October 2007 - TV Babble

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My Thoughts on CBS's The Mentalist

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Adherence to Reality in Television Shows

A New Use for the Remote – TV Babble’s Rating System

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TV Babble - October 2007

What is your TV Guilty Pleasure?

October 19th 2007 01:26

Most of us have one - a television show that is something of a guilty pleasure. Its a programme that we would think twice about admitting to watching, because doing so might bring the scorn of friends, or be at odds with our own sense of identity.

I have one such show that falls within this category - So You Think You Can Dance. I have said before that I am not a fan of the reality genre; in fact, my hatred for it often burns with the heat of a thousand suns. I just can't stand watching the endless parade of obnoxious people grasping for their fifteen minutes of fame.

However, I have to admit that So You Think You Can Dance has sucked me in. While I originally had no intention of watching it, a friend of mine implored me to do so as a relative of hers was involved in the choreography. The next thing I knew, I was hooked.

The show is not perfect, and its biggest drawback is the reality show format itself. I don't watch the results part as I dislike the drawn out and overwrought journey to discovering who is going home. Peppering it will recaps of footage we have just seen a performances from the latest one-hit wonder only add to the tedium. What I do love, however, are the wide range of dances and styles that are showcased, and the truly talented people involved in the show. Like most talent based shows could stand to realise, viewers are interested in the performers, and not the endless pageantry.

So, what is your TV guilty pleasure?

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Newstopia - What did you think?

October 11th 2007 01:02

Since the discussion on Newstopia generated quite a lot of interest, I'm curious to see what viewers actually thought of the show. Did you enjoy it, or did you think it tanked?

I thought it was a tad hit and miss - some moments were quite funny, others didn't work as well, or had a tendency to go on too long. The rather frenetic pace also meant that some of the jokes were hard to catch.

Still, I do think this show has potential - pilot episodes often have issues, so I'm willing to give it a bit of time to find its feet. Highlights for me were the continuing drug references, the ACTU researcher who circumvented her own interview, and the interplay between Shaun Micallef and Ed Kavalee (whom you may have recognised as a cast member from Thank God You're Here).

If you missed the episode, it can be watched in full on the SBS site.

So what did you think of the episode? Did it 'work' for you? Will you be watching again?

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Newstopia - Australian Satirical News with Shaun Micallef (LINK)

October 9th 2007 01:09

I have often found myself concerned by the relative absence of scathing satire from Australian screens. I became even more desperate when The Glass House was eventually shattered. I hoped fervently that our own Jon Stewart would emerge from the proverbial primordial ooze, wide eyed and ready to take on Australian society.
It appears that my plea has been answered, with Shaun Micallef taking his first shaky steps into the blinding light of news comedy.

Enter Newstopia, a new half-hour satire headed to SBS, that will take aim at politicians, current affairs, and Australia's position on the world stage.

Photo by Simon Schluter, courtesy of Fairfax Digital

The format is immediately evocative of programmes such as The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and the various offerings of The Chaser. However, all indications are that the show won't simply be a carbon-copy, and will put its own spin on the format.

The real question here is whether this programme will work. The Chaser has had some success in this field, although their latest and most popular offering has become more 'stunt' focused over time. Channel Nine attempted to tap into the market with The Nation, but the abysmal ratings make a second season unlikely. Does Australia want a show of this nature, and will they tune in?

Thankfully, the fact that Newstopia will air on SBS means that ratings won't be such an issue, and the programme won't be quickly yanked like the host's previous project, MIcallef Tonight. Micallef himself has something of a refined and debonair aura, and his presence as anchor is far more fitting than the rather inexplicable use of Mick Molloy. He does have an ardent and loyal following, which has only grown since his appearances on Thank God You're Here. However, his absurdist and Pythonesque humour can be off-putting, and many people just don't 'get' him. MIcallef claims that this programme will see something of a different persona from his previous incarnations:

"I wanted to play away from my usual persona - which I have foolishly appended my own name to - as an egocentric, vain, lunatic, absurdist sort of person. I have garnered this reputation of being dada-esque or absurd and that's not quite right."

"I think if you're making observations about the news you need to stand part-way between the audience and the actual news, gently, and say, 'Look at this.' It's a bit more of a ringmaster role."

One of the show's greatest assets - the fact that it will screen on SBS - may also be its greatest hindrance. Still, it has been generating a reasonable amount of online discussion, so people out there are aware of the show. I will certainly be watching, as I want to see what approach the writers take, and whether this will competently and humourously fill the satirical news void.

Newstopia begins 10pm Wednesday on SBS

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East versus West: Adult Animation

October 4th 2007 02:09

This is a topic I have been pondering for a while, and this recent post of Cibbuano's has once again brought it to my mind.
There are marked differences between adult-orientated animation in the west, and that of Japan. Even with the proliferation of cartoons, there is still a stigma attached to animation, and it is seen as live-action's crude and somewhat juvenile little brother.

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