Moonlight finally returns to Aussie television

More fab news! We all remember the frustration our Aussie friends felt last year when Channel 9 abruptly stopped airing Moonlight midway through season one at 12:04 (episode #1x08). Moonlight is returning to Australian television! It's about time! For this outing, our show will air on Channel Nine's new network, called GO! Instead of starting up with the next episode (Fleur De Lis #1x09), GO! is beginning from ~ well ~ the beginning *grin* Moonlight's pilot episode (No Such Thing as Vampires #1x01) hits on Thursday, August 13th, 2009 @ 9:30 pm.

Moonlight TV Series
Thursday Nights
9:30 PM
GO! Network

http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=842878

Australian fans ~ Sign petition asking Channel Nine to return Moonlight to their tv schedule

Since Australian television network Channel Nine took Moonlight off its ratings period schedule, the fans have been writing and calling to protest. One fan has started a petition to ask Channel 9 to put our show back on the air. Here is a link to the website so all wonderful Aussie fans can sign the petition......

http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/moonlight.html

Moonlight's Australian Television Ratings for Wednesday, January 30th, 2008

Last night, Australia's Channel Nine aired the final Moonlight episode ~ 12:04 (#1x08) ~ that it has scheduled for now. As I reported previously, Channel 9 has decided to remove our show (along with 3 others) from their lineup since the summer season is ending & the ratings period beginning. No word yet on if/when the remaining four episodes will be shown. You know that I will give you that info as soon as I have it. Several Aussie blog readers have told me that they have written and called Nine to protest.

All of Moonlight's great episodes are available for viewing on YouTube.

Moonlight's Australian television ratings for 12:04 (episode #1x08) which aired on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 ~ 688,000 viewers. It is #22 on the ranking chart.

Moonlight's 12:04 (episode #1x08) will be Australia's last episode for now

Australian Channel Nine will air Moonlight's 12:04 (episode #1x08) on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008. That will be the last episode shown for now. Australia's summer season is ending and the ratings period is about to begin. The news just came out, but I have received several messages from Aussie viewers who have already written & called Channel 9. Moonlight fans do not like it when someone messes with their show!

Moonlight's Australian Television Ratings Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

The Ringer episode (#1x07) of Moonlight aired Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 on Australian television. The show had 670,000 viewers. It was in 18th place on the Aussie tv ratings chart.

Moonlight being removed from Channel Nine's tv schedule in Australia

Australian television guru, David Knox of TV Tonight, is reporting that Moonlight will soon no longer air in Australia. Channel Nine will be removing it, along with four other programs. The network has not announced new show times or days as of yet. :( I receive lots of email from Aussie viewers we have fallen in love with Moonlight.... and Alex. They are not gonna be happy about this! I bet Channel 9 will be receiving loads of calls and mail from dissatisfied fans.

Alex O'Loughlin may be left to wander the streets at night.

Nine is taking Moonlight, ER, Men in Trees, You Are What You Eat and Turn Back Your Body Clock out of schedule on Wednesday 6th February.

No replacement timeslots have yet been issued. It was never going to be an easy transition from summer to ratings for fans of these shows, and Nine is not alone in leaving fans lingering over their favourite summer fare.

http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2008/01/gone-er-moonlight-men-in-trees-closer.html

Review of The Ringer (episode #1x07) on Australian website

The next Moonlight airing on Australian television will be The Ringer (episode #1x07). TVFix online has reviewed it. I would never use the word "staid" to describe our show, because to me Moonlight is the complete opposite of that. She does have lots of positive things to say, of course. Sexy, promising & refreshing!

Since we are talking about The Ringer, I couldn't stop myself from using this photo of Mick's first workout scene. I remember how much I enjoyed the fact that the show began with him doing difficult & hot upside down sit ups. I would so buy an Alex O'Loughlin exercise DVD! :>

Late night TV is now undead. If you miss Angel, this sexy, moody vampire drama will see you through to bite-time - er, bedtime.

Flicking between the mid-week offerings of the summer non-ratings period, viewers might be surprised to stumble upon this promising new series with a refreshing take on two familiar genres. That old-faithful of late-night viewing - the private eye - is brought back to life in the form of Mick St. John (Alex O'Loughlin). Mick isn't your average lone investigator, though - he also happens to be a reluctant vampire. That's right, it's a fang-fest mixed in with the private dick angle.

True to the gumshoe style Mick narrates his thoughts, which makes for easy watching no matter what time you happen to land into an episode.

In this installment, a building catches fire and a murder is unwittingly captured by a newspaper photographer shooting the inferno. But Mick is convinced there's a little more to it. Adding to the intrigue, that photographer (Shannyn Sossamon) looks a whole lot like Mick's former wife, whom he killed years earlier. Is the resemblance just a coincidence, or is there something more sinister going on?

