ABC2's blog

8:00pm – Sunday, July 10 on ABC2

Sunday,10 July 2011 From the initial 12 students vying for a six month placement with Philippe Starck, it has now come down to two – don’t miss tonight’s final episode of Design For Life. After spending the last couple of months thinking, stressing, striving and working, 27-year-old Ilsa and 23-year-old Mike are now only a few weeks away from finding out which one of them will win the placement.

But first they have to put right the flaws in their designs and get final drawings to Jean Philipe, Starck’s leading model maker to produce a working prototype of their design. The students have also been allocated an advertising agency to work with. They need to formulate an advertising campaign for their product, including final logo, tagline and look.

Mike gets straight into it and has some clear ideas. Despite Starck’s dislike of the name ‘Stable’, Mike is keen to go with it and thinks he can convince him otherwise. Meanwhile Ilsa is struggling by comparison, and the advertising team can’t quite understand her thinking. She is soon hamstrung by her old problem of over-complicating everything.

As the clock ticks towards D-Day the pair work more and more frenetically – reducing Ilsa to tears and Mike to exhaustion. But when it’s finally time to present their finished prototypes to Starck, the biggest surprises are yet to come.

8:30pm – Saturday, July 9 on ABC2

Saturday,9 July 2011 The Woody Allen Special continues with his classic movie – Manhattan.

Written, directed and starring Allen, Manhattan is the filmmaker’s romantic ode to his beloved New York City.

The film, set against the music of George Gershwin, was luminously shot in black-and-white and was widely hailed as a masterpiece.

Nominated for two Academy Awards in 1979, and considered one of Allen’s definitive works, his beloved Manhattan is the backdrop to a wry, touching portrait of modern relationships against the backdrop of urban alienation.

The film was sumptuously photographed in black and white, and accompanied by a magnificent Gershwin score.

42-year-old Manhattan native Isaac David (Allen) has a job he hates, a seventeen-year-old girlfriend (Mariel Hemingway) he doesn’t love, and a lesbian ex-wife Jill (Meryl Streep) who’s writing a tell-all book about their marriage… and whom he’d like to strangle. But when he meets his best friend’s sexy intellectual mistress, Mary (Diane Keaton), Isaac falls head over heels in lust. Leaving Tracy, bedding Mary, and quitting his job are just the beginning of Isaac’s quest for romance and fulfilment in a city where sex is as intimate as a handshake – and the gateway to true love… is a revolving door.

7:30pm – Saturday, July 9 on ABC2

The final three trucks arrive in tiny Jonesborough, Tennessee, ready to battle it out for the attention of its 5,000 residents.

Each customer is precious and the community is excited to see the trucks, but town life shuts down at sunset.

The teams get another surprise when they must ‘go back in time’ and cook a five-course meal in the style of the pioneer-era chuck wagon.

Then it’s back to Main Street for a nip and tuck battle that sees the low-earning team eliminated by a mere $37.

7:00pm – Saturday, July 9 on ABC2

The Galta gang, a group of 60 rhesus macaques, wreak havoc on the city of Jaipur in India when a drought dries up their usual food source at the beautiful Hindu temple grounds.

The monkeys enjoy a highly privileged status. Locals revere them, believing them to be descended from the monkey god Hanuman. But when the gang leave the temple grounds, heading off across the rooftops to treat Jaipur like a huge playground, trouble arises.

The hungry monkeys wreak havoc, raiding and ransacking houses and apartments.

They rely on speed and cunning to escape the homeowners, but some of the younger more adventurous members of the monkey troop make some disastrous mistakes during their getaway.

9:30pm – Friday, July 8 on ABC2

Cromwell hopes to counteract the Catholic influence of the late Jane Seymour by finding a new Protestant wife for his widowed King. German envoy, Kolling recalls Duke William of Cleves has two unmarried sisters, Anne and Amelia.

Meanwhile, Henry (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) suggests to the French Ambassador he’d like a French bride, but his first choice has just been promised to the King of Scots.

Henry appoints Charles Brandon (Henry Cavill) President of the Privy Council, a role which makes him the King’s representative at court in Henry’s absence.

But just as his spirits rise his flesh fails – dramatically. Henry’s ulcerous leg confines him to bed where his skin turns black from his blood’s contamination. There are fears that he may die. To the relief of his court, he is saved by his surgeons.

The Duchess of Milan meets news of Henry’s continued interest with surprising hostility. The teenage aristocrat is unimpressed with Henry’s record with wives. Furthermore she is the great-niece of Katherine of Aragon.

