AACTA-ing up
The nominees for the 2016 AACTA Awards were announced yesterday, and the comedy and light entertainment nominees aren’t bad at all…
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST CHILDREN’S TELEVISION SERIES
- LITTLE LUNCH – Robyn Butler, Wayne Hope – ABC3
- THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FIGARO PHO – Daniel Fill, Frank Verheggen, Luke Jurevicius – ABC3
- NOWHERE BOYS SERIES 2 – Beth Frey – ABC3
- READY FOR THIS – Darren Dale, Miranda Dear, Joanna Werner – ABC3
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST TELEVISION COMEDY SERIES
- DANGER 5 SERIES 2 – Kate Croser, Dario Russo – SBS
- SAMMY J & RANDY IN RICKETTS LANE – Donna Andrews, Stu Connolly – ABC
- SHAUN MICALLEF’S MAD AS HELL – Shaun Micallef, Peter Beck – ABC
- UTOPIA – Michael Hirsh, Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Rob Sitch – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION SERIES
- DIRTY LAUNDRY LIVE – Tarni James, Peter Lawler, Rachel Millar, Richard Kelly – ABC
- JUDITH LUCY IS ALL WOMAN – Anna Bateman, Judith Lucy – ABC
- JULIA ZEMIRO’S HOME DELIVERY – Damian Davis, Polly Connolly, Nick Murray – ABC
- THE WEEKLY WITH CHARLIE PICKERING – Charlie Pickering, Kevin Whyte, Chris Walker, Frank Bruzzese – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION COMEDY
- Nathan Lovejoy – SAMMY J & RANDY IN RICKETTS LANE – ABC
- Celia Pacquola – UTOPIA – ABC
- Randy – SAMMY J & RANDY IN RICKETTS LANE – ABC
- Emily Taheny – SHAUN MICALLEF’S MAD AS HELL – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTION IN A TELEVISION LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT OR REALITY SERIES
- HIPSTERS Episode 1 – What Is A Hipster? – Seth Larney – SBS2
- JUDITH LUCY IS ALL WOMAN Episode 2 – Hanky Panky – Anna Bateman – ABC
- JULIA ZEMIRO’S HOME DELIVERY – Episode 7 – Waleed Aly – Damian Davis – ABC
- KITCHEN CABINET – Episode 7 – Clive Palmer – Stamatia Maroupas – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY IN TELEVISION
- DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 – Jacquelin Perske, Shaun Grant – FOXTEL – Showcase
- PETER ALLEN – NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR Episode 2 – Michael Miller – Seven Network
- THE PRINCIPAL Episode 1 – Kristen Dunphy – SBS
- UTOPIA Episode 1 – A Fresh Start – Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Rob Sitch – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST EDITING IN TELEVISION
- DEADLINE GALLIPOLI Part 1 – Martin Connor, Dany Cooper ASE – FOXTEL – Showcase
- LITTLE LUNCH Episode 5 – The Top of the Fireman’s Pole – Annabelle Johnson – ABC3
- PETER ALLEN – NOT THE BOY NEXT DOOR – Episode 1 – Deborah Peart ASE – Seven Network
- REDFERN NOW – PROMISE ME – Nicholas Holmes ASE – ABC
AACTA AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS
- Robyn Butler – NOW ADD HONEY
- Ningali Lawford-Wolf – LAST CAB TO DARWIN
- Charlize Theron – MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
- Kate Winslet – THE DRESSMAKER
Not a nomination for Please Like Me in sight! (Although given it won an award last year, its absence here may simply be because the current series missed the eligibility period.)
The results for Best TV Comedy and Best Light Entertainment Series should be interesting as the nominees for both include what are (in our opinion) the best shows for the past year or so. A number of those nominated in these categories have a realistic chance of winning, but we’re pretty interested in how The Weekly fares. It may have “nailed it” according to many online commentators, but will AACTA agree?
Other interesting nominees include Rickett’s Lane’s Randy for Best Performance in a TV Comedy. Anyone else glad they didn’t have the AACTA Awards when Hey! Hey! It’s Saturday and its hilarious puppet characters was on air?
And finally, good luck to Robyn Butler who’s up against two Hollywood stars and one of the country’s most acclaimed actresses. Maybe she’ll pull it off Jackie Weaver style? It could happen…