Digital summer

Australian summer television will be interesting this year with the recent addition of multiple new free-to-air digital channels. Will we be bored or will there be some bearable repeats to watch of sitcoms and movies we've watched dozens of times already? It's definetely exciting now with 7mate, 7TWO, GEM and GO! in the picture for the upcoming summer.

Laughable advertising

Channel Ten promoted the movie Wall Street was next - just 10 minutes into the movie Mrs Doubtfire which aired at 6.30pm. It was funny to see a promotion for the next program so soon into the movie.

Why do television stations they keep doing this? So many times when a program has started, often in the first lot of advertisements the upcoming program is advertised as 'next' even though there's three quarters left of the current program. Advertisers should at least wait until half way to promote the next program. What do you think?

Death of the TV guide

Hard-copy television guides are becoming irrelevant thanks to digital television.

Why should we keep the weekly free TV guide from our Sunday newspaper when we can read program information on the electronic guide on our digital television or the internet?

With the analog signal slowly being phased out in Australia and more people upgrading to digital television sets, should the TV guide be phased out too? After all, the star ratings for programs are just based on one person's opinion. Plus if we're interested in watching a film why can't we just read a simple unbiased description on the electronic guide?

TV guides, particularly Adelaide's, are becoming outdated just like analog television. With the launch of more and more new digital channels on free-to-air Australian television, the Adelaide TV Guide program layout is looking messy and cramped.

In today's Guide there's a write-up about the four main female characters in the drama Gossip Girl. The spread is there to entice us to watch but why wasn't this article published in last week's Guide in time for the season launch?

Here at Media Muncher we'd hardly miss our paper TV guides since we can check our digital guide instead and put our paper guide from the Sunday newspaper in the recycling bin on Sunday.

A Current Affair weather update

For the past few weeks Channel Nine's A Current Affair has integrated Australia's weather forecast into the program. The weather flyaround is played after the last lot of advertisements is over. Pop music always plays in the background of the animated weather map without a weather presenter or a voice-over. It's just tacky and ACA need to abandon the idea. Showing the weather interrupts the flow of the program and isn't even necessary to play. The sooner ACA ditches the weather flyaround the better.

In the credits for the Channel Nine cooking show Alive and Cooking it says they use Wikipedia as a "fact reference". Don't get me wrong, I love Wikipedia but it's a joke to use it for a proper reference. Doesn't Alive and Cooking know that anyone can contribute "credible" information on the free encyclopaedia? If they didn't admit to using Wikipedia then we could believe "facts" learnt on the show.

Cooking or news: time to decide Channel Nine

What happened to Nine Morning News at 11am for Adelaide viewers today? Despite the usual news updates with Wendy Kingston throughout Mornings with Kerri-Anne, a repeat of cooking show Alive and Cooking was aired followed by a new talk show Daily. Alive and Cooking normally airs at 3pm in Adelaide and we've been watching repeats for weeks now.

Turns out Channel Nine decided to play a new episode of Entertainment Tonight at 3pm as they do in the eastern states. While that was a refreshing change, some notice would be nice in the TV Guide. Who knows how long this programming will last, a few weeks then back to normal?

There's nothing wrong with the Nine news hour at eleven. In fact, the worst thing Nine did was ax the cooking show Fresh Cooking with the Australian Women's Weekly. Had they known Australians would fall in love with the cooking phenomenon that is MasterChef, perhaps they would've kept Fresh at 11.30am.

Newton's talk to ACA's Tracy

Matthew Newton's parents Bert and Patti spoke to Channel Nine's A Current Affair host Tracy Grimshaw tonight. It was the first time they openly discussed their son's problems and acknowledged his battles with drugs, alcohol and mental illness. But was the timing of the interview right given that Matthew is on suicide watch in a Melbourne hospital?

Considering Bert and Patti didn't give an interview in 2007 when Matthew assaulted his ex-girlfriend Brooke Satchwell, why publically comment now about their son's alledged Rachel Taylor assault. They're obviously stressed parents but couldn't they have at least waited until Matthew was better? Why speak in the midst of his personal troubles?

