The Hollowmen - series 1

[13 schoolyards]

Okay, I've seen the first episode (thanks to my TV writer friend, who I basically harassed until he drove over here in the dark to drop it off, so big thanks there), and for everyone wondering if this was going to be Frontline mk2... well, yes it is. There's also a lot of Rob - he's in at least every second scene - Santo has a couple of scenes (though none with Rob), no obvious sign of Jane or Tom, the camerawork isn't obviously shaky or handheld and...


*SPOILERS BELOW (though they're not massive ones - it's not that kind of show)*


Basically, Rob plays a very Mike Moore-esque dithering policy guy, who seems to be the guy above Lachy Hulme's policy wonk in the scheme of things - Sitch is the guy obsessed with how things look in the press, Hulme is the guy who has to make it happen by talking to "stakeholders" (lobby groups) and everyone else to find out what needs to be done and how to do it. Santo plays a research guy who (unconsciously) massages the focus groups to get the feedback that's required, and it's a very Salter-type role too.

The show itself is pretty much what you'd expect from Frontline - a behind-the-scenes look at how politics work and why politicians can't follow through on their big claims to get things done (not surprisingly, there's a lot of big players who like things just the way they are). The importance of the media gets a big run here too, so if you're expecting a view of politics as anything but obsessed with the illusion of progress over the real thing you might be disappointed.

There's a big cast but a lot of it is background stuff - it's really Rob, Lachy, and maybe Merrick Watts as the main players, but no doubt other people will get more of a focus in other episodes. To be honest this episode felt a little too straight-forward (there were no surprises or twists, unless you think discovering big business makes money off junk food a twist), but as it's the first episode no doubt it's setting up the situation and the players for what's to come.

*SPOILERS OVER*



Overall, it was very good stuff. A real return to Frontline form, and fingers crossed that there's much more to come after this six episode run.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Thanks for the review, schoolyards, that sounds like an incredibly promising series.

[13 schoolyards]

Maybe I'm living in a dream world, but it's like all the stuff they did between Frontline and this never happened. Apart from Rob's hair, of course. Tho' to be realistic, it's going to take a few more episodes before anyone can really make that kind of call.

One thought though: if they can do this kind of thing so easily and so well, perhaps that explains why they haven't done it for a decade? It's an area that they've conquered and they know it, so they've gone off to try and do other things...

[baudrillard]

I knew it would be. If only they'd stick to making stuff like this and sell TGYH to another production company for a stack of money. (Or just put it in the bin.)

Making crap is more fun because it's uncharted territory? That's a new take.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Maybe they wanted a break from that kind of thing, wanted to try something different, didn't want to be one trick ponies? As much as the highlight of their post Frontline work was All Aussie Adventures (at least in my view), all will be forgiven if this is as good as it sounds.

While I'm here, this (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/hollowmen/#) is the official ABC website for the show. Not much here yet.

[menagers]

Maybe it just looks easy because they work incredibly bloody hard. After rewatching Behind the Frontline there's no way I'll ever be convinced that they weren't running themselves into the ground (how many negatives is that?). The image of Tom madly writing away while his baby son kicks on the floor speaks volumes to me.

So they've had a cult hit (The Late Show), a critically acclaimed hit (Frontline), and a ratings hit (TGYH). Aren't they wonderful? And now, they appease people like me by putting the star funnyman back in front of the camera. I'm just so happy about that! Going to keep mentioning it!

Oooh SMS reminders to watch The Hollowmen! That's a bit high falutin'!

[13 schoolyards]

I guess by "easily" I meant that they seem to be able to hit the same level of quality without any serious dips or drops. Others may - and will - disagree, but this really felt like it was picking up at the same level as Frontline, which is pretty impressive after a decade. It might be a lot of hard work, but I'm sure a lot of people put a lot of hard work into, say, The Wedge. And clearly were just wasting their time and ours.

And I did think of you menagers when Rob kept on popping up - there was a bit early on where it looked like his role was done and he was going to vanish for most of the episode but nope, he kept on coming back into frame. It'll be interesting to see if the focus shifts in later episodes though, as there was a lot of cast members with not a lot to do and I'm guessing they'll be in it more as it goes along... unless it really is Frontline mk 2 and some of the cast are the background secretaries.

[menagers]

And I did think of you menagers when Rob kept on popping up - there was a bit early on where it looked like his role was done and he was going to vanish for most of the episode but nope, he kept on coming back into frame.

Oh, FREAKING YAY!!!!

Love to hear this. Thankyou.

[kim]

I'm really looking forward to it now (not that I wasn't before), it's my kind of thing!

[Mason Hell-Cat]

Great work Schoolyards!
Thanks for the update! Really looking forward to it!!

[baudrillard]

Bean, if their one trick is being good, I suggest they stick with it.

[Pete the Clown]

That's some good sizzle and traction info 13 for the show come July 9.

[13 schoolyards]

Remember my TV writer buddy who leant me his copy of The Hollowmen? Well, he's written his story, and he says it's cool to post it here (as almost no-one reading this will see it in their local papers). But as I'm slightly paranoid, I've left his name off. Hope you enjoy the following:


If you ever thought that production company Working Dog wasn’t aptly named, check out the turnaround time for the team’s new political satire The Hollowmen. Shooting commenced on the six-part series at the beginning of June, and one month later the first episode is about to premiere on the ABC.

“It’s all hands on deck at the moment, and we’re a bit under the pump,” admits Working Dog’s Santo Cilauro, who co-wrote the series with long-time collaborators Rob Sitch and Tom Gleisner. “But it’s a lot of fun – you can’t really complain about hard work when you’re having fun.”

And while production on The Hollowmen would appear to have been fast-tracked, the project itself – which follows the work of the Central Policy Unit, a governmental think tank made up of advisers tasked with formulating policy and feeding it to the media, the public and the Prime Minister – has been in the pipeline for quite some time.

“We’ve been working on it on and off over the past seven years,” said Cilauro, who also appears on the show as market research head Theo. “We keep getting distracted, as we usually do whenever we embark on any project – we’ve made a film and a couple of television shows in the seven years since we started tinkering with the idea.”

The origin of The Hollowmen stemmed from The Campaign, a 1996 documentary made by Cilauro about former PM Paul Keating’s last election campaign. Following Keating around for more than a month whet Cilauro’s appetite, getting him thinking about what he calls “the day-to-day life of a government”.
“I guess the times we all spoke about it, we thought it would be fertile ground for a comedy or a satirical drama,” he said. “It took a lot of different forms over the years, but we eventually realised that if it was going to be about the rise of advisers and how government is actually run by unelected officials these days, it may as well be set in the Prime Minister’s office and really focus on those people.”

A lengthy research period, not unlike that helped Working Dog develop its acclaimed media satire Frontline, followed, with Cilauro and his colleagues discussing their ideas with government staffers, political commentators, cabinet ministers and independent members of Parliament.

“We’d basically come up with the Hollowmen storyline and we then spoke to people about whether we’d gone too far or not far enough,” said Cilauro. “We were getting ideas from people as to whether we were on the right track, and the more people we spoke to the more realised that we were on the right track. They gave us the broad brush-strokes about what life in Parliament is actually like, and we then built our show around those impressions.”

Something that emerged was what Cilauro calls “a genuine trend towards unelected officials basically running our day-to-day lives”. And while he admits that it can be a worrying occurrence, he hopes The Hollowmen “strikes the right balance between political spin and genuine entertainment”.

“In a way, we put on our cynical/satirical/comedy glasses to view this subject, and hopefully it’ll be entertaining,” he said.

“As a citizen of this country, you’d hate to think you were part of a process where you voted for an irrelevant backbencher in an irrelevant Parliament. You would hope there’s some middle ground and that the power held by these people is not that concentrated. It’s a bit frustrating as a citizen to look up and say ‘I didn’t vote for these guys’.”

Still, The Hollowmen does take a comedic approach to the issue, casting a wry eye over transparent political jargon and departmental buck-passing in its storylines.

“I hope there are enough jokes in the show to make it palatable,” said Cilauro. “I’d hate for people to find it hard going, and I hope that even for people who don’t go to the political pages of the paper there’ll be an interest in it. We do like to be inquisitive and make relevant observations but hopefully we do that with a few good jokes along the way.”

Assembling a diverse, talented cast that’s equally adept at drama and comedy goes a long way towards helping The Hollowmen convey sharp, quick-witted humour with an underlying edge. Cilauro is quick to praise Working Dog’s Jane Kennedy for her work in this regard.

“She’s very intuitive and perceptive when it comes to people who you mightn’t expect to be very good dramatic actors but who actually turn out to be,” he said. (Indeed, radio presenter Merrick Watts, making his acting debut here as senior adviser Nick, acquits himself very well.)

“But we also wanted everyone to have pretty good comedic instincts because if you have them you’re usually a natural actor anyway. There’s a sense of precision that’s involved with comedy – comedians understand that when you don’t perform something properly and don’t get a laugh, the stage is the loneliest place to be.

“So you bring a sense of perfectionism to everything you do, including dramatic roles. And there’s so much irony and satire in the program we’re doing that even when someone’s delivering straight lines they have to have that sense of the comedic as well.”

The Hollowmen sees the Working Dog team once again collaborating with the ABC after a long period of working with commercial networks, and Cilauro said that a new season of the popular Ten series Thank God You’re Here is “pencilled in for next year.

“We never said it was time for a homecoming,” he said. “We’ve always had a great relationship with the ABC, even in all the years we haven’t worked together. We’ll work on a particular project and then look for the place where it should live, and it was clearly the ABC on this one. It just feels right.”

The Hollowmen premieres Wednesday July 9 at 9.30pm on the ABC.

[baudrillard]

"We never said it was time for a homecoming" - what a pity. F Off You're Here back, hurrah.

“We’ve been working on it on and off over the past seven years,” - I guess they've got that base covered too, for people who read these interviews, just a matter of how the public perceives it.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Great article, thanks for posting.

Very interesting to read that the roots for this idea are in the Howard years, as I suspected.

