Oh my God I won - it’s Denyer’s night
AND the survey says ... Grant Denyer.
Beating a more favoured field to steal this year’s Gold Logie, Denyer defied the fact his nominated show has been axed by Ten to emerge tonight’s surprise winner as Australia’s favourite TV personality.
The Family Feud frontman will resurface on the network’s new prime-time shiny floor show, Game Of Games, but it was Feud’s axing which made for a few jibes during TV’s night of nights.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Denyer, who escaped a near fatal rally car crash last year, when his Porsche racer crashed into a tree, doing 180 km/ph, on a mountain course, outside of Melbourne.
Reborn on Ten when the network rebooted Family Feud, the show became a staple, with critics and Denyer himself arguing it had been flogged across too many timeslots.
His Logies campaigning was helped along by Hard Quiz comic Tom Gleeson, who saw the irony in Denyer winning after Feud was dumped - even though Gleeson’s own show was nominated in the same light entertainment category.
Denyer also called on his breakfast radio show audience in Sydney to vote, with his co-host and former Idol contestant Emma Rusciano recording him a 007-style campaign song.
Ii may not have been intentional but the #metoo movement took centre stage at Australian television’s night of nights.
From Dave Hughes opener where he referenced Don Burke to Bert Newton’s comments about the late Graham Kennedy and Don Lane mentoring, it was unavoidable.
“Speaking of young talent, Graham Kennedy was always the sort of man who nurtured young talent,” Newton told the celebritypacked audience, many of whom sat open mouthed in shock as he spoke. “He enjoyed giving young people a chance on television, he was a great mentor, he mentored a lot of young people. You knew if you went to his dressing room it was locked, he will be inside doing some mentoring. Don Lane was a mentor too. He did a hell of a lot of mentoring.”
Many online took offence, asking on social media if Newton was referring to his deceased colleagues as sexual predators.
Others said it was in ill taste given the Me Too movement and the Harvey Weinstein scandal that has engulfed Hollywood and the broader entertainment industry.
When asked by News Corp about the comments, Newton played the statements down.
“It was totally innocent so far as I am concerned,” he said. “In fairness these days, everything is jumped on. I am not that sort of person. I didn’t mean anything untoward.”
Earlier, comedian Dave Hughes shocked the audience by his reference to Don Burke, who has been accused of inappropriate behaviour by several women.