The rumour currently going around is that the Nine Network put pen to paper today on the contract to pick up the rights to BB for 3 years.
Ten only ever negotiated one season at a time.
If this is true and BB returns in 2009, they still hold the contract with Dreamworld to produce the series from the existing facilities, meaning there would be no time lost setting up the series.
With ESS scared they would lose their biggest production, it is likely they'll be more willing to change the format, audience, and timeslot. According to Kyle and Jackie O, it was ESS, and not Ten, that demanded the Daily Show remain in its 7pm timeslot-- the battle against Home & Away probably being what killed it.
Nine is looking to draw in the young adult demographic, so a later timeslot and a more adult-oriented show could be on the cards, taking the focus away from teenage soap storylines of the past.
The rumoured official announcement is 10am tomorrow (Friday). Here's hoping this is true!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Last Nail in the Coffin for ESS?
BB's axeing could be behind Fairfax Media's decision to sell off production company Endemol Southern Star, which they bought only 8 months ago. BB was ESS's biggest production. ESS have had a few other shows canned recently, such as Monster House, 1 vs 100, and Out of the Blue. Other ongoing ESS productions include Deal or No Deal, Gladiators, Ready Steady Cook, and Mike, Bree & Fitzy's Download.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Almost a Winning Disaster
We all know what happened last year-- they decided to show the voting graph with the faces during the Finale show, it crashed their servers, and the show turned into a huge mess while they tried to figure out who was supposed to win the damn thing, running an hour overtime in the process.
This year they tried again, at the start of the Finale showing Rory was the slim favourite to win over Terri. This time it led viewers to cast the "wrong votes". Voters just started voting out Terri and Rory, ignoring Ben, and Ben slipped into the winner's position (just as Mike Goldman predicted-- spooky!).
Realising what they had done, Jackie O urged viewers to not forget about the one who didn't look like they would win, clearly pointing out that the original favourite evictee had now become favourite to win because of their blunder. Obviously this did not sink in, because despite promising they would not show the voting tally again, they did-- and showed the nation what their votes had done. Terri was now favourite to be evicted, and Ben was favourite to win. Nothing like what the blind votes had reflected, and certaily not what the producers wanted!
But, as expected, like sheep the viewers just reversed their voting pattern yet again and tipped the see-saw back the other way, leaving Ben to be evicted, and Rory and Terri to fight it out, averting a crisis the producers had stupidly not forseen. (Did they think the voting public all had maths degrees or something?)
With Ben gone, it made for a much more gripping winner announcement. Had the public done enough to bring Terri back? Or did the Rory fans get in enough votes to see the Nanna kicked to the curb?
We all know Kyle's favorite was Terri from Day 1, and Jackie O also said she wanted Terri to win out of the three finalists. It was obviously in the producers' interests to have their oldest ever HM, also be their last ever winner. So I'm sure there was many a wiped brow in the control room when it was announced that Terri had actually made it back into the winning position.
It could have been another monumental cock-up in the axed show's history if Ben had wrongly won just because they wanted to get those last few voting dollars. (Make that thousands of dollars!) Thankfully they managed to turn their mistake back around before it was too late....
But we never did see that final voting tally, did we?!
This year they tried again, at the start of the Finale showing Rory was the slim favourite to win over Terri. This time it led viewers to cast the "wrong votes". Voters just started voting out Terri and Rory, ignoring Ben, and Ben slipped into the winner's position (just as Mike Goldman predicted-- spooky!).
Realising what they had done, Jackie O urged viewers to not forget about the one who didn't look like they would win, clearly pointing out that the original favourite evictee had now become favourite to win because of their blunder. Obviously this did not sink in, because despite promising they would not show the voting tally again, they did-- and showed the nation what their votes had done. Terri was now favourite to be evicted, and Ben was favourite to win. Nothing like what the blind votes had reflected, and certaily not what the producers wanted!
But, as expected, like sheep the viewers just reversed their voting pattern yet again and tipped the see-saw back the other way, leaving Ben to be evicted, and Rory and Terri to fight it out, averting a crisis the producers had stupidly not forseen. (Did they think the voting public all had maths degrees or something?)
With Ben gone, it made for a much more gripping winner announcement. Had the public done enough to bring Terri back? Or did the Rory fans get in enough votes to see the Nanna kicked to the curb?
We all know Kyle's favorite was Terri from Day 1, and Jackie O also said she wanted Terri to win out of the three finalists. It was obviously in the producers' interests to have their oldest ever HM, also be their last ever winner. So I'm sure there was many a wiped brow in the control room when it was announced that Terri had actually made it back into the winning position.
