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Downloading a trio of fun

Mike Goldman and Bree Amer talk to TV Tonight about their return of their clip show, along with some candid comments on the demise of Big Brother.

This Friday night TEN returns its re-titled clip show Download to screen, hosted by the Friday Night Live crew Mike Goldman, Bree Amer and Ryan ‘Fitzy’ Fitzgerald. The three have managed to forge a trio built on chemistry and comedy for TEN’s live and panel shows.

Download is arguably TEN’s own equivalent of the highly successful Funniest Home Videos on Nine, an economically lean show with internet clips interjected by the comment from the three hosts.

As the season premiere nears, Goldman and Amer shed some light on the show’s structure to TV Tonight.

“We’ve got a team of 6 researchers and they hunt down the orientation of each video and get permission to use it,” said Amer. “They have to find the person whose originally filmed it.”

“Some shows we have 80 or 90 clips in the show,” Goldman agreed. “They’ll also track down the actual footage so it’s better quality. So it’s not pixellated and really quite clear. We’ll get stuff that’s actually original, get the rights to it.”

The mix of original and YouTube clips is about 50/50 and this year there are more segments, competitions and celebrity guests.

“We’ll get a video off the net and ask ‘Is it trick or is it fully sick?’ meaning is it trick photography or is it amazing?” says Goldman.

Having earned their stripes in the unnerving world of live television, the three have worked out their own strengths and weaknesses as individuals and a team. On Friday Night Live, they were thrown in the deep end, having to entertain amid unpredictable stunts and challenges, occasionally chucking out an off-the-cuff joke that attracted comment.

“That’s the great thing about having great on-screen chemistry,” says Amer. “If one of us does a really bad joke the other two will pay them out. It takes the tension away from the bad joke.”

Goldman spent eight years on the Big Brother juggernaut varying in roles of voice over man, warm-up guy and late-night host. This year when host Kyle Sandilands took ill, he was suddenly elevated into Sunday night eviction host. The audience gushed with enthusiasm for what was seen as a long-overdue reward for his loyalty.

“I was overwhelmed, I couldn’t believe it,” he says.

He attributes the response to his genuine love of the show, and insists he always watched the show.

“I think that’s one thing that you’ve got to do,” he says.

“I guess you could say I felt validated in a lot of ways but at the same time it felt like I was the guy who loved the show and worked on it for eight years and people knew that.”

On the show’s demise, Goldman says, “It went for eight years and had a great run, but I think there’s a few things they could have done a little bit differently. But at the same time I think it’s got a hell of a fanbase out there and I think it just needs a break.

“People will miss it next year I reckon.”

Goldman also believes the show should never have been on at 7pm.

“It’s proof that when you (Bree) were on it, and Fitzy, it you were fun and it was hilarious and a great show it rated its tits off. Like Two and a Half Men, family viewing, people having a laugh, nothing to worry about.

“But when we had these angry people that weren’t that good looking who fought and they were trying to shag each other and whatever… it should be at 9:30 at night like it is in 25 other countries around the world.”

He also criticised recent changes to the Sunday eviction shows.

“Let them boo at the eviction show. If they don’t like somebody. I was crowd warm-up guy for seven of the eight years and I was told ‘no-one is to boo and if they are tell them to get out.’ It’s about what the public think.

“It’s the people’s show. If some people want to cheer and some want to boo, go for it. As a host I would even things up, even if they were a complete arsehole, and make them feel good about coming on our show and giving us a piece of their lives for three months and being who they are.”

Goldman also complimented Jackie O noting she was easy to work with. He doesn’t think it’s fair to link any “kiss of death” claims between her and Big Brother.

“I worked there for eight years. It’s my fault!”

Download premieres 7:30pm Friday on TEN.

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8 Responses

  1. i heard that it was going to be on channel nine i think it’s more of a channel ten thing if you no what i mean i think ten wouldn’t of got bad ratings if they made the show more exciting not having any secrets rooms or punishment rooms like previous seasons and not letting them do house work that’s what made it boring nothing unexpected I’m a big fan of BB since the day it started and this years was just disappointing channel ten should of never taken it off air even though it was a disappointed year

  2. Mikey should have definitelly hosted BB. Im a MASSIVE fan of Kyle on 2dayfm, but on BB he was plastic and frozen. He had no expressions on his face and i thought the microphone was gonna break how hard he was holding it.

    Not gonna watch download… thats boring! Hope BB returns in 2010 with FNL. 🙂

  3. I have always found Mike, Bree and Fitzy to have a very entertaining and warm presence on the tele. Good luck for the new season. I will be watching if I’m home… always found them enjoyable on a Friday when my brain has melted from the work week!

  4. I don’t get the whole show, its a TV show, showing you You-Tube clips….

    It’s like that lady in Forty Year Old virgin who runs the Ebay store…..

    Last time I watched it was Mike wondering what he was doing between these two people, Bree who always looked surprised to be there (we are all still surprised also) and Fitzy who looks like he is done and dusted with the BB crap and is praying something else contract wise shows up so he can get the hell outta there!

  5. I think he put it all right in the comments about Big Brother… he should be running the show.

    Tis sad to hear that Fitzy and his wife just lost there baby… really sad.

  6. The first few years, BB was a social experiment to observe how strangers get along with each other. A great blend of people from all walks of life and different personalities.

    The rest of the seasons it was a “let’s get vacant headed, self absorbed, cookie cutter, pretty people, and force them into stupid and unrealistic situations so that they take their shirts off and shag each other at every opportunity.”

    It rapidly moved from genuine entertainment to desperate ratings grab. Gretel Kileen saw that shift clearer than anyone, and you could tell she hated seeing that happen.

    The only good thing about the show ended up being Mike, Fitzy, and Bree arseing about on Friday Night Games.

  7. Goldman got it right with this comment –
    ““It’s the people’s show”

    Ten & Endemol SS tried too hard to trick up the show.
    the premise could work again,just cut out a lot of the stunts..

    And make the talent (housemates) actually work/do stuff all the time…

  8. It’s kinda sad to see the show gone – while its not for everyone, it was kind of a comfort, knowing it was always there.

    Perhaps we should import a show? I wouldn’t mind watching the UK version.

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