UN Picks Wonder Woman Over Helen Clark

The United Nations recently rejected seven female candidates vying for its leadership, one of whom was NZ's own Helen Clark.
Now, to promote women and girls, it's picked a cartoon character as its mascot: Wonder Woman! Yeup, the comic book figure.

Wonder Woman

Dozens of countries pushed this year for a woman as the next Secretary General, pointing out that the UN pledges to promote gender equality and arguing that it needs to "lead by example". But after months of internal jockeying, the Security Council picked António Guterres, who ran the UN refugee agency for ten years, to be the world's top diplomat.
Now the UN has announced it'll appoint Wonder Woman as an honorary ambassador for "the empowerment of women and girls"! That appointment will be made official on Oct.21, when Wonder Woman turns 75, only slightly older than the UN itself.
Too bad Wonder Woman will not actually walk through the halls of the UN. If she did, she'd have to sort out a few internal issues, like peacekeepers who sexually abuse civilians and major military powers that bomb schools. Instead, president of DC Entertainment, Diane Nelson will accept the designation, along with "surprise guests". No word on whether Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman on tv, will be there...

Scary Woman

Wonder Woman's avatar (er, that's "image" for those of us who were not born yesterday) will be used on social media to promote important messages about women's empowerment, including gender-based violence and fuller participation of women in public life... ironic, considering nine out of ten senior UN leadership jobs last year went to men. Not to mention, a woman has never led the UN.
Wonder Woman's not the only fictional character to be celebrated by the United Nations: Winnie the Pooh was its honorary Ambassador of Friendship in 1998 and Tinker Bell its honorary Ambassador of Green in 2009.
Not that those factoids or magic bracelets will make Helen Clark any happier about missing the cut...

The 24 Clock Keeps Ticking

Great news for fans of the awesome TV series 24!!!
FOX is making a pilot, called 24: Legacy, which'll be a potential new season of the groundbreaking award-winning thriller.

The story will involve a military hero Eric Carter's return to the US and the trouble that follows him back – compelling him to ask CTU for help in saving his life, and stopping what could be one of the largest-scale terror attacks on US soil.
It'll have an all-new cast with the same real-time, pulse-pounding pace with split screens and interweaving storylines, and back to the original one-ep-per-hour concept.
Not so great news: no sign of Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland). The producers have hinted the series may continue without Jack! They're not talking about continuing the whole show without him - just whether there's one installment (season) that he's not in. Hmmmmmm...

So, who've they got with enough cred to carry another season of 24 without Kiefer? There've been whispers of Kate Morgan (Yvonne Strahovski) from 24: Live Another Day. Was she strong enough? She certainly clocked up an impressive kill-count.
Freddie Prinze Jnr turned in a commendable performance as Cole Ortiz in 24: Season 8. But Cole was damned for associating with Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff), so that won't fly.

Still, not all is lost, not by a long shot! Stand by for the return of Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard)!
This spoiler, 24: Legacy, is set two years after Jack's capture by the Russians. Tony's been in maximum security for eight years, and wants out...how and why? [ click ]
No-one's gonna cast and film this sorta clip for no reason, so it's safe money that - if 24: Legacy actually does screen - then Tony. Will. Be. Back!!!

UPDATE: The 20-something main character, Eric Carter, was conceived by the producers as an African American, and the actors approached so far have all been black. Depending on how the casting goes, I hear the character's ethnicity may change but he will remain "diverse".
And get this: the female lead is a woman with a long history at the agency, a former head of CTU. Will we recognise her? Or will she just have a nice back-history written into the script? So much for "an all-new cast"...

