DISQUS

John Richards · 7 months ago

Links!

The original Henrie Stride article from The Age: http://tinyurl.com/ck843c

The follow-up article: http://tinyurl.com/c7wdbw

The Outland Institute post: http://tinyurl.com/cxw223

And Jesse Maguire at Defamer: http://tinyurl.com/d3ynrw

John Richards · 7 months ago

Sorry, "Jess". Not Jesse. Typo. My bad.

John Richards · 7 months ago

And also "McGuire". I'm stopping now.

DaveAA · 7 months ago

I think there's a danger here of focusing a bit too much on Ms Stride, when really the problem is with the whole Australian television industry from the suits-in-charge on down. Ms Stride is just saying what they're all thinking.

Unfortunately this 'pretty/white/straight/bland is better' attitude has infected SBS now, thanks to Sean Brown and his cronies (appointed by the SBS board, appointed by the Howard government) who would be better off in commercial TV, or better still dead.

Facebook User · 7 months ago

I don't agree, DaveAA. Henrie Stride argues that she's just doing the bidding of the people who pay her wage, but that's specious: she is paid (supposedly) because of her ability to spot "talent". In that position, she has every opportunity to argue for talent that doesn't meet the symmetrical and bland ideas of the network, but she chooses to just give them what they supposedly ask for, instead of presenting a broader range. It's people like her who allow the bland to continue, and she has just as much to answer for as the producers or the network execs who greenlight the projects.

As for the old TV shows that we love/d, I think they're a bit like books - they rely heavily on our imagination. Everything is presented for us now, and we expect the glitz and glamour. But all the bells and whistles will never replace a cracking good story, as Stacey related in her letter. eg: We loved Charlie's Angels because these women were presented to us as the glamour ladies of their day - on every magazine cover - and there wasn't much competition.

And speaking of nothing replacing a good story... when Mr, who seems to watch every police procedural he can (and I cannot fathom why), tells me when I get home on Monday night that he watched one of the worst ever (ie: Eleventh Hour), you know it's a stinker.

ActualChad · 7 months ago

Pop quiz: What was the last popular series that used the "flash forward" as a precursor to the show itself? I remember this as a kid and have wondered both "why don't they do that anymore?" and also "why did they do that in the first place?" at different times over the years.

But it's someting that belongs in the annals of television history now ( yes, I said annals), much like the countdown that appeared on screen leading up to 6 o'clock when the news would officially start every night.

DaveAA · 7 months ago

Actual Chad: Battlestar Galactica used the "flash forward" at the start of each episode, if I've understood what we're talking about here.

Facebook User: I wasn't meaning to excuse Stride, just pointing out that she's one of many, and the whole culture is Aust TV needs to change away from it's current mentality, which is basically so shit-scared to take risks that there is hardly ever any good TV ever made in this country, despite a wealth of talent going unused.

ActualChad · 7 months ago

Hey you're right, DaveAA. Someone give that man a shirt!

I'd actually forgotten about Galactica doing that. I was thinking you'd have to go back to the golden age of action television - A Team, Charlie's Angels, Simon & Simon, Magnum PI, Riptide, Fall Guy, Scarecrow and Mrs King, Knight Rider... Automan.... Manimal.... Street Hawk...

...golden age might be going a bit fair...

narrelle · 7 months ago

The West Wing went in for it quite a lot too, especially in later seasons. Occasionally I thought it ruined the story, by becoming a spoiler for itself.

narrelle · 7 months ago

You know, my lovely Boxcutter boys, I do know the answer to your quiz. But I don't need another T-shirt that doesn't fit me. I am, like the guy from Axis of Awesome, 'generously built' - and if I answer your quiz and win the shirt, I'm just going to have to go to all the effort of burning it myself. So you guys do it, and keep yourselves warm on these long, cold, lonely nights during your exile from RRR.

I will, however, buy a Boxcutters shirt at the next opportunity (which, funnily enough, will coincide with a payday) because you make them in LAAAAARGE sizes. Cladding the cuddly. This is why I love you.

