Category: media

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Rewarding bad behaviour

Teaching the wrong life lessons

This is going to sound like a stab at Lindsay, and it’s not meant to be, because I really still hope the girl can turn her life around. However, I just don’t see how that’s going to happen when people keep rewarding her for bad behaviour.

Fresh off her court appearance, and being sentenced to 90 days of “locked-in” rehab, there’s news she’s flying out to Brazil to earn 6 figures for a few appearances. There’s also speculation she’s going to Australia for a similar sum of cash. Now – power to the girl that she can still make money, and hopefully she’s actually using some of it to pay her bills. We keep hearing there’s a lot of them.

However, at the same time, I think we’re just teaching Lindsay that the more she fucks up, the more money she can make. They’re keeping her in the headlines, and keeping her front page news. She’s never going to start looking after herself if she can still make money, jail time and all.

It’s not just Lindsay either. The US has a bad habit of rewarding bad behaviour. Look at Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian. Both made sex tapes and were rewarded with reality shows. People on shows like Celebrity Apprentice know that bad behaviour equals better ratings. There’s shows like Celebrity Rehab and The Surreal Life for stars that have gone bad.

Even worse though, is that if a celebrity tries to do good, they’re banished. Corey Feldman tried to speak out about the abuse he and Haim suffered, and he was immediately tossed into the oblivion bin. Turn to God and you’re put in the crazy basket. Decide to actually stop drinking, and you’re declared boring and you’ll die a slow “whatever happened to that person” death….

It’s OK to donate money to charity, or do a couple of events, as long as it’s all red carpet glamour. But if you actually decide to get serious and devote a good chunk of your life to a cause, prepare yourself to be thrown out of the working circle. There’s no faster kiss of death than being considered an activist.

I wish we would reward people for thinking about something other than themselves. Those who donate time and money, or who put their personal reputations on the line for a cause shouldn’t become Persona Non Grata. Instead, those who continually flout laws, hurt others, or who act as if no matter what they do, they’ll still have money to pay their bills, (but don’t) should stop being rewarded.

I’m worried about what we’re teaching the next generation.

Make yourself famous at any cost. Stay famous, no matter what it takes. Don’t worry about breaking laws – you’ll never actually do time, and you’ll still be raking in the big bucks.

Take a personal stand, try to do right by some other people, and be told you’ll never work in the industry again….

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Jerry Sandusky on NBC

What the Hell are NBC thinking giving a Pedophile airtime?

Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State coach who is currently serving a 30 – 60 year prison sentence for RAPING young boys, is getting an exclusive “In His Own Words” on NBC on Monday morning.

Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to give Jerry airtime? Why are we letting a convicted child molester go on air, to give “his side” of the story? Has NBC given any consideration to his victims, or the millions of other survivors of abuse and wondered what the impact of seeing this monster on air could do to them? I’m guessing he’s not going to go on air and admit he’s a dirty pedo and he’s deeply sorry for all the pain and suffering he’s caused.

People like him think they’ve done nothing wrong. All this interview is going to do is trigger a lot of people. It’s going to cause great distress. In the midst of the other rape cases going on now, especially the Steubenville case, where people are blaming the victim, this interview is just going to show people once again that as long as you’re some kind of sports hero, or famous person, or have the upper hand socially over your victims, you’ll still be loved and lauded, and the victims will remain in the shadows, taunted, scared and re victimized.

Why don’t some of the networks do some interviews showing the impacts of abuse. Show some documentaries of the effects of trauma. How it deeply impacts people for the rest of their lives. How it can effect all their life choices. Instead of giving a voice to this deeply perverted man who took the innocence of so many young men, why not help the cause. Help bring forth change. Stop contributing to the rape culture.

I’m ashamed of you NBC. I won’t be watching. I hope my friends will also tell NBC they won’t be watching.