Thus, she turns down his affections and asks Hutton to leave.

The Duchess of Milan’s rebuff is followed by the French envoy’s disdain for Henry’s desire to interview all potential French candidates as if it were a beauty pageant. This leaves only the two sisters of the Duke of Cleves. Sir John Hutton is dispatched to meet Duke William who is equally unimpressed by the request for a painting of his sisters but agrees to further discussions.

9:15pm – Friday, July 8 on ABC2

Pursued by a mob of inhuman child soldiers, Riese rushes for the door of a nearby building, but the door is locked. The children swarm around her, and Riese fears she may be done for, but the door opens and she is tugged inside by a gruff man called Ormond, who looks as though he hasn’t seen society in months.

Riese confronts Ormond about his crime of turning innocents into monsters, but Ormond attempts to defend himself, explaining that something unforeseen made the mission go sour.

In the main temple in the capital, Herrick, Marlise and Trennan assemble with several other Sect followers to confer on their next move. The High Priestess announces that the time for the appearance of the Anointed One is near. He has renounced his humanity and is ready to serve the Goddess.

Sensing that the children have gone and they are safe, Riese peers over a desk in the classroom in Vidar. As she does so, Ormond sees her royal mark.

True to The Sect, Ormond springs to his feet and strikes the royal heretic in the head. She crumples like a doll to the ground.

8:30pm – Friday, July 8 on ABC2

With Adam (Ian Tracey) under tight security back at the Sanctuary, Magnus starts to process the events of the past 24 hours. She discloses to Will how she was associated with Adam back at Oxford in the late 1800s, and the turbulent role he played with The Five.

Sanctuary follows the adventures of the beautiful, enigmatic and always surprising Dr. Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping), her new recruit, forensic psychiatrist Dr. Will Zimmerman (Robin Dunne) and her fearless daughter Ashley (Emilie Ullerup). Together they track down, study and protect the strange and often terrifying creatures that secretly populate our world and live among us.

8:30pm – Thursday, July 7 on ABC2

The family’s attorney, Barry Zuckerkorn, wants to arrange George Senior’s (Jeffrey Tambor) release from prison for the Christmas holiday; but although it is possible it will cost $20,000 in bail money.

Expensive or not, if the deal does go through it will mean that George Senior can take part in the annual ‘Living Classics Pageant,’ an event featuring live presentations of classic works of art. In the past the Bluth family has played an integral part in its most popular exhibit: Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam.

Michael (Jason Bateman) and Lindsay (Portia De Rossi) work out that their mother is manipulating them, and with that in mind decide to get rid of the family attorney by arranging a date between him and their devious mother; meanwhile George-Michael (Michael Cera) faces the prospect of wearing an embarrassing codpiece in the ‘Living Classics Pageant’…

7:30pm – Thursday, July 7 on ABC2

Marngrook Footy Show celebrates NAIDOC week in sensational style on Thursday, July 7th with a fun-filled show packed with insight, intelligence and cheerful commentary on all the latest AFL news.

Founded to recognise the distinct cultural histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples, the national theme for NAIDOC week (from 3 – 10 July) in 2011 is about taking responsibility about the future and controlling the change needed to plan and make it happen.

Marngrook Footy Show co-host Grant Hansen says his family-friendly footy program may be a fresh face on the TV screen but it has a rich history.

“Football is a huge part of Indigenous culture and NAIDOC week is a great opportunity to celebrate the culture, history and achievements of Indigenous people.

“Over 90,000 Indigenous people participate in Aussie Rules every weekend right around Australia which includes trainers, officials, fans and players.” Grant says the original motivation behind the Marngrook Footy Show was his disappointment about the lack of Indigenous people involved in AFL media.

“Then, there were no former or current Indigenous people on any of the many AFL footy shows, so I went to 3CR community radio and pitched my idea of a radio show to them. It was always my dream to start off as a radio show then hit the TV screens!” he says.

Tonight’s entertainment includes young indigenous singer/ songwriter Illana Atkinson and her grandfather – gum leaf player Herb Patten (former Australia’s Got Talent 2007 finalist).

9:30pm – Wednesday, July 6 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 of The True Story takes a look behind the Oscar-winning film Gladiator. Real gladiators were far more bloody and skilful than anything in the movies and the emperor Commodus was crazier in real life than on film.

The True Story reveals the world of the arena – sex, fame, blood, gore – and the fall of an emperor whose obsession with gladiators had a bodycount.