http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/ Who We Are: A weekly column about Australia, by David Dale. en Copyright 2012 Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:19:40 +0900 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss The ratings race, updated 10 am Sunday Channel Seven won the week, largely because of Australia's Got Talent and its news. If this column's theory of a political link is correct, Kevin Rudd can look forward to a slight blip in the polls. SBS has stolen viewers from the ABC, thanks to the soccer. The prime time audience shares for the week ended up like this: ABC3 0.4%; SBSTWO 0.4%; ONE 1.0; ABC2 1.2; 7TWO 2.5; GO 2.8; SBS1 4.8; ABC1 11.8; All Pay Stations 14.8; Ten 17.9; Nine 19.5; Seven 20.3. What Australia watched, week ending June 12 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - CHALLENGE Ten 1,894,000 586,000 611,000 301,000 212,000 184,000 2 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,831,000 552,000 599,000 282,000 201,000 197,000 3 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA Ten 1,809,000 495,000 590,000 307,000 192,000 225,000 4 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,696,000 488,000 507,000 354,000 145,000 202,000 5 UNDERBELLY: THE GOLDEN MILE Nine 1,599,000 546,000 506,000 253,000 155,000 139,000 6 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,562,000 409,000 477,000 337,000 134,000 205,000 7 MODERN FAMILY Ten 1,536,000 373,000 530,000 276,000 141,000 216,000 8 NCIS Ten 1,513,000 360,000 434,000 339,000 166,000 214,000 9 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,505,000 439,000 404,000 337,000 192,000 133,000 10 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,501,000 402,000 407,000 303,000 170,000 219,000 11 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,465,000 373,000 406,000 302,000 171,000 213,000 12 GLEE Ten 1,413,000 401,000 425,000 274,000 137,000 176,000 13 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,393,000 389,000 424,000 305,000 139,000 135,000 14 BONES Seven 1,327,000 362,000 391,000 264,000 150,000 159,000 Continued here]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/06/the_who_we_are_81.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/06/the_who_we_are_81.html whoweare-index Sun, 13 Jun 2010 08:19:40 +0900 The Tribal Mind. List of the 150 highest-grossing movies of all time, and the 65 movies seen by the greatest number of Australians, prepared by David Dale for The Sydney Morning Herald from data provided by the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia. Last updated June 10, 2010. Top flicks of the past 12 months: Avatar $115 million; Alice in Wonderland $37.5 m; Sherlock Holmes $26m; Iron Man 2 $26m; Sex and the City 2 $23m; Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel $23m; How To Train Your Dragon $20.5m; Clash of the Titans $19.5m; Shrek Forever After 19m; Robin Hood $18.5m; It's Complicated $16m; Valentine's Day $16m; The Blind Side $13.2m; Prince of Persia $11m; Tooth Fairy $10.5m; Shutter Island $10m; Date Night $9m. Hangovers from last year: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince $40.6m; Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen $40.3m; New Moon $39m; Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $29.8m; Up $28m; The Hangover $21.4m. Australian films in the past 12 months: Mao's Last Dancer $15.2m; Bran Nue Day $7.5m; The Kings of Mykonos $5m; Animal Kingdom $4m; Charlie and Boots $3.7m; Samson and Delilah $3.2m; Beneath Hill 60 $3.1m; Bright Star $2.9m; Daybreakers $2.4m (worldwide $35m); I Love You Too $2.4m; Animal Kingdom $2m. Australia's total box office for 2009 was $1.09 billion -- 15 per cent more than the record figure in 2008. But the number of admissions was 90.7 million, less than the record 92.5 million in 2001 and 2002. Average ticket price in 2009 was $12. Australian films got 5 per cent of the box office. The Australian box office 1. Avatar (2009) $115m 2. Titanic (1997) $57.6 million 3. Shrek 2 (2004) $50.4m 4. The Return of the King (2003) $49.4m 5. Crocodile Dundee (1986) $47.7m 6. Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $47.4m 7. The Dark Knight (2008) $46.1m 8. The Two Towers (2002) $45.7m 9. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) $42.3m 10. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009) $40.6m 11. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $40.3m 12. Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace (1999) $39m 13. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $38 m 14. The Twilight saga: New Moon (2009) $38m 15. Finding Nemo (2003) $37.5m 16. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) $37.5m 17. Alice in Wonderland (2010) $37.5m 18. Australia (2008) $37m (US$50m, world $US205m) 19. Babe (1995) $37m]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_films_austr.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_films_austr.html The Tribal Mind whoweare-index Mon, 31 May 2010 23:50:27 +0900 The Tribal Mind Lists of top selling albums and most successful performers, prepared by David Dale using data from ARIA and last updated May 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]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_music_austr_1.