The Sun-Herald

The Who We Are update: Mento browbeats Despos

To discuss why Avatar won't make $100 million, why Keneally will win the NSW election, and why MasterChef won't get the same audience this year, go to The Tribal Mind.
For the winners of the Australia Day limerick contest, go to Who We Are.

What Australia watched, Monday
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,420,000 385,000 480,000 294,000 95,000 166,000
2 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,387,000 305,000 388,000 292,000 190,000 211,000
3 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,355,000 308,000 420,000 255,000 176,000 197,000
4 AUSTRALIAN STORY ABC1 1,250,000 349,000 452,000 215,000 115,000 118,000
5 NINE NEWS Nine 1,193,000 326,000 410,000 237,000 113,000 107,000
6 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,150,000 353,000 351,000 223,000 94,000 129,000
7 THE BIG BANG THEORY Nine 1,143,000 335,000 342,000 258,000 65,000 142,000
8 MY KITCHEN RULES-MON Seven 1,107,000 320,000 327,000 193,000 129,000 138,000
9 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,082,000 323,000 363,000 217,000 74,000 105,000
10 HOME AND AWAY Seven 1,072,000 289,000 336,000 192,000 127,000 127,000
13 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 1,001,000 256,000 322,000 180,000 112,000 130,000
17 GOOD NEWS WEEK Ten 838,000 197,000 254,000 161,000 107,000 119,000
20 THE 7PM PROJECT Ten 723,000 193,000 167,000 195,000 77,000 91,000
31 Q & A ABC1 412,000 161,000 108,000 78,000 36,000 29,000
32 MYTHBUSTERS SBS ONE 370,000 97,000 89,000 83,000 52,000 49,000
46 JUDGE JOHN DEED 7TWO 216,000 23,000 78,000 53,000 20,000 41,000
59 30 ROCK Seven 163,000 62,000 57,000 16,000 14,000 14,000
Continued here

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 08:46 PM
• Comments (22)

The Tribal Mind: Never bet on politics, television or the movies

For the winners of the Australia Day limerick contest, go to Who We Are.

by David Dale
This column is not a gambling man, but somehow in the last few weeks it has become entangled in three foolish wagers. In chronological order of likely embarrassment later this year, I seem to have placed bets that:

1) Avatar will never pass $100 million in Australian ticket sales and will thus leave The Sound of Music with the title of Australia's favourite movie;
2) Kristina Keneally will be Premier after the next State election;
3) No television series this year will top the mainland capitals audience of 2.4 million who watched the men's final of the tennis last Sunday.

This column is supposed to have some insight into the mass behaviour of Australians, so you'd think I'd know better than to take such risks. We can blame Cardinal George Pell, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, for bet number one. In January, he condemned Avatar as "old-fashioned pagan propaganda". To reassure him, I pointed out that although it had earned more money than any other film in history, Avatar would need to make $100 million to sell as many tickets as The Sound of Music, which some might describe as old-fashioned Catholic propaganda. And ticket sales of that kind would never happen. (To read that discussion, go to Baal worship.)

Mary Sum, an oracle who writes box office analysis for a website called urbancinefile.com.au, challenged us to put a bottle of great red wine on this prediction. As of last Thursday, Avatar's takings totalled $94 million. Please don't go again this weekend.

Bet number two is with a journalist from a rival news organisation, who sneered at my contention that voters will be influenced by a detail the pundits have so far ignored: Kristina Keneally is hot, and Barry O'Farrell is not. I offered to buy lunch if Keneally lost. While not denying Keneally's sex appeal, my opponent said he was so confident of her inability to transcend the rottenness of NSW Labor, he would put up his house.

Bet number three is with a fan of MasterChef, who was complaining about Channel Seven's new show My Kitchen Rules, rapidly nicknamed Dining With Bogans, because its contestants are so tedious. I suggested MKR would devalue the currency of foodie talent quests, and cut the audience that Ten can expect for this year's MasterChef. The fan said MasterChef's producers would be smart enough to choose interesting characters and to create a suspenseful story arc, letting it repeat the performance of attracting 3.7 million viewers to the finale.

If any episode of MasterChef or any other series draws more than 2.4 million viewers this year, I have to buy a dinner at Sydney's best restaurant. My confidence is boosted by the audience numbers in this chart:

The most watched shows of last week
1 Australian Open final (7) 2.4 million
2 Two and a Half Men (9) 1.5 million;
3 The Mentalist (9) 1.3m;
4 The Big Bang Theory (9) 1.2m;
5 Customs (9) 1.2m;
6 RSPCA Animal Rescue (7) 1.2m;
7 Grey's Anatomy (7) 1.2m;
8 My Kitchen Rules (7) 1.2m;
9 The Biggest Loser launch (10) 1.2m;
10 So You Think You Can Dance Australia launch (10) 1.2m.
(OzTAM preliminary estimates, mainland capitals)

Programs that once averaged 1.8 million viewers and passed 2.2 million for special events are stuck on 1.2 million. This is not because Australians are watching less television. It's because there is now too much choice, provided by Foxtel and by the big networks' digital spinoffs. Very few shows have the capacity to unite the nation any more. Tennis still does it. MasterChef did it last year.