TV3 News Now One-Dimensional

This week, tears flowed on-screen as Mediaworks axed yet another

investigative tv programme.
The demise of TV3's 3D was announced earlier this month with parent company Mediaworks saying long-form current affairs "is challenging to make commercially viable...and given the way media consumption habits are changing, unfortunately continuing 3D may not be possible".
During the final show, reporter Sarah Hall remarked: "This type of storytelling is so important to us as a country. I truly hope that somehow, some way, programmes like ours will still find a place, because without them, these stories are going to be lost." The end of 3D follows the widely-bagged axing of Campbell Live earlier this year.
In a statement, the broadcaster said it was now working with staff on "redeployment opportunities" but wouldn't give a number of how many staff are affected.
Media comentator Brian Edwards says Mediaworks' conscious shift into tabloid-style reality tv is something it's been consistently open about: "In my opinion, they don't seem to be dedicated to public service broadcasting or current affairs... at the end of the day, it comes down to generating revenue and profit."
Media blogger Martyn Bradbury writes that TV3 should 'come out', admit it's right-wing, and "end this facade of fourth estate accountability."
A Mediaworks spokesman says news and current affairs remain a priority for TV3 and points out it's invested heavily in Story, Paul Henry and Newsworthy to reflect that. A pity then, that these programmes seem decidedly NOT newsworthy...

Friends: The One Where Nobody Noticed

American tv series Friends had a fantastic run over its 1994-2004

lifespan.
People around the globe could relate to the many misadventures and oddball utterings of Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, Chandler and Ross.
It became one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002. The series finale in 2004 was watched by 52.5 million US viewers, making it the 5th.most-watched series finale in tv history, and the most-watched tv episode of the 2000s decade.
Pretty amazing, huh?
What's even more amazing is that, until now, NOBODY noticed the cast substitutes!

Yeup, an eagle-eyed US fan has spotted stand-ins in several episodes!
Jordan D'Amico noticed one during Ep.209, The One With The Mugging (2003). As you can see (above), Rachel is there beside Joey. But then, quicker than you can say "How you doin'?!" - different blouse, different woman!
D'Amico then spotted a sub for Monica, in Ep.175, The One With Rachel's Date (2001) (to the right)!
How this has gone unseen for so many years is a mystery... just what the hell was happenin'???!!!

Goodbye, Good Morning

Say goodbye to Good Morning.
Television New Zealand is finally axing its long-running (and these days, painful!) morning show.
The TV One slot, which has gradually shrunk to just an hour on weekdays at 9am, will die an overdue death by the end of December.
The ship-of-fools features a varying cast including Jeanette Thomas, Matai Smith and Matt Gibb, and has been home to other well-known faces over the years such as Mary Lambie, Kerry Smith, bizarre metrosexual Brendon Pongia and Steve Gray. [Aaahhhhhh, how can we forget that OTT presenter who led the nation in embarrassing exercise routines in oversized tracksuits...? And also how can we forget his departure, after the bisexual was told by TVNZ bosses to "tone down" his gayness...? Remember the 15-minute mini-drama? I'm still trying to figure out the "tone down" comment!]
Then of course there was Sarah Bradley, ditched at the end of 2011. In my mind, that was when TVNZ crossed the Rubicon, and should have quietly rolled the show up instead of flogging a dieing horse for another four years. Sarah was the show - without her, it was just more drivel-coated advertising-laden pap. Pleased to see that Sarah's gone on to better things...but that's another story.
Good Morning has been on NZ TV screens since 1996. TVNZ's director of content Jeff Latch says it's "nearing the end of its lifecycle and TVNZ has chosen to focus its local content investment in prime time programming." No word yet on a replacement but "it will likely be some form of international lifestyle content".
Hey, here's something novel: why not buy in more cooking crap, renovation rigmarole or tedious tired travel talk?
The ship-of-fools sails again!

UPDATE: 02 October 2015 - TVNZ swings the cost-cutting axe again. Who will be killed off next - Peter Williams? Or Bernadine Oliver-Kerby?

