Archives for May 2023

Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin has hit out at the AFL in a new Welcome to Country storm.

The senior Indigenous elder says she was snubbed by league executives including Gillon McLachlan during a pre-game function before Dreamtime at the ‘G on Saturday night.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Aunty Joy hits out at the AFL for Welcome to Country snub.

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She played a powerful role at the post-game presentation, but it was her pre-game involvement that has rocked the AFL.

Aunty Joy is furious not enough AFL executives were at Essendon’s pre-game function, where she delivered the Welcome to Country.

“I was shocked,” she told 7NEWS.

“It broke my heart because I want to see that people who are leading the AFL, who are leading all of this, should be there honouring particularly traditional owners.”

7NEWS understands Aunty Joy was overcome with emotion at the perceived snub, but witnesses say her outburst offended some guests, who left the room.

AFL commissioner Helen Milroy, who is also an Indigenous woman, gave an impromptu speech to calm Aunty Joy.

“There’s never ever just been three commissioners; it’s really crazy. Where is the genuine support for Dreamtime at the ‘G?” Joy added.

The AFL says at least three executives, Essendon bosses, and commissioners were all at the function. A number had also been at the Long Walk at the ‘G, so opted to stand at the back of the room so they didn’t interrupt Aunty Joy’s speech.

Incoming CEO Andrew Dillon was also at the game but was with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles during the speech.

Outgoing Boss Gill McLachlan was in Adelaide at a pre-arranged function for a good friend. He had already let Michael Long know he wouldn’t be at the Long Walk before the game.

But Joy was still left fuming, and she wasn’t alone.

“Everyone in our community that I spoke to, or spoke to me, has just been shattered to think that the people who profile this event were not there,” she told 7NEWS.

“We’ve gone back now; absolutely backwards.”

The AFL were reluctant to comment on Sunday.

However, sources have pointed out that it wasn’t really all about Aunty Joy on Saturday night; there’s a broader context, which is the Dreamtime celebration.

And it’s a national competition with Dreamtime games across the country. There were three commissioners at the MCG on Saturday night but other commissioners were at other games across the country.

Aunty Joy caused headlines during Barack Obama’s Melbourne tour last month when organisers cancelled her Welcome To Country speech after she asked to bring a support person up on stage. Tour organisers later apologised over the incident.

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Yep, that’s a house just chillin’ in the middle of a highway.

What do the Queen, Doctor Who and death-eating Lucius Malfoy have in common? The stars who play them are all avowed fans of the Australian sitcom Colin from Accounts – the word-of-mouth sensation that sees two singletons go on a romantic journey after a dog is hit by a car.

Not only is it a hilariously joyful piece of TV, but it also features one of the year’s most distinctive meetings between two characters. Particularly given that the car accident happens due to 29-year-old student doctor Ashley having a particularly novel way of thanking fortysomething microbrewery owner Gordon for letting her cross the road – impulsively flashing her breast and causing him to hit a stray dog.

“I definitely regretted writing it,” says Harriet Dyer, who co-created the show with her real-life husband Patrick Brammall, and stars alongside him as one of the two lead roles. Turns out she is not a fan of filming that involves baring a breast on a busy street. “I was nervous because the director was Paddy’s best friend and our daughter’s godfather. I’m like: ‘Trent’s going to see my boob today.’”

“What about all the kids walking home from school?” asks Brammall. Dyer cringes: “It was about 3.30pm on a Tuesday in Surry Hills, a family-heavy district [of Sydney]. I told the nurse that I didn’t want my nipple to look sleepy and sad. She was like: ‘Shall I put some Tiger Balm on it?’ I was like: ‘That’s too far in the other direction. It’ll be flaming red. I’m all good, thanks.’”

Colin from Accounts has proved a slow-burn smash. Viewers have been inhaling its moreish 25-minute episodes, then raving on social media and evangelising to friends. “The word-of-mouth has been crazy,” says Brammall. “It’s the best kind of recommendation. You can’t manufacture that.” It has also proved popular among celebrities, judging by the reactions it caused at the recent Bafta TV awards.