I'm anticipating that after the State election next year, I'll be setting off from my brand new house with my great bottle of red and heading for a fine meal at [product placement here]. But probably I'll have to pay for all three.

Go to Comments to discuss the merits of these bets.

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 04:36 PM
• Comments (6)

WHO WE ARE: There once was a limerick contest/ From which we have chosen the ten best ...

... We hope ute and chilli,
Weren't requirements too silly.
And thank you for joining the love fest.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 7/2/2010
The task was to compose a limerick that included the words chilli and ute. The prize for the ten wittiest was a copy of The Little Book of Australia. The total number of entries was 206.

Some readers transcended the temptation to rhyme the key words with willy and root; many found ways to make political statements; and several took the opportunity to dispute answers in the patriotic quiz this column constructed two weeks ago. For example, a question on who invented the Paddle Pop provoked this response:

"Dear David, As the great nieces of Edwin Street we definitely knew the answer to this question. But to our horror our answer did not correspond to your answer. We were the original taste testers of the Paddle Pop which was invented by our father, Ronald Street, the nephew of Edwin (better known as Ted). Ted actually told our father it would be 'a nine day wonder'. Our father proved Ted wrong as the Paddle Pop has been around for over 50 years. We will buy the next version of your Little Book of Australia when the correction has been made! Jennifer, Fiona and Philippa Street."

I will send the Street sisters a copy of The Little Book, with the correction made by hand, and also give their father due recognition (along with their great-uncle) in the next edition. Their online comment inspired our first winner:

David Dale's quiz had some offended,
With a few answers that must be amended.
The three sisters Street
Gave some Paddle Pop heat.
Dave, your chilli-red ute's been rear-ended
(Suzanne)

In no particular order, these were the other recipients of The Little Book of Australia:

There once was a bowlful of chilli.
Aussies ate it and didn't feel silly.
They loved all the changes,
Different cultures and strangers,
And became friends in their Honda or ute.
(Amanda Taura)

Bruce and his mates in the ute
Gave chilli and tofu the boot.
They ran up the flags,
Barbied lamb and some snags,
Made burgers, of course, with beetroot!
(Kerrie Mead)

Kev once had a car-dealer ute,
That some people said was just loot.
Fair suck of the chilli!
The electorate is hilly.
How else was he meant to commute?
(Caz)

There once was a bloke with a ute
All the chicks thought it was beaut.
He liked to cook chilli
And show them his willy,
And sometimes it got him a root
(John & Sofia Wheeler)

There was a young man in a ute.
Was camped by a billabong, mute.
'Cause under the shade
Not some tea he had made
But spag bol, with chilli to boot!
(Pommie Git)

We Aussies are known for invention.
The ute's an example worth mention,
And the hoist made by Hilly,
Maybe spag bol with chilli.
But pavlova and thongs are exemption(s).
(Philip Kendall)

Oz bloke and shiela in ute.
Kids, dog and esky to boot.
Multicultural chilli.
Tea from the billi.
Our cuisine these days is a hoot!
(Graham Wood)

The ute, a type of a car,
Does not define who we are.
And equally silly
Is the notion that chilli
Projects our image afar.
(Greg Raffin)

There once was a farmer called Willi
Who planted genetically modified chilli.
When it started to shoot,
It devoured his ute.
I hope no one else is so silly!
(Ria Jansen)

You can read every entry, including the ones sent in by email, by going to limericks and more limericks.

To discuss why Avatar won't make $100 million, why Kristina Keneally will win the NSW election, and/ or why MasterChef won't get the same audience this year, go to The Tribal Mind.

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 05:50 AM
• Comments (5)

The Who We Are Update: The last week of TV's sleepy summer

For the winners of the Australia Day limerick contest, go to Who We Are.
To discuss why Avatar won't make $100 million, why Keneally will win the NSW election, and why MasterChef won't get the same audience this year, go to The Tribal Mind.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
This was Pay TV's account of itself for the week: "The American Idol Auditions was the number one program on STV in week 6, with 157,000 viewers watching the program on FOX8 on Thursday night. Midsomer Murders on UKTV was seen by 111,000 people, America's Next Top Model on FOX8 was watched by 105,000 and Bryan's episode of Come Dine With Me Australia on Lifestyle Channel was viewed by 104,000 people. Law & Order: SVU on TV1 was seen by 90,000 people, Hannah Montana on Disney Channel was seen by 78,000 people and Two and a Half Men on Arena was watched by 76,000 people. Taggart on 13th Street was seen by 68,000 people, iCarly on Nickelodeon by 67,000 viewers and Judge Judy on Bio by 62,000 subscribers.

