60 Minutes

Sunday Dec 18
6.30 Shrek The Halls
7.00 The Big Bang Theory
7.30 60 Minutes
8.30 The Mentalist
9.30 CSI
10.30 Prime Suspect

Monday Dec 19
7.30 The Big Bang Theory
8.00 Hot In Cleveland – NEW
8.30 The Mentalist
9.30 Harry’s Law – NEW
10.30 Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition – NEW

Tuesday Dec 20
7.30 The Big Bang Theory
8.00 The Middle – NEW
8.30 Two and a Half Men
9.00 Mike & Molly – NEW
9.30 Survivor South Pacific
10.30 Nothing Trivial

Wednesday Dec 21
7.30 RBT
8.30 Movie: Lethal Weapon 3
11.00 Weeds

Thursday Dec 22
7.30 Getaway
8.30 Unforgettable
9.30 CSI: NY NEW
10.30 Nothing Trivial

Friday Dec 23
7.30 Two and a Half Men x 2
8.30 Movie: Fred Claus

Saturday Dec 24
6.30 Australia’s Funniest Home Videos Summer Series
7.30 The Making of Happy Feet 2
8.00 Carols By Candelight (Live AEDT)

Subject to change. Correct at Decemebr 11.

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

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

Sunday, November 27 at 7.30pm on Channel Nine

Broken Hearts                                                           

Who could forget that smile? Or the amazing tale of bravery that went with it? Alisa Camplin stole our hearts when she won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Only later did we discover that she did it with two fractured ankles. But Alisa knows that broken bones are nothing. In March, her son Finnan, was born with congenital heart disease. His fight to beat his illness was as inspiring and heroic as any of his mother’s achievements.

Reporter: Allison Langdon

Producers: Stephen Taylor, Julia Timms

Eminem                                          

His real name is Marshall Mathers. But you probably know him as Eminem – that firebrand American rap star playing sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Depending on your tastes, he’s either a foul-mouthed gangster wannabe or a song writing genius. But whatever you think of Eminem’s music, you have to admire his fight. Here is the poor white kid who never made it past year nine but somehow managed to claw his way to the top. And that’s not the half of it, as Anderson Cooper of American 60 Minutes discovered when he took the singer on a stroll down memory lane.

Reporter: Anderson Cooper, CBS 60 Minutes

Producer: Tanya Simon

Frozen Fortunes                                                       

Liam Bartlett wondered what on earth he’d done wrong when we packed him off to the desolate wilds of Siberia. After all, it’s not the kind of place you generally visit willingly. People used to be dragged there in chains and then worked to death. But this gigantic frozen slab of Russia is getting an image makeover. It may never rival New York or Paris as a tourist destination. But, right now, there’s a minerals boom going on that dwarfs anything that’s happening in Australia. And, if you’re an investor right now, icy Siberia is hot, hot, hot.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producer: Howard Sacre

60 Minutes – Sunday, November 27 at 7.30pm on Channel Nine

Broken Hearts                                                          
Who could forget that smile? Or the amazing tale of bravery that went with it? Alisa Camplin stole our hearts when she won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Only later did we discover that she did it with two fractured ankles. But Alisa knows that broken bones are nothing. In March, her son Finnan, was born with congenital heart disease. His fight to beat his illness was as inspiring and heroic as any of his mother’s achievements.

Reporter: Allison Langdon
Producers: Stephen Taylor, Julia Timms

Eminem                                         
His real name is Marshall Mathers. But you probably know him as Eminem – that firebrand American rap star playing sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney. Depending on your tastes, he’s either a foul-mouthed gangster wannabe or a song writing genius. But whatever you think of Eminem’s music, you have to admire his fight. Here is the poor white kid who never made it past year nine but somehow managed to claw his way to the top. And that’s not the half of it, as Anderson Cooper of American 60 Minutes discovered when he took the singer on a stroll down memory lane.

Reporter: Anderson Cooper, CBS 60 Minutes
Producer: Tanya Simon

Frozen Fortunes                                                      
Liam Bartlett wondered what on earth he’d done wrong when we packed him off to the desolate wilds of Siberia. After all, it’s not the kind of place you generally visit willingly. People used to be dragged there in chains and then worked to death. But this gigantic frozen slab of Russia is getting an image makeover. It may never rival New York or Paris as a tourist destination. But, right now, there’s a minerals boom going on that dwarfs anything that’s happening in Australia. And, if you’re an investor right now, icy Siberia is hot, hot, hot.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett
Producer: Howard Sacre

Sunday, November 13 at 7:30pm on Nine

High Stakes

Everyone knows it. Even police admit they’re fighting a losing battle against the illegal drug industry. But the war just got even harder. Right now, in Australia, you can get the potent effects of ecstasy, cocaine or cannabis straight over the counter and completely legally – thanks to the booming industry in synthetic drugs. By mimicking their illicit counterparts with clever chemistry, the drug makers can stay one step ahead of the law. And while our police and politicians play catch up, the men behind these crafty alternatives have become a new breed of drug lord – untouchable, unstoppable and very, very rich.

