Channel Nine's blog

Australia’s Funniest Home Videos, one of the longest running and most loved programs on television, returns for a new season on Saturday, February 11, at 6.30pm on Channel Nine. 

Grab the family and join Shelley Craft for a rollicking hour of side-splitting hilarity as she presents a medley of the most comical amateur videos from home and abroad. 

To kick off another huge year, pop sensation Timomatic will perform his smash-hit single Set it Off, which is riding high in the Australian Top Ten. 

Australia’s Funniest Home Videos was first welcomed into the nation’s living rooms in 1990.

Over those 22 action-packed years, a generation has grown up with the show that has become appointment viewing for the young, the young at heart and anyone who loves a giggle. 

Now a whole new generation is laughing at the trips, slips, spills and falls that have made the show an Australian institution. 

This year Kids Smart (Nature’s Way range of vitamins for kids) is the show’s major sponsor, providing a massive $150,000 cash prize to our Grand Final first prize winner. 

Mitsubishi returns with two 4WD vehicles for second place. If you’re sitting on a video that has made your family laugh, chances are it will make the rest of Australia laugh as well.

Why not try your luck and send it in now? A cash prize of $500 is paid for every Australian clip that makes it onto the show.

Each week around 125 clips are featured on Australia’s Funniest Home Videos, and approximately 5,000 will be played this year.

Oscar winners Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett and Red Dog starlet Rachael Taylor head a who’s who of film and television who will present the inaugural Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards on Tuesday, January 31, at 9.30pm on Channel Nine.

Anthony and Jonathan LaPaglia will also join local favourites including Lincoln Lewis, Shane Bourne, Gigi Edgley, Alex Dimitriades, Todd Lasance, Blake Davis, Callan McAuliffe, Judy Morris, Samara Weaving and Adam Elliot to present the honours to the best talent in Australian film and television.

The AACTA Awards were formerly known as the AFI Awards. To coincide with the inaugural AACTA Awards for the domestic industry, this year the AACTA International Awards are also being introduced to recognise film excellence around the world.

Together, the AACTA Awards and the AACTA International Awards will bring a new global flavour to Australia’s film and television industry, in line with the BAFTA Awards in the United Kingdom and the Academy Awards in the USA.

And in an important milestone, this year the television section of the awards marks 25 years of celebrating Australian television excellence.

The AACTA Awards announced on January 31 will cover the Feature Film and Television categories for achievements in acting, producing, screenwriting and directing for 2011.

The AACTA International Awards will also be hosted by Geoffrey Rush with several A-list Australian expatriates presenting, including Guy Pearce at a special event in Hollywood on January 27. The awards will include Best Actor and Actress, Best Direction, Best Screenplay and Best Film, and will be broadcast during the AACTA Awards ceremony on January 31 at the Sydney Opera House.

Olivia Newton-John will be a special guest at the inaugural AACTA Awards, singing a medley from the soundtrack of her new film, A Few Best Men, including The Monkees’ hit from the 1960s, Daydream Believer.

Richard Wilkins and Celebrity Apprentice winner Julia Morris will host the AACTA Red Carpet Arrivals, welcoming a host of film and television talent including Damien Walshe-Howling, Conrad Coleby, Danielle Cormack, Maeve Dermody, Rodger Corser, Sacha Horler, Susie Porter, Michael Caton, Julia Zemiro and Hugh Sheridan.

There are six nominations for the coveted Samsung AACTA Award for Best Film: The Eye Of The Storm, The Hunter, Mad Bastards, Oranges And Sunshine, Red Dog and Snowtown.

2012 INAUGURAL AACTA AWARDS

Tuesday, January 31, at 9.30pm on Nine

Excess Baggage, a series delving into the hearts, minds and bodies of eight celebrities and eight everyday Australians to help them shed their physical and mental baggage, will premiere on Monday January 30 at 7pm.

The celebrities taking part are American dancer Kevin Federline, AFL legend Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico, singer Christine Anu, international paparazzo Darryn Lyons, Beaconsfield miner Brant Webb, comedian and actress Gabby Millgate, Australian Idol winner Kate DeAraugo and TV presenter Ajay Rochester.  

The 16 contestants, who will be paired up in teams of one celebrity and one ordinary Australian, come from different walks of life but all have one thing in common: they have excess baggage and want to reclaim their lives.

The stripped series, hosted by Kate Ceberano, will travel to some of the most spectacular and remote locations in Australia, with the back drops – including the East Kimberley, Whitsundays, South West Tasmania and Victoria’s high country – just as epic as the newfound freedom our contestants will discover.

The show will also feature nutritionist Joanna McMillan, trainer Christian Marchegiani, psychologist Dr Tim Sharp and cardiologist Dr Ross Walker as judges and mentors.     

