Monday June 4

[Nine/5:00pm] Bargain Hunt. Premiere. Two pairs of eagle-eyed contestants are pitted against each other to find antiques at a price to make the most profit at auction.
[Nine/8:35pm] 1 vs 100
[Nine/9:30pm] CSI rpt.

[Ten/7:30pm] Big Brother. Live Nominations.
[Ten/8:40pm] Supernatural. “Hollywood Babylon.”

[Seven/3:00pm] The Simple Life: 'Til Death Do Us Part. Premiere. Nolan Family.Now Paris and Nicole will be put to the matrimonial test as it's "you are my wife... hello married life" for the jetsetting playgirls. Firstly the girls visit the Nolan family, strap on 35-pound pregnancy suits and take over household duties for the whole family.

[Seven/8:30pm] Desperate Housewives. DRESS BIG. Susan discovers some revealing secrets about her future in-laws. Gaby has a devastating catastrophe at her home. Lynette is encountering new problems at the pizzeria. An unexpected love affair develops on Wisteria Lane. Guest starring LYNN REDGRAVE.
[Seven/9:30pm] Brothers and Sisters. ALL IN THE FAMILY. In an effort to restore life to normalcy, Nora invites her deceased husband's illegitimate daughter to a family dinner. Kevin Walker's hush hush relationship with a movie star reaches new levels. Senator McCallister makes a surprising introduction. Guest starring PETER COYOTE and DAVID PAYMER.
[Seven/10:30pm] Boston Legal. THE GOOD LAWYER When Alan tries two separate cases at once, he ends up losing a good friend. Clarence is panicked at the thought of intimacy with Claire. Bethany forces Denny to accompany her to the temple, with disastrous results. Guest: Jane Lynch.
[Seven/11:30pm] Scrubs MY NO GOOD REASON J.D. and Turk try to forget that Turk's new nanny is smoking hot, but when the pair hold a public screening of the footage from the nanny cam, Carla finds out. Elsewhere, Nurse Roberts and Dr. Kelso debate whether or not 'everything happens for a reason,' but when a tragedy falls upon one of the Sacred Heart staff it's hard to continue the argument. Directed by Zach Braff.

[ABC/8:00pm] Australian Story. Ash Falkingham is a young Sydney man who’s decided to go to Canada to donate his kidney to a seriously ill woman he’s only just met. Since his mother found out, she’s been desperately trying to stop the surgery.
[ABC/8:30pm] Four Corners. Is torture ever a legitimate weapon in the war on terror? In the first of two parts, Four Corners charts the recent history of torture and, through interviews with victims, ex-spies, scholars, lawyers and diplomats, tracks the passionate arguments for and against its use.
[ABC/9:20pm] Media Watch
[ABC/9:35pm] More Than Enough Rope. More Than ENOUGH ROPE is a five-week season of our favourite interviews as never seen before. All five have been renovated and refurbished, with stunning new views and prestige fittings. All feature previously unscreened material - in some cases as much as 50 per cent has been restored. Each of the five people has been chosen to represent a particular type of guest or challenge. This themed approach allows us to examine broader issues, and to delve further into the rich ENOUGH ROPE archive. Fleshing out each program, we've collected moments from other interviews that put the main guest in context and draw illuminating parallels. Finally, and most significantly, More Than ENOUGH ROPE takes the viewer inside the interview, pulling back the curtain to uncover the thought processes and preparation behind ENOUGH ROPE's successful interview style. Using the wonders of modern technology (and the pause button), host Andrew Denton freezes proceedings to comment during the interviews, explaining what he was thinking and how it feels to sit in his chair. This week: INSIDE THE CRIMINAL MIND: Peter Foster. Andrew talks about the difficulties of interviewing a conman, someone who lies for a living, as exemplified by Peter Foster. With added insight from Alan Bond and Mark 'Chopper' Read. ******NB: Peter Foster will not air in Queensland because the sub judice period is running in relation to Foster's most recent charges. Instead, a repeat of Kate Ceberano/Mark 'Chopper' Read interviews from a previous series will air.

