Stephen Hall
When a pop-star cousin comes to stay, a family's once normal life changes drastically.
Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell is a fantasy sitcom which follows the exploits of a TV comedian, who, while shopping at a used car lot for a new station wagon, instead purchases a dilapidated 1928 Porter touring car. Shaun hears the car call his name in a woman's voice. The car turns out to be the reincarnation of his dead mother. The car is coveted by a fanatical collector named Captain Manzini .
On Anzac Day 2006 the Beaconsfield mine collapsed, trapping Russell, Webb and fellow miner Larry Knight one kilometre underground. When it was revealed that two of the men were alive, Australia prayed and the world waited in hope that the miners would make it out alive. But the rescue was far more complex than anyone ever imagined. Beaconsfield recounts this riveting story of mental and physical fortitude and two very different men who were trapped together for 14 days under rubble in a cramped, pitch-black metal basket no bigger than a dog kennel.
Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation is an Australian game show produced by Granada Productions which premiered on Network Ten on 5 May 2009. It is hosted by Shaun Micallef. The first series ran for 18 episodes, with the original production order extended due to the success of the show. A second series of 26 episodes began airing from 7 February 2010. Series 2 had a planned hiatus after episode 10 on 18 April 2010 and returned to finish its run on 1 August 2010. Series 3 began on 8 February 2011. On 27 October 2011, Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation was renewed for a fourth series. On 22 January 2012, it was announced that the show would begin airing Series 4 on 1 February 2012 in an 8 pm timeslot.
The Hollowmen is an Australian television comedy series set in the offices of the Central Policy Unit, a fictional political advisory unit personally set up by the Prime Minister to help him get re-elected. Their brief is long term vision; to stop worrying about tomorrow's headlines, and focus on next week's. The Hollowmen was first broadcast on Wednesday, 9 July 2008, on ABC1. Each series comprises six half-hour episodes. On the eve of the first episode's national premiere, the series was approved by the ABC for a second series. The second series was screened right after the first, beginning on 13 September 2008. The comedy-drama satire is produced by Working Dog Productions, which was also responsible for Frontline, The Panel and Thank God You're Here. The music used during the opening credits is an edited instrumental version of the 1987 song "North by North" by New Zealand band The Bats. A special one-off presentation of The Hollowmen was created by Working Dog and played at Parliament House in Canberra on 11 March 2009, in support of the ABC's funding bid for 2009-12.
The King is the story of Graham Kennedy, Australia's first and greatest home grown TV superstar. It traces his rise from working class Balaclava kid, through radio, TV, film, and back to TV again. It also tracks Kennedy's personal tragedies - the loneliness, the unrealised ambitions and the terrible pressures of being Australia's first homegrown superstar in the 1950s and 60s.
Australia's Got Talent is an Australian reality television talent show which premiered on 18 February 2007 on the Seven Network. The show is based on the Got Talent series format that originated in the United Kingdom with Simon Cowell. It was hosted by Grant Denyer, with Dannii Minogue, Tom Burlinson and Red Symons acting as judges. From series seven, the show will be broadcast on the Nine Network. The first series aired at 6:30pm on Sunday nights. After a successful run, the series was given a vote of confidence as Seven moved the show to a more competitive Tuesday night timeslot. The second season aired from 29 April 2008. A third season, which aired on Wednesday nights, began on 4 February 2009. Its sixth series, the final series to be broadcast on Seven, ended on 25 July 2012. The seventh series began airing on 11 August 2013.
The Surgeon was an Australian primetime television Medical drama. It screened at 9:30pm on Thursdays on Network Ten and in Ireland early morning on RTÉ One. The show was based at a fictional hospital named Sydney General Hospital. The first season consisted of 8 half-hour episodes. The show was not renewed for a second season due to a number of poor reviews and lack of sufficient ratings.
Living the Dream was the New Zealand version of Spike TV's Joe Schmo Show, produced by Touchdown Television for TV2.
The Einstein Factor is an Australian television quiz show that was broadcast on ABC1. The show's host is comedian and broadcaster Peter Berner. It was first broadcast in 2004 and in 2009 the show commenced its sixth and final season, with the ABC announcing the program would not be renewed in 2010. The final episode aired on 22 November 2009. It was broadcast on Sunday nights at 6:30 pm from 2004 until 2009 & now on Tuesdays at 1:30pm on ABC. The Einstein Factor was created by Australian television producer, Barry O'Brien, and was produced by Sparkz with Ian Duncan and Shaun Levin as Executive Producers.
Dean is threatening to firebomb his ex-girlfriend's wedding. Mickey is filling the garage with stolen goods - again, and pierced teenage daughter, Leesa, is an accident waiting to happen on the family's beloved Triumph motorbike. An unconventional tough family, battling to survive with humour and love, in a world of motor bikes, rock 'n' roll, classic cars and alcohol. This is a family that you probably would not want next door, but they are fun to watch, and they have their ways of holding family together.
This autobiographical story about a love affair between two men was filmed on location in inner-city Auckland. Richard an astronomy-obsessed worrier spends his time fantasising about outerspace and the cosmos, an activity which antagonises friends and family. Then one day he meets Johnny, a handsome Italian man, with an enormous appetite for life, whose idea of a holiday involves breaking into the nearest small holiday home. He offers him love and an escape from the monotony of work. This short New Zealand film is a joyous celebration of the love between two eccentrics. It is also a refreshingly matter-of-fact and comic treatment of a romance between two men who both have their sights aimed firmly amongst the stars. Released on the compiliations: Boys on Film Volume 3 (1994)
