Post by Chips on May 7, 2008 9:25:42 GMT 9.5
Bored silly with this belly flop
Darren Armstrong
May 7, 2008
HECKLER
SINCE when did lifestyles of the illegally rich and infamous become family viewing? It seems we now have our very own little Sopranos in thongs and tracky dacks with Underbelly or, in the case of Carl Williams, extra belly. I've had a gutful of it all.
Call me a prude or tell me to go live in Melbourne, where the show is mercifully banned, but I am appalled by the glorification of these real life crims. And the mere fact you can avoid this dross on the telly does not mean you can ignore the belly. Aside from the ratings bonanza, the underworld soap has seeped into watercooler exchanges as people swap ideas and theories on the acts of Benji, Carl and co, as if they would have them around for dinner if they were not dead or on holidays in the big house.
The show ends tonight, and a prequel has already been flagged. Apparently we've had enough of small screen gardeners, handymen and celebrity chefs. TV chiefs are on the hunt for a new recipe for ratings success - the celebrity criminal family. There's no denying that an ocker Sopranos can slay 'em in the ratings.
When Carl gets out of jail (with his three-decade-plus sentence, my guess is midway through next year), he'll doubtless get his own reality show. He could combine the best of both worlds by cooking for his family while regaling audiences with tales of his criminal exploits.
In fact, anything illegal he does from here on in will be gold for exploitative TV networks keen to disprove that antiquated notion crime doesn't pay. Tell that to the Nine sponsors who are paying a premium to advertise in the prime-time slot. You think I'm kidding? Picture this: Williams escapes from jail but is captured. Voila! - another new series, Underbelly Prison Break.
Even the matriarchs of the two families stepped in to hog the limelight, giving Channel Seven a chance to capitalise on the seedy tale. Despite efforts to ban the Today Tonight confrontation, the network went ahead and aired the peroxide catfight, arguing it was in the public interest. I'm not sure about the public interest, but it was definitely in Nine's interest to revive this real-life version of Family Feud sans Rob Brough. The networks will milk the teats on the underbelly of this cash cow until it runs dry. Maybe a flight to Melbourne isn't such a bad idea after all.
Darren Armstrong
May 7, 2008
HECKLER
SINCE when did lifestyles of the illegally rich and infamous become family viewing? It seems we now have our very own little Sopranos in thongs and tracky dacks with Underbelly or, in the case of Carl Williams, extra belly. I've had a gutful of it all.
Call me a prude or tell me to go live in Melbourne, where the show is mercifully banned, but I am appalled by the glorification of these real life crims. And the mere fact you can avoid this dross on the telly does not mean you can ignore the belly. Aside from the ratings bonanza, the underworld soap has seeped into watercooler exchanges as people swap ideas and theories on the acts of Benji, Carl and co, as if they would have them around for dinner if they were not dead or on holidays in the big house.
The show ends tonight, and a prequel has already been flagged. Apparently we've had enough of small screen gardeners, handymen and celebrity chefs. TV chiefs are on the hunt for a new recipe for ratings success - the celebrity criminal family. There's no denying that an ocker Sopranos can slay 'em in the ratings.
When Carl gets out of jail (with his three-decade-plus sentence, my guess is midway through next year), he'll doubtless get his own reality show. He could combine the best of both worlds by cooking for his family while regaling audiences with tales of his criminal exploits.
In fact, anything illegal he does from here on in will be gold for exploitative TV networks keen to disprove that antiquated notion crime doesn't pay. Tell that to the Nine sponsors who are paying a premium to advertise in the prime-time slot. You think I'm kidding? Picture this: Williams escapes from jail but is captured. Voila! - another new series, Underbelly Prison Break.
Even the matriarchs of the two families stepped in to hog the limelight, giving Channel Seven a chance to capitalise on the seedy tale. Despite efforts to ban the Today Tonight confrontation, the network went ahead and aired the peroxide catfight, arguing it was in the public interest. I'm not sure about the public interest, but it was definitely in Nine's interest to revive this real-life version of Family Feud sans Rob Brough. The networks will milk the teats on the underbelly of this cash cow until it runs dry. Maybe a flight to Melbourne isn't such a bad idea after all.