The Glass House Axed

[Julian]

http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/glass-house-team-devastated/2006/11/01/1162278179508.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
The stars of The Glass House have had no contact with the ABC, which axed the comedy show despite it gaining some of the best ratings of its five-year run.

Prime Minister John Howard said he didn't pressure the ABC to shelve the show - which has been accused of anti-government bias - and the ABC denied the decision had anything to do with new editorial guidelines due to come into effect next year and the appointment of a new chief censor to monitor instances of bias.

Co-hosts Wil Anderson, Corrine Grant and Dave Hughes have expressed their disappointment with the decision, which will devastate the GNW TV company which produced the show.

"Personally I've had nothing, absolutely no contact with the ABC,'' Hughes told theage.com.au.

"I can't say much at the moment, we're obviously really disappointed at the decision, especially when we felt the show had momentum, was beating some of the commercial stations (in ratings for the timeslot).''

'Interesting timing'

Hughes declined to elaborate on the decision, for risk of it sounding like "sour grapes''.

"It's interesting timing, I'll say that much,'' he added.

Anderson said he hadn't had any contact with the ABC, but defended the show against accusations of anti-government bias.

"That's the thing about satire, you always attack those in power,'' he said.

"Honestly, if (former Opposition leader) Mark Latham had won the election, how much time do you think we'd have done on the Liberals? It would be The Mental Mark Hour. Tune in this week and see what Mad Mark's been up to!''

Speaking on Radio 3AW, Grant expressed surprise at this week's suggestion by Liberal NSW senator Connie Fierravanti-Wells that she had been guilty of a serious conflict of interest because she was the public face of the ACTU's workplace relations campaign.

"It is interesting ... that Connie is calling me the face of the ACTU campaign, that must be news to (ACTU President) Greg Combet. It's certainly news to me."

Anderson, who once called Communications Minister Richard Alston a "right-wing pig-rooter'', said their critic's blindness to the nature of satire is the "flaw at the heart of their argument''.

"You've got to attack the powerful. That's the point: they're powerful, why do they care?''

Satire exempt from guidelines

Courtney Gibson, head of ABC Arts and Entertainment told Radio 3AW the public expected the ABC to develop new programs and performers.

"For over five years we've done over 500 episodes (of The Glass House) and we feel like ... the show's had a fantastic run ... but one of the things the ABC must do is be developing new shows, new comedy formats, new comedic performers, it's what we do, it's what people expect of us," Ms Gibson said.

"We're not axing the show but we're not going to commission it next year."
She went on to say that comedy and satire is exempt from the new editorial policies and assured listeners that satirical program The Chaser will return and the Wednesday night timeslot will be reserved for Australian-made comedy.

Grant said The Glass House team were "devastated" at the decision.

"Obviously we are really distressed and devastated that the show has been cancelled when it was rating the best it ever has in it's life. It doesn't make any sense to us whatsoever."

Comic star Max Gillies has defended the trio and slammed the national broadcaster's decision.

"What's said on the public broadcaster is never popular with the government of the day,'' he said.

"But bland-out is too soft a euphemism for what they're doing, which is to black-ball anyone they don't agree with.''

He said his lauded 1984 show The Gillies Report would be unlikely to air on the ABC if he was presenting it today.

"It might have got on, but it would have been an accident. Even it getting on was an accident - it wasn't popular with the hierarchy of the time.''

The last episode of The Glass House will go to air on November 29.


:mad: :(

[Kimjar]

That's fucked up on so many levels.

[mel_bound]

What to say.. I love this show, only been watching for about 6 months, but it's great! Crap crap crap :(

[Rhiannon]

:| Well there goes my favourite show. *gutted*

[hillaas]

Thats why it ended tonight. was wondering why they ended the series so abruptly.

[Julian]

They didn't end it tonight!

[hillaas]

I thought they said "...as this is the last glass house show ever", or something like that.

[Julian]

The last episode of The Glass House will go to air on November 29.
They were talking about the season final being the last show, dingbat :p

[Colezy]

Oh man. I watched the show tonight and my brother mentioned something about it being axed, but I didn't take any notice of him! Man, this sucks. :(

[RollOn]

Oh man that sucks, I love the Glass House, I heard a rumour about it ages ago but thought a friend was shitting me.

There goes some great entertainment! :(

[The Dying Start]

Exactly the same way as Good News Week.

And just like Good News Week, you can expect a commercial station to take on the program coz it's such a ratings winner, however it will crash and burn on commercial stations because of the ads.

