That's Entertainment

Someone emailed me recently wanting to know what TV is like in Australia. Television offerings here in Oz are a mixed bag. Although there are plenty of American series from which to choose, there is an eclectic array of shows never seen at home.

For one thing, their approach is much more global. You can get half hour news segments from Japan, Hong Kong, Greece and Italy, just to mention a few countries. Nightly, there is at least one foreign subtitled film to view. Travel and cooking shows are also popular. Antiques Roadshow features the English version, which I find fascinating as the antiques are much older and more varied.

One German series, Komandant Rex, is a crime drama starring a German Shepard named Rex - kind of like Lassie on steroids. My favorite series discovery is actually a Canadian show, a Seinfeldesque situation comedy about nothing in rural Saskatewan called Corner Gas. We've been enjoying English productions of Poirot, Cracker, Daziel and Pascoe, and the like.

Unfortunately, I am put off by the production quality of most of the crime dramas here. Even if the story is good, I get distracted by the video-tape, jumpy camera footage.

However, most of my favorite shows are Aussie-produced, including Good News Week, an intriguing mix of game show craziness, political commentary and comedy. Because Australians are less inhibited than Americans, their jokes are bawdier and it is no-holds barred. If you want to check it out, you can visit http://ten.com.au/good-news-week.htm.

Rock Wiz is also fun to watch. Celebreties team up against one another for rock trivia with a bit of comedy and entertainment thrown in.

Rove is the David Letterman of the Aussie airwaves and I haven't yet learned to appreciate him. When they show clips on the teaser commercials, I never think they are funny at all. One example is Rove asking a guest named Glenn why he spells it with two ens. The guest replies, "Why to you spell Rove with a V?" and they all laugh hysterically. I think you have to be a true Aussie to appreciate it.

Sport is extremely important here and there is usually something to watch, usually Australian Rules footy, rugby or cricket plus tennis and car or horse racing. I do like their commentators who say things like "Crikey!" or "That ref is a total boofhead!".

Of course, they have their versions of the American ratings juggernauts, Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, Top Supermodel, etc. I watch them once in awhile when waiting for George to get home from work and have to say there is a lot of talent here for a small country. However, it does seem like you see the same five hosts starring on all the programs on a rotating basis so maybe there is a limited talent pool.

Even though we only get five free channels here, George hasn't yet resorted to watching Maori rap like he did when we lived in New Zealand! Besides, we didn't come here to watch TV!

LaW without the Review

The women's group tried a BYOB restaurant instead of going to a winery. For those of you not familiar with the concept, restaurants often allow people to bring their own wine and/or beer. Most charge a corkage fee per person or per bottle, which varies a lot. The Vietnamese restaurant by us charges nothing while the highest corkage charge I've heard is $17 per bottle. Many of the establishments offering BYOB don't have a liquor license but many who sell drinks also give the BYOB option.

As you can see, the view was gorgeous and a good time was had by all. Good thing because the service at Spinnakers sucked - sure glad the food didn't! It is fun because we continue to get interesting new members in our group so there's always someone intriguing with whom to converse. I especially enjoyed meeting Fran and Mary, two new instant friends I met on the ride to Hilarys in Veronica's car. Within minutes, we were all laughing like a bunch of crazy high school girls.

However, even though I'm not a wine drinker, I missed the wine tasting; it seemed like lunch but not LaW. The tasting gives more time to mingle before you eat and it's fun watching people discover new favorites. Oh well, I didn't volunteer to coordinate this event and my policy is you can't bitch if you didn't volunteer to do it. So, I'll go and have fun and won't think of it as LaW.

No Whining about Wine Tour

I guess I should say whinging here but it makes for less impact in the headline, so forgive me! George finally made it to the Swan Valley for a little co-ed LaW Review. Sherri and Paul took us out for a nice Sunday excursion. First, we toured Guilford, stopping at a few antique stores and a nice craft fair. Then we lunched at Stewart's at Brookleigh. Everyone loved their meals except Sherri, who was a bit disappointed in her main, a vegetarian dish with figs. George loved the pate as much as I thought he would as well as his duck main. I loved my first outing there so much, I ordered the salmon again. Paul enjoyed the fish special, snapper with a fruit salsa. We were able to visit briefly with Olga and had a nice, leisurely meal.

Afterward, we cruised the valley and hit a few wineries. This was a small boutique winery, Henley Park, where George bought some port he thinks almost as good as in Portugal. Paul bought some fresh skin wines at a bargain price to add to their cellars.

Houghtons was a totally different experience, very corporate. They tried one red wine that George really liked until he found out it was $175 per bottle. After pouring half-full glasses for them to enjoy, the bartender admitted they only were able to sample it because she opened the bottle by mistake. There's a wine he'll never enjoy again!

Gone Fishing

Well, George finally broke out that fishing pole and got lessons from Scott, master fisherman. Scott taught him how to cast and they went to the river to try their luck. They didn't come back with much except a couple empty beer cans but I think it was a truly male bonding experience.

Sue and I stayed to finish preparations on another outstanding meal. It was almost like going home again because she made everything from my favorite Colorado Cache cookbooks!

First, we enjoyed yummy crab empanadas with a pineapple salsa that I could have eaten with a spoon. Then Sue made this beef tenderloin stuffed with all kinds of goodies, including spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cheese and garlic. Another addition to the recipe request list! The meat was accompanied by baby stuffed potatoes and green beans and followed up with one of our favorite desserts, a lemon pie.



As always, their company was delightful and the night zoomed. We are so glad they kept their home in Colorado and that we will get to see them after our Oz adventure.

Life Under the Big Top

Veronica arranged another great outing with Diana and Dan to the Cirque de Soleil Dralion performance. I really enjoyed the contortionists and acrobatics of the show I saw 20 years ago but the staging and theatrical aspects of this performance were light years ahead. The costumes were magnificent and the pace non-stop. Here's the scoop on this show according to the Cirque web site:

Dralion is the fusion of ancient Chinese circus tradition and the avant-garde approach of Cirque du Soleil. The show's name is drawn from its two main symbols: the dragon, representing the East, and the lion, representing the West. Dralion derives much of its inspiration from Eastern philosophy with its perpetual quest for harmony between humankind and nature.

Suspended in time between the past and the future, Dralion is a celebration of life and the four elements that maintain the natural order: air, water, fire and earth. Innovation soars to new heights as it defies the laws of nature. Dralion is a dynamic performance that transcends the boundaries of the imagination and leads us into a dreamscape with a new and sparkling perspective.

My favorite segment was a ballet-like trapeze act done with ropes of silken fabric. It was very romantic and actually brought tears to my eyes. Another amazing act was done with eight performers jumping from heights on a wall above in concert. The clowns were also first-rate. If you get a chance to attend a performance, do so!