Though the first half is a little formulaic, the pace manages to pick up in latter parts. Given enough patience, Moonlight does eventually offer a payoff. Panned for being a bit too staid, this new entry would benefit from sharper writing instead of complex plotlines. The promise is there, though, and this supernatural drama may well prove its critics wrong in the long run.

Moonlight airs on the Nine Network on Wednesday, January 23, at 9:30pm.

"Thank you" to the wonderful Aussie blog reader who made sure that I knew about this article!

Moonlight's Australian television ratings for Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

Last night, Moonlight reached its highest ratings yet in Australia! The B.C. episode (#1x06) aired on Wednesday, January 16th and brought in 834,000 viewers. Moonlight won its time slot and moved up to #11 on the Australian television ratings chart. *cheer* Perhaps, part of the reason for the increase is due to the audience being excited to see Aussie stars & stunning couple ~ Alex O'Loughlin and Holly Valance. However, I think the main cause is that they are falling for Moonlight just as we have :)

Photo : Holly Valance as Lola and Sophia Myles as Beth Turner. I like this picture of Alex's ~ Mick's ~ women.... in real life & on tv. ;>

Moonlight airs on Wednesday nights, at 9:30 PM, on Channel Nine in Australia.

Alex O'Loughlin and Holly Valance Interviewed by Australia's TV Week Magazine

Moonlight's B.C. episode (#1x06) will air this Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 in Australia. In advance of that, Australian magazine TV Week has published an interview with Alex O'Loughlin and Holly Valance. It is a brief article but the reporter, Jenny Cooney Carrillo, asks great questions. I saw the interview mentioned on TV Week's website, but they did not publish it online. :( So, I emailed my friend Alida. She ran out to buy the magazine & sent scans to me. Thank you, Alida!!! :)

You probably know, aside from being Alex's beautiful girlfriend in real life, they also chatted with Holly because she plays the lovely & lethal Lola in B.C. I like the "bad" girls. As I wrote at the time this episode aired here, I hope we haven't seen the last of Dolores Maxford Whitaker!

Holly reveals that she originally tested to be one of the main female characters ~ Beth Turner or Coraline. That would have been very interesting! I think she could have handled either part easily.

There is a tiny spoiler given away by Alex in this question and answer session. Bad boy! Just wanted to mention that for our Aussie readers who have not had the pleasure of seeing this episode yet. :)

Love Bites ~ Blood sucking & fangs are par for the course in Alex O'Loughlin and Holly Valance's relationship

Question : What is it like being famous in Hollywood?

Alex O'Loughlin : It's a little bit scary actually. On the Warner Bros lot where we shoot the show, we have these VIP tours on golf carts and a few fans have gone crazy seeing me outside the sound stage. I did a charity event last weekend and 40 women flew in just to meet Mick St John!

Question : How did they react?

Alex O'Loughlin : There was a lot of yelling and shaking and I've never experienced that before. In Australia, occasionally someone would pat me on the bum and say, "Good work in such and such," but people here seem to be overwhelmed by the show and the character. It's weird, it's really great that people love the show because we work really hard.

The reporter must have interviewed Alex right after his public appearance at the Toys for Tots event at Pole Position, a few weeks ago. I do know that several super Moonlight fans traveled all the way from Chicago to Corona, California to see him. Poor guy was startled by all the swooning! ha!

Question : How did you wind up working with Holly?

Alex O'Loughlin : The truth is I had nothing to do with her getting the role. I got a call as we were approaching the episode and the producers said, "Just to let you know, Holly will be playing Lola." So I called Holly because I didn't even know she was reading for the role and said, "Honey, guess what?" and she said, "Yeah, I know!"

Question : Why did she keep it from you?

Alex O'Loughlin : Holly is a woman of great integrity and she's very special. I can't believe how mature she is for her age (Alex is 31 years old & Holly is 25) and she just felt that I didn't need the distraction. She also felt it was very important that if she was going to get a job that had any sort of association with me, she needed to do it completely of her own accord - and she did.

Question : How was it working with Holly - especially as your characters have a fight scene?

SPOILER!

Alex O'Loughlin : I was wondering if it would be weird, but it was totally comfortable. And the great thing is they've killed her character off ambiguously, so you never know - she may come back!

Question : How was it playing a 500 year old Vampire?

Holly Valance : I had a lot of extra hair and fangs and milky contact lenses, so it was cool but also quite frightening. It was unlike anything I'd ever done acting-wise.

Question : How did you get the role?