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People have no idea of the impact of abuse

People like John Laws set the whole movement back

I take back my comments about the print media making a big deal of the John Laws interview. After watching his interview on Today Tonight I’m just amazed at his arrogance. He doesn’t seem to think he was insensitive at all, and the only reason he apologizes is if he offended anyone, but doesn’t see why he would have. So, not a real apology. He just doesn’t get that saying “My God they were having a good time with you” was inappropriate, and he thinks the interviewer is asking a stupid question for asking him how he could say it.  When asked about how he could ask if it was a child’s fault, he answers, “if she allowed it to happen”….. Seriously Lawsie? You think a six year old could “allow” it to happen?

I think my most amazed moment came in the original interview when the girl says that it finally stopped and Laws states that the dad must have gotten physically tired of her. Like he understood that a grown girl was no longer attractive to an abuser. That made my skin crawl.

I’m so glad Liz Mullinar and Derryn Hinch went on air to blast John Laws. While I was at Liz’s retreat, Heal For Life, they showed how abuse has actual physical effects on the brain. How it really can create a change in life patterns. How simply ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. Laws suggested to the woman she simply focus on work and husband, and don’t think about it. Sorry Laws, but that just doesn’t work. So many people are told to just move on, get over it. Do something else. You can’t move on till you’re allowed to grieve. You have to face it. Be allowed to talk about your feelings. Survivors of abuse don’t need dinosaurs like Laws dismissing their trauma. That doesn’t help a person to move on at all.

I hope the Royal Commission will bring about a change in Australia and let people know the true effect of childhood abuse on people. Maybe then people will be able to address the issue, get the help they need, without being dismissed, without feeling like they need stay quiet and hide in the shadows, or try to self medicate with dangerous substances.

In the meantime, I hope people let Laws know how big a dickhead he is by switching him off.

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The John Laws audio

Print media creating a storm over radio again

Here’s the audio from the John Laws interview http://m.soundcloud.com/sydneylive2gb/laws-raw

I should have listened to it before my last rant, but I saw the papers, and their selected quotes. It triggered a massive response from me. I acted before I thought.

I have listened to the first 5 minutes. I’ve only got my iPhone with me, and I couldn’t listen to the whole thing. However, while his questions could seem insensitive, especially when seen on paper, his question about “are you unattractive?” was in response to her saying her family told her to take her ugly pills. All his questions were actually designed to garner a self positive response from the woman, so she could answer, “No, it wasn’t my fault.” He was trying to let her take control of her past.

I think he could be interpreted as insensitive, at at times he kind of was, but sometimes it’s easier to answer when people ask straight questions.

I don’t get the print medias obsession with constantly trying to make radio personalities look like total douchbags. Don’t cherry pick quotes to make people appear evil. Put the whole transcript in there.

I’m glad this woman was able to escape her family and find a good husband. I’m happy she is able to talk about it. I hope she is able to heal. I hope she finds a place like Heal For Life who can show her than she can heal and move on.

Edit after listening to the whole thing:  Lawsie could use some sensitivity training. The condesending tone at the end with the “Poor little thing, it must be hard to get over, I just don’t know” was off putting. The telling her to simply focus on other things wasn’t good either. However, the man is a radio host, not a psychotherapist, or even a counsellor. You can’t expect him to know how to handle every situation.

At least people are talking about it openly. That’s certainly a move in the right direction.

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A Law Unto Himself

John Laws and Betty Wilson

Are you fucking kidding me?

I’m sorry, but I’m really pissed off right now. At what point does someone think it’s OK to ask a person who was sexually molested if they were provocative as a six year old? When a caller rings you, crying, you don’t ask them a series of increasing demeaning questions. You don’t insinuate that it might be their fault. A SIX year old doesn’t flirt, they don’t bat their eyelids, they don’t invite people to touch them. They certainly don’t want men groping them, or getting their kicks from them. They don’t want a sick old man getting his jollies by touching them or molesting them.

If you, John Laws, think that a child somehow led men on so that they would molest her, then you need some serious help.