Cilla: A Bit Of Scouse Rough

British tv personality/singer Cilla Black, whose instantly recognisable Liverpool 'Scouse' accent won over generations of fans, died last weekend in Spain of natural causes.
Black (born Priscilla Maria Veronica White on 27 May 1943) broke through in the 1960s as a buck-toothed pop singer in the Merseybeat boom, and went on to become one of the enduring stars of UK tv light entertainment (her name change was the result of the local Mersey Beat newspaper mistakenly calling her by the wrong colour!).
Championed by The Beatles and their manager Brian Epstein, she began her singing career in 1963, and her first hits Anyone Who Had a Heart (1964) and You're My World (1964) both reached No.1. Black had eleven Top 10 hits on the UK charts between 1964-1971.

By 1965 she'd become the female symbol of British youth. Her version of Anyone Who Had a Heart was the UK's biggest selling single by a female artist in the '60s. By 1968 at 25, she was a millionaire. A quarter of a century later, she was the highest-paid female entertainer on British tv.
Along with a successful recording career running until the early 1970s, Black hosted her own tv variety show Cilla, between 1968-1976. After a brief time as a comedy actress in the mid-1970s, she became a prominent tv presenter in the 1980s and 1990s. In 2013, Black celebrated 50 years in show business.
Cilla Black was named ITV Personality of the Year in 1987 and Variety Club Showbusiness Personality of 1991. She won a Bafta in 1995, and was appointed OBE in 1997.
She made a career out of what one critic described as 'the phenomenon of ordinariness.' Unashamedly working-class, she would laugh: "I was a bit of fun and a bit of Scouse rough and everybody liked me, I was normal. I could have been the kid next door. And then I turned into the auntie next door. And now I'm the granny next door!"
Cilla Black married her long-time boyfriend and manager, Bobby Willis, in 1969. He died in 1999, and she is survived by their three sons. Cilla was 72.
NZ recently enjoyed the TV mini-drama Cilla, which starred Sheridan Smith in the title role - the real Cilla loved it!

F.A.B., Mr.Tracey!

Half a century on, Thunderbirds are still GO!!!
ITV Studios UK, in collaboration with the dynamic NZ duo of Pukeko Pictures and world-famous Weta Workshop (Avatar, King Kong, Lord of the Rings), have produced Thunderbirds are Go!, a 26 x 30min. major new series launching on TV2 this weekend!

TB2: Virgil is Da MAN!!!

This re-invention of Gerry Anderson's iconic series uses a unique mix of CGI animation and live-action models. It'll also affectionately pay tribute to the legacy of the original classic series, often credited with changing the history of animation and action-adventure.
Featuring the world's most famous family of heroes, Thunderbirds are Go! will blast the five brave Tracy brothers from International Rescue (IR) back onto tv screens, piloting incredible vehicles into impossible rescues across the globe.
And as a nice doffing-of-the-cap to the original series, David Graham reprises his role as chauffeur/IR agent Parker.
As one who grew up avidly watching the show, and playing the part of Virgil (pilot of the big green TB2), I look forward to seeing the combination of current film techniques and the much-loved heritage that's endured for the past 50 years.
The puppet strings, mono-brows and flashing eyes may be gone...
but the Tracey brothers, Lady Penelope, Brains and Parker are back - smarter, fitter and with better gadgets than ever!



PS: And just for the record, IR's "F.A.B." code (defined by Collins English Dictionary 2002 as "an expression of agreement to, or acknowledgement of, a command"), was not actually conceived as a code at all.
When asked in 2000 what it stood for, Gerry Anderson said: "Absolutely nothing! The abbreviation "fab", as in "fabulous", was all the rage in the '60s, and I just changed it a bit." He also described it as the futuristic equivalent of "Roger" ie: 'Message received and understood'". So now you know...!

Thunderbirds are Go!, 7pm Sunday 12 April 2015, TV2.

Blonde Bimbo's Burger Ring Blunder

"With this burger
ring, I thee wed."

