, was not picked up by any of the networks.

No prize for bunging on a Family Feud:
Columnist F.C. Kennedy is not overly impressed with Nine's game show Family Feud with Tony Barber: "At first glance, Family Feud may not look like a challenge to the current affairs shows, The Sullivans, Glenview High, or the other soap opera, The Restless Years. But, when you are dealing with diary-keepers who have made Blankety Blanks number one, you never know what might happen."

Viewpoint: Letters to the Editor:
"I heard Mike Willesee call Olivia Newton-John and the Bee Gees "Australians". Optimistic, to say the least. Olivia was born in England, came here aged five, left for England at 16, and from there became the international star she is today. The Bee Gees were born and raised in England, spent a few years here then returned home and became international stars. Neither Olivia nor the Bee Gees have recorded a hit in this country, not shown any interest in returning permanently." E. Faith, WA.

"Would someone please tell me why two of our channels have to put specials on together on Wednesday nights, leaving one channel with an Australian show? Why do they give us a raw deal these days?" J. Hankinson, NSW.

"I am unashamedly a TV addict who, at the age of 80, picks his programs with a very heavy bias towards Australian features. I think The Sullivans is the best Australian show ever. The colour of all local shows is really superior to imports. Young Talent Time is the most consistently excellent variety show on the screen." N. W. Montagu, NSW.

What's On (April 8-14):
GTV9 presents the Australian Beauty Pageant, telecast from the Perth Entertainment Centre and hosted by Jeff Newman. Five finalists from each state will compete to represent Australia at the 1978 Miss Universe Quest to be held in Mexico.

ATV0 presents the special The Trial Of Lee Harvey Oswald. The four-hour special, screened over two nights, speculates the outcome of a trial if President Kennedy's accused assassin was still alive.

ABC presents Vienna Cinderella - the last work of Johann Strauss - a ballet which had not achieved the fame of his other works.

Sunday night movies are Two Missionaries (HSV7), SPYS (GTV9) and Adam's Woman (ATV0).

Source: TV Times (Melbourne edition), 8 April 1978. ABC/ACP

Philip Brady's big 5-0

There aren't many people in Australia that can claim to have had fifty years in the radio and television spotlight. Bert Newton and John Laws are two that have made that milestone, but this weekend another one joins the ranks when Philip Brady (pictured) celebrates fifty years in radio and television, having started his first shift as a booth announcer at GTV9 in Melbourne on 6 April 1958.

Starting at GTV9 on a two-week trial, Philip continued at GTV9 for thirteen years as an announcer, a regular on In Melbourne Tonight, and presenting a daytime show on radio station 3AK after the station was bought by GTV9 in the early-'60s. He also hosted GTV9's early-'60s game show Concentration. Philip was then again at 3AK as one of the line-up of 'Good Guys' when the station adopted a Top 40 music format in the late '60s, and also hosted GTV9's afternoon panel game show Everybody's Talking.

Following a break after the demise of In Melbourne Tonight, Philip returned to radio, presenting a weekend program on 3AW, and returned to TV as host of The Money Makers (pictured) for the 0-10 Network. The game show, produced by Reg Grundy at the studios of TVQ0 Brisbane, was Australia's first five-nights-a-week game show when it debuted in September 1971, offering a top prize of $25,000.

As well as hosting The Money Makers and Junior Money Makers, Philip also hosted Password, another game show for the 0-10 Network, and then in 1976 took over as host of another TVQ0 production, Casino 10. Philip also continued to make appearances on GTV9's The Graham Kennedy Show and The Ernie Sigley Show.

A return to radio followed with a stint at 3AK, the station by then famous for 'beautiful music', and then as producer for Bert Newton's morning show on 3UZ. His next move was to the Gold Coast, with a daytime program on local radio station Easy Listening 97, while at the same time writing a weekly column for Melbourne-based showbiz paper TV Scene.

In 1990, 3AW hired Philip and familiar Melbourne radio and TV identity Bruce Mansfield to co-host the Sunday night nostalgia program Remember When, and the pair were then appointed as 'caretaker' hosts of the weeknight Nightline program following the departure of long-time host Rev. Alex Kenworthy. Almost twenty years later, "Bruce and Phil" continue to dominate night-time radio in Melbourne on both Remember When and Nightline.

Philip continued to make guest appearances on TV in the '90s with regular spots on Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton and guest appearances on ABC's Saturday night The Late Show and Seven's Tonight Live With Steve Vizard.

Further reading: Melbourne Observer, Bruce & Phil, 3AW

Australian Story remembers Charmaine Dragun

ABC's award-winning series Australian Story will pay tribute to Network Ten newsreader Charmaine Dragun on an episode to air on Monday 28 April.

Ms Dragun was a radio and television journalist in her home town of Perth before joining Ten News to read the Perth news bulletin from Ten's Sydney newsroom. Suffering long-term depression, Ms Dragun tragically committed suicide in Sydney on 2 November last year. She was 29.

Dragun and her long-time partner Simon Struthers had planned to wed earlier this year to coincide with their 30th birthdays.

Family, friends and colleagues have been interviewed for the Australian Story tribute.

Australian Story: Charmaine Dragun. Monday 28 April, 8.00pm. ABC1 (repeated the following day on ABC2)

Seven goes retro after dark

The Seven Network have recently delved into their video vaults for DVD releases of shows such as Sons And Daughters, A Country Practice, Blue Heelers and All Saints, but this week seem to be giving some less-famous titles an airing in late night timeslots.

From a time when cute furry animals were TV fiction rather than today's TV "reality" or "factuality", Young Ramsay was the story of 30-ish vet Peter Ramsay (John Hargreaves, pictured with co-star Barbara Llewellyn) who had decided to leave his job in the city to go to a small veterinary practice in the country. Intended as a family series it was a distant cry from the usual cop dramas or the soapie The Box to come from Crawford Productions, although the company had previously produced a children's drama Solo One in the mid-'70s. Young Ramsay ran for two seasons, screening between 1977 and 1980, and also featured Vic Gordon, Serge Lazareff and Louise Howitt.

Seven's other late-night offering is a much more recent series, Marshall Law from 2002, which marked actress Lisa McCune's first TV role since leaving Blue Heelers, the series which earned her four TV Week Gold Logies. The series told the story of two sisters, played by McCune and Alison Whyte (Frontline), both working in the Magistrate's Court. Marshall Law also included another former Blue Heelers cast member, William McInnes, and Jane Hall who is now in Neighbours. The series was launched as a pseudo Ally McBeal-type drama, but despite its strong cast, it failed to grab ratings and was cancelled after one year.

Seven's screening of these retro titles follows the regional WIN network's late-night/early-morning screenings over the past year or so of former Crawford classics such as Matlock Police, Skyways, Carson's Law and Division Four.

Further reading:
TV Eye (Young Ramsay)
Australian Television Information Archive (Marshall Law)
Young Ramsay. Tonight (Thursday morning) 1.10am, Seven*
Marshall Law. Thursday night/Friday morning 12.20am, Seven*

* Melbourne. Other areas check local guides

Separated at birth?

Yesterday's flashback to The Box brought to my attention a startling resemblance between Judy Nunn

and.....

The foxy moron herself, Kath Day-Knight!

Talk about matching clowning glory!!