Yahoo!7 Answers Blog Australia

Meet the newest kid on the Home and Away block – Matylda Buckzo!

Matylda joins Seven’s award-winning drama playing “Mink”, as sister to Luke Mitchell’s character, Romeo Smith. Her feisty and mischievous character will cause waves in the Bay.

She recently sat down with Home and Away’s Online Producer – Tania:

Matylda, known as ‘Tyl’ to her friends, actually auditioned for a different part, so she was surprised when she was asked to read for the part of Mink. “I immediately felt really comfortable with her character, she’s very feisty, and mischievous,” she laughed. “I don’t go to quite the same lengths as Mink, but when she pesters Xavier, that’s like me I can be a bit cheeky too…but inside she has a heart of gold.”

You can read the rest of the interview here.

Matylda is asking you, the Answers community, the following:

• If you could be any character on Home and Away, who would it be and why?

Have you ever dreamed of being on Home and Away? What character would you want to be?

Kate
Community Manager

You may have noticed we’ve had a few Home and Away stars asking questions on Answers. The most recent is Samara Weaving, whose plays Indigo and is part of a new family in town, the Walkers.

Samara is 17 years old and you may have seen her on BBC’s Australian soap opera Out of the Blue playing Kirsten Mulroney. Although she’s Hugo Weaving’s niece, she hasn’t grown up around the entertainment industry and actually spent many years living overseas because of her father’s job. She lived in Singapore, Fiji and Indonesia as well as Australia and she particularly loved Singapore because it’s so clean (gum is illegal there) and there is no winter.

There are heaps of questions about Home and Away on Yahoo!7 Answers. From questions about upcoming storylines to favourite couple discussions and queries about the music in the show. Well instead of you asking questions about Home and Away, Samara wants to ask you a question. She wants to know:  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

To see Samara in her role as Indigo, check out the Yahoo!7 TV Home and Away site where you can catch up with all the episodes online and get behind the scenes footage and interviews.

We’d also like to know, which Home and Away star would you like us to feature on Answers?

Caitlin
Community Manager

You either love him or hate him – it seems everyone has an opinion about Kyle Sandilands. This shock jock co-host of the Kyle & Jackie O Breakfast show has been getting press for all the wrong reasons recently for a segment on his show about a 14 year old rape victim.

It’s definitely stirred up some controversy. We featured this question on the Yahoo!7 Homepage last week and incredibly, over 700 people have offered their opinion. Do you think Kyle Sandilands should be sacked?

Many agreed, saying they never liked the show or Kyle:

That entire show should be axed! Kyle is an absolute moron! Of course he should be sacked. At any time during the show, they could have stopped what was happening, but they kept on going. – Hart

Others agreed that Kyle is insensitive however didn’t think he was at fault in this particular instance:

I don’t like Kyle, and believe he should have been sacked long ago, but I don’t see him as the main problem this time, the mother should be ashamed of herself for publicly humiliating her daughter in this way. - Lucy G

Others were supportive of the show:

I honestly think that everyone should give Kyle & Jackie O a break, as it clearly states that they did not know that the answer they were going to get was that the 14 year old girl saying she got raped when she was 12. – Privacy

Although his future with 2Day FM remains in jeopardy, Channel 10 has taken the next step and has fired Sandilands as a judge on Australian Idol, saying their show is a family program that doesn’t fit with his increasingly controversial persona.

The thing is, shows like Kyle & Jackie O exist because of their shock value. They like to take things a step too far, their core audience loves the crazy stunts they get up to and everyone else votes with their feet and refuse to listen.

They’ve now officially gone too far and have been pulled off air, however it may not be for long. 2Day FM are reviewing their practices and may indeed launch a new version of the Kyle and Jackie O show with better measures in place to ensure such a mistake doesn’t happen again.

If they do return to our airwaves again, will you listen to Kyle and Jackie O or do you think what happened was unforgivable?

Caitlin
Community Manager

As we mentioned earlier this week, recently the Yahoo!7 Answers team got the opportunity to meet Robert Knepper, the villainous T-Bag in Prison Break. He was in Australia promoting season 4 of Prison Break which includes all 22 episodes of the final series as well as a unseen footage and the final 2 hour movie length special that concludes the story.

While Robert wanted to ask the community a question (answer his question: Who is your favourite TV or film villain of all time and what makes him or her fearful?), we also asked him some questions on your behalf. You might remember a few weeks ago we asked you what you would like to ask Robert Knepper. We chose some of the best questions and have it all on video!

Ever wanted to know what it was like filming Prison Break or what the funniest thing that happened on set was? Or perhaps you’re more interested how Robert became an actor and what advice he has for young children with stars in their eyes. Perhaps you’d like to know how people react to his scary character when he goes out in public?

