Paul McDermott Articles/Reviews

[SammySatine]

Hey I'd love to too but that probably ain't gonna happen unless I can get one of my lovely friends who has Pay TV to tape it for me.

Amities,

SS

[susanjacobs]

I have found someone who has PayTV. My lovely friends said that would be happy to let me come over and watch it. I also plan to tape it.

Anyone who doesn't have PayTV but would like to see it, PM me.

[susanjacobs]

Inside Film Magazine website:
Paul McDermott signs on for Project Greenlight’s $1million filmmaking contest

Movie Extra yesterday announced that the multi-talented Paul McDermott will host its revamped filmmaking competition television series, Project Greenlight.

Paul, best known for programs such as Good News Week and Strictly Dancing, will supervise the battle between 8 emerging filmmakers, who will fight it out in the exciting new interactive series to see who has the talent to win $1million film funding prize.

In each episode, the Project Greenlight finalists will be asked to prove their 'movie-making' abilities by producing short films - under tight deadlines and the pressure of being judged against their peers. At the same time they will continue to polish and refine their feature film scripts. Viewers at home, as well as celebrity guest judges and industry experts, will then all have a say in who is selected as the ultimate winner.

'Project Greenlight is a wonderful initiative by Movie Extra. It gives first time filmmakers a unique opportunity to side step the usual drawn out process of getting a feature film funded and in production,' said Paul.

Paul has experienced first hand the challenges involved in filmmaking. The actor-comic recently made his directorial debut with the short film, The Scree, at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival and then opened the Brisbane International Film Festival.

Chris Berry, Project Greenlight’s Executive Producer said 'We're really excited to have Paul onboard. His experience in hosting live television will obviously bring enormous energy to the series. In addition to that, Paul's own filmmaking experience will bring tremendous credibility to his hosting role. Paul knows from the inside just how tough the film industry is so he will be able to relay on his own experiences to the contestants as well as to the viewers at home.'

Movie Extra and Screentime producers are currently in the process of reading scripts submitted by over 700 hopeful filmmakers. The Top 100 feature film script entries were announced on the Movie Extra website www.movieextra.com.au on Monday 17th July. Expert script assessors are now evaluating who should make it to the Top 50.

Last year’s winning feature film, Solo, is currently screening nationally and has garnered much critical and audience acclaim. Solo is eligible for this year’s AFI Awards.

Project Greenlight, which is part of the Ben Affleck and Matt Damon 'unearthing movie-making talent' franchise, begins on Movie Extra on 14th September at 8:30pm EST.

[susanjacobs]

Another Paul article (with pic) about the Great Debate... a

Winning is everything

By Marcus Casey | August 03, 2006 12:00am | Article from:


IT SEEMS like multitalented entertainer Paul McDermott - actor, singer, writer, TV host and director - has been around forever.

Well, from the mid to late 1980s at least, when he was one of the Doug Anthony All Stars, the genre-straddling song, dance and comedy trio.

He's done a whole heap since, including Good News Week, Strictly Dancing and comedy festivals, but says he doesn't get out much any more.

"I very rarely get up on stage these days. I'm getting a bit old. I have calcium deficient bones which are snapping with age, so it's not good to get me out of the house - I like it here in the cave," he jokes from his Bondi home.

He has been concentrating on making short films of late, but in April did venture back on to the stage during the Melbourne Comedy Festival.

McDermott took part in its annual Great Debate, which was recorded and airs on Sunday night.

The topic was That Coming First Is All That Matters and McDermott argued the affirmative, along with Irish comedian Jason Byrne and comedy festival veteran and diva Jean Kitson. Opposing them were UK comic Stephen K. Amos, Rove McManus and Melbourne radio host Michelle Laurie.
"I first did one of these debates back in about 1994 after the All Stars came back from London but I hadn't done one for a number of years, so I thought it would be fun, and it was," McDermott says.

"It's always good fun and Stephen K. Amos is a brilliant performer to watch.

"Jason Byrne is absolutely extraordinary and Jean Kitson is always glorious. And of course Rove and Michelle - it goes without saying a fun night was had by all."

