Talk:Phillip Adams

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To-do list for Phillip Adams: edit · history · watch · refresh
  • clarify the claim, "Billed as the godfather of the Australian Film Industry". Who made this claim? Should it be changed?
  • establish the dates each film was made and the role played by Phillip Adams in them.
  • Improve the bibliography and filmography entries by adding publication dates and release dates for the books and films.
  • add some stub articles to fix up the links that go nowhere.
  • claim fair use for the photo of Phillip Adams and do the appropriate notations with regard to the image file ie place hidden text at bottom of page and update image copyright information. The photo is currently unverified.

Contents

[edit] Edits

I've removed these words:

"The Reluctant Gentile"
"yet is often heard to iterate his commitment to atheism" (look at the context)
"Honorary Jew, The Australian Jewish Council"

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Mike Hamilton 21:11, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] LNL theme music reference restored

Waited a week for any objections to restoring the LNL theme music notes; none were posted, so have restored them.

Have again looked carefully at the reversions which cyberjunkie made to my April edits. I agree that some were "messy", but still think I was right to break Adams' work into sections.

I'll again wait for a week or so, and then slowly section the page into (my) idea of logical segments. If you have contrary views, you (of course) can revert/make changes - and/or talk here.

Mike Hamilton 19:54, 5 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] LNL theme music

I propose to restore the LNL theme music reference (deleted by cyberjunkie) with this one line:

Late Night Live's theme music is Elana Kats-Chernin's Russian Rags, which Adams calls the "Waltz of the Wombat". The previous theme was Bach's concerto for oboe, violin and orchestra in C Minor, BWV 1060: III. Allegro.

Any objections? I'll wait a few days before making the change.

Mike Hamilton 17:20, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] neutrality and balance

Cyberjunkie changed a recent edit with the comment "fmt messy structure". Fair enough - this is Wikipedia, and I'm not complaining. Every edit improves every article, even if only incrementally.

The "messy structure" was an attempt to break the text into discrete fragments - the idea being to make it (a) easier to zoom into a relevant area and (b) easier to edit specific sections.

I may very well have been wrong. But anyway, the article will evolve into whatever direction future editors choose.

I was, however, surprised that the section "Criticisms" was deleted. Adams *is* controversial; he *is* *frequently* criticised - that's notable.

IMHO the article is teetering towards a cloying hagiography.

Just for the record: I listen to LNL most nights, and am in no way an Adams-hater.

Oh, and I much preferred the old Bach theme music over the "Lazy Wombat" - but that line was deleted also :-(

Mike Hamilton 13:59, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] earlier comments

I've sent an email to Phillip Adams to see if there is anything he would like to add or provide as further content towards this page. I invited him to edit it himself, if he so desires. You never know, it just might happen. :) I'd be pleased if he did, as I have an interest in his life and works and would love to see it more readily available in the public domain through wikipedia.

--Randolph 10:05, 25 Mar 2005 (UTC)

I received a reply from Phillip Adams and his secretary sent on some biographical information to include in the article. It was a bit of a major edit to include the information, but I think I have managed to do so. It also has less of a resemblance to the article to be found on the ABC website, which is a good thing I would think. If there is any problem with the major edit I have undertaken, please feel free to revert to the older one, and I can pass on the biographical information I have to someone who feels more able to do the job. --Randolph 03:40, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

[edit] The Godfather of Aussie Film?

"Billed as the godfather of the Australian film industry, Adams' features include..."

The above sentence does not make it clear whether he was an actor, director or producer for those films. I'm assuming he was a producer (I looked him up in IMDB) but it should be more specific, especially when making such a bold claim. I would also dispute that he is "billed as the godfather" of the Australian film industry, and perhaps the wording should be changed to something like "Considered by some to be one of the architects of the Australian Film Industry..."? Any comments? --Peter 03:58, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

  • I'm taking that directly from the bio sent by his secretary, so I can only assume it has some substance to it. He certainly has some impressive credentials with regard to his chairmanships and board memberships relating to the Australian Film Industry. I'm open to suggestions. :) --Randolph 04:16, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)
    • I'm thinking that whole paragraph is redundant actually, as it's all recorded in the bibliography anyway. --Randolph 05:04, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

As far as I can tell he was a producer, but I would argue that someone like Bruce Beresford or George Miller would be considered more influential to Australian film. Adams is known primarily as a columnist and broadcaster, rather than as a film-maker. Calling him "the godfather" is really overstating his influence and also not very encyclopedic. But I think his contribrution to those films should still be noted as an example of his many talents. --Peter 06:24, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

I've been searching around for some reference to the comment and stumbled across an article the 'The Age' newspaper, Bazza turns 30
Quote from The Age, "Three decades after Bazza McKenzie appeared on the big screen with a fistful of Foster's, he has largely disappeared from sight. But the movie titled The Adventures of Barry McKenzie and billed as: "The shameless saga of a young Aussie in Pommyland" has a fair claim as the most influential Australian film of its era.
Without it, the careers of such talents as Bruce Beresford, Phillip Noyce, Peter Weir, Fred Schepisi and Gillian Armstrong might never have blossomed. This, at least, is the belief of the producer, Phillip Adams, the man who was known in the 1970s as the "godfather" of Australian cinema."
Another link, Ideas at the Powerhouse
Quote from the Ideas at the Powerhouse,"Often described as "The Godfather of Australian Film", Phillip was the author of the report that inspired Prime Minister John Gorton to revive the local industry. Working with Barry Jones, he devised the Experimental Film Fund and was the driving force behind the Australian Film and Television School. He devised the South Australian Film Corporation for Premier Don Dunstan, which became a model for similar bodies in all other States.
The plot thickens. It seems he was known at some stage in the 1970's as the Godfather of Australian cinema. --Randolph 07:16, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Thanks Randolph for the info - that certainly strengthens his case a lot. Maybe the sentence should be changed to something like:

Considered by some commentators to be "the Godfather" of Australian Film, Adams played a crucial role in reviving the Australian Film Industry during the 1970's. (with a footnote to the Age article - not sure how to do that)

--Peter 22:25, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

That looks pretty good to me. I'm rushing through today, so if you want to edit the article, I can add the footnote later. --Randolph 00:08, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Ok I did the edit and added a link to the Age article. I'm not sure if I have used the correct format for a citation, the how-to guides are a bit confusing on citations/footnotes. I also removed the list of movies and tv shows because that is repeating what is in the filmography section.

Citation recorded in the references section at the bottom of the article.--Randolph 17:30, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Bibliography

Should the bibliography entries be in italics? I haven't noticed what the usual format is for wikipedia. --Randolph 05:14, 31 Mar 2005 (UTC)

I've consulted the wikipedia style guide Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style and all seems in order. Italics is the the proper format. --Randolph 15:52, 1 Apr 2005 (UTC)gsdgbfbsdfbfdsbvfcs

[edit] Australian Living Treasure

Adams is one of the Australian Living Treasures. For almost 50 years, Adams' left-wing writings in newspapers and magazines have provoked discussion and outrage. He has spoken, chaired and moderated public and private sector conferences.

Is this true, as he his not on the linked page: Australian Living Treasures 131.181.251.66 01:49, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

Maybe this should be "was one of ..." 131.181.251.66 01:50, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Famous quotes

"What's the moral and ethical distinction between sex tours to the Philippines and Thailand where paedophiles can rent young bodies, and the use of 13- and 14-year-old girls as high-fashion models in glossy magazines? " source: Weekend Australian Magazine, June 21-22, 2003, p. 15

Well Phillip, if you can't understand the difference then I suggest you go and have a cup of tea. Greglocock 01:45, 29 October 2006 (UTC)