News

Australian writer-director Michael Jenkins, known for provocative Australia teen drama Heartbreak High, has died aged 77.

His management confirmed his death via through his partner, Amanda Robson. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020. His friend, Ian Barry, wrote in a tribute that he had passed away on March 4 with Robson and close family by his side.

The statement from Jenkins’ management said that his “contributions to the entertainment industry and his legacy as a film-maker and storyteller will be well remembered.”

Known for a gritty and frenetic style of directing, Jenkins was behind some of Australia’s most notable TV series, with his internationally-popular 1990s high school drama Heartbreak High was rebooted for Netflix in 2022. He had initially co-created the series, which helped launch the career of The Mentalist actor Simon Baker, with Ben Gannon for Network Ten in 1994.

He was also behind Blue Murder, the Australian series...

Writer, director and producer Michael Jenkins, known for TV series such as 'Blue Murder', 'Wildside' and 'Scales of Justice', as well as feature film 'The Heartbreak Kid', which spawned 'Heartbreak High', died on Monday, aged 77. Ian Barry penned this tribute to his friend and colleague.

The post “A prodigious creator”: Vale Michael Jenkins, writer, director and producer appeared first on If Magazine.

Frank Woodley.

Many producers fear the Federal Government’s sweeping media reforms will spell the death knell of Australian features, forcing them and some writers and directors to focus on content for streamers or free-to-air broadcasters.

Lowering the Producer Offset for films to 30 per cent from July 2021 will leave a gap of at least 25 per cent of the budgets which most producers will find impossible to fill, according to producer/distributor Sue Maslin.

“The exceptions will be largely foreign-financed films or local films with cast led by foreign actors making the most of Australian financial incentives, cast, crew and locations. That or extremely low budget films with little hope of competing in the cinema market,” the Film Art Media principal tells If.

“I find this summary dismissal of Australian cinema devastating and will be forced to relegate all feature films currently in development to the bottom drawer until we see...

Schitt’s Creek alums Tim Rozon and Sarah Levy, along with Adam Korson (Seed), Maurice Dean Wint (The Kid Detective), Savannah Basley (Wynonna Earp) and Tennille Read (Workin’ Moms) are set as series regulars in The Surrealtor, Syfy’s upcoming drama series from Blue Ice Pictures. The 10-episode series begins production September 15 in Newfoundland, Canada.

Developed for television by George Olson, The Surrealtor follows realtor Nick Roman (Rozon) and an elite team of specialists that handle the cases no one else can: haunted and possessed houses that literally scare would-be buyers away. Researching, investigating and “fixing” the things that go bump in the night, the team works to create closure—and closings — even as they struggle with demons of their own.

Rozon’s Roman is the owner of The Roman Agency, his eponymous real estate firm specializing in “metaphysically engaged” properties. He has gained a whispered reputation as someone who could...

First the bad news: Doctor Who will be over for a while, after October 1. That’s when the season 6 finale airs on BBC America. They are trying to lessen the blow though, bless ‘em, by starting us on a new series directly afterwards. Check out the tv spot:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here’s a brief summary:

Bedlam is a ghostly series set around Bedlam Heights — a hip, newly renovated apartment building. Those who live there think they have the best address in the world, but little do they know their new home has a harrowing past.

The conversion of Bedlam Heights from a former insane asylum has awakened the ghosts of its dark and violent past. These spirits wish to reclaim what’s theirs and seek revenge on those who have wronged them.

Kate (Charlotte Salt, The Tudors), a direct descendant of the people who ran the former asylum for generations,...

Blue Murder, although stylized in a similar fashion to such crime dramas as Law and Order, The Closer, and NYPD Blue, comes off comedic and lacks the grittiness of most of its contemporaries. In the first episode, Detective Janine Lewis (Caroline Quentin) is shown proudly bounding down the hall in an oversized sweater to tell her colleagues that she has been promoted to Chief Inspector. She then gets a bottle of champagne to celebrate, and drives home to surprise her husband, who is unfortunately in bed with another woman. She’s pregnant with her husband’s child as well at this point, a surprise.

Perhaps the choice of music in the show aids in this comedic feel, an instrumental saxophone that blares when Janine is happy and then winds down when she’s having a bad day, or finds her husband with his mistress. The show does well to juxtapose...

DVD Playhouse December 2010

By

Allen Gardner

America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...

ITV has axed crime drama Blue Murder after six years, it has been revealed. The programme, which starred Caroline Quentin as Dci Janine Lewis, first appeared on screen in 2003 and was last seen in October when the final episode of series five aired. Speaking to The Guardian about the show, Quentin confirmed: "It's been axed, which is a big disappointment." She continued: "The last series was the best we'd ever made. I thought it was fantastic. It took us a long time to get it right but we all felt we'd finally (more)...

Blue Murder star Caroline Quentin has reportedly entered talks to join The Bill for a guest stint. Show producers have decided that drafting in the actress for six weeks' worth of episodes would reignite interest in the programme, according to The Mirror. Bosses are believed to be disappointed by the police drama's ratings struggle in its new 9pm timeslot. The series was shifted in the ITV1 schedule three months ago as part of its revamp as a post-watershed drama airing just once a week. It is thought that Quentin would play Sun Hill's Borough Commander if negotiations go as planned. As well as Blue Murder, she has proved popular with roles in Men Behaving Badly, Jonathan Creek and Life Begins in the past. A source said: "Caroline Quentin has been asked to come in to try and boost the show's popularity. Scriptwriters (more)...

Criminal Justice returned to 4.44m (18.9%) at 9pm last night, according to early viewing figures. The first new episode of the BBC One series, which stars Maxine Peake and Matthew Macfadyen, was down on last year's opening episode, which drew 5.5m (26%) on Monday, July 1, 2008. It was beaten by the penultimate episode of ITV1's Caroline Quentin-fronted Blue Murder, which logged an impressive 4.63m (19.7%). Also at 9pm, the second episode of Five's FlashForward was seen by 3.26m (13.9%), just topping last week's premiere. Channel 4's Daredevils (more)...

If you are a fan of mysteries and/or good crime drama and have not yet seen the series Blue Murder, you are in for a treat. With realistic stories combined with exceptional acting that makes the characters live onscreen, Blue Murder is not a glamorized look at detective work, but rather the story of people who are good in their profession. The fourth set is now available on DVD and there.s a chance that once you have seen any of the episodes, you will want to see more. Set in Manchester, Chief Detective Janine Lewis (Caroline Quentin) runs her department with great success. She is so competent she has had a nod for an advancement that will put her...