Californication lands ACMA investigation

The Australian Communications and Media Authority will investigate Network TEN's Californication following complaints from lobby groups.

ACMA confirmed it would launch an investigation to Christian group, the Festival of Light.

"This is a show on cable in the US and not free-to-air like here in Australia," Festival of Light spokeswoman Roslyn Phillips told AAP.

"There is still a long way to go. We made our complaint in writing, and Channel TEN responded to the complaint, but ACMA will launch an investigation.

"We are happy with this move but not happy with the show," she said. "We don't like the way the Catholic Church is treated, it's beyond the pale."

Network TEN defends that the show complies with appropriate broadcasting classification rulings for its timeslot, and attracts an audience of around 900,000 each week.

However freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. While the show is racy and lascivious, it is likely ACMA will be particularly interested in whether the programme is discriminatory towards sectors of the community, including the Christian religion. Read more...

Airdate: Viva Laughlin

Hugh Jackman's anticipated new series Viva Laughlin will premiere on Nine on Monday October 22nd at 8:30pm.

It promises to be a big night for the network, following its first trial of the live 90 minute Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

The series is a musical drama, adapted from the BBC's Blackpool which aired here on the ABC.

Nine screens it just days after its US premiere on October 18.

Jackman and Melanie Griffith play recurring characters in the series which stars Lloyd Owen as a casino owner whose financing collapses just as he lands in the middle of a murder investigation. Jackman plays his arch rival.

As with the BBC original, musical numbers are performed through the episodes.

Nine is gambling on a night itself, as it seeks to turnaround the misfortunes of its Monday programming. Following the premiere of Viva Laughlin it will screen the movie Monster-In-Law.

Weeds and Girls of the Playboys Mansion will not air that night.

Press Release:

VIVA LAUGHLIN, executive produced by Australia ’s Hugh Jackman and featuring Golden Globe winner Melanie Griffith, hits Australia just four days after premiering in the US on Monday, October 22 at 8.30pm on Channel Nine.

This fresh, offbeat musical drama series has an impressive star lineup headed by bold businessman Ripley Holden, played by Lloyd Owen (Miss Potter), Mädchen Amick (Sleepwalkers) as Ripley’s attention-starved wife Natalie, Carter Jenkins, his loyal son Jack, Ellen Woglom, their 18-year-old daughter Cheyenne who is in love with her college English professor more than twice her age, and Eric Winter (Days of Our Lives) as Detective Peter Carlyle from Laughlin’s Police Department. P.J. Byrne stars as Ripley Holden’s sidekick, confidant and money man Jonesy, and D.B. Woodside plays tough guy Marcus Henckman.

Hugh Jackman (X-Men, X-Men 2, Swordfish, Moulin Rouge) guest stars as Nick Fontana, Laughlin’s resident high-rolling casino owner and Melanie Griffith (Working Girl) plays oversexed gold digger Bunny Baxter, wife of Buddy (Wings Hauser).

Brash entrepreneur Ripley Holden (Lloyd Owen) decides to risk it all on a dream to build his own casino and resort hotel in the desert city of Laughlin with the money he got from the sale of a convenience store chain. While putting the final touches on his new casino, his partner Buddy Baxter (Hauser) decides he wants out.

Behind schedule and almost out of cash, Ripley and his accountant Jonesy (P.J. Byrne) approach Nick Fontana (Jackman), his competitor, with an offer to invest. However, Fontana is behind Buddy’s decision to take his money out of Viva Laughlin.

Ripley is desperate for Fontana to become his partner in Viva Laughlin, but Fontana wants Ripley to run it for him after he buys it for himself. With everything about to fall apart, Ripley turns to Buddy’s wife Bunny ( Griffith ) to help him out.

Then Buddy Baxter mysteriously turns up dead and Ripley must convince Laughlin Police Department Detective Peter Carlyle (Winter) of his innocence. Ripley finally puts it all on the line, cashing in everything he can and betting the lot on roulette at Fontana ’s casino – a desperate last resort to take the next big step towards his big dream.

Get ready for the glitz and glamour when VIVA LAUGHLIN premieres direct from the US on Monday, October 22 at 8.30pm on Channel Nine

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Airdate: Farmer Wants a Wife

Nine's new reality show Farmer Wants a Wife will air later this month, replacing McLeod's Daughters.

It will premiere at 7:30pm on Wednesday October 24.

In the series 6 farmers will feature, each looking for a prospective partner. The host is Natalie Gruzlewski.

'Farmer Brad' (pictured) is 30 years old and lives at Swan Hill. "I work with machinery, my hands and in the office also. At the end of the day my creativity is expressed through the crops we grow," he says. But Brad is still single despite having "studied alternate therapies, been to ashrams, enjoy bush festivals, read extensively on spirituality and personal development."

