Shaun’s podium is bare!

Shaun has put out a call for viewers to help decorate the TAYG set for Season 4:

Hello, Shaun Micallef here.

People of TAYG, I need your help. My vast and expensive collection of pop cultural ephemera, items from which are proudly displayed each week atop the TAYG podium, has been stolen.

I suspect the thief is a shadowy agent of the Dark Lord Sauron and have consequently dispatched three hobbits, a dwarf, two elves and Josh on a quest to recover the missing stuff. It is vital they succeed, for I’m not insured.

The quest, as you might guess, is extremely dangerous and will take the small band of adventurers to many strange and faraway lands where public transport infrastructure is hopeless, so getting around will be tricky.

But back to you. I’m asking you to send in to TAYG the kind of cool stuff that you’d like to see displayed on my podium: toys, daggy records, figurines, books, comics – anything that you think evokes the spirit of your generation. Drop us a line at tayg@granadamedia.com.au, include a pic of your item, and if we like it, we’ll be in touch.

Thankyou for your time, my preciouses.

Shaun Micallef is Mad as Hell

No, not a statement of fact, but the title of Shaun’s new ABC show, announced for 2012.

The show is described as “a half-hour weekly round-up, branding, inoculation and crutching of all the important news stories”. It’s been a few years since Shaun’s been on the ABC. His show Newstopia, which will draw obvious comparisons, aired on SBS from 2007-8.

“So, what’s this show all about? A good question, if I do say so – and it’s exactly that sort of direct, no-nonsense questioning of even myself that’s going to make this show the must-see event television that’s been virtually killed off by Kyle and Jackie O’s A Night with the Stars.” says Shaun Micallef.

10 episodes will air, with dates still to be advised.

Talkin’ Bout Your Generation will still be returning to Channel 10 in 2012, with 10 episodes to be recorded and aired. Plenty of Micallef for next year!

Shaun returning to TAYG in 2012

It’s finally been confirmed – Channel Ten have renewed Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation for 2012 and Shaun is back as host, along with the team captains: Amanda, Charlie and Josh.

There was concern about the future after the show wasn’t included in the 2012 Programming Launch, and Shaun mentioning an interest in pursuing other projects.

But lucky for us, we have a least one more season of TAYG goodness!

The Collected Shaun DVD Set

After rumours last year, finally The Collected Shaun Micallef DVD Box Set is now out in stores (also here)!

The box set includes 10 DVDs and 1 CD:

Originally, the box set was to include Shaun Micallef’s New Years Rave, shown on Channel Ten at the end of 2009, but that seems to have been omitted. That means all of the DVDs (and CD) in the box have been previously released individually.

Another glaring omission is of course Welcher and Welcher, which was released last year.

Cameo in Bazura

A new ABC2 show is going to do a tongue-in-cheek investigation of the sinful side of cinema. The Bazura Project began life on community television as a movie appreciation and review show. Hosts Shannon Marinko and Lee Zachariah have made the move to the ABC for a 6-part series covering violence, sex, money, profanity, drugs and fame.

Shaun, along with Tony Martin and Kat Stewart, have all filmed cameos for the new series, which starts Thursday September 29th at 9pm.

Update: Shaun will be voicing the role of the robot MK-Ultra in all six episodes!

Recap: Your Gen, September 18th 2011

Alas, here we are at the last episode of the third season.
The guests were Lorraine Bayley (BB), Craig McLachlan (Gen X) and Jay Ryan (Gen Y). I was very jealous of Jay’s story of working with John Cleese.

First up was ‘Accessory Before the Fact’, where stars were linked with their ubiquitous accessory, like Florence Henderson and her hovercraft. This was followed by ‘What am I talking about Arnold?’ and ‘Anagrams of Calista Flockhart’ – which really needs no explanation. Did you guess James Cameron’s film CAT IN IT?

The magic window was full of things you would use to clean it: an Old Rag (a picture of Shaun as Dorothy), Vinegar, Squeegee and George Formby.

  • BB picked the Old Rag, playing What Just Happened? A clip of Shaun playing Neville Chamberlain at the signing of The Munich Agreement preceded a series of questions.
  • Gen X decided on George,  where the game was Who am I doing?
  • Gen Y chose Vinegar, which was Lost Luggage.

The Your Gen round was Chairs, and Shaun delighted in pulling a few curly ones.

A Zebra disguised as Scarlett Johansen delivered the end game envelope, which was Which Generation is Best at… Sculpting a Bust. Max Walker sat in as the guest model, and Josh admitted he didn’t get Cricket. But Gen Y won — the trophy was a Gold Ring, donated by Gollum of Gladden Fields, Middle-Earth.

Season finale for TAYG

This Sunday’s episode is the last for this season of Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation, after Channel Ten burnt through the remainder of the shows which were expected to run til November. (Glee has replaced TAYG on this Wednesday). The Sci Fi episode was to be the finale (hence the E.O.S. 2011 on the floor plate – End of Series), but the order has been changed.

