PLAY IT AGAIN DIDGE

It’s been a while since I caught up with Neighbours. No, not the real life ones. The ones that grace our televisions for half an hour every weeknight at 6:30pm on channel 10. Those neighbours who become good friends.

Which is a bullshit premise really. I mean how many of these murdering, scheming, sometime bogan emos who live in each others back pockets are actually good friends?

See Ramsay street is action packed. I’ve lived in a few different streets in my time and sure, I’ve heard gunshots, seen nudists and had our roof used for personal driving range practice, but never, ever have I been invited to a wedding where Angry Anderson sang “suddenly” whilst Kylie Minogue walked down the aisle to a waiting Jason Donovan donning a heavy duty mullet.

So, not seeing it, I’ve missed such plots that included the Brown family who named their boys after the Beatles. I shit you not. I could not make that stuff up, nor would I try to. The premise being that, all of the Brown boys were named George, John, Ringo and Paul. Christ. I don’t know why, nor do I care why the writers of this show would dream up this shit, but they are also the ones who produced the actor who went on to do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trfYjucLGj0&feature=PlayList&p=FF2A066B74D0908F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=28

So, as you can see, Neighours is music fest. It’s really all about the music. A place, if you will, to launch yourself into bigger and better things and frankly, just never look the fuck back.

Let me name you a few:

Natalie Bassingthwaite - The Bass. Her character, Izzy in the show was kind of mental but even I tuned in to see her back then. Now days, she is the Eddie McGuire of Channel 10. Wherever you look, there she is. Although having said that, she has talent and is lovely to look at, so really the only thing she has in common with the Edman is overexposure.

Kylie Minogue – No explanation needed. Well other than she really came to Australia’s attention when she rocked out to “Sisters are doing it for themselves” on Young Talent Time. She totally took the spotlight from the then, more well known, sister Dannii. (Note the double i) I notice she never returned the favour to her sis and got her a guest spot on neighbours. Oh no, Dannii went on to be an early day emo on Home and Away. Kylie Minogue went to the UK, where they are much kinder to our soap stars and went on to be massive. Not in stature but in celebrity status.
Delta Goodrem – Well Delta was born to try. Try she does. Look, she seems lovely. She’s been dealt a cruel hand in the sickness department with cancer some years back. My biggest gripe with Delta is her fling with Mark Philippoussis and the song she wrote and sang for him. You know the one “Out of the Blue” Watch it here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9Z7gXCBpic

Remember it? Her on the beach, playing the piano kind of sideways? He then left her for Paris the whorebag Hilton and she pretended it was never intended for him. She is now with Brian McFadden and keeping busy.

Natalie Imbruglia – Easy to forget she started as a little tomboy (tried and true storyline) on neighbours. Best known for marrying Daniel Johns, lead singer of Silverchair and then divorcing lead singer of Silverchair, Daniel Johns. Another Ex-pat. Again the UK treated her better than we ever could.

Let’s not forget - Craig McLaughlin - Where to start. Mona. One word. If you don’t know the song, see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2ZW_uTlhEQ


This song sucked, yet it gets me oddly nostalgic for being a careless teen. I actually think CM is tops. He doesn’t take himself too seriously and although he was a shitty stand up comic, he will continue to be actor that pops up in each and every Australian made production in the future.

Musicians have also reversed the trend to appear on neighbours after already being successful musicians include Andre Rieu (could care less) and Lilly Allen.

Of note lately though is not the appearance of the musician, but the song accompanying the passing away of Bridget Parker, Didge to her mates. You know, the tomboy teen who was on with Declan, had his baby and died after a seemingly harmless car accident. See when she died, there were many trailers leading up to this. I clearly paid zero attention to this. My nine year old, however, did. Because when I played the Kate Miller Heidke song “Last day on earth” to my daughter in the car today, she said, yeah that’s the song they played when Bridget died. So it was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHSxzkEodMo

Well played Channel 10. Well done.