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"Mature" content on "Big Brother Australia"In a desperate attempt to save itself from eviction, Big Brother Australia has been leading up to this year's show as something new. This week revealed exactly what's up. But first, can I just take a minute to bemoan the passing of Gretel Killeen as host?
I miss ya, Gretel. As hosts of reality TV shows go, you were about the only one I could stomach. Sometimes your flirtation with the house boys made me queasy, but Kyle's ogling of a certain busty female housemate last night nearly brought up the chuck. But ratings drop, and so it's out with the too "mature" and in with the young and new. Except. This year, Big Brother picked a handful of the normal firm-bodied 20-somethings, but also assembled a wacky lot including a UFO nut complete with Roswell tattoos and — hold on to your seats for this one — a grandmother. I know, crazy.
Grandmother Terri was the first contestant in the house, and host Kyle made all the predictable jokes about granny at tea time. I was hoping she'd be around for awhile; it would have been fun to see her throw down with some of the vapid youngsters in the house. Sadly, but not shockingly, she was voted out by her fellow housemates in the first eviction. Aging, women, media. Conventional wisdom tells us that these words don't belong in youth-obsessed media-driven cultures. It's been interesting to watch this play out in the U.S. elections this year. Take Rush Limbaugh's offering last December in his ongoing "why American doesn't want Hillary for president" rant. He asked, "Will Americans want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?" The answer last night, like the answer often offered in movies and TV, seems to be: Keep older women off the screen. Even in a fictional story based around an aging heroine like, say, Fried Green Tomatoes, she spends most of her time in the past.
Just like Titanic or Edward Scissorhands or many other films with an elderly woman recalling her youth. I can think of a few exception, but they all have their own peculiarities. Say, Harold and Maude.
The easy criticism of this one is that it puts an expiration date on a human lifespan. But the movie's invested in blowing open all of those stereotypes about aging women, and it deals with sexuality in older women, which usually shows up as the joke, not the plot. As the joke was on Terri in the Big Brother house. The marketing ploy was a winner for me to begin with, but I'm relieved to see Terri go before it got any worse than jokes about tea. Anybody else watching BB Australia this year? Think the show can rescue itself with this new crew? Submitted by on April 29, 2008 - 2:00pm. |
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just one more reason
It's as my Dad said; the
It's as my Dad said; the housemates were supposed to vote off one of the younger, white housemates so that the ethnic and cultural spectrum the producers put into place wasn't unbalanced, but it didn't work.
I hate to admit it but I've at least partially watched every Australian Big Brother since its inception (I'm seventeen! Give me a break!) so I'll probably end up doing the same here, until I get bored with it and find something else. Mainly I'm just watching it because my life feels empty without The Biggest Loser. :(
too tru
im an aussie, and i must say that the only time i tune into big brother is if its in
passing of the ever occuring channel surfing during that time slot.
the fact that they tried to incorporate a grandmother into the show, isnt suprising.
they needed more diversity in the show, but they did not count on everyone in the house
going, 'uh, like, no'.
the only thing of big brother that i liked this year, was the commercials for it. i love the
song they used, really catchy. lol
"When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure it's worth watching"
-Unknown
i haven't actually watched
Gretel is Gorgeous!
The only reason I have watched BB over the last few years was to catch a glimpse of Gretel in action.
I found her to be a funny, intellegent and beautiful woman. The way she handled some situations that was forced upon her was great and I dare say, made a few collegues sit back and pull their head in. I also found that she didn't let stupid people making stupid comments get away with their comments and called them on it...
A woman after my own heart... if only :o)
Terri
I, for one, am not sad about Terri getting the boot. I thought at first she might bring something interesting to the mix, but then realised she is a racist know it all.
She asked everyone who wasnt white what nationality they were, and then nominated the only asian contestant for the snap eviction.
People that admire Pauline Hanson as much as this woman does shouldnt be allowed outside.
Gretel Killeen was so great
Gretel Killeen was so great as host, she was the main reason I ever watched BB. As for the new hosts Kyle just makes me sick to my Stomach and Jackie O is a interesting as watching paint dry.
i heard somewhere
Now i dont watch Big Brother not only is it the stupidest show on Australian TV, i think it should have been cancelled after the incident last year in the Big Brother house.
I heard or i read somewhere that they are putting the grandmother back into the house, i'm pretty sure i heard that last night when i was watching NCIS and the commerical for BB came on.
I think Kyle and Jackie O would certainely be better hosts than Gretel Killeen, the few episodes i watched she got on my nerves and now im glad i dont watch the show
aussie BB08
Ive been watching since monday night... the long 2 hour drawn out introduction..yawn lol
There is a little mix of people but most of them are the 20-somethings.. that Rory guy reminds me of Bodie(?) from last year i think it was...
Terri seemed like she'd stir up abit of issues in the house..but i mean come on..they put Rima in the House.. a 1metre tall belly dancer..and Terri said to her ' the toilet might be too tall..maybe you should get a step or something'.. she is direct which is only good when appropriate ..but.. as we saw no one in there wanted the 'old' lady in there. which is a real shame, conforming to the 'young pretty etc'
Kyle and Jackie O are pretty funny on the radio i listen to them on the way to work, but as the hosts of BB08? im not so sure...altho jackie o's not too bad to look at haha
i can proudly say that i
THey should put me in the
I would have also kept the older lady in... old people are far more fun than young people.
