Memorable TV

AusTV News: Opposition Leader Tony Abbott will join host Tony Jones for a unique Q&A on Easter Monday, 5th April, live (AEST) at 9.30pm on ABC1. This will be Abbott’s first appearance on Q&A since rising to the leadership of the Liberal Party. Fresh from the health care debate, he will face an audience of 200 plus voters asking him the full gamut of policy questions, in this election year. To register to be part of the the Q&A studio audience go to http://abc.net.au/qanda. Viewers can also submit video or written questions online – full details on the website.

AUSTRALIAN TV NEWS: SBS Extends its Tour De France contract until 2017 SBS today announced it had once again extended its Tour de France contract with the owners and organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), securing the event on free-to-air until 2017. In addition to being the official EXCLUSIVELY LIVE Australian television broadcaster, SBS announced that the extended contract would also include online and mobile delivery, until 2017. “2010 marks SBS’s 20th anniversary for its Tour de France coverage so the extension of our contract for another seven years is a significant way to celebrate this milestone,” said SBS Director of Content, Matt Campbell. Whilst the Tour de France is the obvious “jewel in the crown” of global cycling events, SBS’s stable of cycling properties continues to expand. Following on from the network’s successful coverage of this year’s Santos Tour Down Under, 2010 will prove to be another huge year at Cycling Central, as SBS broadcasts more of the world’s gre...

AUSTRALIAN TV NEWS: FOUR CORNERS ABC1 / Monday 22nd March 2010 at 8.30pm This week on Four Corners, “Mexico’s Drug Wars”: a horrifying account of the brutal war that’s raging in the towns that dot the border between Mexico and the United States. BBC’s This World reporter Katya Adler reports from the frontline of the conflict involving rival drug gangs and the Mexican government. In every sense it’s a major battle. On one hand the drug cartels are fighting each other in a vicious turf war for control of the multi-million dollar drug trade. Meanwhile, the Mexican Government has vowed it will stop the fighting and bring them to heal. So far no one is winning the war and the death toll keeps rising. In Tijuana a middle aged Mexican couple are weeping. They believe their eldest son is dead, killed by a drug gang. They tell how they were sitting at home one evening when they heard a knock at the door. A gang of heavily armed men, claiming to be police, came into their house and took their s...

AUSTRALIAN TV NEWS : The ASTRA Industry Excellence Awards Winners were announced today at the ASTRA 2010 Conference ‘The Future Is Now’. The awards specifically recognise excellence in the promotion of subscription television. Entries for the Industry Excellence Awards were sought from television channels, operators, production houses, media, advertising and creative agencies that contribute to Australian subscription television. Panels of senior subscription television executives and marketing specialists judged the entries and determined finalists and winners in all categories. Entries were scored on a set of benchmark statements and then by peer review. Benchmark components included campaign objectives, budget, target audience and use of media. The judges reviewed each entry and assessed its merits based on the strength of the campaign strategy, implementation, results and creativity. This year there were 150 entries and 28 judges from across the subscription television indust...

Heather Ogilvie (Galvanized Film Group) has acquired the option to produce a feature film based on Tracy Chevalier’s novel Remarkable Creatures and will partner with Icon Film Distribution to bring it to the big screen. Academy Award nominee Jan Sardi (Shine, Mao’s Last Dancer, The Notebook) will adapt the book, which was published by HarperCollins Publishers in 2009. Tracy Chevalier is the author of five previous novels, including the international bestseller Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Virgin Blue, Falling Angels, The Lady and the Unicorn and Burning Bright. ‘I’m thrilled Tracy has entrusted to us the exciting task of adapting her wonderful novel for the screen,’ Heather said. ‘Icon Films have endorsed our conviction that this book will result in an outstanding movie by partnering with us to accelerate its development. Jan Sardi is a gifted, sensitive scriptwriter, and we’re confident he’ll deliver a script that more than lives up to our expectations.’ Tracy comments, ‘I think a ...

AUSTRALIAN TV NEWS: The ASTRA Pioneer Award was presented to one of Australia’s most highly regarded Executive Producers, Kim Vecera at the Women in Television Breakfast earlier today. The Australian television industry has benefited from the creativity, inspiration and hard work of many – this inaugural Pioneer award acknowledges contribution through leadership, innovation and creativity and support for the development of subscription television in Australia. “Kim Vecera is a worthy recipient of the inaugural ASTRA Pioneer Award”, said John Porter, President of the ASTRA Board of Directors and CEO of AUSTAR. “As Executive Producer, Kim has led some of the most innovative and impactful programming in the young history of the Australian subscription television industry. She is in the vanguard of creative talent in television and we are fortunate to have her continuing to contribute to our ongoing success”. Kim began her career as Project Officer at the Australian Film Commission befo...

Playing For Change Records/Concord Music Group will make legendary New Orleans street performer and Playing for Change vocalist, “Grandpa” Elliott Small’s debut album Sugar Sweet available at traditional retail outlets nationwide on April 6. Sugar Sweet was previously only available exclusively on Amazon.com. Living Blues Magazine recently enthused, "Sugar Sweet will not leave you disappointed." After nearly sixty years of captivating crowds on the streets of New Orleans, Grandpa Elliott will make his debut at the 2010 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. His popularity has gone global in the last year after the Playing for Change hit viral video for Stand By Me, featuring 37 musicians from around the world, received over 30 million views on sites like YouTube and Vimeo. After so many years persevering through incredible hardships and performing for free on the streets of New Orleans, Grandpa Elliott has become an unlikely cultural icon. He has performed as part of the Pl...

Over at http://www.twitter.com/memtv we are running an exclusive South Park Giveaway for our followers!

US DVD NEWS : Sentai Filmworks has announce that the hit series Clannad will be receiving an English dub. Originally released in a subtitled only format, Clannad is receiving the dub as part of an agreement in which several affiliated groups have come together to create English language versions for five of Sentai’s most popular titles. In addition to the 24 episode Clannad, the four other series that have been selected for this limited program are: the science fiction drama Blue Drop (13 episodes,) the psychological thriller Ghost Hound (22 episodes,) Legends of the Dark King ~ A Fist of the North Star Story (13 episodes) and the 26 episode historical fantasy Tears to Tiara. English dub production duties for all five series will be handled by Seraphim Digital under the auspices of a team of veteran ADR directors such as Steven Foster, who will oversee the English dub for Clannad. In appreciation of those who supported the subtitled only release of these shows, Sentai Filmworks is d...

Baron Valerie Amos, British High Commissioner to Australia, will join host Tony Jones on the Q&A panel next Monday 22 March, live at 9.30pm AEST. Joining them in the discussions will be: John Doyle, comedian and radio presenter; Nicola Roxon, Minister for Health and Ageing; Greg Hunt, Shadow Minister for Climate Change; Tim Wilson, Institute of Public Affairs. To register to be part of the the Q&A studio audience go to http://abc.net.au/qanda. Viewers can also submit video or written questions online – full details on the website.