And as soon as you make a shirt that reads: "I am an angry, hard, bitter, man-hating, lesbiany kind of woman', I will soooo buy that . In the meantime I may make an icon out of it for my Livejournal.

martin_english · 7 months ago

+1 for the "I am an angry, hard, bitter, man-hating, lesbiany kind of woman" t-shirt. I'll cross the wo part of woman out myself (hey, if a lesbian is someone who likes sleeping with females, then i'm a lesbian....).

BTW, generously sized I may be, but given the description of the crumpler shirts, I'm going to enter the contest. If I win, I'll hang it in the pool room.

DaveAAA and FaceBook user,
You only have to look at the Eddie Maguire / Jessica Rowe thing at Ch 9 (last year ?) to see it IS an industry problem. To sheet it home to SBS is to ignore shows like Salam Cafe (a product of ch31).
To suggest that it is Ms Stride's task to change the mentatlity of her customers is a bit specious - after all, having chosen her job ("talent Scout" for Oz TV), she has to provide talent that her market will accept... If she kept presenting excellent comedians, who BTW were black lesbians, then the suits of Oz TV would ignore them, and very soon, ignore Ms Stride.

love the show

Josh Kinal · 7 months ago

You asked for it, you got it. At last an angry, man-hating, lesbiany kind of t-shirt.

I've made it on Red-Bubble who seem to be a lot better than cafepress so over the weekend I'll be moving the superstore of love over there.

narrelle · 7 months ago

As long as they still have ultra-roomy shirts, I'll be happy.

Facebook User · 7 months ago

martin_english: I'm not saying that it's solely down to Henrie Stride to change the industry; however, if she has the confidence to present people to the networks then surely she can justify her position (and I'm sure she does). You've really taken it to an extreme by jumping from perky white pretty girls to funny black lesbians as well, don't you think? By her own admission, Henrie Stride won't consider someone who isn't mainstream telegenic - but doesn't that exclude the majority of the population? And it also gets back to this thing about men being able to have faces full of "character" (lines, pock marks, whatever), but women are held to a different standard.

Hey Josh - any chance of putting that design on a fitted women's, to emphasise my bitter, man-hating curves? And do they only do pastel colours? How about a bold, angry red or hard black? (which contrasting text, of course)

Nerida

Josh Kinal · 7 months ago

OK. As far as fitted goes, you can get whatever kind of shirt you want. Girly fitted, pie-eater, long sleeve, v-neck, zombie fighter. They have them all there which is also why I'm going to move all the Boxcutters shirts over to Red Bubble.

I'm working on creating a new and improved Superstore of Love over there and I'll put it all in there.

martin_english · 7 months ago

Facebook User,
I did the extreme comparison to highlight what yo weant on to discuss - that mean and women are held to different standards. No one cares that Steven k Amos is black and gay.. But they would in the case of a women.

I do take your point about Ms Stride justifying her position (i.e. the people she has to offer). To a large extent it IS up to her to say "You're paying good money for my opinion / advice, so take it", and then to follow through with ethical responsible advice.

Actually, having given it more thought, TV execs of all people should be aware of all the "it'll never work" ideas and peopl that actually HAVE worked :)

Additionally, IF (and it is a bit of an if...) humour can be seen as a defence / weapon in social circumstances, then a woman with a quickfire wit can be seen as a threat. And if her humour has the bite that a Judith Lucy can bring to the stage, then she may just be "proving" (to the insecure male, anyway) that she is too dangerous to have around at all...

BTW, I am ordering one of the shirts. I've also tweeted Josh for his t-shirt size so I can buy him one as well :)

Josh Kinal · 7 months ago

OK. Have a look at http://www.redbubble.com/people/boxcutters. I'll be adding more t-shirts as the weekend continues.

Facebook User · 7 months ago

oh, silly me - I was just looking at the front page for the t-shirt styles. It is a much better organised store than CafePress - and less work required by the store owner, it would appear.

cheers!

Nerida