Absolutely typical behaviour really. It's a shame. I've been watching it from the start, and it's fantastic. Not as good as GNW, but almost!

Wil said they'd be going hard for the last two shows, and they did tonight...they got stuck in hard...it was great. Every second joke was pantsing the Government.

Bad Luck guys!

[Strider]

Happened to GNW, happened to Micallef Program. I think we ought to start up a petition and take it to the GOVERNMENT and ABC.

[The Dying Start]

Micallef was a little different. It didn't rate well because not many people understood it. Plus his humour is often of the kind where you actually have to use your brain for 2 seconds...which people don't want to do these days. They want american styled humour where the joke is so in your face you can't miss it.

[Strider]

Yeah, exactly. I consider Micallef smart persons humour. Cos sometimes the joke isn't so obvious, and it's usually politically inspired so you have to use your brain a little. You're probably right about the common denominator not understanding him. But commercial TV definitely destroyed his show. Putting in a band section etc, just doesn't make his show work as well.

[The Dying Start]

Yeah exactly...it went from a piss take of a Late Night Variety show, to actually trying to be one...with ads. No chance.

[Ally]

Wow. But if last night's episode was the final in the series, it would have been the last episode ever. Nawwww.

[*M!]

i love the glass house - but for some reason haven't enjoyed it as much the past year and a half as i did back a couple of years ago...

i'm still bummed that it's getting the chop though

*M!

[luke_the edge_dragons]

what a crap decision!!! the glass house was the only decent show on tha abc!!! bad move!!!

[Rhiannon]

Naah, Spicks and Specks is also awesome.

[Jawn]

The ABC are running a poll about "Whats your favourite ABC show ever. Tell us in 25 words or less". You use the technology of the Internet and go to their typy typy website to tell them. We should start a huge fuck-off campaign and get a lot of people to vote for the Glasshouse. Get it to number 1. Even if you don't like the Glasshouse it would be great to do because 1. you rig a poll, and 2. you fuck up the ABC.


Its another great comedy show that will go and we will be left with stale, tame shows like Thank God Your Here, or even worse, American comedy.

[The Dying Start]

Learn your grammar, heathen.


I'm up for a spot of Poll rigging.

[Erin]

they better not axe the chaser too :(

i'm really gutted that they've axed the glass house, i've only been able to watch one or two episodes but i always enjoied them

[dirty man]

who believes john howard didnt pressure them into axing it?
fucking corruption

[Kylie eats dugong for tea]

I DONT!

hahaha, thats a bit silly. the abc is full of shows that can rubbish john howard.

[Rhiannon]

I certainly don't. First they were whinging about it being to biased, next moment it's suddenly axed in it's prime. Suuuure the government have nothing to do with it at all.

[Aaron]

So you support the conspiracy theory, Kylie? Lousy double negatives.

The Glasshouse is a bit of an odd political target. It'd be more obvious a ploy to cancel Media Watch or even The Chaser.

On the topic of whinging about the government, the current one seriously scares me. I wouldn't care if the blue-ringed octopus party attained power next election - it'd be difficult to do a worse job of it all. I'm not just ranting: I have reasons. This isn't the thread for them, though.

[Kylie eats dugong for tea]

i mean i do not support this theory. I am not a fan of John Howard at all (except in the bedroom. HAWT) but I do think higher of a government of a country such as ours.

[Aaron]

I used to have that 'benefit of the doubt' approach too, but things have changed. Warning bells are sounding far too often lately, with the fanning of the flames in discussion about Islam, anti-sedition laws, media bias and media ownership laws, how chummy Howard is with Alan Jones (for example), the funding of chaplains for public schools, ignorance over environmental issues, neglect of science, blind affection for nuclear energy, arrogant regional policies, ...you get the point.

[dirty man]

dont forget work 'choices' biggest pile of Liberal shit

we need Labor!!!

[mel_bound]

We need Democrats!
We need Greens!
We need Nationals!
We need Family First!


We need a 'complain about the government' thread :p

[dirty man]

yeah
we may also need to get back on topic, or is this on topic?

[Julia]

Nooo, not Family First, those guys are insane!

EDIT: Directed at Mel's post. :p

[State_Of_Emergency]

We need Democrats!
We need Greens!
We need Nationals!
We need Family First!


We need a 'complain about the government' thread :p

we sure do Mel :D

[mel_bound]

Nooo, not Family First, those guys are insane!

EDIT: Directed at Mel's post. :p

I know!

