Once upon a time, Big Brother was quite the topic on this here blog. After vowing last year never to watch it again, I got sucked in again to BB08. Ho hum. The supposedly more opinionated group of housemates this year have turned out just to be the usual bunch of suburban and rural fame seekers, as far as I can see, despite there being “a cult survivor”, “a UFO believer”, “a bellydancing short person”, etc, blah, blah. There’s also a law student. And the awful Kyle and Jackie O are just making me nostalgic for the awful Gretel Killeen, who at least appeared to be a human being with a personality (an increasingly grumpy and judgemental one, mind) rather than radio/tv bots stamped from the usual mould.
Apparently they’d been losing the 30-49 demographic increasingly over the last few years and this year’s effort was meant to turn that around. I can’t see how. There are so many twists and turns and narrative intrusions now and so little actual personality on display that it really is trawling the bottom of the pond. I don’t think it’s just nostalgia to say that in the days of (say) Reggie or Frysie, there used to be a bit of a storyline that actually pushed some buttons. Now it’s all contrivance and tedium. Oh well. Market forces might do what John Howard couldn’t do. Get the thing off the air. There might be a moral in that somewhere.
Although I have never really been a BB fan I have to boycott BB08. What I am undecided about is whether I am boycotting due to my intense dislike for Kyle and Jackie O (’Tv/radio bots’ if I’ve ever seen any), or on principle because that vile Corey is going to be an intruder. Either way I won’t be watching, I think that I would rather watch paint dry.
I’m giving it a chance because one of my good friends is working behind the scenes this year. I can’t say I’m a fan, but I don’t dislike the show intensely. The nights I’ve watched have had their moments, and they seem to be doing a good job so far at creating situations where the participants have the opportunity to rub each other the wrong way. From those (few) previous seasons I superficially followed, I note that it gets a lot less interesting after half the housemates are gone, so the next few weeks are probably going to be as good as it gets.
However, I do have a problem with Kyle Sandilands, so my generosity is strained a little every time he appears.
I think in the past it was more about character development and less about (artificially induced) conflict – for mine the first few series were the best because the housemates took the ostensible purpose seriously. It was interesting to see that there was strong resistance to start with to the “survivor” mindset and much more of a collective/group orientation. I think they weeded that out after a few seasons.
“It was interesting to see that there was strong resistance to start with to the “survivor” mindset and much more of a collective/group orientation.”
Even though I don’t think I’ve ever watched an entire episode of BB, I did have a little fantasy for a while about a Big Brother: Insurrection scenario, where the housemates decided to stick together and refused to let anyone be evicted. That could have made for some great television.
d
Wasn’t there one of the European ones where they did have an insurrection?
The obvious thing thay could have done on Sunday night would have been to select a housemate at random rather than vote. I strongly suspect that wouldn’t have been allowed, but it’s interesting that none of them thought of drawing lots when they were told about the need to do a snap eviction. Could have got them into the house in five minutes instead of doing nasty interpersonal stuff til dawn on a cold night!
I did like the fact that the Pauline Hanson admirer got her revenge on the aptly named Nobbi.
Just out of interest, Rayedish, do we know for a fact that Corey Delaney will be an intruder or is that just rumour?
[Just out of interest, Rayedish, do we know for a fact that Corey Delaney will be an intruder or is that just rumour?]
Tis True.
[AUSTRALIA'S worst kept secret has been confirmed. Party Boy Corey Worthington will enter the Big Brother House on Sunday May 4.
He will enter during a live special hosted by Kyle and Jackie O at 7.30pm on Network Ten.
Corey is currently in lockdown in Dreamworld and is still unaware of his purpose in the house.
Has Big Brother set Corey a mission? Speaking of missions, We may not have seen the last of evicted Grandmother Terri either.
Rumour has it she has also been set a mission by Big Brother. Will she accept it? I suppose you will just have to wait and see.]
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23627570-5012990,00.html
I think they should send Brendan Nelson in there on a listening tour.
[I think they should send Brendan Nelson in there on a listening tour.]
Along with Troy Buswell, who could utilise his “party tricks” in a more appropriate setting.
Well, he appears to have a similar level of maturity to some of the less mature housemates of years gone by.
Maybe we’ll get an Australian “Celebrity” Big Brother like the one in England with George Galloway and Germaine Greer…
[Maybe we’ll get an Australian “Celebrity” Big Brother like the one in England with George Galloway and Germaine Greer…]
There was one a few years ago which had Kyle Sandilands, Anthony Mundine, Dylan Lewsis (who won), Adriana Xanedis and Vanessa Wagnor, as well as Sarah Marie, who is a distant cousin by marriage to my oldest sister.
I am really surprised that the normally intelligent folk at LP would even discuss BB let alone watch it.
You don’t think BB is relevant to a blog which discusses sociology and culture?
BB is a trivialisation of sociaology, inasmuch as it intersects the field at all and definitely fails my admittedly elitist definition of culture. Pandering to the egos and wallets of non-entities like Kyle, who runs a fair top-40 radio show but let’s leave it at that, and Corey W, who is being glorified for being an irresponsible hoon, is not really a positive development.
