Latest news with #MarriedatFirstSight
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Nine unveils management shake-up in TV, Stan
Nine Entertainment head of streaming and broadcasting Amanda Laing has unveiled a new leadership structure that she hopes will better integrate the company's brands, with the heads of the television wing's sport, entertainment and news units to take on responsibility for content on Stan. On Friday, about five months since Laing was appointed as managing director of Nine's newly formed streaming and broadcast division, the former Foxtel executive announced a raft of leadership changes, including new roles in which several veteran TV directors will report to her. Broadly speaking, Laing's plan for the division includes giving the heads of various departments control of television output; its paid-streaming service Stan; and its free catch-up website 9Now, including deciding which content is best suited to each platform, as part of changes that will take effect from July 1. Nine is owner of this masthead. Driving efficiencies and drawing on resources across the company is central to the changes, including a merger of production teams from Stan Sports and the historic Wide World of Sports. Laing will lead a program to further grow the sport offering, with the aim of increasing advertising and subscription revenues as well as gaining additional broadcast rights and partnerships. Michael Healy, who has served as Channel 9's director of television since 2010, will move into an executive director of entertainment role that includes responsibility for the commissioning of all content across TV and streaming. This effectively puts him in charge of decisions for flagship shows such as Married at First Sight, Lego Masters and The Block, as well as for Australian original dramas and other series on Stan. Cailah Scobie, chief content officer at Stan, will take on the expanded role of executive director of entertainment content acquisitions, which will involve negotiating with studios to secure the rights for series, including big-name US-produced shows key to driving subscriptions and viewer numbers, for both streaming and broadcast television. Fiona Dear, Nine's director of news and current affairs, fresh from launching a dedicated long-form current affairs and investigations unit, will take on responsibility for streaming services as the company hopes to better unite the work of journalists across its broadcast and publishing divisions, which include The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review. The plan aims to build on the collaborations between print journalists from the mastheads working with programs such as 60 Minutes that have occurred since Nine's merger with Fairfax Media. No departures or redundancies were announced as part of the changes, which were explained to staff on Friday. Additionally, the company will soon recruit a chief strategy officer and chief marketing officer for the streaming and broadcast divisions, while Nine's state managing directors in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia will now also report to Laing.
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
Nine unveils management shake-up in TV, Stan
Nine Entertainment head of streaming and broadcasting Amanda Laing has unveiled a new leadership structure that she hopes will better integrate the company's brands, with the heads of the television wing's sport, entertainment and news units to take on responsibility for content on Stan. On Friday, about five months since Laing was appointed as managing director of Nine's newly formed streaming and broadcast division, the former Foxtel executive announced a raft of leadership changes, including new roles in which several veteran TV directors will report to her. Broadly speaking, Laing's plan for the division includes giving the heads of various departments control of television output; its paid-streaming service Stan; and its free catch-up website 9Now, including deciding which content is best suited to each platform, as part of changes that will take effect from July 1. Nine is owner of this masthead. Driving efficiencies and drawing on resources across the company is central to the changes, including a merger of production teams from Stan Sports and the historic Wide World of Sports. Laing will lead a program to further grow the sport offering, with the aim of increasing advertising and subscription revenues as well as gaining additional broadcast rights and partnerships. Michael Healy, who has served as Channel 9's director of television since 2010, will move into an executive director of entertainment role that includes responsibility for the commissioning of all content across TV and streaming. This effectively puts him in charge of decisions for flagship shows such as Married at First Sight, Lego Masters and The Block, as well as for Australian original dramas and other series on Stan. Cailah Scobie, chief content officer at Stan, will take on the expanded role of executive director of entertainment content acquisitions, which will involve negotiating with studios to secure the rights for series, including big-name US-produced shows key to driving subscriptions and viewer numbers, for both streaming and broadcast television. Fiona Dear, Nine's director of news and current affairs, fresh from launching a dedicated long-form current affairs and investigations unit, will take on responsibility for streaming services as the company hopes to better unite the work of journalists across its broadcast and publishing divisions, which include The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Australian Financial Review. The plan aims to build on the collaborations between print journalists from the mastheads working with programs such as 60 Minutes that have occurred since Nine's merger with Fairfax Media. No departures or redundancies were announced as part of the changes, which were explained to staff on Friday. Additionally, the company will soon recruit a chief strategy officer and chief marketing officer for the streaming and broadcast divisions, while Nine's state managing directors in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia will now also report to Laing.