It could have been another monumental cock-up in the axed show's history if Ben had wrongly won just because they wanted to get those last few voting dollars. (Make that thousands of dollars!) Thankfully they managed to turn their mistake back around before it was too late....
But we never did see that final voting tally, did we?!
AND THE WINNER IS... TERRI!
52 year old Coles deli manager Terri Munroe has taken home the $250,000 reward for winning BB08, and winning our hearts.
She was the first one through the doors all those 85 days ago, and was also the first out of the doors 84 days ago when she was voted out, by one vote, by her much younger fellow HMs.
BB was not about to let his biggest asset for the year go so easily though. He had a backup plan. With the arrival of Corey Worthington on Day 7, Terri re-entered the House after a week in lockdown as Corey's chaperone. Terri failed her mission to keep Corey under control, finding it impossible to get the 17 year old to go to bed at a "reasonable hour", and he ended up holding a grudge against his temporary-nanna, purposefully ignoring all of her requests. So it came down to "Plan C" for BB to keep her in the House. When Corey refused to choose 2 of the viewer-voted WebMates to be evicted, Terri was given the responsibility, and after swiftly booting Michael and Barney, keeping Nathan in the House, Terri was granted full HM status again.
Terri lived a relatively Nomination-free life in the House. She did not once sit in the Nomination HotSeats in the Eviction Room during the initial weeks when the public nominated and the HMs evicted. In fact her first taste of Nomination wasn't until Day 56 when Nobbi's FNL Twist left a total of 6 HMs facing eviction.
Terri was originally talked up as the racist Pauline Hanson lover, which was only exacerbated when she chose the Asian guy to be banished to the backyard and sleep in the Combi Van. But when it came down to it, she was nothing like that at all. She had a few non-PC things to say, but polical correctness and racism are confused too often these days. She told Nobbi he had "slits" for eyes, which isn't racist at all-- it is just not politically correct to point it out. Terri was just a patriot, and a little bit old fashioned, but you can't say she hated anyone.
Early on Ben told Terri that he being in the House was like being in there with his mother. A statement I'm sure he soon regretted, both for hisa mother's sake, and because Terri did a fantastic job at fitting in with the young HMs. She did very well during Friday Night Games, played a few games of Truth or Dare, and told her fair share of sex stories-- some that even grossed out the kids, like lactating during sex. Sometimes the others became a bit rowdy for her and she knew when to give them their space. Luckily she had level-headed Alice there who was always cooking or cleaning, and later Terrence came along for a bit of a yarn.
Terri took it in her stride when the tables were turned and she got banished to the Combi Van with Terrence for a week. She even quite enjoyed a bit of time away.
When it came down to the end, Terri survived a fake eviction by the HMs and a real eviction by the public, both over the other expected finalist, Travis, proving her support from both camps, and her competition, Ben and Rory, both knew their elder was likely to take out the grand prize.
While the final win was a little controversial (that's for another post), it was the right HM that won the big prize. Terri's plans for the cash windfall were to take her partner and see what they hadn't seen of Australia, and the world. She plans to keep her job at the supermarket but just reduce her hours a bit to take some of the stress off and spend time with her grandson.
CONGRATULATIONS TERRI!
She was the first one through the doors all those 85 days ago, and was also the first out of the doors 84 days ago when she was voted out, by one vote, by her much younger fellow HMs.
BB was not about to let his biggest asset for the year go so easily though. He had a backup plan. With the arrival of Corey Worthington on Day 7, Terri re-entered the House after a week in lockdown as Corey's chaperone. Terri failed her mission to keep Corey under control, finding it impossible to get the 17 year old to go to bed at a "reasonable hour", and he ended up holding a grudge against his temporary-nanna, purposefully ignoring all of her requests. So it came down to "Plan C" for BB to keep her in the House. When Corey refused to choose 2 of the viewer-voted WebMates to be evicted, Terri was given the responsibility, and after swiftly booting Michael and Barney, keeping Nathan in the House, Terri was granted full HM status again.
Terri lived a relatively Nomination-free life in the House. She did not once sit in the Nomination HotSeats in the Eviction Room during the initial weeks when the public nominated and the HMs evicted. In fact her first taste of Nomination wasn't until Day 56 when Nobbi's FNL Twist left a total of 6 HMs facing eviction.
Terri was originally talked up as the racist Pauline Hanson lover, which was only exacerbated when she chose the Asian guy to be banished to the backyard and sleep in the Combi Van. But when it came down to it, she was nothing like that at all. She had a few non-PC things to say, but polical correctness and racism are confused too often these days. She told Nobbi he had "slits" for eyes, which isn't racist at all-- it is just not politically correct to point it out. Terri was just a patriot, and a little bit old fashioned, but you can't say she hated anyone.
