Business of Media
Emmys may be pushed back because of writers’ strike
More fallout from the Hollywood writers’ strike could be on the horizon: a postponed Emmy Awards, reports The New York Times’ John Koblin.
Organizers of the Emmys, which are scheduled for Sept. 18, are in discussions about moving the event to a later date if the strike drags deep into the summer, two people familiar with the plans said. If the strike is not over by early August, the televised ceremony could be delayed by months, potentially pushing it into January, the people said.
No final decisions have been made, and it is possible that additional contingency plans could be introduced, the people added.
The Television Academy, which administers the Emmys, and Fox, which is broadcasting this year’s ceremony, declined to comment.
The Emmys, the television industry’s most prestigious award show, usually take place in August or September. The last time the Emmys were pushed to a later date was after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001; that year, the event took place in November.
Julian Morrow loses four-year court battle with former business partner
The spectacular fallout between comedian Julian Morrow and his former business partner Nick Murray ended with a bruising Court of Appeal loss for The Chaser founder and his high-flying barrister Sue Chrysanthou SC, report Nine Publishing’s Kishor Napier-Raman and Noel Towell.
The near four-year long legal battle all began when ABC management canned the pair’s consumer affairs show The Checkout. In the aftermath, Murray’s production company CJZ agreed to sell its share in the joint venture to Morrow’s Giant Dwarf for a measly $50.
What Murray didn’t know was that Morrow had been in talks with ABC management about a new, eerily similar consumer affairs show. When Murray got wind of things, he refused to sign a deed of release for the joint venture, effectively nuking the new show.
Morrow sued Murray for breaching that sale agreement, with the producer counter-claiming that his former partner’s actions amounted to misleading and deceptive conduct. Morrow also sued Murray for defamation over four angry emails to ABC management, including one comparing the bald comedian to Lord Voldemort.
Last year, Supreme Court Justice James Stevenson found in favour of Morrow on the defamation aspect, but against him on the commercial case. A draw of sorts. But not even a star-studded list of character references – including Arts Minister Tony Burke, former senator Kristina Keneally, ex-ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard and the ABC’s resident coronavirus obsessive Norman Swan – could save Morrow from the court of appeal.
On Tuesday, Justices Julie Ward, Anna Mitchelmore and Christine Adamson chalked back Morrow’s defamation win, finding Murray’s emails were covered by the qualified privilege defence. And they upheld Stevenson’s judgment that found Morrow had engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and breached his director’s duties.
It leaves Morrow on the hook for Murray’s legal bills – totalling around $2.5 million. We imagine Chrysanthou didn’t come cheap either.
Privacy trial judge asks why Piers Morgan has not given evidence
The judge presiding over the privacy case brought by Prince Harry and others has questioned why journalists including Piers Morgan have not appeared to give evidence, noting that some have been happy to commentate on the case from the sidelines in recent weeks, reports The Guardian’s Kevin Rawlinson.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Justice Fancourt listed the names of more than two dozen people he felt could have been brought before him, “in no particular order”, in the case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN); the publisher of the Daily and Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People.
“There’s a question in my mind whether any of the individuals on my list could and should have given evidence.” They included the former Daily Mirror editor Morgan and Neil Wallis, the former People editor.
Referring to that pair in particular, he said they “relatively recently had a lot to say about this matter outside of court”.
He also said questions had been raised about why “three or four associates of the Duke of Sussex” had not given evidence in the case against MGN.
Television
Lynne McGranger: “I’m thrilled that three mature women on the show have been nominated!”
It’s only taken her nearly 31 years, but Lynne McGranger, Australia’s longest-serving female actor in a sustained role, has landed her first ever Logie nomination, reports TV Tonight.
And she couldn’t be happier, even if it pits her head to head with cast mates Ada Nicodemou and Emily Symons (also celebrating her first nomination) as Most Popular Actress.
Remarkably, with Home & Away‘s other nominees Ray Meagher and James Stewart, this year’s Summer Bay batch honours survivors instead of the usual hot young thing traditionally landing the front of a TV Week magazine.
“I’m so proud of my girlfriends and of course, Ray and Jimmy,” she tells TV Tonight.
“There isn’t a nominee from Home & Away under the age of 46. That’s got to be a first!
“I’m thrilled that three mature women on the show have been nominated. The mean age is probably around 60, which is hilarious!”
10 political reporter on ‘gardening leave’
10 News First Senior Political Journalist Stela Todorovic is understood to be on ‘gardening leave’ from the network, having resigned her role after 3 years, reports TV Tonight.
Guardian Australia reported she resigned last week after missing out on the Political Editor role vacated by Peter Van Onselen, which went to former ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper.
Such musical chairs, particularly against a backdrop of profile stoushes, drew further press speculation about filling the role.
Todorovic confirmed, “Network 10 has made its decision and now the logical thing for me to do is consider better options outside of the network.”
TV Tonight understands the ‘gardening leave’ then followed.
See Also: Ashleigh Raper joins 10 as network political editor, replacing Peter van Onselen
‘I want to kill him’: How And Just Like That divided fans
The success of Sex and the City, based on Candace Bushnell’s iconic memoir, sprang from one thing: the way it mirrored the aspirational lives of young women in the 1990s who wanted successful careers, exciting relationships and, as a footnote, at least one dazzling pair of Manolo Blahniks, reports Nine Publishing’s Michael Idato.
Its sequel, And Just Like That, took some major risks by killing off Big (Chris Noth), the happily-ever-after of writer Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker), in the opening episode, turning girl-next-door Charlotte (Kristin Davis) into a talisman for modern day social angst and propelling sure-footed Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) down an unsteady path of sexual self-rediscovery.
“I was thrilled by the wild swing in the reactions,” the show’s writer and producer Michael Patrick King says. “I love that people were like, I love my girls, I’m so happy to see them again, and the opposite was like, where does he live? I want to come over there with a pitchfork and kill him.
“The fact that there were actually people talking, [saying] I don’t like this, I do, that’s wrong, this character would never do that … that’s exciting,” King adds. “It means that people are watching. And it felt a little bit, just a little bit, like the water-cooler that we had when we did Sex and the City. All of a sudden people were talking again.”
Sports Media
Shannon Noll snubbed by Channel Nine in State of Origin performance
Shannon Noll, Australia’s perennial runner-up, has once again been relegated to a sideshow. Still stinging from his controversial loss to Guy Sebastian two decades ago, Noll was set to recapture the hearts of the nation in front of millions of TV viewers, reports News Corp’s Kathy McCabe.
But Channel Nine didn’t even bother airing Noll’s pre-Origin performance, with punters at the game and listening on ABC radio revealing the Aussie rocker was reduced to singing NRL advert jingles.
“Did the NRL just make Shannon Noll perform a full song about the KFC Friday night footy jingle?” queried one Twitter punter.
TV viewers around the country hoping to hear classics like What About Me?, Shine, and Drive were no doubt left disappointed.