Was it because she was blonde?
Was it because she was Australian?
Whitney Beseler will no doubt be remembered for all of...ohhhh...15 minutes, for the "most embarrassing moment of her life" on the tv show, Millionaire Hot Seat Australia.
The P.E. teacher/Contiki tour manager from Ballarat didn't write history as the one who took home a million smackeroos. She'll be remembered as the blonde who didn't get the super-simple $100 question right!
She was asked by host Eddie McGuire: "Which of these is not a piece of jewellery commonly worn to symbolise a relationship between two people?"
The choices: anniversary ring, engagement ring, wedding ring and...burger ring.
Tough one, huh? Beseler confidentially locked in 'anniversary ring'.
Bzzzzzzztt! Time's up!
Only then did Whitney realise her mistake: "Oh my God, burger ring! Oh, Eddie - that's the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me. Can we cut and start again please?"
Er...no...we can't.

Mind you, in the 'dumbness' stakes, she's got a looooong way to go, to beat Miss South Carolina in Miss Teen USA 2007!

To Pea Or Not To Pea

Here's a short clip from Iron Chef America, an American cooking show on The Food Network.
The critics were delivering their thoughts on a pea-oriented dish.
But WTF???!!! WHAT did that judge say???
And what did the other judge think she said???
"There's much penis going on here, which is nice, I like it a lot..."
That's what she SAID!!!
I'll not say another word...*snort*snigger*

24: Live Another Day - That SUCKS!!!

Jack is back! Except in New Zealand! DAMMIT!!!

With 24: Live Another Day now screening in US, UK and Australia, it's logical that NZ will soon get it too.
But with no hint of it in the upcoming schedules, TVNZ, Mediaworks, Soho and Sky were asked to confirm which of them had the rights to the new series.
After Mediaworks lost the Fox output deal last year, the new series would have been up for grabs for whoever wanted it... so... we wait... with baited breath... which network will be screening one of the most eagerly-anticipated series of 2014.
TVNZ says it's not them. Sky? Same response. Mediaworks, not playing it either. Soho? Nupe. This is DESPITE the season receiving rave reviews internationally! WTF???!!! How damn sucky is THAT!!!
Jack Bauer fans across New Zealand will not be able to view the new season of 24 here, and - unless you're into a US download site - you may have to wait for it to come out on DVD.
My life is at an end...

Bob Hoskins Dies

UK actor Bob Hoskins died this week after a bout of pneumonia, at the age of 71.
He'd retired from acting in 2012, due to the onset of Parkinson's disease, an incurable muscular disorder.
Hoskins was born in 1942 in Suffolk, where his mother was living after being evacuated due to the heavy bombings in London. He received only limited education and left school at 15, but with a passion for language and literature. A regular theatre-goer, Hoskins dreamed of being on stage, but worked many odd jobs for a long time to make ends meet - steeplejack, trainee accountant, circus fire-eater and hotel porter were just a few.
His big break came by accident, when he accompanied a friend to some auditions, only to be confused for one of the auditioners, having a script pushed into his hands and being told: "You're next"...
His career began on British tv shows. Moving into big film roles, his turn as a mobster in The Long Good Friday (1980) defined his tough guy persona.
He was nominated for a best actor Oscar in 1987 for Mona Lisa, in which he starred opposite Sir Michael Caine and Robbie Coltrane, and won a Golden Globe award. Caine says: "He was one of the nicest and best actors I have ever worked with."

His big Hollywood break came in 1988 when he played Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. He then went on to 1990's Mermaids and Hook (1991).
His portrayal of J.Edgar Hoover in Nixon (1995) earnt him a Screen Actors Guild nomination, while in 2001's Enemy At The Gates, he played the cold-blooded future Russian premier Nikita Krushchev.
In later years he took on parts in smaller films, including Made in Dagenham, about women seeking equal pay with male workers at a car plant near London. He also played the voice of the character Winston in Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006). The British Film Institute's Sight & Sound magazine says Hoskins was one of the most recognisable UK actors of the 1970s and 1980s.
My favourite Hoskins movie was with Judi Dench in Mrs Henderson Presents (2005). Keep your eyes peeled for him in many films of the past three decades - yes, even 1982's Pink Floyd The Wall (!!!).
Bob Hoskins: often understated, never under-rated.