[SBS/7:30pm] Mythbusters - Exploding House - This series investigates the bizarre claims of urban legends and modern misconceptions about all manner of things, by putting them to the test. Just how hard is it to find a needle in a haystack? Adam and Jamie get competitive creating the supreme needle-finding machine. (Rpt) PG CC
[SBS/8:30pm] South Park - The Biggest Douche In The Universe - Kenny's spirit is exorcised from Cartman and enters a pot roast, whilst Kyle is taken in by John Edward, who professes to have a message from his grandmother. (Rpt) M (A) CC
[SBS/9:00pm] Drawn Together - The Lemon Aids Walk - A friendly badminton competition against the former cast of Drawn Together reveals a shameful secret about Captain Hero: he is terrible at sports. He drowns his sorrows in Princess Clara's lemonade stand and meets Betty Boop. Captain Hero volunteers to go in the AIDS walk to prove he's good at sport. But he’s terrible even at walking, and so he decides to go on steroids. Wooldoor is caught stealing candies at the mall. He spends some time in security detention and loses his place at Clara's lemonade stand. This time Clara promises to wait for him. (From the US, in English) (Animated Comedy Series) MA (V,A,S) CC WS
[SBS/10:55pm] Oz - Visits, Conjugal And Otherwise - Prison is a dangerous place, despite the modern facilities and an emphasis on rehabilitation over retribution. Survival remains top priority. With conjugal visitation for prisoners a platform issue for gubernatorial candidates, Governor Devlin announces plans to eliminate the controversial program. As a result, Sister Pete suddenly finds herself inundated with requests from inmates wanting one last conjugal visit with their wives. Stars Ernie Hudson, Terry Kinney and Harold Perrineau. (From the US, in English) (Drama Series) (Rpt) MA (L,S,V)

[Bio/7:30pm] This is Your Life. Steve Irwin.
[Showtime/6:10pm] Movie: Rent (US 2005) Read more...

Kylie for Parky?

There's talk that Kylie may agree to an interview on Parkinson.

She last appeared on the show in 2004 when she lamented that she hadn't yet become a mother. Before that, in her 2002 appearance she spoke of marrying James Gooding.

How a lot has changed since then.

Now the subjects would be recovering cancer, recovering a break up with Olivier Martinez and those film director romance rumours.

An ITV spokesperson said, "It's all a bit hush-hush at the moment as she hasn't confirmed anything. It would be a great coup for Parky, although getting her on the ITV1 show is certainly not going to be cheap.

"Everyone working on the show is very excited. Kylie rarely gives interviews about her private life so it's great for Parky. And she knows that he'll look after her. The plan is that she will sing on the show before giving the interview. She'll be the biggest name on the new series."

But when, oh when, will Kylie do Enough Rope with Andrew Denton? Read more...

Monster battle for kids looming

Forget about Today Tonight vs A Current Affair.

Think you've seen it all on Sunrise vs Today?

There's a much bigger battle looming - the premiere of Dorothy the Dinosaur vs the new series of Hi-5. The two kids' shows will air only 5 minutes apart on Monday June 11, and you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be major fights in loungerooms across Australia!


Dorothy is getting her first, stand-alone show on the ABC. Just as Joanie Loves Chachi flew the Happy Days coop, or Frasier checked out of Cheers, Dorothy has her own Wiggle-less show. What a dinosaur!

But in the red corner, stalwarts Hi-5 are replacing the maternal Kathleen with Sun Park! Kathleen is taking time out to have her baby. It's a storyline ripped straight out of the Today show with Jessica Rowe / Sarah Murdoch / Kellie Connolly / Lisa Wilkinson! Oh Kathleen, didn't you learn anything? Where will it all end! Who will win this titanic showdown? Will Dorothy hi-5 those Nine kids into history? Let's get ready to rummmmmmmmble!

Press Releases:

ABC: Dorothy the Dinosaur will have her very own program on ABC TV from Monday June 11. Dorothy will be visited by her friends in the series, including Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Henry the Octopus as well as Fairy Larissa, Fairy Clare and little Fairy Lucia. They take it in turns to drink Rosy Tea with Dorothy and to visit her garden where they sing and dance to the music played by Dominic and the Rosy Orchestra. Episode 1: Wags the Dog loves a mug of Rosy Tea! He also likes to help Dorothy in her garden. Dorothy and Wags remember that plants need sun to grow healthily. Dominic and the Rosy Orchestra appear and they sing and dance to Dance A Cachucha.

and

NINE: The ninth series from multi-Logie award-winning, international children’s sensation, Hi-5, with their new friend Sun Park, will return to air on the Nine Network from Monday, June 11 at 3.30pm weekdays. The new series opens with Kathleen deLeon Jones announcing her pregnancy and introducing new Hi-5 friend Sun Park who will be looking after her space and exploring puzzles and patterns. The series end is rounded off when Kathleen returns to the screen with her new bundle of joy, Mikayla. Focusing on education and positive messages, Hi-5 makes learning fun for 2-8 year olds using music, colours, shapes, words and physical activity. This is all brought to life by Hi-5’s five young,vibrant presenters

Dorothy the Dinosaur premieres at 3.25pm Monday June 11 on ABC.
Hi-5 Series 9 airs 3.30pm Monday June 11 on Nine. Read more...

Seven kicks ratings goal

It was the week that James Packer said goodbye to Nine, and a week that the man behind Seven’s #1 rating show was sentenced to jail.

