Summer Heights High is an HBO series which follows the journeys of multiple characters over one term in an average Australian public school.
Over one term, a documentary crew films the everyday activities at an average Australian public high school. Three individuals stand out – Mr G, an ego driven drama teacher on a mission to change the face of drama education; Ja’mie King, a bitchy private schoolgirl on a student exchange, set to make her mark; and Jonah Takalua, a mischievous schoolboy from Tonga with the odds stacked against him. The only characteristic they have in common is they are all played by writer and performer Chris Lilley. The characters take us through the seemingly huge traumas of friendship, staff politics, schoolwork and relationships that are the fabric of life in the school universe.
Hilarious, absurd and frequently shocking Summer Heights High reveals a world where small issues become huge, social groups are important, careers are built, young minds are moulded, hopes are shattered and dreams are realised.
HBO imported Summer Heights High from Australia. Summer Heights High is a mockumentary of a public high school life in Australia. Chris Lilley plays the three leads Mr G, Ja’mie and Jonah. Mr G is the drama teacher who is more drama than teacher. Ja’mie just transferred in from private school and thinks she is better than them all. Jonah is a tall 8th grader who is not that smart and is always in trouble. Together they make this mockumentary really funny. Especially when Mr G does a school musical about a junior who OD’d on Ecstasy.
So tune into Summer Heights High tonight on HBO at 10:30p.
OK, I have never seen an episode of The Sopranos in my life and after watching the final five minutes of the show…even I have to say that is way f()cked up. Seriously after only watching 5 minutes of the show, I was like oh sh!t, WTF? How do you end such a loved show like that? I mean at least with Angel you sort of the knew outcome at the series finale and we are getting another season of Jericho to find out what happens, but you The Sopranos fans are screwed.
Oh well, the best way to put is to a use a phrase made famous by the HBO show…FUGETABOUTIT.
The head of HBO, Chris Albrecht, has taken a leave of absence and has entered AA after being arrested over the weekend in Las Vegas. Albrecht was arrested for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend outside the MGM Grand. He was there to watch to the fight that his network aired.
TV week has the memo that Albrecht sent out to his staff about his leave:
My colleagues and friends:
I am deeply sorry for what occured in Las Vegas this weekend and for any embarrasment it caused my family, the company I love, and myself.
While I am not at liberty to discuss the incident as the district attorney and my lawyer are still determining the facts, it is my hope to do so in the near future.
This weekend was a wake up call to me of a weakness I thought I had overcome long ago. I had been a sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous for thirteen years. Two years ago, I decided that I could handle drinking again. Clearly, I was wrong. Given that truth, I have committed myself to sobriety. I intend to take a temporary leave of absence from HBO effective today, in order to go back to working with AA.
Leading this company is a great privilege and I pray that I can continue to do so in a manner that brings honor and pride to this remarkable organization and its remarkable people. Thank you for your understanding during these difficult hours, I will not let you down again.
Where are The Sopranos when you need them? It will be interesting to see if he will be allowed to return to his position as CEO and Chairman of HBO. With the end of The Sopranos and none of the new shows minus Entourage doing well, this could be HBO's easy way out.
The producers of The Sopranos were denied a permit to film in this North Jersey town because the mayor and some City Council members say the acclaimed HBO series negatively depicts Italian-Americans. The owners of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor selected for the series' final scene, however, said such "personal feelings" shouldn't stand in the way. "He should do what's good for the town," Chris Carley, co-owner of Holsten's Brookdale Confectionary, said of Bloomfield Mayor Raymond McCarthy. Permits were approved last week. But after complaints, the council voted again on Monday and rejected them. Officials have agreed to reconsider the issue for a third time next week. The mayor, whose wife is Italian, said: "I don't think The Sopranos depicts the life of a typical Italian-American in a positive way and I still don't like the way people see New Jersey based upon The Sopranos series." He added that he plans to oppose filming again on Monday. "What the rest of the council does, that's their choice. I stand by my convictions." As a member of Unico, an Italian-American civic group, "I am pledged to honoring my commitment to its mission to speak out in defense of Italian-American dignity," McCarthy said. One council member, Peggy O'Boyle Dunigan, has changed her mind and now wants to allow the show to film here. She said she was given incorrect information that Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo disliked the show, and she has been since flooded with calls of support for Holsten's. "If you don't like the show, you can turn it off," she said. "It's hard enough to have a small business in town. I don't want to discourage them." On Wednesday, DiVincenzo visited the store to show his support and said he asked the Bloomfield mayor to reconsider. "Nobody is more proud to be an Italian-American than I am," said DiVincenzo. "I'm not offended by the show at all."