Does Seven-Dull Stand A Chance?

Comedian (his PR's word, not mine) Jesse Mulligan is out.

He's leaving TVNZ news show Seven Sharp at the end of this week.
He was the last original host of the show, which premiered in February last year: "I've had a good time making this show, but now it's time to get back to my comedy roots. Hosting Best Bits has reminded me how much fun a live audience can be, and I leave Seven Sharp confident that Mike and Toni will take the show from strength to strength."
This Thursday 17th is Mulligan's last show, but he'll continue to host Best Bits for TVNZ (I believe Best Bits is meant to be comedy, but it hasn't made me laugh yet).
It was bizarre that a Current Affairs prog, set opposite TV3's Campbell Live and aimed at bringing news to a young adult audience (who have very little interest in news and, if they did, would probably get it via their iphones) should be fronted by a comic - and a dubious one at that! In fact, the entire 7-Dull concept - presenters, style, content, graphics, set - seemed doomed from the start.
Mulligan added nothing to it, neither did Alison Mau - another of the original three - who should've stuck to lightweight consumer shows. The only one with any news talent was Greg Boyed, who saved his career by wisely leaving the show in Sept.2013.
TVNZ is not looking for a replacement for Mulligan, with new arrivals Mike Hosking and Toni Street staying.
Perhaps now 7-Dull may sharpen up...is that remotely possible?

Update: 16 April 2014 - Meanwhile Mike Hosking's been described by Alison Mau as a 'dictator'!

24: Live Another Day - Season Nine Promo

What can I say?
Here's the next promo from Fox, with more glimpses of what's gonna be a kick-arse 12-episode more intense season than EVER (starting in US, mid-May)!
Rejoice!! Rejoice!!! BAUER'S BACK!!



+ See also my earlier March 2014 posting [spoiler alert].

Bauer's Back!

Jack returns!
Fox Network brings us 12 episodes called 24: Live Another Day.
Wait: TWELVE??? The producers'd planned to do a feature film but, as they got into it, they realised that 24 - compressed into two hours - is not 24. So, unlike what happened in the regular series — where each episode represented an hour in Bauer's action-packed life — the new version will jump around during the day. And the star power will be better than ever: a lot of Hollywood Who's Who wanted to participate... so expect fireworks!
But just where will the mayhem take place? Will it be in Germany, where the producers could link Live Another Day to some of the dark areas of Seasons 1-2 (like hit-woman Mandy, arms dealer Max, intermediary Trepkos, the people pulling the strings of the attempts on Prez David Palmer's life)?
No, it'll be set entirely in London! While little is known, the plot takes place four years after Day 8 (Season Eight), with Jack a fugitive, hunted by the CIA. A brief teaser shows ever-supportive Chloe (Mary Lynn Rajskub) by his side. (SPOILER ALERT: UK actor/comedian Stephen Fry plays the British Prime Minister. I can also confirm that ex-Sec.of State Heller and his daughter Audrey Raines will also appear. Yes, Audrey's out of her coma...and married to the White house Chief of Staff. Oh, but did I mention that Heller is now Prez of the US of A??!!).
24: Live Another Day screens in US and UK this May.

From McSurgeon to McSailor

After a long run (2006-2012) on Grey's Anatomy as Dr Mark 'McSteamy' Sloan, Eric Dane moves from medicine to military.
He stars in a new sci-fi adventure series The Last Ship, as the captain of a US naval destroyer.
The Last Ship looks more like a movie than an ongoing series, but maybe that's what the producer Michael Bay (The Transformers) is going for. It follows a crew who are the last remaining people on the planet not to have fallen victim to a global pandemic that's wiped out 80% of the world's population. Now the ship is humanity’s final hope for survival...
Their mission is simple: Find a cure. Stop the virus. Save the world. Blow the trumpets for the heroic US Navy. God bless America.
But wait: where's their endless fuel, food and hair gel coming from? And, if they're all that's left, who's attacking them? And why?
Hmmm...sounds like a steal of Neville Shute's 1957 post-apocalyptic novel On The Beach. See what you think.

