13 schoolyards, Author at Australian Tumbleweeds - Page 72 of 113
Separation of Powers
Over twenty four hours later and we’re still trying to get our heads around this: I just remembered that I don't work with Shaun Micallef and other people who aren't me do. Deeply depressed. — Ben Pobjie (@benpobjie) March 28, 2015 In case you don’t know, Ben Pobjie is a professional, five-day-a-week-TV critic in the... Read More »
Reading Between the Lines
Did anyone else see this article in the Fairfax press about Australian sketch troupe Aunty Donna? It’s the usual mix of information and (justified) praise for the guys ahead of their Melbourne International Comedy Festival show, but tucked away in paragraph four was this little gem: They can now announce their selection as one of five... Read More »
Live and Snickering
Maybe we’re growing soft in our old age – or maybe we’re just pleased to hear that Shaun Micallef’s Stairway to Heaven has finally scored funding – but we really don’t have anything all that snarky to say about Fairfax’s current wave of comedy coverage. Yes, it’s almost entirely focused on stand-up (supporting the Melbourne... Read More »
Weekly As Piss
So we now have this to look forward to: If somebody doesn’t put together a sketch where *all* the cast members of Talkin’ ’bout Your Generation are hosting identical news comedy shows, we’ll… well, we’ll continue to throw all our sketch ideas into the bin where they belong. Ok, let’s be realistic here: Shaun MIcallef... Read More »
Online (da da da da da da) Goes Through My Mind
Press release time! Hope you brought a lunch, it’s a big ‘un: Seven edgy stories supported through Screen Australia’s Multiplatform Drama program Friday 13 March 2015 Screen Australia will fund seven unconventional series through its Multiplatform Drama program. The program supports risky projects with unorthodox formats. They utilise non-traditional platforms for distribution – making them... Read More »
Let Loose Live
Ok, we’re just going to come right out and ask: do comedians make a shitload more money from live tours than they do from television? Because pretty much the only way we can figure out how this – THE serially selfconscious Bondi Hipsters are about to get up off their couch — to star in... Read More »
Magic Eye Tricks Don’t Work on Radio
One of the things that makes comedy so enjoyable is that it’s really hard to disguise if you’re a bit of a prick. Sure, all art is personal, but comedy – or at least, the current fad for confessional-style stand-up that has made 70% of Australian “comedy” nothing more than people talking about themselves on... Read More »
Bob’s House of Horrors
It’s a sad state of affairs when we have to stop and think about whether we’re going to have to explain who Bob Franklin is to a comedy crowd. But let’s be honest: it’s been a fair while since he was a deadpan regular on Australian comedy TV. At a guess, we’re going to say... Read More »
Lined Up For the Chop
The trick with parodies is to make sure there’s more going on than just the parody. Those classic Mad Magazine movie spoofs had great art; Get Smart had a whole lot of jokes that had nothing to do with the “spy-fi” craze of the 60s. And the other end of the scale, SBS’s recent action... Read More »