[13 schoolyards]

There's little doubt in my mind that The Hollowmen is looking at a situation that exists on both sides of politics, and it's hardly a focused attack on one side or the other. Still, maybe I'm insanely biased, but I couldn't really see it being made in this form during the Howard years. Especially as, for a brief while at least, the policy groups inside the Howard team were getting to put their zany plans into practice (the GST, Workchoices). But perhaps that'll come later in the series.

From the single episode I've seen, it looks like it's taking the underdog approach - government wants to change things, but entrenched interests block them. Which isn't really what was happening for much of Howard's run - he was foursquare for many of those interests, and ran a very "go with the flow" government in many ways. But again, a later episode could have them coming up with a fairly nasty idea and getting it up because certain powerful 'stakeholders' want it to happen.

[baudrillard]

yeah I don't like this. Howard is not publicly as affiliated with think-tanks and spin doctors as Rudd is. I doubt this 7 year line to be honest. I mean why not make a piece of shit like TGYH and sod doing something topic for the entire time Howard is in power and doing the most monstrous things. Makes perfect sense, or a pathetic excuse.

Another thing is though, do you think this would get funding under an ABC run by Howard stooges. And with things as insane as they were under the Howard government, how can you actually make good satire when you can't exaggerate the situation because it's already so far beyond what are normally considered acceptable political activities. You just can't make those kinds of things up.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Yeah, it's a bit of a shame that there won't be opportunities to do direct parodies of the Howard government...or maybe they'll manage it somehow.

schoolyards, is the show obviously set in the present day, as if this is a real group working for Rudd (like The New Statesman was with Thatcher)? Or is it set in a more fictional world where the PM and government could be anyone (like Yes Minister).

[menagers]

Thanks for posting that schoolyards. I remember what you first said about your friend's feelings after the interview; that one feels as though they are absorbing great wisdom from Santo (the quintessential 'lovely guy') but when you later analyse it, there are so many more things you would love to know. I really find that there; so much of it feels as though it was a Frontline interview, I'm sure I've heard the phrase "broad brush strokes" many times from Working Dog in the past! (Who, besides them, uses that?)
“I hope there are enough jokes in the show to make it palatable,” said Cilauro. “I’d hate for people to find it hard going, and I hope that even for people who don’t go to the political pages of the paper there’ll be an interest in it. We do like to be inquisitive and make relevant observations but hopefully we do that with a few good jokes along the way.”

Thank goodness he's covered that issue. I really am that person, and despite my collossal love of Micallef, I long for the really newsy stuff to finish in NEWStopia so that it can hurry onto the silly stuff. Unlike all of you, I loathed Yes, Minister (I'm nervous about L. Hulme being like that Humphreys character, dripping grease, I can just imagine).

[13 schoolyards]

A): We don't get the see the PM, so I'm guessing it's meant to be following the Yes Minister model. The policy stuff isn't obviously one side or the other, so (again) I'm guessing it'll be more about "this is how government works" than "this is how a Labour government works"... but I think people might read that stuff into it. Anyway, there's zero to prevent them from sending up Howard era stuff in the set-up.

B): Lachy is really the central character - the level-headed smart guy being buffeted by the tools around him. So no obvious grease-dripping that I saw.

[Pete the Clown]

So I guessing we won't see any celebrity/guess performers like Tony Jones interviewing a minster Lateline style and the group studying the performance of it which is one of main reasons to me Frontline was so good by using real people, but I'll live.

[13 schoolyards]

...well, now that you mention it, I can't see why not. All the politicians are meant to be generic (as far as I can tell from one episode), but I'm pretty sure someone held up a copy of The Australian with a fake front page. If they're doing that, why not get some real journos on board to interview a fake Minister?

There's a big interview with Rob in the Herald-Sun TV guide for the 2/7 (in which Rob reveals the reason The Hollowmen took so long to get made is in part because Tom didn't think it was that strong an idea), and while I couldn't find it on their crap site I did find this:

Andrew Bolt

Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 06:51pm



Most unusual for the ABC, and most promising: THE team responsible for the hit 90s TV satire Frontline is set to start work on a new political comedy for the ABC.
The public broadcaster today announced it has commissioned a new six-part political drama called The Hollowmen, which will start production in the next few weeks.
Filmed in Melbourne and Canberra, the show is based around a think tank set up by the prime minister to look at long-term policy vision (http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,23778004-5005940,00.html).
“The unit’s task is to stop worrying about tomorrow’s headlines and to start worrying about next week’s,’’ the ABC said in a statement.
Easy, though, with material everywhere. They just need to recycle some of the speeches at Rudd’s ideas summit, starting with Robyn Archer’s (http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23583420-25717,00.html).
Read the comments here: http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/not_so_hollow_laughs

[baudrillard]

Yes, TGYH was a much stronger idea. (/me pukes.)

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Well schoolyards, you were correct that people on the right would connect this exclusively to the Rudd government. Which is unfortunate, because if the idea's been around since the start of the Howard years, then it's really a parody of the Howard government.

[baudrillard]

Yes, which makes me think this is all pretty weak. Lets not do that topical project. Lets do TGYH! because, as Tom says, that has legs, whereas this Howard business is a storm in a teacup. What utter shit.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

That's not actually what Santo said, though, is it?

[Pete the Clown]

Good article in the Green Guide in the Age today about the show.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/weasel-words/2008/07/02/1214950817977.html

Pity with what they are saying about not taking things from real life into the show cause at the moment that whole Belinda Neal/John Della Bosca/Iguanas restaurant situation would be a great source of material for an ep. But still it sounds like it's going be a top old view.

[stupidmeatball]

Lets not do that topical project. Lets do TGYH! because, as Tom says, that has legs, whereas this Howard business is a storm in a teacup. What utter shit.

You could actually thank TGYH for Hollowmen really, given what a ratings bonanza it was, plus the shitloads of money then made out of it, that they could get the Hollowmen up and running.

[13 schoolyards]

Here's the actual quote from Rob in The Herald-Sun:

"I thought if we analysed it from the point of view that Parliament was largely irrelevant and that it's really the conversations that happen in these little offices that matter, then there was an idea for a show that was worth attacking," Sitch says.

"Then we got distracted a bit (Thank God You're Here and The Panel) and possibly Tom (Gleisner) didn't like the idea of the show enough. Gradually, I think we cracked the code of what we wanted to do with the show"That all seems clear enough I think. This is the Herald-Sun, mind you, and they don't have the best record of quoting their subjects accurately (writer Darren Devlyn is the actual TV Guide's editor though). The article does go on to mention WD's "vice-like control" over everything they do, and how this is "a headache" for commercial television. In fact...

The perception of Working Dog in commercial TV circles is that the company can be "difficult"

[menagers]

I find that comment outrageous really. Y'd RECKON their instincts would be trusted by now. Sheeesh! Incredibly frustrating.

P.S. how alarming were those comments below A. Bolt's bloggo? Eeek!

[menagers]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23952925-5015662,00.html

This one is written by Graeme Blundell and has the nicest description of Rob and Santo's partnership I've ever read anywhere *tear*.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/fast-cheap-and-in-control/2008/07/02/1214950838487.html

http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/a-look-at-a-twisted-world/2008/06/22/1215282649726.html

[ShitScared]

Preview with 1:49 video footage

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/07/first-review-hollowmen.html

[menagers]

As Principal Private Secretary Tony, Sitch casts asides the false bravado of Mike Moore. Tony's caught up on the buzz word of a "can do" Prime Minister and seemingly lost without a white-board.

Ah, Sitchy loves his white-boards doesn't he?

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Thanks for posting these, very interesting.

[kim]

cheers for this - have posted a couple of the links on the homepage.

[Mason Hell-Cat]

that clip has got me pumped!! Looks heaps good.

[skel]

Lachie Hume looks weird shaved.

[Pete the Clown]

I just love that bad pun title for the article on the main page "Sitch in time". Tony will be adding that one to the list for Rob if it isn't there already.

[Captain_Birdseye]

May not reach the laugh out loud range but i love smart humour - and that little snippet had enough to suggest to me the series will be chock full of the good stuff!

I'm currently watching A River Somewhere again and realised how much I missed the Working Dog angle on things - whether or not I agree with everything - they deliver it in an intelligent entertaining way.

[menagers]

More articles.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/capital-punishment/2008/07/05/1214951103921.html

You'll find that interesting about the title Kim!

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=5&ContentID=83372

I know what you mean about A River Somewhere. There is a lot of humour within, so unnoticed by me the first time when all that was ringing in my head was "Arrraghh! It's about fishing!! What the?". Once you get over that, you see that it's kinda, well, cute. A nice little insight into two old friends. I like the bit when they roll down the sand dunes and utterly skin their elbows!

[13 schoolyards]

Just remembered - if you like ad parodies, there's one bit of The Hollowmen ep 1 you'll really enjoy. Well, it's not really a parody as such - more just a fake ad - but it did make me hope that they'll do some more fake media stuff across the six episodes. Considering the show's all about the interface between politics and the media, one can live in hope...

(and thanks for posting all the articles, menagers - a job as a media monitor awaits!)

[menagers]

Oooh! Does it? But what about my dream of maning the scarf and glove counter at DJ's (check it out next time you pass by - if you can see it for the throngs of people around it, NOT!)?

[13 schoolyards]

I used to think seeing movies for free would be the best job ever... then I saw The Love Guru.

(and no news of a X Files movie preview screening, which is odd... if it's plus one and you can be bothered, you're my date.)

[menagers]

Although.... I might be going GOLD CLASS! Yes, my husband who denies he is a shipper (but I caught him grinning gormlessly through all the sappy bits in one of my fave eps 'The Rain King') has moved from "Nup, not interested" to Gold Class baby! Right on, bring on the $11 lemon tart, he's paying!

So The Love Guru was crap? What a shame (for this massive So I Married an Axe Murderer fan). What about Pineapple Express? That looks funny.

...and bringing us back to topic...

Looks like you weren't alone with your Rudd/Hollowmen/timing views, schoolyards. Every one of those articles mentions it.

[13 schoolyards]

Well, I can't beat Gold Class, especially as it seems increasingly likely that any preview I get invited to will be held the night before general release. But I'll keep you posted...

