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Shaun Micallef’s Funny As Hell (#MadAsHell @MadAsHellTV)

27/05/2012 by 9 Comments
Shaun Micallef's Mad As Hell

WARNING: May contain rampant fanboyism. Shaun Micallef is back, and reinforcing the popular view that he deserves a much more regular spot on our screens than once a week. Mad As Hell is entertaining, insightful, distractingly hilarious, obtuse and everything we've come to expect from the man who's been anointed as "Australia's own Jon Stewart". The writing team have delivered Micallef the perfect platform for his absurdist humour, while allowing political commentary and news opinion in rapid fire succession. From making statement about both sides of politics to his turn as Kevin Rudd in a fake ABC ad during the show, to his one on one … [Read more...]

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Something to Randling about (#Randling @RandlingHQ)

03/05/2012 by Leave a Comment
Randling

Randle. n. “A nonsensical poem recited by Irish schoolboys as an apology for farting at a friend.” Andrew Denton was never going to return to our screens for "just some show". It had to be special, it had to be different. Randling is certainly special and different - it's just not a show you can sit down and mentally switch off to watch. The best parts of the show are that it makes you think. An intelligent host, intelligent guests and parlour games based around words - let's face it, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. But for those that choose to hang in and be entertained there's some comedy gold in both the games and the … [Read more...]

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Farewell Good News Week (#GNW @realGNW)

29/04/2012 by Leave a Comment
Good News Week

And so, it has come to this... Good News Week has come and gone before. It's even flipped networks from ABC1 (back then, just the plain old ABC) to Channel 10 (who axed it, then brought it back when the US writer's strike did havoc with their schedule). It's appeared in differing formats - Good News Weekend, GNW Night Lite, & Good News World - and saw hundreds of local and overseas comedic and music acts, as well as actors and politicians, sit behind it's various desks and partake in some of the most bizzare parlour games on TV. Given the support it offered many comedians (for some like Wil Anderson it was the first regular TV gig he … [Read more...]

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The Hamster Wheel

06/10/2011 by Leave a Comment
The Hamster Wheel

As expected it was fast-paced, uncompromising in it's shredding of it's targets, and full of bizarre phony twitter references. Above all it was funny and a delivered cold, hard truth across a much deserving Australian political landscape. Welcome back to The Chaser and thank you for The Hamster Wheel. Hosted by the usual 5 we see on screen - Chris, Craig, Julian, Chas & Andrew - many described the show as "what media watch should be", admittedly with a few more sketches and laughs. The usual suspects were set for their special brand of scathing attacks: Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott (including a sketch "Go Back To Where Tony Abbott Came … [Read more...]

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The joy of the Joy of Sets (#JoyOfSets)

21/09/2011 by 3 Comments
Ed Kavalee & Tony Martin - The Joy Of Sets

In the middle of "Chuck Lorre appreciation night" on Channel 9, a new show surfaced heralding the long-awaited return of it's two hosts to television. Yet still it managed to include Warwick Capper. Finally released to the public, the new Tony Martin/Ed Kavalee vehicle The Joy Of Sets slid onto television screens last night and into 2011's collective pop-culture references by filling the show with it's own. The show was suitably light-hearted with just the right amount of pisstake and self-deprication while still rolling gags and progressing the show's storyline. Each week Ed and Tony will take viewers through the various mechanisims … [Read more...]

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At Home With Julia

08/09/2011 by Leave a Comment
At Home With Julia

I worried about At Home With Julia when I first read the press release. The premise sounded naff. I need not have worried, as in seeing the first episode - it's actually quite good. While Amanda Bishop's Prime Minister Julia Gillard was a little over played, it was the subtlety of Phil Lloyd's Tim Mathieson that stole the show. Entirely underplayed, an innocent amidst a world of political posturing and a man oft forgotten in the process. He longs for some time with his special woman, and too much gets in the way. This is his story much more than it is the PM's. In the first episode, we were introduced to the Independents - Bob Katter … [Read more...]

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#HamishAndAndy start their #GapYear

29/07/2011 by 9 Comments
Hamish and Andy start their Gap Year

Channel 9 have been playing the promos ad nauseum, and I'm pretty sure we'd all heard enough of Hamish's poor rendition of "New York, New York". Finally tonight we saw the start of what Hamish and Andy are spending all the reported money on, as the first and 10th last episode of Hamish and Andy's Gap Year hit our collective small screens. For the badly sung intro to the 'shabby shabby' set (there wasn't anything chic about it), it was pure Hamish and Andy cheekiness, Traxedos included. Light, inoffensive fun, and there's nothing wrong with that. Firmly in the nature of all their recent TV work and entirely reflective of their once a week … [Read more...]

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@ChrisLilley’s very #AngryBoys delivers

28/07/2011 by 4 Comments
Angry Boys Delivers

I've felt of late that Angry Boys went on for a couple more episodes than I thought it should have. Particularly through the middle I thought that some of the story for the many characters played by Chris Lilley didn't seem congrous or even necessary to progress the over-arching narrative. Boy, did that sound wanky. SPOILER ALERT - the following dicusses the final episode of Angry Boys, so if you've not seen it and don't want to know, stop reading now and come back later. The final episodes of a Lilley series are always special. There's always a distinct resolution, even if it's the one you weren't expecting. From the outset there was … [Read more...]

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Losers in weight loss, winners in love

18/02/2011 by 1 Comment
110218-MikeAndMolly-Title

From the makers of Two and a Half Men - this phrase sends me on a hunt for the remote to change channel away from the show as if my life depended on it (and in the case of TAAHM, it does). However Mike & Molly is something a little bit more special. It's actually funny. It is your standard US two camera sitcom. 3-4 sets per show, a total speaking cast of no more than 8 with two central characters and their respective 'teams'. That it is built on the fact that Mike and Molly are obese means it could go into some very dangerous gag territory (and sometimes it does), yet the show's writers manage to balance a very fine line ensuring the … [Read more...]

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Some like his old stuff better than his new stuff

16/02/2011 by 7 Comments
Elaine Front & Kris Smith

Well, it was better than the first episode last week (some might suggest that's not very hard at all). Ben Elton: Live From Planet Earth returned to a hail of criticism on Twitter, and attempted to return serve in the best way it could - with some comedy. After the first episode was criticised by large portions of the media and social media, Elton's opener as the live read for the show classification warning was a good attempt at offering a vague apology for missing the mark. His interview in the Sydney Morning Herald today was indicative of what was coming, and his feelings about Twitter were due to bubble up. Last week the social media … [Read more...]

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