It’s OK, though. I have my commercial revenge in that whatever is advertised during the show will not appear on my TV set.
Its okay for late night viewing when they have tepat movies on the ABC.
sp. repeat
Back two or three seasons ago, we started watching for the novelty, then stayed watching for the sex. Now there’s neither, so what’s the point? If they just wanted to air the opinions of a bogan on the telly, just give Sandilands his own show. Do we really need to see Mr Helium try to cleave a midget on live TV? I’m sure there’s a fetish site on teh innertubes that already caters for that, although I’m afraid to look.
Although… if somewhere in the house there’s a little velcro suit and a padded wall… no, it’s too evil.
Meh.
I’m not a fan of reality television mainly because I hate the contrived nature of the show. They’re not about reality at all – they’re a role playing exercise just like any other fictional show but without the benefits of professional acting and script writing. For instance I could really enjoy a genuine reality show about people losing a lot of weight, but the silly games and banal comments of “biggest loser” drive me nuts.
Then there’s Big Brother. All the usual problems of reality TV plus the additional feature that I just don’t meet people like them. What planet are they from? Why can’t they hold a conversation? Do they really take this contrived silliness so seriously? And why can’t I convince my kids to turn it off. Damn it – that show makes me feel so old and out of touch. Aaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!
No, I won’t link to the little people porn. But I was tempted, assuming I could find any.
An ex exclusive brethren (god on him for escaping), a little person, a Pauline Hanson supporter plus the others, should make for interesting listening. Are the BB housemates told what to do or not or just given suggestions on what to act out. How unhygienic for all to be sleeping in one bed though and also have their sleep disturbed by a snorer too. The EB will probably vote David off early for sure.
I think that your point is correct Kim. The first season/s were more about the experiment of keeping ppl trapped in a house together and seeing what would happen. The shock on the faces of the first seasons evictees was very good to watch as they had no idea of the goldfish bowl they were in. 7 seasons later though and it is very clear that the contestants know exactly what’s going to happen when they get out. (They walk out to wild applause and acclaim and they get to do the promo rounds on Ten). And of course the producers are going to more and more desperate measures to keep the public watching, (you’d think after all this time of watching glory hounds the publics curiosity would be sated). So they are bringing in that knob Corey to stir the pot. It really bothers me thath that creep is going to be given more time in the spotlight. I don’t really think we really need another chance to have him make a further spectacle of himself.
If someone had damaged my car and thrown around bottles with their mates, I would be absolutely seething to see a young man who has been glorified to an extent that he is on the BB show. He is there to cause trouble and he may just do that.
Actually, Bree Amer got it precisely right on Friday night live tonight. Corey is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t. If he acts like a complete nong, he reinforces all the stereotypes of himself. If he’s boring as batshit, there goes his celeb value. It’s actually an interesting exercise in putting him on the spot. Not sure if that’s what they were thinking, though.
Corey is currently in lockdown in Dreamworld
Farking hell, and that is just a literally true statement. What a world.
What kind of country are we living in when these three people are “celebrity” headline fodder?
Margo, that is the most beautiful typo I’ve ever seen.
PC @ 26.
Australia?
26 Pavlov’s Cat
Thanks Pavlov – have just found it and had a chuckle. What is it – well, a Freudian slip! Dave will be an interesting housemate as he will be used to trying to avoid confrontation and getting into trouble too. He will be ever looking over his shoulder and watching his back. Thinking about the Corey situation, it could be that all will work out well. The young folks will have a lot to say about the matter and it will be an eye opener for Corey. As for Terri being in the house as well, she is a Pauline Hanson supporter and will get IMO, into a lot of trouble with the younger ones who probably see right through that situation.
Another difference between the house recently and now and in previous years is the way it’s so quickly splintered between boys and girls. Which is tedious. (Yes, I’m still watching.)
And the usual opinions are trotted out…
What I find most amusing is the high-horse on which most BB haters sit. They have decided there is no value, therefore the people who participate and watch the program have no value.
Season one of BB began when I was still at university doing a media degree. It was amazing to see these people, so convinced no-one was watching them, and the swing between boredom and hyper-drama that their little world created. Watching how the storylines of their days were constructed by editors, directors and producers was a great insight into us, as much as them. Since then, I agree, the show is unable to sustain the “fishbowl” where contestants are unaware of the audience. That doesn’t mean it has no value.
Every year I watch (to varying degrees) and every year I get something out of it. Sometimes it is through the contestants, sometimes it is through the media beat-ups, sometimes it is through who is voted off (or kept in) and what that says about us. I think the show is a great window into a whole set of cultures I’m not part of. It reminds me that many of the men I know are gems who should be cherished, and that I live in a very insular world that is completely dissimilar in values to most of the country I live in (as if each election besides our last shouldn’t have shown me that!).
I don’t think anyone should watch if they don’t want to, but please don’t deny that the very reasons you find it distasteful are the very reason that it still says something (and has some relevance) to our social media landscape. Contestants like Tim Brunero and their participation in BB were fascinating. Here was someone like me, from my world, in that show. How did he interact? How did he survive? How was he portrayed? You can’t tell me the moment Merlin sat on stage with tape over his mouth showing “free the refugees” wasn’t drama, or real? His subsequent shunning by the BB machine, Gretel’s wide-eyed fear over how to deal with his protest… it was all some of the most interesting ‘reality’ I’ve seen on any reality television.