"In sport, Live: Cricket: Ford Ranger Cup on FOX Sports was seen by 79,000 people, Sky Racing's Sky Raceday was seen by 66,000 viewers and Live: Football: EPL Liverpool v Everton on FOX Sports was viewed by 65,000. Subscription TV was the number one choice for TV around Australia with STV channels accounting for 23.2% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 21.8% of all regional viewing and 57.1% of all viewing in subscription TV homes."

What Women aged 25-54 watched, week ending February 6
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 TENNIS: 2010 AUST OPEN - MEN'S FINAL Seven 556,000 200,000 196,000 89,000 38,000 34,000
2 GREY'S ANATOMY-EP.2 Seven 520,000 141,000 141,000 118,000 56,000 64,000
3 GREY'S ANATOMY Seven 458,000 127,000 121,000 106,000 50,000 54,000
4 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - TOP 100 Ten 427,000 133,000 124,000 74,000 47,000 50,000
5 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES Seven 405,000 115,000 126,000 78,000 38,000 48,000
6 THE BIGGEST LOSER (AUS) - LAUNCH Ten 404,000 108,000 123,000 86,000 38,000 50,000
7 SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE AUSTRALIA - AUDITION 1 Ten 402,000 95,000 114,000 89,000 49,000 55,000
8 HOUSE EP 2 Ten 388,000 92,000 99,000 93,000 56,000 48,000
9 BROTHERS & SISTERS Seven 387,000 119,000 117,000 69,000 40,000 43,000
10 HOUSE Ten 378,000 92,000 91,000 93,000 54,000 49,000
Continued here

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 09:26 AM
• Comments (58)

The Tribal Mind: Preserved for posterity, the unexpected classics

To compare 21st century Australia with 20th century Australia, go to Another country.

by David Dale
Do these revelations make you proud of the tastes of Australians, or a bit embarrassed? One in every nine homes in this country owns a copy of Mamma Mia!; Love Actually is in more homes than The Lion King; Zoolander is in more homes than Twilight (despite the resemblance of vampires to male models); The Notebook (about a love that outlasts Alzheimer's) is in more homes than Australia (about a love that outlasts invasion); Dirty Dancing is in more homes than Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith; Underbelly Series 1 is in more homes than Summer Heights High, but only just.

Those insights emerge from an analysis of DVD buying habits conducted for this column by the research organisation GfK Australia. I had wondered which films and TV series over the years had evoked a desire for long term commitment instead of a one-night stand -- as in, the DVDs we bought, rather than rented.

Since Australians spend $1.5 billion a year on a form of entertainment that did not exist 15 years ago, I was curious about the libraries we've been building around our giant TV screens. GfK Australia found the 50 discs which sold the most copies since the technology landed in 1997 (when the first DVD to arrive upon our shore was Evita, starring Madonna).

The top selling DVDs of all time: 1 Finding Nemo (2004); 2 Mamma Mia! (2008); 3 Monsters Inc (2002); 4,5,6 The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2002-04); 7,8,9 Harry Potter and the ... Chamber of Secrets (2003), Goblet of Fire (2006), Prisoner of Azkaban (2004); 10 Pirates of the Caribbean (2004); 11 The Notebook (2005); 12 Shrek 2 (2004).

Except for The Notebook, those choices are films we loved at the multiplex and wanted to see again. But further down the 50 you find less familiar titles that suggest extraordinary discernment or mystifying obsessiveness. These were our unexpected icons ...

13. Dirty Dancing (2000). Somehow Australians made an emotional connection with a Jewish schoolgirl who falls in love with a WASP dance teacher in a summer camp near New York in 1963. Go figure.

17. The Matrix (1999). This film started the DVD revolution, when the geeks found a bonus feature in the form of a white rabbit that popped onto the screen during key sequences. Click your remote and you're transported to a mini-documentary on how it was made. Suddenly we knew why DVDs were better than videos.

26. Dances With Wolves (2001). Having embraced this tale of a soldier who goes native, Australians were fully prepared for Avatar.

32. Love Actually (2004): Some say silly sentimentality, some say sweet storytelling, but this film's appeal reaches beyond the DVD -- whenever it's repeated on TV, it pulls more than half a milion viewers. There must be more to it than Bill Nighy's channelling of Keith Richards.

34. 10 Things I Hate About You (2000) This is an updating of The Taming of the Shrew, in which visiting Aussie bad boy Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) charms sulky schoolgirl Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles). Testament to the enduring genius of Shakespeare?

