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Red Faces over Hey Hey camera shots

Updated: Singer Ella Hooper accuses Hey Hey of "paedophilic" camera shots which Nine concedes was "ill-chosen" during the rapid demands of Live TV.

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Hey Hey it’s Saturday has come under fire over its Red Faces segment again.

But this time it wasn’t the act so much as the close-up camera shots that were used.

Guest judge Ella Hooper, formerly of Killing Heidi, criticised camera shots of an act featuring three under-age girls wearing country and western attire.

As the girls swayed to their song there were close-ups of their backsides.

Hooper said, “Well I was loving the plaid, and respectful of wearing such short shorts on such a cold, rainy night, and I’m of the country persuasion myself, I’m a country girl, so I thought there were a lot of pro’s.

“Only possible con was the camera choice shots at the start, but that’s not your fault.”

While the moment passed without further incident, Hooper saved her real criticism for later when Daryl Somers asked her if the camera shots for the third act, a firewalker, were an improvement.

“It was far less paedophilic,” she said in part, drawing an audible reaction in the studio.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WaF3Gooado[/youtube]

Some viewers agreed with Hooper’s remarks with comments left on Twitter:

Whoever is in the control room for #redfaces on #heyhey should be fired. At least #ellahooper didnt let it slide.

Glad Ella Hooper made the paedophilia crack on Red Faces – I thought it was bloody tasteless direction #HeyHey.

Huge mistake – turned tv on & #heyhey was on. 1st act on Red Faces was 3 underage girls in daisy dukes w/ camera zoomed in on their butts..

kudos to Ella for speaking up about the outrageous camera shots during Red Faces on hey hey of young girls behinds. thanks Ella.

ouch – hey hey’s red faces camera work = Epic Fail………….

The shorts could have been longer, but the girls on Red Faces weren’t skanky/inappropriate. The shot of their a*ses – THAT was inappropriate.

Anyone C the camerawork #fail on #heyhey last night? Dear GTV9, Please don’t make me a pedophile & zoom in on 12yo girls asses.

Last year Hey Hey it’s Saturday came under fire after its now-infamous “blackface” skit in which a parody of the Jackson Five drew comment from Harry Connick Jr. on air, and attracted international headlines.

Live television choices continue to come under scrutiny after the ABC was criticised last week for Q & A including a Twitter remark encouraging a show to be thrown at former PM John Howard.

UPDATED Nov 1st: A Nine Spokesperson today told TV Tonight, “Hey Hey it’s Saturday is a live program, with hundreds of directorial decisions made in rapid succession. The camera angle in question was ill-chosen, however any offence caused was completely unintentional.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs1Q5cu9eP8&feature=youtu.be&a[/youtube]

88 Responses

  1. The only reason David put this on the website is because someone in the tv lounge (obviously one of the many who love any excuse to have a go at Hey Hey It’s Saturday) suggested this story idea. And saying 3AW picked up the story is hardly an achievement, that station plays host to the king of all sh*t stirrers – Peter Ford!!! And lastly, if Dr. Rudi’s reasons are good enough to make an article, the world has officially gone PC mad….

  2. @Haydo – For those that keep complaining about ‘Hey Hey bashing’ stories, don’t read them!! No one is forcing you to!

    Keep up the good work David.

  3. Jimbob, I have outlined earlier why this was newsworthy for a television blog. Dr. Rudi has summed it up pretty well.

    The story has since been reported by 3AW and The Australian. While I may not agree with the extreme reaction by Ella Hooper, I thought Nine’s reponse was a sensible one under the circumstances.

  4. Hear, hear Dr Rudi.

    @jimbob, you should be ashamed that all you ever do is carp. How about a positive comment occasionally? Your comments record is only saved from unrelenting negativity by one neutral question. You’ve criticised David’s story choices, the website look, other people’s discussions – frankly I’ve no idea what you’re doing visiting at all.

  6. I’m with Dr Rudi on this one.

    I don’t know how any of you can claim that filming an underage girls backside ‘cos there’s nothing else to look at’ is appropriate in any way, shape or form.

    It really has nothing to do with being PC, just common decency on how we should be treating children.

  7. David Knox, you should be ashamed that you even made a story about this. Clearly you are only interested in getting as many comments on your site as possible.

  8. 1) The close ups of the girls’ bottoms is, was, and would always be, wrong.

    2) Red Faces has auditions and rehearsals.

    3) The director and the camera operators had other choices.

    4) The incident was raised almost instantly on Twitter and Facebook.

    5) David reports the news, he doesn’t make it up.

