Neighbours General News Thread

[Dazzle]

The newest Neighbours opening titles:



Paul and Terese, Lauren and Brad, and Imogen and Daniel are all looking very cosy.

I think these titles will start being used in the next few weeks, possibly as early as next Monday.

[Pantherboy]

An article in The Sunday Telegraph for those long term fans of Neighbours - the Annie Jones (Jane, Jane "Superbrain"), Guy Pearce, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan era.
(Further down the page there is a small article/picture of the character Paige & her Mum. And even further down, there is a picture of Rebecca Breeds, who used to be in Home and Away, & will be in the telemovie Molly)

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ent...bed1b3d667b95e

Guy Pearce’s Irish luck helps Neighbours love Annie Jones back into spotlight

FORMER Neighbours favourite Annie Jones has revealed the sad reason behind her small screen absence in the past 15 years — putting her career aside to care for her mother, Elizabeth who passed away from Alzheimer’s disease last month.


The 48-year-old, who had a chance at the same global stardom of her Ramsay Street castmates Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and on-screen boyfriend Guy Pearce, has no regrets about choosing family over fame.

She only half-joked she was “hoping to do a Jackie Weaver and come good in my 50s,” after her beloved mum died “on the same day David Bowie did.”

“It’s a very weird thing when someone is so sick with Alzheimer’s,” Jones told TV Insider, “it feels like she actually died years and years ago. It’s the longest goodbye.”

Staying good pals with Pearce over the years has now provided her with a career lifeline, filming a cameo in the new season of his returning ABC drama series, Jack Irish.

“We have kept in touch and whenever he’s in Melbourne we would catch up again. I’ve always been a fan of Guy’s of course, but (Jack Irish) was really good fun.”
While their working reunion may be fleeting, the small role is a surprising shift for the one-time “Jane, Jane ‘superbrain’ Harris” and would have left Mrs Mangel, her TV grandmother clutching at her pearls.

“Judy is an ex ballet dancer who now runs a gentlemens’ club...you know, a very respectable one,” Jones explained. “She mentors or teaches the girls the fine art of pole dancing. It was such a hoot.”

While caring for her mum, Jones had been limited to taking acting work in short stints on productions in and around Melbourne only (she has another guest part in the next series of Seven’s Winners & Losers).
“Now that mum has passed on to a better place,” Jones said, “I’m kind of excited about the prospect of relaunching myself.”

She added the Oscar-nominated Weaver “is a great woman to aspire to in my sort of mature times and maybe a bit more work will now come my way. I’m really hoping that will happen. I’m ready and have no other commitments and as keen as mustard to work hard.”

Last year’s 30th anniversary of Neighbours gave Jones a thrill, a cherished walk down memory lane for the actor first cast in the Ten soap back in 1986 at the age of just 19.

“I caught up with the old crew from back then. Fiona Corke, who played Gail (Robinson), we are thick as thieves, really good friends, but just seeing Stefan (Dennis) again, it was lovely.”

* Jack Irish airs 8.30pm Thursday on ABC

[Pantherboy]

Article on msn.com "Neighbours' star Tim Phillipps (Daniel) engaged"

http://www.msn.com/en-au/entertainme...cid=spartandhp

[Pantherboy]

Article on former Neighbours star Natalie Blair expecting her first child with co-star & husband David Hoflin (who also starred in Neighbours):

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...pregnancy.html

[Dazzle]

Article on former Neighbours star Natalie Blair expecting her first child with co-star & husband David Hoflin (who also starred in Neighbours)

Congratulations to the couple. They've been together for a long time now.

[binky321]

Travis Burns (Tyler) and his girl friend Emma lane who was recently a guest character as Courtney have gotten engaged Congratulations to them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDbsA1pp...=mrtravisburns

https://www.instagram.com/p/BDbsA4ol...mavictorialane

[eni294]

Former Neighbours Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce reunite for new*film

They were Neighbours who became good friends and now Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce are teaming up again for the first time in nearly 30 years for a new movie.

Yep, the former Neighbours stars will feature in a new film, Flammable Children, a drama set in Australia during the sexual revolution of 1975.

‘Australia is in constitutional crisis; and in a sleepy beachside suburb, an extraordinary event will set in motion a crucial, comical and revelatory week for a teenage boy and girl,’ reads the film’s synopsis from Screen Australia.

‘Something is about to go spectacularly wrong, and their lives will change forever.’

We’re going to assume the pair are not playing the teenagers, but their parents.

The pair starred in the iconic Aussie soap as best friends Charlene Mitchell and Mike Young;*Mike was Scott Robinson’s best man at his wedding to Charlene.

They reunited in 2015 for the 30th anniversary of the soap, with an episode called*Neighbours: The Stars Reunite show.

‘I love Charlene’s first scene, where she tried to break into a house,’ said Kylie.

‘She was a tomboy, it was a perfect first scene.

’Golden-Globe nominee Guy Pearce admitted that he had only signed on to the show for two weeks before they lengthened his contract. ‘I had never shot anything yet, and within two weeks they said ‘how about a year?’ I thought “wow!”.

http://metro.co.uk/2016/04/08/former...-film-5803618/

[eni294]

Neighbours' Matt Wilson never wanted to be an actor.

