Things You Learn At The Logies
Well, you learn that no-one gives a fuck about Australian comedy, for starters. Mad as Hell was beaten by The X Factor? All the comedy categories replaced by “Best Presenter” and “Best Light Entertainment”? It’s enough to make you think The TV Week Logie Awards are nothing more than a promotional tool for the comedy-free commercial networks. Ahem.
But there’s more to be gleaned from television’s night of shite than just a wall of contempt for making people laugh*. For one, TV Tonight’s David Knox hit the red carpet to chat with the “stars”, and despite The Logies best efforts some of those stars actually make shows that could be defined (by us) as comedy.
For example, this-
Adam Hills on the new title for the show formerly known as Gordon Street Tonight:
“I can’t say Adam Hills Tonight. It’s Me Tonight!
“We start in the middle of May and go right up until the end of July. We film our last episode on July 29 and then I go live on Channel 4 in the UK on the second of August.”
-is handy to know. Will it replace The Elegant Gentleman’s Guide to Knife Fighting? Hours of fun speculation. Then there’s this:
Adam Zwar on developing new shows for his production company High Wire Productions:
“We’re developing a number of shows for the company. There may be a sketch show for ABC2. But it’s early days and no contract has been signed. It’s with 20-somethings.
“I’d be the EP with Amanda (Brotchie) and Nicole (Minchin) and maybe write a sketch or two.
“We’ve got a few dramas and comedies that are percolating.”
Are we getting more Lowdown and Agony?
“I’m waiting to hear back on Lowdown.
“Until they (ABC) get a Head of Comedy they can’t really commission anything.
“We’re looking good for more Agony. We had really good ratings up until the last week.”
We honestly can’t draw enough oxygen into our lungs to let out a sigh deep enough to express our feelings over “we’re looking good for more Agony“. This piss-useless format is just going to go on and on, isn’t it? Not being funny, not being informative, not being insightful, not being anything but cheap as shit to make as it clogs up timeslots that could have gone to shows that at least tried to be more than a parade of c-list celebrities talking about that one time something happened to them that was pretty much universal to human existence in the affluent west. Fuck.
Also, the ABC doesn’t have a current Head of Comedy? Presumably they’re waiting for the stink to die down over Randling before they slide Andrew Denton in there all nice and cosy. That would explain why Denton recently distanced himself from his production company too, come to think of it…
*See the constant appearances by Julia Morris
Yeah I was going to say something profound and analytical but yeah comedy’s fucked in Australia for the next few years. It’s basically a cabal.
Agony of… Is just Grumpy Old People without the old people. It’s popular (such as it is) because there are sections of the population who like to agree with the complaints of others. And as you say, it is cheap to make.
what did you think of Dave Hughes’s routine at the Logies? Surprised to see all the rave reviews of him everywhere when most of his routine was based around shouting that a man had died on Survivor?
Apparently the ABC has changed it’s Wednesday comedy schedule. Only one program stood in place- ‘Mad as Hell’. The ABC would be stupid to get rid of it.
Also no word on ‘Spicks and Specks’ so I think they’re struggling to find ‘personalities’. Part of it’s charm was Warhurst and Brough who weren’t comedians and didn’t feel the need to be funny all the time.
Indeed, the ABC has shunted everything in its Wednesday night line-up back half an hour to fit in (old) QIs at 8.30.
We may crap on about this more at length in an upcoming post.
And suddenly a lot more rests on Lilley’s success, this year.
A lot has changed since Angry Boys. Lilley will not rate as strongly, more people download now or have abandoned television. Also Lilley was sometimes outrated by the show which followed him when Angry Boys aired, so it’s not like he was such a hit. Post Spicks and Specks it’s a pretty different Wednesday night. The lead in has gone.