39. Grease (2002). This flick convinces your kids that a girl like Olivia Newton-John must take up smoking in order to attract a boy like John Travolta.

49. Zoolander (2002). This incisive expose of the fashion industry contributed many phrases to the language: "So hot right now"; "Blue Steel" and "Magnum" (looks used by models); "Eugoogoolizer" (one who speaks at funerals); "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills"; and "Have you ever wondered if there was more to life, other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?"

Go to The DVDs Australia loved for the complete list and to Comments, below, to explain why these became classics.

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 03:28 PM
• Comments (5)

WHO WE ARE: The films Australia loved

List of the 150 highest-grossing movies of all time, and list of the 65 movies seen by the greatest number of Australians, prepared by David Dale from data provided by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia. Last updated January 31, 2010.

For the latest media trends, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare

Top flicks of the past 12 months: Avatar $95 million; Sherlock Holmes $25m; Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel $23m; It's Complicated $13m; Old Dogs $9.5m; Tooth Fairy $9.5m; hangovers from last year: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince $40.5m; Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen $40.2m; New Moon $38m; Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $29.7m; Up $28m; The Hangover $21.2m; Monsters Vs Aliens $20.5m; 2012 $20.2m; Wolverine $18.5m; Angels and Demons $18m; Night At The Museum 2 $17m; Gran Torino $17m; Fast and Furious $17m; The Proposal $16.5m; Mao's Last Dancer $15.2m; Bran Nue Day $5.5m; Charlie and Boots $3.7m; Samson and Delilah $3.2m.

Chart 1: The Australian box office
1. Avatar (2009) $95m (to learn what Avatar has in common with the oldest story ever told, go to Gilgamesh)
2. Titanic (1997) $58 million
3. Shrek 2 (2004) $50.5m
4. The Return of the King (2003) $49.5m
5. Crocodile Dundee (1986) $48m
6. Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $47.5m
7. The Dark Knight (2008) $46m
8. The Two Towers (2002) $46m
9. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) $42.5m
10. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009) $40.3m
11. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $40.2m
12. Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) $39m
13. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $38 m
14. New Moon (2009) $38m
15. Finding Nemo (2003) $37.5m
16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) $37.5m
17. Australia (2008) $37m (US$50m, world $US205m)
18. Babe (1995) $37m

To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 10:50 PM
• Comments (17)

WHO WE ARE: The DVDs Australia loved

For the latest media trends, bookmark blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.
List of most most purchased DVDs since 1998, prepared by David Dale, using data from GFK Australia. Last updated January 30, 2010.

Top selling DVDs of all time
1. Finding Nemo (2004)
2 Mamma Mia! (2008)
3 Monsters Inc (2002)
4 Fellowship of the Ring (2002)
5 The Two Towers (2003)
6 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2003)
7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2006)
8 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
9 Return of the King (2004)
10 Pirates of the Caribbean (2004)
11 The Notebook (2005)
12 Shrek 2 (2004)
13 Dirty Dancing (2000)
14 The Dark Knight (2008)
15 Pirates 2: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
16 Cars (2006)
17 The Matrix (1999)
18 The Incredibles (2005)
19 Ice Age (2002)
20 Gladiator (2000)
21 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 12:10 PM
• Comments (6)

WHO WE ARE: The TV shows Australia loved

This contains charts of the most watched programs of the 20th and 21st centuries, prepared by David Dale and based on data from OzTAM and ACNielsen. Last updated January 31, 2010. For the latest media trends, go to blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare

Chart 1. The top shows since 2001
Based on OzTAM's audience estimates for the mainland capitals. Series figures are for the most watched episode of the year.
1 Tennis: Aus Open final - Hewitt v Safin 2005 (7) 4.04 million
2 Rugby World Cup final 2003 (7) 4.01 million
3 MasterChef Australia - Winner Announced 2009 (10) 3.74 million
4 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony 2006 (9) 3.56m
5 AFL Grand Final 2005 (10) 3.39m
6 Australian Idol final verdict 2004 (10) 3.35m
7 Australian Idol final 2003 (10) 3.30 m
8 AFL Grand Final 2006 (10) 3.15m
9 The Block auction 2003 (9) 3.11 m
10 September 11 reportage, September 12, 2001 (9, 7, ABC) 3.10 m
11 Tennis: Wimbledon day 14 2001 (9) 3.04 m
12 AFL grand final 2003 (10) 2.96 m
13 AFL grand final 2009 (10) 2.70m
14 Big Brother winner announced 2004 (10) 2.86m
15 Australian Idol Live from Opera House 2004 (10) 2.86 m
16 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony 2008 (7) 2.82m
To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 11:50 AM
• Comments (18)

The Who We Are update: The last weeks of the silly season

To discuss why Love Actually is all around, and the other DVDs in most Australian homes, go to The Tribal Mind.