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_music_austr_1.html The Tribal Mind whoweare-index Mon, 31 May 2010 22:50:14 +0900 The Tribal Mind This contains charts of the most watched programs of the 20th and 21st centuries, prepared by David Dale for The Sydney Morning Herald and based on data from OzTAM and ACNielsen. Last updated May 31, 2010. Most watched shows in 2010: State of Origin rugby league match 1 (9) 2.46m; Tennis: Aus Open Men's Final (7) 2.35m; Underbelly: The Golden Mile premiere (9) 2.24m; MasterChef Australia (10) 1.93m; Top Gear premiere (9) 1.68m; Two and a Half Men (9) 1.59m; The Biggest Loser Winner Announced (10) 1.57m; My Kitchen Rules (7) 1.56m. 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]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_tv_shows_au.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_tv_shows_au.html The Tribal Mind whoweare-index Mon, 31 May 2010 21:50:58 +0900 The Tribal Mind List of the most most purchased DVDs since 1998, prepared by David Dale for The Sydney Morning Herald, using data from GFK Australia. Last updated May 31, 2010. The 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 Avatar (2010) 11 Pirates of the Caribbean (2004) 12 The Notebook (2005) 13 Shrek 2 (2004) 14 Dirty Dancing (2000) 15 The Dark Knight (2008) 16 Pirates 2: Dead Man's Chest (2006) 17 Cars (2006) 18 The Matrix (1999) 19 The Incredibles (2005) 20 Ice Age (2002) 21 Gladiator (2000) 22 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_dvds_austra.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_dvds_austra.html The Tribal Mind whoweare-index Mon, 31 May 2010 20:10:09 +0900 The Tribal Mind The ratings race, updated 10 am Sunday The prime time audience shares for the week ended up like this: SBSTWO 0.3%; ABC3 0.4%; ONE 1.1; ABC2 1.2; 7TWO 2.7; GO 2.8; SBS1 4.1; ABC1 11.3; All Pay Stations 15.2; Ten 18.2; Seven 19.4; Nine 20.7. On this trajectory, Nine will win the year. Does it deserve to? Was four years in the wilderness long enough to teach it about keeping faith with viewers? What Australia watched, week ending June 5 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA Ten 1,881,000 511,000 621,000 311,000 200,000 238,000 2 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - CHALLENGE Ten 1,833,000 482,000 611,000 312,000 213,000 215,000 3 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,777,000 437,000 508,000 408,000 153,000 270,000 4 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,765,000 543,000 510,000 345,000 196,000 171,000 5 UNDERBELLY: THE GOLDEN MILE Nine 1,667,000 561,000 524,000 281,000 130,000 172,000 6 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,586,000 461,000 493,000 261,000 173,000 198,000 7 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,540,000 416,000 443,000 290,000 161,000 229,000 8 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,536,000 441,000 502,000 296,000 122,000 175,000 9 MODERN FAMILY Ten 1,524,000 448,000 493,000 244,000 170,000 170,000 10 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,484,000 430,000 492,000 298,000 101,000 163,000 11 NCIS Ten 1,460,000 420,000 386,000 283,000 179,000 191,000 12 CUSTOMS Nine 1,455,000 407,000 454,000 254,000 161,000 179,000 13 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,419,000 357,000 409,000 286,000 159,000 208,000 14 GLEE Ten 1,392,000 381,000 470,000 277,000 120,000 145,000 ]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_80.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_80.html whoweare-index Mon, 31 May 2010 10:05:48 +0900 blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare. To discuss whether family is the new technology, go to The Tribal Mind. To find the future of Australian film, go to Who We Are. The ratings race, updated 10am Sunday Channel Nine easily won the week, thanks to biffo, and looks like winning the year, largely because of Underbelly 3. Seven is looking old and tired. Its strongest programs are the news (unaffected by any alleged boycott) and Australia's Got Talent, which is propped up by viewers over 55 who don't watch MasterChef. If this column's theory of a political link is correct, Tony Abbott's rise in the opinion polls will parallel Nine's rise in the ratings. Channel Seven needs to pull a rabbit out of its hat, just like Kevin Rudd. The prime time audience shares for the week ended up like this: SBSTWO 0.3%; ABC3 0.4%; ONE 1.1; ABC2 1.2; 7TWO 2.6; GO 2.8; SBS1 4.0; ABC1 11.9; All Pay Stations 14.8; Ten 17.6; Seven 19.3; Nine 21.8. This was Pay TV's account of itself: "FOX Sports' 3D broadcast of the World Cup warm-up match for the Socceroos, Live: Football: Australia v NZ, topped the week with 299,000 viewers; Live: NRL Sharks v Broncos was watched by 275,000 people and Live: AFL West Coast v St Kilda was seen by 211,000 people (on FOX Sports). "Tuesday night's broadcast of Family Guy on FOX8 was seen by 135,000 people, Selling Houses Australia on The Lifestyle Channel was watched by 120,000, and the premiere of Starstruck on Disney Channel was seen by 98,000 people. Top Gear on BBC Knowledge was watched by 91,000 people, Project Runway on Arena by 89,000, and iCarly on Nickelodeon was viewed by 76,000 people. "In week 22, subscription TV channels had 21.2% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 20.0% of all regional viewing and 54.4% of all viewing in subscription TV homes." What Australia watched, week ending May 30 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 STATE OF ORIGIN RUGBY LEAGUE NSW V QLD 1ST - MATCH Nine 2,455,000 1,179,000 328,000 824,000 62,000 62,000 2 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA Ten 1,677,000 424,000 614,000 237,000 179,000 222,000 3 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - CHALLENGE