Daily Mirror
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Married at First Sight's Mel Schilling breaks silence on 'exciting' new projects
EXCLUSIVE: MAFS UK and Australia relationship expert Mel Schilling has teamed up with a new campaign which helps newlyweds through all of life's moments not matter how big or small Mel Schilling has confirmed she's working on exciting projects away from Married at First Sight. The 53-year-old relationship expert appears on both UK and Australian versions of the popular dating show which sees strangers marrying each other after meeting for the first time at the alter. She's appeared in 16 seasons of the programme in total, 11 Down Under and five in the UK, and she's hinted that she's got exciting news coming very soon. Mel told the Mirror: "I have some exciting stuff coming down the line. Nothing I can talk about yet but some of it is TV but also moving into other mediums as well so I have a lot really exciting stuff coming up and I cannot wait to start sharing it so watch this space." Married at First Sight first aired back in 2015 and Mel has shared what she believes is the secret behind the show's success after a decade. Mel explained: 'I think our audience are really heavily invest in our couples because they get to see them over such a long period of time and they get that opportunity to have that voyeuristic peek behind the curtain at how another couple actually work through everyday normal life and that is so appealing. "I think many of many of our audiences look at the screen and see themselves and a lot of their own have this personal relationship with the couples and with us in terms of the advice we give so I feel they are very much on the journey with us." As well as working on secret projects, Mel has teamed up with Tesco to launch the UK's first supermarket wedding gift registry offering couples a range of gift packages covering off the everyday essentials. Launched in partnership with Prezola, the gift registry underlines Tesco's commitment to helping people through all of life's moments, big and small, and includes bundles recommended by Mel designed to set newlyweds up for a lifetime of happiness. According to research, couples spurning more traditional presents like fine china , crockery and towels, with 25 per cent saying they would prefer dinner dates with their other half and 18 per cent dream of having their weekly shop taken care of for a year. Mel said: "The key to setting up newlyweds for success is creating a foundation for everyday wellbeing and resilience so the romance can flourish. When the basics are taken care of, couples can prioritise their relationship and focus on creating moments that bring them closer. "That's why the Tesco wedding gift registry is genius. Setting aside expectations around 'traditional' wedding gifts, Tesco has listened to what couples today actually want and created something that will help build the foundations of a strong marriage. 'Whether that's a champagne toast to celebrate a win, a cup of tea together in the morning or a home-cooked meal to share - it's the little things that make a big difference." Tesco has launched six bespoke bundles on Prezola, developed in response to the real needs of modern couples across the UK to make life easier for newlywed couples navigating their first year of marriage.
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Katie Price opens up over rare cancer diagnosis after one sign
Katie Price, 47, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer while she was pregnant with her eldest son, Harvey Katie Price has opened up about her battle with a rare form of cancer that she was diagnosed with while pregnant with her son Harvey. The 47-year-old former glamour model, who became pregnant in 2002 after a brief fling with ex-Premier League star Dwight Yorke, was told by doctors that the stress of her pregnancy could have triggered the development of leiomyosarcoma, commonly referred to as LMS. Just 11 weeks after discovering her son Harvey Price had Prader-Willi Syndrome and was blind, Katie was diagnosed with the uncommon cancer. She shared her ordeal on Katherine Ryan's podcast What's My Age Again?, revealing that the cancer developed on her hand. LMS is a type of soft tissue sarcoma with a 50 per cent survival rate at an advanced stage. Katie initially learned of the lump on her hand when a manicurist noticed it, but two doctors initially dismissed it as harmless. However, she was later advised to have the growth removed and underwent a biopsy at Nuffield Hospital in Brighton, where the lump was excised, reports Plymouth Live. In conversation with comedian Katherine Ryan, Katie recounted: "While I was pregnant with Harvey I got cancer. I didn't know that until, because they couldn't do all the scans, after. "It was in my hand, they took it out, it was called leiomyosarcoma. Apparently I got that from being pregnant, the stress of it." She recalled informing her mother about her diagnosis in a casual manner, saying: "So when I phoned my mum, I just remember going: 'Mum, just to let you know, they found cancer'. I was so flippant like that because so much had already happened to me by then." She explained: "It was just a, 'Yeah, this has happened now', 'Yeah, that's happened now'. I think about it and then I'm just like, oh, well, you just got to get on with it." After her diagnosis, Katie had to attend regular check-ups following the removal of the growth. At the time, she described Harvey as her "inspiration" during her health scare. According to Sarcoma UK, there are around 525 cases of LMS each year in the United Kingdom. The condition affects women more than men, with the median age of diagnosis being 64. The prognosis is generally positive, with around 79% of women and 90% of men surviving the condition for at least a year. Treatment options often involve surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy. Katie went on to have two more children, Junior and Princess, with her ex-husband Peter Andre, whom she met on the set of I'm a Me Out of Here! in 2004 and married in 2005. However, they divorced in 2009. Katie later married Alex Reid in 2010, but they divorced after just a year. In 2013, she married Kieran Hayler, with whom she had two children, Bunny and Jett, before divorcing in 2021. Katie is currently in a relationship with JJ Slater, a former contestant on Married at First Sight.
