Has Courtney Act has taken over from Eddie McGuire in being “everywhere”? Writer Cameron Adams recently revealed that she was second only to Dannii Minogue for doing the most reality shows. And as well as the Nova podcast Brenda, Call Me! and now BBC Sounds podcast Queertopia, Courtney (aka Shane Jenek) is also the new host of One Plus One (Monday on ABC).
Courtney’s first chat is with childhood friend Lisa Origliasso, the first time she has done an interview without her twin. There is a great story about the Veronicas’ mum editing a sexless version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for them to watch as kids because it was important for their pop culture knowledge. Bless.
Future interviewees include singer Mitch Tambo, comedian chef Nat’s What I Reckon and model Aweng Chuol, who in the promo identifies herself as pansexual, as does Courtney Act. They are not the only ones.
Marvel has confirmed that Loki (Tom HIddlestone) is gender fluid, as per the comics, so one can only hope some flirting with Agent Mobius (Owen Wilson) in his new series Loki (Disney+). This is Marvel’s third series this year and the franchise shows no signs of slowing down.
Now in “Phase 4”, there are movies planned ahead for years, as always, but so too are more series. That includes Ms Marvel, about a Muslim American teen fighter She-Hulk starring Orphan Black’s Tatiana Maslany and there will even be a spin-off about Groot, the “adorable” tree from Guardians of the Galaxy. Yes, you read that right, the tree is getting its own series.
Inspired by The SMH’s half-yearly report card on the best TV shows of 2021 so far, I decided to finish The Virtues (Stan), having stopped at the halfway point. It’s grim and harrowing, and I’m not convinced it’s better than This Is England, a movie and three series from director Shane Meadows (also on Stan).
The Virtues, however, features another incredible performance from Stephen Graham. He will next be seen in a Jimmy McGovern prison drama with Sean Benn (soon on BBC First and for more upcoming series, listen to our podcast below).
Needing some light relief after The Virtues, I happened upon Gilligan’s Island (Fox Classics) and couldn’t believe how good it looks, with those fake flowers in the fake foliage looking more colourful than ever. Investigation proved that classic sitcoms shot on film have now been remastered and look better now than they did in the 60s. That’s why we don’t see those cheaper shows shot on video anymore because they look like shit.
