Logie nominees raise the bar for WA
Pint-sized Perth pop star Samantha Jade has scored her first TV Week Logie award nomination, joining a handful of talented WA women hoping to bring home a trophy on TV's night of nights in Melbourne on May 3.
Jade is nominated for her portrayal of pop princess Kylie Minogue in Seven's mini-series INXS: Never Tear Us Apart. She will compete for the most popular new talent Logie against her INXS co-star *Laura Brent *(also nominated for ABC's Anzac Girls), Love Child's Miranda Tapsell * and Harriet Dyer and Neighbours starlet Olympia Valance.
WA-raised The Project co-host Carrie Bickmore is again up for the Gold Logie for most popular personality on Australian TV as well as most popular presenter, while WA-raised Mandy McElhinney and Jessie Marais, co-stars in Nine's 1960s drama Love Child, will compete for most popular actress.
Marais' popular nomination is also for her role as transgender pioneer Carlotta in the ABC telemovie of the same name. She's also the only popular-actress nominee up for the outstanding actress Logie.
There was no surprise in the nominations for Gold, a mix of previous winners in Hamish Blake, Scott Cam and Asher Keddie, and previous hopefuls Bickmore, Stephen Peacocke and Andy Lee.
The most popular actor category is a mixed bag with two ABC comedians - Chris Lilley (Jonah From Tonga) and Josh Thomas (Please Like Me) - competing against WAAPA graduate Luke Arnold (Michael Hutchence in INXS: Never Tear Us Apart), Craig McLachlan (The Doctor Blake Mysteries, ABC) and Peacocke (Home and Away, Seven). Arnold is the only most-popular actor nominee also nominated for most outstanding actor.
The Graham Kennedy award for most outstanding newcomer is being contested by a mixed field; Tapsell and Dyer from Love Child, Brandon McClelland from Anzac Girls, comedian Troy Kinne for his 7mate show Kinne and actress-turned-blogger- turned-foodie presenter Silvia Colloca for SBS1 show Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca.
Electric Pictures' WA-made ABC docu-drama The War That Changed Us is nominated for most outstanding factual program.
