Sunday, January 01, 2006

Goodness gracious

One of the topics of discussion last night at dinner was the 'newstainment' that increasingly defines commercial TV news reports.

Tonight we watched one of those creepy Japanese horror films, Ju-On (the Grudge). Needing an early night after last night's somewhat tame, but late, festivities, I checked the time remaining: 21 minutes to go. We decided we could finish it and have time to watch a little 'something frivolous' before trying to sleep.

Enter Channel 10 late news. The top story was the NSW Central Coast fires, as well as fires in Victoria, which are shaping up to be not at all frivolous. Nevertheless, Ten's newstainment provided what I needed to take my mind off that creepy little boy.

A 75-year-old grandmother gets out of a car to see the remains of her house, which, the newsreader authoritatively proclaims, has been "destroyed by a fireball direct from hell".

Oh, is that where they come from?

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