Please don’t compare this old man to Kyle Sandilands. I know everyone loves to keep bringing up the lie detector incident. However, and I’ve fought with many people over this, I don’t think Kyle was at fault in that incident at all. The mother of that child KNEW her daughter had been raped. She knew her daughter was in pain. But that bitch took her on air, and made her do the lie detector. I’ve listened to that tape. Kyle was in NZ at the time, and wasn’t in the studio. I think when the girl came out and said she had been raped, everyone was just stunned. Kyle just blurted out something. I don’t think he was being callous. I think he may have been genuinely wondering if it was just once, or if there was more incidents her mother should have known of, not asking if she had been sleeping around. I don’t think anyone in that situation would have reacted better. When his brain caught up to his mouth, he backed up, and quickly ended the segment, and offered the girl counseling. He didn’t ask more questions. He didn’t press on. He didn’t ask the girl if it was her fault, or try to insinuate that she brought it on herself. I know people love to hate Kyle, but this is one of those things I will not budge on. Kyle didn’t do wrong. That blame for that incident rests squarely on the girls mother. She knew. She hadn’t helped the girl before that, she didn’t help her through it. We can only hope she got help afterwards because Kyle and Jackie arranged it.

But John Laws just disgusts me. I hope every victim of abuse lets John know that IT’S NOT THEIR FAULT.  Fuck you John Laws. Fuck You.

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Can bad celebs be good again?

Can Lindsay ever be A list again?

Remember when Lindsay Lohan was the IT girl? Everyone thought she was the next big thing? She would have a long career, win awards and just have an all around awesome life?

Then, like most former child stars, she had a meltdown, and everyone turned on her. It’s not just Lindsay. Britney Spears, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Christina Aguilera, Drew Barrymore, Danny Bonaduce, Brad Renfro, Macauley Culkin, anyone from Diff’rent Strokes…. They all got built up, and then went through what all teenagers go through. They get rebellious. They experiment. They break the rules. But unlike normal teenagers, they’ve got a pack of paparazzi following them, documenting all of it. Which really, would only serve to make them even crazier.

Some of the lucky ones, like Drew Barrymore, made it out the other side. But that was before social media. People like Britney had her meltdown shown in real time, all over the world. No matter where someone goes now, there’s someone who can upload whatever they’re doing instantly, it can go viral within 24 hours, and even people in deepest darkest Africa can know what celeb just hit up a Starbucks on Hollywood Blvd.

With social media, blogging, FB, Twitter, the world has also gotten a lot more viscous. People are downright mean. A lot of people also seem like they’re hoping to see the stars fall.  Everybody fucks up. If someone was following you around constantly, documenting everything you said or did, we’d see that even you fuck up occasionally. I’m not perfect. I’ve said stupid things. I’ve done dumb things. I’ve said mean things about other people. But, I’m trying really hard to be a better person and be more empathetic. I’m trying to put myself in another persons shoes before I judge them.

I can’t imagine being Lindsay. Or any Hollywood celebrity these days. How does one try to fix it when they’ve got a bunch of people just waiting for them to fall again? How do you seek help, when you’ve got a problem, but you don’t want it splashed everywhere? How do you improve yourself, without looking like a tool? If someone enters rehab to take some me time, get it together, they’re blasted by the media as having a problem. How do you go to a retreat, heal yourself, without worrying that someone else there isn’t going to blab to TMZ about what you were doing there.

Right now, Lindsay is in so much debt, she’s got so many legal problems, it’s hard for her to work. But she HAS to work to pay off that debt. So her idiot parents make money off her any way they can, even if it means making her look bad. She doesn’t want to do reality TV, because she wants to be a respected actress. Nobody respects her as an actress anymore, because she is so stressed out that when she does work, she’s not great.