Holly Valance : I'd tested for the two leads on the show when they were originally casting, so the producers knew me and put me on hold for the role. I decided not to say anything and see what Alex would say. When he called and said, "I've got good news, don't freak out." I just said, "That's great, babe. I found out four days ago!"

Question : What was it like working together?

Holly Valance : I was nervous for the first 15 minutes, but once we got into it, I switched from being Holly to becoming Lola and just had fun.

Question : Tell us more about the fight!

Holly Valance : The crew were saying, "You guys are going to kill each other! You're really going for it, aren't you?" We were both trying to outdo each other.

Can you imagine how fun it would be to hang out with Holly & Alex? They sound happy with each other. I like that :) Click on the images above to see a large, readable version of the interview... and to check out the great photos of Mick St John, Lola and Beth Turner.

http://tvweek.ninemsn.com.au

Moonlight can be seen every Wednesday night at 9:30 PM on Channel Nine in OZ.

New Interview with Alex O'Loughlin in Australian Newspaper

This is a new interview with Alex that he did in Australia. As always, he is candid and interesting. :)

Alex O'Loughlin's move to LA has paid off
by Liz Walsh

Three years ago Aussie Alex O’Loughlin, now 31, moved to LA to find work.

Today, he’s firming as one of the hottest new stars on US TV, as his pilot vampire show Moonlight storms the small screen.

He says he had to leave Australia for work. “Quite frankly, I couldn’t survive as an actor, I was sick of waiting tables and pouring beers, digging holes on building sites,” he says. It was a gamble that paid off.

Now showing on Channel 9 here, O’Loughlin is hoping the romantic thriller will be picked up for another season.

Moonlight, also starring Sophia Myles and Shannyn Sossamon, tells the struggles and hardships of vampire detective Mick St John, played by O’Loughlin.

O’Loughlin moved to LA with girlfriend Holly Valance, and he says he’s slowly adjusted to life in LA-LA land. “The transition took me about a year,” he says.

“I found it difficult to adjust to LA life. But I’ve got a great life here now ... and I’m working which makes a big difference.”

Does he ever get overwhelmed by how far he has come? “Not really,” he says quite philosophically. “Only because it’s been such a long road for me. I’ve worked every day for this. The last 12-13 years has been a constant battle...I don’t take it for granted.”

O’Loughlin says despite his character being a vampire, there is a lot to like in Mick St John.

“What I like about Mick is he’s a victim of circumatance,” he explains. “He was made into a vampire against his own will. Over the years he decided to use his powers for good and become a private investigator.

“He’s someone who always tries to do the right thing. But he’s also flawed. I think he’s a character we will all relate to at some stage, because he’s a heart-centred character.”

O’Loughlin says the vampire genre has not only fascinated viewers in the years since 1990s cult series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel.

“Let’s go a little further back,” he says. “Let’s look at history over the last couple of thousands of years.

“What is it about creatures that consume human blood to exist? And why is it if there was no truth behind the myth, that so many cultures all over the world as far back as we can trace, have stories about it?

“There’s such a mysterious, sensual element. I think we live vicariously through vampires.”

Despite all the blood-sucking O’Loughlin says it’s “so much fun” playing a vampire. But life on set is full of long days – and very often – nights.

“The longest I’ve done is 21 hours on set,” he says. “Every day is a long day. I think we average 16-17 hours. Life on set is all about the show.”

O’Loughlin says he is yet to hear whether Moonlight will be signed on for a second series, and with the writers striking, the future is uncertain.

“This writers’ strike has us stitched up,” he says. “But I’ve done my job and hopefully it’s good enough to get another series. Hopefully these writers will come out of this strike sooner rather than later and we can all continue working.”

So how would O’Loughlin describe the show in five words or less?

He thinks before replying: “Dark, funny, sexy, intriguing and a guilty pleasure,” he says.

Well, that’s really eight words… but who’s going to argue with a vampire.

MOONLIGHT, 9.30PM, CHANNEL NINE

Moonlight's Australian Televison Ratings for Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

Arrested Development (episode #1x05) aired last night in Australia on Channel Nine. Moonlight's Australian tv ratings for Wednesday, January 9th, 2008..... 720,000 viewers.

New Australian Television Promo for Moonlight

Previously, I posted the commercial Channel Nine ran in Australia prior to Moonlight's debut. This is the new promo video being shown by the network. It is much longer than the 1st tv spot. Moonlight can be seen on Australian television every Wednesday night at 9:30 PM on Channel 9.

Moonlight's Australian Ratings for Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Moonlight's Fever episode (#1x04) aired on Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 in Australia.... which was last night there. The ratings for it were 727,000. That is the most Australian viewers for the series thus far!

