Little Mister Square Eyes

Closed Indefinitely

Published on 2007-01-02 18:06:00

Regular readers may have noticed a distinct lack of new content on this blog. For the last seven months work, and various small social manoeuvres, (carried out in what a diehard techie friend of Little Mr Square Eyes describes as ‘meatspace’) have interfered with posting here.These work commitments meant LMSE has spent large chunks of time away from Tasmania – a situation unconducive to writing regularly about local telly and all things TAS. As a result, the Little Mister Square Eyes blog

From his lips to God's ear

Published on 2006-09-04 22:41:00

"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it." Steve Irwin

First Hinde now Mr Gormsby?

Published on 2006-07-06 01:11:00

Following the death of John Hinde, Crikey carried an item flagging the somewhat pungent obituary of New Zealand newspaper proprietor Ray Smith.It opens with:Ray Smith, the newspaper owner who died in Rotorua on Sunday aged 85, was an austere man, who went through life with a perpetual scowl...and then becomes really frank. Worth a read, if only as a studied exercise in how to speak ill (and therefore honestly) of the dead -- could Smith have been the real life Mr Gormsby? You also wonder what P

Golden Hinde

Published on 2006-07-05 01:29:00

Amidst all the stories of turkey slapping at ten and boning by the management of the Nine Network, news broke today of the death of ABC veteran John Hinde.One of Australia's first foreign correspondents, TV presenter and movie critic, John Hinde has died in Sydney aged 92.ABC Radio's AM program today paid tribute to Hinde, who filed a report for its first bulletin.Mr Hinde began his career at the ABC in the news department and was a correspondent in the Pacific during World War II.Apart from hi

Things that make you go hmmm…

Published on 2006-06-22 18:34:00

(aka stuff on the tube I didn’t notice until recently)During an aimless flick through morning television programs LMSE was surprised to see The Wiggles have spun off The Little Wiggles, a group of child performers portraying the skivvy aficionados when they were young. It’s a strangely creepy move that hints the franchise is being milked like a prize Holstein. The little Wiggles are notable for the lack of rhythm, singing ability and appeal they bring to their rolesLikewise, Rugrats also app

Break in Transmission

Published on 2006-05-14 22:23:00

During the past three weeks, travel has interfered with our scheduled programming. Stay tuned, normal service will resume shortly.

Hair Mitts & Moments

Published on 2006-04-14 02:53:00

“…television ratings information is the currency by which television is bought, sold and evaluated.”Oztam website frontpageIn the offices of cosseted Australian television executives they talk with numerical crudity – Dancing with the Stars 2.13 million viewers, The Biggest Loser 1.41 million, National Nine News 1.37 million. Amongst the closely groomed sales reps the peppy, incessant chatter is more homespun and they reach with frequency for HUTs, TARPs and (by turns haughty or meek) ad

A Tasmanian iPod

Published on 2006-04-02 16:49:00

If Tasmanian voters were an iPod, Status Quo would top the most played list. Due to the intricacies of the Hare Clark system, definitive (but not finalised) results came in a week and a half after the 18 March poll, with the Lennon government returned and the split of seats remaining exactly the same (ALP 14 — Liberal 7 — Greens 4). There was no slap on the wrist for Premier Paul Lennon, the bloke nicknamed by some as “the Big Chipper” and by novelist Richard Flanagan (with startling acc

Election Problems?

Published on 2006-03-14 21:05:00

For the past few weeks, as Tasmania slouched towards a state election, more serious commentators have been looking to the stars, eviscerating goats and feeling their water in a bid to work out how the seats will fall. It’s all part of the speculation as to whether a knackered public health system, falling literacy standards or continued large-scale logging and tree farming are enough to bring the Lennon government unstuck. Meanwhile Little Mr Square Eyes has been toying with the weighty questi

Atta Boy Luther!

Published on 2006-03-13 21:07:00

The tail end of February threw up a bad weekend for seventies TV stars whose first name started with ‘D’. In the space of 48 hours the Internet Movie Database ruled a line under the entries for Don Knotts, Darren McGavin and Dennis Weaver. Off hand, Little Mr Square Eyes can’t remember a higher rate of attrition amongst actors — even counting the 10 days in October 1985 when Rock Hudson, Yul Brenner and Orson Wells popped their clogs.A steady stream of tributes have since flowed on to th

That’s that, goodbye

Published on 2006-02-24 21:24:00

“Then last week, as it must to all men, death came to Charles Foster Kane”When Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, the richest man in Australia (and owner of the National Nine television network and Australian Consolidated Press) falls off the twig, you can’t help but dredge up a line or two from Wells' quote-packed 1941 epic. The Packer send–off (parts one and two) also capped off a big viewing fortnight that included the final episodes of RAN (Remote Area Nurse) and Carnivale, as well as th

Now the carnivale is over...

