Underbelly

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Dunno how much advertising this is getting nationwide but in Melbourne it's pretty full on and i have to say I'm actually feeling quite psyched about it.

For those of you who don't know, Underbelly's a 13 part channel 9 dramatisation of the Melbourne gangland wars over the last 10 years or so. The word on the street is that the early episodes are pretty fucking awesome. Like the Sopranos except based on real life.

Now, I don't know how much coverage the Melbourne gang wars got nationwide but they were in full swing when I first moved here and the major players were all household names around these parts even before they met their grisly demise at the hands of various hitmen. You had everything from the old school Mafia to the trackie wearing nutcases like Carl Williams via gangsters turned pillars-of-the-community such as Mick Gatto, slightly hot private schoolgirl lawyers gone bad like Zarah Garde-Wilson and bent cops left, right and centre...

I'm not one who's normally prone to rubber-necking but the ongoing gangland saga made for riveting reading at the time (still does tbh.) and should make for an amazing series (provided 9 don't fuck it up)

Still, I'm just curious to know if the rest of Australia are aware of all this or does every major city here have it's own real-life mob soap operas playing out in the local papers?

 

[Matt H]

Slightly hot...?

Ahem, back on topic..
There was a fair bit of coverage about the gangland stuff nationally, I was a bit young to really know what was going on though. I think if I've got regular tv by the time it starts I might give a few episodes a go.

and should make for an amazing series (provided 9 don't fuck it up)

Don't hold your breath...

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Slightly hot...?

Ahem. airbrush...

In reality she's not actually that attractive. scrubs up well though...

 

[Rik]

(provided 9 don't fuck it up)

Uh Oh.

It had a fair bit of coverage in Limited News papers up here, 3/4 front page articles and the like.

 

[Joy]

I'm really excited about this. It's going to be sweet show.
I heard that the show had to be checked over by the courts to make sure that none of it would jeopardise (sp?) the cases still being carried out. Was that just generated hype to boost excitement for the show?

 

[Rik]

Maybe, but then again I remember Blue Murder wasn't screen in NSW for similar reasons.

 

[Mo]

lovely im going to miss this, who is going to send me the shows on dvd?

 

[RCOH]

I am pretty psyched. I just finished reading 'Big Shots' by 'The Age' journo Andrew Shand, which is about the history of the gangland war & how became friends/confidante to a few key members. At one stage Carl Williams was making $100,000 a day!

Should be a good show.

 

[stoff]

I'm really excited about this. It's going to be sweet show.
I heard that the show had to be checked over by the courts to make sure that none of it would jeopardise (sp?) the cases still being carried out. Was that just generated hype to boost excitement for the show?

One of the people still on trial in a related matter has asked for a 3 month adjournment of his case. The lawyer believes that based on a recent book, and the release of the series, he would not be able to get a fair trial.

If there is any injunction it will only affect Victoria.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/natio...s-for-tv-series/2008/02/11/1202578694299.html

 

[John U]

I am wondering how close it is going to be to the truth and how much artistic license they will take.

I am hoping they don't get to carried away and keep it close to the facts. Looks like pretty high production quality and the cast line looks good too.

 

[TonyG]

One of the people still on trial in a related matter has asked for a 3 month adjournment of his case. The lawyer believes that based on a recent book, and the release of the series, he would not be able to get a fair trial.

If there is any injunction it will only affect Victoria.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/natio...s-for-tv-series/2008/02/11/1202578694299.html

I just read they have just passed a ruling pulling this of Vic TV until after the case. Bad luck POSM, I've really been looking forward to this too.

 

[frostbite]

I reckon it'll be 'available' on the internet the day after it airs in the rest of australia anyway.

But I was actually looking forward to this even though I watch basically no tv these days.

 

[stoff]

The suppression order apparently includes a ban on Channel 9 broadcasting over the internet into Victoria. Lets hope they can get it lifted.

I know that you can ban international IP addresses from viewing something over the net, but is it possible to do it state by state?

 

[Customjimmy]

Can't miss the promos in NSW. Apart from the regular ad spots, if you're watching a replay animation (hawkeye) on the cricket, the title is advertised on the animated grandstands!