How can she take time off and heal herself, without people forgetting about her altogether. Hollywood is a fickle place. Disappear for too long, and people forget about you. People want to hire those that are in the media. If being followed by the paparazzi keeps you in the media, then some celebs are willing to make sure they’re getting their pic taken. It’s such a double edged sword.

You’ve got the problem with most kid actors that acting is all they know. They’ve lived a life of privilege. They go out and people know who they are. They’re used to having money. People say they should just disappear for a while. But where are they supposed to go? What are they supposed to do? They’ve got bills to pay like the rest of us. They can’t just sit at home and watch TV all day. They can’t just go get a job somewhere. Can you imagine if Lindsay decided to get a real job? What would she do? Party planner? Real Estate agent? Flipping burgers? So, she takes jobs where she can. Like Charlie is going to give her an episode on Anger Management. Of course, that episode will time nicely with Scary Movie 5. So it’s good for both of them. She can go on trips to Australia, and get paid to make appearances. – I wish I could get that gig! She gets offers to do shows like Dancing with the Stars, but turns it down. I really wish she would accept one of these offers. Sure, turn down reality stuff like Celebrity Rehab. However, DWTS could be good for someone like Lindsay. She’d get work. She could pay her bills. We’d get to see a different side of her. We’d get to see her doing something that doesn’t involve a court appearance. We’d get to know a little bit more of Lindsay each week. She’d get back into shape and could do more of her magazine shoots, paying more bills. Celebreality doesn’t always mean you’re washed up. Lots of people have used it to re-ignite a career after taking a break. Celebrities need sabbaticals too. At least singers can get a gig as a judge on one of the multitude of singing shows. They get paid huge amounts of money, it re-ignites their careers, helps sell albums, plus, we get to know them a little more. Britney stint as a judge helped her tremendously. Unfortunately, actors don’t get the same kind of opportunities to play judge, or even host.

I’ll be super interested to see how Lilo’s Aussie trip goes. I wish I was there so I could meet her. I’d take her to lunch, sit her down, and tell her that it’s all going to be OK. Even with all the shit going on, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There is a way for her to come out of this on top.

There’s a lot of child stars who went off the rails for a while, and made it out. Not all of them are famous anymore. Just because they’re not acting anymore doesn’t mean they’re losers either. Many have chosen to live regular lives, and are much happier for it. Then there’s Drew Barrymore. She went through hell, and now she’s a successful actress, producer, has a cosmetics line and is happily married with a kid.

I just hope that the public, and Hollywood is willing to help Lindsay become the next Barrymore.

And Lindsay, if you ever do need a break for a week or two from the craziness, I’ve got a ranch in Texas with a bunch of POSTED signs on it. You’re welcome to come anytime.

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Can’t celebrities be civilians too?

Why is there such a double standard for Celebrities?

I’m so glad I’m not a celebrity anymore. Sure, there may be some perks to being famous. You get to cut the line at clubs, people buy your drinks. You might get to go on cool vacations. But the reality is, most of those things aren’t that much fun, because you’ve always got to wonder who is watching you, or whose going to pick a fight with you in the club and sue you next.

Kayne napping in First Class

I mean, you may be in First Class on the plane and think you can get some sleep, but who knows who is going to snap a pic of you while you’re drooling and then stick it up on the internet?

Then there’s this:

I mean seriously? Mila Kunis is smoking hot. She was just voted Esquire Magazine’s Sexiest Woman Alive. I personally think she’s on of the most beautiful women ever. Even in her trackpants and workout wear. But apparently the Editor of Teen Vogue is unimpressed with Kunis getting around being comfortable. She is tired of seeing her in gym gear. How does she think she stays that hot? She works out. If they only place the stalkerazzi manages to get pics of her is when she’s out on a run, then yes, you’re going to see pics of her in her sweats.