The Love Guru is... pretty bad, but if anyone's liked Myer's last few films it's really just more of the same gurning and childish gags so you'll probably like this a bit too. Axe Murderer, Waynes World 1 and (bits of) the first Austin Powers film are really the only Myers stuff I like (though I'll never forgive Austin Powers for killing off a Micallef Roger Explosion movie). And Pineapple Express is really, really funny and well worth checking out. I spoke to Seth Rogen yesterday, and he's a really nice guy too.

As for the political timing of The Hollowmen, it's just really, really obvious that they waited until the time was right to make this series. And for all they keep saying the show could apply to either party, it still feels to me like much more of a Labor idea. The Libs under Howard just didn't seem (to the general public) to be a party that took that much outside advice - no-one spent a second thinking that Howard wasn't fully behind the GST and Work Choices, for example...

[baudrillard]

"So The Love Guru was crap?" - and this is a surprise how?

[ShitScared]

I used to think seeing movies for free would be the best job ever... then I saw The Love Guru.

(and no news of a X Files movie preview screening, which is odd... if it's plus one and you can be bothered, you're my date.)

Sad part is, I'm still going to go see Love Guru, even though the critics are right, as I want to make up my own mind. Plus I get freebies from work ;)

I know work here is holding a preview screening of X-Files... preview being a midnight screening... 11:50pm for a 12:01am start situation - the night before the actual release.

[menagers]

That's cos TXF is one of those worldwide release at the same time deals. Too many nerds would spoil it all on the net.

[blastfm]

if anyone wants it, this is Rob Sitch on Hamish & Andy:

http://www.mediafire.com/?hym15wqfcxr

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Great work Blast, thanks.

[13 schoolyards]

Thanks blast - geez, Working Dog are really getting the word out about this one!

That's cos TXF is one of those worldwide release at the same time deals. Too many nerds would spoil it all on the net.

Yeah, but they still often do early screenings of those films for the media, especially if the distributors want to create a good buzz around something they're excited about. And as The X-Files has been way, way out of the general nerdish spotlight for a good few years now and needs all the advance hype amongst the general public it can get...

Well, no news isn't always good news. But I have my fingers firmly crossed that this silence is to build suspense, not to disguise a dud. Very looking forward to a stand-alone spooky tale.

[menagers]

if anyone wants it, this is Rob Sitch on Hamish & Andy:

http://www.mediafire.com/?hym15wqfcxr

Yes I do wants it! Thanks blast!

[Pete the Clown]

Reading in the Herald-Sun today. The Hollowmen has been given the green light for a second series. reading from the article eps 1-5 will screen from tonight onwards before a 2 week break for the Oylmpics then the sixth ep of season 1 will screen at 9 p.m on Wed 27th August at 9 p.m. The ABC will follow this with a second season of 6 eps.

[Mason Hell-Cat]

This may have already been discussed but I am going to mention it here anyway. It's also a bit commonsensical but it's been on my mind these last few weeks when I've thought about Working Dog going from ABC to Channel 10 and then back to the ABC.

Aside from the fact Hollowmen seems like a very ABC type show (ie, more high-brow than the likes of 'Sharon loves Mark' or whatever the hell that trash is called), it is very strategic of Working Dog to return to the ABC. Given the attrition rate of many television shows on the commercial networks, Hollowmen may not even last a full season elsewhere (let alone be signed up for a second series before even screening ep1. At least the ABC and SBS is more reliable and loyal.
Sure Channel 10 would have picked up the series in a heartbeat given WDs track record but would it survive? Probably not, for various reasons. End result? Series gets cancelled, WD lose some audience respect, WD find it harder to get another show up and running.

[ShitScared]

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/hollowmen/#/intro

They have the intro up on the site now.. reminds me of The Sopranos!! haha

[Mason Hell-Cat]

Looks great! Love the typical D-Gen humour running through the character descriptions.

[baudrillard]

Lets just consider that there really wouldn't be a difference between running it on FOX in the US than running it on Channel 10, no, make that any of the commercial networks.

It isn't even a possibility. The ABC is the only place the show would have ever comfortably sat. TGYH is on par with Shazza loves whatever, so off to Ten it can comfortably stay.

[Mason Hell-Cat]

What about HBO? That's a channel isn't it?

[ShitScared]

What about HBO? That's a channel isn't it?
That'll cost extra.


spot the Simpsons reference.

[13 schoolyards]

Reading in the Herald-Sun today. The Hollowmen has been given the green light for a second series. reading from the article eps 1-5 will screen from tonight onwards before a 2 week break for the Oylmpics then the sixth ep of season 1 will screen at 9 p.m on Wed 27th August at 9 p.m. The ABC will follow this with a second season of 6 eps.

Great news! I was a little worried that six episodes wasn't going to be enough to "do the job right" as it were.

As for The Hollowmen going to Ten... probably not. Might have worked on Seven or Nine though if handled right. It could be argued that going back to the security of the ABC was a sign of a lack of faith in their product - if they thought they'd made a real ball-tearer, surely they'd want the widest audience for it? But realistically, the ABC (or SBS) are the only places where a show like this could get a decent run.

(and Mark Loves Sharon is actually a little smarter than I expected it to be. It's a more commercial - that is, has more jokes - version of Jason Gann's Wilfred)

[ShitScared]

WOW!

Not even the first episode has been shown, and there's now confirmation a 2nd series is going to be made!

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/07/hollowmen-wins-second-series.html
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23990107-5012964,00.html

[13 schoolyards]

... and from Pete the Clown a few posts back.

[ShitScared]

Yeah it just clicked.. whoops :)

My excuse can be that I was posting up the links. ;)

[menagers]

These aren't very interesting (apart from the turd who said "I'm set for disappointment"), but may as well pile them all in the one place.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv-reviews/the-hollowmen/2008/07/08/1215282824067.html

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23988689-5003422,00.html

http://livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/07/09/Aunty_laughs_at_pollies

And yay second series! Second series are generally always funnier, once the audience knows the characters etc.

[snatto gauro]

Hi all just hopeing people could post links to any radio interviews etc for hollowmen today heres one its Tom on 2ue sydney


sorry all earlier link didnt work anyway have uploaded two interviews so far

heres Rob on 2ue not sure what show it is as im in melbourne....

http://www.mediafire.com/?4m7dyvnymyb

and heres the Tom interview on Steve Price

http://www.mediafire.com/?2wdwbbly9gj


theres a chance i messed up the file extension and it has .mp3.mp3 at the end so if it gives you any trouble maybe just get rid of one of the .mp3's....

[menagers]

Wow! I finally listened to that file Blast! Cool. Hamish tells us "Jane Kennedy, your wife...".

Finally.

[baudrillard]

Hell did anyone record this? I'm getting a "Bad request" load of bull which I click on it???


Oh the point I was trying to make before is that FOX is notorious for axing GOOD shows.

[Mason Hell-Cat]

Oh the point I was trying to make before is that FOX is notorious for axing GOOD shows.

Ahhh got ya!

Would you have said Frontline would not work on a commercial network when that first came out? Years later it appears on 7 and does really well.

[baudrillard]

Don't you know? They sold it to 7 and 7 only showed like the first few episodes. It didn't get shown let alone do really well.

[ShitScared]

Ch 7 bought the rights from ABC and played season 3. After it finished screening, they played seasons 1 and 2.

[baudrillard]

Are you sure? I thought it disappeared without a trace after the first few episodes.


And that reminds me of an interesting parallel. The comedy channel on FOXTEL most often will not play material that hasn't already been played on free to air. There are exceptions, but they are RARE.

So I think it's more a case that these programs show that they can rate first, and then the corporate entities jump in and go, okay, now it's established, it will definitely have an audience.

Thanks for the links snatto, et. al.

[ShitScared]

Are you sure? I thought it disappeared without a trace after the first few episodes.
I'm sure - I recorded a few episodes of season one as it had Bruno in it. Then it goes into a commercial break.

[baudrillard]

Wow, I thought I'd kept an eye out. I guess I must have forgotten to keep an eye on it. But my above statement about why this was possible, is still my opinion about why it wouldn't have worked as a first run series on that or any other commercial network.

Kath and Kim is another example possibly.

[ShitScared]

ABC picked up The West Wing after it was shown on Ch 9.


Oh.. here's something I've noticed.... Ch 9 are still playing Friends late at night.. about 2:30am, while CH 10 are playing iit during prime time.

Also, Seinfield is playing on Ch 10 weekends, while it's being screened late at night on Ch 9 too.

And that reminds me of an interesting parallel. The comedy channel on FOXTEL most often will not play material that hasn't already been played on free to air.

Fast Forward, Full Frontal, DAAS, The Big Gig, Good News Week, Drew Carey Show... Ch 9 was playing Whose Line before it went on Foxtel. Ch 9 were playing it at 3am in the morning, then it moved to 5pm weekday arvos.. then went back to 3am.

[13 schoolyards]

...and Curb Your Enthusiasm (I'm guessing series 6) is back on Nine next week - Tuesdays at 11.30pm I think. Good news for those without computers or DVD players.

[baudrillard]

The end of S6 is quite a surprise, and there's quite a surprise that occurs quite early in the season.

* Possible spoiler below *










































It has something to do with Larry David's real life.

[13 schoolyards]

It's not really a big surprise though - anyone watching the show would have been more surprised that it didn't happen years before.

And (back on topic) does anyone else think that the whole "second series gets the go-ahead" deal is really more like the US system where they say yes to a certain number of episodes to start with then OK the rest of the series if they turn out to be good stuff? Will The Hollowmen's 2008 run really end up as "series 1&2" or just be seen as the first series? And does anyone else but me really care?

[baudrillard]

I thought FOR SURE that it was going to happen last season, 13. I was absolutely sure it would happen then. Imagine what it must be like to be him!

Now you're just getting all semantic. I think it's an interesting development, is the ABC still stacked with the same appointees that Howard put in place?

[menagers]

Thanks for the files snatto. I enjoyed it when Rob was asked to "just move the phone a bit away from your lips, Rob, it's a bit scratchy" :D.