How can they fail when they succeeded so well with dramatisations of farming life (McCleods daughters) and the Australian Navy (Sea Patrol). I think they'll need 1000 Neville Bartos' to make it watchable. No thankyou.

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

I really hope this ends up on the net. Having said that though I was kinda hoping for it to end up on the net anyway because there's no way I'd be able to be around to catch all 13 episodes and I f***ing hate giving Nine ratings. Perhaps one of the new Melbourne gangs can knock up a pirate dvd box set from one of their St Albans factories in the next week or two...

 

[frostbite]

I really hope this ends up on the net. Having said that though I was kinda hoping for it to end up on the net anyway because there's no way I'd be able to be around to catch all 13 episodes and I f***ing hate giving Nine ratings. Perhaps one of the new Melbourne gangs can knock up a pirate dvd box set from one of their St Albans factories in the next week or two...

It would be somehow fitting if they managed to get a copy of the DVDs which were given to the lawyers to view...

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Thank you me hearties...

courtesy of The Age

Pirates promise Underbelly downloads

Nick Miller
February 12, 2008 - 10:14PM


Within an hour of Underbelly's broadcast in Sydney, anyone in Melbourne who wants to watch it will be able to download it from the internet, video pirates have warned.

The Age contacted one of the founders of an internet forum whose members record Australian TV and share it via the Netherlands-based website Mininova.org.

The invitation-only forum is private, but the TV episodes its members distribute are available to anyone who can use Mininova and the freely available BitTorrent software.

"I've checked out what people on our forum are saying about this pointless act of censorship, and its pretty clear that all our Victorian members who have an interest will be downloading an unedited version broadcast in another state,'' the man, who spoke on the condition of not being identified, said.

"Within an hour of this show airing in Sydney, a HD (high definition) version of the uncensored episode will be freely available for people to download via BitTorrent. This will allow everyone who wishes to view the episode as it was intended to be broadcast.''

BitTorrent is the main technology for the distribution of illegally copied video around the world. Vast numbers of movies and TV shows are uploaded and downloaded every day.

The forum founder said download volumes for Australian programs were "not a patch'' on those for big international series such as Lost or Heroes.
Fewer than 1000 people download the average Aussie soap or reality show that his forum members put online. Big sporting events get over 5000 downloads.

However those numbers are growing quickly, and he predicted the Underbelly ban could give it a big boost.

"A year ago we did not have a TV section - we shared sport only. Back then, it was almost impossible to find Aussie TV on the internet, much less be able to download it the same day as it aired on TV. Now the vast majority of prime-time shows are available, plus daytime cooking shows, morning chat shows, news broadcasts from multiple cities etc.''

But downloads are only the start of the story. As another forum member said, "Being the 'computer geek' in my circle of mates, they have all come to me requesting copies of it on DVD. I even explained to one mate who wanted it now, that I can't do it now as it hasn't even aired, so he asked for a DVD which I could add onto as episodes are released.''

Thanks to digital television, it is relatively easy to use a computer to record a show in pristine quality and quickly distribute it via the internet or by burning DVDs.

Even if this technology is beyond many Melburnians, and they don't have access to an internet-savvy teenager, it is likely many will ask interstate relatives to mail them a DVD copy.

DVD recorders, even more than their VCR predecessors, make it easy to copy and distribute TV shows.

On another internet forum for digital TV hobbyists, user `Philzgr8' predicts "big business'' as copies of Underbelly flood into Victoria.

"The fact that it's been banned of itself ensures that there'll be a roaring trade in torrents (downloadable video sources) for Victorians,'' he said.

 

[gravelclimber]

After watching 10 minutes switched to Spics and Specks. Absolute shit. Pizza is better acted. Fark, that was disappointing.

 

[Matt H]

"It had script problems from day 1"
"It looks like you didn't even read the script"
"That was the problem..."

Way to ruin a good premise, Ch 9!

 

[flying high dh killer]

After watching 10 minutes switched to Spics and Specks. Absolute shit. Pizza is better acted. Fark, that was disappointing.

That's a bit harsh. You can't expect the Godfather from the same old list of Aussie actors but it was pretty well done. It also got better after the first ten minutes. It was hell of a lot better than most of the aussie shit on TV e.g. McCloud's Daughters.