I agree the show can be totally filled with dreary, boring, loutish crapola. But that’s the point. All of what is shown, what is created, what is broadcast… and what is not… all say something about us as a nation. The good bits and the bad all add up to a pretty interesting picture for me. Even if I don’t like it.
Actually, Bree Amer got it precisely wrong on Friday night live tonight. Corey is damned if he does, not-thought-of-at-all if he doesn’t.
madeinmelbourne, I agree with a lot of that.
With Corey as well, a lot of people seem to accept the narrative that his behaviour says something profound about our society (whereas it might just say something profound about 16 year old idiots) but then sort of avoid the implications, and turn around and distinguish themselves from the sort of people who might be interested in such things. There’s a weird sort of class dimension to this as well I think.
thanks for the kind thoughts madeinmelb. indeed bb can be fascinating – but can you really expect a show which airs in prime time 6 nights a week to dazzle us people who reckon we’re ’smart’ every night? i don’t think so. bb is one of those things everybody feels safe bagging. ask them to give you a political opinion or critique one of societies sacred cows and they’ll be strangely silent. i’m giving my Bb take over at ohbrother.com.au this year if you care to have an intelligent chaser with your schooner of bb…
Ahhh, nothing like watching constructed reality w/ eyes wide shut at dream world.
No better advertisement for the show than when aspiring Big Brother himself demanded they “get the show off the air”. I bet the channel thanked him mightily. OUTRAGE can serve so many purposes if you get the timing RIGHT.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
I suspect that if any of us were filmed in BB fashion we’d come off looking like imbeciles (and caricatures thanks to some nifty editing).
I don’t watch TV that much so I won’t be watching BB. I used to watch it. Wonder if the bogan granny will win?
Here’s to Andy Millman and his analysis of BB:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQAr_AjZt-E
“Corey is currently in lockdown in Dreamworld”.
That made me laugh. Corey’s just a kid, and he’ll soon learn that the machine will be done with him soon.
“And while much of its subject matter it’s true is pure titillation, there are times when it becomes an important forum for debates around serious issues.
These have ranged from sexual assault, to ‘free(ing) th refugees’, from racism to bullying, from homosexuality to citizenship.
In fact my own motivation for appearing on the show was to use it as a soapbox to discuss the achievements of unions and the counter-productivity of the war in Iraq.
The host must have the authority, wisdom and wit to handle such controversies. Not to mention when the wrong person get’s evicted ala Bree Amer in 2004, or when you have to pad for half in hour in front of two million viewers because votes are being recounted, as happened during this year’s finale.
But will a professional urger like Kyle Sandilands be able to muster such gravitas?
Perhaps. Maybe this is why the morning shock jock has been noticeably softening his image on this year’s Australian Idol, liberally praising contestants. Or maybe he’s just been neutered by Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson.”
Ok Tim B. I went to your site, interested to know what you thought of the new presenter. And found this, as cited above. It seems to me most of the complaints have circled about the choice of presenter to replace Gretel. Perhaps you have written more, but it seems to me that you cannot possibly be in a position to seriously critique this guy as presenter when you are being paid to go on a show commenting on BB right? I mean, thats all you have to say about it is it?
Kyles Sandilands will treat BB as an extension of his voyeuristic morning radio show comprising of strolls down freak show alleys, peppered with asides on how he trims his pubic hairs. This is the sum total of Kyle Sandilands contrubutions to political discourse in this country. But you cant exactly explore Kyle Sandiland’s propensity for voyeurism (are you still a virgin Dean?, are you gay Anthony Callea? lets make Jackie vomit for fun, lets make someone eat dog faeces just for fun, etc etc) with any degree of neutrality without compromising your own position as an employee of Channel 10 right?
I suggest that “the authority, wisdom and wit” that you cite as requisites for the presenter/s will not be found in the choice of Sandilands/O and this will degrade the show’s potential to generate the sorts of conversations which, as you say, have previously arisen from BB.
Sandilands strikes me as having no talent: no wit, no insight, no anything.
He seems to have a fair size chip on his shoulder and a bunch of yes types surrounding him. As a person who suffers from migraines from time to time, I was amused to read an article in which Sandilands (also a migraine sufferer) reported that he drinks heaps of Coke and Coffee and eats heaps of chocolate. He then expects everyone around him to pick up the slack when he gets sick.
Yes, there was considerable and protracted ROFLMAO chez moi about that as well.
Will mention – who does the Big Brother voice belong too? Personally I don’t like it. Being spoilt for choice with and liking the tone of the previous BB voices, this one sounds so “thin” and authoritative. The show is not the same though. Poor Nobbi! he gets out of the Combi soon as it does not look good, treating someone like that.
casey, for a moment there I wasn’t sure when you’d finished citing Lefty Tim Brunero, and I thought you were fessing up to having been a BB housemate in the past! No doubt under a pseudonym.
heh, that made me larf.
