grodscorp@grods.com
There’s not much on the telly that I’m so addicted to I make sure I watch it each week. If I’m home and not busy I’ll do my best to tune into stuff like South Park, Media Watch, Iron Chef and RockWiz. I thought that I’d be rearranging my schedule to catch Extras right about now (I’m the only person in Australia who hasn’t downloaded the series yet), but I’ve found it a bit underwhelming — funny, but no Office. So imagine my surprise in the last few weeks when I realised I was making sure I was in the lounge room with no assignment work to do just as Star Portraits with Rolf Harris came on ABC every Tuesday night.
Let’s look at the show’s synopsis:
In each programme a well-known personality has their portrait painted by three professional artists, each of whom will be doing their best to capture the essence of the celebrity sitter using their own particular style. Rolf Harris is our guide through the painting process, explaining the various techniques and sharing the highs and lows with the artist. Finally all three finished portraits are revealed - but which one will the celebrity choose to keep? Which one would YOU choose?
Had I seen that in the TV guide I would’ve skimmed straight past it and made a mental note to avoid ABC around that time. But after catching the first episode over dinner when McBec wasn’t home one night I’ve come to look forward to my guilty Rolf time each week.
By ten minutes into each episode I’ve started to take sides by deciding which paintings I like and which I’m ambivalent about. I try to match the artists’ personalities with their painting style and predict how the works will progress. I — and this is really painful to admit — even enjoy the formularised banter between Rolf and sitter, sitter and artists, and artists and Rolf. By the end of the programme I’m totally emotionally invested and am barracking for my favourite painting. If the celebrity picks the wrong one I get in a bad mood and pace around the room a bit.
Commence shit-giving in comments.
GrodsThink Ep.29 (26/8/08)
Wednesday 6 September 2006, 10:25 am #billybob
It’s a very good show, but I very rarely get to see it unfortunately
Wednesday 6 September 2006, 12:58 pm #Expresso Expression
Gunna get all rolfed up, are you?
Actually it is very enjoyable and quite a nice idea. I suspect that concessions have been made with the choice of artists - to date none have appeared whose work could be described as difficult.
Wednesday 6 September 2006, 3:03 pm #J,The
It is really funny you mention this program. I caught it for the first time last night too on my big drought-breaking tv night (yes it has been an entire week without tv at J, The HQ). It was really interesting, watching how different the artists’ approaches were. The comic influenced guy who was chosen last night was sort of nervous and excited throughout, so I felt happy when he got picked, but part of me was definitely on the side of the incredibly detailed watercolourist ‘cos it would have been so out of character to pick his, and then part of me liked the surreal off centre painting…if I ever find myself sitting in front of the box on a Tuesday night again (hmm, there is a chance…) I hope I accidentally happen on this program once more. So this makes me just as much of a nerd as you, Ed. If that is any consolation…
Wednesday 6 September 2006, 4:02 pm #Iain Hall
It is a good program and even when the celebs are unknown here in the antipodes . Like you I have not been able to catch every episode but I am delighted when I do see it.
Thursday 7 September 2006, 12:41 am #Alan
I used to watch that when it was on the telly here in the UK. But that was some time ago… and “Extras” was a while back as well… Have you had “Dallas” yet? Awfully good show about the rich and the powerful in the U.S. city of the same name… By the way, I heard lately that Gail robinson has returned to “Neighbours” Could it be true?