“Alas, the only real crime I witnessed during Monday night’s Underbelly: A Tale of Too Many Bare Titties was the assassination of any suspenseful storytelling, complex character development and clever dialogue by scene after scene of soft porn. Titillating, perhaps cutting edge in the 1970s, but rather passe and lazy by current TV standards.”
Wendy Quiggin Surry Hills, letter to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“To make it in this industry, you gotta have f**kability. To make it in this game, women have to be f**kable.”
Nine’s news director John Westacott , as alleged by television journalist Christine Spiteri. Spiteri has just been awarded a six figure sum for discrimination after her contract was not renewed.
“Dear Sir,
The offer of your daughter’s hand in marriage intrigues me. Please send me a photograph by return mail.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Leak. “
Response by the well-loved cartoonist Bill Leak to a particularly abusive letter from a member of the public. Leak is currently in an induced coma after a freak accident over the weekend.
Filed under: Aussie Aussie Aussie, International relations, National insults, The Media | Tags: Kath and Kim
“NBC sent the first two episodes of Kath and Kim, and both were jaw-dropping in their awfulness. In fact, by the end of the second episode, a stray thought occurred: Maybe an apology to Australia is unnecessary because the American version misses the mark so badly that it’s barely recognisable as a distant cousin to the original.”
Television critic for the San Francisco Chronicle ,Tim Goodman, pans the US version of Kath and Kim. Mike Kelly, critic for the Toledo Blade , was not convinced that the original could have been funny, either:
“The series (…) is a remake of a popular Australian comedy program, but if stuff like this is considered funny Down Under, folks there probably think that Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, and Hugh Jackman would make a terrific lineup for an updated version of the Three Stooges.”
“We don’t expect them to biodegrade like real people. They are the Huggies of our human landfill.”
Ruth Ritchie on TV stars like Daryl Somers. SMH Spectrum, September 27-28
“VERY SMALL BUSINESS 9.30PM. ABC1: Don’t get it. It’s just not funny. I keep watching it in the hope that the scales will fall from my eyes and I will be able to see the funny side and lo, laughter will spill forth. Memo to self: don’t hold breath.”
Keith Austin, Sydney Morning Herald.
“The ACCC should investigate the Seven Network’s hold on TV rights to the Olympics. Obviously they made their successful application on the premise that all Australians are morons.”
Sophie Coleman, WA, letter to The Australian.
Filed under: Sport, The Media | Tags: Beijing Olympics, Seven, Sonia Kruger
“Her gaffes include asking if the 48kg weightlifting category referred to the athletes or their barbells, wondering why the term “chink in the armour” might go down badly in Beijing and questioning what happened if it rained during the 800m track event.”
Seven’s instructions to Sonia Kruger to “act dumb” during the Olympics may be backfiring on the network, as viewers appear to have been alienated. Serves the network right.
The Art of the Australian Insult 