You know that feeling when someone makes a joke and it’s completely obvious that it’s a joke and yet even though it’s a joke it’s also kind of revealing of their thought processes in a way that they maybe didn’t realise when they were making the joke? Yeah, that: Television, for me, is an aspirational... Read More »
If you’ve ever seriously wondered why television critics in this country are respected by no-one – even as television criticism around the English-speaking world enters some kind of magical golden age of relevancy thanks to the irresistible rise of the recap – may we quote Debi Enker on The Weekly: “Through four months on air,... Read More »
Ok @mscott, if you won't let me be on #qanda, how about the Chaser? Put in a good word? — Ben Pobjie (@benpobjie) September 8, 2015 If you don’t see why this kind of thing coming from a professional television critic is a problem – and it’s a firmly established pattern of behaviour now –... Read More »
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 »
It’s a sad indictment of the mental prowess of the people who run the Australian media that they seem to think hiring people who work in an industry to comment on that same industry is in any way useful to their readership. Oh sure, we can see how they’d come to that conclusion: who better... Read More »
The Sunday Age‘s entertainment section – “M: Melbourne Inside Out” – has a section titled “8 Days: Your One-Stop Guide To The Week Ahead”. The second listing in today’s edition is this: “Comedy Writer, comedian and poet Ben Pobjie is talking rage at this year’s Comedy Festival. His show, Trigger Warning, takes to task the... Read More »
So today we woke up to this: [Chris] Lilley has been nominated for a Silver Logie as Most Outstanding Actor for his performance as the snobby cashed-up bogan schoolgirl in Ja’mie King. It is sweet redemption for Lilley who was devastated when the ABC made a huge gaffe by failing to put in a submission... Read More »
First up tonight, Australian media in “what, the rest of the world doesn’t love our shithouse television?” shocker: How much of a “foul-mouthed mean girl” can a TV audience take? It’s taken several weeks for the ABC’s broadcast of Chris Lilley’s Ja’mie: Private School Girl in Australia to shed half its audience. US television critics... Read More »
Week four of Ja’mie: Private School Girl, and what have we learnt? Seriously, what have we learnt? Private schools create monsters? Well no, as Ja’mie’s sister seems kind of un-monstrous – as do a bunch of Ja’mie’s fellow students – and they all go to a private school. Teen girls fabricate relationships where little more... Read More »
Occasionally we’re accused of having a slave-like devotion to one particular Australian comedian or group. Usually Tony Martin. For... Read More »