Together they will help turn around the lives of the contestants, educating and pushing them to make a permanent change. There will be no forced diets and no ‘lockdown’ that removes them from everyday temptations – they will need to take responsibility for their actions. 

There are no scales on Excess Baggage.

They won’t be scored on weight loss; their success will be measured on body fat percentage, waist circumference and fitness levels, and will be encouraged to gain lean muscle.

A true indication of healthiness and fitness will be achieved by using a state-of-the-art ‘Bod Pod’. This enclosed egg shaped device measures body fat percentage calculated on air displacement.

With teams undertaking challenges to gain points, one by one the bottom pair will be eliminated until one couple remain. 

Not only will the contestants be eyeing the prize of a complete overhaul of their lives, but also a cash prize. The winning team each week will receive $10,000 for the celebrity’s chosen charity. And at the end of the series, the winning team will be awarded $100,000, with the everyday Australian pocketing $50,000 and the celebrity giving $50,000 to a charity of their choice.

Each pair will need to commit to their partner and strive to achieve excellence over the series. They’ll be faced with intense challenges and the only way to succeed is through persistence, teamwork, dedication and trust.

Meet the teams:

RED TEAM: International Paparazzo Darryn Lyons and Lisa Giammaria

YELLOW TEAM: Singer Christine Anu and Nathan Pamenter

BLUE TEAM: Renowned backing dancer Kevin Federline and Renae Pratt

GREEN TEAM: Actress and Comic, Gabby Milgate and Ben Jones

PURPLE TEAM: TV Presenter Ajay Rochester and Matthew Palmer

PINK TEAM: Singer Kate DeAraugo and Sarah Robinson

GREY TEAM: Beaconsfield Miner Brant Webb and John Rose

ORANGE TEAM: AFL Legend Robet ’Dipper’ DiPierdomenico and Lana Pilakis

The world’s top cyclists will compete in Australia’s premier international cycling race when Wide World of Sports presents the Santos Tour Down Under from Adelaide and regional South Australia from January 15 to 22 on Channel Nine.

As the first event on the UCI WorldTour calendar, the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under will showcase Australia and open the cycling year with adrenaline-charged battles on the streets of Adelaide.

Hosted by Andrew Voss, the Nine Network coverage will present extensive daily highlights and broadcast the final two stages live.

The international voices of cycling – Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen – will provide expert roadside commentary.

The penultimate stage on Saturday, January 21, will be shown live on Nine from 11.30am AEDST while the final stage on Sunday, January 22, will be live from 1.00pm AEDST.

There will also be a dedicated page for the event on the Wide World of Sports website, www.wideworldofsports.com.au – which will include news, interviews and video content. In a first for the event, the site will stream live coverage of the Down Under Classic, Jayco Stage 5 and Stage 6. Highlight packages will also be available each evening for Stages 1-4.

Viewers can expect to see reigning Santos Tour Down Under winner and Australian National Time Trial Champion Cameron Meyer, as well as Australian cycling heroes such as Stuart O’Grady and Jack Bobridge.

In 2012, five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx, known as the world’s greatest cyclist, will be a special guest of the Santos Tour Down Under.

Channel Nine will present the world’s best New Year’s Eve celebrations when Sydney Harbour lights up with the Time To Dream spectacular on Saturday night, December 31.

Join Cameron Williams and Jesinta Campbell with the best view in town as they host the New Year’s Eve broadcast live from the Lord Mayor’s Party at the Sydney Opera House, starting at 8.30pm.

Featuring performances by the Potbelleez and David Campbell, the Lord Mayor’s Party will have the best views and entertainment in Sydney, all from the comfort of home.

Throughout the evening, Jaynie Seal will take viewers to the best vantage points around the harbour for all the colour surrounding the world’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display.

Peter Harvey looks back on a jam-packed year of news, entertainment and sport that included the Royal Wedding, Cadel Evans’ Tour de France victory, the Australian visits of President Obama and the Queen, and all the major events that shaped 2011.

From Glebe Island, James Mathison will report on Sydney Resolution, Sydney’s biggest ever New Year’s Eve concert, which will be headlined by Pet Shop Boys, Jamiroquai and Culture Club.

History will be made when a frog introduces the 9.00pm family fireworks display: famous Kermit the Frog, star of The Muppets, who will be joined by his co-star, Jason Segel. Comedian Jimeoin will show them how to start the fireworks – and the quickest getaway before they go off.

At 9.15pm, two hours of the top music hits of the year begins as Richard Wilkins presents the New Year’s Eve ARIA 2011 Countdown, with chart topping music videos from LMFAO, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Katy Perry, Adele, Jessie J and lots more.

