First Review: Summer Heights High

Much has been aimed at Chris Lilley in recent weeks for the gags he is using in the upcoming Summer Heights High. Media reports some sectors of the community offended by gags that draw upon rape, ecstacy deaths and Down Syndrome children. I’m not sure if they’ve actually seen them yet. I have, and I have news for them. They need to add homosexuals, Asians, Polynesians, and princesses from the Eastern Suburbs as well.

Lilley has never maintained his mockumentaries are to be taken at face value. In We Can Be Heroes even cancer was the source of much mirth, as Pat Mullins attempted to roll her way to Central Australia. She died before she got the chance. So is offensive humour ok? All depends on the context, but Greek comedies and social commentators will tell you that provoking reactions is part of comedy’s charter.

In Summer Heights High the chameleon-like Lilley again spotlights individuals from various social classes, this time within a public high school. The popular schoolgirl character Ja’mie is back, as part of a student exchange program. “Many of you come from povo families,” she tells an assembly of students. “Some of you don’t even have Foxtel.”

Then there’s Jonah Takalua, a foul-mouthed Tongan Year 8 bully who beats up poofters or kids with red hair. He spends a lot of time graffiti tagging his trademark image of a penis and the word “tation.” Dick-tation.

Finally, his Big Bite character, drama teacher Mr G returns. Mr G. is “an industry professional at high school teacher rates” who aspires to impart his wealth of dramatic arts to blissfully ignorant pupils. Mr. G., who is dangerously effeminate, has previously staged such wondrous self-devised musicals as Ikea The Musical and Tsunamarama, a tsunami tribute set to the music of Bananarama.

Anyone who adored We Can Be Heroes knows Lilley is the best comic to emerge from the ABC since Kath & Kim came into their own. He will eventually align with now-cherished acts such as Garry McDonald, John Clarke and Max Gillies, who hold a mirror up to our society and allow us to fall over our own laconic Aussie feet. But first he will have to endure insipid critics who don’t understand his humour. Yet.

Get on board early. Summer Heights High is a treat.

Summer Heights High premieres 9:35pm Wednesday on ABC. Read more...

60 Minutes announces new producers

John Westacott, formerly running 60 Minutes and now promoted to Nine's News and Current Affairs boss, has announced promotions within the programme.

They are Hamish Thomson, who moves from Supervising Producer to Executive Producer and Stephen Taylor who moves from Producer to Supervising Producer.

The two new roles take effect immediately.

Press Release:

John Westacott, Director of News & Current Affairs, Nine Network Australia , today announced two key appointments to the editorial management team of current affairs powerhouse, 60 Minutes.

Hamish Thomson, formerly the supervising producer of 60 Minutes, has been promoted to the role of Executive Producer.

Thomson has been with Nine for 12 years having started on the programme as a researcher and later a producer.

Prior to television, Thomson was the producer of Melbourne 's 3AW Drive program during a record ratings period.

Thomson began his career in newspapers at The Daily Telegraph and The Australian completing a cadetship as well as various writing and sub-editing roles. This was followed by several years at Perth 's Sunday newspapers, The Sunday Times and the now-defunct Sunday Independent.

Stephen Taylor has been promoted to the role of supervising producer for 60 Minutes.

Taylor has been with the network for 21 years having joined 60 Minutes as a researcher and progressing through the ranks to become an associate producer and then producer.

Before joining 60 Minutes Taylor was a news reporter at Channel 7 in Sydney .

Of the appointments, Westacott said: “I’m certain Hamish and Stephen will continue the 60 Minute’s tradition of top-flight television journalism.

“60 Minutes prides itself on producing the best, most interesting and relevant stories week in, week out. The continued ratings success of the programme is testament to this. I know that Hamish and Stephen will do a fine job and congratulate them both on their appointments.”

These appointments are effective immediately.

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Foxtel gets Dirty

The Movie Extra channel has announced it is picking up Courtney Cox's series, Dirt.

Produced by FX Networks (Nip / Tuck , Damages) the series depicts Cox as a gossip mag editor. In the first series, Cox also featured a same-sex kiss with former Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston.

Produced with her husband David Arquette, it will air in Australia in December.

Press Release:

From MAD MEN to a mad woman: Movie Network Channels has acquired another sought-after series for its MOVIE EXTRA channel, the salaciously seductive DIRT.

Acquired from Disney ABC International Television, DIRT stars Courteney Cox in the lead role of ruthless tabloid magazine editor Lucy Spiller: an emotionally-detached, hard-driving businesswoman who thrives on uncovering the seedy truth behind celebrity in the Hollywood film industry - for reasons even she is yet to fully fathom. Armed with her trusty snapper who gets the money shots, schizophrenic paparazzo Don Konkey (Ian Hart), Lucy single-mindedly plays puppetmaster in the Hollywood fame game.

Her first television project since the hugely successful FRIENDS, DIRT (which Cox co-produces with husband David Arquette) is worlds away from the feel-good FRIENDS which made her a household name. DIRT made news earlier this year when an episode aired in the U.S. featured a girl-on-girl kissing scene between Cox’s character and fellow ex-FRIENDS favourite and real-life bud, Jennifer Anniston. But that’s tame compared to some of the other scenarios on offer. Australian viewers can expect to be confronted with a myriad of dark, scandalous and saucy situations that will both shock and seduce.

Having dealt with real-life attention from the tabloids for many years now, Cox grants herself the power to flip the perspective in this role. Consequently the world of DIRT is lurid but intriguing, despairing but amusing - and just like with a gossip mag, you’ll still want to look!

From a strategic standpoint, Movie Network Channels GM, Marketing & Content Strategy, Peter Jenetsky, said that DIRT is the perfect addition to MOVIE EXTRA’s expanding selection of series offerings, reinforcing the bold and edgy attitude of the channel.

“DIRT found strong success during its debut season on the powerful U.S. Cable Network, FX, as well as becoming one of the Top 5 programs downloaded on the iTunes website. FX recently commissioned a second season of the Cox / Arquette led production, which commences as we premiere the first season to Australian audiences on MOVIE EXTRA.

“In Australia, Courteney’s high profile has already attracted a lot of interest in her new show. Viewers are going to be very curious about DIRT, and they’ll certainly be buzzing about the juicy storylines. In these celebrity-obsessed times, it’s interesting to see a celebrity’s creative interpretation of the tabloid industry, as she obviously has real-life experience to draw from,” he said.

DIRT will make its Australian premiere this December, original and exclusive to MOVIE EXTRA.

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Burke back in Nine's yard

Don Burke is patching up a long rift with the Nine Network by shooting a yet-to-be-named special to air next month against former colleague Jamie Durie's Australia's Best Backyard.

Burke and his CTC programmes including Backyard Blitz was ceremoniously dumped by the Nine Network which claimed it had "exhausted" the genre. Durie then signed with Seven and went on to ratings glory with ABB, including defeating unscreened eps of BB by Nine.

Burke is to present a new programme looking at @a whole new environment, a whole new world and this show is about how we survive these new circumstances," he said.

According to the Herald-Sun, Burke's new show will be co-hosted by Scott Cam with Chris Brown and Giann Rooney. For Nine it would likely air 6:30pm Sundaysnext month.
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Jana for Seven?

Jana Wendt could present a Sunday evening current affairs programme on the Seven Network according to Media Spy.

According to an anonymous tip, Wendt would present a 6:30pm programme leading out of Seven News, assisted by reporters Chris Reason and Adrian Brown.

Former Nine executive Mark Llewellyn and producer Gerald Stone are said to be behind the move.

Wendt quit the Nine Network following a restructure of the Sunday programme.
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