Rocks Thrown Back

My Favorite Show Goes Down

Try this for double-speak:

"We're not axing the show but we're not going to commission it next year."

We're not aborting the baby, but we're not having it either...? Which is it?
The people who make the show are miffed, and rightfully so.

Co-hosts Wil Anderson, Dave Hughes and Corinne Grant were informed by their manager about a month ago that, after a five-year run and more than 200 episodes, the November 29 show would be the last. No real reason was given.

"They were basically saying they just wanted to move on," Dave Hughes said yesterday. "I can't say much at the moment. We're obviously really disappointed at the decision, especially when we felt the show had momentum … it's interesting timing, I'll say that much."

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Anderson 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!' "

Anderson once called communications minister Richard Alston a "right-wing pig-rooter" and said their critics' 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?"

Co-host Grant said the ABC "copped a lot of flak" from its critics, with constant pressure from the Government. But she laughed off a suggestion by NSW Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells that Grant represents the trade union's peak body. "I'm not the face of the ACTU — that's hilarious," she said. "You MC one fricking rally and you're Kim Jong-il."

ABC management is denying it's a political move, yet the talk of the town is that it's in the name of 'balance'. Screw Balance! Gimme more laughs.

Anderson and his cohorts, Corinne Grant and Dave Hughes, have been rude about everyone over the years since August 2001 but, in the past couple of months, they have become increasingly hard on the Government, almost as if they knew the end was nigh, as it is indeed on November 29. Here's a selection of their invective:

"What did Bush give Howard instead of intelligence? Carpet burns."

"How can Costello increase his popularity? Release the tape of Bronwyn Bishop turkey-slapping him."

"What was the highlight of the Queen's visit? On-call buttock-licking from David Flint."

False newspaper headlines included: "Howard To Fund School Chaplains: But where will he find clergymen interested in kids?"; "Howard Vows To Stay In Iraq: Well, not me personally, I don't want to get shot"; "Strict New Bias Rules For ABC: says simpering right-wing Howard lapdog"; "Howard Urges Muslims To Treat Women As Equals: you know, like he does with homosexuals."
As if things could not get any worse, Anderson launched a stinging attack on the ABC general manager, Mark Scott, when he announced the ABC's new policy on bias two weeks ago.

There's every chance the best of The Glass House will go to television's version of the afterlife, the DVD box set. The ABC's head of arts and entertainment, Courtney Gibson, said that, with other new comedy shows in development, the corporation could not afford to produce too much laughter. She promised The Chaser would stay.

The show will be sorely missed by me and my gal. Seriously, what are we gonna watch now?
The fact of the matter as the ABC insists is that not enough people were watching this show.

DIRECTOR of ABC television Kim Dalton insists it's just an "unfortunate coincidence" that the satirical show The Glass House was dumped in the middle of the political storm about alleged bias at the national broadcaster.
The comedy series is the second program targeted by ABC management since tough anti-bias editorial policies were imposed last month.

Media Watch, which has also been accused of bias, is not being axed but it will have a new executive producer and a new focus next year.

The stars of The Glass House did nothing to dampen accusations of bias yesterday. Wil Anderson featured in a celebrity debate at an ALP fundraiser in Sydney last night, while co-host Dave Hughes said the Howard Government needed scrutiny.

"The guys who make the decisions are the guys that need to be looked at, and that's what we did," he said.

"We look at the Opposition as well, but they don't make any decisions, so it's not as much fun to make fun of them."

John Howard denied he played any role in dumping the show, and said it had been "axed by a decision of the ABC -- I haven't asked it be axed".

"I don't watch it -- occasionally I will flick it on but not very often," the Prime Minister said. "I do not tell the ABC what programs it should run. I respect the independence of the ABC.

"From time to time, if the ABC treats a news item in an unbalanced fashion I will say so, and I will say that in relation to other programs as well."

But the ABC's reasons for cancelling The Glass House failed to satisfy Labor. Opposition communications spokesman Stephen Conroy said it was another victory for Mr Howard's culture warriors.

Yeah... right. Nobody is buying it.
The people figure that it's a patent attempt by the government to muzzle dissent. Nobody likes a wit except another wit. Clearly the Federal Government is witless save for that special kind, fuckwits.