Published on 2006-02-18 00:31:00

An email from Mez:Same as you with Carnivale. I strongly suspect it's really a crock, but by golly, it's an enjoyable one. I noticed they set up another series at the end of the one that just finished. BTW, the show replacing it on Sunday looks like an entirely different kind of fun.Coincidentally I was thinking of further exploring the strange attraction Carnivale exerts (perhaps after I’ve banged out something on the Kerry Packer send-off/carnival). The last episode certainly hinted at a t

Little Mr Square Eyes Apologises

Published on 2006-02-13 01:39:00

A reader has complained about Little Mr Square Eyes describing Today show weather presenter Steve Jacobs as a 'persistent dickface'. The reader ("my first and last time") points out Jacobs has worked in the media industry for nigh on 20 years as a presenter, actor, and radio announcer.Furthermore, even if he was not employed by a national television program as one of its key hosts, the one-time reader feels it is highly doubtful Jacobs would attempt to retain a tenuous link with the industry by

My Favourite Blonde (Android)

Published on 2006-02-02 18:50:00

The news Jessica Rowe -- Network ten’s erstwhile favourite blonde android -- was finally set to make her debut on Nine’s Today Show prompted Little Mr Square Eyes to ask (all Carrie Bradshaw-like but nowhere near as winsome):“If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, what does the nutritional information panel for Australian breakfast television read like?”Tuning into JR’s first day was a viewing experience in two parts. On the Today show, Sharyn Ghidella was a vision in pink

Balls

Published on 2006-01-30 23:01:00

One of the ongoing pleasures of media watching is how seriously the participants take themselves and the way great importance is attached to relatively small changes. For example, the Nine Network recently tweaked its logo -- an event that prompted these snippets from News Ltd (translations are in bold).“Acting Nine chief executive Sam Chisholm had been a driving force behind the new changes, bringing in former colleague Bruce Dunlop to work on a new logo last year.”i.e. we’re dropping the

The good, the bad and the ugly

Published on 2006-01-26 23:16:00

More Sopranos episodes to come -- only 20 but I’m sure the Nine Network will dole them out as slowly as possible.Paul Riesner is back.Finally, the Herald Sun carried a report claiming Greg Domaszewicz was one of the first to be approached by Granada Productions to appear in an Australian version of the British series, I'm a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here. Full story here but I’m not sure for how long.Little Mr Square Eyes is attempting to contact the Australian arm of Granada Productions t

Something magical

Published on 2006-01-20 00:17:00

Ahh-Eeeh! – Bok!Huh-Hrnn! – Thwock!Ahh-Eeeh! – Bok!Huh-Hrnn! – Thwock!Owwt!So it went for three sets -- and, with the contest between Tszvetana Pironkova and Venus Williams sounding more like SFX for a “Xena versus She-Ra” adult entertainment video, it was clear that Summer (or Seven’s Summer of Sport as it was once referred to) was here in all its sweaty splendour.As with other seasons, the Summer of Sport encompasses change and renewal. The laid-back Hopman Cup gives way to the A

Oh Hoppy Daze

Published on 2006-01-10 16:55:00

“You can almost see,” explained Geoff Masters during the Hopman Cup final, “the min-tell in-tent-city.” By the time I’d translated this, US player Lisa Raymond had lost the point, mental intensity notwithstanding.Minutes later for no apparent reason Geoff announced brightly, “coochindard looking very happy”, while the screen showed a pair of dour, middle-aged men sporting the sort of poker faces that suggested one of them had farted and was refusing to own up. Exactly who was Dutch

WIN Television knows news (and apparently what you want too)

Published on 2006-01-05 21:57:00

Originally, I intended to explore the news that Network Nine’s resident lounge lizard David Reyne had made a clean getaway and was headed to ten to replace Bert Newton, who recently moved to Nine for unspecified duties… (and when I say “explore the news” what I actually mean is shoehorn in even more bad puns involving the words getaway and Reyne).All this changed when a brief glance at Thursday’s Mercury revealed WIN Television is scuttling its local 6pm news bulletin. The 30-minute lo

Where's Buffy?

Published on 2006-01-03 23:26:00

In their usual slap dash fashion, Southern Cross appears to repeating early episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Little Mr Square Eyes was going to include details of when it was being broadcast but TPTB at Southern Cross have apparently decided that the Tasmanian program schedule isn’t important enough to be included with the other states on its website.It’s difficult to accurately describe the erratic nature of Southern Cross Tasmania’s programming style**. Suffice to say, even armed wi

New Year Televisuals

Published on 2006-01-02 02:11:00

Forgoing the attractions of the Hobart CBD on new year’s eve (drunken 20 to 30-somethings, soggy fireworks displays plus the usual gouge-orama hosted by local restaurants) and keenly aware of the need for blogging material, Little Mr Square Eyes shipped in quantities of seafood, champagne and those tiny, irresistible, marinated Huon Valley mushrooms and settled down for a night of what the old conti announcers used to call “viewing pleasure”.And really, is there anything more sad arse than