"To tell you the truth, I don't care."

Kyle Sandilands

For those who missed it, my "initial" thoughts on the axing are now below this post (and don't forget to vote on your feelings, in our new poll on the right). After this second axing article, I'm about to get back to watching the end of this show. No really, I am. In fact, I want to - it's important, in one way - because while we all get caught up in the bigger issues regarding its end - issues that surpass the five blissfully unaware housemates who will be, ironically, the last ones to know - we are, in part, accomodating the final fatal manipulation of this most manipulative phenomenon. On the one hand, who cares? It's over. But that was the point, after all, and it has amazed me to see everyone so blindly ignore the reality of why this news was dumped exactly when it was. 48 hours ago, Albert had made his final (we hope - but there's always the finale) appearance in our media, spilling the beans on how he and his wife had sat, backstage, at what would be their daughter's last minutes in the house, and watched the hosts assure the public they could change the votes in their final pennies.... sorry, I mean, minutes... even though a producer had already accidentally let it slip; "...When Brigette comes out." "Don't you mean, if she comes out?" asked Albert. "Yes," the producer laughed. But the producer was lying, of course. Two days later, out would come the news that all betting had been suspended, after it was discovered that the Big Brother producers were making maximum bets on the results. Fans were angry. The media picked up their bows and arrows, and prepared to aim. It was going to be a potentially brutal ending to this most brutal show. But then... well... the network changed the ending. Here we are, 24 hours later, and we are, once again, whipped into a frenzy that is nothing more than the final, well-timed scandal. This one was designed to make us all forget the real trouble that was finally brewing. It appears to have worked. 

Not that I'm suggesting this is all some ellaborate hoax. It's not. Sorry to all those who now fill my inbox with desparate hopes that this is all just anther contrived trick, and that Big Brother will turn aroud, any minute now, and smirk, "Gotcha". That aint gonna happen, BB kiddies. This really is it. It's just the timing. It shocked even its own employees - what a bizarre moment, after its highest rating daily shows all year (although, the success of a celebrity cross-promotion, in comparison to the actual format for the show says all we need to know about the death of Big Brother), to suddenly announce its doom. You could argue that they have assured a packed audience for the final lead up to the very last winner of Big Brother. But you could also argue that it rather insults Travis, Terri, Alice, Rory and Ben, who now look almost humiliated, as they blindly run around, so worked up over what now, in comparison, feels so trivial. And for what? Will it get those ratings? It will achieve a short ratings spike (expect a bigger finale ratings success than there would have been, otherwise), but to be honest, most Australians have taken the news as final comfirmation that their bums on the couch are no longer required for what ultimately became a lame duck.  They could have made the annoucement, the previous day to the finale, which actually would have given them an even higher finale, pulling the press (and audience) while the iron was hot. The frenzy is fever pitch, now - but this is modernity, kiddies, and our attention span is frighteningly short. And that's okay - this isn't about ratings, as such. By Monday, it would have all died down for the larger public and press; but the show will wave goodbye, getting to sidestep its most damaging scandal of all - when the wrath finally came down upon its own exposure. Many journalists - many fans (even some of its staff) - now ask, "What killed Big Brother?" Sure, it's been a slow death that carries many grand issues. But as to the final death blow, it ended where the production was always going to end - when it was finally about to be exposed for being what it is: corrupt, exploitative and fake. "Here, everybody! You all be distracted by this, and we'll just saunter off before the mob we created finally turn on us, for good."

And we're buying it. This morning, after a season where the only press the show made was that spun by the people it had itself employed for publicity, alongside a couple of journalists who thought there was a sweet deal in being bed buddies (what a mistake that turned out to be! But at least their biggest BB press panderer ended up putting the knife in them... in true BB style!), my Google news search turned up over 200 articles on Big Brother Australia. Suddenly, the show nobody cared about anymore has pulled everybody out of the woodworks to... well... tell us how nobody really cared about it! Because we did, after all. People still cared. They didn't care enough to keep watching, no. But Big Brother symbolised something that deeply affected people, even if it was only symbolicaly. Plenty of people - a rapidly growing number - refused to watch it; but, even so, most people cared. If it's one thing I quickly learned, doing this, it's how many people have an opinion to be extracted on Big Brother (even if its mostly negative). Those opinions are out flying, today.  

Everyone, from past contestants to political figures, have been drawn out to give their two cents worth on the axing of Big Brother. Helen Coonan reminisced about the barrage of public disgust that forced her to take action - the "legacy" she will remember Big Brother for leaving is the new legislation on internet content; "It was this streaming of offensive content over the internet and potentially on mobile phones, that led to the substantial reform of the Online Content Scheme. It is clear that Big Brother has now offered all it had to give."

Herald Sun's Darren Devlyn went for the kill most journalists are now finally revelling in, looking forward (as do I, mind you) to the opportunities in future production it creates; "Ten will argue Big Brother was a big money-spinner with a dedicated fan base. None of that makes it TV to be proud of. Imagine if just a fraction of the money pumped into reality TV - across all networks - had instead been invested in drama, even if some had fallen flat."

Doctor Patricia edger, of The Children's Television Association, had a rather grim view of a post-BB future; "Our experience of television has been so degraded, by this and other derivative shows, that perhaps neither the industry nor the audience is capable of recovery."