*goes to the new thread*

yeah, I want the glass house back! :(

[dirty man]

maybe one of us should run up to john howard while hes running and hug him holding a mini house made of glass, very pointy glass

[Julian]

I'd rather Howard stay in government over Beazley.

[mel_bound]

I'm going to make an attempt at moving this discussion to this thread (http://www.thelivingend.com/vBforum/showthread.php?t=438)...

[Caity]

All I'll say is ... WTF?

[The Dying Start]

We need ONE NATION!

[Lowee]

http://www.truthinmedia.org/truthinmedia/images/Pauline_Hanson.gif

[Rhiannon]

Damn, I'm gonna have nightmares now. :|

[-George-]

One day all comedy, rock concerts, video games and everything else fun will be axed by the government. :(

[cdejonge]

http://www.truthinmedia.org/truthinmedia/images/Pauline_Hanson.gifPlease explain?

Remember that joke song about her with all the recorded bits put together?

[-George-]

"I don't LIKE it." :p

[mel_bound]

when you turn my voice about
I don't like it
when you vote one nation out

my language has been murdered
my language has been murdered
my shopping trolley murdered
my groceries just gone!

[-George-]

Hahaha. :) I don't like ANYTHING!

[cdejonge]

That's the one. haha

[Rhiannon]

I completely forgot about that song until now! Tracy and Matt used to play it all the time.

Now I miss them being on the radio together...

[Jawn]

One day all comedy, rock concerts, video games and everything else fun will be axed by the government. :(

Can you exlpain how the government is axing comedy, rock concerts and video games and provide examples?

[Aaron]

George is from the future. I thought everyone knew that.

[-George-]

:D Haha. And a very sad future it is.

I didnt say they WERE axing it... I said ONE DAY they will.

Thats what I think anyway.

Because most decent comedy is pulling the piss on people of high authority,
Rock concerts are dangerous,
and video games corrupt the minds of youngsters.

?

[Jawn]

...I think you missed my point.

[The Dying Start]

I think Jawn pissed my moint.

[-George-]

...I think you missed my point.

...Yes, I think I did... :o

[Ambs]

Just chucking my word in 'cause i can...

Okay so that topic might sound like and seem that I'm over the Glasshouse axing. I'm not, just would rather see this in a positive light, it didn't go down in a flame of bad ratings, and shitful idea's(I can't wait for Molly and Jimmy again, such a great show, the more music biz stories the better!).

Now I've seen a fair few of my favourite TV shows leave my TV screen, the most memorable being The Late Show, and NO, it wasn't axed, it was just time I spose! It was(and is) still my favourite comedy show of all time, just as The Big Gig was when I was a weee little one(mmm D.A.A.S.!!).

Now, we can rally all we want, and get as angry as we want(there's a time and a place for The Clash!). But unfortunately working from the outside in, doesn't always work. Working from the inside out, however is a different story completely! I'm not talking infiltrating the abc, or the government. But hey, lets say it hasn't crossed my mind a few million times before.

My infiltration, would be in the support of our excellent Australian comedy scene/industry. Sadly enough, I had ignored it alot until late! I'm a music gal, what can I say?

But the enormous amount of talent in this country! Oh Me, Oh My!!!!

My Advice would be to support these people as much as you can, get as many of your friends to their gigs as you can. The more support you can summon up, the more interest there is from the people that might think they'd make a buck from them. Sadly enough it all comes back to the buck. Just like the oil/electric/hydro debate, we can make money from oil, fuck the planet, and the generations to come, lets just keep fucking it up(I'm gunna go to jail for that comment aren't I?)!

Anyways, onto Mr Adam Hills post on The Glasshouse...
He talked about the fact that comedians are the one's that we laugh at to come to terms with the problems we face. I whole heartedly believe that!

When I was younger, I didn't really know what was going on when someone mentioned "war". IN a 'round about way, comedians made me understand it, and deal with the horrors. I never laughed at the dead, I never laughed at the millions suffering. I laughed at the ones they made blatently clear of their wrong doings. In the end, it made them less scary and more human. As we all are. In dealing with that, I can deal with all the other shit this lifetime will throw at me. I can laugh at the bad times more readily I think. Kinda anyways...

Pleaes, go support your comedians, if you are are music person, like me, go suppport your muso's.

Just don't sit down and go "There's nothing I can do", 'cause I'll personally come to your house and slap you.

[*M!]

Remember that joke song about her with all the recorded bits put together?