Ten 1,674,000 459,000 552,000 278,000 181,000 204,000 4 UNDERBELLY: THE GOLDEN MILE Nine 1,643,000 580,000 480,000 238,000 148,000 197,000 5 STATE OF ORIGIN RUGBY LEAGUE NSW V QLD 1ST - PRE MATCH Nine 1,633,000 778,000 258,000 597,000 6 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,630,000 376,000 453,000 384,000 157,000 261,000 7 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,563,000 456,000 509,000 253,000 189,000 155,000 8 MODERN FAMILY Ten 1,548,000 393,000 514,000 287,000 161,000 192,000 9 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,539,000 409,000 446,000 291,000 161,000 232,000 10 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,496,000 447,000 377,000 333,000 133,000 206,000 11 NCIS Ten 1,466,000 381,000 393,000 310,000 181,000 201,000 12 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,448,000 427,000 468,000 227,000 141,000 185,000 13 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,445,000 368,000 412,000 282,000 169,000 215,000 14 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,408,000 377,000 487,000 253,000 120,000 172,000 15 NINE NEWS Nine 1,359,000 383,000 418,000 276,000 125,000 156,000 16 GLEE Ten 1,333,000 425,000 408,000 217,000 131,000 152,000 17 CUSTOMS Nine 1,331,000 365,000 446,000 241,000 129,000 149,000 18 TOP GEAR Nine 1,291,000 372,000 410,000 263,000 129,000 116,000 Continued here]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_79.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_79.html whoweare-index Mon, 31 May 2010 09:16:02 +0900 The Tribal Mind by David Dale IF YOU are one of the half million Australians who have paid between $18 and $35 for the DVD of Avatar, you may have some sympathy with a remark made by Barack Obama during his election campaign: "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig. You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called change -- it's still gonna stink." At the time, Obama's enemies pretended to believe the remark was an insult to vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. They were being disingenuous. They knew all along that Obama was referring to the Republican Party's attempts to glamorise policies that benefitted only the rich. Now some Avatar-purchasers might be tempted to extend the metaphor to the way 3-D (the lipstick) is being used to tart up big-budget movies (the pigs) which would otherwise be pretty damn ordinary, as well as some films that could succeed perfectly well without the enhancement. Forced to watch Avatar at home on a small screen in two dimensions, audiences may wonder if the technology that let cinemas charge $20 a ticket was distracting us from a derivative and predictable plot (Pocahontas meets Dances With Wolves), a flippy hippie philosophy (Gaia meets L. Ron Hubbard), and some seriously amateurish acting (Sam Worthington's trans-Pacific accent suggests that in the future, all English-speakers will sound like Sydneysiders who have spent two weeks in LA). Maybe those glasses for which we paid rental fees of between $1 and $5 were not just image-separating but also rose-coloured. Hollywood's current obsession with 3-D as a quick-fix for declining audiences is the subject of an essay by America's best known movie critic, Roger Ebert, published in Newsweek magazine. Here is Ebert's complaint about the 3-D explosion: "It adds nothing essential to the moviegoing experience. For some, it is an annoying distraction. For others, it creates nausea and headaches. It is driven largely to sell expensive projection equipment ... Its image is noticeably darker than standard 2-D. It is unsuitable for grown-up films of any seriousness. It limits the freedom of directors to make films as they choose. For moviegoers in the PG-13 and R ranges [older than 15], it only rarely provides an experience worth paying a premium for." Ebert points out that Clash of the Titans and Alice in Wonderland were filmed in 2-D and belatedly reconstructed as fake 3-D, on the orders of panicking studios inspired by Avatar's success. He wonders if the conversions were really necessary. Now consider this chart, kindly supplied by GFK Australia ... Australia's top selling DVDs so far this year: 1 Avatar 2 The Twilight Saga: New Moon 3 Up 4 2012 5 G-Force 6 Michael Jackson's This Is It 7 My Sister's Keeper 8 Julie and Julia 9 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 10 Inglourious Basterds. Would any of those films have been more entertaining in 3-D? Would New Moon have seemed less tedious if the werewolves had leapt out of the screen? Would Up have been more charming if the balloons had swirled around our heads? The special effects extravaganzas 2012 and Transformers seem to have got along fine in flat format. Apparently audiences were not deterred from collecting them for their home library by any deficiency in the dimension department. Perhaps there was a devious strategy behind the release of Avatar in 2-D form. The marketers may be counting on the disappointment of viewers to drive up sales of 3-D television sets, in anticipation of the release of the 3-D bells-and-whistles version of Avatar at the end of the year. And from there, we'll have to repurchase our all-time favourites, made over into 3-D: Titanic (would the rushing water be any more scary?), The Dark Knight (would the truck chase be any more exciting?) and Crocodile Dundee (would THAT be even more of a knife?). Go to Comments to discuss whether 3-D adds anything more than lipstick to your moviegoing experience, and whether you see any reason to invest in yet another new home entertainment delivery system.]