What made me really upset when I read it was that it was the editor of TEEN VOGUE who was pushing that Kunis should be dressing better. Do all celebrities have to go out in full make-up and 6″ heels like a Kardashian, even to get their morning coffee? I mean, what are they teaching teenagers? That they have to be glamorous ALL the time?  Maybe she’s dressing down because she hopes if she’s not all glammed up, then nobody will notice her. She’s hoping to just blend into the crowd. Or maybe she just didn’t feel like spending an hour doing her hair and make-up just so she could grab a latte. Of course, even if she did dress up, if she wore the same shirt, or pants, or shoes she wore last week, somebody would jump on her for that.

Then if we’re not berating a celebrity for their fashion choices, we’re picking on their weight. If you’ve eaten a burrito for lunch, some pap will take a pic and claim that you’re pregnant. If the celebrity sees it, feels like shit, works out and eats less so they don’t get pregnancy rumours, then the magazines will talk about them being skeletor and how they’ve gotten too skinny.

Remember Nicole Ritchie? She was a normal sized person when she did the first season of The Simple Life. Next to Paris Hilton, who had bones sticking out, she looked bigger. But I wouldn’t say she was fat. But a lot of people did. She lost the weight. Then lost more. Then magazines complained she had an eating disorder. Well Duh. If everyone in the world is calling you a fat ass, it’s probably going to give you some kind of complex. Thankfully Nicole found a balance and these days she looks healthy.

I’m so glad that nobody here cares who I am. When the dog wakes me up in the morning and wants to go outside to pee, I don’t have time to fix my hair and makeup. I normally don’t even have time to brush my teeth. So when I roll outta my trailer, I’m all kinds of unkempt. If I feel like hanging in my PJ’s till I have to get dressed for work, I do. Nobody at my RV park cares.

I can’t imagine the pressure of having to be glam all the time. I’m so glad I can go out and eat lunch and not worry. I can go out and have a drink with my friends without ending up in the paper. I can go swimming at the beach and not end up on some Worst Bikini Body list.

Why do we have to be so mean to famous people? Are we jealous because we perceive they have a more fabulous life, so we have to nit pick over stupid stuff? Or are people just generally unhappy and so they have to make themselves feel better by picking on someone else?

I wish people would remember that Famous people have feelings too. They also see the gossip magazines. They watch Fashion Police. They get told when they’re on a worst dressed list, or when people point out their cellulite, or when they’re on a Stars Without Makeup feature.

Can you imagine if everytime you left the house, someone was just waiting to see what bad thing they could say about you? Megan Fox is right when she says that being famous is like being bullied by millions of people. Sure, it’s easy to say just to ignore it, but it’s kinda hard. When your face is on the TV and magazine covers, how are you supposed to leave the house and not see it? Or even stay at home and not see it? Famous people watch TV too….

We also need to think of the trickle down effect. If we keep finding flaws in beautiful famous people, then what hope do regular people have? I see someone who I think is absolutely gorgeous, and I’m told by some editor that they’re flawed because they have a single dimple of cellulite, and I look in a mirror, and I think shit, I better not leave the house. My arse is full of it. What about my hair? Is it the right shade? Is it the right length? Are my friggen eyelashes full enough?

I think we all need to just start accepting people for who they are. Maybe if we can accept our own bodies, we can accept a celebs body. Or maybe it’s the other way around. I’m not sure anymore.

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Weight loss reality TV

Losing weight on TV

It seems like the two most popular types of reality shows on TV these days are cooking shows and weight loss shows. People want to eat, people want to get thin. Seems like maybe one is leading to the other….

The cast of Excess Baggage

I remember when they started talking about Excess Baggage. To me it seemed like it was going to be an awesome show. So many people have complained that celebs get special treatment, and if they were given trainers and chefs like the stars, they’d look just as fabulous. So, here they made a show where they paired up a celebrity with a civilian. They got to travel all over Australia. So not only was this a weight loss show, but it was also part travel series. It wasn’t just about losing weight, it was going to be about getting mentally right, since that’s what’s behind most peoples weight issues. We would get to see some of Australia’s most beautiful locations. I told Stephen, my publicist to see what he could do to get me on there. I couldn’t imagine anything better. Getting the opportunity to get in shape, both physically and mentally, while getting to spend some time in Australia, seeing my beautiful homeland.