The perennial problem with televised debates is that what television viewers see is not what the live audience got. It went on for more than two hours, but only about 70 minutes will air, minus the ads.

"It's a terrible thing," McDermott says. "A lot of our arguments were cut to ribbons so please don't think less of us - it's the cruelty of editing.

"I went for 20 minutes and was only meant to talk for three. I hadn't edited myself in preparing and normally I do, so I rambled on like a madman for a while. I was also the first speaker, and you don't get a lot to bounce off, apart from the physical abnormalities of the opposing team.

"I do love a rebuttal because you can free form that a lot more.

"Here's an idea - we should have debates overnight like they do with Big Brother (Up Late). Just turn the cameras on at midnight and let us go to dawn. Some cerebral pursuits at night, rather than genital displays."

While McDermott has been concentrating on making his second short film for film festival distribution, he's also been watching a lot of TV and is impressed by the quality of the current crop of American programs.

"I'm enjoying taking the backseat and watching TV," he says.

"There's a lot of good post-Simpsons irony and satire like Family Guy, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, Arrested Development and of course we still have the always winner in The Simpsons."

Picture with the article:

[Munchkin]

McDermott film to show at festival
By Erin McWhirter
January 30, 2007

A SHORT film adaptation of Paul McDermott's book The Girl Who Swallowed Bees will screen at the Berlin International Film Festival next month.

Starring Pia Miranda and narrated by Hugo Weaving, the film is about a young girl consumed by bitterness who decides to take drastic measures to put an end to her continual suffering.

After running through a number of darkly humorous options for her demise she settles on the terribly romantic "death by swallowing bees".

McDermott, of Good News Week and Strictly Dancing fame, doubles as writer and director of the live action hybrid animation short film, which will screen in the festival's new short film section.

Australia has a strong presence at the 57th annual film festival, held from February 8 to 18, with three local features and three short films screening across four sections of the festival.

The Girl Who Swallowed Bees will be joined by The Home Song Stories, which will screen in the Panorama section in the coveted first weekend time slot.

The film starring Chinese actor Joan Chen is a true story of Rose, a glamorous Shanghai nightclub singer who struggles to survive in 1970s Australia with two young children.

Little Fish producer Liz Watts has been selected to take part in the EFM co-production market with Amnesia, the new feature project in development from writer/director Tony Krawitz.

Also screening are feature films Razzle Dazzle, starring Kerry Armstrong, and West, written and directed by Daniel Krige, who wrote the 2004 ABC series Fireflies.

Short film Playground will be shown in the generation Kplus short film section.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment...-10388,00.html

[unfrufru]

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment...-10388,00.html

McDermott's new Big Gig


March 26, 2007 02:23pm
Article from: AAP
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COMEDIAN Paul McDermott is to return to television in a new variety show that will recall the late 1980s stand-up comedy hit The Big Gig.
The Sideshow will premiere on Saturday, April 21 at 7.30pm, and its announcement follows the axing last year of The Glass House.

The new hour-long show will reunite McDermott with Ted Robinson, producer of Good News Week and the dumped Glass House.

McDermott was host of Good News Week, after making his name as a member of the musical comedy trio The Doug Anthony All Stars, who were a feature act on The Big Gig.

His last regular TV gig was as the subdued host of the ABC's Strictly Dancing, but McDermott should feel right at home with The Sideshow's promised mix of Australian and international comedy, music, cabaret, burlesque and freak show performers.

Regular acts confirmed for the program, produced by GNWTV, include The Umbilical Brothers, Tripod and comedian Claire Hooper.

The Sideshow has edgy Australian variety TV credentials to burn, with GNWTV executive producer Robinson's resume also including Kitson Fahey, Elle McFeast's Live and Sweaty, Roy and HG's This Sporting Life and DAAS Kapital.

"There's a whole new generation of brilliant performers out there, and it's time for them to have a home on television," Robinson said.

ABC TV head of arts, entertainment and comedy Courtney Gibson said the show will rail against the formats loosely defined as variety, such as Dancing With The Stars, which have become hits on commercial networks.

"Australia needs a prime time performance program that's not hostage to a tiresome, tricksy reality/game format, with no judges and no voting-off, just top shelf acts that will captivate and confound," Gibson said.