[stupidmeatball]

(and Mark Loves Sharon is actually a little smarter than I expected it to be. It's a more commercial - that is, has more jokes - version of Jason Gann's Wilfred)

I saw the last episode and can't say that I agree with ur comment 13. It wasn't anywhere near as dire as the Wedge, and hasn't gone into the no-note joke that was the sketches on the Wedge (the constant apologising to the public).
But where as Wilfred was an incredible comedy, this Mark loves Sharon is just ok, but its far too dumbed down to be compared to Wilfred. Although that being said, Wedge fans who would actually watch this, in my experience, arent the cleverst bunch and Wilfred would go above their heads.
I must say that I am looking forward to Rats and Cats, the film made by the guys who created Wilfred, if it gets anymore than a Cinema Nova release.

[baudrillard]

Should be uploading the Wil and Lamo Sitch appearance in a few hours.

[snatto gauro]

just for anyone who hasnt noticed the show will be available for watching from the abc hollow men site from 10pm each wednesday in both high and low quality,got the abc add running on it at the moment



http://www.abc.net.au/tv/hollowmen/#/watch

[kim]

how soon do you think people on the other side of the world be able to watch the episode that hasn't even aired yet?

which is curb your enthusiasm s6? i just watched the series involving something not dissimilar to the legal notice I received.

[baudrillard]

Not sure which one you're referring to Kim.

Rob Sitch on Will and Lamo 9 July 2008
http://www.mediafire.com/?ymlpzxsmytz

thanks to Snato and SS for the tip!

[kim]

Oh - I meant the actual Hollowmen episode - us UK people will be barred from watching the streaming web version.

[baudrillard]

I've asked someone at aussietorrents to cap it. So if the scene doesn't release it, someone there should be going to! So yeah if you want to download it, I'll tell you how if the torrent pops up as I requested hopefully!

[baudrillard]

Just checked with the guy, he's definitely going to cap it and upload it. There ya are ex-pats, no fears.

[kim]

groovy, thanks Baud :)

[Boots]

I watched it......and to be honest.......it was better than what i thought it would be.....i don't know why i thought it would be crap........but it aint thats for sure.

Will be watching next week for sure.

[stupidmeatball]

I gotta say The Hollowmen was well worth the wait, WD's back to form and other cliches as well
Gotta say I loved it though, Rob plays the idiot spectacularly

[snatto gauro]

Well it was everything i thought it would be and more,looks like it will get better as it goes along and we get to know the characters more as well.Thought it was really good to see Rob featuring prominently,also Kim there would be ways to watch the abc stream im sure,i watch Fox etc from oz and well yeah your not supposed to be able to but its quite easy to do...IM me if you want it may work for you,anyways back to the show i was surprised by Merrick Watts performance very good i thought.

[stupidmeatball]

I notice that Rob has given his character a new catch-phrase now "Have you got a pen?" I think it'll catch on

[Captain_Birdseye]

I liked it... I liked it A LOT.

The show rips through the 30mins like it was 10 but i wasn't sitting there thinking - gee is that it?

The big thing I notice from the real comedy edged stuff that Tom G in particular writes is that he's so on the ball and clever that I can't take a truckload of it at a time - like when I'm reading Phaic Tan I can't read more than 5-10 pages at a time because I get frustrated that the stuff is such spun gold paragraph after paragraph that I can't appreciate the entirety like I would want to - ie. the good stuff held together by nominal copy.

If you know what I mean - the stuff is that clever and instinctively funny every 10 seconds wears on me after a while in a GOOD way but it is frustrating because I want to laugh out loud (turns out I was wrong with that gut feel - this stuff was funny) but can't afford to do it because I'll miss the next joke!

But I am currently quite ill due to a stomach bug so that's what could be messing with my head - not the Hollowmen quality!

I think I need some more drugs...

Like where the series is going and hopefully that's the trend for the show - all elements of the show topic out in one go (this time the obesity angle) - because getting that conflict/resolution is vital to help ensure the show doesn't seem to stretch out the gags...

ok now i'm just rambling...

QUALITY TV

[13 schoolyards]

I notice that Rob has given his character a new catch-phrase now "Have you got a pen?" I think it'll catch on

I have to say, that was the one bit about the show my mum mentioned... and it really, really annoyed her. She might not be the target audience tho'.

[stupidmeatball]

EDIT: Possible spoilers ahead





It fits with his character though, constantly relying on others to tell him what to say, and constantly relying on others so that he can get down what they're saying

[13 schoolyards]

Oh yeah, I thought it totally worked for his character - it's just interesting that a detail like that can work on all the right levels for the story and character, and yet still not work for the viewer.

(in case anyone's wondering, my mum did like the show, tho she said it'd probably take an episode or two to figure out what's what. And that it was a show that "you really had to watch")

[baudrillard]

"I need a whiteboard."

[stupidmeatball]

Yeh, definately a show that has to watched with the volume up, otherwise theres a lot that can be missed

[snatto gauro]

For anyone who didnt see it and cant access abc website,or even just for those with small download allowance i have the flv video off the website uploading at the minute...the file is about 61mbs pretty good quality i suggest flv player to watch as best to use with these sorts of files although vlc will play it it wont allow searching.
Anyway be up in about half an hr should i post link here or just leave it to people to im me?

[Mason Hell-Cat]

THEY'RE BACK!!

Excellent first episode!! This is the stuff we love Working Dog for!
Definitely worth the wait.....and already up there with Frontline IMO.

Did anyone else sign up for the ABC's sms reminder? I did just to see what I'd get and it said the following:
"The Prime Minister is caught out on talk-back radio, promising to tackle the problem of childhood obesity. The Hollowmen Tonight 9.30pm ABC1"

Also, did anyone read the article on Lachy Hulme in today's Mx newspaper?
He listed his favourite tv show as Curb and then said he's trying to convince TOny Martin to do a Curb style tv show! haha

[LSNut]

Can't believe how similar it is to Frontline in look/feel/production ... which is a *good* thing of course !

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Well, I've managed to see it and I thought the satire was good, but it lacked laughs. In comparison to Frontline it just wasn't as funny. There were some good gags in there that didn't work because of the super fast pace and realism. That's a shame that they prioritised pace and realism over laughs as I think they got the mix right in Frontline.

I also found Rob's character trait of asking for pens and whiteboards a bit, well, not realy annoying, more meh.

[kat-rant]

i was mightily impressed. I feel as though I have to watch it again, though, just to gel it all together in my mind though. I loved Rob's character as the out-of-step optimist, looking forward to where they take this character during the series :)

[menagers]

Hmm, I love the fact that Rob is called Tony. Small but significant.

First, I need to discuss the pen thing. *Chortles away maniaclly to herself long after family has gone to bed*. Maybe some of you will relate, but I worked in a profession where the pen was THE tool. No pen - no work. Instant, crucial documentation that had to be done by hand. The workplace was a bustling one and this measly item could so easily be lost but more often stolen. It was the retard infinite who would incredulously ask to "borrow your pen"; I mean, they may as well just ask you for a loan of Exacilbur. So I found it very amusing, knowing that off camera there are characters murmuring "Oh, for Fuck's sake can't he get his own?".

I really loved it. It was more a thinking comedy than even Newstopia. Comedy with a message (does anyone do that anymore?). Basically it was Frontline does Politics, which is fine. It bloody well could be a drama too, just as Rob and Tom joked in those interviews. The frustration of those lobby groups was so palpable! I can see Merrick having all the gags (the Wagon Wheel cracked us up!), and he is a really great choice. Similar characters 'Jase and Stu' used to bug me actually, probably because they weren't comedians but had funny lines.

But I have to say this (boys, skip down): Rob is still so gorgeous. Beautiful suits, beautiful face. God, he is fantastic. And in every scene!

And how funny was the PM dressed up as some sort of indiscriminate veggie? I want to say carrot, but wasn't it yellow?!

[kat-rant]

Actually, clarification on Jase and Stu, Jase didn't utter a single line in the show, did he? He just kind of nodded when cued to....

[Mason Hell-Cat]

What I laughed at most was how similar my workplace is run. We're always wanting to ensure we get 'buy in' from 'stakeholders' and 'focus groups'. Scary!!!

[menagers]

Agreed. I disliked them so much, I couldn't remember which one of them did the talking.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Jase had a couple of lines over the series.

This bit in the Courier Mail review seems to sum up what I'm thinking about this show:

Sitch has been careful to point out how straight they're playing it, how it's not a gag-fest, that politics is essentially dead boring, so I'm set for disappointment. On the other hand, everyone on Frontline took themselves very seriously and how funny was that?

As much as I love satire and drama, it's by comedians, it stars comedians, it's marketed as a comedy, it's in a slot for comedy/light entertainment, so it shouldn't have been played so straight.

[kat-rant]

I dunno, i think the fact that it was played so straight added to the comedy for me. especially as the characters were taking themselves so seriously, especially Tony/Rob (man, that could get confusing soon!!)

[menagers]

And I would argue that it is not actually played that straight either. Santo, Merrick, Rob even Neville are subtlely playing for giggles. Lachy is the only real straight man.

So many people are going to think this is boring though, aren't they? Especially if they have no investment in the group like we do *thinks Gen Y*? Maybe? Hope I'm wrong.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I dunno if it'll bore people, menagers. This style of comedy is very fashionable at the moment.

[menagers]

Oh, you mean like West Wing? Yeah, I don't watch it. Politics is just so boring or frustrating, I find it easier to tune out. Which is why I don't like my comedy served up with a political flavour, unless it's about Kim Beazley and Cheese - always welcome. IOW's if it weren't Working Dog, I wouldn't be watching. <SIGH> I'm such a bogan.

[baudrillard]

Rob mentioned the West Wing in the Will and Lamo interview. Made it sound like he hadn't watched much of it, but he did say a weird thing about thinking the show might make people want to get into politics because these guys are so young and wield so much power. I couldn't help but think of In The Thick of It though.

Oh and yeah, it's already online in torrent form so I'll be able to put it out for mass consumption. It's funny the friend of mine was in tonight's episode, she was one of the healthy food lobbyists, the younger one and she hasn't seen it!! She's studying in New York at the moment.

[kim]

How did you watch it Bean, was it through one of those services that streams live TV?

baud - I await the torrent with anticipation! Am currently trying to use a proxy server but there's no fooling the website so far.

