Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo | |
---|---|
Starring | Asher Keddie Rob Carlton Matt Day Jessica Tovey |
Country of origin | Australia |
No. of episodes | 2 |
Production | |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Production company | Southern Star Group |
Original release | |
Network | ABC1 |
Release | 17 April – 18 April 2011 |
Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo is a 2011 Australian two part television miniseries about the beginning of Cleo magazine and its creator, Ita Buttrose. The series stars Asher Keddie as Buttrose and Rob Carlton as Kerry Packer.
A miniseries sequel, titled Paper Giants: Magazine Wars was screened on ABC1 on 2 June, and 9 June 2013. It features Rachel Griffiths, Mandy McElhinney, Lucy Holmes, and Alexander England as a young James Packer. [1] [2]
The series follows Buttrose as she creates the fashion magazine Cleo, as well the fashion and politics of the period. [3]
Reviews for the show were generally positive. The Sydney Morning Herald said:
Biopics rarely succeed. Invariably, they are thinly veiled hagiographies designed to push an "official" and pared-back version of history, dulled by performances that are merely impersonations. Thankfully, Paper Giants suffers no such problems. [4]
Australian TV blog, TV Tonight rated the series with four stars out of five, and commented:
Whilst Keddie may not be a dead ringer for Buttrose she has the voice down pat: the tone is pitch perfect, complete with the slight Buttrose lisp (we would have expected nothing less). Keddie captures the inner strength of Buttrose, forging a path in a male-dominated world, navigating through pioneer publishing, inspiration and compromise. [5]
The program was the subject of defamation proceedings brought against the ABC by the former husband of Buttrose, Alasdair Macdonald, who objected to how he was portrayed in the series. The action was settled out of court in April 2012 when the ABC apologised for what it agreed was an "untrue" portrayal of Macdonald. [6]
Award | Category | Subject | Result |
---|---|---|---|
AACTA Award | Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series | Nominated | |
Best Direction in Television | Daina Reid | Nominated | |
Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Rob Carlton | Nominated | |
Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Asher Keddie | Nominated | |
Switched on Audience Choice Award – Best Performance in a Television Drama | Asher Keddie | Won | |
Switched on Audience Choice Award – Best Television Program | Nominated | ||
Logie Award | Most Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | |
Most Outstanding Actor in a Series | Rob Carlton | Won | |
Most Outstanding Actress in a Series | Asher Keddie | Nominated | |
Most Popular Actress | Asher Keddie | Won |
Christopher Lee also won a Queensland Premier's Literary Award in 2011 for his screenplay. [7]
Part one of the miniseries rated over 1.2 million viewers nationally, ranking as the fifth most watched program of the night, [8] and the eighth-most watched program of the week. [9] Part two was watched by 1.346 million viewers in the main five Australian TV markets, ranking as the second-most watched program of the week [9] and the most watched program of the night. [8]
The miniseries was produced by John Edwards ( Love My Way , Rush ) and Karen Radzyner by Southern Star Entertainment in association with Screen NSW, Screen Australia and ABC TV. The executive producer was Carole Sklan, ABC TV head of fiction; and the script was written by Christopher Lee.
Ita Clare Buttrose is an Australian TV network chairperson, television and radio personality, author and former magazine editor, publishing executive and newspaper journalist.
Jessica Tovey is an Australian actress. Tovey graduated from the Newtown High School of the Performing Arts and has made appearances for various drama companies. She is best known for her role of Belle Taylor on the long-running Australian soap opera Home and Away. Tovey joined the show in 2006 and was nominated for two Logie Awards during her time there. In 2009, she announced she had quit Home and Away and her character was killed off. Tovey became the face of American shoe company, Skechers. She appeared in Underbelly: The Golden Mile in 2010 and Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo in 2011.
Cleo is an Australian monthly women's magazine. The magazine was founded in 1972 in Australia; the Australia and New Zealand editions were discontinued in February 2016. Aimed at an older audience than the teenage-focused Australian magazine Dolly, Cleo was published by Bauer Media Group in Sydney and was known for its Cleo Bachelor of the Year award. In June 2020, Cleo was acquired by the Sydney investment firm Mercury Capital.
ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel and the ABC are in Ultimo, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, New South Wales.
Asher Keddie is an Australian actress. Beginning her career in the television series Five Mile Creek in the mid 1980s, Keddie received wide recognition for her role in the television series Offspring. Her significant repertoire in television has led to her being dubbed as the 'Golden Girl of Australian Television'. Keddie also had a small role in the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, as Dr. Carol Frost. Aside from television and film work, she has several theatre credits, including in the Melbourne Theatre Company production of Les Liaisons dangereuses as Madame de Tourvel.
Ian Meadows is an Australian actor, playwright and writer.
Rob Carlton is a Logie Award winning Australian actor and writer. He is best known for writing and starring in the comedy series Chandon Pictures. He also had starring roles in the comedy satire The Hollowmen and the children's television series Ocean Star.
The Logie Award for Most Popular Actress is an award presented annually at the Australian TV Week Logie Awards. The award recognises the popularity of an actress in an Australian program. Commonly known as the Silver Logie for Best Actress, it has undergone several official changes of name. It was first awarded at the 19th Annual TV Week Logie Awards, held in 1977 when the award was originally called Most Popular Australian Lead Actress. It was later renamed Most Popular Actress and briefly Best Actress (2016–2017). For the 2018 ceremony, the award category name was reverted to Most Popular Actress.
Robert John Edwards is an Australian television drama producer.
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Paper Giants: Magazine Wars is a 2013 Australian two-part television miniseries about "golden years" of the glossy women's magazines and the battle to have the number one selling publication in Australia. The mini series is a sequel to the 2011 mini series Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo.
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