    6) If only one person speaks the truth, that doesn’t mean it isn’t the truth.

  9. Hmm…interesting…three days later, and no other news websites have this story.
    Interesting…seems they are sick of all the Hey Hey bashers too.

    For those that keep complaining that it should be taken off air, Don’t watch it! No one is forcing you too!

    It is good clean, family fun, unlike shows like Good News Week, etc. Imagine if that was Live!!! David would be run down with controversies from that show. I just don’t watch GNW, big deal, doesn’t mean I want it off air.

    People just don’t know quality entertainment

  10. I think the zoom into the girls backsides was inappropriate.. but i Don’t want it axed just because of one bad shot!!! I love the show, its a breath of fresh air compared to all the other tv shows that are all nothing but swearing, violence and sex!!! Hey Hey is just good fun.

  11. Brian and Bass, both the director and the cameraman did have a choice.
    They could have pulled out a little more to a mid shot instead of using the “controversial” close up shot. The routine would have been rehearsed and the shot would have been decided then.

  12. I have to agree with Gerry–the director had absolutely no choice, nobody would have noticed if it hadn’t been brought up — and yes, pretty slight, not worth mentioning to begin with.

    Ella was doing far worse antics during her Killing Heidi days and wasn’t too much older herself at the time, if the truth be known.

    Well, she’s on the Hey Hey blacklist with Harry now (which may become very fashionable to be on, the way things are going), but you can bet it will be an in-joke on her tv and concert appearances for years to come, probably warrant a chapter if she ever writes her autobiography as she’s certainly not just a pretty face.

    Still, that’s live television–having this slice of reality occur in the middle of such an inane situation on such a lighthearted show is jarring — watch it while you can folks, because with everything now pre-recorded to within an inch of it’s life, nothing will get past pc network censors or production companies avoiding any prospective loss of ratings.

    I think ‘Hey Hey’ has it’s second wind now with it’s move back to Saturday nights and I hope something like this doesn’t stop it being renewed next year as the Australian film and music industry can only benefit from shows like this on free to air television. But I think that someone is bound to suggest that artists appearing on the show (or any live show) do not criticize it when on camera during the show….

  13. There is nothing in this and Ella Hoopers comment was more out of line than these shots..

    I’m not a cameraman but I doubt there is any other way to shoot this when a performers back is to you

  15. when will people realise that what ella said was 100 percent correct … she did not directly insult the girls just the camera view/zoom.
    which btw was highly In-apropriate….If daryl had not baited her the pedo comment would never have been mentioned. and I don’t think it was intended in a malicious manner …Regardless of what Ella said the backlash would have been the same..

    Good on Ella for stating a opinion as apposed to not speaking out on the Issue!!!

    Ella hooper is a Class act and Any outrage regarding her comments are ridiculous..

  16. It seems opinions are pretty much polarised on this. I totally respect people’s opinions but not when they are just plain wrong.

    @alex October 31 5.04pm, you are a goose! No one else has commented because what you fabricated in your comment, never happened. Go back and watch it again! John Blackman’s comment, “It’s good so far” referred to when the music started and they stood motionless with the backs to the camera and their arm in the air. The close up shot of their backsides came well after.

    Now go and write out 100 times “Sorry Mr. Blackman”!

  20. I’d have thought that three second “Liiiiiiive!!!” John Blackman says ad the first word of the show would’ve indicated that it was live, but let’s not let the truth interfere with an opinionated rant.

  21. George Glass… um…. hello? Where do you get your info? Hey Hey is Totally live to air and has been live to air for every ep. this year. Don’t argue with me – I work on the show.

  22. Australia has become the prudish country.

    These days you would probably have people kicking up a storm about some of the old Young Talent Time episodes and the costumes that the performers used to wear.

    Regarding Ella ‘Connick’ Hooper’s comments…….obviously trying to draw some publicity for herself.

    Poor Lauren Mitchell, I can only blame all of those somersaults for the fact that she couldn’t understand that the scores were supposed to be out of 10.

  24. Would it have been appropriate if the girls were in leotards or short dresses ?
    The girls were wearing make-up too !
    Should the girls have been shaking their butts ?
    lucky Hey Dad! wasnt a judge.

    The father prolly had good intentions but the entertainment industry has zero morals. The best thing that could happen to the girls would be that they lose interest in the industry altogether.

  25. Why is this program still on the air. And heres something to ponder – this show does not go live to air – so there would be plenty of time for the producers to edit before it was broadcast. So dont blame the camera guy.

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