[baudrillard]

I don't know that there are many australian proxy servers. (Otherwise I'd say google tor, you need a SOCKS 5 proxy probably, not just a Port 80 one) If my damned connection wasn't shaped I could do it now. What I'll do is actually upload it to a site like megaupload but I can't do that until 3am my time, because that's when my connection becomes "unshaped". Easy Kim, it's only a few hours.

[snatto gauro]

or there is the lower quality version which i have already posted a link to in the members only area-thread=hollowmen media,that copy is the one showing on the site.

[kim]

Cool - thanks for the tips!! I know, I've got plenty of time to watch it, hi-res or low-res :)
Right now, it's been raining all day and I have no idea what season it's supposed to be - so I'm going to make the most of it and head out for a gloomy walk up Primrose Hill.

[baudrillard]

It's cold and raining here in SA all the time. Or at least the cold bit, it has been raining a bit recently though, not until all the crops died of course. But yeah Adelaide goes from dry cold to dry intolerable heat and it's rare that there's ever a "nice" day. Have a nice walk.

[General Challenge]

Its satirical credentials were impeccable, but I just wish it had more of Frontline's copper-bottomed laughs. Frontline somehow managed to achieve naturalism without skimping on the big laughs.

The Santo Cilauro focus group scenes - so much potential for something great there, but it was all a bit...um, hollow. Compare them with the average Geoffrrey Salter scene, all of which were effortlessly hilarious - there was nothing as funny as 'Well, it's better than The Spirit Level'.

[baudrillard]

Okay, I admit when the alarm went off at 3am, I briefly awoke, and then continued to dribble onto the pillow. BUT it'll be up soon!

uploading...

uploading...

[baudrillard]

The Hollowmen - S01 E01
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=5USO9S7R


Just fill in the 3 character thingy.


Man that was annoying

[menagers]

I enjoyed this blog..
(eek! Almost left out the all important 'l' in that last word! Does anyone think that notebooks make your spelling terrible? And the damn space bar (curses!) - rarely works.)

http://pigscantfly.wordpress.com:80/2008/07/09/hollowmen-episode-1/

His almost sexual attraction to words that don’t mean anything finds the exact point between exaggeration and sad reality that makes for great satire. The way he applauds the words used by those pitching him ideas rather than the ideas themselves is brilliant. This is a character that must exist in reality for phrases like “working families” and “going forward” to be repeated so endlessly. The difference between Tony’s enthusiasm for the original, substantial proposal and the latter more successful, superficial plan is so slight that it’s clear he doesn’t really mind either way. Hollowmen is a bitingly apt title.
That is an excellent description of Rob's character and the essence of the show.

[Mason Hell-Cat]

I don't get the author's point at all (mind you I didn't click the link).

[Pete the Clown]

I thought the show was great. Working Dog have still got there mojo. From the first ep it's slicker than Frontline so it a show you can't go out off the room to a make coffee and resume watching. I will never be able now after watching last night take the term "raft of measures" seriously again especially with politcs. Loved Santo character spinning the words from the focus group in a more creative manner.

[Pete the Clown]

Last night ratings was it have 1.185 mill viwers in the 5 mainland capital cities and was the 13th most viewed show of the night so good ratings there.

[menagers]

http://www.news.com.au:80/story/0,23599,23997564-5007146,00.html

I'm link happy

[PigsCantFly]

Hey thanks for the plug!
Is it just me or is the news.com.au review particularly bad?
"The level of insider activity might be a worry. This show is so well-observed it could repel those not obsessed by politics." Really? Did Frontline repel those who weren't obsessed with tabloid news?
"Another clue that with The Hollowmen we're looking at a whole lotta Rudd: meaningless catchphrases." Yes, because Kevin Rudd is the only politician to ever use meaningless catchphrases, ever. Give it a rest!

[kat-rant]

ah, but you see like any Murdoch paper, they're in for the, now what was the quote used in Hollomen used last night? Populist route, superficial response to the latest whims of the general public? Sounds like Herald Sun :)

[menagers]

Hello! You're welcome!

It's easy to say that this depiction of the PM is based on Rudd, when our perception of Howard is fresh from a decade in power; over-confident, stubborn. Certainly not stressed by press releases, well not in my memory anyway (already described as appallingly uninterested). Maybe that journo was just trying to say that people won't engage as much with what is high-flaluting subject matter. After all, more people watch ACA than Lateline, sadly. But maybe Rob is right, people might find themselves more interested after watching The Hollowmen. Although, I started nodding off while watching Lateline last night, so... (anyone find it odd that the sex abuse victim in the George Pell bizzo also has the name Tony Jones?)

Thanks heaps for that Wil & Lehmo piece, baudrillard. I have no memory of Rob and Tom doing a newsdesk spot on the Midday show! That would be one for the gold boxset!

[Mason Hell-Cat]

My *only* problem last night was not to do with the show at all, but rather to do with channel 10. I, sadly, watch Big Brother and they dragged the damn Pamela Anderson saga on, and on, and on (2 hours in fact). Finally, she is all set to go in to the house at the stroke of 9:30. I don't see any of it and quickly flick over just as Hollowmen opening credits are finishing. Damn channel 10! They almost made me miss the show!

[ShitScared]

"Can Do" is from the Howard era.

Anyway - Top show. Love it.

Thanks for the up too baudrillard. I was recording it last night and for some reason my set top box kept getting interference. Started to give me the shits.

[baudrillard]

It was funny, first I was uploading it for the ex-pats, then I was uploading it for my friend who's in it!

[Mason Hell-Cat]

hilarious!
(heheh)

[baudrillard]

Okay, mildly amusing. :cry:

[menagers]

http://www.crikey.com.au/Media-Arts-and-Sports/20080710-Media-briefs-and-TV-ratings.html

Ouch!

http://couchmedia.blogspot.com/2008/07/watching-hollowmen.html

Thwock!

[baudrillard]

"It's not in the class of The Thick of It or Absolute Power with Stephen Fry."

Crikey. I'd forgotten about Absolute Power.

[stupidmeatball]

So many people are going to think this is boring though, aren't they? Especially if they have no investment in the group like we do *thinks Gen Y*? Maybe? Hope I'm wrong.
As a Gen-Y I find it frustrating when I'd speak to the Gen-Xers and they have no idea of the D-Gen, TLS or Frontline, and only know of Tom, Rob and Santo from the Panel and Mick & Judith from Crackerjack, and only know of Tony as "the guy who looks like Where's Wally from TGYH", so it's not neccessarily a generation gap thing at all, just a good taste in comedy.

[13 schoolyards]

"It's not in the class of The Thick of It or Absolute Power with Stephen Fry."

Crikey. I'd forgotten about Absolute Power.

As well you should. Not much chop really.

[menagers]

Apologies stupidmeatball, I do have a nasty habit of doing that. I think I'm a bit of a generationist. I'm heavily influenced in my opinions by the scary young things I see at Southland all the time.

Thankyou to this blogger who has shed light on The Hollowmen theme:

http://alex-loves.blogspot.com:80/2008/07/hollowmen.html

The Bats - North by North.

[kim]

Thanks for the upload Baudy, and snatto too, for the Flash equivalent.
I thought it was a great episode. As Bean said, high on satire, light on laughs. I did laugh right at the end, with the KFC bucket!
:D

My favourite "hollow" quotes were:
"Superficial responses to the whims of the general public."
"All talk and no action"
"Measures... A raft of measures..."
"Extensive consultations with stakeholders"

I did find it very clever - and a great learning tool for media and politics students... there needed to be something like this on TV!

[kat-rant]

You're not wrong! I've just got myself a resource for Unit 4 Outcome 3 for VCE Media in media influence!!, which i'll be teaching this term!

[menagers]

Depressing.
http://larvatusprodeo.net/2008/07/10/our-dried-voices-when-we-whisper-together-are-quiet-and-meaningless/#comment-485539

My last link. I grow weak from the pain.

[snatto gauro]

Am i the only person who couldnt care less about which political party this show is based on?From what ive read on this and other forums and boards like the one above you could argue the case thats its based on either party till the cows come in....maybe its just me showing my stupidity in all matters politics but i couldnt care if it was based on One Nation{imagine that] as long as its a WD production and some of them are performing in it then too me its gold before ive even seen it lol,i have to admit ive since watched the first episode again and glad i did as there was so many little one liners i missed on first viewing......cant wait for the second episode...Hopefully heaps more Santo with his focus groups

[baudrillard]

13? What? In The Thick of It is an excellent series and Absolute Power is as well. The radio version of it was better because it dealt with government.

[menagers]

I'm with you, snatto

[stupidmeatball]

Apologies stupidmeatball, I do have a nasty habit of doing that. I think I'm a bit of a generationist. I'm heavily influenced in my opinions by the scary young things I see at Southland all the time.


Please don't judge us by those that frequent shopping centre's, if they had any real life they'd have somewhere real to hang out in. The Frankston food court kids are worse though, having worked in the KFC there I used to take sick days on the school holidays just to avoid them. Southland and Frankston really need Ben Affleck there to sort out the Mallrats that hang about. I get the feeling that I may be the only Kevin Smith fan on this forum though.

[Hig]

I get the feeling that I may be the only Kevin Smith fan on this forum though.


Dont bet on it, huge fan of the View Askew productions.

Snoochums!!

[13 schoolyards]

13? What? In The Thick of It is an excellent series and Absolute Power is as well. The radio version of it was better because it dealt with government.

I disagree. Absolute Power had it's moments, but to me they weren't funny ones. But I suspect you like your comedy a lot 'straighter' than I do - which is why I hope The Hollowmen will get a bit funnier as it goes on, as (yes, I know, it's only been one episode) I don't think it will work simply as a peek behind the scenes.

And of course you don't have to care about which political party Working Dog are making fun of. But if they made a series looking behind the scenes at, say, a football team, you'd hardly expect people not to ask a): how accurate is their behind the scenes look, and b): which team (or groups of teams) are they making fun of the most? Especially when they seem to be going out of their way to tell us all how accurate it all is... don't remember much of that for All Aussie Adventures.