Well, it didn’t happen. Apparently, I wasn’t fat enough. Then, after only two episodes, the show got yanked off Channel nine and was banished to some sub station. I saw the first couple episodes online, but haven’t been able to watch the rest. I didn’t get why it was moved so quickly though. I think they could have given it more of a chance. Was it the viewers didn’t like it, or was it simply a network decision? People seem to love the Biggest Loser and the other weight loss shows….

But then I got to thinking, how come all these weight loss shows are about people who are grossly obese trying to lose weight? People are always looking to actors and models for inspiration on what they want to look like. These weight loss shows do a great job of getting someone from 350lb down to 290lbs. But they never show people who get into super shape.

I think it would be awesome to have a weight loss show where they show someone who is maybe 20-30 lbs overweight, and they have to go through a typical Hollywood eating and workout regime to get into shape for a movie. Show just how hard those celebrities work to get into shape for a film. People like Jessica Biel worked out for hours a day before some of her films. Think of the workouts Hugh Jackman or Russell Crowe go through before being a Wolverine or Gladiator. Any girl who makes a movie where she has to be in a bikini is going to be training like crazy to good look on camera.Think of the actresses who are getting back into bikinis or haute couture dresses for the red carpet a couple months after having a baby.

All these makeover shows show people who are going through dramatic weight loss. But what about people who are just pudgy? What about when you’re just chunky enough to not feel good in a bikini, but not really considered fat? It’s always said that that last 10-20 lbs is the hardest to shed. Maybe it’s just so much more dramatic to see someone lose 100 lbs, than see someone who goes from slightly chunky to super ripped in 8 weeks.

I’m still in the healthy weight range. But I think the BMI is bullshit. When I first moved to the US and did my physical for my life insurance, I was smoking hot. I looked great. I was toned, I was thin but still had boobs and an arse. I was penalized for being underweight according to the BMI. Then, a few years later, I got into the so called “healthy weight range” but when I put on a bikini, I look pudgy. When I went on ACA, everyone commented on how fat I looked. Being a shortass at 4’11” can mean that a burrito is the difference between looking good and looking pregnant. Most people fluctuate 3-5lbs during the week. I do too. But on me its very noticeable. 2lbs can mean the difference between a size 2 and size 6 pant…..

Anyway, I propose someone make a show where you get some people who are just mildly tubby, and you subject them to the kind of grueling regimes that celebs go through to look awesome. You could even do like Kyle and Jackie O did for their weight loss challenge, and if people don’t get down to the proper weight or dress size, you stick their pics up on a billboard of them in their undies, looking so not great. Then people could really understand what it’s like to be a celebrity. If you’re not flawless, everyone will point it out!

We could get some of the big trainers to the stars, some celebrity dieticians. We could have the paparazzi follow us around for motivation. We could get some big name celebs who are between films and let themselves go a little. Match them up with some regular people like me who just want to get back into shape. To make it more interesting, you could make it like the Kardashians and follow everyone around all the time, instead of just being about the training…. Or you could just get a Kardashian on there. You could show them trying to fit in all that working out and eating right while still attending auditions and parties and functions. Trying to balance out the whole thing. While the average person is complaining they don’t have time to exercise and eat right, how do they think people like Miranda Kerr can do it while constantly flying from country to country? Have a quick thought of your last airline meal….

It’s be interesting to see whether it really is just good genes, as people always claim, or if it’s just that these people have way more drive and discipline.

Whose with me?

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More International Judges?

Are there no qualified Aussies?

I’m sorry, I just need to have a little rant. All the papers and gossip sites are buzzing about who the new judges will be on talent shows in 2013, and I just need to have a minor patriotic hissy fit.