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/tribal_avatar.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/tribal_avatar.html The Tribal Mind Mon, 24 May 2010 15:42:46 +0900 The Tribal Mind. To discuss whether 3-D is just putting lipstick on a pig, go to The Tribal Mind. To nominate the most interesting and the most embarrassing Australian movies of the past 30 years, go to Who We Are. The ratings race, updated 10 am Sunday Channel Seven narrowly won the week. If this column's theory of a political link is correct, Kevin Rudd will enjoy a small bump in the opinion polls. The prime time audience shares for the week ended up like this: ABC3 0.4%; SBSTWO 0.4%; ONE 1.3; ABC2 1.3; 7TWO 2.6; GO 2.6; SBS1 3.8; ABC1 12.1; All Pay Stations 15.2; Ten 17.0; Nine 20.0; Seven 20.6; . This was Pay TV's account of itself for the week: "The match between Parramatta and Cronulla, Live: NRL Eels v Sharks on FOX Sports was seen by 317,000 viewers. Parramatta's clash with Manly earlier in the week was watched by 309,000 people (FOX Sports). In Australian Rules football, Live: AFL St Kilda v Essendon was watched by 251,000 viewers and Live: AFL Richmond v Hawthorn had 179,000 viewers. Other top programs include: Selling Houses on The Lifestyle Channel: 170,000 TV viewers; Project Runway on ARENA: 127,000 viewers; Family Guy on FOX8: 122,000 viewers; American Idol Performance Show on FOX8: 97,000 viewers and Law & Order: SVU on TV1: 80,000 viewers. "In week 21, subscription TV channels had 21.2% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 20.2% of all regional viewing and 54.8% of all viewing in subscription TV homes." What Australia watched, week ending May 22 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,843,000 493,000 548,000 346,000 193,000 264,000 2 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - CHALLENGE Ten 1,675,000 443,000 553,000 287,000 165,000 227,000 3 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA Ten 1,675,000 452,000 564,000 270,000 181,000 208,000 4 UNDERBELLY: THE GOLDEN MILE Nine 1,644,000 573,000 503,000 247,000 145,000 177,000 5 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,552,000 424,000 478,000 322,000 165,000 162,000 6 MODERN FAMILY Ten 1,549,000 448,000 488,000 251,000 173,000 190,000 7 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,502,000 416,000 421,000 308,000 162,000 195,000 8 NCIS Ten 1,485,000 445,000 397,000 271,000 181,000 190,000 9 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,473,000 397,000 416,000 282,000 154,000 222,000 10 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,457,000 406,000 369,000 313,000 151,000 218,000 11 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,431,000 447,000 417,000 244,000 129,000 194,000 12 THE FORCE - BEHIND THE LINE Seven 1,384,000 392,000 418,000 239,000 152,000 183,000 13 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,370,000 357,000 384,000 273,000 157,000 200,000 14 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,351,000 354,000 466,000 244,000 102,000 185,000 15 60 MINUTES Nine 1,338,000 413,000 402,000 284,000 100,000 139,000 16 SEND IN THE DOGS Nine 1,319,000 363,000 422,000 229,000 142,000 162,000 17 NINE NEWS Nine 1,312,000 366,000 422,000 259,000 127,000 139,000 18 GLEE Ten 1,308,000 353,000 422,000 258,000 126,000 149,000 19 CUSTOMS Nine 1,289,000 364,000 419,000 224,000 135,000 147,000 20 A CURRENT AFFAIR Nine 1,243,000 352,000 424,000 227,000 112,000 128,000 21 BORDER SECURITY (R) Seven 1,228,000 334,000 378,000 222,000 140,000 154,000 22 SEA PATROL Nine 1,224,000 369,000 386,000 199,000 142,000 129,000 Continued here ]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_78.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_78.html The Tribal Mind whoweare-index Sun, 23 May 2010 19:22:16 +0900 MasterChef, go to The Tribal Mind. A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 16/5/2010 One of the finest films ever made in Australia will drop out of the box office top ten this week after being seen by less than 300,000 of us. How many times could I have written that sentence in the past 30 years? It happens I'm talking about the war movie Beneath Hill 60, but I could have been discussing any of a vast array of well-reviewed, well-publicised dramas and comedies that fell victim to the entrenched prejudice that Ozflicks are either lame or depressing. This doesn't mean, of course, that no Australian film has sold more than $3 million worth of tickets in the past 30 years. But an almost inverse relationship seems to be developing between commercial success and saying something interesting about Australian life. Consider these two charts. The most successful locally made films of the past 30 years 1 Crocodile Dundee (sold 9 million tickets in 1986) 2 Babe (5.5 million tickets in 1995) 3 Crocodile Dundee Two (4 million in 1988) 4 The Man from Snowy River (3.5m in 1982) 5 Australia (3.5m in 2008) 6 Gallipoli (3m in 1981) 7 Happy Feet (3m in 2006) 8 Mad Max 2 (3m in 1981) 9 Moulin Rouge (3m in 2001) 10 Strictly Ballroom (3m in 1992) The most interesting locally made films of the past 30 years 1 Lantana (sold 1.3 million tickets in 2001) 3 Gallipoli (3m in 1981) 4 Two Hands (700,000 in 1999) 5 Oscar and Lucinda (250,000 in 1998) 7 Rabbit Proof Fence (900,000 in 2002) 8 Muriel's Wedding (2.3m in 1994) 7 Beneath Hill 60 (250,000 in 2010) 8 Shine (1.4m in 1996) 9 Kenny (800,000 in 2006) 10 The Castle (1.3m in 1997). The first chart comes from dividing each film's earnings by the average ticket price in the year of release. Three movies - Babe, Happy Feet, and Moulin Rouge -- could have been made anywhere (unless you want to argue that George Miller and Baz Luhrman are gifted directors purely because of their Australianness). Only one movie - Gallipoli - appears on both charts, and it comes from a decade when Australians were still enthusiastic about their own stories. The second chart is of course subjective, based on my favourites that could only have been made here. It's simply a conversation starter, and I'm happy to replace any of the entries with films you nominate by going to Comments. You might prefer some of my runners-up -- Malcolm, Getting' Square, Ten Canoes, Little Fish, Looking for Alibrandi -- or something completely different. While you're at that web address, nominating the flicks you found most interesting, how about nominating the most embarrassing Australian flicks of the past 30 years (I'll start the ball rolling with I Love You Too, currently showing in certain cinemas). And tell us why you think Australian films are so on the nose with Australians, and what we ought to do about it. This background information might be useful .. Australia is the fourth most movie-loving nation of the world , with per capita attendances just behind Singapore, Iceland and Ireland, and just ahead of America and South Korea. Some 70 per cent of us go to the cinema at least once a year (seven times a year, on average). The most frequent cinemagoers are people aged 14-24 (84 per cent of them average nine visits). In that age group, males slightly outnumber females. The least enthusiastic cinema goers are people over 50 (only 50 per cent go at least once a year, with females outnumbering males). Now go to Comments to nominate your favourites, your most disliked and your solutions. ]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/who_we_are_cine.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/who_we_are_cine.html whoweare-index Fri, 21 May 2010 06:31:20 +0900 Who We Are. by David Dale THIS is what is wrong with MasterChef: It cynically manipulates the emotions of contestants and audience; it overdramatises to the point of nausea; it turns what should be a relaxing pleasure into a tense competition; it is tediously repetitious; it emphasises esoteric ingredients and techniques that are irrelevant to family cooking; there are too many ads; judge Matt is pompous and pretentious; judge George is crude and eats with his mouth open. And that, gentle reader, is why people over 55 don't watch MasterChef. And this is what is wrong with the Tribal Mind column: it engaged in cheap ageism, which is just as bad as cheap racism. All of those things I learned from the reader reaction to last week's column, in which I speculated on why MasterChef rates well with every demographic except viewers over the age of 55 (click here to read that). I wondered if some senior citizens might be disturbed by MasterChef's embrace of cultural diversity. Most of the 109 readers who reacted to this were in disagreement. Mary Nixon was among the more polite: "The interminable ads, the relentless cross-selling, the tedious delivery of the presenters desperately trying to inject some suspense into their elimination processes, the idea that Matt Preston would be considered a 'New Talent' (see Logies) in any parallel universe. No, I don't think it is racism, you idiot. You have not captured the zeitgeist; you have played the 'racism card' clumsily and egregiously, without a vestige of support for your disgraceful thesis. Pauline Hanson would so love you - you are better than she is at division and alienation. Shame on you." The reaction fell into three main groups, in increasing order of size: 1 Readers who felt sorry for older viewers who are missing great nightly entertainment; 2 Readers over 55 who enjoy MasterChef and who doubt OzTAM's ratings survey; 3 Readers over 55 who refuse to watch for these sorts of reasons: "It's the phoney, repugnant emotionalism where everyone has to cry and be 'passionate' that turns me off. I recognise the younger generations find this sort of spurious nonsense appealing, but I don't see why the 55+ mob should have to put up with this weepy, big-eyed rubbish." (Bob) "This is the most over-edited, artificially constructed show I have ever seen. The present-tense comments of competitors, which are so obviously recorded after the event, are simply insulting to viewers, and the contestants seem to be manipulated into a state of high emotion leading to embarrassingly schmaltzy tears and hugging when someone is eliminated. The way the results are left hanging before each (interminably long) commercial break is puerile and infuriating. It's like the old radio serials. Give me Italian Food Safari any day!" (Gil Appleton) "Perhaps older people have achieved a level of discernment which the swinish multitude have yet to acquire. I do not watch any of the low-level so-called 'entertainment' on commercial TV." (Bill Streat) "I think we are so OVER cooking, having done it for 35 years or so while raising a family. So watching cooking on TV ... doesn't constitute something new and exciting but something we'd rather FORGET!!" (Amber) "'Greater diversity' of food has been welcomed and embraced by thousands of Australians, all now over 55, since the 1950s. Ninety percent of students in my high-school classes in the '50s were from Europe and we Australians developed an appetite for their interesting lunches. Perhaps MasterChef is just not interesting to older people, including myself, who'd rather be out and about trying some new eateries than watching television." (Leonie Royle) Suitably chastened, I nevertheless remain puzzled by one detail. Last Tuesday night, 306,000 viewers over the age of 55 watched MasterChef, while 626,000 viewers over the age of 55 watched Australia's got Talent, starring the Black Bogie winner Kyle Sandilands. Is this an example of mature discernment? ]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/new_tribal_on_m.