Then at 11.30pm, Cameron and Jesinta begin the countdown to midnight and the  spectacular fireworks finale as Australia says farewell 2011 and hello 2012.

After three years as a member of the Nine Network’s Hi-5, Fely Irvine today announced her departure from the hit pre-school group.

Her final performance will be at Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight, which will be broadcast by Channel Nine on Christmas Eve.

With Fely’s departure, Hi-5 welcomes Dayen Zheng who will join current cast members Lauren Brant, Casey Burgess, Tim Maddren and Stevie Nicholson. Dayen is an accomplished singer, dancer and actor who joins the Hi-5 team after an extensive audition process throughout Australia.

Dayen was born in South Korea and moved to Australia with her family in 1996. She grew up in Cairns and studied at the Gold Coast Dance and Development Centre, graduating with an Advanced Certificate in classical ballet in 2010. She also studied singing and performed on many occasions at annual concerts.

Her acting credits include a support lead in the television series Lightning Point in the role of Gina. As well as appearing in various television commercials she has also worked as an extra on the television series Sea Patrol, Slide, and Terra Nova, plus the feature film Bad Karma and the documentary Singapore 1942.

Martin Hersov and Cathy Payne, Directors of Hi-5 Operations, said: “We thank Fely for the hard work, passion and commitment she’s shown during her time with Hi-5. We wish her well in all her future endeavours and look forward to welcoming Dayen to the colourful world of Hi-5.”

Fely joined Hi-5 in 2009 along with Tim and Lauren. During the past three years she has filmed 135 episodes of the television series, featured in 13 DVDs, recorded three CDs and toured extensively throughout Australia and Asia to the delight of her young fans and their families.

Fely said: “My time with Hi-5 has been a magical chapter of my life. I have met and worked with many amazing people, however the time has come for me to start on a new path. I’m excited about the prospect of new things and the idea of continuous growth for me, not only as an actor but also personally.

“I have already had tears during rehearsals, so I’m positive I’ll be full of emotion at Carols by Candlelight, which will be my final performance with Hi-5. This is one of my favourite performances of the year so I could not ask for a better way to say farewell.”

You can catch Fely in her final appearance at Vision Australia’s Carols by Candlelight from the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne on December 24. Gates open at 5.00pm. If you’re not in Melbourne, the television broadcast will commence at 8.00pm AEDT on Channel Nine.

Hi-5 will tour extensively throughout Australia in March and April 2012 with their Hi-5 Holiday stage show, which will be Dayen’s first tour with the group. For touring information please visit www.hi-5.com.au.

Sunday, December 18, at 7:30pm on Nine

Pure Hate                             

Right now, on the other side of the world, there’s a bunch of people who hate you and we mean absolutely despise you. But don’t worry, they hate everyone else in Australia. These so-called “Christians” hate us so much they actually rejoice in our suffering. The tragic bushfires of 2009? Those devastating floods earlier this year? Apparently, we deserved it all. You see, according to the folk of the Westboro Independent Baptist Church, all Australians are damned to Hell and they’ve reserved a specially fiery spot just for Liz Hayes.

Original TX: 22 May, 2011

End of the Line                   

The Japanese love their sushi. And over the past couple of decades, the rest of the world has come to love it too – maybe a little too much. Salmon and eel stocks are dwindling. But it’s the blue fin tuna that’s most at risk. This majestic creature – known in Japan as the King of Sushi – is being hunted to extinction. Bob Simon, of the American 60 Minutes program, went in search of the bluefin and discovered what happens when tradition and big business collide.

Faith, Love and Happiness                 

Nicole Kidman has certainly had her highs and lows. Publicly, she’s lived the Hollywood dream of fame and fortune. Privately, she’s faced the same struggles of many modern women. The pain of divorce. The heartbreak of miscarriage. Now at the age of 44, our Nic is positively blooming. A loving marriage and a new family have brought her the happiness that eluded her for so long. And when Karl Stefanovic caught up with her in Los Angeles, she had the glow of any new mum – busting to talk about baby Faith and the birth that caught everybody by surprise.

Original TX: 20 February, 2011

Sunday, December 11 at 7:30pm on Nine

Seeing Red                           

It’s not every day you get dressed down by a Duchess. But that’s just what happened to Michael Usher earlier this year when he interviewed royal renegade Sarah Ferguson. It was her first Australian interview in eight- years, so Michael had been looking forward to it. What he didn’t realise was that the Duchess has two very different sides. When Michael arrived, he was completely charmed by the knockabout “Sarah” who is open and brutally honest about her failings. But later in the day, Michael met bad Fergie – (her description not Michael’s). She’s the one who makes those bad judgement calls and lands herself in hot water, again and again. We’d already agreed that nothing was off limits for our interview. Michael could ask her about any of her famous scandals. But somewhere along the line, Michael hit a raw nerve and that’s when the trouble began.