"I don't LIKE it." :p

he taught at my uni - i had leactures with him - he was cool - i think his name was Simon in real life - he did some little Johnny songs but triple J didn't play them so they fizzled into nothing...

did anyone ever here "i'm a Backdoor Man" ??? - it was another Pauline Pantsdown song - released before "I Don't Like it" - did well in the hottest 100 one year but wasn't alowed to be included on the compillation?

*shrugs*

anyway - Glass House is on tonight - i can't wait - savouring all the last little morsels that they're able to feed us...

(apparently i'm hungry hence the food metaphor)

*M!

[cdejonge]

Backdoor Man sounds familar. But I can't add anything more than that to this conversation! :p

[The Dying Start]

You're not talking about the song though, are you Cam?

You're talking about your Mardi Gras alter-ego!

[mel_bound]

did anyone ever here "i'm a Backdoor Man" ??? - it was another Pauline Pantsdown song - released before "I Don't Like it" - did well in the hottest 100 one year but wasn't alowed to be included on the compillation?

*shrugs*

Yeah, I didn't like it (haha) as much as I Don't Like It :p

[cdejonge]

You're not talking about the song though, are you Cam?

You're talking about your Mardi Gras alter-ego!Actually, I was referring to the dream I had about you last night. ;)

[The Dying Start]

Oh yeah. You had that too?!

[cdejonge]

It was so real like ...

[*M!]

funnily enough - that was what i dreamt about too...

i'm slightly disturbed about that though...

*shudders*

*M!

[cdejonge]

Serious or joking?

[*M!]

har har - i hope i never dream about you and Glenn being backdoor men... (hooray that rhymed!)

*shudders*

na - i didn't actually dream that... i'd need to see a psychiatrist if i did...

:p

*M!

[Mirm]

I hope I dream it. Im gonna think about it real hard before i go to sleep tonight. real, real hard.

[cdejonge]

I hope I dream it. Im gonna think about it real hard before i go to sleep tonight. real, real hard.I'm getting dreams already now ...

[The Dying Start]

There's movement at the station...

[cdejonge]

For the word had passed around.
Glenn had dropped the soap again ...

[The Dying Start]

And his buttocks, Cam would pound.

[Mirm]

hahaha, you boys and your gaypoems.

[Jodez]

Did anyone catch the last show? i caught the last like half hr of it.....

[Julian]

Hahaha the same thing happened with me and I was devastated 'cause they didn't repeat it on Friday. But then I found out they did it on Saturday night instead so I saw it all :)

[mel_bound]

Poor Corrinne had glassy eyes, I caught it when it was on late night on saturday. So much glittter!

[Rhiannon]

I haven't seen it yet, I missed it, but I made dad record it so I'll see it this weekend coming. Yay for Foxtel IQ!

[hillaas]

I'v watched it about twice and have it recorded.
It was pretty good.
Especially the awards.

[Infiction]

I was really tired that afternoon so I went and had a lay down in my room, I didn't wake up until 7 the next morning. It wasn't til I got to school and someone asked if I watched it did I realized I slept through the entire thing...

[Colezy]

I saw the last 10-15 mins of it. They were all about to cry, Corrine especially. I forgot about repeats, but I was working sat night/early sun morning anyway.

[Mirm]

I was super pissed because we had a storm the night it was meant to play, and our reception, which is dodgy enough anyway (curse living under a mountain!), cut out on us.
I caught the repeat though, it was so good. I wish Pinky lived in my house.

[Jawn]

Oh man me too! Its basically my life goal to sit down with Pinky with a bottle of whiskey and just talk about saving the world or some shit.

[Mirm]

Or take some acid and lie around on Wallace Rd all night. That'd be pretty good.

[Jawn]

The great thing is, we wouldn't need to hunt around for acid. Pinky will know where to go.

[Jawn]

OH MAN!

I should totally get, No, DESERVE, one of them "Make a wish" thingoes that kids with no hair get to make them feel better. I want to see that foundation make good on "I want an acid trip with Pinky".

[Mirm]

hahahaha, yessss!

im sure we can email him somehow and invite him to party with us.. and if we offer to provide the drugs, how can he say no?

[Jawn]

It'll cost us a bit. It scares me the amount of drugs that man must be able to do.

[Daniel]

yeah me too.....

ive heard stories of people being high on several substances which is pretty freaky considering that u can Kill yourself.............none of my friends do anything like that though

[hillaas]

*cough*
.

[Daniel]

cough what?

[hillaas]

Cough cos im cold.

[Mirm]

It'll cost us a bit. It scares me the amount of drugs that man must be able to do.

Yeah, but I live in Nimbin, dude. Plus I have the sweet hookups.