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Aussies Are Not Taken With The US ‘Kath & Kim’

It's Trent, Bitch! — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:10:38 +0000

Australian audiences are, apparently, not really lovin’ the new US version of their beloved comedic series Kath & Kim. Channel 7, the Aussie network that picked up the US version of the series down under, has decided to pull the series off the air after only two episodes … and replace it with reruns of the original OZ version of the series in its place. Ouch! Nonetheless, filming continues on new eps here in SoCal on the LA set of the show … here are a couple pics of Molly Shannon and Selma Blair shooting new scenes for Kath & Kim yesterday afternoon:

The American version of hit Aussie TV comedy Kath + Kim has failed to impress Antipodean viewers – it has been dropped from schedules after just two episodes. Actress Selma Blairand U.S. funnywoman Molly Shannon play the role of the dysfunctional mother and daughter duo in the American adaptation of the award-winning series. But Australia’s Channel 7 has pulled the show from its primetime slot after the second episode viewing figures plummeted to 729,000 after a promising 1.23 million debut. The network has put the show into “resting” – meaning it will be held until the Australian summer (Nov-Jan08), when Aussie TV returns to its non-ratings period. And as a further blow, the original Kath + Kim will replace its American counterpart. A spokesperson for Channel 7 says, “The figures didn’t stand up for its second outing. For people who want to see more of the U.S. episodes they will return later this year.”

Oh snap! That is not good. In all honesty, tho, it makes sense that Aussie audiences might be turned off by a remake of a series that is still so highly regarded. I believe the third season of the original Kath & Kim just aired last year. For them, a new remake might not make sense so soon. Unfortch for NBC, US audiences aren’t really taking to the show either. After scoring pretty good ratings in its debut week, Kath & Kim suffered a 20% loss of viewership by week two:

The American sitcom based on Australia’s foxy duo from Fountain Lakes last night suffered a 20 per cent slide in its ratings in the US from last week’s better-than expected debut on TV network NBC. Millions of Americans opted to switch channels rather than stomach Kath and Kim’s second episode, with reality show Survivor on CBS and Ugly Betty on ABC easily winning the time slot. Only six million Americans tuned in to Kath & Kim’s second episode, compared to 7.5 million in its premiere week. US magazine, Entertainment Weekly, described it as a “rough evening” for NBC. “Kim was down from its solid premiere the previous week,” entertainment industry bible, Variety, reported. NBC is airing Kath and Kim, starring US actresses Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, as part of its Thursday night comedy block of sitcoms and the network suffered declines across the board … American critics largely savaged the NBC show, with the New York Post describing it as the “worst idea for an import from the land Down Under since Vegemite”.

NBC isn’t doing very well overall so mebbe the straits aren’t quite so dire for Kath & Kim here in the US just yet. I’ve been watching the show and while I think it’s cute, I wouldn’t necessarily call it funny. Well, mebbe that’s not entirely true … I do find myself laughing out loud at times but I am still comparing it the riotously funnier original. The show is still very new and mebbe once it hit it’s stride it’ll do better. NBC just picked up their remake of Knight Rider for a full season of eps. I stopped watching that mess after the second episode (IMHO, it’s really bad, y’all) … so if they can take a chance on that show then they should deffo take a chance on Kath & Kim. Have any of y’all been watching the show? What do you think … keep it or cancel it?

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source, Source]

‘Kath & Kim’s US Debut Is Imminent

It's Trent, Bitch! — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:37:41 +0000

The US debut of Kath & Kim is only about 2 weeks away and NBC is doing the final push to promote the series debut. As I’ve said all along, I’m going to give the show the full benefit of the doubt even tho I know it won’t be exactly like the amazing original Australian version of the show. I do trust, tho, that Molly Shannon and Selma Blair will be able to make me laugh … and that, over all, is what I’m most looking forward to. Here are a few screencaps from the latest NBC promo video for Kath & Kim:

At least I’m relieved to see that the US version of the series will showcase Kim’s love of thong underwear … on that account, I can breathe a hefty sigh of relief. After the jump, check out this latest Kath & Kim promo video and judge for yourself …

I dunno … the more I see, the more I like. I just want it to be good … then I’ll finally have a reason to watch NBC on Thursday nights again.

[Source]

The New ‘Kath & Kim’ Emulates The Old ‘Kath & Kim’

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:48:47 +0000

NBC has released a new promo pic of Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, in their respective roles as Kathleen ‘Kath’ Darleen Day Knight and Kimberly ‘Kim’ Day Craig, sitting side-by-side in their backyard porch/deck area seeming to emulate the regular closing scene of each ep of the original Aussie version of Kath & Kim … which I think is a very good step in the right direction:

Those familiar with the original Australian version of Kath & Kim know that each ep ends with mother and daughter engaging in a little banter on the back patio (or lanai, if you will) at the close of each episode. It appears that the new US version of the series will be doing the same. This is a good sign, I think. You may recall that we recently got to see new video promos for the show and new pics from filming of the series. All this new Kath & Kim stuff just keeps adding to the anticipation for me. I can’t wait to see this new incarnation of the show … for better or worse, I’m curious as hell. Still no word if the character of Sharon Karen Strzelecki will make it in the new US version … that should determine if NBC has made a fatal error or not.

