Ten had the shows this year that people were passionate enough about to want to vote for. Just 2 years ago Seven won seven Logies including for the Peter Allen mini-series, something that viewers loved and voted accordingly; last year they won Logies off the back of the Molly mini-series. They also won for news and sports in the last few years. But this year their mini-series was a flop and their sport and news coverage were beaten. You can’t blame a poor social media campaign on that.
Likewise none of the FTA commercials had any drama series on air that captured the viewers’ attention and those awards went to Foxtel, Stan and SBS while in the past 800 Words, Love Child and Offspring might have picked up some of those statues. Once again you can’t blame media campaigns on that. If the programs are missing people won’t bother voting.
I kind of feel like maybe Bert was actually admitting to knowing it went on and who was involved but wrapped in a joke (there’s always truth in jokes) and getting that guilt off his chest before he carks it himself.
The NFSA have clarified the source for that information, their statistics only tallied “national” award winners (State-based awards were abandoned after 1992). And most of Graham Kennedy’s Logie wins would have been for Victoria, and Anne Wills’ 19 were entirely for South Australia.
Laughed my head off at Julia Morris, even if this was controversial along with Bert, still trying to get my head around why she had to do it like she did
What Bert said last night pales in comparison to what he said on a nightly basis throughout a large portion of his career. Such gags are how he became an Australian TV icon.
It is highly likely those offended are too young to have seen his work in the 70s, 80s and early 90s. He’s from an era when some of the highest rating shows on TV were full of racist, religious and sexual content eg Kingswood Country, Love Thy Neighbour, Dave Allen Show, Paul Hogan Show etc.
The issue nowadays is people are easily and constantly offended. Bert offended viewers, Dave Hughes offended viewers, Julia Morris offended viewers. Would anything any of them said or did rate a mention 10years ago? Nope.
He’s an old man from a different era. I think we can forgive someone of his vintage for being out of touch with what is acceptable to poke fun at in 2018. I don’t see the humour in his comments given the current climate but I can understand why a man who built his career on jokes heavy on innuendo and objectification of women may be stuck in the past. Times have changed. People are more enlightened, sensitive and prone to take offence to things that wouldn’t have raised an eyebrow 30-40 years ago. I really don’t believe his intention was to cause offence.
There’s been a lot of comment over recent years about the lack of females who have received the Hall of Fame award. In an interview this morning on Brisbane radio station 97.3 Kerri-Anne Kennerley said she had been asked a few years prior to the year she received the award if she would accept if nominated. She said no, “I’m not dead yet.” She accepted a few years later as we know. Wonder how many other women have turned down the Hall of Fame award?
Bert Newton has told the SMH he has no regrets over Logies comments about Graham Kennedy.
Newton said that there will be no interview for his imminent 80th birthday, having said during interviews for his 70th birthday that he would do another interview for his 90th.
Just hope that they fix up the New Talent award for next years awards.
Every year, there are issues on who is eligible for the award. Some people have been on tv for years, and are still considered for “new talent”. There are others, like Matty J, who only appear in two episodes of The Living Room as a fill-in host, and is himself nominated.