“It was wild,” says Brammall in disbelief. “Imelda Staunton stopped us on the red carpet and introduced herself. I’m like: ‘I know who you are, mate.’” Dyer takes up the story: “I said I was a big fan of hers, too, but she goes, ‘Shut up, shut up! I just love Colin!’”

“David Tennant said he and his wife, Georgia, love the show, so we got a selfie with them,” says Brammall. Dyer exclaims: “And oh my god! Mr Malfoy!” “Jason Isaacs said he loved it and shook my hand,” says Brammall. “Not a bad night’s work, right?” “It felt really cool,” says Dyer. “We got back to our hotel at 1am and I had to order a cheese plate from room service just to calm down.”

Viewers have fallen hard for the series, partly thanks to its impeccably judged scripts. The duo’s writing deftly avoids cliche and cloying sentiment yet remains sweet-hearted. “Because the show isn’t high concept, the tone was always going to make or break it,” says Brammall. “We had to get the dialogue right,” says Dyer. “Otherwise it could have tipped over into wacky or schmaltzy.”

The concept of the show, however, took a lot less work to get right. “I’m fascinated by people seeing someone they fancy on the street and running into the back of another car,” says Dyer. “It’s human nature. I was babysitting once and pushed the pram into a pole when a hot guy took his shirt off. So I’ve always been obsessed by the way of the flesh and how it can distract you.”

“The way of the flesh?” cries Brammall delightedly. “There’s your headline!” “Way of the Flesh: The Harriet Dyer Story,” Dyer says. “I wrote the idea in the Notes app on my phone and forgot about it. A month later, acting work was quiet and Pat said: ‘Why don’t you try writing that thing?’ I’d not written anything before but I went off and wrote the first episode.”

“In a week,” sighs Brammall. “She didn’t know you’re not supposed to write a brilliant pilot in five days. She’s ruined it for all of us.”

“I didn’t realise writer’s angst was part of it,” says Dyer faux-apologetically. “Now I know.”

The furry fella survives, thankfully, but is left with wheels for back legs. Landed with a vast vet bill and a now-disabled pooch, which they wryly name Colin from Accounts (“We need a strong human name, not a doggy name”), these strangers are thrown together as his co-carers. While Brammall and Dyer – who share writing credits on the eight episodes – ripped aspects of the plot from their own relationship, an injured canine meet-cute isn’t one of them (they met in 2015 on Aussie cop comedy No Activity and now have a toddler daughter). However, they did have their very own version of the show’s doggy star.

“We only had him a couple of weeks before we realised we’d made a huge mistake,” says Brammall. “He had too many issues. But we called him Colin from Accounts for the same reasons our characters do in the show.”

This doesn’t necessarily make it a great name for a TV show, though. “I was never happy with that being the title, but Paddy loved it,” says Dyer. “It’s polarising.”

“Look, managing expectations is key,” says Brammall. “If people watch Colin from Accounts and it turns out to be great, they’ll be even happier because of the shit name.”

Dyer laughs: “The working title was Dog with Wheels.”

A major inspiration was Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney’s award-winning creation. “Our closest reference point was Catastrophe,” says Brammall. “Just people talking, but with really good writing and flawed, funny characters. The tone of that show was bang on.” Dyer says: “A guiding principle for us was the idea of embracing chaos. Everybody’s life is a bit out of control. I know ours is.”

Amid the show’s back-and-forth zingers runs a rich seam of earthy humour. Ashley spends a lot of her time at work sewing up postnatal women. “All those stories were from my friend Steph, who’s a doctor,” says Dyer. “During her six-year medical training, she became chief vag stitcher.” Ashley sleep-pees in the drawer of Gordon’s beside table (which really happened to another friend of Dyer’s). Gordon mistakenly texts Ashley an unflattering dick pic. She does a number two at his apartment but realises too late that the water is turned off and she can’t flush it. Instead, she scoops it up and throws it out of the window. Grim enough, except Gordon later picks it up, assuming it’s Colin’s. “Oh my god, that’s massive,” he mutters. “You must have been bottling it in, little mate.”

