Aug 03 2017

Scumbus movie now available

Credit: http://stefanduscio.com/scumbus.html

Fans of the engorged man-brute rejoice.

If you missed out on the repeated screenings late night on Channel 10 over the last few years, Working Dog alumni Ed Kavalee‘s 2012 film Scumbus is now available online for free.

Starring Kavalee, Toby Truslove, Tony Martin, Lachy Hulme, Peter Helliar, Glenn Robbins, Ash Williams and many more, we follow the life of two police Constables who have been downgraded to maintain the scumbus, after they crashed their police car.

You may have to click through to YouTube to view the movie.

 

https://youtu.be/-dZiB1epl9E

Jun 23 2017

Molloy and Kennedy for the drive home in 2018

We’re half way through 2017, and we already have good news for 2018.

Current Triple M Melbourne breakfast personality Mick Molloy is teaming up with The Late Show family friend Jane Kennedy to drive you home on Triple M.

Longtime friends and comedy colleagues Mick Molloy and Jane Kennedy are joining forces to drive Australia home in 2018 across the Triple M Network.

Molloy, from the legendary Martin/Molloy to the No.1 Daytime show Tough Love, has spent the last 7 years on Melbourne’s #1 FM Breakfast show, The Hot Breakfast. Mick says:

“I can’t wait to get back to my natural habitat on the drive shift. I imagine the show will be a lot like my usual conversations with Jane minus a couple of good bottles of vino”.

Jane Kennedy began her career in radio and appeared with Mick on Triple M on the ground-breaking breakfast show The D-Generation. They both went on to write and perform together with the team from the ABC TV classic The Late Show. Jane says:

“I’m rapt to be working with Mick again and I can’t think of anyone better to do Drive with. Plus Micky’s usual excuse of sleeping through the alarm won’t wash anymore!”

Triple M’s first completely national drive time offering will commence on air in Melbourne in October, followed by Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and over 30 other markets in January.

“It’s so cool to have these two exceptional performers on Triple M Drive” said Triple M Head of Content, Mike Fitzpatrick.

“The stations where we already have local drive shows will now be followed each day by Mick and Jane, giving the Triple M Network a truly national drive footprint”.

Mick and Jane will be an irresistible force delivering a fun and entertaining show that will appeal to audiences right across the country.

A new co-host for Triple M’s Hot Breakfast will be announced soon.

Stay tuned to your radio… you’ve been warned.

For now, enjoy this classic Kennedy on The Grill Team Melbourne from 1994.

Jun 22 2017

Airdate: Utopia Season 3

Get ready for the mis-adventures of public service with Tony and the rest of the National Building Authority with Season Three of Utopia.

After highly successful Seasons One and Two and the script book, Australia’s favourite stress-head Government boss Tony (Rob Sitch) is again joined by Nat (Celia Pacquola), Hugh (Luke McGregor), Rhonda (Kitty Flanagan) and the rest of the NBA staff as they try to keep debacles and chaos in the public service in order.

Utopia – Season Three, returns Wednesday July 19, on your ABC.

May 31 2017

New Tony Martin Book On The Way

A new stocking stuffer is on the way for Christmas 2017.

Tony Martin. (The Soap Actor, Cyclist, Crooner, and Escape Artist not pictured)

Everyone’s favourite Andrew Denton impersonator Tony Martin has been hard at work, scribbling away in between stage performances with the dude from TISM and appearing on Nova100, and managed to finish a book.

Martin has taken to Twitter to express his satisfaction that his 4th book / 1st novel Deadly Kerfuffle will be published by Affirm Press for late 2017.

https://twitter.com/mrtonymartin/status/869815855357415425

 

What? FOURTH book? If you aren’t up to date with his writings, his first two books Lolly Scramble and A Nest Of Occasionals were cosy memoirs, while eBook Scarcely Relevant was a summary of articles he’d written for his now defunct site The Scrivener’s Fancy.

Stay tuned to this site for more information as it comes, as well as Affirm Press.

May 10 2017

Santo, Sam and Ed Total Football Podcast on iView

You’ve seen the trio on channels SBS, 7Mate and Foxtel.

When they’re not on screen, they’re on iTunes.

But now, the good folks at the ABC are spending our 10 cents a day in fine form, by bringing the successful Santo, Sam and Ed’s Total Football Podcast to iView – in video form.

So, what’s different about their regular audio podcast to the iView edition?

It’s visual. You get to see Snato, Kim Jong Un and the G.E. Money Genie sit in a radio studio and talk their glorious talk with special guests. It’s just like eavesdropping!

The show will be available weekly every Tuesday from 8:30pm, which you can view via abc.net.au/iview or on the program site.

You can also download the audio show via iTunes / Stitcher and through ABC’s radio program site.

Apr 24 2017

Working Dog’s 2017 Logie Night Of Nights

Pang, Gleisner, Logie, Kavalee.

It seemed to be the night for champagne comedy.

The Working Dog team took out both Best Entertainment Award and Most Outstanding Entertainment Program for their comedy quiz show Have You Been Paying Attention? at the 59th TV Week Logie Awards on Sunday.

Quiz Master Tom Gleisner, along with regular panelists Sam Pang and Ed Kavalee took to the stage twice to obtain their silver awards, which will no doubt end up going straight to the pool room.

Gleisner was actively tweeting his point of view at the event from “Table 52”.

As well as their Logie winning performances, Tony Martin made a surprise appearance on stage, paying homage to the late great John Clarke, who recently passed away at 68.