And it was a week in which sport again divided the country and the networks. Nine may have won Sydney and Brisbane, but the AFL cities of Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth gave Seven a national win of 29.2% over Nine’s 28.1%. TEN had 21.0%, the ABC 16.5% and SBS 5.5%.

So after NRL decided the outcome in Week 21, AFL bounced back in Week 22.

For Seven their News and Today Tonight were their top performers, ironically this week enduring news of their own boss, Peter Meakin, sentenced to 14 months of weekend prison detention (although did TT actually acknowledge this?). They were followed by Grey’s Anatomy, It Takes Two, Desperate Housewives, Where Are They Now, All Saints, My Name is Earl, Ugly Betty and The Rich List.

60 Minutes was the top show for the week, clearly benefiting from a demographic divided by Betty / BB. Other strong shows included CSI, CSI: Miami, National Nine News, ACA, Shrek, Funniest Home Videos, 1 vs 100 and Getaway. Tuesday remains a problem for the network with a slow start to the return of Crime and Justice and Neighbours at War.

TEN can’t seem to manage a local hit right now. Big Brother had its first weeknight under the 900,000 barrier and Teen Fit Camp tanked at 735,000. Thank goodness for American imports NCIS and House (even if the latter was beaten by the ABC). Rove also slipped just under the 1m mark, but it is much further ahead of its old Tuesday slot. Otherwise it was only The Simpsons and Law and Order SVU that delivered any serious fortune.

The ABC cleared the 20% barrier on Wednesday night, with Spicks and Specks passing a brilliant 1.5m. The Chaser also excelled. Even The New Inventors made the night’s top ten with 1.2m. Next was ABC News and Robin Hood.

SBS’ best share was again on Monday night.

Ratings Week 22. Read more...

Ambivalent to sexual boundaries

I'm really looking forward to getting to know Torchwood. I know lots of (naughty) people who may have downloaded the episodes given they have a wide range of views on the show -ranging from enthusiastic to those who feel it was over-hyped.

So I was quite excited to get the Press Kit that arrived this week with advance episodes delivered to me from "the Torchwood Academy." But I did notice something amiss....

In the entire 23 page document I struggled to find any reference to the sexual identity of leading character "Captain Jack Harkness." Why is this a big deal? Because in Doctor Who, when he was introduced by actor John Barrowman, he was decidedly bisexual, even planting a smooch on Who's Christopher Eccleston. It's part of who he is, and part of the show's point of difference.

In the character descriptions for Torchwood, he is simply descibed as "ambivalent to sexual boundaries," which is true enough, but a little shy of the mark, really. Nor in John Barrowman's biography is there any reference to him as an openly gay actor or to his partner. Yet there are other references to the personal lives of the other cast members...

And to make matters worse, there is no biography on writer / creator Russell T. Davies, who created Queer as Folk. Instead there are notes from Davies on the show itself, promising a show "bleak, brutally funny, full of all the sex and swearing that usually gets cut from sci-fi." Hmm that isn't the only thing getting cut, Russell.

It feels suspiciously like the show's sexuality, part of its DNA, is being whitewashed here. Whether that's happened at TEN or by the info that has been forwarded to them by the BBC is hard to tell. But I think in 23 pages it's reasonable to ask.

I only hope I don't find myself ambivalent to the show as a result...

Torchwood premieres 9:30pm Monday June 18 on TEN. Read more...

Totally Wild in Antarctica

Very often it's easy to dismiss ex-housemates of Big Brother as shallow, media whores prone to nightclub appearances and celebrity TV appearances. Few manage to put some distance between themselves and the show and knuckle down and get on with the job. Wesley Dening, who went on to join Totally Wild, is one of those few.

In the opportunity of a lifetime Dening spent 7 weeks in Australian Antarctic Territory from December 2006 - January 2007.

The final footage of the trip will air on June 15 and 22 on TEN.

Dening was one of three young Australians awarded an Antarctic Arts Fellow which enabled himself and co-presenter Marie Davies (plus one crewmember) to capture their experiences for the TEN show.

The opportunity meant Dening would miss spending Christmas with family and friends, but that's nothing compared to the Antarctic staff who spend stints of 15 months working there.

The team of 3 travelled on the icebreaker, Aurora Australis, in a 12 day sea voyage, then by helicopter to reach the polar cap.

For more info on the expedition check out Tanya's Polar Eyes blog.

Totally Wild airs weekdays at 4pm on TEN. Read more...

Cannes award for Stratton

The ABC's David Stratton was recently recognised by the Cannes Film Festival for his long-standing support of the festival.

While in Cannes last week, Stratton was presented the Cannes Festival Medal by President of The Cannes Film Festival Gilles Jacob.

In a private ceremony he was one of 12 journalists and critics recognised.

The medal is only given out every 10 years.

Stratton appears in At the Movies alongside Margaret Pomeranz.

I'm guessing he put up no argument to this discussion! Congrats Mr. S! Read more...