(how could I have forgotten The Goodies from my list of comedy influences? And menagers, I'm a Betty man all the way.)

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I prefer Absolute Power to The Thick of It, purely because I find that style of comedy funnier. John Bird, Stephen Fry, the cameo from Tim Brooke-Taylor and that fantastic theme tune sucked me in too.

I wasn't a big fan of the radio series though. I went to a recording of an episode towards the end of 2000, with a friend over from Adelaide who's a massive Fry fan. Unfortunately we both sat there staring at this recording in total silence. I don't remember heaps about the episode, but there was some reference to a London nightclub called (I think) Cube. I'm not a clubber, but even I knew this particular nightclub wasn't that hip. So with the lack of laughs and that factual error, I wasn't terribly impressed.

I like the guy who created the series, though. He did a marvellous radio serial called In The Red, staring Fry and Bird, which was then re-made for TV with Fry and Bird reprising their roles. That was a great programme.

[skel]

Smodcast rules!!!

[menagers]

I like Kevin Smith, but I'm more of an old skool Clerks girl. I think the second ever film I saw at the George.

I'm like Agent Scully schoolyards, "I identified with Betty's bustline".

I didn't know TBT did a cameo in Absolute Power! I will have to stay up and watch the repeats then!

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I didn't know TBT did a cameo in Absolute Power! I will have to stay up and watch the repeats then!

Yeah, he played a Michael Palin-type, nice-guy TV travel show presenter...who wants a change of image. It's good casting given that TBT's from the same era of comedy as Palin and is a showbiz nice-guy. The pink jumper was a bit much, though.

[baudrillard]

Again, if you'll notice the nuance, I pointed out that there was a radio series for YEARS before there was the BBC TV series of Absolute Power. You really should check it out before deciding what Absolute Power was all about because while the TV series DID NOT deal with the government, the radio series absolutely did in almost every episode. An entirely different beast to what was translated to screen in almost every single aspect.

[ShitScared]

I disagree. Absolute Power had it's moments, but to me they weren't funny ones.

I agree with you there - my mate is a HUGE Stephen Fry fan - but didn't like Absolute Power.

[13 schoolyards]

I really wanted to like Absolute Power, but it never really clicked with me - I think I'm a bit more fussy about that kind of behind-the-scenes comedy, as I often feel the explaining side of things gets in the way of the laughs. Put another way, there's no love for Michael Moore in my heart.

I had forgotten about the TBT appearance tho' - I really, really enjoyed seeing Tim again.

And as for Kevin Smith- well, I loved Clerks at the time (and I suppose I still do), but the man needs to shut the f**k up occasionally (not a Silent Bob joke). And Jersey Girl would have ended anyone else's career - it pretty well drove the final nails into Ben Affleck and J-Lo's acting work...

[baudrillard]

Again, if you'll notice the nuance, I pointed out that there was a radio series for YEARS before there was the BBC TV series of Absolute Power. You really should check it out before deciding what Absolute Power was all about because while the TV series DID NOT deal with the government, the radio series absolutely did in almost every episode. An entirely different beast to what was translated to screen in almost every single aspect.

Did you even read this 13?

[13 schoolyards]

Yeah, I did read this (I read all your posts, don't 'cha know) - and sorry, but life is too, too short to track down the back story of a show that I only kinda sorta liked when I saw it on TV.

If I'd loved the show, of course I'd want to know more - I did get ahold of the People Like Us radio series as one example, and the radio version of Knowing Me, Knowing You is another that comes to mind - but as I didn't really like Absolute Power (the TV version) I'm not exactly going to rush to listen to the radio version.

It'd be nice to have the time to fully immerse myself in everything that might possibly be of interest, but there comes a time where you have to draw the line. If I knew nothing about the show, perhaps I'd start with the radio series first, and maybe I'd be all turned around on the subject... or maybe I'd agree with Bean.

[baudrillard]

It's just the point is that the radio series was infinitely superior to the TV Adaptation. It's frustrating when you're really not even talking about the same program, because the writers for the TV series were completely different from the, I think it was, 1 writer who wrote ALL of the radio series.

And you really can't go past John Bird as a comedian if you have some particular issues with Stephen Fry, as Bean's mentioned Bremner, Bird and Fortune is an excellent show.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

The radio series was written and created by Mark Tavener. The TV series had various writers, including TV arts presenter Mark Lawson. John Bird wasn't given much to do in the TV series, it was basically Fry who was in charge of the operation.

[baudrillard]

Yeah Bird was in the Radio series A LOT MORE. You should try giving it a shot some time Bean. I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience but some of the episodes really are top notch.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Yeah, maybe I should, but I barely have time to watch/listen to/read the stuff I want to watch/listen to/read, let alone the stuff I might want to watch/listen to/read.

[baudrillard]

Yeah I know what it's like. I have 150gigs a month as a quota here and there's stuff I grab that I know I'm NEVER going to get around to using.

[13 schoolyards]

My problem is that I watch stuff for a living - I can't just be across comedy, there's also every other genre out there that I have to keep up with. So in my time off I tend to take as many short cuts as possible to the good stuff... which is suppose is really what all of us do.

Anyway, back on topic - anyone else noticed that there's at least two possible storylines for this week's episode? From Thursday's Green Guide:

When a military incident threatens to escalate the unit must deal with a delicate piece of international diplomacy involving one of Australia's closest neighboursFrom the Sunday Age TV guide:

The Prime Minister has declared there will be no more political appointments to diplomatic posts. The problem is - he needs to make one more.Little Miss Springfield, which one will it be?

*edit* unless they're both subplots in the same episode... which I guess might be the case...

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Confusing. Could have been a listings mix-up, could be the same episode. Could easily be the same episode actually.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

ABC TV's e-newsletter Switched On said this today:

The Prime Minister has declared there will be no more political appointments to diplomatic posts. Problem is - he needs to make just one more.

[menagers]

It's definitely that, as per ads I saw after Dr Who.

[13 schoolyards]

Forward sizzle for the episode on Wednesday August 6th:

The Hollowmen
(CC)
After a visit to a military base goes wrong, the Prime Minister becomes concerned that not enough people are joining the armed forces. CAST: Lachy Hulme, David James, Neil Melville, Rob Sitch, Merrick Watts

[kichigai]

There's a preview clip up at tvtonight.com.au

[13 schoolyards]

I've seen tonight's episode and yep, it's the "hack politician wants a cosy o/s posting just as a big report saying no more cosy o/s postings for hacks is due to come out" one.

It's also one where the Yes, Minister influence comes though loud and clear, though more in the plotting than in the performances / comedy side. It was still very well done, but if anything it was a little less funny than the first one - almost no "jokes" as such, but some decent one-liners around the place. I'm betting that The Hollowmen will end up being pretty much a "straight" series, with next to no broad comedy involved.

(though Rob does get to say "Fuck". And Santo gets one very funny line in)

[baudrillard]

The antidote for oh god this show sucks? Cool.

[menagers]

Well, I think it's very funny. What is the difference between a joke and a one-liner anyway? I really enjoyed this episode. Billie Brown's performance was utterly sublime. The whole bit about "reinventing the fucking sandwich" was brilliant (a personal bugbear of mine too). Jane's casting is very good, I even think the actress she picked for Mel looks like herself a bit. I admire the way she gets really good older Australian actors in to show us how it's really done. I know WD have been doing this for years, but I finally respect that now. Probably because I have been pacified by the right mix of comedians as well, as far as I'm concerned, everything Merrick says and does in this is gold.

Just like The Librarians, I am loving the passive/aggressive humour. This exchange cracked me up:
(after a series of doubtful queries with the aforementioned passsive aggressivity...)
TONY: Is it printed on recycled paper?
PHILLIP: Yes.
Tony: Should it be?

[menagers]

"Words without actions are like a hollow sounding gong" - Kevin Rudd, Lateline, just now. Coincidence much?

This one was slightly tougher going for me. Showing up my glaring naivety when it comes to foreign affairs and politics. Well, it wasn't 'tough' going, more educational. So, being played very straight then. Maybe it's almost time to pull out the 'drama' tag.... Nah. One of the things that relieved me about Frontline was it's ability to have a funny character development episode in between the more serious eps (cue stupidmeatball's school angst ;-)), I would really love to see one of those down the tracks.

The mincing with words that went on here reminded me so much of Howard's short-sighted inability to say 'sorry'; that's just my two cents though.

The actress who plays Mel (Jackie Brennan - I think) still freakishly reminds me of Jane. Which is bittersweet, because I really miss Jane in this BUT it's great that she casted a woman who does such a brilliant job worthy of her!

[baudrillard]

She reminds me of Jane too to be honest.

I think maybe, just maybe, we might actually see some digging back into the Howard years perhaps after seeing this episode.

[menagers]

What is that song Rob is singing at the start? Is it The Corrs? I wonder if he still has that ipod full of whistling songs?

Someone tell me that it ISN'T Tony Martin and Tom Gleisner's voices in the opening news reports. I know I'm going mad, but this is getting ridiculous.

[13 schoolyards]

I don't think it was them - it didn't trip my Late Show trigger, but I didn't have the volume up full bore.

And I thought tonight's episode was a bit of a step forward comedy-wise, as the lack of a big guest star provided a little more room for character stuff... ok, for Rob to reprise Mike Moore. But it did seem a bit more settled-in, and while I'm starting to feel it'll never make me really laugh out loud, if it continues on at this level I'll certainly keep watching with no regrets.

[menagers]

So the original Tom from Home and Away didn't rate as a guest star? No, I suppose not. And I appreciate the check, I am clearly suffering from being HIGH ON A HAPPY VIBE. I am the Urban Cookie Collective.

Yeah, there was a little more character stuff, the very thing I asked for in my previous post, I see that now. Getting to know more about Mel (would you say she was treated in a sexist way?) and Tony with his "can't jog to Fran Kelly" bizzo. See? I don't even know who Fran Kelly is! If Rob and Santo had dared not to be on camera for this I wonder if I would be saying different things about it.

It is a pity Santo doesn't have funnier stuff to do. I believe I am the biggest fan ever of that moment in Welcher and Welcher when he violently rips off his shirt to be used as a bandage. Would there be any call for Theo to do something like that? I hope so.