“I regretted that scene on the day, too,” says Dyer. “But I was so inspired by Lena Dunham’s Girls and the way she made her character so real. She showed a different side to women on television. We saw cellulite, stretch marks, stuff we’re used to being buffed and tastefully lit. That censorship has become normalised. I wanted to flash a nipple and take a shit on-screen, complete with groaning.”

“That actually happened to Harry while she was writing the pilot episode,” says Brammall. “It did,” confesses Dyer. “The toilet flush in the office building had stopped working, so I had to fish out the turd, put it in my empty lunch container, run outside and put it in a bin. It was mortifying, but I felt like inspiration was trying to offer itself.”

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Did being a real-life couple make the sex scenes easier or harder? “Easier,” says Brammall. “Although we need an audience now.”

“They offered us an intimacy coordinator,” says Dyer. “We were like, bless, but let’s put the money towards beers on Fridays.”

Why give your romantic male lead the full name of Gordon Crapp? “Thanks for asking,” says Dyer. “Shout out to Love Island.”

“Harry drags me into watching a reality show every six months,” says Brammall. “The first Australian series was won by a bloke called Grant Crapp. Good looking guy.”

“He was a good-looking rooster,” says Dyer. “But there was one episode when he said about the girl he was coupled up with: ‘Do you think she’d like to be Mrs Crapp?’ There was absolutely no irony. I looked it up on Facebook and there are plenty of Crapps out there.”

It went down well in its native Australia, but the pair say it has been even more warmly received in the UK. “We grew up on a steady diet of British TV, so when we found out it was going to be on the BBC, we were chuffed,” says Brammall. “So many BBC comedies have influenced us. As a kid, I watched The Goodies, Fawlty Towers, even bloody Bananaman.”

“Australians are like the UK’s charming, weird cousins,” says Dyer. “We have a shared sensibility.”

“We both enjoy awkwardness with a bit of heart,” says Brammall.

A second series is in the pipeline but hasn’t been formally green-lit. “We were plotting like mad until the writers’ strike was announced,” says Dyer. “We have so many ideas ready to go.” As Brammall says: “We just need to do what we did first time around and write stuff that makes us laugh.”

“Although we’ll probably be divorced by then,” deadpans Dyer. “We’ll have to film it separately, then CGI us together.”

“Over my cold, dead body,” says Brammall.

Final question. Has Colin from Accounts brought the couple closer together? “Definitely!” they say in unison, as if to prove the point. “It’s everything,” says Dyer. “Of course, spending so much time together can get crunchy occasionally.”

“It’s lucky that Harriet’s the funniest person I’ve ever met,” says Brammall fondly. “As long as we’re laughing together, life’s not that bad.”

“And you’re the funniest man I’ve ever met,” adds Dyer sweetly.

“Wait,” says Brammall. “You’re talking to the journalist, aren’t you? Unbelievable.”

Colin from Accounts airs on Tuesdays at 10pm on BBC Two and is available in full as an iPlayer box set.

Demi Moore looked to be in good spirits on Monday.

The Ghost actress – who spent time with a former Brat Pack costar this weekend – was seen stepping out with her favorite dog named Pilaf in New York City. 

The 3lb brown and white canine was wrapped in a black sling around her body as she placed a hand on the pooch’s chest. 

The 60-year-old Hollywood actress wore a black jumpsuit and white trainers as she carried a book bag on her shoulder as well as a black structured purse.

The ex-wife of Bruce Willis wore nerd aviator glasses as she smiled from ear to ear.   