The ratings race, updated 10 am Monday
This was pay TV's account of itself for the week: "The American Idol Auditions in Los Angeles set a new record for the program with 173,000 viewers on FOX8 on Wednesday night. Midsomer Murders on UKTV was watched by 131,000 people, America's Next Top Model on FOX8 had 109,000 viewers and Law & Order: SVU on TV1 was watched by 95,000 people. Taggart on 13th Street was watched by 91,000 people, Come Dine With Me Australia on Lifestyle was seen by 91,000 viewers and As The Bell Rings on Disney Channel had 90,000 viewers. Hoarders on Bio had the best ever result for the program with 79,000 viewers, Saturday's First Edition on Sky News had 69,000 viewers and Toddlers and Tiaras premiered on Lifestyle You with 65,000 viewers.

"In sport, Sky Racing's Sky Raceday was seen by 74,000 people, Live: Football: A-League Newc v Sydney on FOX Sports was watched by 63,000 people and Live: Cricket: Ford Ranger Cup on FOX Sports was viewed by 54,000 people.

"Subscription TV channels accounted for 23.1% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 21.6% of all regional viewing and 57.5% of all viewing in subscription TV homes."

What viewers aged 16-39 watched, week ending January 30, 2010
Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth
1 TENNIS: 2010 AUST OPEN - DAY 8 NIGHT SESSION Seven 485,000 153,000 164,000 85,000 49,000 34,000
2 TENNIS: 2010 AUST OPEN - DAY 10 NIGHT SESSION Seven 410,000 141,000 136,000 73,000 36,000 24,000
3 ONE DAY CRICKET -AUSTRALIA V PAKISTAN GAME 2 SESSION 2 Nine 344,000 89,000 96,000 87,000 30,000 41,000
4 THE ALL NEW SIMPSONS WED Ten 332,000 78,000 110,000 67,000 34,000 43,000
5 TENNIS: 2010 AUST OPEN - DAY 9 NIGHT SESSION Seven 331,000 99,000 116,000 59,000 33,000 24,000
6 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 329,000 87,000 112,000 69,000 28,000 35,000
7 INSIDE MAN RPT Ten 322,000 88,000 95,000 75,000 36,000 27,000
8 FUTURAMA WED RPT Ten 316,000 62,000 98,000 68,000 33,000 54,000
Continued here

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 09:56 AM
• Comments (70)

WHO WE ARE: The music Australia loved

Lists of top selling albums and most successful performers, prepared by David Dale using data from ARIA and last updated January 31, 2010.

The top selling albums of the CD era
1. Whispering Jack (John Farnham) 1986
2. Come On Over (Shania Twain) 1997
3. Jagged Little Pill (Alanis Morissette) 1995
4. Innocent Eyes (Delta Goodrem) 2003
5. Music Box (Mariah Carey) 1993
6. Thriller (Michael Jackson) 1983
7. Savage Garden (Savage Garden) 1997
8. Falling Into You (Celine Dion) 1996
9. Recurring Dream (Crowded House) 1996
10. Abba Gold (Abba) 1992
11. Immaculate Collection (Madonna) 1990
12. Age of Reason (John Farnham) 1988
13. The Very Best of (The Eagles) 1994
14. Don't Ask (Tina Arena) 1994
15. Remasters (Led Zeppelin) 1990
16 I'm Not Dead (Pink) 2006
17 Funhouse (Pink) 2009
18. Soul Deep (Jimmy Barnes) 1991
19. Forgiven Not Forgotten (The Corrs) 1995
20. Come Away With Me (Norah Jones) 2002
21. The Sound of White (Missy Higgins) 2005
22 Yourself or Someone Like You (Matchbox 20) 1996
23 Forrest Gump (Soundtrack) 1994
24 Only By The Night (Kings of Leon) 2008
25 Get Born (Jet) 2007
To read and discuss the complete charts, go to The culture

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind, in whoweare-index at 08:50 AM
• Comments (47)

WHO WE ARE: Welcome to your new country

To discuss if we should move from the cultural cringe to the cultural strut, go to The Tribal Mind.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 24/1/2010
They don't get it, they just don't get it. Too many people have yet to work out that Australia in 2010 is a different country from Australia in 1960 - as different as France is from Italy or Vietnam is from Thailand.

I don't mean we speak a different language - though that's partly true. It's more a matter of tastes, attitudes and beliefs. When was the last time you ate a lamington? When was the last time you called a woman a sheila, unless with tongue-in-cheek? Or quoted a line from The Man From Snowy River? Or discussed Don Bradman's batting average? Or admired Paul Hogan? Or ordered a cup of tea or a schooner of Toohey's?