The Advertiser
09-06-2025
- Business
- The Advertiser
Leaders used as props in Trump's trashy show
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing." This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. And, let's face it, so would you. We all knew it was coming but when it did, so publicly and in real time, the break-up was spectacular. The world's richest man and the world's most powerful, slugging it out for all to see, both diminished by the ugliness of the spectacle. Reality TV was never this compelling. No episode of Big Brother, Survivor or Married at First Sight has or will ever come close. Nor will it ever be this expensive to make. Elon Musk's US$300 million investment in Donald Trump's election campaign up in smoke in the course of an Oval Office appearance by the president, who with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz seated beside him like an embarrassed extra, unloaded on his former "first buddy". Not only that. Billions were wiped off his wealth as Tesla shares tanked by 14 per cent. One estimate was that Musk's personal net wealth tumbled by US$34 billion. In one day. Musk, the MAGA darling, one minute, a pariah the next. Long-time Trump acolyte Steve Bannon called for Musk's deportation. Trump himself threatened to cancel multibillion-dollar contracts with Musk's SpaceX, claimed Elon had "gone crazy". All because the billionaire publicly opposed Trump's spending bill with its tax cuts for the wealthy and an additional US$2.42 trillion in debt over the next decade. Musk himself called for Trump to be impeached, for JD Vance to replace him. He posted without evidence that Trump featured in the unreleased and, without doubt, sordid Jeffrey Epstein files. If it was dizzying stuff for casual viewers on the other side of the world, imagine what it was like for Merz, sitting in the rococo nightmare of the revamped Oval Office in front of the world's media, having just been informed by Trump that D-day was not a pleasant day for Germany. Some small talk. Then to have to sit through Trump's Musk tirade, maintaining a facial expression of dignified neutrality. After Zelenskyy's dressing down and South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa's enduring of discredited white genocide claims, it's time world leaders stopped beating a path to the Oval Office door. They should not allow themselves to be used as props in the trashy Trump show. Show some dignity, people. Time is a precious commodity, especially for the leaders of nations. The last thing they need is to waste it enduring incomprensible monologues from a president who has a loose arrangement with the plot. When Trump was bloviating about Russia and Ukraine being like two children fighting in a park - sometimes you have to let them fight before pulling them apart, he told the chancellor - Merz showed incredible self-control by not looking at his watch. Having seen a procession of leaders displayed like trophies in the Oval Office, the host basking in all the attention, often treating them rudely, those seeking an audience ought to be careful about what they wish for. It's unlikely Friedrich Merz thought he'd get a front row seat to the unholy tantrum that was the Musk-Trump break-up. Also unlikely he'd hurry back for more of the same. HAVE YOUR SAY: Should world leaders maintain their dignity by declining audiences with Donald Trump? Do they risk becoming extras in Trump's trashy reality show? Are they pandering to his ego by beating a path to his door? Would ignoring Trump better serve their interests? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - An Australian man detained in an Iraqi prison for nearly four years has been released on bail. Engineer Robert Pether was granted conditional release after being detained on misrepresentation and fraud charges. - Families of six children killed in a primary school jumping castle accident in Tasmania are angry and in disbelief after a court dismissed a workplace safety charge against its operator. - Armed with bollards and bravery, French nationals Damien Guerot and Silas Despreaux confronted Joel Cauchi amid his stabbing rampage at a busy mall in broad daylight where he killed six dead in five minutes. They were awarded the Ordre National du Merite, one of France's highest distinctions, for their courageous efforts on April 13, 2024. THEY SAID IT: "Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear." - Albert Camus YOU SAID IT: When problems are always presented as insurmountable, we stop looking for solutions, falling victim to doomsday fatigue, wrote Garry. "I wish, those who suffer doomsday fatigue stayed in bed and slept it off instead of doing things like getting on a plane to escape to somewhere else or driving around in fat SUVs, and those who understand what's going on actually did what's most effective to avert disasters," writes Horst. "Doomsday fatigue is real (also under other names like 'collapse awareness'), but it can and should be worked through," writes Alex. "When facing the environmental facts, it is useful to think of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. 'Acceptance' does not mean being happy about problems, it means being able to face them unblinking, go on doing what we can to make things better, appreciating what we've got." Noting he's enduring an Antarctic winter blast, Paul writes: "I think because everything is excessively hyped up, people just don't know how to gauge the degree of concern they should have over any particular issue. For an issue to break through the malaise, it takes something extraordinary and unexpected to happen - a wake-up call. Unfortunately, these days, that means a truly devastating event. That's the scary thing."
