ABC2's blog

8:30pm – Thursday, July 21 on ABC2

Determined to get back in the Magician’s Alliance, GOB (Will Arnett) puts on one last big show, thanks to his brother Michael (Jason Bateman). Michael, hoping to steal Marta away from GOB, tries to pull a scam almost as great as GOB’s magic act. Meanwhile, Tobias (David Cross), hoping to impress his daughter Maeby (Alia Shawkat), becomes a ‘leather daddy’.

9:30pm – Wednesday, July 20 on ABC2

The True Story is a documentary series that looks behind the gloss and glamour of cinema legends to discover the truth behind some of the world’s most famous films. The first series looked at the real stories and characters that inspired Indiana Jones, James Bond, Escape from Alcatraz, The Untouchables and The Amityville Horror. This time the series explores the truth behind some of the biggest blockbusters of all time: Jaws, Titanic, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park and Gladiator.

This episode reveals the shocking true tale of a series of shark attacks that terrorised New Jersey in 1916, and influenced the Peter Benchley blockbuster, Jaws. At the heart of the story is a mystery… is the great white shark a real serial killer? Or has history condemned the wrong culprit?

8:30pm – Wednesday, July 20 on ABC2

British television presenter Cherry Healey explores the experiences of seven women looking for love.

Reflecting on and sharing her own reminiscences about looking for ‘the one’, she asks why women of today who are freer than ever to do what they want and to be whomever they choose, are still so often on an unrelenting mission to find a partner.

Love seems to have become an elusive beast, she says, but could it be because women are too choosy or are all the good men taken.

The stories run from the achingly poignant to utterly cringe-worthy as one of the women confronts a previous date to award him a prize for ‘best man’ with disappointing and embarrassing consequences.

7:30pm – Wednesday, July 20 on ABC2

In the unforgiving winter of the Canadian North, where the sun shines only a few hours a day and temperatures drop to 70 degrees below zero, a special breed of men risk their lives drilling thousands of meters below the ground in search of natural gas.

There’s trouble on Nabors Rig 99 in northern British Columbia. They’ve hit a snag deep underground and the drill bit is going nowhere.

As the crew struggles to get back on track, dissension spreads around camp and the situation worsens.

1,200 km north, MGM just started drilling their first well when another vicious Arctic storm forces them to shut down operations as it becomes too dangerous to work.

The pressure is on, since every delay costs the company a quarter of a million dollars a day.

9:30am – Tuesday, July 19 on ABC2

Rachael Coopes joins Play School as the show celebrates 45 years on air in July.

Best known for her roles in McLeod’s Daughters, All Saints, Secret Life Of Us and White Collar Blue, Rachael is delighted to join the Play School family.

Rachael said, “This is my dream job. I’m very grateful for the chance to be a part of Play School and hope I can inspire young kids to dream and use their imagination – just like the show did for me.” Rachael’s debut is part of the new episodes airing in July. Her episodes are ‘farm’ themed which explore life on the land, tending animals, planting crops and helping Big Ted drive his tractor.

Tuesday July 19 at 9.30am on ABC 4 Kids on ABC2 Rachael debuts alongside Andrew McFarlane as they create a cushion and bedcover farm, play shops and build a dingle, dangle scarecrow.

Thursday July 21 at 9.30am on ABC 4 Kids on ABC2 Rachael joins Alex Papps as they visit Big Ted’s farm where vet Maurice comes to check on the animals.

They also tell the story of the Music Man and his adventures on the way to the country music fair.

9:30pm – Monday, July 18 on ABC2

In an age of plunder and greed, the richest gold strike in American history draws a throng of restless misfits to an outlaw settlement where everything – and everyone – has a price. Welcome to Deadwood…a hell of a place to make your fortune.

As the sun slowly rises Merrick (Jeffrey Jones) and Blazanov (Pasha Lychnikoff) are seen delivering the day’s edition of ‘The Pioneer’ to eagerly awaiting readers at the Grand Central and the Gem. The publication contains Sheriff Bullock’s (Timothy Olyphant) condolence letter to the family of a murdered Cornish miner – drawing the umbrage of mining magnate George Hearst (Gerald McRaney).

The stage coach arrives to the sound of gunfire – celebratory shots fired by a pair of young riders accompanying the stage. The driver explains to the crowd gathering that they were set upon by road agents but the two young men saved the day.

The sound of gunfire from Wyatt (Gale Harold) and Morgan (Austin Nichols) Earp unsettles the Sheriff and Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) who wonder if they’re Hearst’s men. Swearengen talks to Wyatt Earp, evaluating his story.

Meanwhile, as Samuel ‘The General’ Fields (Franklin Ajaye) prepares for his departure, an incident at the livery hinders his travel plans.