But many of the broadcasters of this land seem not to have noticed this change. Over the past two weeks I've been promoting a new release called The Little Book of Australia, which attempts to portray this nation in the 21st century. I've been answering questions from talk jocks who live in a world of nostalgia. One asked: "David, tell us how Australia has changed in 50 years - I hope not much." I replied that Australia had transformed from one of the most boring places on the planet to one of the most interesting, because we embraced change. We became early adopters of new ideas in technology, food, entertainment and people. The love of novelty is now part of the national character - not something that would have been said about Australia in 1960.

The book's subtitle is "A snapshot of who we are", and it's no coincidence that it includes the name of this column. This reflects the help I've received in the past five years from hundreds of readers who went to the web page and offered insights. Now I'm seeking your input again. Please study the list below, then go to Comments and add your own comparisons ...

The old Australia/ The new Australia
Chiko roll/ Chicken wrap.
Eddie McGuire/ Shaun Micallef.
Owyagoin?/ Wassup?
Tea with milk and sugar/ Skim latte.
Kerry Packer/ Kerry Stokes.
Pizza with pineapple and ham/ Pizza with figs and prosciutto.
Hey Hey It's Saturday/ Thank God You're Here.
Passionfruit pavlova/ Mango gelato.
Police arresting participants in Mardi Gras/ Police becoming participants in Mardi Gras.
Albert Namitjira/ Emily Kngwarreye.
Ben Ean Moselle/ Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc.
Hey Dad/ Packed To The Rafters.
Tomato sauce/ Tomato paste.
Soy sauce/ Chilli sauce.
Fast Forward/ The Chaser's War on Everything.
Crocodile Dundee/ Mao's Last Dancer.
Bob Hawke/ Julia Gillard.
Sweet and sour pork/ Pad Thai noodles.
John Laws/ Kyle Sandilands.
Don Bradman/ Shane Warne.
Sheila/ Chick.
Bloke/ Guy.
Dag/ Retard.
VCR/ DVD.
Iced Vo Vos/ Tim tams.
Barry Humphries/ Chris Lilley.
Fish and chips/ Sushi.
Geoffrey Blainey/ Tim Flannery.
Homicide/ Underbelly.
Bert Newton/ Hamish Blake.
Chicken Maryland/ Butter chicken.
Mel Gibson/ Sam Worthington.
Meat pie/ Gozleme with mince beef.
Kylie Minogue/ Ruby Rose.
Vegemite/ Nutella.
Thongs/ Havianas.
John Farnham/ Guy Sebastian
Corn flakes/ Muesli.
The transistor radio/ The iPod.
Lamingtons/ Cupcakes.

While you're extending the list at Comments, below, tell us which transformations were for the better and which for the worse.

To win a copy of The Little Book of Australia, go to The patriotic quiz.

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 11:33 PM
• Comments (22)

The Big 50: A patriotic quiz

To compare 21st century Australia with 20th century Australia, go to Another country.

This week Sun-Herald columnist David Dale releases The Little Book of Australia, which summarises everything you need to know about the carefree country in the 21st century. To mark our national day, he has constructed a slightly tongue-in-cheek quiz that tests whether or not you need the book, and he offers a chance for 10 readers to win copies.

Give yourself 1 point for each correct answer. A perfect score would be 80. A total of less than 50 means you should go back to school, move to New Zealand, or try to win the contest in the final question. Go here for the answers (but not yet), and below for the limericks.

1. What's the population today?

2. Give the sources of these expressions: "Not happy, Jan"; "Puck you, miss"; "Tell 'em they're dreamin".

3. What percentage of Australians say they are: a) Muslim; b) Buddhist; c) "No religion".

4. Where are the Big Banana, the Big Merino, the Big Pineapple?

5. Who is this: "Cut and come again is his name, and cut and come again is his nature"?

6. Identify this person, and rank him in order of popularity against Magda Szubanski and Hugh Jackman (as measured by the Q-scores survey)

7. What percentage of couples cohabit before marriage?

8. What was the bilby originally called?

9. What is the national dish - as in, the meal Australians say they cook most often at home?

10. What are the two fastest growing cities in the land?

11. Match these athletes with their sports: a) Layne Beachley; b) Betty Cuthbert; c) Sarah Fitz-Gerald; d) Anne Sargeant; e) Karrie Webb. 1) running; 2) golf; 3) squash; 4) surfing; 5) netball.

12. Name, in order, the three most common causes of death.

13. What are the national colours, the national flower and the national gemstone?

14. Name this woman. She is to women's liberation as [Man's Name?] is to animal liberation.

15. What percentage of Australians agree with this statement: "A woman should have the right to choose whether or not she has an abortion"?