An article in the Melbourne Weekly highlights just how popular the show is, and this has been reflected in the visits to this very website after each broadcast! Of course, long term Micallef fans would be well and truly familiar with his gems of work.

The rumor about Shaun leaving TAYG next year still circles, and while nothing lasts forever, my bet is we’ll seen Shaun tackle at least one more season next year, along with something else.

Recap: Your Gen, September 11th 2011

The Doctor ditched the TARDIS for the U.S.S. Enya on tonight’s Sci-Fi Final Fantasy episode!


Shaun was of course dressed as Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor. The teams were Amanda and comedian Peter Burner (BB), as Lt. Saavik and Mr Spock from Star Trek; Charlie and musician Darren Hayes (Gen X), as Han Solo and Luke Skywalker (Star Wars); Josh and presenter Maude Garrett (Gen Y), as Jake Scully and Neytiri from Avatar.

The first games played were Human Fly, Chicken or Egg? and As Quick As, in which the timer was a bin full of ping pong balls combined with liquid nitrogen to create an explosive full stop!

The four buttons were all alternative planets: Earth 2, Altair IV (from Forbidden Planet), Solairis and Thundera (from ThunderCats).

  • Gen X picked Earth 2, which was Name That Tune.
  • The BB decided on Altair IV, playing Guess The Guest – who was Kate Richie.
  • Gen Y emphatically chose Solaris, riding on HG Wells’ Time Machine.

The Your Gen topic was Metal! The end game envelope was delivered by Herbie the Lovebug, testing the theory of Which Generation is Best at Repairing a Space Station. The teams were all hung from wires as they attempted to repair their space junk. Gen X were fastest, winning Miss Karen’s Baby Concert award from 1993, donated by Alicia Kissas.

Recap: Your Gen, September 7th 2011

Welcome back… if that is your name…

A few Micallef alumni appeared as guests tonight, as Francis Greenslade joined the BB, Robyn Butler filled in for Matt Moran on Gen X and Katie ‘Monty’ Dimond on Gen Y.

The first games were Who Goes There? and Cinematic Smart Alec. For the game of As Quick As, cooking popcorn was the timer, and Shaun asked a barrage of ridiculous questions before being attacked by the cooked popcorn.

The four button options were all people who can’t ride a bike (apparently!?): Salma Hayek, Bernie Ahern, John Farnham, Chris Tavare.

  • Gen X chose Salma, playing Guess The Guest – it was David Stratton, and the team successfully guessed him.
  • Gen Y decided on Ahern and the game was It Could Be Worth, which was won for the first time ever.
  • The BB picked Tavare, which was 7 Degrees of Separation – every time Babra Streisand was mentioned, the Duck Sauce song was played.

The Your Gen topic was Insects, with Shaun turning to his copy of ‘Cooking with Pooh’ to fill in time during the Gen X section.

Shaun donned his military uniform before Quentin Bryce’s husband Michael delivered the endgame envelope – the game was “Which Generation is Best at A Military Inspection.” Due the fact that Francis had been Shaun’s friend for 30 years, the Baby Boomers won the 2011 Under 13s Boundary Award donated by Davis Cooper of Brighton East Victoria.

On Sunday: the Outta This World special, also known as the Sci Fi episode – can’t wait!

Recap: Your Gen, September 4th 2011

Well, it’s finally here – after the sneak preview a few weeks ago – it’s the Freaky Friday role swap episode. (Did you hear me laugh in the background ;P)

Shaun’s role was played by Amanda. For the Baby Boomers, Charlie played Amanda and was joined by actor Cornelia Francis; Gen X was Josh as Charlie and comedian Jimeoin; and Gen Y was blogger Natalie Tran and Shaun as Josh!

After Shaun mangled Josh’s accent, the first games played were Name That Tee and What’s a Doodle Do?

The four buttons were all people who had passed themselves off as someone else: Milli Vanilli, Helen Demidenko, Tony Mokbel and Frank Abagnale Jnr.

  • BB chose Vanilli – which was Draw That Book.
  • Gen X decided on Demidenko, playing ¡Chronoloco! – vehicles had to be put in timeline order. Originally ‘Charlie’ caused a lot more damage with the car, but this was cut.
  • Gen Y preferred Abagnale, which meant that Shaun was subjected to Trust Me: The Human Parfait. The entire cast (save Natalie) enjoyed as Shaun as Josh got covered in all three buckets. The watch Shaun asked to be removed was actually the one he got as a gift after the first season of TAYG!

The Your Gen topic was ‘The World of Pauls’. The end game was which team was best at laundering a bedsheet. Even though the BB had the steamiest sheet, Gen X had the cleanest, so won the The Redlands Strawberry Festival Fundraiser trophy, donated by Tenille Jackson of Beachmere QLD.

Don’t forget the next episode is Wednesday!