Early on Ben told Terri that he being in the House was like being in there with his mother. A statement I'm sure he soon regretted, both for hisa mother's sake, and because Terri did a fantastic job at fitting in with the young HMs. She did very well during Friday Night Games, played a few games of Truth or Dare, and told her fair share of sex stories-- some that even grossed out the kids, like lactating during sex. Sometimes the others became a bit rowdy for her and she knew when to give them their space. Luckily she had level-headed Alice there who was always cooking or cleaning, and later Terrence came along for a bit of a yarn.
Terri took it in her stride when the tables were turned and she got banished to the Combi Van with Terrence for a week. She even quite enjoyed a bit of time away.
When it came down to the end, Terri survived a fake eviction by the HMs and a real eviction by the public, both over the other expected finalist, Travis, proving her support from both camps, and her competition, Ben and Rory, both knew their elder was likely to take out the grand prize.
While the final win was a little controversial (that's for another post), it was the right HM that won the big prize. Terri's plans for the cash windfall were to take her partner and see what they hadn't seen of Australia, and the world. She plans to keep her job at the supermarket but just reduce her hours a bit to take some of the stress off and spend time with her grandson.
CONGRATULATIONS TERRI!
Monday, July 21, 2008
Ex-HMs to be Publicly Humiliated Again
Sadly the last 3 years of BB have ended with producers assuming ex-HMs have talents other than popping each others pimples and thinking of creative ways to bribe BB to give them more toilet paper.
BB05 saw HMs stomp-dance in Blundstone boots to I Like the Way You Move.
BB06 let Danielle sing her no-hit wonder cover of Underneath the Radar while HMs danced along.
BB07 at least took the choreography aspect out of it and saw them perform a pantomime based on charicaturised versions of each of their in-House traits.
In BB08, dance is back, and their voices may be making an appearance too! After politely grinning through Mike, Bree and Fitzy butchering Farnesy's Playing to Win, photos have been leaked today, and a group-shot put up on the OS, of all BB08 ex-HMs rehearsing a dance routine for the Finale, and yes... microphones are present. Don't be too off-put by this-- they may just be miming.
Luckily Kyle will be there with his Idol scorecards to shoot them down before they get too full of themselves. Or maybe he'll be holding application forms! Oh dear.
BB05 saw HMs stomp-dance in Blundstone boots to I Like the Way You Move.
BB06 let Danielle sing her no-hit wonder cover of Underneath the Radar while HMs danced along.
BB07 at least took the choreography aspect out of it and saw them perform a pantomime based on charicaturised versions of each of their in-House traits.
In BB08, dance is back, and their voices may be making an appearance too! After politely grinning through Mike, Bree and Fitzy butchering Farnesy's Playing to Win, photos have been leaked today, and a group-shot put up on the OS, of all BB08 ex-HMs rehearsing a dance routine for the Finale, and yes... microphones are present. Don't be too off-put by this-- they may just be miming.
Luckily Kyle will be there with his Idol scorecards to shoot them down before they get too full of themselves. Or maybe he'll be holding application forms! Oh dear.
Ben Assumes New Persona
Today Ben has come to the realisation that from tonight, he will forever be known as "Ben from Big Brother". And so he has been commentating his day referring to himself as "Ben from Big Brother".
Ben and Rory also seem to have spent the whole day singing almost everything they say.
Ben and Rory also seem to have spent the whole day singing almost everything they say.
Inaugural Winner Shuns Finale
Ben Williams, winner of BB01, has declined an invitation to appear on tonight's final Finale, reportedly saying he doesn't want it to affect his professional reputation-- in the business his BB winnings helped him set up.
All other season winners will be present.
With runner-up Blair presumably still overseas, BB01's second runner-up, Sara Marie Fedele, has been elected to "represent" her season, having already been involved in BB08 as a Big Mouth panelist. She's a much better choice anyway.
But it's not like Ben has always had a grudge against the series. He did appear in BB05's Launch Show along with all the previous winners. Let's go to the videotape:
All other season winners will be present.
With runner-up Blair presumably still overseas, BB01's second runner-up, Sara Marie Fedele, has been elected to "represent" her season, having already been involved in BB08 as a Big Mouth panelist. She's a much better choice anyway.
But it's not like Ben has always had a grudge against the series. He did appear in BB05's Launch Show along with all the previous winners. Let's go to the videotape:
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