The Logies,
Channel 9, Sunday, 7.30pm
EVERY year watching the Logies seems to become a chore. International artists who have never seen an Australian television show in their life and whitebread winners from the major networks with a Gold Logie winner that is more smile than style and of course a male recipient of the Logie Hall of Fame.
This year though, this year was something that gave hope for the future of the Australian television industry and maybe our wider society. Or maybe it was Australia’s reaction to the whitebread Oscars?
Once again the Logies were hostless with Dave Hughes doing an opening and closing monologue, Shane Jacobsen wandering the audience to interview the main nominees and the rest being left up to the individual presenters – though some of those segments could have done with being shorter and (in the case of Craig McLachlan) slightly less creepy.
But as far as award ceremonies go, the Logies are finally settling into their own rhythm, based more on honouring the nominees and winners than turning into a four or five-hour variety show which really doesn’t promote the movie or TV industry – and that has to be a good thing. You see enough of the winners and losers and of the nominees to get an idea of the shows and maybe a taste of the ones you missed the first time around.
The fact that the only entertainment this year was home-grown and in one case unexpected (unless it was a well-scripted and acted piece by Julia Morris – and she’s good but not that good) only added to the showcase feel. Sure Channel Nine had reasons of personal promotion for choosing the performers they did but they can be forgiven. They can be forgiven for using the night to endlessly promote their shows and their winners because there weren’t that many.
The real triumph of this year’s awards were the winners and the diversity of them and not just in the industry voted awards where SBS and ABC regularly dominate – no, this year even the popularly voted steered away from too many soapie actors and vacuous television presenters. Of course this was no more evident than in the Gold Logie – the most popular personality on Australian television this year was a well-read, urbane academic with a multicultural name and intelligent point of view – a member of the journalists’ union. Waleed Ally was not only a popular winner but an important one, ground-breaking in a world where our soap operas still don’t reflect our multicultural society to much extent.
His and Lee Lin Chin’s nominations (the first time anyone from SBS has been recognised in this section) were ground-breaking. His speech was eloquent, too, and like his colleague Carrie Bickmore last year, he took a moment that should be all about him and made it something more. The ABC dominated with programming that focused on everything from the supernatural to the atrocities that occurred in early settlement and Shaun Micallef gave the best anti-speech ever.
It’s also nice to not write the column I write after every Logies (other than 2001) – why there isn’t more than one woman in the hall of fame. And what a second woman to join Ruth Cracknell on the list that was started back in 1984. Noni Hazelhurst has done everything and the presentation package for her reflected that from a blonde screaming to carrying and hosting dramas and lifestyle shows and of course Playschool. Her speech again was thoughtful and thought out and emotional and game-changing on a night when the world of television turned just a little away from middle-aged, middle-class males and became just a little more inclusive and reflective.
It was nice to go to bed feeling proud of the Logies for a change.
– Tania Phillips
