Micallef Tonight
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Micallef Tonight was a short-lived Australian variety show that aired on the Nine Network in 2003. It was hosted by comedian Shaun Micallef and also featured the talents of Francis Greenslade, Jason Geary, Livinia Nixon and Pete Smith.
Show Content
Much like a typical variety show, each episode of Micallef Tonight featured a number of interviews with celebrities bookended by regular segments (such as "Shaun on his High Horse", Micallef ranting against pop culture while literally straddling a fake horse) and a musical performance. However at the times the show also delved into the realm of parody, such as introducing guest Jamie Durie with a long-winded opening only to dismiss him immediately afterwards.
Other in-show shenanigans included stealing musical guest Delta Goodrem's shoes as she played the piano, deliberately leaving actress Melissa George, live via satellite from Hollywood, on hold for over five minutes, and requesting singers insert random words in to their musical performances to prove they weren't lip-syncing. Notable examples were David Campbell inserting the word "lamington" into his performance and Amiel inserting the word "dolphinarium" (though only Campbell ended up doing it). Micallef would end each episode with the line "See you in the Monkey House Australia!" and the show would usually close with a musical performance from Greenslade that was never quite what the audience expected; such as a rendition of Billy Joel's Piano Man...played on the Guitar
Ironically Micallef previously parodied the variety show format with 1998's The Micallef Program.
Episodes
Episode 1:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Dame Edna Everage |
| Kath and Kim |
| Jamie Durie |
| Dannii Minogue |
| Sigrid Thornton |
| .90 Chicken Parmigiana |
Episode 2:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Gary Sweet |
| Bridie Carter |
| Gerard Depardieu |
| Shakaya |
| Robyn Butler |
Episode 3:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Alison Whyte |
| Shane Warne |
| David Campbell |
Episode 4:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Jimeoin |
| Melissa George |
| Erik Thomson |
| The Whitlams |
| Jose Feliciano |
| .90 Chicken Parmigiana |
Episode 5:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Judith Lucy |
| Matt Welsh |
| Warren & Gavin (The Block) |
| Percy Sledge |
| Kerri-Anne Kennerly |
Episode 6:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Delta Goodrem |
| Ben Elton |
| George Greegan |
| Matt Welsh |
Episode 7:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Caroline Craig |
| John McEnroe |
| Amiel |
| Shane Crawford |
| Rhonda Birchmore |
Episode 8:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Dave Hughes |
| Anthony LaPaglia |
| Birtles, Shorrock, Goble |
Episode 9:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Craig David |
| Marcus Graham |
| Nicole Livingstone |
| David Bridie |
Episode 10:
| Guest Starring |
|---|
| Mick Molloy |
| Bob Franklin |
| Judith Lucy |
| Amity Dry |
| Blair McDonough |
Episode 11:
Episode 12:
Episode 13:
Cancellation
The series premiered on May 12 2003 and thirteen episodes were aired. The first episode rated strongly and although ratings declined steadily thereafter, it was announced in June 2003 that the series would be extended for a further 20 weeks. Episode 12 (July 28) included a segment involving a midget hassling random restaurant patrons; after it screened, guest Tony Martin pointed out that the last show he had been involved in which featured a midget -- (The Mick Molloy Show) -- had been axed. Ironically, Micallef Tonight was cancelled the following week. Micallef ended his series with an interview with Ricky Martin in which both he and Martin used an expletive on live television, then called channel Nine live on air to complain about the language used on his show.
Criticism
Like the equally shortlived Molloy Show (also shown on Nine) Micallef's show was ostensibly cancelled because of dwindling ratings, in this case against fellow comedian Andrew Denton's interview series Enough Rope. In a memorable parody, whilst Danni Minogue was performing on Shaun's show, the camera cut to him only to see Shaun watching Andrew Denton's show (which aired simoultaneously on another channel) whilst Danni was performing. Critics also claimed that the show may have been too sophisticated for most audiences on the notoriously "mainstream" Nine Network, and was an acquired taste. Others have said that part of the axing was due to a segment which made fun of Alan Jones' morning message segment on the Australian Today show. The segment began with one video on screen then became two, then four, then eight and so on till it reached dozens and although nothing said was comprehensible, they all ended at the same time with 'I'm Alan Jones'. This segment apparently angered Kerry Packer who owned Channel 9 and was a close friend of Alan Jones and ordered the show to be axed. At the time of its airing, the show was critically acclaimed and became a cult favourite, even having followers internationally due to its irreverent humour and absurdity.
See also
External links
- [Information site for Shaun Micallef]
- [Episode guides of Micallef Tonight]
- [The Rest of the World is Missing Out!] - A synopsis of the "alternative Harry Potter" sketch from the show.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.
Episode 13:
Cancellation
The series premiered on May 12 2003 and thirteen episodes were aired. The first episode rated strongly and although ratings declined steadily thereafter, it was announced in June 2003 that the series would be extended for a further 20 weeks. Episode 12 (July 28) included a segment involving a midget hassling random restaurant patrons; after it screened, guest Tony Martin pointed out that the last show he had been involved in which featured a midget -- (The Mick Molloy Show) -- had been axed. Ironically, Micallef Tonight was cancelled the following week. Micallef ended his series with an interview with Ricky Martin in which both he and Martin used an expletive on live television, then called channel Nine live on air to complain about the language used on his show.
Criticism
Like the equally shortlived Molloy Show (also shown on Nine) Micallef's show was ostensibly cancelled because of dwindling ratings, in this case against fellow comedian Andrew Denton's interview series Enough Rope. In a memorable parody, whilst Danni Minogue was performing on Shaun's show, the camera cut to him only to see Shaun watching Andrew Denton's show (which aired simoultaneously on another channel) whilst Danni was performing. Critics also claimed that the show may have been too sophisticated for most audiences on the notoriously "mainstream" Nine Network, and was an acquired taste. Others have said that part of the axing was due to a segment which made fun of Alan Jones' morning message segment on the Australian Today show. The segment began with one video on screen then became two, then four, then eight and so on till it reached dozens and although nothing said was comprehensible, they all ended at the same time with 'I'm Alan Jones'. This segment apparently angered Kerry Packer who owned Channel 9 and was a close friend of Alan Jones and ordered the show to be axed. At the time of its airing, the show was critically acclaimed and became a cult favourite, even having followers internationally due to its irreverent humour and absurdity.
See also
External links
- [Information site for Shaun Micallef]
- [Episode guides of Micallef Tonight]
- [The Rest of the World is Missing Out!] - A synopsis of the "alternative Harry Potter" sketch from the show.
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.