16. What was the most watched non-sporting TV program of the 21st century? And of the 20th century?

17. Complete these phrases: "Flash as ..." ; "I'll rip yer ..." ; "Wouldn't shout in ..."

18. They starred in the most successful Australian film of the decade. Name them and it.

19. Who invented: the bionic ear; controlled crying; the black box flight recorder?

20. In the line "the colt from old Regret had got away", was old Regret a ranch or a horse? What was the colt worth?

21. Which of these politicians is not a practising catholic - Malcolm Turnbull, Tony Abbott, Kristina Keneally, Joe Hockey, Barry O'Farrell?

22. Who smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich?

23. What is Australia's top selling beer? And wine?

24. Underbelly was the story of which Melbourne crime family? And which would-be crime boss?

25. Who led the Aboriginal rebellion against the British invasion between 1790 and 1802?

26. What percentage of births are to unmarried mothers?

27. Name this icon, and its inventor. While you're at it, name the inventors of Vegemite and the Paddle Pop.

28. What four words came after the phrase: "That's not a knife; THAT's a knife"? In what film?

29. What is Australia's tallest mountain, tallest building?

30. The highest price paid for an Australian painting was $3.48 million. What was it?

31. Which capital has the highest salary earners, the longest life expectancy and the most same-sex partnerships?

32. What do we have to share with those who've come across the seas?

33. What are Akubra hats made from?

34. Each year, every Australian consumes 64kg of what vegetable?

35. What suburb is Edna Everage from?

36. Made with sultana, gordo and muscat grapes, which wine sold seven million bottles a year in the early 1970s?

37. Who was the greatest batsman of all time and what was his Test batting average?

38. Which prime ministers do we associate with these phrases: "the recession we had to have"; "relaxed and comfortable"; "fair shake of the sauce bottle".

39. Which country gave us thongs, pavlova and our top-selling wine?

40. On what does the average adult spend 21 hours and 48 minutes a week? And nine hours and 24 minutes a week on what?

41. What company created The Loud Shirt?

42. According to testing by the Bureau of Statistics, what percentage of Australians lack skills that are "the minimum required to meet the complex demands of everyday life"?

43. Name these men. Why was the one on the left banned from live television in 1975?

44. How much do we put through poker machines each year? How much do we win back?

45. Who is Australia's top selling author?

46. By what other names were the gumnut babies Snugglepot and Cuddlepie known?

47. By what other names are the radio presenters John Doyle and Greg Pickaver known?

48. What do Elizabeth Blackburn; Patrick White and Barry Marshall have in common?

49. To what did iSnack2.0 change its name?

50. Compose a limerick (five lines) that includes the words "ute" and "chilli". The 10 wittiest works will win copies of The Little Book of Australia. Go down to Comments to lodge your entry. And go to The answers to check yourself on the other 49 questions (you can also lodge your limerick there).

To discuss if we should move from the cultural cringe to the cultural strut, go to The Tribal Mind.
To compare 21st century Australia with 20th century Australia, go to Who We Are.

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 06:49 PM
• Comments (83)

The Tribal Mind: How good are we!

To compare 21st century Australia with 20th century Australia, go to Another country.

by David Dale
Yeah, yeah, Toni Collette plays a bunch of Americans and wins a Golden Globe, but is it enough? As we approach January 26, patriotism requires this column to examine the success of Australian entertainment ventures at home and abroad and to ask the question: Are we currently gripped by a cultural cringe or entitled to a cultural strut?

The case for the cringe: We're barely buying our own music. There was not one Australian album in the top ten for 2009. Number 1 is Susan Boyle, 2 is P!nk, 3 is Black Eyed Peas, 4 is Taylor Swift and 5 is Lily Allen. The first Aussie effort appears at the 12 spot - State of the Art by Hilltop Hoods.

Nor is there any local work among the top five singles, a chart dominated by Black Eyed Peas. The first glimpse of green and gold among the singles is at No 7, with Guy Sebastian's Like It Like That.

Of course an optimist might take the view that P!nk is an honorary Australian, since she spent half of last year in our hemisphere and is more popular here than in her homeland. She could enjoy the same status as that excellent Aussie ensemble Abba.

The cinema box office chart also holds little cheer for the nationalist. Mao's Last Dancer made $15.2 million and revived the career of director Bruce Beresford, but it featured American and Chinese actors, and was set in China and America (even if filmed in Sydney). A sharp-eyed contributor to the movie website imdb.com recently added this detail to the Mao's Last Dancer entry: "Errors in geography. When Liz is leaving for San Francisco, she is driving out of the street. In the corner, it is obvious there is a street post saying 'Darling St', with the City of Sydney logo on it. This scene is played in Houston."

