@MoBo: That's hilarious. Especially after 9 have been going on so much about torrents and pirates this week.

I think it's better than a lot of stuff out of the US that we struggle through 3 eps for you guys, but it's no Blue Murder. I actually think Guy Richie has a lot to answer for and Underbelly is a mediocre attempt to imitate that style.

@FTC: The networks in the US realise that leaking eps through torrents is good promotional business but networks in the backwater down here haven't yet caught up... It also probably says something about the amount of downloading that happens down here, especially as a ratio of our small audience. I think 9 have got to be bitter about getting screwed over on their killer eps for the year and they're gonna have a bitch about anything else that doesn't go their way.

Great comment by "dave" on the age website re: illegal Underbelly copies:

"Australia appears generally to attempt to control piracy by making shows no one wants to watch."

Ha!

http://blogs.theage.com.au/entertainment/archiv...

You raise a good point FTC.

It will be interesting to see how Underbelly rates when and if it finally does screen in Vic.

so torrents are good for publicity (i agree with you there) but then, 'Channel 9 is a different case, because they will eventually show Underbelly in Victoria and every person that downloads is one less viewer?'

i dont get it, are you saying torrenting is only healthy for a show when done in a secondary market?

Oh My! My name mentioned on Boxcutters. I feel special now. I am going to huddle in the corner and cry.

Cocoa Pops, cos the average listener isn't smart enough to know that they're no good for you.

I actually agree with Judge Betty's ruling - the judiciary should do whatever it can to encourage a fair trial. Limiting who sees Underbelly, at least to a certain extent, may help. The comments I heard through the legal process mainly stemmed around whether the fact and the fiction could be readily distinguished (apparently not). That said, it's very disappointing that Nine can't show it nationwide.

I would be interested to know whether Nine would have gone ahead with Underbelly at this time (rather than after the court case) if they had other shows in the grid that were rating reasonably well. They have a dearth of popular programs at the moment - I suspect it was brought forward out of desperation, perhaps in the full knowledge that they wouldn't get it through in Victoria but could get enough publicity for it elsewhere to compensate for the lack of viewers here (and potentially boost o/s sales). You can't tell me that their legal and programming teams didn't think this through...

@jimbo: It looks like some of the material for the upcoming Cunts in Power (oops, language warning) may already be available in the extended interviews on the 4C website. If anyone missed the show last night, you can watch it by following the above link.

Just watching last night's Four Corners. For those who haven't seen it, it is a landmark in Australian television, especially for those who have seen Labor in Power.

And for those who have seen Labor in Power as many times as I have you'll recognise everything from the framing to the string soundtrack to the use of file vision to break up the extremely candid interviews as hallmarks of that earlier series.

Apparently there is a Liberal equivalent to come. To prove it, the new EP of 4C is one of the orignal producers of Labor in Power. It is absolutely compelling television, with Costello playing the Keating role and several other cabinet ministers re-writing history for the cameras. As they say in the classics... do yourself a favour...

Just to clarify the Crumpler giveaway this week, for the quiz, the prize is the Status Belly.

Check out a review at The Gadgeteer.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, we usually have a quiz at the end of the podcast, with real Crumpler prizes. Listen to the show, send us the dead-easy answer and go in for a good chance to take one of these puppies home.

Corn flakes. Is that what I am meant to say? (Obviously I haven't actually listened to the show)

Also, the ABC logo seems to be broken at the moment - at least their 1 one. They have reverted to the old soundwave.

It's so confusing though. Is that just the ABC or is ABC 1 or ABC 2 or ABC 3? Come back horrible blue watermark.

I'm off to post abuse on the ABC website.