Happy in Manhattan: Demi Moore looked to be in good spirits on Monday. The Ghost actress was seen stepping out with her favorite dog named Pilaf in New York City

This comes after she visited an old friend this weekend.

The brunette actress was seen with her St Elmo’s Fire costar Andrew McCarthy.

McCarthy – who is also 60 – posted an image of them side by side on Sunday as they caught up. 

And next to it, he added a photo of them from the classic Eighties movie.

‘So great to see (for the first time in years and years) my St. Elmo’s Fire co-star, the wondrous Demi Moore, and catch up for my Brat Pack documentary,’ he wrote in his caption.

Woof: The 3lb brown and white canine was wrapped in a black sling around her body as she placed a hand on the pooch’s chest

Back in black: The 60-year-old Hollywood actress wore a black jumpsuit and white trainers as she carried a book bag on her shoulder as well as a black structured purse.

A walk on the wild side: The ex-wife of Bruce Willis wore nerd aviator glasses as she smiled from ear to ear

Moore was in a green cardigan over a black shirt as she held onto a chocolate brown Dachshund.

McCarthy, who has retained his good looks, had on a black leather jacket over a blue button-up shirt.

They were arm in arm in an outdoor setting as they both beamed with happiness over their reunion.  

St Elmo’s Fire came out in 1985 and became an instant cult classic.

It starred Demi’s boyfriend at the time, Emilio Estevez, as well as Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson and Rob Lowe.

Flashback: Moore visited an old friend this weekend. The actress was seen with her St Elmo’s Fire costar Andrew McCarthy. McCarthy – who is also 60 – posted an image of them side by side on Sunday as they caught up. And next to it, he added a photo of them from the classic Eighties movie

Growing up: St Elmo’s Fire is a coming-of-age film co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher

Also in the cast was model turned actress Andie MacDowell and acclaimed stage actress Mare Winningham.

Moore played the privileged young woman who became distracted by drugs and heartbreak. 

St Elmo’s Fire is a coming-of-age film co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher.

In 2021, McCarthy announced his plans to develop a documentary about the Brat Pack movies based on his memoir Brat: An ’80s Story. 

Directed by McCarthy, the documentary version will follow the actor as he seeks out other Brat Pack members to discuss their experiences working on their classic films. 

McCarthy was widely known in the ’80s for starring in such films as Pretty In Pink, Less Than Zero.

Rich and crazy: Moore played the privileged young woman who became distracted by drugs and heartbreak

He has written the book titled Brat: An ’80s Story.

The publishers call the book ‘a revealing look at coming of age in a maelstrom, reckoning with conflicted ambition, innocence, addiction and masculinity.’

‘For years people have asked me, on a near daily basis: “What was it like ‘back in the day?'” Routinely, I’d offer up any number of stock responses,’ McCarthy said in a statement.

‘Finally I thought: “Let’s take a hard look under that rock.” What I found surprised me, at times scared me, and finally made sense of a lot of seemingly disparate parts of my life,’ he explained.

The term Brat Pack was popularized by an unflattering New York magazine story that ran in 1985 and portrayed the young actors as shallow and self-absorbed. 

McCarthy has long disputed he was part of any such group, telling People magazine in 1999 that he hadn’t seen any of his famous co-stars since making St. Elmo’s Fire.

Over the past 30 years, McCarthy has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows and starred in the acclaimed play Side Man.

He has also written an introspective travel memoir that Wild author Cheryl Strayed praised as a ‘good book about a good man.’

McCarthy has also gone into directing, helming episodes of Orange Is The New Black and Gossip Girl among other programs. 

He has also spoken openly about past struggles, saying he began drinking at age 12 and got sober in 1992.

Grand Central announced that he will write about everything from ‘scoring loose joints in Washington Square Park’ to ‘Hollywood with John Hughes and an iconic cast of characters.

‘Brat is a surprising and intimate story of an outsider caught up in a most unwitting success.’