Reporter: Michael Usher

Producers: Gareth Harvey, Sandra Cleary, Ali Smith

Original TX: 14 August, 2011

Descent into Hell                 

Looking back, Allison Langdon wonders where she found the nerve. Allison’s assignment was to venture where no one had gone before – right into the heart of one of the most active, most dangerous volcanoes on Earth. Joining her on this crazy quest was a team of Kiwi adventurers. Their plan was to abseil 500 metres over the edge of Mt Marum in Vanuatu and into the cauldron below. One slip and Allison would have been history – vaporised by the boiling lava. It’s a frightening place – no wonder it’s shrouded in mystery and black magic.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producer: Nick Greenaway

Original TX: 24 July, 2011

Giving Away a Fortune       

Imagine being so rich you could change the world and having the drive to actually make it happen. Fifteen years ago, Bill and Melinda Gates set up the Gates Foundation – pledging to give away 90% of their estimated 56 billion dollar fortune. They’re well on their way to achieving that goal – not that you’d know about it. The Gates have gone about their charity work humbly and well out of sight of the world’s media. So it was a rare privilege when Melinda Gates invited Scott Pelley, of the American 60 Minutes program, to join her on a mission to India.

Reporter: Scott Pelley, CBS 60 Minutes                

Producer: Denise Schrier Cetta

Some of the biggest names in world golf will compete in the 2011 JBWere Masters to be broadcast by Nine’s Wide World of Sports from Victoria Golf Club on December 17 and 18.

World No.1 Luke Donald, playing in Australia for the first time, will tee off against an impressive lineup of golfers including fellow Englishman and World No.14 Ian Poulter, who is also making his first appearance at the JBWere Masters. The other International on course will be Italian young gun Matteo Manassero, who at 18 is the youngest player to win a European Tour event.

Australian Open and PGA champion Greg Chalmers will be hoping to make history by becoming only the second person in Australian golf to win a Triple Crown. Robert Allenby, the other golfer to achieve that feat, won all three major Australian tournaments in 2005 and this year will be aiming for his third Masters title.

The strong Australian challenge will also feature Geoff Ogilvy, John Senden, Jarrod Lyle and Brendan Jones.

Stuart Appleby will be defending his title, having won his first gold jacket at last year’s event, alongside former Masters champions Richard Green, Michael Campbell, Rod Pampling, Craig Parry, Brad Hughes, Peter Lonard and Peter Senior.

Channel Nine’s coverage will be hosted by Eddie McGuire and Mark Nicholas, with expert commentary from Ian Baker-Finch, Jack Newton and Wayne Grady.

Nine’s broadcast of the JBWere Masters begins at 12.30pm on Saturday, December 17.

Sunday, 4th December, 2011 at 7:30pm on Nine

Episode #42

Damned                                                                      

There are few places on Earth quite as isolated or as spectacular as the Amazon. Venture deep into its heart and you enter a world completely untouched by the Twenty-First century – where people live as they have done for thousands of years, surviving on the bounty of South America’s mightiest river. But their simple life is under threat. The Brazilian government has approved construction of a huge hydro-electric dam. And that’s not the worst of it – sixty such dams are being planned all along the Amazon, flooding vast areas of rainforest and wiping out local villages. But as Allison Langdon discovered, the native people have one very powerful weapon – some well-placed friends in Hollywood.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producers: Stephen Rice, Julia Timms

Original TX: 10 July, 2011

Time Bomb                          

Heart attack is only supposed to happen to the middle-aged and the elderly. But every week, up to ten young Australians die because their hearts simply stop. They suffer from a condition known as SADS – Sudden Arrhythmic Disease. And for most victims, a heart attack is their first and only indication that anything is wrong. Only a lucky few discover they carry the rogue gene before it’s too late. But as Ellen Fanning reports, sometimes that knowledge can be a terrible burden.

Reporter: Ellen Fanning

Producer: Paul Steindl

Original TX: 6 November, 2011

Back to the Future                       

Which came first – the chicken or the egg? We’ve puzzled over that one for centuries. But it seems we finally have an answer. It’s the dinosaur. You see birds are the direct descendants of those giant creatures that once roamed our planet. In fact the relationship is so close that we’ll soon be able to blend dinosaur and chicken DNA to create a kind of chook-a-saurus. Lesley Stahl, of American 60 Minutes, met the scientists determined to bring dinosaurs back from the dead.

Reporter: Lesley Stahl, CBS 60 Minutes   Producer: Shari Finkelstein