Hope For Seven Sharp?

TVNZ presenter Ali Mau is leaving the light current affairs evening show Seven Sharp, to host a new early afternoon programme with Willie Jackson on RadioLive.
She's the second host to quit 7-Dull since it began in February, with Greg Boyed wisely leaving in September to return to late-night news show Tonight. Comedian (his description, not mine) Jesse Mulligan is the only original host still on the show.

Toni Street

Two new faces will be tv Breakfast host Toni Street and scruffy opinionated broadcaster Mike Hosking: they may just be able to drag 7-Dull from its stagnant mire...TVNZ head of news and current affairs John Gillespie denies that this is the plan, even though critics have labelled it lightweight infotainment.

Mike "Do I really need
a shower?" Hosking

Hosking will double-dip on Newstalk ZB radiowaves, while a search hunts a replacement for Street on Breakfast. The future is less clear for ex-weatherman Tamati Coffey, who's been filling in on 7-Dull after Boyed's departure (and recently hosted NZ's Got Talent). He won't return to 7-Dull next year.
Meanwhile over on RadioLive, lesbian Alison Mau and maori radical Willie Jackson...now that should be 'interesting'. This'll replace the Jackson/John Tamihere pairing. They were taken off-air after a controversial interview about a teen rape issue. Tamihere will not be back.
Bill Ralston, former TVNZ news and current affairs boss, is surprised at the Mau/Jackson tag team but thinks they have potential "as long as they don't kill each other." We'll find out soon enough.

Lewis Collins Hands In His Gun

CI5's finest: Shaw, Jackson, Collins

When I was a teenager in the late '70s, there were only two questions about tv series The Professionals that needed answers:
(1) "Who's the Coolest Pro on the show?" and
(2) "How can I save enough to buy that car?" (a 3L Ford Capri).
For me, The Coolest Pro was always 'Bodie'. No disrespect to Martin Shaw, but his character 'Doyle' was more like a ponse trying to be staunch, especially with that bubble perm hairstyle. No, Da Man was only ever 'Bodie', played by Lewis Collins (though ironically, before he began acting, Collins was a hairdresser!).
UK action series The Professionals ran 1977-1983, and followed Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5, and their controller, George Cowley (played by Gordon Jackson). Their mandate was to fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Bodie was a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper/mercenary whose nature ran to controlled violence, while Doyle came from the regular police force and was more of an open minded liberal. Tough, funny, a hit with the ladies and, more often than not, the man who came to the rescue if things looked in danger of going belly-up.
Yeup, Bodie was Da Man.
Sad thing is: post-Professionals, it was Shaw who went on to considerable success in his career, while Lewis all but disappeared (aside from a starring role in the SAS movie Who Dares Wins).
Still...remember him as Bodie, Da Man, smashing his Capri through stacks of cardboard boxes and saving Britain from the bad guys.
[Collins has died of cancer, at 67.]

Greg Boyed Makes Intelligent Choice

Presenter Greg Boyed is leaving TVNZ's Seven Sharp to return to primetime news - and will finish tonight.
Boyed has worked alongside has-been consumer interviewer Alison Mau and wanna-be comic Jesse Mulligan to host the 7pm nightly current affairs show, which launched last February to dismal reviews and lacklustre ratings.
Boyed will co-host One News Tonight with Miriama Kamo from next Wednesday. His replacement was still being recruited, but the press release says a raft of 'familiar faces' will join M+M in the meantime.
Fact is, there've been so many 'familiar faces' guesting on Seven Sharp, that its format seems to have morphed from attempting to hook into the younger demographic (by blending social media with light news), into a veritable "who's-who" of NZ's "you-ain't".
Television channels adopt widely varying strategies for current affairs programming in the hunt for viewers, and networks have to adapt to the market. So do presenters. Boyed's initial move to Seven Sharp was perhaps an attempt to do just that. His decision to return to serious news is a far more intelligent choice. He is one of NZ's top news presenters, and does us all a great service by coming back to what suits him best.
TVNZ still trumpets Seven Sharp as the new face of current affairs but, for many, it's evidence of the channel 'dumbing-down'. Maybe it should take a leaf out of Boyed's book.