Reporter: Liz Hayes

Producer: Stephen Rice

Being Brad

He’s got the most confident swagger in the business. And who could blame him?  Even compared to other Hollywood stars, Brad Pitt’s life is utterly charmed. With looks that make women go weak at the knees, he shares his life with the equally stunning Angelina Jolie. Together they balance their happy brood of children with careers that go from strength to strength. But when Tara Brown spent some time with him in Tokyo this week, the man who has it all, dropped a bombshell. At the peak of his fame, the world’s biggest film star is ready to call it a day.

Reporter: Tara Brown

Producers: Stephen Taylor, Sandra Cleary

Time Bomb

Imagine a job where the slip of your finger can mean sudden death. Every day, Australia’s navy clearance divers put their lives on the line, dismantling bombs on battlefields like Afghanistan and Iraq. But lately their steady hands have been needed closer to home. In Papua New Guinea there are areas that hold deadly reminders of World War Two – bombs, mines and mortars left behind by the Japanese occupation. Just watching these guys work is heart-stopping and fascinating. Because our bomb disposal exercise became a mission of discovery.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producer: Nick Greenaway

High Stakes

Everyone knows it. Even police admit they’re fighting a losing battle against the illegal drug industry. But the war just got even harder. Right now, in Australia, you can get the potent effects of ecstasy, cocaine or cannabis straight over the counter and completely legally – thanks to the booming industry in synthetic drugs. By mimicking their illicit counterparts with clever chemistry, the drug makers can stay one step ahead of the law. And while our police and politicians play catch up, the men behind these crafty alternatives have become a new breed of drug lord – untouchable, unstoppable and very, very rich.
Reporter: Liz Hayes
Producer: Stephen Rice

Being Brad

He’s got the most confident swagger in the business. And who could blame him?  Even compared to other Hollywood stars, Brad Pitt’s life is utterly charmed. With looks that make women go weak at the knees, he shares his life with the equally stunning Angelina Jolie. Together they balance their happy brood of children with careers that go from strength to strength. But when Tara Brown spent some time with him in Tokyo this week, the man who has it all, dropped a bombshell. At the peak of his fame, the world’s biggest film star is ready to call it a day.
Reporter: Tara Brown
Producers: Stephen Taylor, Sandra Cleary

Time Bomb

Imagine a job where the slip of your finger can mean sudden death. Every day, Australia’s navy clearance divers put their lives on the line, dismantling bombs on battlefields like Afghanistan and Iraq. But lately their steady hands have been needed closer to home. In Papua New Guinea there are areas that hold deadly reminders of World War Two – bombs, mines and mortars left behind by the Japanese occupation. Just watching these guys work is heart-stopping and fascinating. Because our bomb disposal exercise became a mission of discovery.
Reporter: Liam Bartlett
Producer: Nick Greenaway

60 Minutes airs on Sunday nights at 7.30pm on Channel Nine

The Nine Network says there is “categorically” no deal with the family of a 14-year-old NSW boy facing drug charges in Bali.

It was reported on Sunday the family had signed a contract worth up to $300,000 to tell their story to Nine, which would spread the cost between 60 Minutes, Nine News and Woman’s Day magazine.

“There is categorically no deal,” Nine Network spokesman David Hurley told AAP today.

There were concerns that such a deal could have been damaging to the boy’s trial.

On Friday, the boy made an emotional plea to be allowed to return home and promised an Indonesian court he would never smoke marijuana again.

The teenager, from Morisset Park near Newcastle, was indicted last week on three charges, including one of possession, which carries a maximum term of six years in prison for juveniles.

A second charge relates to drug use, one of which also carries a potential jail term, while the third could result in him being ordered to undergo rehabilitation.

Source – Adelaide Now

Sunday, November 6 at 7.30pm on Nine

A New Shot at Life

They call it “the long goodbye” and it’s the most heartbreaking journey imaginable. Alzheimer’s robs its victims of their memory and their dignity, erasing their personalities until all that is left is the shell of their bodies. Thirteen hundred Australians are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every week, making it more common than cancer or even heart disease. And for those who get the news, it’s as good as a death sentence. Until now. Michael Usher visited a revolutionary clinic that’s offering real hope to sufferers and their families. The doctors there believe Alzheimer’s disease can be reversed and they have the results to prove it.

Reporter: Michael Usher

Producer: Jo Townsend

The Empty Nesters

It had to happen, eventually. That generation of stay-at-home kids has finally grown up and flown the coop. Peter Overton first met these coddled twenty and thirty-somethings five years ago. Back then, they were sleeping in their childhood bedrooms, letting their parents pay the bills and stashing away money for a future that never seemed to arrive. Well, it has now. And their Mums and Dads couldn’t be more pleased, most of them, anyway. They’re celebrating, happily spending their hard-earned savings on something completely different – themselves.

Reporter: Peter Overton

Producer: Sandra Cleary

Dame Helen

Sometimes, it’s the late starters who finish first but it’s a rule that doesn’t often apply to Hollywood.

Dame Helen Mirren is a spectacular exception. Her career only took off when she was in her forties. And when it did, she managed to shatter another movie star myth, by proving an actress could combine beauty and brains. Along the way, she’s become a Dame of the British empire, and an international pin-up girl for ageing gracefully. But when Liam Bartlett was granted an audience with Dame Helen in Berlin, he soon found this Oscar-winning screen queen is not one for airs and graces.

Reporter: Liam Bartlett

Producers: Gareth Harvey, Sandra Cleary