As the livery owner Steve (Michael Harvey) rants, The General refuses to be drawn into an argument telling Steve he’s off to San Francisco as soon as he runs an errand.

Finally, Jack Langrishe (Brian Cox) moves his ailing friend Chesterton (Aubrey Morris) to the theatre for his last curtain call.

7:30pm – Monday, July 18 on ABC2

Food writer Gizzi Erskine, food stylist Harry Eastwood, food consultant Sal Henley and chef Sophie Michell are four British cooks who regularly have their cake, eat it and still manage to look good.

Armed with their skinny secrets, they’re helping disillusioned dieter Annie Christensen, to drop a dress size in six weeks without giving up her favourite foods. Annie is 37, with a classic pear-shape body who hates her thighs.

Annie can’t resist roast dinners, pasta Carbonara, chocolate bars and apple crumble, and admits she has an unhealthy relationship with chocolate.

Can the girls come up with tasty skinny versions that Annie can cook and also enjoy eating.

They also show us what to buy when you’re suffering from a snack attack, plus a slimming CD goes on trial – miracle cure, or just a big fat fib?

8:30pm – Sunday, July 17 on ABC2

triple j’s One Night Stand brings the big, live music experience to areas of regional Australia which usually miss out. With three of the country’s most popular acts in tow, triple j heads to the sleepy coastal town of Tumby Bay in South Australia to put on the biggest concert the town has ever seen.

This 90-minute special is your backstage pass to triple j’s One Night Stand – with a look at the town of Tumby Bay, exclusive interviews with the bands, and beautifully captured recordings of the performances themselves.

Watch Sydney band The Jezabels open the concert with an electrifying and flawless performance. Lead singer Hayley Mary is utterly captivating as she delivers dark vocals over beautifully crafted songs including Mace Spray and Hurt Me.

Art Vs Science show off with their trademark dance anthems, keyboards, samplers and entertaining stage antics. Highlights include their mega hits Parlez-vous Francais? and Magic Fountain.

Birds of Tokyo emerge from the smoke to wow the audience with their big melodies and dramatic stage presence. They close the night on a massive high as they play crowd favourites Wild At Heart, The Saddest Thing I Know and Plans.

7:30pm – Sunday, July 17 on ABC2

In previous series of the multi-award winning program The Choir, choirmaster Gareth Malone has proved that singing can take a group of kids who never sang before all the way to the Choir Olympics. He has proved that boys can sing, take pride in it, and perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London. But can singing lift the spirits of an entire community.

For the third series of The Choir, Gareth Malone goes to a town called South Oxhey in Hertfordshire in the UK. South Oxhey has no tradition of singing, and little cultural activity – there is not even a cinema in the area. But Gareth makes it his mission to make South Oxhey a centre of true choral excellence.

This time, Gareth has a new set of challenges. Where previous series have centred on teenagers, now he has to convince adults with longer-held and deeper prejudices about choirs that they should be singing alongside him.

And he has to find a way to transmit the choir bug to primary school children whose main experience of singing is X Factor.

Gareth takes his choirs through an extraordinary set of challenges and a fascinating set of local characters emerges to become deeply engaged in his choral project. His final challenge is to put on a major performance in South Oxhey itself, and invite the whole town to the party. Can he transform South Oxhey into a place that takes singing to its heart?

8:30pm – Saturday, July 16 on ABC2

It’s V-J Day and war is over. Jimmy Doyle, a mercurial and talented saxophonist has discarded his uniform and traded it in for a flamboyant, hand-painted shirt. Eyes darting, he prowls across a night club floor, sizing up his prospects for the evening. Eventually, he spies Francine Doyle, a bravely independent band vocalist, and moves in on her. At first he is repulsed, but the attraction between the two of them is obvious. Though she leaves the club in a huff, the two will meet again.

Both Jimmy, a practitioner of the new be-bop form of jazz, and Francine are immensely gifted and highly eccentric. Francine is the first to achieve success, as a recording artist and movie star, and Jimmy cannot bring himself to live with that fact. He is restless and angry, awaiting the recognition he believes is his due.

This is a love story unlike any other, charged with virulent emotion. Jimmy and Francine are married and have a child. Even as Jimmy’s frustrations are growing, Francine begins her rise to stardom. She sings with Jimmy’s band and one good break follows another. Timmy nags at her, gets drunk, and sleeps around. Finally, their relationship is shattered. In this sense, ‘New York, New York’ is very much a contemporary story — two people, both career driven, are forced to confront the reality of their situation. In another sense, the film is an exuberant throwback to the forties, with its rich big band sound, stunning glamour, and supercharged energy.

Directed by Martin Scorsese, New York New York stars Robert De Niro, Liza Minnelli and Lionel Stander