Above: Patti and Bert Newton during the interview

As for the actual interview: Grimshaw hardly asked any questions and with Patti doing most of the talking it was like Bert and Patt were in control. The stand-out quote from the interview was from Patti. She said

Bert has had a very long, good career over 60 years and I feel extremely sad that he might be remembered for the fact that Matthew caused so much trouble and heartache to everybody.

It's like Patti dobbed in her son for tarnishing Bert's long-standing Australian television career and in turn the family's golden reputation.

X Factor host swaperoo

Channel 7's new talent show The X Factor will get a new host after Matthew Newton was "forced to quit". Newton allegedly assaulted his now ex-girlfriend Rachel Taylor at a hotel in Rome during a private holiday.

Newton is reportedly back in rehab at a private hospital in Melbourne and Taylor has apparantely sought an apprehended violence order against him.

Right: Taylor and Newton (Image from ABC)

Now The X Factor is scheduled to air on Monday without their original host. Late last night, Channel 7 announced that Home and Away actor Luke Jacobz will be the new host. According to Jacobz's bio, he hosted 7's talent show Popstars in 2000-01. Can you remember what was he like? Post your comments.

Above: Luke Jacobz (Image from Yahoo!7)

By the way, what does The X Factor's owner Simon Cowell think of all of this? Cowell quit being an American Idol judge to launch The X Factor in America after great success in the UK.

With the Australian version off to a shaky start, it will be interesting to see how Channel 7 deal with the pre-recorded episodes featuring Newton.

Left: Simon Cowell (Image from People.com)

Australian election TV coverage

Today more than 14 million Australian's voted for a new Prime Minister.

But at 11:50pm, we still don't know if Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott will lead Australia.

Julia Gillard, left. Tony Abbott, right. (Images from APH website)

Every Australian channel on free-to-air television deployed their top journos and presenters to cover the election. It was impossible to watch all channels at one time, so I did my best channel surfing.

From what I saw, SBS and Channel 10's main base was in their news studio. SBS's scrolling writing at the bottom of the screen was so fast it made my eyes dizzy. Every time I flicked to Channel 10, they were in their news studio with the same blue background as their news programs which was boring. Other channels made an effort to change their set, maybe I flicked to 10 at the wrong time?

Channel 9 had roving reporters like Allison Langdon who showed us behind the scenes of the manual tally board which was interesting. But it was a shame 9 didn't have former Howard government treasurer Peter Costello as a panellist on the whole time as he was enjoyable to watch (given the last election drama.)

ABC offered in-depth commentary from professionals as expected but Channel 7 had the best panel of experts for the duration of their coverage. They had the most relevant and recognisable people like former John Howard government foreign minister Alexander Downer, former Democrats Party leader Natasha Stott Despoja and former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull.

The stand out fashion ensemble went to Channel 7's Melissa Doyle. The nude top she wore under her white jacket made her look like she wasn't wearing a top under the suit jacket. I was initially so distracted trying to figure out what was going on with her top that I didn't notice the election news. For the record, the top sat high on her collar bone.

Above: The outfit in question. (Image: Still photo from YouTube video)

Interestingly, I noticed that only the commercial TV stations 7, 9 and 10 had a seats-to-win tally permanently on screen. This was such a practical graphic as aside from all the political jargon, all you needed to understand was the number of seats needed for Liberal or Labor to had win. But we're still waiting!

versus

Australia's next PM?: Athletic Abbott or cover girl Gillard?
(Image from news.com.au) (Image from news.com.au)

Who's this guy!?
What a Google Images search gives you, (old PM Kevin Rudd with Gillard's hair!)

Too little too late GO

GO! channel says we shouldn't hire Gossip Girl on DVD because we can get our fix starting 6 September 2010. GO!'s blog update has us feeling sceptical that we'll actually see the whole of Season 3 in a consistent timeslot.