[moderator note: and now I've spoilt the ambiguity by editing the format for clarity. Oh well. ~tigtog]
Wy on earth did Channel 10 remove Gretel. I though she added maturity and sensibility to the series. Gretel had a way of interviewing BB housemates that was interesting and she brought the best out of them. A bit disappointing so far this series. Maybe when Corey enters things will liven up a bit. Corey will have something to say about poor Nobbi in the Combi van though.
Gosh, that Tim B sounds so defensive about BB, you’d think he was, like, associated with it or something.
Does the name “Mandy Rice-Davies” ring a bell there?
Corey’s copped it from the studio audience.
Yes, and TB is talking bollocks about people not having a go at sacred cows.
Anyway, for a more enjoyable Sunday night, I recommend going to the theatre. Just got back from a very entertaining play at La Mama called Death in White Linen. La Mama is tiny so there was probably 30 people in the audience, but it was a real treat and the performer (Michael Dalley) was just great.
Poor Corey….poor poor poor Corey.
[Will mention - who does the Big Brother voice belong too? Personally I don’t like it. Being spoilt for choice with and liking the tone of the previous BB voices, this one sounds so “thin” and authoritative.]
Normally it is the Executive Producer, originally it was Peter Abbott, and last year it was Kris Noble, ex Countdown EP and rather ironically was involved in the first few series of Hi-5
Corey has learned to set priorities:
Corey looked a bit like a rabbit in the headlights. I notice that he pretty much started following Saxon around as soon as he was in there.
Wasn’t there a Saxon on a previous BB, too? I have never met anyone called Saxon in real life. Have they started breeding people especially for this purpose?
I believe that there was. No, I haven’t met anybody with that name either. I wonder if it’s anything to do with the band of the same name?
Saxon was in series one or two, I think. He ended up dating Gretel.
I guess Saxon UFO man isn’t old enough to be named after him. But sometimes they adopt pseudonyms rather than their first name. So maybe it’s a tribute.
Saxon was a rather sweet boy, as I recall. Surfer doing a BA at Newcastle.
Ooh As someone who dislikes BB didn’t I get told! I did like the points that Madeinmelbourne #30 made, but I don’t think that people who watch BB have no value, and I don’t think that the show has no value either, its just not something that I want to watch.
I do have a problem with celebrity culture in this country and the way that it is bestowed, which is why I have problems with the presence of Corey on the show, but as said above, he has his own problems!
But as someone who dislikes BB I firmly reject this
‘bb is one of those things everybody feels safe bagging. ask them to give you a political opinion or critique one of societies sacred cows and they’ll be strangely silent.’ from TB#33
I’ll happily critique any cow, sacred or otherwise, that you care to name.
I suppose that I dislike BB cos a lot of ppl I know watch it like a soap opera, but as Madeinmelbourne pointed out there is a lot more happening than just following it on that level, but I can follow those other levels by reading blogs – I don’t have to watch the show itself to see the impact its having, or the culture that it reflects.
[But sometimes they adopt pseudonyms rather than their first name. So maybe it’s a tribute.]
I think they do it when there are 1 or more Housemates with the same Christian Name, so as to make the voting process more easier and to prevent the wrong housemate being evicted.
If you hate Big Brother but follow the furore make sure you’ve read http://www.eyeonbigbrother.com, there’s a rather harsh take on the Corey scandal today!
Interesting blog that, Steven. I don’t know if you’re the author, but I’m intrigued by “Corey and his white trash family”. I’m not intrigued by Corey and his family, but by the the use of the term “white trash”. I should say that I used the term “bogan” earlier up (hopefully being somewhat sarcastic). Why is it okay to define some folks as “trash”? What makes Corey’s family “white trash”?
Darlene, I think I commented earlier that there’s a bit of a class element to some of the big brother hatin’.
Ps – Corey appears to be a human being. Albeit a 17 year old boy human being. OMG!
He’s just a kid, and not particularly smart, but then I wasn’t especially bright in many ways when I was 17.
I must say I’m liking him more than a lot of the other male housemates!
Rima Hadchiti is an interesting person, and seems to know what she’s doing (although she’s now had to retire hurt, literally, after breaking a leg!) I saw her in The Pillowman at the Malthouse – pictures here, with *drool* Joel Edgerton *drool* and Kim Gyngell. She seems to be one smart cookie.
I hadn’t realised she was a stage actor, Helen. BB just played up the bellydancer thing. No doubt they didn’t want the other housemates to think they had an actual actor in their midst!
Anyway, I’m off to check out the 9.30 edition.
Heh – i wonder if the housemates also grasp that Corey has management trying to leverage $$ off the kid, and that this show is just a marketing opportunity for them/him and his ’single’ ?
Has he got a single? I am so out of the loop.
His appearance on the show is part of the marketing plan for the cover of Beastie Boys “fight for your right to party”.
THere is something quite distasteful and Jerry Springer-esque about the whole Corey thing.
I really hope someone is putting money in trust for him and ensuring he finishes his trade.
I’m not convinced he is positively ‘marketable’, in that any fame/fortune he is managing to leverage comes from playing up his stupidity. He seems quite easily manipulated and i think this extended media experience is quite damaging to his development.