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/new_tribal_on_m.html The Tribal Mind Sun, 16 May 2010 14:57:28 +0900 The Tribal Mind. To discuss the most interesting and the most embarrassing Australian movies of the past 30 years, go to Who We Are. To learn the real reasons people over 55 don't watch MasterChef, go to The Tribal Mind. The ratings race, updated 10am Sunday Channel Nine is winning the year, largely because of Underbelly 3 and 2.5 Men. Seven's strongest show is Australia's Got Talent, which is propped up by viewers over 55 who don't watch MasterChef. If this column's theory of a political link is correct, Tony Abbott's rise in the opinion polls will parallel Nine's rise in the ratings. Channel Seven needs to pull a rabbit out of its hat, just like Kevin Rudd. The prime time audience shares for the week ended up like this: ABC3 0.4%; SBSTWO 0.4%; ONE 1.1; ABC2 1.4; 7TWO 2.6; GO 2.6; SBS1 3.8; ABC1 12.2; All Pay Stations 15.0; Ten 16.9; Seven 20.5; Nine 20.9. This was Pay TV's account of itself: "Monday night Live: NRL Roosters v Cowboys coverage on Fox Sports was the most viewed program of the week with 242,000 viewers, closely followed by the Sunday afternoon Live: AFL Adelaide v Richmond broadcast with 236,000 viewers. The early Wednesday morning Fox Sports 2 coverage of Live: ICC World Twenty was viewed by 94,000 people. "On Wednesday night, Lifestyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia had 152,000 viewers and FOX8's animation programming had a strong week with a trio of programs scoring well: Family Guy was watched by 118,000 viewers on Tuesday night, Futurama had 117,000 on Wednesday night and The Simpsons was seen by 95,000 on Sunday night. Project Runway on Arena was watched by 88,000 people, Hannah Montana on Disney Channel was seen by 77,000 people and Captive for 18 Years premiered on Crime & Investigation with 77,000 viewers. "In week 20, subscription TV channels had 21.2% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, STV was 20.1% of all regional viewing and 54.4% of all viewing in subscription TV homes." What Australia watched, week ending May 15 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 UNDERBELLY: THE GOLDEN MILE Nine 1,647,000 606,000 433,000 294,000 146,000 169,000 2 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA Ten 1,644,000 458,000 525,000 274,000 182,000 205,000 3 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Seven 1,572,000 425,000 426,000 322,000 173,000 226,000 4 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - CHALLENGE Ten 1,548,000 362,000 542,000 278,000 170,000 197,000 5 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Seven 1,509,000 418,000 518,000 219,000 163,000 192,000 6 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Nine 1,473,000 367,000 417,000 375,000 164,000 150,000 7 SEVEN NEWS Seven 1,439,000 381,000 407,000 268,000 162,000 220,000 8 NCIS Ten 1,422,000 373,000 382,000 305,000 164,000 199,000 9 TWO AND A HALF MEN Nine 1,388,000 435,000 424,000 270,000 105,000 154,000 10 TODAY TONIGHT Seven 1,353,000 340,000 387,000 262,000 159,000 204,000 11 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Seven 1,341,000 348,000 362,000 286,000 145,000 200,000 12 BONDI RESCUE Ten 1,328,000 384,000 373,000 264,000 137,000 170,000 13 NINE NEWS Nine 1,293,000 359,000 429,000 254,000 126,000 124,000 14 SUNDAY NIGHT Seven 1,289,000 335,000 388,000 262,000 128,000 176,000 15 TOP GEAR Nine 1,282,000 345,000 388,000 276,000 122,000 151,000 16 THE MENTALIST Nine 1,262,000 416,000 384,000 217,000 117,000 128,000 Continued here]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_77.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_77.html whoweare-index Sun, 16 May 2010 09:06:00 +0900 The Bogies 2010. by David Dale HERE'S the mystery: why is MasterChef, a show that has apparently taken the nation by storm, so repugnant to viewers over the age of 55 - not just ignored by them, but actively avoided? That was the one question not addressed at a seminar held last weekend at the Noosa Food Festival, but it's a question this column hopes to answer today. The title of the seminar was "The MasterChef Phenomenon", and for once the word was not hype. Whether MasterChef is causing a cultural transformation in Australia or symbolising a transformation that has already happened, it is much more than a TV show. It represents what the marketers would call a Brand, busily being "leveraged across multiple platforms", and what the sociologists would call a tipping point. The crystallising moment happened two weeks ago when Adele, a contestant of Italian background, served up little pastries called crostoli to George, a judge of Greek background, watched by contestants Jimmy, of Indian background, and Alvin, of Malaysian background, who were the other finalists in a