The 27-year-old hunk - who portrays gay stripper Aaron Brennan in the Australian soap - has admitted he never set out to have a career in acting and was initially planning to keep up the talent as a hobby alongside his carpentry.

Speaking exclusively to BANG Showbiz, he said: "I'd been acting for a while, for maybe five years, but only as a hobby. I'd never been like, 'OK this is my career path, I want to be an actor.' I never had aspirations to get a gig on 'Neighbours'. I said in my mind that for the rest of my life that I'm going to do film productions as much as I possibly can."

But, when the handsome star got the call for the popular programme, he knew he had to ditch his building job, despite spending seven years training for his licence.

He explained: "At the time, I was working towards getting my builder's licence, which takes seven years and I was in my seventh year. I had the application in my hand when I got the call. I was doing really well...

"I won't be modest - I was probably the best out of anyone that we were working among and then I quit it to something where I was a first year apprentice again."


http://www.sundayworld.com/style/sho...to-be-an-actor

[eni294]

Neighbours boss responds to claims that Holly Valance would return: "There's always room for her"

"Neighbours is about reuniting families".

Neighbours fans could be closer to seeing an exciting family reunion on screen as producer Jason Herbison has revealed that there is always room for Holly Valance to return.

Herbison was responding to the claims made by Holly's sister Olympia, who plays Paige Smith in the Aussie soap."There's always room for Holly to make a guest visit", Herbison told TV Week. "Neighbours is about reuniting families."

"What a coup it would be to have the Scully and Valance sisters on Ramsay Street," he said.

Holly played Felicity 'Flick' Scully on the show from 1999-2002, but left to pursue a pop career. Her on screen sister Steph made a full time return last year, while their mother Lyn has also recently returned.

Speaking about a possible return for Holly, Olympia said recently: "Holly isn't completely against doing it. "Our characters aren't related in any way, but Steph Scully is on the show. Who knows, it could happen."

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neig...-room-for-her/

[eni294]

Pam Willis arrives in Erinsborough

We chat to Sue Jones about returning to Neighbours after the death of her on screen husband Doug

What’s it like being back on the Neighbours set after all these years?

It’s wonderful actually because I was here for a couple of weeks last year but I was a little nervous. I don’t know why I was nervous, I guess it was just coming back from all that time away from the show. This time however, I’ve found I’ve been able to relax and enjoy it.

How’s it been acting with the recast Brad - Kip Gamblin?

Kip is fabulous, he just has so much energy, humour and humanity that I think comes across on screen. He’s just been a joy to work with! It’s been such a long time from when Brad was last on screen, Brad really could’ve evolved into any sort of human being in many ways. The fact that Brad was initially a bit of a surfer, I’m sure Kip could’ve been that boy as a young man.

How does Pam feel about coming back under these circumstances, was it a challenging storyline?

It’s a double death so it’s tricky for Pam, she’s trying to fill in the gaps of where she was away. I’m sure there’s been more contact with the grandchildren than what we’ve seen on screen, I’m sure they’ve come up to Darwin to visit. it was a shock to Pam to hear of both deaths, it’s a very difficult situation for both the parents and siblings. In terms of the storyline, in many ways it doesn’t matter what the storylines are they’re all difficult. Even if it’s the most simple storyline it can be challenging because everything is done so quickly. When there’s a death involved it just brings up your own personal emotions which has its difficulty but also its rewards because they’re really meaty storylines. When you’re just popping in for a minute you can handle the meaty storylines, when you’re at Neighbours for a long time it’s nice to have a break from that!

You appeared in Neighbours during the 90's, do people still recognise you as Pam Willis?

Not a week goes by where someone from the general public doesn’t bring it up, 20 years later. I don’t know whether that’s something to do with repeats being on but I’m always amazed. It’s also flattering, I think to myself I mustn’t have aged that much!

How has Neighbours changed since you started on the show?

Apart from the cast, of which is entirely different - the only person who was here when I was here last is Lou (Tom Oliver) and he’s away at the moment! But everyone’s been incredibly welcoming and what has been good is to see that a lot of the crew are still the same. On a technical level what I’ve found is nice coming back is that the director now sits on the floor of the studio which makes it a lot easier to communicate with each other. Previously the director used to be upstairs in a booth and it used to be a bit of a disembodied voice heard down in the studio.

What’s been your highlight from your time on Neighbours?

I don’t necessarily think I have a single highlight. I think the highlight of the job for me has been the ability to do it everyday, to keep ‘oiled’ which is so important for an actor. There aren’t many jobs where you’re just doing it everyday every week so much so that it becomes second nature and the fear dissipates a little bit. I haven’t done anything as long as Neighbours since so there’s a wonderful sense of relaxation that comes after a while that you can just do it - cry now, laugh now - all those things that you’re able to wrap your mind around when it’s on going. You begin to feel more comfortable with the character, cast and crew. Whoever is playing your family really begins to feel like your real family because you spend so much time with them.

Are you still in touch with any of your former co-stars?

I do see a few people yes on a regular and irregular basis.

So as well as acting, you’ve directed theatre. How did you get into that field?

It was an accident that I started directing, they were two plays that were in a very small theatre at La Mama in Carlton. Though I’m not sure I’d be able to coralle a big cast I did enjoy it when I tried it. Having the opportunity to direct helps you as an actor as you start to understand the problems of a director.


http://tenplay.com.au/channel-eleven...n-erinsborough