[junglegirl_1976]

The Sun-Herald (Sydney) had a great article and 2 photos of Paul and Melissa out and about with their daughter (you also see her, just, she has little hair, but you don't see her face much). I wish I could scan it for you to show, but my scanner isn't working at the moment.

[SammySatine]

Awww! Well, when ur scanner is working properly you should scan it. It'd be soo cute.

Amities,

SS

[unfrufru]

hmm, not sure if that would be crossing the line into private life. we don't post pics of any other comedians family and children.

[SammySatine]

Someone posted a pic of Tim Minchin with his new baby girl on here. Not that long after it was born.

I'm not saying I approve of any invasion in Paul's privacy or anyone elses but these were in a newspaper which as far as I'm aware isn't a tabliod.

Besides, it's a few months after the birth. Maybe he approved this. I don't know.

If this is the issue then consult the rules and those on this board whose job it is to maintain the rules.

If there's no rules broken, put up the photos.

I'm not saying anything more.

I'm just happy for them.

Amities,

SS

[Munchkin]

Published articles and discussion of are fine. Verring off into gossip and nasty comments are not.

[Renee_Turner]

Originally Posted by SammySatine

....in a newspaper which as far as I'm aware isn't a tabloid.

The Financial Review is a tabloid. Quality of the journalism is not dictated by paper size (though most awful papers are tabloids).

Public domain should be fine. If you got the photos by lurking under his loungeroom window, well...

[unfrufru]

The amateur film festival Tropfest is just around the corner but first there is Flickerfest, the only Australian short film festival accredited in the United States with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - that's the Oscars to the laymen out there. Now in its 17th year, the festival opens tomorrow night at Bondi Pavilion until January 11, with 85 films chosen from a record 1300 entries. Opening night features the first group of international short films but the first film up for viewing is by the Australian comedian, broadcaster, writer and filmmaker Paul McDermott. McDermott's nine-minute animation The Girl Who Swallowed Bees, featuring actress Pia Miranda, won the jury award at the Seattle Film Festival, screened at the Berlin Film Festival and, most recently, won an Australian Film Institute award for best animation. Saturday night's selection of films from the international category of the festival also includes an Australian effort, the nine-minute Spider by stuntman-turned-director, Nash Edgerton (winner of the Tropfest competition in 1997.) The director of Flickerfest, Bronwyn Kidd, said films such as McDermott's and Edgerton's demonstrated the profile of Australian short films on the international stage. "It shows the high standard of shorts we are producing … [The Girl who Swallowed Bees] was impossible to ignore because it is such a visually stylish and creative film." Other nights during the festival will see screenings of Australian and international short films and documentaries - most of them Australian premieres - with subjects ranging from One Of The Lucky Ones, a documentary by Australian filmmaker Wendy Chandler about the night she was raped by an intruder in her home, to an Icelandic animation, Anna & The Moods, starring the voice of Bjork. Kidd has also compiled three short-film showcases including a selection of international short films entitled Bad Girls and The Bold, The Brave And The Best: 30 Years Of Australian Animation, curated by Oscar-nominated short film director Anthony Lucas from the animations that have inspired his career. The collection pays tribute to the achievements of Australian animators such as Sarah Watt, Adam Elliot and Bruce Petty alongside screenings of iconic television commercials including Louie The Fly, Mr Sheen and Aeroplane Jelly. Kidd describes the festival as "a bit like Cannes … both festivals are on the beach. Although Cannes has more red carpet and glitz, they are both showcases of high-quality films." For details visit www.flickerfest.com.au

[junglegirl_1976]

Did anyone else see this photo and article with Paul, Melissa and their son Xavier in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday. It's so cute. Xavier looks like a combination of Mum and Dad. Paul looks so happy - almost at peace. It's beautiful!!

Note: I went looking for a link to the pic and article on the Daily Telegraph site, but no luck, so I scanned it and have it below!!

[creamysodarevenge]

Originally Posted by junglegirl_1976

Note: I went looking for a link to the pic and article on the Daily Telegraph site, but no luck, so I scanned it and have it below!!

That is such an adorable picture, Paul does look very happy. Thank you so much for scanning it!