When I was a kid, my mum asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I said I wanted to be black. She asked what I meant, and I said that black people were so talented. They could sing, dance and act. They were a triple threat. She looked at me and said, Don’t you know that black people are oppressed? They’ve been enslaved, they got a bum deal? I, at that tender age had no clue what racism was, or understood slavery. I just knew that when I watched TV, black people were talented. Most people get one gift, singing OR dancing OR acting. It seemed like every black person on TV was just mega talented. I wished I was black….

It seems that whoever is doing casting for all these judging shows has the same glasses I had as a kid. Maybe not necessarily black, but it certainly is a foreign thing. They think all the talent lies in someone from overseas, and there’s no good talent in Australia. Well, maybe the producers of Everybody Dance Now thought the same as me…..

I get that these shows like Australia’s Got Talent and The Voice are international concepts and we live in an increasingly global market. People in Australia really do have to break into an overseas market to make money, and having an international Judge or Host brings some international perspective to the mix. But when your show is ONLY foreigners, or all but one, it’s getting a little ridiculous.

Take The Voice. It had Delta Goodrem, Keith Urban, Seal and Joel Madden. Two Aussies and two foreigners. Now that Keith is gone, they’re getting Ricky Martin. Now, I have to say, I’m conflicted on this one. I love Ricky Martin. I adore him. I could stare at him all day long. I first heard Ricky back in 1993, when I went to Honduras. When he was singing in Spanish, and hadn’t crossed over to the English market yet. I got back to Australia, and had to order CDs internationally. I loved his long curly hair. I loved that he was in a boy band called Menudo and had successfully transitioned out to being a solo artist. I was so excited when he crossed over to the English market, because then all my friends could understand who this Latin God was. I think Ricky is an awesome choice. He’s been an artist since he was a child, he’s a true cross over artist, and lets face it, the guy is sexy as hell and we all want to look at him.

But, the little patriotic voice in me asks why the hell do they need THREE foreign judges and only one Aussie? Delta will be the only Aussie left, and lets face it, she’s not the most popular judge on the show….Even the host of that show is only kinda Australian. The X Factor has Mel B and Ronan Keating, so they’re 50/50 too. They’ve got an Aussie host, so they’re kinda doing better in the Patriotic factor.

Now that Australia’s Got Talent is moving to nine, they’re going to revamp the show and there’s much speculation on who the new Judges will be. Victoria Beckham is being touted as the biggest want, and the news.com.au poll asks which International artist would we like to see? How about a button for pick a fricken Aussie?

It’s bad enough that all the TV shows are now based on music. It’s hard enough for Australian actors and presenters to get a job without making everything about music, so that singers and musicians are not just on our radio, but they’re taking over TV as well. Now all those jobs are going to foreigner singers, it’s a double insult to Australian artists.

I guess it’s not just singing talent shows either. Even things like Celebrity Apprentice seem to have a token American. Is it that Australia just feels like they HAVE to have the validation of foreigners, or is it that no Aussie wants to work on these shows? I see all that’s written about Delta and Natalie, and I think that maybe Aussie’s are scared to step up into the role in case they’re hated on like those two are.

If I had any shred of singing ability, I’d leap at the chance to work on a judging show. Realistically though, for something like Australia’s Got Talent, you don’t need to be a singer. Most music producers can’t sing themselves, and AGT is about more than just singing. Plus, you really don’t need to be talented to say whether someone else is good or bad. We all judge from our couch, whether we have any talent or not. You don’t need to be able to make an apple pie to know whether one is good or not when you eat it.

I tell you what; I can’t sing to save my life, but I can act. I can talk in front of a camera. I even used to teach acting classes to kids. I’ve worked in Australia and the US, and more importantly, I’ve got TWO passports. An Australian one and a US one. How about I come home and at least host one of these talent shows? Australian audiences will get an Aussie on TV, and the producers can have someone with a US passport to fill that ever important foreigner slot…..