challenge to make the dish they remembered most fondly from childhood. George frowned and remarked that there was something missing. Adele looked worried. What they needed, he said, was a cup of espresso made in a macchinetta [small percolator], "so we could sit over these crostoli and chat for hours". Everyone beamed in agreement. Pauline Hanson doesn't stand a chance after MasterChef. Its worshippers embrace a powerful belief system: Australia is the most entertaining place to live on earth, because our history of immigration has created an endless array of pleasures. It would only take a few challenges involving the preparation of Tamil food (such as kotthu rotti, lamb curry with chopped pancake) and Afghan food (such as chapli kabab, spiced minced beef patties) to make boat people the most welcome of new arrivals and destroy Tony Abbott's election campaign. At the seminar, Matt Preston said MasterChef has become "the biggest cooking show in the history of the world". We learned that 56 production workers record 5000 hours of film, from which 46 editors craft the 80 hours we'll see on air (plus cookbooks, kitchenware and, as of next week, a monthly magazine). The nightly episodes average 1.5 million viewers in the mainland capitals, a rare result in the fragmented market that is 21st century television. Channel Ten likes to boast that MasterChef regularly tops the night in "all key demographics", by which they mean children, males and females aged 16-39, males and females 25-54, and Occupational Groups 1 and 2 (the rich). But there's one demographic missing from the fan club -- viewers over 55. In last week's ratings chart, MasterChef ranked number 2 (after Underbelly) with the other groups, and number 63 with viewers over 55. On Sundays, the geriatrics watch repeats of Border Security while the rest of the country is watching MasterChef. On Mondays, the gerries watch Find My Family. On Tuesdays they watch Australia's Got Talent; on Wednesdays, Dog Squad; on Thursdays Catalyst and on Fridays, Better Homes and Gardens. So they have nothing against talent quests, nothing against reality shows, and nothing against cooking, but everything against the show everyone else adores. For heaven's sake, why? What's not to like about a finely crafted comedy melodrama in which charming people strive to achieve their dreams? Here's the theory. MasterChef celebrates diversity. It could not exist without the national obsession with multicultural cooking. Could it be that the oldies are the last bastion of xenophobia in this otherwise generous land? Are the over 55s responsible for the opinion polls that suggest Australians are opposed to immigration? If so, are the politicians who pander to what they imagine to be the racist underbelly of this country actually wasting their time trying to please people who won't be around to complain about the effects of greater diversity? Go to Comments to offer any other explanation for why MasterChef alienates the ageing. ]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_tribal_mind_113.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_tribal_mind_113.html The Tribal Mind Sun, 09 May 2010 18:42:22 +0900 The Tribal Mind. To learn the awful truth about MasterChef, go to The Tribal Mind. To learn how readers voted on the worst of Australian television, click on The Bogies 2010. The ratings race, updated 10am Sunday Channel Nine is winning the year, largely because of Underbelly 3. If this column's theory of a political link is correct, Tony Abbott will enjoy a parallel rise in the opinion polls. Channel Seven needs to pull a rabbit out of its hat, just like Kevin Rudd. The prime time audience shares for the week ended up like this: ABC3 0.3%; SBSTWO 0.4%; ONE 0.9; ABC2 1.4; 7TWO 2.6; GO 2.7; SBS1 3.8; ABC1 11.3; All Pay Stations 15.1; Ten 17.4; Seven 20.2; Nine 21.5. This was Pay TV's account of itself: "Subscription TV celebrated another successful week of sport and entertainment: Live: NRL Sea Eagles v Dragons topped the week with 205,000 viewers; AFL Live: AFL Brisbane Lions v Fremantle scored 204,000 viewers; Live: Football: EPL Liverpool v Chelsea was watched by 98,000 and Live: Rugby Union: S14 Hurr v Reds had 93,000 viewers (all on FOX Sports). "Selling Houses Australia on Lifestyle Channel was the highest rated entertainment program with 145,000 viewers, Hannah Montana on Disney Channel was seen by 116,000 viewers and The Simpsons on FOX8 was seen by 110,000 people. NCIS on TV1 was watched by 91,000 people, Eastenders on UKTV was seen by 79,000 people, Project Runway on Arena had 70,000 viewers and the premiere of Iceland Volcano Disaster on National Geographic was seen by 57,000 people. "In week 19, subscription TV channels had 21.8% of all metropolitan viewing between 6am and midnight, 19.6% of all regional viewing and 54.9% of all viewing in subscription TV homes." What Australia watched, week ending May 8 Description Total Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Adelaide Perth 1 SEVEN NEWS - SUN Network 7 1,816,000 421,000 618,000 339,000 156,000 281,000 2 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA Network TEN 1,541,000 435,000 491,000 249,000 165,000 201,000 3 MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA - CHALLENGE Network TEN 1,532,000 451,000 512,000 199,000 172,000 199,000 4 NCIS Network TEN 1,509,000 412,000 414,000 312,000 170,000 201,000 5 NINE NEWS SUNDAY Network 9 1,476,000 491,000 441,000 224,000 165,000 155,000 6 AUSTRALIA'S GOT TALENT Network 7 1,461,000 420,000 451,000 220,000 143,000 226,000 7 SEVEN NEWS Network 7 1,446,000 365,000 418,000 287,000 157,000 220,000 8 52ND ANNUAL TV WEEK LOGIE AWARDS Network 9 1,402,000 438,000 498,000 221,000 129,000 116,000 9 CUSTOMS Network 9 1,396,000 440,000 487,000 186,000 132,000 152,000 10 TODAY TONIGHT Network 7 1,369,000 331,000 392,000 277,000 157,000 212,000 11 SEVEN NEWS - SAT Network 7 1,367,000 395,000 385,000 294,000 121,000 172,000 12 SEND IN THE DOGS Network 9 1,357,000 413,000 473,000 182,000 148,000 141,000 13 BONES Network 7 1,351,000 382,000 396,000 228,000 163,000 183,000 ]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_76.