Australia in Pop Culture

[Yossarian]

Yeah, it's a scary day when Bob Katter seems reasonable! Who would have thought?

[litzikohanovich]

I am interested to see how Bert and Patty try to spin Matthew's problems. I am still pissed that he did not get jail time for the assault on Satchwell. IIRC, he slammed her head into the floor and choked her. Didn't he also threaten to kill her previous to that last assault?

[Deleted]

Aug 29, 2010 5:38:01 GMT -4 180deg said:

(on a scale of sane to Steve Fielding).

That's quite a scale.

Re: Matthew Newton, I think a lot of people didn't believe that he beat Brooke Satchwell. There weren't pictures in the media of her bruised face, and I'm sure most people believed that they just had a push / shove argument.

I am pre-emptively disappointed in Burt and Patti's attempt to justify his behaviour - and we all know they will.

[Yossarian]

They're claiming mental illness from what I can gather from reports today. If that is the case (*cough*bullshit*cough*), you'd have to wonder why they'd push him into such a high pressure, high stakes industry? If someone can't cope with stress and hasn't been able to since childhood then surely they should have laid off the stage parents routine?

[GinFizz]

Aug 25, 2010 2:21:14 GMT -4 @evilminion said:

I'm convinced that the Australian TV and film industry is just a boys club, and once you're in, you're in for good, regardless of talent, appearance, or behaviour.

Which would explain the careers of Eddie McGuire and Kyle Sandilands...

Matthew Newton is so going to get away with this, and he will be welcomed back into the industry with open arms. The mental illness thing didn't stick with Mel Gibson, but the Newtons are getting in much earlier and doing a better job. I read an interview with Luke Jacobs, who is replacing Newton on The X-Factor, basically expressing him good luck and the hope that he can overcome his problems. Of course, there was not a word about the girlfriends he bashed up, just poor widdle Matthew and his sad life.

"Mental illness" is the new rehab for celebrity assholes.

[Yossarian]

Did anyone watch Bert and Patty? They were more forthright than I had expected and were much less with the Dina Lohan excuses than I had imagined they would be. I still think it's weird that you would do a tv interview while your son is on suicide watch but their performance definitely surpassed my (low) expectations.

[litzikohanovich]

Yoss, I am going to look for it online as I am still in Poland. I am really interested in hearing what they have to say because he keeps getting away with criminal behaviour. Has their daughter ever had any public problems like Matthew?

Yoss, I thought of you today when I read Slash and his wife broke up!

[Yossarian]

Aug 30, 2010 18:36:07 GMT -4 @litzikohanovich said:

Yoss, I thought of you today when I read Slash and his wife broke up!

OMG! Really?

*runs off to google*

[litzikohanovich]

I saw Bert and Patty and while I felt bad for them, I do not think they addressed the domestic violence properly. They are obviously struggling (Bert seems to be more realistic about Matthew than Patty does), but when Patty said that Matthew has lost the woman of his dreams and Tracy (rightfully imo) reminded Patty that he bashed Rachael, Patty responded, 'I don't know.' That pissed me off because there are numerous witnesses that he punched her in the face of the hotel lobby!

[GinFizz]

I feel sorry for them having such a dickhead son, but I also thought the whole thing seemed rather calculated to garner sympathy for Matthew and his "illness". Patty, in particular, seemed to be struggling not to blame the women involved.