23 JAN 07 Courier Mail
Jan 24, 2007 2:10:56 GMT 10
Post by shimmery on Jan 24, 2007 2:10:56 GMT 10
Keeping it above board
Stephen Downie
January 23, 2007 11:00pm
Article from:
The Courier-Mail
CAN Ten be trusted to keep the Australia Day Concert safe for families? That's the question viewers will be asking after the network's less than savoury and widely criticised New Year's Eve fireworks extravaganza.
Ten's inaugural coverage was labelled smutty and below the standard set in previous years by rival network Nine.
Ian "Dicko" Dickson, who is set to become an Aussie citizen on Australia Day and who is co-hosting the concert, assures the event will be G-rated.
"There is a huge sense of responsibility to provide the right tone," Dickson says.
"I know they (Ten) copped a lot of flak. We've had some in-depth conversations about the event and I can guarantee that they take it very seriously."
And he feels its now time to put the past behind them and move on.
"The good thing about what happened on New Year's Eve is that, lets face it, it was so last year," Dicko jokes.
But you can understand some viewers might be a little worried. Big Brother's Gretel Killeen, who hosted the New Year's Eve fireworks, will be back to co-host the concert with Dicko on the lawns of Federation Mall outside Parliament House, Canberra.
Also, the entire cast of the hit Sydney musical stage show Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert is set to perform. Some complaints were fielded during the NYE telecast about an advertisement for the musical. Other performers set to sing loud and proud include The Whitlams, Guy Sebastian, The Audreys, Sick Puppies, Renee Geyer, Australian Idol standout Bobby Flynn, TV Rock and there will be a collaboration from female vocalists Deborah Conway, Mia Dyson and Kate Miller-Heidke.
An extended broadcast of the concert, featuring Australian Idol winner Damien Leith's citizenship ceremony, will air on Ten on Sunday at noon.
Dicko, for his part, will be mingling with the crowd gauging views on what it means to be an Australian. The Australian Idol judge, who quit the show to move to Seven only to return to the program this year, will be given Aussie status in a ceremony held on Australia Day itself.
For British-born Dicko, it is a chance to officially become a part of the country he calls home.
"When I was given permanent residency here it was one of the happiest days of my life. I've fallen deeply, deeply in love with Australia. Just the knowledge that I could keep my family here and raise my children in what I regard as the best country in the world is just a massive, massive boost to me. The country has been really good to me."
Dickson, his partner Mel and their two teenage daughters Esme and Edie, shifted to Australia from the UK in 2001 when he was offered a job at music label Sony BMG.
While he and Mel, who have been together for 20 years, have never married, Dickson felt it time for the whole family to commit to this country.
"In many ways we thought, we didn't actually go through the ceremony for each other, why don't we do it for the country."
Still, he's not prepared to give up his British passport just yet.
At the time of interview, Dicko was preparing for a road trip to Queensland's Sunshine Coast – a distinctly Aussie adventure – as a way of making himself better acquainted with his adopted country.
"If I went that far in England I'd be in the North Sea," he jokes.
One of the main reasons Dicko is so passionate about Australia is that he feels, at least in terms of European settlement, we are a work in progress.
"I think its an absolute privilege to be a part of a nation that is still shaping itself. We could absolutely be the No.1 country on the planet."
Dicko reckons we should carry the self-confidence we display in the sporting arena into other areas, such as music.
"Guys are always looking over their shoulders and thinking how their music is going to be perceived overseas."
Australia Day Live 07, Thursday, Ten, 8.30pm
Australian Of The Year Awards, Friday, Ten, 4.30pm
Australia Day concert, Sunday, Ten, noon