He doesn’t seem especially media-savvy, and it could mean a bad run for him. What I appreciate about him is that his claim to fame is basically his anti-social behaviour, especially his unwillingness to react in a ‘mature’ fashion to being caught in the wrong and put on the spot, and that it turns out a lot of that unwillingness was just front (and fear?). Watching him in the house really detracts from the idea that he represents something sinister in contemporary culture.
Agree, which is interesting I think.
SC, in what way is he demonstrating “stupidity”? I’ve known boys that age who are quite inarticulate and fairly shy (which I think he is) but not in the slightest bit stupid. I don’t think he’s coming across as at all stupid on BB.
I think you’d be expecting a lot for any 17 year old suddenly thrown into the media spotlight to be media savvy. It’s not as though he’s a teenage actor or singer or whatever.
“Larvatus Prodeo users as well as its contributors must certainly be seen as situated substantially further towards the PJ end of the continuum than towards the BB end.” A quote from a recent conference article.
PJ being political junkies and BB being viewers of Big Brother.
Oh dear! What went wrong?
Hahahahahahahahaha!
I’ll proudly wear my BB heart on my PJ sleeves!
Boom boom.
Yall me an elitist (please), but I think I’ll once gain pass on an evening of nasal whines, arse-scratches, and sponsored intra-bogan sexual assaults.
One regrettable evening at the Beaudesert tavern back in 86 was quite enough for me.
Mind you, Ive never seen a single episode of ‘Home and Oi Vey’ either.
Like I always say, the defensive embrace of ‘ordanaree kulcha’ was how Nazism started.
bb is one of those things everybody feels safe bagging. ask them to give you a political opinion or critique one of societies sacred cows and they’ll be strangely silent.’ from TB#33
Oh please. This is just one of the standard truisms that people throw out that have no basis in reality. Go to the blogs of the people who criticise BB and you’ll find them criticising a wide variety of other stuff right, left and centre. “Sacred cows” is another polemical cliche which has no meaning other than to imply that people with views different from you don’t examine those views, again with no relation to actual examples.
“Like I always say, the defensive embrace of ‘ordanaree kulcha’ was how Nazism started.”
So what, you want to huddle here on your island and wait for Kristallnacht? First, they came for the blog commenters exhibiting detatched drollery…
Right, FDB. When the time comes, they won’t ask you what kind of elitist you are.
“One regrettable evening at the Beaudesert tavern back in 86 was quite enough for me.”
The good old Beaudesert tavern…
““Larvatus Prodeo users as well as its contributors must certainly be seen as situated substantially further towards the PJ end of the continuum than towards the BB end.” A quote from a recent conference article.
PJ being political junkies and BB being viewers of Big Brother.
Oh dear! What went wrong?”
Why is it either/or? It’s not hard to be a PJ and a BB or whatever else.
Now that the blog has taken this turn, I think it might be time for a Bold and Beautiful update
Don’t worry about me, I’ll be on the balcony at Keating Towers quoting Voltaire and hurling French clocks as Die Bogansturm hits.
My defiant last words shall one day be recorded by memorial plaque, and regularly vigiled by sensitive poetic undergrad types:
“I can accept all styles but the BORING, you braindead Bogans!”
No, the flannie Gestapo will care not for such niceties. You’ll be wearing the Purple Trapezoid of Elitism faster than you can say:
“But I do banal sarcasm! Detatched drollery isn’t my thing at all!”
“Noooo!!! Not the Trapezoid! With a turtleneck? Are you crazy?”
Please, please PLEASE darlene…..do a Bold and the Beautiful post. I need an update on the goings on at the Forrester mansion. Has Stephanie finally come out and told the Valley Girl she wanted to jump her bones all along???????? Have the fashions moved beyond chenille and chifon? Has Ridge’s face imploded from one procedure too many????? Only you can let us know Darlene…..
Bold and the Beautiful update : Taylor is on the piss. Nick doesn’t know.
To get back on topic, was going to watch BB last night, but I fell asleep during 4 Corners and didn’t wake till about 3.45 am.
Donna and Eric are pretending to be finished so Stephanie can’t blackmail Donna over Storm attempting to kill her (Stephanie.)
Brooke is still with Ridge, but she wants Taylor’s baby because she thinks she’s the biological mother. (Actually Bridget is, I think. Checked the gossip sites.)
Nick is being sympathetic to Taylor. (They’ll end up together eventually)
Oh, I can’t go on.
I’ve seen the future: an Ugh boot stamping on a human face, forever. Men called Shaaayne, and women called Leeesaah rolling fluffy dice to decide our fates.
Join me. Join the resistance. Join the Lattefundia!
How will you stay undercover though LE? Would a packet of Gauloises look enough like Winnie Blues tucked under the sleeve of your Acca Dacca shirt? And how will you disguise Morrissey as Bon Scott in the first place?
It seems I’m not the only one who can let people know, Casey
Thanks to Paul for that update. Why would Nick care if Taylor is on the piss? Have they been getting “close” in that special soap opera way? Lots of meaningful stares into space.