Help me! I am laughing at everything Wil A. says on The Gruen Transfer *groan*. What can be done? Is there a pill? Please, someone tell me it's all written by Denton or someone...... ugh. I disgust myself.

[SandhurstMachinery]

Has anyone noticed when they're in the office that there is always cricket on the TV's behind them?

Is it some sort of in joke?

[Pete the Clown]

I don't think there is a joke with the cricket in the backyard. I picked up the cricket footage is from the recent Aust-Windies series on foxtel but the sky news channel is always on as well in the background which I figure would always be on due to the nature of the show.

[13 schoolyards]

I've been noticing the running slag-offs at Australian film - last week the Senator said something about not wanting to watch Aussie films if no-one else would, and this week Rob said something along the lines of "why can't we make happy films?" regarding pulling out of an Indonesian film festival. All good points, though Aussie film is a very soft target at the moment.

And Fran Kelly is a political reporter who I mostly know from ABC TV (she's on the 7.30 report sometimes), but I guess she's on Radio National as well.

[stupidmeatball]

This one was slightly tougher going for me. Showing up my glaring naivety when it comes to foreign affairs and politics. Well, it wasn't 'tough' going, more educational. So, being played very straight then. Maybe it's almost time to pull out the 'drama' tag.... Nah. One of the things that relieved me about Frontline was it's ability to have a funny character development episode in between the more serious eps (cue stupidmeatball's school angst ;-)), I would really love to see one of those down the tracks.

I really liked Frontline, except for the handful that we studied, but one of my fav bits of the funny character development that you mentioned was in "The Desert Angel" (the most studied of the four eps) with Brooke spreading the Pat Cash rumours, that had me laughing for ages in English, to the point that my teacher yelled at me, which caused another argument over the subject matter. Wow school was great! *groan*

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Fran Kelly is the breakfast host on Radio National, isn't she? To my shame I know this because of that Chaser sketch "Franno and the Morning Crew".

[danielsanger]

Hi guys,

I'm catching up with Santo on the set of Hollowmen next week - I'll be sure to fill you all in:)

Daniel

[menagers]

Well, there's some sizzle!

Cool Daniel! But it begs the question, why meet on the set if the show has been shot? Has it? That was the impression I got. I would have thought that lot would have been holed up in a darkened editing suite with bags under their eyes. Anyway, I am all intrigued, looking forward to your gos!

[danielsanger]

I can't answer that - as I don't know:) I know season 2 got the go - ahead.. Will let you know as soon as I do:D

[kichigai]

And Fran Kelly is a political reporter who I mostly know from ABC TV (she's on the 7.30 report sometimes), but I guess she's on Radio National as well.

She was also the 'Stephen Quartermaine of politics' on The Panel (first series I think).

[baudrillard]

Doesn't anyone remember that they only shot Frontline a week in advance?? It was to make sure that if something topical happend they can change the story. I think they'd be adhering to that even more closely seeing as this show is specifically political. Thinking caps people! Who ever said it was finished shooting????

[13 schoolyards]

...or put another way, the ABC only recently upped their order of episodes to 12 (from 6), so presumably they now have to shoot those episodes. I don't think they're working a week ahead, but the schedule is pretty tight - preview discs are only being sent out the Friday before.

[baudrillard]

That's how short the turn-around times were on Frontline, I'm pretty sure they stated that in Behind the Frontline.

[13 schoolyards]

I'm sure you're right regarding Frontline - I just don't think they're quite that speedy this time around. After all, all the storylines so far have been pretty generic so far.

(menagers, this might mean that address I gave you is still good!)

[menagers]

hmmm.

[menagers]

For your amusement.. (http://www2b.abc.net.au/tmb/Client/Message.aspx?b=81&m=22749&dm=1&pd=2&am=22905)

And something you may not have already seen (http://www.abc.net.au/corp/communications/you/stories/s2303008.htm)

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Good finds, menagers. The first link reminds of that bit in Behind the Frontline where they discuss the use of swearwords in Frontline and how they see swearwords as part of everyday language.

[menagers]

If anyone has earnt the right to the odd use of 'fuck', it's Working Dog who have assiduously avoided it for over 2 decades of work. Let them get all the laughs C. Lilley got so easily, too. It's only fair.

Personally, I find it very enjoyable hearing Rob say that!

[13 schoolyards]

Interesting review of The Hollowmen in today's Sunday Age TV mag, where the reviewer came out and said what many of us (here at least) have been thinking: it's not really a show you laugh out loud at, but it does pull you in. They framed the debate in terms of it being "too much yet not enough" like Frontline, which I thought was a good way to put it (even if they also said that memories of Frontline were "still fresh", when it's been a decade or so).

That kind of thing does suggest that there might be some kind of media backlash on the way though. With expectations so high before it started, I'm surprised there hasn't been more "it's not quite up there" talk... though the first reviewer to say it's not as good as Chris Lilley's work (and you know it'll happen) should be fired.

[stupidmeatball]

Of course Frontline memories are still fresh, have you watched ACA or TT recently, it's like the new producers thought that Frontline was a guide on how to make current affair programs lol

[Captain_Birdseye]

No talk about last night's episode yet?

I thought it was easy viewing through the first 10 minutes and then must see tv from then on.

Loved the name of the concept 'Future Proofing' and the 'idea's basketball' - something I suggest Tony Martin's time at Triple M might've had an impact on the writing of that particular area of the script.

I'm rating Merrick Watts too - really solid addition to the cast and likeable - considering I dont' find him that funny when he's doing his own comedy is a testement to his acting ability (or the writing!).

The two bureaucrats who pop up in every episode are spun gold - i loved the moment in the png response epsiode when Murph (its MURPH not Merv... it appears, obviously i've got poor hearing!) did a joke and the larger of the two guys added in deadpan 'yep I just got that one too' - funniest moment in the series thus far.

This is just great television - and if anything highlights how much terrible tv actually gets funding these days...

[13 schoolyards]

According to today's Green Guide, The Hollowmen is dropping in the ratings - no 54 in Melb (just over 302,600 viewers) and 68 nash (907,000 viewers). In comparison, The Gruen Transfer was no 6 with 440,000 in Melb and 13 with 1.4 mill nash.

Tho again, the fact that viewers can change channels at 9.30 doesn't help the ABC, plus a lot of their viewers, um... go to bed early? It'll be interesting to see how The Hollowmen does when it shifts to 9pm in a few weeks.

(sorry Captain_Birdseye, I haven't watched last night's ep yet)

[SandhurstMachinery]

According to today's Green Guide, The Hollowmen is dropping in the ratings - no 54 in Melb (just over 302,600 viewers) and 68 nash (907,000 viewers). In comparison, The Gruen Transfer was no 6 with 440,000 in Melb and 13 with 1.4 mill nash.

What about reg & Tas?;) (thanks Peter Rowsthorne).

[menagers]

Last night's ep was 22 carat gold. I love the super subtlety of it. "Oh, the ball. Great." For surely we've all encountered some wanker who feels the need to jiggle about on those things. Personally, I can't abide them. Once your waters break on one, it's all over.

And the little reveals of Mel's character are delightful. It must take some force to pop a basketball :smile:.

I can't tell you why, but Kangawonga is a funny placename.

Should I be embarrassed to admit that I find it informative? Well, I care not, I find it informative.

[stupidmeatball]

Tho again, the fact that viewers can change channels at 9.30 doesn't help the ABC, plus a lot of their viewers, um... go to bed early? It'll be interesting to see how The Hollowmen does when it shifts to 9pm in a few weeks.



I don't think it's being bumped to the 9pm slot, as there was an ad for some other tv show straight after the Gruen Transfer (can't remember the title, it didn't impact on me much).

[baudrillard]

Has Rudd's name ever explicitly been stated in the show, or it's always The PM, because there's no way that the series isn't directed at specifically our current governement.

[kat-rant]

no, in fact individual politicians have ever been mentioned, it's always the Prime Minister, or Health Minister, or whoever. It's kept pretty generic, really

[13 schoolyards]

I don't think it's being bumped to the 9pm slot, as there was an ad for some other tv show straight after the Gruen Transfer (can't remember the title, it didn't impact on me much).

No, it's not being bumped - there were reports that the second series (following hot in the heels of the first 6 episodes) would be on in the 9pm timeslot. There might even be a break over the Olympics, tho' I'm not sure about that. It's some UK comedy replacing Gruen for now, and yes, very unimpressive it looked too.

As for the Rudd connection, the show seems to be trying very, very hard to not take sides - all the dramas have been fairly generic and could apply to both sides, no pollies have been named, no seriously divisive issues tackled. Not that various conservative columnists haven't claimed that it's "obviously" an attack on Rudd anyway. Which is the trouble with doing a show like this (especially right after Howard's demise) - it's always going to look like a swipe at the current mob.

[baudrillard]

Yeah I really have to say I'm very upset about the timing of this show. No matter what they do or say, the interpretation that it's specifically anti-the present government is going is resonate the most. And I think last night's episode really kind of crossed the line, the surplus that no one knew how to spend? Howard and Costello only knew how to cut things, please!

[Bean Is A Carrot]

There's now a Hollowmen vodcast on iTunes. I subscribed and so far they're only offering episode 4 for download. Unfortunately I couldn't get it to work and I'm guessing that's because it's not available outside Australia.

[baudrillard]

But the xvid is of higher quality. Were you looking for it for any specific reason?

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I was partly alerting people and partly trying it out for my own interest. It's also easier and more convenient than torrents.

[half goon half god]

No, it's not being bumped - there were reports that the second series (following hot in the heels of the first 6 episodes) would be on in the 9pm timeslot. There might even be a break over the Olympics, tho' I'm not sure about that. It's some UK comedy replacing Gruen for now, and yes, very unimpressive it looked too.


They're not even going to screen the rest of the second series of Mitchell & Webb in that spot. Disappointed.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that they said they weren't referencing either side of politics - that's why it's about the people 'behind the scenes', so to say, rather than backbenchers.