For our Aussie friends :) Moonlight is shown Wednesday nights on Channel Nine at 9:30 PM.

Australia's Woman's Day Magazine Interviews Alex O'Loughlin

Jacqui Lang has interviewed our Alex for Australian magazine, Woman's Day. He has mentioned the long hours he works to give us Moonlight in many articles. I really felt for him when I read his answer to what he wants for Christmas. A longer version of the interview is in the publication's issue that went on sale (in Australia) December 24th, 2007.

Alex is lucky and in love

Devilishly handsome Alex O'Loughlin, 31, is yet another Aussie actor making his way in Tinseltown, starring as a likeable vampire in Nine's new series Moonlight. In real life, Alex is also the devoted boyfriend of singer Holly Valance — just don't ask him about her!

Jacqui :
On Moonlight, you suck a bit of blood from time to time?

Alex :
Yeah, I suck lots of blood.

Jacqui :
How do you rehearse that?

Alex :
You can't rehearse, you just go for it!

Jacqui :
While you're in a role do you speak in the required accent all the time?

Alex :
Yes and some people criticize that. At the end of the day, my face will be on screen and I want to play the character as well as I can. I lived in New York with Jonathan Rhys Meyers while making the movie August Rush — in which I play a Dubliner — and it was helpful that Jonathan is Irish. I kept that accent for four months. That can be quite confrontational for people around me.

Jacqui :
Is it true you nearly scored the role of James Bond (that Daniel Craig won)?

Alex :
Yeah, it is. I flew to London and screen-tested for it — and obviously didn't get it. But at least I got to be Bond for a day!

Jacqui :
Despite not becoming James Bond, are people starting to recognise you in the street?

Alex :
Yes, it's weird. It's nice having your work recognized but having people follow you around is kinda weird.

Jacqui :
What do you want for Christmas?

Alex :
To sleep. I badly need a vacation.

http://womansday.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=339359

Moonlight's ratings from 2nd episode shown in Australia last night

Moonlight's second episode ~ Out of the Past #1x02 ~ was broadcast last night (Wednesday, December 19th, 2007) in Australia. Wednesday was last night for them and tonight for us! I always feel like I'm time traveling when I go to the Aussie web sites and they have tomorrow's date already. *grin*

According to the Australian television ratings chart, Moonlight had 664,000 viewers and was in 16th place. That is down from the number of premiere watchers last week ~ 696,000. However, our show did build on its lead in show, ER, again this time out. ER attracted 629,000 viewers & was number 18. The number of people who tuned in for it was also down from last week's 658,000.

Vicar of Dibley won the night's ratings race this week too with 1,469,000 viewers on ABC.

Here are a few more numbers for American programs, in case you are interested. :)

10. That 70's Show Seven 887,000
12. The Starter Wife Ten 774,000
13. The King of Queens Nine 773,000
17. Men In Trees Nine 638,000
20. Friends Ten 616,000
24. Cane Ten 504,000
33. 30 Rock Seven 353,000

Moonlight airs in Australia on Wednesday nights at 9:30 on Channel Nine!

Moonlight's ratings from last night's Australian television debut

Moonlight premiered last night in Australia on Channel Nine. Its ratings ~ 696,000 viewers. The network paired it with ER (weird match) which rated 658,000 watchers. Since Moonlight grabbed more viewers than its lead-in, people must have switched channels just to watch it! Let's hope that is a good sign.

Another CBS show, Cane, was also on Australian television last night (Channel Ten) ~ 586,000 tuned in. NBC's 30 Rock (Network 7) only had 353,000 viewers. The top program was Vicar of Dibley (ABC) with 1,377,000.

I wanna urge all of our Aussie friends to watch Moonlight every week, and spread the word! :) It airs Wednesday nights at 9:30 on Channel Nine.

Australian promo commercial for Moonlight & Alex!

This an Australian promo commercial for Moonlight. It is cool to see what they selected from the show to feature in the 30 second ad. Ooooooooooo my..... I love when they say "Australian Alex O'Loughlin!" What is wrong with me?!??!? :)

Moonlight debuts this Wednesday ~ December 12, 2007 ~ on Australia's Channel Nine television network.

Moonlight to Debut on Australian TV December 12th

Good news for our Aussie friends.... Moonlight will debut on Channel Nine at 9:30PM, Wednesday December 12th! I bet Alex is excited to be seen by his home Australian audience. Hopefully, it will garner great ratings.

I had to use this photo of Mick. It is from the scene where he meets Morgan/Coraline at the restaurant & apologizes to her. Love him looking over the top of his sunglasses!