"I'm looking for a fun, down to earth and open minded woman. Someone who is comfortable with who she is and with a natural radiance. A woman with an open heart and a beautiful radiant soul!" he says.

SBS has also played matchmaker with a similar concept, Desperately Seeking Sheila, introducing Aussie men to British women.

The Australian bush is unforgiving territory and the men who live here are the soul of the country, but even they need someone to help them love the land.

It has been almost impossible for farmers to meet the woman of their dreams – until now. The Farmer Wants A Wife, which premieres at 7.30pm Wednesday, October 24 on Nine, offers six of Australia’s most eligible farmers a solution to their love problem. This is not a competition, there is no prize money, and the only winner in the end is … love.

The farmers are all prime husband material. Following hundreds of applications from women across Australia, we will follow the farmers’ road to romance over six weeks and it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

To begin the search our farmers posted their profiles online and women applied to meet them. From the applications each farmer selected 10 women, and that’s where we join them on their quest for love.

Series host Natalie Gruzlewski said: “I’ve had an absolute blast getting to know this great group of guys – I can’t believe they’re single!

“I’ve loved being a part of this journey with them and watching the changes in each of them as they pursue the chance to discover the girl of their dreams.”

In episode one, six farmers and 60 excited city girls all head to a country estate where the farmers snatch five minutes with each of their 10 women. After the speed dating there’s a chance for the ladies to mingle while the farmers have a potentially life-changing decision to make: which five girls do they want to see again?

The farmers cull their list to five women and over the coming weeks they take their top five on a group date – ranging from ice skating to a harbour cruise and a Spanish dancing class. For some the chemistry is obvious.

At the end of the group date each farmer faces another enormous decision: he has to invite two women to spend 10 days on his farm – together – to see if love will blossom, and make a final choice between the two.

Can the women eventually chosen give up city life? Will tension flare in the household? Rural work will be hard and dirty and for some women just too much. And the prize of a lifetime up for grabs? The chance that love will finally bloom in the outback … and the farmer will indeed find a wife.

The Farmer Wants A Wife is a FremantleMedia Australia production for the Nine Network. To meet the farmers visit ninemsn.com.au/farmerwantsawife. Read more...

Kiefer heading to jail

Even Jack Bauer won't be able to get him out of this one.

Kiefer Sutherland is heading for time behind bars following his drink-driving charge in LA. The 24 star gave no contest to a plea agreement of 30 days served by July 1 next year.

Sutherland is already due for 18 days in the custody of the L.A. County Sheriff starting December 21st.

20th Century Fox is pleased the terms can be served without interrupting production on the latest series.

"Kiefer made clear to us at the time of his arrest that his first concern was the welfare of those he worked with and that he intended to do whatever was necessary to prevent shutting down the show because of his situation," a statement from the studio said.

Source: Variety.

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Naked Manly prank causes red faces

Interviewing spots players after a match is always tricky business and after the Manly Sea Eagles lost to Melbourne Storm, FOX Sports cameras caught little more than it intended.

Player Michael Robertson was seen in the background of an interview exposed in a shower, or rather, swinging his genitalia around, presumably as a prank to lift his teammates' losing mood.

The footage, pre-recorded, was clumsily aired by FOX Sports. Even more foolishly, it was emailed by a FOX employee to a friend, who posted it on You Tube.

You can see the offending clip here. Warning contains nudity!


Meanwhile there are now calls to the Rugby Leage Professionals Association to ban cameras from changerooms until 45 minutes after a game.

Last year TEN got into trouble when AFL players were heard to drop the 'F' word after the AFL Grand Final. This year NRL players also let fly with the F word, but after 9:30pm.

Source: Daily Telegraph.
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Mortified up for International Emmy

Channel Nine's kids' comedy-drama Mortified has been nominated in the 2007 International Emmy Awards.

It is the only Australian TV entry to have made the nominee list.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is the largest organisation of global broadcasters, with members from nearly 70 countries. Mortified will compete with entries from Brazil, Singapore and Poland.

The series stars Marny Kennedy as Taylor Fry, an 11yo girl with 'an overheated imagination,' dreaming of becoming a child astronaut or living with Nicole Kidman. Kennedy won an AFI award in 2006 as Best Young Actor and the series won Best Children's Drama.

Mortified was written by author and broadcaster Angela Webber who died of lung cancer at the age of 52 in March this year, despite never smoking. One of her ambitions was to live long enough to see the show air, which she achieved.

Mortified has been sold to 15 countries and been awarded by the Chicago International Children's Film Festival and two awards at the New York Festival, including the grand award for best youth program.

It is yet to win a Logie.

Sources: IEmmys, AusTV
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