[baudrillard]

Backbenchers are not the target of the attack. The target is spin doctors and those sort of advisors who are entirely poll-driven. The timing of this project makes it look (and especially last week's plot) like they're having a go at the Rudd government for being out of their depth and clueless. I'm sorry but it's just I'd like some flesh on the satire, and it should be set before the last election or something when there were really disgustinging things coming from these spin doctors, not merely trivial spins to save face in the PR wars. The public obviously more closely associate spin doctors with Rudd than Howard.

[half goon half god]

Argh, sorry, I didn't make myself more clear there - I'm pretty sure I read that the original idea, floating around years ago, was more focussed on minor politicians, such as backbenchers. But that was scrapped in favour of the guys who work to try to make the politicians look good. It also meant that there wouldn't be any party bias by not mentioning who they work for, which would be nearly impossible if it involved pollies.

[13 schoolyards]

To be fair, last weeks episode - where they had a huge budget surplus and had no idea what to do with the cash - was a problem both Howard (in his last few years) and Rudd have had.

Increasingly my worry with the show isn't that it's seen as having a go at one side over the other (which, let's be honest, was always going to happen) - it's that by not really having a go at one side or the other and making sure to stick broadly to the middle of the road, what satire there is (as baudy points out) is pretty thin and toothless. We're really only getting bland, generic "politics as usual" stuff here, when if they were a bit more specific and used more obvious real life examples (which might mean they were more obviously having a go at the Howard years, although both Keating / Hawke and Rudd could provide plenty of less immediately recognisable moments) the show might have a bit more of an edge and a point.

As ir stands, the politics (to me) feels a little lightweight and generic, and there's not enough character comedy as yet to make up for it. I can understand why they want to avoid party bias, and with Howard dominating recent political history it's hard to make a show like this now that wouldn't seem like a big swipe if they used recognisable scenarios from the recent past. But it'd be a better show if they bit that particular bullet.

[half goon half god]

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/08/bumped-hollowmen.html

After taking a break for the Olympics, The Hollowmen will move timeslots.

It will screen 30 minutes earlier at 9pm from Wednesday August 27.

This will be the final episode of the ABC comedy series.

During the Olympics it is replaced with That Mitchell and Webb Look, which also concludes on August 27.
:-D

[13 schoolyards]

I think - think - they mean that it'll be the last episode of the first series. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the second lot of six episodes will follow on directly from the first (in the 9pm timeslot).

[ShitScared]

You can download The Hollowmen LEGALLY now as wmv or mp4

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/hollowmen/vodcast_wmv.xml
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/hollowmen/vodcast_mp4.xml

[snatto gauro]

Didnt Bean mention this already?Dont think you can get it overseas but i may be wrong....and personally i dont see anything wrong with posting so-called illegal flash versions as i know many like myself will go out and get the dvd either way.Reason i have posted the flash files is for overseas people who dont have access.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I mentioned the vodcast, which like the links above, doesn't work overseas. It's a good thing I can get the show from "other sources".

[baudrillard]

What are these dubious sounding "other sources" of which you speak, Bean?

[Bean Is A Carrot]

A certain torrential tidalwave you're more than familiar with.

[ShitScared]

I mentioned the vodcast, which like the links above, doesn't work overseas. It's a good thing I can get the show from "other sources".
Sorry Bean - every time I visit the site since I visit last there's an extra 30 posts that I don't have time to sit through and read individually as I use the net at work and don't have it at home yet (4 months and counting).. Apologies people.

EDIT: funny that.. it was only the page previously.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

It's not your fault the links don't work, ShitScared. Thanks for putting them up. They might have worked.

[13 schoolyards]

No Hollowmen next week - looks like the Olympic break story was correct (then again, why wouldn't it have been?)

[half goon half god]

Tonight's was probably the most 'laugh-out-loud' episode yet. The double-act of the PM's secretaries, Phillip and Warren, was hilarious. As was the running joke about shorts. Stupid, but funny.

[danielsanger]

I went on set yesterday - it was great! Got to watch them film and met the cast etc.. :smile: Great fun!

[Mason Hell-Cat]

Great work, Daniel! How did this come about? You just called your old mate Santo or what?? Give us some goss!

----

And yes, I agree last nights was the best ep thus far. Hilarious, stupid, and intriguing the whole way through.

[danielsanger]

Santo invited me down for a catchup - so while I was there he and Michael Hirsh gave me the grand tour.. Santo had to go now and then as he films all the scenes he's not in.. It was great though - got to watch Rob Sitch in fine form. I hadn't met Rob before, so that was certainly a thrill. I also met Lachy Hulme - who seemed to stay somewhat in character off camera - took me a while to realize this:) Oh I would frequently have to duck around corners of the set to avoid getting on camera - and try not to make a sound.. I was there for just over an hour - also went up to the editing suite and watched a scene being put together.. They are so nice there - really down to earth and generous with their time!

they have 4 eps left to film for this season..

[menagers]

That's great Daniel!

And I really enjoyed last night's ep a lot too. This has to be a true story, surely? Perhaps Gen Y won't remember the ads that we grew up with: "You'll be wet, you'll be homesick and frigh-tened.. But the pride of the fleet is with you". But even I noticed how cushy those ads look now. No tax, no hecs, more chicks now than ever before, what are those apathetic young things waiting for? Oh, there I go again with my generationism... sorry.

Rob had a surprising gag in last night's ep, as well. What was it now? I might go watch it again online...

[half goon half god]

To be honest, sometimes when I read about the defence force paying you to study, I think 'yeah, that doesn't sound too bad'. And then I remember that it also involves running around, strict discipline and the possibility of being shot at, and scrap the idea.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Yeah, that being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan thing is kind of a deal breaker.

[Mason Hell-Cat]

for me its the showering with 50 other blokes thing that scares me off

[stupidmeatball]

My hospitality teacher at Tafe used to teach the ADF cooks and she tols us the stuff that they cooked for the recruits, that was more than enough for me to be turned off

[Hig]

Santo invited me down for a catchup - so while I was there he and Michael Hirsh gave me the grand tour.. Santo had to go now and then as he films all the scenes he's not in.. It was great though - got to watch Rob Sitch in fine form. I hadn't met Rob before, so that was certainly a thrill. I also met Lachy Hulme - who seemed to stay somewhat in character off camera - took me a while to realize this:) Oh I would frequently have to duck around corners of the set to avoid getting on camera - and try not to make a sound.. I was there for just over an hour - also went up to the editing suite and watched a scene being put together.. They are so nice there - really down to earth and generous with their time!

they have 4 eps left to film for this season..

You lucky bugger Daniel, Good on you. ( I wish I could paint! )

[danielsanger]

You lucky bugger Daniel, Good on you. ( I wish I could paint! )

I thought about taking my camera - though I didn't want to be a pain.. Unfortunately Tom and Jane weren't there - though to see Rob do a couple of scenes was great:D

[Mason Hell-Cat]

I think I'm just impressed how Santo has obviously taken a bit of a shine to you, and just invites you out for catch-ups! It's every poster on this forum's dream!

[menagers]

http://www.theage.com.au/national/hollow-truths-20080816-3wrj.html?page=1

An article covering what has become hot 'water-cooler', or in my case wine n' cheese talk. Namely, how unbelieveably accurate The Hollowmen is. I have two family members, one a political aide and one who worked in a newsroom during Frontline's run, who just shake their heads and wonder if they are being bugged.

Is it just me, or do the people in the article who deny any similarities come across as total buffoons?

[baudrillard]

If only the ABC had bothered to show In The Thick of It here... OUR damned ABC my arse.

[half goon half god]

What was In The Thick Of It, Bauds?

[13 schoolyards]

UK fly-on-the-wall comedy series looking behind the scenes at a low-level cabinet minister's office. Very much about how important perception has become in Tony Blair's government. Mix it with Yes Minister and you've got a pretty good recipe for The Hollowmen. The ABC was going to show it a couple of times (including earlier this year), but never managed to get around to it.

I think they're actually doing some kind of movie version at the moment, which should be very interesting to see.

[Bean Is A Carrot]

I think they're actually doing some kind of movie version at the moment, which should be very interesting to see.

Yeah, they've been shooting that recently. The plot seems to be some kind of thing with the Americans and whether to go to war.

[Pete the Clown]

Don't think it has been mention here but reading a week or so back Series/season 2 of the The Hollowmen will start Wednesday Sept 4th at 9 p.m so after the completen of series 1 on the 27th of August.

[Pete the Clown]

Sorry that's September 3, not 4 for The Hollowmen series 2.

[13 schoolyards]

There's also the last episode of series one on the week before that (in the 9pm timeslot).

[13 schoolyards]

... and The Hollowmen DVD (I'm guessing it'll be series 1 & 2 - 12 episodes all up) is due out on Dec 4th. No idea what extras, if any, it'll feature.

[menagers]

Have you seen the Russell Coight collection, schoolyards? Any extras there?

[13 schoolyards]

I'm guessing it's just a re-packaging of the existing series plus the telemovie. There's a whole bunch of similar sets coming out for Xmas (Chris Lilley box set, anyone?). And still no information on the mysterious "DAAS Gold" DVD, due out in October (or maybe November). Though Phoenix s1 is finally getting a release - yay!

[Bean Is A Carrot]

Though Phoenix s1 is finally getting a release - yay!

YES!

Dear Mum and Dad,
Please send me Phoenix series 1 for Christmas.
Your loving daughter,
Bean Is A Carrot

[half goon half god]

... and The Hollowmen DVD (I'm guessing it'll be series 1 & 2 - 12 episodes all up) is due out on Dec 4th. No idea what extras, if any, it'll feature.

Considering their track record, I'd imagine a grand total of 0 extras. :|

(TLS and Bargearse don't count - they're Tony's.)

[menagers]

There's loads on The Dish! Credit and gold stars for effort people*!

*in the vain hope this will encourage more from them

[menagers]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv-reviews/the-hollowmen/2008/08/26/1219516457576.html

The tide turns...

[half goon half god]

I'd have to agree with his criticism of Rob's character. Maybe it's just me, but I can't help thinking he's Mike Moore v2.0. Not someone who'd be a government employee, and certainly not in such a high position.

[mixmaster flibble]

The reviewer makes some good points, but then I read his much more positive review for Hole in the Wall...