Networking
The Age
Thursday October 8, 2009
Ruby's claim to FameMTV presenter Ruby Rose (pictured) will host FOX8's Ultimate School Musical. Foxtel has commissioned the 10-part series, produced by Fremantle, which parachutes musical-theatre professionals into a school to help put on a musical. The first Australian series will feature a production of Fame (the two British series featured Hairspray and Grease). Production begins mid-November and the show will air next year.Sweet asIT SEEMS inexplicable that New Zealand's leggiest export, modelling maven Charlotte Dawson, isn't in the host's seat for New Zealand's Next Top Model. The series will instead be hosted by model Sara Tetro. Tetro also serves as a judge, along with model/actor Colin Mathura-Jeffree and fashion photographer Chris Sisarich. The series starts on FOX8 on October 13.Boy oh boyTHE ABC has confirmed its new Chris Lilley project will be a co-production with the BBC and US cable network HBO. The 12-part series, Angry Boys, will be a mockumentary that explores what it means to be "a 21st-century boy". It will be filmed here and overseas and goes into pre-production this week.Channelling inFOXTEL is expected to follow its download service with a channel-streaming service next year. The pay TV platform launched a subscriber-based download service last week, along with its first fully streamed channel €” a sports channel, ESPN360 €” which will serve as a pilot for a broader streaming service to follow. Foxtel also launched 12 new channels, including Lifestyle You, 13th Street (a murder-mystery channel) and an ad-free children's channel, KidsCo.In the navyAS the fourth season of Sea Patrol films in Queensland, the National Geographic channel is making a navy documentary, Warship. Warship is also the name of the British 1970s drama that inspired Patrol Boat, the precursor to Sea Patrol.All in good funTHE BBC and US channel Showtime have commissioned what might be the first UK comedy to translate smoothly to the US market. It's a comedy about a British comedy being adapted for the US market. Matt LeBlanc will play himself in Episodes. The series will be written by David Crane (Friends) and Jeffrey Klarik.Good Aussies go badMATT Day (Tangle), John Waters (All Saints), Andrew Bibby (Neighbours) and Jessica Tovey (Home and Away) will appear in the third instalment of Channel Nine's Underbelly franchise, Underbelly: The Golden Mile. Production is under way ahead of a February launch.
© 2009 The Age
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