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/the_who_we_are_76.html whoweare-index Tue, 04 May 2010 17:22:33 +0900 Who We Are. by David Dale RUPERT Murdoch is an honourable man. That's why we know a dignified apology is currently on its way to The Sydney Morning Herald expressing his regret over the scandal that has come to be known as Bogiegate. Murdoch had barely digested the revelation that some of his minions were involved in the Melbourne Storm secret payments debacle when he learned that another embarrassment was about to engulf his organisation. A different group of News Corp minions had attempted to steal The Bogie Awards, which have been conducted by this column since time immemorial (2007). The matter is currently the subject of legal letters, so we can only say that last Wednesday The Daily Telegraph, in a blatant act of plagiarism, launched a reader poll about the worst of television under the heading "Pick your Bogies". This was just at the moment when this column was counting votes sent in by readers for the fourth annual Bogie Awards. While we await reparations from Mr Murdoch, we are proud to announce the result of that count. These are the original (and only genuine) Bogies for 2010, with the number of reader votes for each nominee: Most effable female personality (the Westacott orb): Amber Higlett (Weekend Today) 1 vote; Samantha Armytage (Seven 4.30 news) 2; Ruby Rose (The 7pm Project) 2; Kerry Armstrong (Bed of Roses) 2; Juanita Phillips (ABC news) 3; Lisa Wilkinson (Today) 4; Sara Groen (Seven weather) 5; Poh Ling Yeow (Poh's Kitchen) 9; Natalie Bassingthwaighte (So You Think You Can Dance Australia) 12; Julia Zemiro (Rockwiz) 16. And the winner, with 18 votes is Myf Warhurst (Spicks and Specks). Most effable male personality: Kyle Sandilands (Australia's Got Talent) 1; Firass Dirani (Underbelly) 2; Charlie Pickering (The 7pm Project) 2; Wil Traval (Underbelly) 4; Vince Colosimo (Australian Families of Crime) 4; Mark Ferguson (Seven news) 5; Josh Thomas (Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation) 5; Shaun Micalleff (Talkin Bout Your Generation) 6; Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (Sea Patrol) 12. And the winners, with 15 votes each, are Adam Hills (Spicks and Specks) and Hamish Blake (everything). Least mobile facial features: Bert Newton 2; Courtney Cox (Cougartown) 3; Liz Hayes (60 Minutes) 4; Sigrid Thornton (Underbelly) 6; Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives) 9. And the winners, with 24 votes each, are Tracey Grimshaw (A Current Affair) and Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife). Most unnecessary revival of a spent idea: The Pacific 1; 20 to 1 5; The Block 7; V 8; Matty Johns 11; And the winner, with 38 votes, is Hey Hey It's Saturday. Most blatant ripoff of another station's hit: The Spearman Experiment 2; Gangs of Oz 3; Sunday Night 3; The White Room 3; Customs 13. And the winner, with 45 votes, is My Kitchen Rules. Best use of breasts to exploit viewers' base instincts: Satisfaction 2; Ghost Whisperer 2; True Blood 9; Nigella Express 14. And the winner, with 34 votes, is Underbelly 3. Most unnecessary personality: Kylie Gillies 2; Ruby Rose 4; Fifi Box 13; Karl Stefanovic 14. And the winner, with 27 votes, is Ricki-Lee Coulter. Furthest fallen from former finery: Scrubs 1; Top Gear 1; Brothers and Sisters 1; House 8; Grey's Anatomy 10; Desperate Housewives 11; Heroes 12. And the winner, with 21 votes, is Lost. Most annoying person: Dannii Minogue 1; Grant Denyer 1; Melissa Doyle 1; Georgie Parker 3; Danny Weidler 4; Dave Hughes 5; Steven Jacobs 5; Andrew O'Keefe 9; David Koch 20. And the winner, with 26 votes, is Eddie McGuire. Most missed: The Gruen Transfer 1; Rove 1; Prison Break 1; Big Brother 3; Newstopia 9; The Glasshouse 10; Enough Rope 17. And the winner, with 21 votes, is The Chaser. Most wooden presenter: Sandra Sully 8; Natalie Bassingthwaighte 27. And the winner, with 30 votes, is Hayley Lewis. Most embarrassing program (the Naomi Robson Cup): Stargate Atlantis 1; Wipeout 1; The Biggest Loser 7; Today Tonight 19; Hey Hey It's Saturday 22. And the winner, with 26 votes, is A Current Affair. Furthest past use-by date (the Bert Newton Trophy): Red Symons 1; Mike Munro 1; Midsomer Murders 1; Kerri-Anne Kennerley 2; Bert Newton 5; Richard Wilkins 21. And the winner, with 35 votes, is Daryl Somers. The Black Bogie (the Eddie McGuire Chalice): Andrew O'Keefe 5; David Koch 9; Eddie McGuire 23. And the winner, for the third consecutive year, with 34 votes, is Kyle Sandilands. To study all the readers' votes, click here. Go to Comments to augment. ]]> http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/bogie_results.html http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare/archives/2010/05/bogie_results.html The Tribal Mind Mon, 03 May 2010 16:42:19 +0900