News

The Ex-pm, a six-part half hour comedy created, written by and starring Shaun Micallef, began filming in Melbourne today. Micallef plays Australia's third longest-serving Prime Minister, Andrew Dugdale. He dined with Presidents and Kings, hosted world summits and changed the lives of millions of his fellow Australians.

But now he's retired, the not-so-elder statesman has far too much time on his hands and no one to waste it on.

The ensemble cast includes Nikki Wendt, Kate Jenkinson, Lucy Honigman, Nicholas Bell, Francis Greenslade, Jackson Tozer, Ming-Zhu Hii and. veteran John Clarke.

Sian Davies (Offspring, Mr & Mrs Murder) directs. Nick Murray (House of Hancock, Stupid Stupid Man), who is producing for Cjz, says: .It.s a rare pleasure with such a great cast and Shaun.s scripts are wonderful..

Micallef says, .I am very much looking forward to stepping in front of the cameras for my new series The Ex-pm. Hopefully...

Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder’s and the Australian Writers’ Foundation has opened its call for entries for the 2012 Kit Denton Disfellowship, which sees a writer secure a grant of $30,000 to help create a screen production.

The announcement:

Cordell Jigsaw Zapruders (Cjz) with the Australian Writers’ Foundation (Awf) is calling for entries for the 2012 Kit Denton Disfellowship.

The Disfellowship supports writers with courageous ideas. The competition aims to find ideas of substance, intelligence and purpose that will take viewers outside their comfort zone and challenge the status quo.

According to Andrew Denton, “We are hoping to attract strong, exciting, subversive ideas; a project of exceptional quality and innovation that will make for great Australian television, film or new media”.

2012 is the 6th year of The Disfellowship. Originally known as the Kit Denton Fellowship, the competition was relaunched in 2011 as a Disfellowship (because winning it may mean that “your nan disowns you, your...

She’s new, she’s the re-re-reader. She’s the nubile newbie, she’s the spoilery vet. Together they’re g-mashin’ George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones and getting their Pov on. Today they react to Chapter 33: Stupid Ned Stark.

Elena-

This was simultaneously a chapter I’ve been waiting about 300 pages for, and one of the most exasperating moments in a series of exasperating Ned moments.

Finally, finally, finally, Ned wakes up to the fact that the Robert he knew is gone, and that he has no business in King’s Landing. He had thought the latter before but not with any animus behind it. This time, at last, he realizes it on a very conscious level that demands nothing less than his immediate removal from the court.

The scene where he finally tells Robert off is quite brilliant. Very satisfying. It was interesting to see...