And what would a little BB press-whoring be, without her Royal Highness of Media-Savvy Academia, Catherine Lumby, coming to the party?! Lumby's career was ultimately somewhat compromised by her blatant aspirations to propel herself through the popular culture other academics are content simply to observe, culminating in her embarrassing involvement in Turkeyslap (the show had used her commissioned approval - which was nothing more than exploiting her for PR, in the same way food companies by meaningless "Health" symbols for marketing purposes). Before we knew it, she was down to clawing at morning talk show appearances, a few rungs lower than her brief moment in the BB sun. What words of wisdom would Lumby offer? Would she refer to this infamous period - one she was a part of? No, no, she stuck to her academic guns, and offered, instead, this revelation; "But one of the reasons Big Brother is no longer so popular is that young people are online on Facebook and web environments doing all this stuff themselves. Younger media audiences are now very much producers and sharers of that, as well as consumers. They don't watch much TV - it's background noise to them." Oh, Catherine, you're so... hip.

Ex housemates were divided. Many compensated for the feelings they must now share - put so brutally, by the Herald, as "about to become yesterday's heroes" (ouch) - by reminding us that they came from a show that was very different to its more recent evolution. In all fairness, that's an understandable enough call to make for anyone from the first three seasons. Chrissie (probably my favourite housemate of all time), now completely free from any contractual obligation, was quick to note; "It became about gimmicks and celebrity cross-promotions". Even Blair, who, let's face it, is actually very lucky the show gave him an acting career (because he certainly can't act), whilst politely adding that he wouldn't "bite the hand that feeds him", cast an accusatory eye on "them": the housemates and crew of the second half of Big Brother's tumultuous life. Those housemates - even the latest batch - began choosing more transparent public reactions to save face, with Cherry already shrugging; "I didn't really watch it, or I watched it every now and then... I wouldn't say I was a diehard fan of it really." Okay, Cherry. Sure.

But what's really sad - although, in some ways, kinda cool (because I think it's great that the most humble and honest reactions have come from some of the actual housemates) - is that the most painful face saving has come from the crew. The network and production company spokespeople are maintaining their PR front - what a great show it was, how the decision was made to end on a "high note", etc, lies, etc - but this does not extend to the cast of personas who now are left to save what's left of careers very much tainted by this show. Watching these people who all clung to the beast while they exploited it exploiting others, now washing their hands clean of it (in so public a fashion, of course) is partly amusing and partly... well... embarrassing.

By today, Goldman joined that list, announcing that he was about to quit (if you say so) and that even if a new production was developed... I loved this... he "probably wouldn't want to work on it, anyway." Which is a lovely thing to say, considering he knows very well that using the same hosts would be absolutely unthinkable for any new network (not to mention, contractually impossible - although there'll be a few null contracts after this, I should imagine). In contrast, these people are now faced with such a desperation - unemployment does that to people - he still bothered to throw in his well placed "probably". You know... just in case. 

Admittedly, while it's kind of painful to watch, Brunero sort of won some scrap of respect from me - in a bizarre sort of a way - for so blindly clinging to his delusions, whilst everyone else's claws start to come out. His media quote that he believes the axing of Big Brother will "hurt young people" is probably the icing on the cake for the barrage of absolute rot we've heard come out of Brunero's BB-paid mouth, all season. But I kind of expected him to take the approach of now repenting to the Left he has actually disenfranchised from his (small) fanbase, now that he realises - and part of him does, of course - that his courting of the "bogans" has now left him with a troubled career (because those bogas aren't gonna care, no more, and the lefties are a little... bemused... by the blatant sell-out). That could come, yet - perhaps, when the corner closes in - but, for now, he's proudly telling anyone wat a sad day for this society he thinks this is. In the end, it had to become a black comedy, of sorts. Today, I was amused, almost to the point of becoming endeared. Almost.

However, Sandilands takes the cake. If there was to be an ultimate victim of the demise of this show, I can't think of a better media personality for that to happen to, than Kyle fucking Sandilands. Seriously, good riddens. If we are to thank Big Brother for anything, let it be for ruining this man's career. I was recently watching Mediawatch (make sure you've followed this story - you can read, or watch the videos, by clicking here) and though I never felt I could feel any more ill will towards his career, I actually managed to. Karma's a bitch. And what did Kyle come out (on his radio show - almost all he has left to bank on) and say?

"To tell you the truth I don't care... I'm happy. That's six months of my life I get back. I told them I could never do it again. It was a rant. I was swearing. Somewhere in there you could decipher that I wasn't coming back."

Ho-hum. But really, what a spectacle, to see this man - one who, beneath the horrible "charisma" that, for a while, made him bankable, is notorious for making bad business decisions - say something so offensive to a demographic who does does still, when all is said and done, include nearly all of his fans (what fans he has left)! Did he honestly think people would buy that? Because, they won't. It's hurt him, even more - the mouth that, having a tendency to open without first thinking about the consequences, made him his fortune, is now taking it away from himself. 

Which is what the show did, at the end of the day. It lost its own game. That's what it gets, I'm afraid, for doing so. But, nonetheless, we have six more days of the game to play. For now, the axing stories and scandals will die down, and we will be left with five young hopefuls that have no idea they are about to walk out as the ending of the phenomenon they turned to in their desperation for affirmation. I do feel quite sorry for them. Well, most of them. I do think the show, last night, ironically provided some interesting material and (much to my surprise) they were clearly no longer pushing Rory (perhaps, getting him past Pamela was the goal - how expendable they ultimately are). Now that they know this is over, we could still see some surprise twists, in terms of production. Or not. 

I'm supposed to get so caught up in this grand chatter about "The End", that sentimentality gets the best of me, and I become all.... gushy. Many fans already are. But I've no intention of doing that. So, let's push through the smokescreen. Talk soon.