The question that I particularly wanted to know is what it was like wearing the fake hand? Was it uncomfortable or did it become like a glove that he could forget he was wearing. Here is Robert’s particularly amusing answer:

So to see all the answers to his questions, check out our official video page. Don’t know about you but hearing all about the behind the scenes info of Prison Break makes me even more excited about watching that last episode! How do you think it will end?

Caitlin
Community Manager

Last week, the Yahoo!7 Answers team had the pleasure of meeting Robert Knepper, the actor who plays the villainous Theodore ‘T-Bag’ Bagwell on Prison Break. He was lovely, nothing like his character and was a real pleasure to interview.

To celebrate the DVD release of season 4 of Prison Break, (out July 15th from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment), Robert Knepper wants to ask you, the Answers community, a question.

He wants to know: Who is your favourite TV or film villain of all time and what makes him or her fearful?

Check out Robert asking the question below.

Also you may remember, we asked you what you wanted to ask Robert in the interview. Stay tuned later in the week for the full interview!

Caitlin
Community Manager

Ever since Prison Break began four seasons ago, we’ve been glued to our screens watching the drama unfold. Who was the girl that was being held captive; why do the brothers have different surnames, do you think Sarah will return? All these Prison Break questions and over 13,000 more have been discussed on Answers since the series began.

Well now is your chance to get some Answers from a member of the cast himself! Next week, we’re going to be interviewing Robert Knepper who plays the villainous T-Bag.

We’re asking you, the Answers community, what you’d like to ask him. Have you always wondered how he manages to portray such a dastardly villainous character? Or perhaps you want to know about being on set and how certain scenes are filmed? We’ll choose the best questions from you, the community, and ask them on your behalf next week when we interview Robert.

So tell us – If you could ask Robert Knepper (T-Bag from Prison Break) anything, what would it be?

Caitlin
Community Manager

Do you think it’s worth paying money for a few extra channels on Pay TV? I’m in the process of deciding…

I’ve just moved into a new home and haven’t had Foxtel installed. There are a few reasons – for one, it’s expensive, and secondly when we did have Foxtel, there never seemed to be anything on. Often I’d be stuck with reruns of Scrubs, Law and Order, or I’d be outvoted and Fox Sports would be turned on. We decided that reruns probably weren’t worth $60 per month – after all, if there was a series we really liked, we could just borrow the DVD, right?

Most of the time, I’m perfectly satisfied with the offerings on free to air. I love Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters and Packed to the Rafters (which is back on TV in mere weeks!) and Masterchef on Channel 10 has proved a great alternative to Top Chef on Arena. I’ve also been watching more interesting documentaries on SBS and ABC which I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I’d had more channels to plough through. However there have been some hitches.

Live sports is one of them. I’m a bit of a soccer fan and last week the Socceroos played Qatar at an ungodly 2am. With no Fox Sports and not wanting to grace a pub at such an hour, I thought I was going to miss out on witnessing history (we qualified for the 2010 World Cup for those who missed it). Fortunately, a generous friend taped the match and replayed it at her house at a far more palatable 10:30am the next day. Crisis averted!

Secondly, the borrowing DVD plan has come unstuck. When you go to Blockbuster, you usually can only keep a DVD for a week, so for an entire TV series, that’s a bit of a rush. Sometimes I have other things to do apart from watch TV like play sport, see friends and … oh yeah, go to work.

Finally, I do actually quite like some of the Foxtel offerings! Australia’s Next Top Model was such fun; Project Runway was incredibly inspiring and I loved to marvel at the architectural masterpieces in Grand Designs. To be honest, I even miss Scrubs (I know it’s on Channel 7 however unfortunately it’s on at the same time as Top Gear and yet again, I get outvoted).

So now the question of whether to get Foxtel has come up again. Should we believe the ads and get it because then we won’t go out as much? What shows on pay TV do you think makes it worthwhile? Or should we just wait and hope that something decent comes up on Freeview… What are your thoughts?

Caitlin
Community Manager

Last week, we had a chat with Lynne McGranger who plays Irene on Home and Away. This bubbly actress gave some great answers to your questions in this interview.

The wonderful thing about Yahoo!7 Answers is the conversation with celebrities isn’t one way, she also has the opportunity to ask you guys a question. After a bit of thought, Lynne explained that the environment has been on her mind recently. As she said:

It’s becoming more and more apparent that we all need to work together to help save the environment. After all, out of small things, big things grow! At my place we’re recycling water and using energy efficient light bulbs. I’m wondering what you’re doing in your home to help save the planet?

This is her question: What simple things have you done to make your home more environmentally friendly?

We think it’s a great question. With the global financial crisis, fluctuating unemployment predictions and swine flu, some of us have become a bit forgetful about the environment.

Here are some of the best suggestions so far, such as Doug M’s idea:

I am removing every plant from my garden that is not native to the district, starting with those that pose a threat to the native bushland (agapanthus, cotoneaster, sweet pittospurum, mirror plant, etc., etc.)

