They say that all good things must come to an end. Presumably that also applies to all bad things. Diarrhea, a Justin Bieber video, your parents sex life. Although herpes may be the exception, because it never really goes away until you do. And of course, the Biggest Loser Families, whether you consider it good or bad is fast approaching it's climax. But before we get there, let's see how we got there from last week. The last time I left you, Joe was in a life and death struggle with his nephew, Nathaniel. At the start of the series, this would have seemed impossible. Nathaniel was just a fat, lonely, socially awkward cry baby when we … [Read more...]

There is a belief amongst certain members of the community that positive thinking and self-belief can lead you to great things. That focusing your mind on your goals can make them attainable and bring your wishes closer to fruition. That exemplary behaviour should be rewarded by affirmation and reinforcement, and that bad behaviour should be punished with ... er, punishment. And it is these people that believe in powerbands, which are ostensibly rubberbands you wear around your wrist that supposedly concentrate energy and help you to perform at your peak. It is these people who have thousands of post-it-notes stuck up around their homes, … [Read more...]

Shakespeare* once famously said, "I know I shouldn't waste my time, In dreams of yesterday, But your memory's all that I have left, Since you've gone away"**. These words were particularly apt on last Sunday's elimination. Elimination is often a difficult and emotional journey for the contestants. There is always regret. There is always sorrow. There is always heartache. There is rarely chocolate. But last week's elimination had extra impact. Lara, you see, and Meg, you also see, were up for the boot. How did they get there, you may ask? Well, they walked, I presume. Unless the elimination room is located some distance from the weigh-in … [Read more...]

Never before, in the annals of Australian television, have we seen such a shift. Never before, in the tomes of family entertainments, have we seen such a transformation. Never before, in the history of Australian reality based television programming involving families of overweight people trying to lose weight, have we seen such a metamorphosis. Of course, I'm talking about 'make over' week on Biggest Loser Families. Not since that fateful day we all sat down to watch Home and Away when, without warning or a word of explanation, Pippa was being played by a completely different actress, have we come across such a change. Not since that day in … [Read more...]

Sometimes television can transcend the cattiness and the bitchiness of people forced to compete against each other for some kind of a prize, whether it be $250,000, a diamond set memento, or a Molkie. Sometimes television can raise itself above the everyday dross and provide us with something truly inspiring, that envelopes us in its wake and lifts us up to its level. Sometimes television provides a glimpse into our collective soul, and allows us to see all that is good and wondrous in human nature. Sometimes, just sometimes, television offers us hope. So it remains a mystery as to why Ben Elton's Live from Planet Earth was cancelled so … [Read more...]

Nothing good ever comes in twos. It is as if anything that exists singularly, if repeated, becomes the opposite of all that is good and wholesome in the world. And we know what the opposite of good and wholesome is don't we? Well, the opposite of good is evil, but the opposite of wholesome is more difficult. Let's look at the component parts, whole and some. Whole means completeness, as in, "I have the complete set". If you didn't have the complete set, you'd only have some. So the opposite of whole is some. On the other hand, some means a part, not the complete set, as in "I have some morals, but I am not completely moral". And if you're not … [Read more...]