 

On a side note, friends of the Working Dog team Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler‘s show Little Lunch took out Most Outstanding Children’s Program – which the show stars the offspring of Jane Kennedy and Rob Sitch.

and on an EXTRA side note, the Logie winning Have You Been Paying Attention? returns to our TV screens Monday May 8.

Apr 10 2017

VALE John Clarke

We’re sad to hear a long-time team player to the D-Generation and Working Dog crew John Clarke has died, aged 68.

Born in New Zealand, the satirist who brought Fred Dagg to the Australian household, made A Current Affair more interesting alongside his comedy partner Bryan Dawe with satirical interviews as Clarke & Dawe.

While Clarke wrote and appeared in many Australian TV and films, he appeared in the The D-Generation Goes Commercial, as well as Mick Molloy‘s 2003 film Crackerjack. He was even the celebrity gardener when The D-Generation hosted Burke’s Backyard.

Clarke also popped up on radio shows, such as Molloy and Tony Martin‘s Martin/Molloy.

 

https://twitter.com/mrtonymartin/status/851240990371336192

You can read more on John Clarke’s passing here.

Feb 27 2017

DVD Review: Stop Laughing… This Is Serious

Get to the bottom of Australia’s funny-bone with this six part ABC documentary, out now.

The Comedy department of the ABC as well as Screen Australia and Screen NSW have done this wide brown land a course of justice by bringing Stop Laughing… This Is Serious to the Australian household.

For decades, Australian comedy has tantalized and tickled the funny bone of its citizens, but not much of it is documented in such detail. In this two season, six x one hour episode series, interviews with comedians, actors, writers, performers, producers and many other people from all walks of life discuss the origins and influences of Australian radio, TV, theatre and film comedy. From the early days of In Melbourne Tonight and Graham Kennedy‘s adventurous and risque wit, to bare-naked body parts blending with slapstick music, to uni revues and eventually to the halls of network television and the silver screen, Stop Laughing… This Is Serious interviews many talents who have come far with their careers to become household names.

 

https://youtu.be/xVveZaeEOdA

Each episode has a certain genre / theme to cover. For example: the first episode of Season One (narrated by Eric Bana) highlights the humourous look at everyday suburban life. One’s everyday mannerisms is a performer’s goldmine of jokes (and royalties). While episode three of Season Two (narrated by Colin Lane) covers the topic of how the variety format covers a large age demographic, and helped get many well established comedians of today, a launching pad for their career.

Not to forget, all the controversies are covered too, such as censorship, racism and equality.

Many shows, films and people are covered over the two seasons, like:

  • The Big Gig
  • In Melbourne Tonight
  • Graham Kennedy
  • Kath & Kim
  • Paul Hogan
  • Frontline
  • Judith Lucy
  • The Late Show
  • Hey Hey It’s Saturday
  • Billy Birmingham
  • Black Comedy
  • The Castle
  • Nick Giannopoulos
  • Crocodile Dundee
  • Norman Gunston
  • Edinburgh Fringe Festival
  • The Naked Vicar Show
  • Ian McFadyen
  • Kevin Bloody Wilson
  • Fat Pizza
  • Fast Forward
  • Shaun Micallef
  • The Comedy Company
  • Full Frontal
  • The Chaser
  • Australia, You’re Standing In It
  • The Gillies Republic
  • Barry Humphries

The list is endless.

https://youtu.be/ZU6hyhrbMW0

The 2 disc set contains other than the two seasons and six episodes of the series, but on Disc Two, extras contain more interviews based on jealousy, more details on comedian Gerry Connolly and censorship, a detailed look at Billy Birmingham‘s development of The 12th man, and impressions upon impressions. This DVD set is a definite must-have if you are very passionate about Australian comedy, no matter which shape or form it comes in: from black and white TV to YouTube.

Stop laughing… This Is Serious Seasons 1 and 2 are now available on

DVD  – ABC Shop

iTunes – Season 1 & 2

Google Play – Season 1 & 2

Written for ChampagneComedy.com and Oztalgia.com

Feb 08 2017

Stop Laughing… Judith’s Serious

In a second season return to ABC TV’s 2015’s Stop Laughing… This Is Serious, the second episode covers the theme of women in Australian comedy.

From Wendy Harmer, Jean Kittson, and Judith Lucy, Stop Laughing…discusses how cut-throat the comedy industry was (and in some cases, still is) to have women writing and performing comedy – whether stand-up or TV performances.

In this preview, Tony Martin gives praise to Judith, who as we all know here – came to The Late Show during the second season.

Stop Laughing… This Is Serious Season 2 – Wednesdays 9pm on ABC TV.

Miss any episodes? See Episode 1 and future episodes via ABC iView.

Season One is available on DVD and iTunes.

Jan 05 2017

Undiscovered Masterpieces of YouTube: Jane Kennedy on Saturday Morning Live

In 1988-1989, radio personalities Ian Rogerson and Jonathan Coleman hosted Saturday Morning Live – a programme on Channel 7 with games, quizzes, news and music.

One of the segments was It’s Rockademic – a play on the quiz show It’s Academic – with questions based on popular music of the day.

In this video, the D-Generation‘s Jane Kennedy (dressed up as her D-Gen Kylie character) is teamed up with Danny Waterson, and is pitted up against carry-over champion Danielle Keogh, with teammate Kylie Minogue.

 

On a side note: two teams with a “Kylie” and a “Danni / Danny” ? Spooky…

Thanks to Daniel Hopmans for the reminder!