Donna must be the vacuous blonde sister of Brooke. Those girls are all alike.
“Brooke is still with Ridge, but she wants Taylor’s baby because she thinks she’s the biological mother. (Actually Bridget is, I think. Checked the gossip sites.)”
Brooke thinks she’s the biological mother of Taylor’s baby. Oh my gawd. How???????????????????
Great update. I think I might do a celeb gossip update (which basically consists of me reading Who and then cherry picking a few of my fav gossip bits – Suri is an alien, that sort of thing).
Darlene,
Taylor is the mother of Nick’s child. She had an IVF baby, but didn’t know the egg was Brooke’s.There was a mix-up in the lab. Taylor has been a recovering alcoholic for years now, since she killed Thorn’s wife Dana,in a road accident.Which sort of stuffed up Taylor and Thorn’s marriage plans when he found out.
Now Donna Logan. Donna’s special. She’s the only Logan girl who has the guts to rip Stephanies’s throat out.(Susan Flanagan, who plays Stephanie, is quite ill with colon cancer and apparently will be leaving the show for good in a couple of months.)
Don’t really have much more info.
Oh, and Nicki and Taylor are married.
Just rememeber Tim Byte-Metal is an anagram of Bite my Latte, FDB, and we’ll be in contact via the Autocity krazy dealz webring.
Paul, I am in awe. Following these things is beyond my tiny brane.
Oh. my. God.
Thanks Paul. What can I say. Except I would be most pleased to know where Suri’s alien DNA came from, so go for it Darlene
Helen, you can miss a few episodes, probably even a few weeks or months, and so long as nobody’s died, they’re as easy to pick up as yesterday.
Each episode has 3 story-lines, all of which are outlined in the opening sequence, and revolve around a theme of say, discovery, vengeance, marriage, murder etc etc. These story lines last for about a week or so at which point they go back to earlier story lines they left hanging, or to a newer story-line to further the ever more incongruously twisting plot. On B&B the storylines are Stephanie v. Brooke; Donna v. Stephanie; Ridge v.Nick; Taylor v. Brooke; Ric v. Ridge; etc., and, of course, the Big One – Fo9rresters v. Logans. I would imagine most day time soaps run to a similar pattern.
The tridck is, not to believe its real.
Sorry to hear about Susan Flanagan being ill. She’s a real old trouper of the old school.
Don’t want to lose another Bold and Beautiful dame (remembering Sally, of course). Can’t see how the show would go on without her.
You know, the folks at B & B should really try Internet dating or something. They might meet people outside their immediate circle and have less woes. That baby storyline must be the most weird thing they’ve ever done.
Yeah for Paul.
This is Donna Logan, by the way (the minx who can stand up to Stephanie).
Darlene,
I think The Theory going round the soap blogs at the moment (where I lurk but do not comment as I probasbly wouldn’t be able to contain myself and would be locked out forever pretty quickly) is that Brooke would take on the attributes of Stephanie, but be protecting the Logans against the Forresters, instead of, as is the situation now, the Forresters against the Logans.
I know Katie Logan gets accidentally shot by Storm Logan after scaring the bejesus out of Ashley the perfume girl who Ridge still has a thing for despite for the 1000th time being back with Brooke.But that’s in the future.
More on topic, a child psychologist, Carr-Gregg, reckons what’s happening to Corey on BB is child abuse. Din’t know if I shoulda opened that can of worms, but now its out there. Can’t comment myself asa I haven’t seen the show yet.
Time will tell if Brooke can become a matriarchal figure like Stephanie.
Mmmm, I think Corey is probably having the time of his life, however, I think he needs to be better prepared for what’s going to happen when the fame is over (and he also will need to learn to deal with the fact that forever more some folks will just see him as Corey the party drongo).
What’s the deal with Bianca’s Corey-hatin’? I missed something I think!
Paul, what’s the basis for this psychologist’s assertion? Psychologists always seem to have something to say about BB, a lot of it worthless. I wonder if it’s not just publicity seeking. You can get yourself on the radio or in the papers a lot easier if you come up with a shock horror Big Brother angle than if you’re a careful researcher and ethical professional. What basis exists for a professional judgement to be made on the basis of edited tv footage, I wonder?
Kim @ 93,
Something along the lines that he’s been removed from his peer support group and is a fish out of water.And that his parents and agent are making buckets of $$$$ and that 10 is exploiting him to improve ratings, I think.
Darlene at #91 I agree. ‘Corey’ seems to be being pitched by marketers as somewhat like the ‘australian bogan version’ of the *pop culture construct of Paris Hilton.
Except Hilton has a billion dollars to fall back upon when she gets out of prison, a well connected family, and the best shrinks money can buy. (Perhaps the best shrinks are those money can’t buy, but i digress.)
KIm, i mentioned stupidity, but i probably should have said ignorance and immaturity. What else are his management trying to capitalise on (apart from the image)? SOme kind of suburban neo-anarchist? I don’t think so. He’s had a rocky adolescence, and seems to crave peer validation. Child abuse is too strong a word, but Corey does seem to be being exploited, (though at this particular juncture so are a lot of ‘em in the BB house).