Jeetee suggests:

Save water by not flushing toilet constantly. the old saying if it’s yellow let it mellow if it’s brown flush it down..

Deeza07:

We use vinegar and bicarb to clean most surfaces. Vinegar kills germs and is a fantastic cleaner – great for bathrooms, floors, sinks, etc.

Whome?:

Use the first cycle of washing machine water (with suds) for the garden.

Well done, those suggestions are easy ways to make a difference! And if you haven’t answered yet or want to pick up some ideas for saving the environment, check out the question here – What simple things have you done to make your home more environmentally friendly?

Remember, every little bit helps!

Caitlin
Community Manager

Wow what a week. Water cooler conversations and news bulletins alike have been bouncing from discussions about paid maternity leave to the treatment of women by Rugby League players, from predictions about the upcoming job losses to the very high profile demotion of Matthew Johns.

Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether Matthew Johns should have been stood down by Channel 9 and Melbourne Storm. A question we featured on the Yahoo!7 Frontpage yesterday got an astounding 700 answers (and counting)! We hope the writer Mumkaren didn’t have get a notification for everyone of those answers… that would be one full inbox! She asked Do you think Matthew Johns should have been sacked for something that happened 7 years ago?

There are some pretty heated opinions on there, here are just a few:

NO!!! It was consensual, not illegal and had nothing to do with Channel 9 or Melbourne Storm. I’d like to see statistics showing how many people have had group sex – I bet you it would be a large percentage. – Altezza

If Johns has a daughter, and this happened to her, what do you think he would do to the guys who did it? – Anonymous

Apparently this was investigated by NZ police and he was not charged. Why does someone get to come back 7 years later and upheave his life. I think it was a publicity stunt on her part and she will probably be well paid for her story. – HJ

This was a 19 year old girl. One who could very easily be taken advantage of. And the police investigation? Hmmm 6 witnesses vs 1. What do you think the police can do? Turns into a “he sad she said” situation. – Karl

The thing is, this type of behaviour brings up wider implications that we’re not unfamiliar with. Remember the Brett Stewart incident? He is still waiting to face court in a few weeks for allegations of sexually assaulting a minor. Yet he was only banned for 4 weeks from the NRL, even though the reason he was inebriated on the night in question was because of a Manly Sea Eagles booze up.

As dogsoldier1962 asked the Answers community, have the NRL backed themselves into a corner? Should the NRL go back over all the incidents that have happened like the Bulldogs in Coffs Harbour, the 3 Broncos players from late last year and even Brett Stewart and start tearing up their contracts?

What is even more scary is what does this behaviour say about the football culture? Why have there been so many scandals like this? Lou asks, why are NRL players prone to pack sex? Is it a rite of passage? There’s certainly a lot of discussion in Answers about it and the NRL has a lot to think about. Furthermore, we have a lot to think about whether these are the type of people we want as role models, particularly in a media capacity like Matthew Johns.

So what happens to Matthew Johns now? Do you think he should ever have a TV career again or has he ruined his public reputation permanently?

Caitlin
Community Manager

Quiz legends John Burgess, Greg Evans & Ian Turpie with Miss Universe Australia Laura Dundovic and Presenter Mike Goldman on Sydney Harbour this week

Have you seen the question from one of our favourite quiz show hosts John Burgess on Answers? He asked:

There have been some great Answers from the community so far, I particularly like Alycat’s:

Sitting down with my mum eating dinner watching The Goodies. I now sit down with my kids and they love them too. The Goodies are so politically incorrect and most of the time just stupid, but in today’s complicated world this is a breath of fresh air.

and Tarkarri’s

2 most memorable, a single incident and an ongoing show. Will never forget those first steps on the moon, as a child I found it absolutely awesome. The other was sneaking out of bed to watch Graham Kennedy on IMT through the crack at the hinge of the half open door. Half the jokes probably went straight over my head at the time, but the man was truly a master!

Well Burgo and fellow Quiz master legends Ian Turpie (The Price is Right) and Greg Evans (Perfect Match) were down on Sydney Harbour this week promoting PlayStation’s new Aussie themed Buzz!™Brain of Oz Ultimate Quiz Master Legend game. We thought we’d turn the tables and ask them what their favourite childhood TV memory is. Here’s what they had to say…

Burgo isn’t the only celeb we’ve got on Answers at the moment. Bond Girl Olga Kurylenko wants to know What qualities do you need to be a Bond girl and why?, Jennifer Aniston is asking What is your funniest family pet moment?, and Australia’s own Nicky Buckley asks What’s the worst cooking disaster you’ve had that set off the smoke alarm?

Are there any celebrities you’d like on Answers? Tell us here and we’ll see what we can do

Caitlin
Community Manager