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The Melissa George Meltdown

Melissa George – Diva or just tired of being an Angel?

The media is awash with the news of Melissa George having a hissy fit on the set of sunrise on being asked about her time on Home & Away. It seems like all the articles are full of comments on people hating on her. Everyone thinks she’s too big for her boots. That she’s just some B grade actress who was on H&A and hasn’t done much since.

After coming back from my exchange program to Honduras, I did 3 episodes on Home & Away. I remember I was excited about meeting some of the cast, until some people from the crew told me that when the girls heard I was coming on the show they had made a pact to be a bitch to me. Then apparently someone from the cast stepped up and pointed out I had been a working actress since before any of them even had dreams of being on TV. To their credit, they played nice. I met some very lovely people and actually really enjoyed it. Kate Ritchie and I had known each other since we were tiny, so it was nice to work with her. Isla Fisher was very nice. I’d go see anything she was in to this day.

Melissa George Then there was Melissa George. She wasn’t rude or mean. She just wasn’t really anything. It was obvious she didn’t like being there, and none of the cast liked her. One of them told me a story about how he was talking about his weekend out with his mates, and she told him “You’re an actor. You’re not supposed to hang out with civilians anymore. You’re supposed to hang out with other actors”. I remember thinking What a Bitch. Actors are no better than non actors. It’s just a job. You get paid to make believe for a living. That’s it.

Most people over here in the US have no idea who Melissa George is by name. Of course, one of my favourite things about the US is that nobody knows who the hell I am either. I can just be me, and nobody here asks me about Hey Dad. One of the things I disliked about going home was questions about Hey Dad. I could either pretend everything was fine, and I had simply become a has been, or I could say I didn’t enjoy working on the show, at which point everyone got all uppity because how dare I say I didn’t enjoy working on a show that had made me famous. At least now I no longer have to pretend that I enjoyed that show, or have people question me when I say I didn’t. Ask me to go on TV in Oz now, and I’ll be all too happy to talk about Hey Dad….

Of course, as an adult, I think back to Melissa then, and how focused she was on becoming a big star. While Matt & I owned our IT company, I went to all sorts of marketing events, training etc. I was the Marketing Manager, and it was my job to make the company successful. One of the main things they teach you is to be successful in life, you need to be focused on what you want. You should hang out with the kind of people you want to be. You have to know what you want, and work out how to get it. Most of us don’t work this out till we’re in our 30’s. Maybe Melissa was just gifted with having that knowledge when she was 17. She was ahead of her time and was just focused on being a big name actress, and if that meant surrounding herself with other successful artists, and doing whatever it took to get to that goal, like moving to the US, then so be it.

Maybe she just didn’t like being on Home and Away. Maybe she didn’t make friends. Maybe she doesn’t have fond memories of it. Maybe since she has 42 credits to her name on IMDB, and has actually made more money from those hemline tabs she invented than she’s ever made from acting, she’d just like people to ask her what she’s been up to now, instead of just focusing on who she was 16 years ago. Or, maybe she had jet lag. Or maybe like they said, she’s just a Diva.

Either way, her IMDB rating has skyrocketed! Everyone knew where she was going to be for McHappy Day. Everyone is talking about her and will probably be interested to see her new show. So maybe her meltdown is paying off.

I kinda feel bad for her though. Imagine if you had been steadily working to better yourself, getting work on all kinds of shows like Alias, Lie to Me, The Slap and now you’re starring in your own TV show, and nobody cares. They just want to reminisce about a character you played back in the early 90’s.

Or, in “civilian” terms, you are now a major corporate player, and all anyone wants to talk about is when you used to be king of the mailroom. Its fun to talk about it sometimes, but otherwise you want to look at the future, not into the past.

Of course, if I ever bump into Melissa, I’ll be sure not to ask her if she remembers our episodes together on Home and Away. I don’t want her to flip out on me……

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