(*as opposed to the actual living breathing feeling humans)
“What basis exists for a professional judgement to be made on the basis of edited tv footage, I wonder?”
The edited nature of the constructs are *precisely* the reason why health professionals would be concerned i would think!
Well, on one analysis, any form of child labour is a form of exploitation!
FWIW, I doubt anyone will make much money from Corey. Except maybe Channel Ten. But I honestly think they’re doing him a bit of a favour – not just by allowing him to sort of rehabilitate himself but also probably by parodying his “antics” and in the process, I suspect destroying his chance of capitalising on the moral panic.
BB have an onsite psychologist. Do people know that? I actually think they take duty of care more seriously than some suspect.
Yes i know who she is , she’s well know in my circles.
SHe’s OK.
But I don’t think that legitimises the show per se any more than the army having psychologists legitimises war. Perhaps one could even go as far as saying the fact they have psych’s is an admission that the show is very risky and traumatic for some, despite vigorous screening.
As an aside, this is a facinating take from a guy who was the token on TV psych on a number of talk shows (inc Oprah, Geraldo etc).”Confessions of a Talk Show Psychologist”
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/sfischo/TShows.htmlBut in your mind, does that issue arise mainly because Corey is only 17, sc? I think the BB attitude with the rest is that they’re probably atypical and weird anyway just because of the celeb aspirations, and therefore caveat emptor because they’re adults.
Yes I think the age is a bit problematic in the equation M.
Though i realised tonight Bianca is only six months older than him after revisiting the site Steven at #54 linked just a few moments ago
http://www.eyeonbigbrother.com/2008/Eye on Big Brother- he/she provides some sharp insight on the current construct.
The theory that BB will sacrifice Bianca (smart but young/naive) or Nanna Terri (old but dumb) in order to further Coreys (confusingly mixed) marketability is a disturbing but likely scenario.
Points well made, sc. And that does seem to be where they’re pushing the narrative. But I think Kim is probably right and they’re cannabilising Corey’s market value to increase their own. Thanks for the link too – that’s quite a good discussion.
I think its worth pasting a few pertanent remarks from the “confessions of a talk show psychologist” article i linked above. What do ya reckon?
“There is an unsettling issue about the people who volunteer as guests on such shows. One could quite legitimately say if the guests want to go on, let them. If they get burned, that’s the price their choice exacted. No one held a gun to their heads.
While that is true, it is equally true that people don’t always have the sophistication to make the right choices or fully grasp the long-term consequences of their decisions. I would argue that until people fully understand the risks of parading their life-flaws for a few moments of cheap celebrity, until they understand that the active reality of a TV talk show exerts more necromancy than they can possibly grasp sitting at home wishing for a chance to get on “Geraldo,” they are far less responsible for the degrading talk show spectacle than are the savvy producers of such shows.
Circus freak shows are no longer the cruel attraction they once were. As a society we have become more sensitive to the feelings of the “freaks” and to the dehumanizing stigma the term implies. We have also come to roundly condemn the promoters who exploited such “freaks” for mere profit. Perhaps guests on these so-called television freak shows, guests so easy to disdain, should be accorded the same compassion and the show’s producers the same condemnation. If I had understood this earlier in my talk show career, I would have dropped it sooner..’
Yeah, but I’m not sure either the housemates’ motivations or the nature of the show is all that comparable to “freak talk shows”. There’s a complex representation of identity in and among the BB housemates, but I don’t think most of them see it as “parading their life-flaws”. Quite the opposite.
Do you now, or have you ever watched BB, Sc?
Watched the first series, got the gist, sporadically see bits of other series.
No its not a freak show ala Jerry Springer, but if Warrick Capper, and the turkey slapping guys were on their best behaviour, god help us!
Well, I’ll grant you that they really lost it last year. But when was Warrick Capper on it?
Wozza was on the celebrity BB a few years ago when umm, Dylan Lewis won. I think he got tossed out for masturbating in front of a female housemate??
In that celeb version, there was a soapie starlet who slept outside in the garden with extra blankets, which seemed like a sensible option compared to sleeping in the shared bedroom, imo.
Oh, I never could watch a celebirty anything. I don’t mind kids who are wannabes though. It really is sociologically interesting. (That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it. Watching BB is work for me!)…
Whats the line between celeb and wannabe Mark
People who haven’t got far enough to be on that show “I’m a celebrity get me out of here!”, sc! The C list before they’re washed up.
(oops unfortunate omission of comma in my post above!)
BTW this site never lets me repost too quickly after a post – i think a few others are hitting this glitch since the upgrade too i.e little red lettered “the post you are trying to comment on does not currently exisit in the database”
The celeb BB was a total fizzer, I didn’t waste too much time, like everyone else. And it was a fizzer for the reasons you wouldn’t watch it Mark, umm, the sociological interest value being pretty much nil. Second rate talent, but they knew enough to keep their undies on, excepting Capper. I think his first coach described him as child-like and possibly developmentally delayed.
Anyway, I’ve done my BB dash. I’ve watched way too many seasons and having just finished another Loser and the first Dance – I’ve banned BB this year. Except Friday Night Games which the kids like alot.
