Rick Kalowski, the recently-departed Head of Comedy at the ABC, gave an interesting vale interview to if.com.au recently. “The ABC does an incredible job as the driver of Australian scripted comedy but I truly see no reason why, with the right projects, the love can’t be spread,” he tells IF. Rosehaven would have been a... Read More »
First, the bad news: according to Fairfax, wog humour is back and it’s broader than ever! “Why can’t more non-Anglo characters be doctors or lawyers?” In debates about racial representations on screen, this is a perennial refrain. According to some critics, the blue collar jobs of fictional Mediterranean migrants are gratingly stereotypical (and insufficiently inspiring).... Read More »
Remember prank phone calls? A relic of the pre-caller ID era, they – in their “is your refrigerator running?” form – were the kind of prank comedy mostly performed by bored teens and idiots. Yes, some people managed to elevate them to something above the moronic norm (the “Red” calls, The Jerky Boys‘ early work),... Read More »
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 »
We were going to talk a little about the surprise revelation that Fairafx’s chief TV writer thinks Australia is crap at comedy – What shows like Black Comedy and Mad as Hell do, however, is demonstrate that despite the persistent belief that Australia cannot “do” comedy, our funny bone is actually in pretty good shape,... Read More »
You know what the problem with satire is? Eventually someone upstairs goes “hey, if all the kids are getting their news from comedy shows, then our news shows should have some comedy in them!” And then you get crap like this: If the new Friday night show is approved, it will include elements of 7.30,... Read More »
Well well well: It was announced last year, then languished in the ABC’s “too hard” basket for most of this year but now it appears Spicks and Specks is finally back. The hit music quiz show is set to return early next year hosted by comic Josh Earl with Melbourne radio host Adam Richard and... Read More »
The Australian cricket team’s performance may have been variable this Ashes, but Warwick Todd’s output in his weekly Ashes column for the Herald-Sun has raised plenty of... Read More »