[Source]

‘Kath & Kim’ Film New Scenes

It's Trent, Bitch! — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:40:21 +0000

Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, stars of the new US version of the outrageously hilarious Aussie comedy Kath & Kim, were spied shooting new scenes for the first season of their new series. The gals were snapped filming a scene (with the actor who plays Kel) on an escalator at a SoCal shopping mall (the Burbank Town Center?) yesterday afternoon … take a look:

You may recall that I recently posted a few promo vid clips of the new US version of Kath & Kim which give us a good feel for what’s in store with this new incarnation of the show. It’s really hard to judge comedy from just pics like these so I am still reserving judgment on the show until it debuts on NBC this October. I dunno tho … there seems to be an awful lot of American Apparel being used in this new series. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Selma Blair Is Kim-possible

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 19:39:03 +0000

Here are a couple sexy pics of Selma Blair in her trailer on the backlot of the US version of the show Kath & Kim. Now, I’ve voiced some concerns over the Americanization of the amazingly funny original Aussie version of the show but I’ve generally tried to keep an open mind about the show. These new pics of Selma as Kim are … kinda worrisome:

Yeah, she doesn’t look tragic enough to me. Kim should be a bit more overweight and much more desperate-looking but, again, we prolly shouldn’t judge the US version of the show on mere pictures. I’ve seen a few new promos for the show that have been airing during NBC’s Olympic Games broadcasts and I caught myself laughing a few times so … I guess we’ll still have to wait and see. I just hope that they dumb Selma down a lot for the show … she can pull off the character … I know it. Am I right or is the show just doomed from the start?

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

‘Kath & Kim’ Are Comin’ To America

It's Trent, Bitch! — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:05:01 +0000

The hilariously funny Australian sitcom Kath & Kim, which stars Aussie comediennes Jane Turner and Gina Riley, has been adapted for the US market and will be debuting on NBC this fall … starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. Now, depending on whether or not you’re familiar with the original series, this might sound like extremely bad news. I have been watching the original Kath & Kim on the Sundance Channel for years and absolutely love it the way it is … so I’m concerned that the US version will not be able to do the show justice. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the Kath & Kim charcters in the US version and the OZ version:

My initial reaction to hearing about this new US version of the show was not a good one … the thing I love best about the Aussie version is that the comedy is so dry, so deadpan and offers no explanation to the audience (whereas American comedy is kinda force-fed to the viewer). As an American viewer, who prolly has no concept of this social culture in Australia, you either get it or you don’t … and if you get it, it’s funny as hell. BUT … there are a couple of clips that tease what the US version of the show will be like and, to be completely honest, the clips are very funny. After the jump, check out the clips …

The US version looks like it’s going for the more obvious laughs but they work, at least, they worked on me. The majority of folks in the US are not familiar with this Australian TV show so they won’t have a frame of reference to compare the US version to — which may be a good thing. I am not counting on liking the new version over the original (comparing the two is going to be hard to get over) but I’m willing to give the show a shot. It could turn out to be a success like Ugly Betty (which is a foreign show that has been adapted for the US market) or a flop like Coupling (which was adapted from the British version — the US version got canceled mid-season). I love both Molly Shannon and Selma Blair … they can make it work … in fact, they can make the characters their own independent of the Aussie version. If the show is going to be a lasting success, that is exactly what they are going to have to do.

[Source, Source via ONTD!]

‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army’ Premieres

It's Trent, Bitch! — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:18:00 +0000

As part of the 2008 Film Independant’s Los Angeles Film Festival, Hellboy II: The Golden Army (which was directed by movie genius Guillermo del Toro) had its Hollywood premiere at the Mann Village Westwood theater in Westwood, CA yesterday afternoon. Here are a few pics of the principal stars along with their amazing director on the red carpet at yesterday’s premiere:

I think it’s very safe to say that Guillermo del Toro is prolly one of, if not the, most talented and inventive movie directors on the scene right now (tho, Russian director Timur Bekmambetov who made the phenomenal movies Night Watch, Day Watch and the new Angelina Jolie movie Wanted [which opened in theaters this weekend] has to be high on that list as well) and has proven himself so fully to me that I will absolutely make time to see every movie he directs. I was very impressed with his direction in Hellboy but it was his Spanish-language film Pan’s Labyrinth that really sold me. To me, he is the Neil Gaiman (author of Neverwhere, Stardust, American Gods and more) of movie-making … and by that I mean, an insanely talented artist who has yet to break into the mainstream (I’m not even saying that it is necessary that either of them break into the mainstream, I’m just saying that they are so good at what they do that I truly feel that once people catch wind of their talent they may blow up big time). I’m not a huge Hellboy fan but I just love seeing del Toro’s imagination come alive on the big screen (and from what I’ve seen in the promos for Hellboy II, some of the influence of Pan’s Labyrinth looks like it made its way into the film). According to IMDB, he has also signed on to direct The Hobbit, which just thrills me to no end. Hellboy II doesn’t open in theaters until July 11 (the eve of my birthday) but I’m telling you … make plans to check it out. I’m sure it’ll be visually phenomenal … I’m totally willing to bank on that.

[Photo credit: Splash News, Bauer-Griffin]