NZ TV Smalley Talk

TV3 presenter Rachel Smalley is jumping ship from brekkie TV to a rival radio network.
NewstalkZB (Radio Network) has signed Smalley for a new pre-breakfast programme called Early Edition, which'll air between 5-6am. Her show will lead into the 6-8.30am breakfast programme hosted by Mike Hosking.
Currently Rach presents Firstline Mon-Fri 6-9am on MediaWorks' TV3. When she moves to radio, she'll continue to present the weekly political debate show The Nation on TV3, for the rest of the season...no decision's been made beyond that.
Across the road, MediaWorks' moneylenders are closer to taking control, two months after kicking it into receivership.
The receivers've signed a conditional sale and purchase agreement, which'll settle Sept.30. Then the broadcaster's assets will transfer to a new company chaired by Aussie businessman Rod McGeoch, and including former Eyeworks Touchdown boss Julie Christie, best known in NZ for a string of naff reality TV series.
The insolvency has meant MediaWorks' $172million in programme rights commitments over the coming five years are open to termination. TVNZ and Prime TV have been in like gannets, fighting to take shows away from MediaWorks' TV3 and Four. MediaWorks has owned rights for shows like Modern Family, The Simpsons and Family Guy for several years, but ownership and programming deals with these and other Fox TV and NBC shows are in limbo.
Industry goss says the receivers assumed studios were willing to keep MediaWorks strong, but they may have underestimated the willingness of Sky and TVNZ to poach shows.
MediaWorks receivers will be hoping that the loss of the soap opera Home and Away is the first and last biggie lost: that show began on TV2 this week.

Media Blinded By Its Own Dazzle

I make my living off the evening news.

Just give me something, something I can use.

People love it when you lose.

They love dirty laundry.

Got the bubble-headed bleach-blonde, comes on at five.

She can tell you 'bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye.

It's interesting when people die.

Give us dirty laundry.

(Don Henley, Dirty Laundry)

An indicator of what's BIG in US news is when networks have special graphics zipping across the TV with a flashy soundtrack.
Who's the victim? Who's the villain? Who's the reporter with (to quote Don Henley) "a gleam in her eye"?
One of the biggies this month was - supposedly - 'the Trial Of The Century': Zimmerman versus Trayvon. Live coverage from fake-tanned TV hosts outside the courthouse, cheerily debating whether a self-appointed community watchman was or wasn't a murderer. Or to happily spin it another way: White vs Black. Or Adult vs Teen. Either way, it was 'Trial By Daytime TV'...and roll dem graphics!
But just over the border in Canada, a train loaded with oil derailed in Lac-Megantic, exploded and killed 42, with 5 more missing presumed dead...yet passed as a mere footnote in the good ol' USofA. Curious.
...meanwhile back in NZ, our media eagerly reports every jittery nuance of the WELLINGTON earthquakes, largely ignoring that the vast majority of damage and fear has hit the little town of Seddon. Most of the big shakes have been just off the Seddon coastline - nowhere NEAR the capitol. Yet squeaky wheels make the most noise, so reports around the world scream of collapsed bridges, rail lines shredded, commuters fleeing in abject horror...in Wellington!
Forget poor Seddon, feeling all this for REAL (and where virtually all of the town's 250 houses have sustained damage): the so-called TERROR of Wellingtonians SELLS far better! Well, if nothing else, the government in its parliamentary palace in Wellington may be finally gaining a slight understanding of what Christchurch experienced two years ago!
And of course how can we forget the recent US reporting of the Seddon EQ as actually happening right across Southern AUSTRALIA!!!
For the media these days, it all boils down to 'whatever sells...' and to hell with accuracy! Just give us dirty laundry.