The next most successful local movies were Charlie and Boots, with ticket sales of $3.7m and Samson and Delilah, with $3.2m. You can't exactly claim that we love our own stories.

The story for the strut: Our actors bestride the universe. This column used to argue that the most bankable actor in the world was Hugo Weaving, based on the total earnings of his films (including three Matrixes and three Lord of the Rings). He was briefly surpassed by Harrison Ford in 2008, when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came out (and remember who was Ford's costar), but he climbed back on top by voicing a giant robot in two Transformers flicks.

Now Weaving looks like getting bumped again, but he won't mind, because his replacement will be a fellow Aussie -- Sam Worthington, who has appeared in the blockbusters Terminator: Salvation, Avatar and Clash of the Titans.

The only other contender for the most bankable title is yet another Aussie -- Eric Bana, with a list that includes Troy, Hulk, Munich, Star Trek, The Time Traveller's Wife and Funny People, where he was actually allowed to use an Australian accent. Of course they could all be passed ultimately by Canberra's own Mia Wasikowska, who has just completed Alice in Wonderland and is moving on to Jane Eyre.

Lets turn to television. Here is every Australian I can find who worked in an American television series during 2009: Simon Baker (The Mentalist); Rose Byrne (Damages); Alan Dale (Ugly Betty, Lost); Emily de Ravin (Lost); Melissa George (Grey's Anatomy); Rachel Griffiths (Brothers and Sisters); Stephanie Jacobsen (The Sarah Connor Chronicles); Ryan Kwanted (True Blood); Dichen Lachman (Dollhouse); Anthony LaPaglia (Without A Trace); Ben Lawson (The Deep End); Julian McMahon (Nip/ Tuck); Poppy Montgomery (Without A Trace); John Noble (Fringe); Jesse Spencer (House); Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck); Rachael Taylor (Washingtonienne); Anna Torv (Fringe).

Stirring stuff. Compare that with the number of British actors on US television. We've knocked our former colonial masters out of the game.

Go to Comments to suggest any other reasons to strut on Tuesday.

• by David Dale in The Tribal Mind at 11:10 PM
• Comments (0)

The patriotic quiz: Answers

To compare 21st century Australia with 20th century Australia, go to Who We Are.
To discuss if we should move from the cultural cringe to the cultural strut, go to The Tribal Mind.

Below are the answers to an Australia Day quiz, in which the 50th question could win you a copy of The Little Book of Australia. Go here for the questions -- because there's not a lot of point in reading the answers without them.

1. 22,128,000.
2. TV ad for the Yellow Pages; Jonah in Summer Heights High; Darryl Kerrigan in The Castle.
3. a) 1.7 per cent; b) 2.1 per cent; c) 19 per cent.
4. Coffs Harbour, NSW; Goulburn NSW; Nambour Qld.
5. Albert, The Magic Pudding.
6. 1 Hamish Blake; 2 Hugh Jackman; 3 Magda Szubanski.
7. 74 per cent.
8. The rabbit eared bandicoot
9. Spaghetti bolognese.
10. Perth and Cairns.
11. a4; b1; c3; d5; e2.
12. Cancer, heart disease, stroke.
13. Green and gold; the golden wattle; the opal.
14. Germaine Greer; Peter Singer.
15. 84 per cent
16. MasterChef winner announced; Diana Spencer's funeral.
17. A rat with a gold tooth; bloody arms off; a shark attack.
18. Nicole Kidman and Brandon Walters; Australia.
19. Graeme Clark; Christopher Green; David Warren.
20. A horse; a thousand pound (in The Man From Snowy River).
21. None.
22. A man in Brussels (in the song Down Under).
23. VB; Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc.
24. The Morans; Carl Williams.
25. Pemulwuy.
26. 32 per cent.
27. Chiko roll - Frank McEnroe; Vegemite - Cyril Callister; Paddle Pop - Edwin Street. 28. "Just kids having fun." Crocodile Dundee.
29. Kosciusko; Q1 on the Gold Coast.
30. Brett Whiteley's "The Olgas for Ernest Giles".
31. Canberra.
32. Boundless plains.
33. Rabbit skins
34. Potatoes.
35. Moonee Ponds, Melbourne.
36. Ben ean moselle.
37. Don Bradman; 99.94 runs.
38. Paul Keating; John Howard; Kevin Rudd.
39. New Zealand.
40. Watching TV; the internet.
41. Mambo.
42. 68 per cent.
43. Graham Kennedy, Stephen Curry. Doing a crow call that started with F.
44. $80 billion. $70 billion.
45. Bryce Courtenay
46. Bib and Bub.
47. Roy Slaven and H. G Nelson.
48. The Nobel Prize.
49. Cheesybite.
50. Put your limerick into comments

• by David Dale in whoweare-index at 05:28 PM
• Comments (23)