Above: xoxo, the cast of Gossip Girl
(Image from GO!)

No doubt repeats of The Big Bang Theory and Top Gear will air before the new episodes of Gossip Girl.

You cannot be serious GO

I just turned on the TV to watch a bit of the film Sleepless in Seattle and it's not on! As part of GO!'s one year birthday, they've been advertising how every night they'll play a film for one month to celebrate. The loyal viewer that I am, I tune in to the advertised 9.30pm timeslot and what do I find? A last minute change in programming and you guessed it... The Big Bang Theory... repeat of repeat episode. What is going on with GO!? Do something right!

Not again GO

Tsk tsk tsk GO! channel, you've let me down again. I do love your shows you play but can't you just stick to the advertised time slot? You told me all week to watch the classic film Dirty Dancing on Thursday at 9.30pm but when I get ready to watch it you hit me up with more episodes of The Big Bang Theory. I've already seen the Big Bang on Channel 9 and they were great and no I don't want to watch four more back-to-back episodes again.

Get it right GO

What's with the GO! channel? Ever since they began airing the US hit series Gossip Girl it's been great for those of us who aren't Foxtel subscribers. But mid way through Season 1 up until the current Season 3 episodes airing, the programming has been inconsistent - it's beyond the joke.

First GO! get rid of Season 1 by playing multiple episodes back-to-back at 3am. Then Seasons 2 and 3 are taken off the air every fortnight and suddenly air again - but not even that's consistent.

Above: xoxo, the cast of Gossip Girl

By the way GO!, why did you always play multiple repeats of The Big Bang Theory on the Thursday night timeslot when you could be playing new episodes of America's best drama?

Does it not make sense to play new programs at decent times i.e. 8.30 or 9.30pm and then leave the repeats for after 10.30pm? Oh and playing medical drama ER wasn't a good idea either!

I've sadly given up on watching Gossip Girl on Thursday's at 10.30pm because I can't keep up with GO!'s programming.

Political know-how

Do you think we should know every aspect of Julia Gillard's life, both past and present, including previous lovers and if she's ever taken drugs, in order to make her our 'official' PM?

If we do, then why don't all politians come out and reveal their life history whether it's good or bad and then we can vote accordingly.

It all sounds a bit silly if we start voting based on personality and life experiences rather than political strategies to benefit our country Australia.

Has Julia Gillard's Australian Women's Weekly magazine article made you reconsider your vote?

TV programming stinks

Argh television programming. Why oh why does our trusty TV guide let us down? How annoying is it when you read in advance what you're going to watch and then the excitement drops when you discover that film is suddenly replaced with a repeat of Channel 7's Dancing With The Stars - which you've already seen?

This happened on Saturday on Channel 7 when the children's afternoon film Hocus Pocus - which was advertised in the TV Guide with a special description and picture. I know I know... last minute changes are in the TV Guide disclaimer but the TV stations have got to do better!

Don't forget your toothbrush Julia

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is on the front cover of The Australian Women’s Weekly which happens to coincide in the thick of the nation’s election. The magazine’s Editor-In-Chief Helen McCabe boasted on television news how Ms Gillard’s photo shoot was not photoshopped. However I beg to differ.

Why is it that on television the PM’s teeth are very stained with dark shades of yellow/brown yet in the magazine her teeth are sparkly white?

Above: Julia on the cover, wrinkles and all (Image from news.com.au)

Above: New teeth or just the magic of "soft-lighting?" (Image from The Age)

UPDATE: McCabe has told The Australian newspaper that

"some of the images inside the magazine had been altered but the cover photo had been left untouched, except for undergoing the normal 'colour correction' process used on almost all magazine images to even out skin tones."

If you're going to alter images for a magazine, the changes should be subtle and not so drastic as we all see the PM on TV regularly to know what's been changed for printed photos.

What are your thoughts?

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Media Muncher chews through the general media to bring you our opinion of the day’s best or worst aspects of the Australian and sometimes international media landscape. We’re looking forward to hearing from you in the future!

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