Banter a little blunt for new Sharp pair
Barry and Wells need to work on repartee to match The Project
Following the return of Seven Sharp this week, surely tens of people across the country are now tearing their hair out trying to choose their 7pm current affairs allegiance.
Do you settle into the comfortable two-hander or the pacey panel format? Broadcasters or comedians? Pink background or blue background? Funny videos of people slipping over or Jeremy Wells making a cake in a novelty apron? Never fear, I watched Monday’s episode of Seven Sharp AND The Project to see what each is bringing to the 7pm slot.
It’s no secret that The Project is a much, much pacier show — cramming in segments, special guests, live interviews, sketches and viral videos. Conversely, Seven Sharp gives stories room to breathe — an advantage for tackling gnarly news stories, but tiresome when applied to the wrong subject. Monday night’s segment about an extreme rock climbing company was 67 years too long at just over four minutes. Over on The Project, a brief, live interview with Julie Anne Genter about tackling sexual harassment felt miles closer to earth, followed by an incredible workplace harassment tutorial featuring Michele A’Court.
So rock climbing might not be the most gripping 7pm story, but what of our new Seven Sharp hosts? Unsurprisingly, Barry was funny, warm and completely back in her element at the tailend of the day. There’s no safer pair of hands to guide you through that frightening, uncertain void between the 6pm
Spread the word
Nutella is a popular bread spread, but a photograph (which has been doing the rounds for a year or so) is putting people off all over again. According to the Mirror someone has decided to deconstruct the ingredients of the chocolate spread, refilling the pot with its ingredients. It claims to be all in proportion, which is why some people have been utterly shocked by the amount of sugar in it which, in the photograph, looks to be about a third. The official website lists the sugar content as 56.8g per 100g serving, or 56.8 per cent, saying “The labelling on all our products enables consumers to make informed choices and helps ensure that Nutella can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.” The image, posted to social network Reddit, was “upvoted” over 28,000 times.
Lesser known pirate facts 1.
Same-sex marriage is nothing new to pirates. Pirates spent long periods of time on ships surrounded by other men so it’s no surprise that some shared intimate relationships. In pirate society, two men could join into what they called a “matelotage” and share all their plunder, even receiving death benefits if one died before the other. Pirate mates would live together and even exchange gold rings.
2. The cannons on a pirate ship made a loud blast and were known to deafen . . . but the pirates would hang lumps of wax from their earrings to stuff into their ears when firing cannons.
3. The most terrifying pirate in the world built his reputation on hemp. Before capturing any ship he’d weave hemp into his long dark beard and under his captain hat. He then lit the hemp on fire, smoke billowed out from his face and made his opponents fear for their lives. (Source: ranker.com)