Big Brother
Teri had to GO from the start
I dont think that Teri should be stood up for at all, she is a know it all racist, homophobic woman who only got in on the mere fact that they wanted some one mature and opinionated in the house to stir things up... from the ads i really thought there would be something different this year... well once again we have or fair share of bodie look alike's and busty blonds...
Gretel should come back (even though she was the BIGGEST flirt, she was a strong mature woman, not just a pretty face)... i dont know how long i can stand Kyle's obnoxious remarks for...
you're right
i remember watching that ad, channel ten basically pitted dixie against terri... like we are supposed to be all excited to watch the old bag be a racist pig? they were promoting it like smackdown. and yeah i too was worried about homophobia spewing forth from her.
i hate it when just because a person is older they automatically have wisdom and deserve respect. the only thing i respect is a mind that is willing to progress even just a little.
where did all the Australians come from??
I bounce around here waving the flag feeling rather lonely sometimes!
I REFUSE to watch BB post-Gretel. She was smokin' ...
For anyone who isn't sure what some of the people above are talking about when they mention racism and Pauline Hanson, here's a taste of our Number One Xenophobe and fish and chip shop owner (err, she didn't know the meaning of the word when an interviewer once accused her of being xenophobic...) AND she once essentially held the balance of power in the Australian parliament. Goodness those days seem a lifetime ago! (I hear she's being investigated yet again for embezzling electoral funds at the last election.)
(Warning - ugly follows)
Don't say I didn't warn you! Bleeerrgghhh!
Not Only But Also
Pauline Hanson
The woman should of stayed where she was instead of going back into politics, i have nothing against her, but she was also on Dancing with the Stars and if i remember correctly she wasnt there for long.
ok so i know i should know this and all, but is she not our deputy prime minister or is that some other woman that im thinking of. and i wonder why im talking about politics when im not even interested in politics and in this case especially Pauline hanson.
i still think after what happened in the BB House it should have been cancelled, even if they did say it was a joke. and i have to add you will never ever get me into the BB House, no freaking way not even if they payed me a million dollars, that is just something i will not do although.......... nope nevermind i would never do it, do any of the housemates think before they agree to go on this show: last year they aired Big Brother Uncut or whatever it was do they forget that they are being recorded when they say and do things that the whole freaking nation will watch?
I just really hate this show
Truly?
That's frighteningly ignorant. The Deputy PM (ie the highest ranking woman ever in Australian political history) is Julia Gillard. Honestly, go read a newspaper.
Not Only But Also
ugh!
i never dreamed id see a photo of pauline here! thanks for that. i guess there was a warning.
ummm i love big brother? australia is just trying its best to emulate the roaring succes of BBUK. the producers wanted terri, the fans wanted terri, and then they left the final decision down to a house full of halfwits. the fans want different people, and every year they put the same formula of people in and wonder why it sucks. they had online audtions where fans voted who they wanted in - but none are in and only the top three will go in for an undisclosed time.
the personalities on this show astound me and i do watch for the shock factor and so i can smugly make fun of the housemates. i think it is pretty clean adult entertainment and some people get hurt but they know what they are in for. however the australian version is always so bad because they put about six guys in there who are completely full of themselves and just disgusting. guys who joke about rape and defecate on the womens toilet. and im glad because there was a real outpouring of intolerance about it and the guy who was the main offender is still harrassed about his misogyny. i think in a twisted way it is a good example for young guys to see these other guys lives being ruined because they cant respect women.
its annoying because this does present a decent opportunity this show if it was taken seriousy and not targeted toward a 13yr old audience in most other countries its strictly an adult show on later at night.
anyway. nothing BB ever does is clever or unpredictable it's usually improvised damage control. and i for one cant stop watching, at least until UK season 9 starts. or alice and renae hook up.
ps - bbau will die on sunday when corey worthington enters the house.
wtf?
(really long sigh)
i cant believe you guys are discussing this crap. ive never watched it and never will.im australian and i think our tv networks are shithouse Yawn.......off to watch south of nowhere downloads
Is Anyone else hoping??
that something horribly awful will go wrong and they will have no choice but to cancel the show forever.
mind you. it has to be something quite horrible becuase as we know even sexual assualt didn't stop did show from being taken off the air!!!
revolting human being...
I would never support anything which gave money and promotion to Kyle Sandilands.
His humour appeals to the lowest common denominator and he has proven himself willing to play with peoples' lives for the sake of ratings.
He is nothing but a loud-mouthed git who is best remembered for swearing on air, staging peeing contests, outing the gay teenager on his staff, talking dirty to a prostitute and regularly humiliating people on air.
The situation when a young listener phoned in to say he had caught his dad in a sexual act with another man and Sandilands took the extreme step of ringing the boy's father to confront him live on air was a disgusting act.
The first and only BB that i got into was in the UK...i still love Anna Nolan!!
Lets face it
BB is as boring as watching paint dry. Gretel Kileen wasn't that great... but I don't think Kyle and Jackie O are great either. I'm more likely to tune off to their show on the radio than to turn it on. Kyle is a bit of a twit who gets too much air play - kind of like Eddie Mcguire - only worse.
In regards to the grandmother who is a Pauline Hanson fan - well it just goes to show that the contestants are nut bags really.
And yes, Julia Gillard is the current Deputy PM of Australia - the highest ranking lady of Australia... apart from the Queen, of course. She's absolutely nothing like the very disturbing Pauline Hanson... except for perhaps that they are both white and have short red hair. :p
Deputy PM