As an early reality TV up-taker including the BB franchise, I know how easy it is to get sucked into a new group of contestants. And while the casting can be slightly more interesting than first impressions may suggest, entirely due to an ‘everyone is interesting to some degree’ factor, and it’s how these marginally interesting folk interact being the primary interest, but these local, now well-worn certain personality types including the couple of requisite exhibitionists or minority group contestants are pretty well interchangeable after 8 seasons, with a few notable exceptions overall.
This is not to say that the contestants and the micro-dramas are exactly the same each season obviously, but like any long running sitcom, eventually even new characters or storylines can’t revive your interest.
“(Perhaps the best shrinks are those money can’t buy, but i digress.)”
Perhaps the best shrinks are the shrinks we don’t go anywhere near.
Warwick Capper couldn’t keep his duds up. He seemed to find it very amusing, not unlike a toddler might. Ahhh, the intelligence and wit of the Australian sportsman strikes again.
So I missed it tonight. What’s the goss?
I missed it too (on purpose) but just checked into EyeonBigBrother @ #100 for an update. That site should be compulsory reading for anyone watching the show.
Cheers, sc. I didn’t want to go to the 10 website, because it tells you nothing in an incentive to get you to give them money to tell you the official line!
Oooh yeah, that dude is doing a really top notch BB blogging job!
Really? I’m not so sure.
I have to agree that Eye On Big Brother is doing a great job. I’m having an interesting season thus far keeping a keen eye on blogosphere et al. On top of that, I’m twittering the series which is an excellent way to have fun… but has drawn my attention to even more crazy polarisation of views between people who think BB is sucking our collective souls, those who see it as chewing gum, those who think it is interesting on a few different levels and those (most scary people) who are heart and soul invested in every moment.
I’m not just putting twitters ‘out there’ about the program, but attempting to keep some sort of collective hub of other people’s comments (by putting all the comments I can find on my favourites list). In order to do so I’m following a wide variety of people – many who can’t stand the show. What surprised me was the venom with which some of them responded to my following them. Many people have been outraged, insulted and insulting. Which I find funny (probably too funny). In the twitterverse (which is so addictive) they don’t have to see anything I write if I follow them, they don’t have to pay me any attention at all, they can block me if they want. But the very fact I want to know what they are saying about BB (and keep in mind that it is ONLY if they have commented on the show, regardless of the positive/negative spin) offends them. They can express their hatred of it, but I (as a BB watcher) am not allowed to pay attention.
On the other hand, there are a core group of people who follow my twittering (and I follow them, too) and with whom I have great time making fun of the program, or sharing views. Most of them aren’t over-eager teenagers, or what you would consider the usual BB audience. I didn’t expect that, but it makes sense considering your average twitter user. I guess I just thought there was a whole other aspect to the twitterverse out there I hadn’t encountered… a den of teenage twitter madness as it were. But it doesn’t seem to be there. There are just plenty of us tech, social media and media geeks who appear to get something (whatever that might be) out of the BB show and interaction with other BB watchers.
If you’re interested check out http://www.twitter.com/bigbrother08
Fair warning though, twitter is seriously addictive and time sucking if you haven’t discovered that already.
8.30 last night finally looked in on BB for the first timr. Everybody was dressed like American footballers standing around doing nothing. Very very boring. Then noticed there was a WW1 documentary on SBS, so I switched to that.. Far too many bloody ads interrupting the programme.If I had the energy I woulda sent an e-mail to Krudd. Reason I’m not watching Friday Night Crime on ABC? It’s a bloody repeat!!!
Tim Brunero…i like you man, but surely the Children Overboard comparison is going too far.
I want to hear more of Corey’s Mr Bean impersonations.
I wonder if the BB housemates are prompted on what to say, what to do, when to do it.
Corey certainly should join the circus. he is adept at walking on his hands and jumping. Not as interesting as the first three lots of BB though I feel. These folks know they are being watched and play for the camera.
Margo, they certainly are. Former housemates (including Tim, if I remember correctly) have spoken about what (and when) they were prompted to speak about certain issues.
Christina, in her comedy show at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, had a whole piece about Big Brother insisting she ’share’ with the housemates her background as an adopted child. She was asked to the Diary Room, it was mentioned that she hadn’t spoken about it yet and when she just shrugged as if “so?” he mentioned that she should bring it up as they sunned themselves that afternoon.
I think they have become more adept at forcing the conversations to happen by creating structures such as the House Meeting, where they are specifically told to bring up issues that are creating tension or friction. Once they are discussed, much bitching will happen about it later. Good technique, especially as they can force the conversation to happen in the lull periods where they need to have more narrative injected to midweeks shows.
Teen remanded in custody -THe Age
* Staff reporter
* June 4, 2008 – 5:06PM
A 17-year-old male has had his bail revoked after allegedly being involved in an affray.
The teen, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was remanded into custody until Friday.
Today the youth faced a Children’s Court over six charges, including two counts of affray, one count of conduct endangering life and one charge of assault.
He had been on bail after being charged with other offences earlier this year.
A magistrate adjourned the case until Friday.