I Swear

November 25, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

I consider it my responsibility to swear today.

Men across Australia are being asked to swear an oath that commits them to never commit or excuse violence against women. The My Oath website has full details on why we should swear and lets men take part in the campaign.

The campaign has the support of high profile men such as Keith Urban, Wil Anderson, David Koch, Adam Goodes, Shannon Noll, Gerry Harvey, Joe Hockey, Rove, Dicko, and many others.

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has labelled violence against women the most prevalent violation of human rights on the planet. And Australia is far from immune. Currently, one in three Australian women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Every single one of us knows a women who has suffered its effects, whether we know it or not. These women are our mothers, daughters, our wives, our girlfriends, colleagues and friends. By supporting this campaign you are helping to ensure that Australia becomes a safer place for all women, and their children.

Today is also White Ribbon Day, and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Australian men are urged to visit the My Oath website and follow the links to swear the following:

I swear:
never to commit violence against women,
never to excuse violence against women, and
never to remain silent about violence against women.
This is my oath.

Violence against women is never acceptable. Please swear today.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading I Swear? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Australian Idol not returning in 2010

January 10, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

Australian IdolIt’s provided some great television over the years and highlighted some excellent talent but it seems that the good times are over for Australian Idol.

News.com.au is reporting, “Australian Idol will be the first TV casualty of the year, with the former ratings juggernaut to be ‘rested’ for 2010.”

3.34 million people sat glued to their televisions when Guy Sebastian won the premiere series in 2003. Just 1.4 million viewers watched Stan Walker’s walk away with the title of Australian Idol in the 2009 finale. A drop of almost two million viewers would suggest that Australia has lost interest in the talent show.

The series has certainly had its critics but there is no denying that the show has brought some extremely talented performers to our attention. Guy Sebastian’s first single, Angels Brought Me Here was recently named as Australia’s highest selling song of the decade. You might put that down to the hype surrounding the first series of Australian Idol, but that can’t explain the fact that his recent hit, Like It Like That, was the highest selling Australian artist song and 6th highest selling song overall in Australia in 2009. Like It Like That is also being used in a number of US television shows. Six years later and Guy is still selling CDs by the truckload.

The series has had its ups and downs and not all series winners have gone on to bigger and better things but even finalists who didn’t reach the final few have continued to make a mark on the entertainment world to varying degrees.

No official announcements have been made yet and those closest to the show are still refusing to confirm anything. Though it would seem unlikely that we’ll see Australian Idol on our screens again, no one has ruled out a come back.

“Ten is going to rest Australian Idol for 2010,” a source said.

“They will make a decision towards the end of 2010 as to whether it will return in 2011.

“They have asked (production company) Fremantle (Media) for ideas on how to relaunch in 2011.”

Channel 10 refused to comment and Fremantle did not return calls yesterday. – News.com.au

I’ve certainly enjoyed chatting to many of the people involved in the show on my 98.5 Sonshine FM morning radio programme including judges Dicko and Marica Hines as well as contestants such as Guy Sebastian, Cosima, Paulini, Damien Leith, Dean Geyer, Chris Murphy, Natalie Gauci, Carl Riseley and Wes Carr.

There have been some wonderful moments over the years but it looks like the journey is all but over. We’ll miss Australian Idol but thankfully we can still enjoy some great music that we would never have heard if the series had never made its way to our living rooms.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Australian Idol not returning in 2010? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Real men swear

November 25, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
2 Comments

Today, in Australia, it is National Swear Day. I consider it my responsibility to swear today.

Men across Australia are being asked to swear an oath that commits them to never commit or excuse violence against women. The My Oath website has full details on why we should swear and lets men take part in the campaign.

National Swear Day has the support of high profile men such as Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Lt Gen Ken Gillespie, Hazem El Masri, Rove, Keith Urban, Wil Anderson, David Koch, Adam Goodes, Shannon Noll, Jason Culina, Dicko, and many others.

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has labelled violence against women the most prevalent violation of human rights on the planet. And Australia is far from immune. Currently, one in three Australian women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Every single one of us knows a women who has suffered its effects, whether we know it or not. These women are our mothers, daughters, our wives, our girlfriends, colleagues and friends. By supporting this campaign you are helping to ensure that Australia becomes a safer place for all women, and their children.

The day is part of the White Ribbon Campaign. Today is also White Ribbon Day, and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Australian men are urged to visit the My Oath website and follow the links to swear the following:

I swear:
never to commit violence against women,
never to excuse violence against women, and
never to remain silent about violence against women.
This is my oath.

Violence against women is never acceptable. Please swear today.



Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Real men swear? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Shaping up with Dicko

November 5, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
Add Comment

Dicko.jpgWe first met Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson when the first series of Australian Idol burst onto our television screens. Back then he was sometimes referred to as the nasty judge but the nation has since well and truly warmed to him. Dicko had worked in the record industry for 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to his role as an Idol judge.

Recently he has taken on the battle of the bulge and so far has lost 7kilograms at the half way point of his weight loss programme. he realised it was time to do something when a doctor told him that if he continued the way he was going he’d cut five years off his life.

I didn’t have concerns about my health at all. But when a medical professional tells you that you are obese and it will cut short your life you take it seriously.

Dicko has become the face of Jenny Craig’s Jen4Men programme, encouraging blokes to look after themselves and drop a few kilos. You can follow Dicko’s weight loss journey online.

It was my pleasure to talk to Dicko during my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM this morning. You can hear our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

We talked about losing weight, getting in shape and the current season of Australian Idol. Dicko also gave his tip for who will win this season of Idol.

I’m thinking that I could do with following the Jen4Men programme for a while but I doubt that Jenny Craig will be calling me anytime soon to become the next face of Jen4Men. 🙂

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR110509_1343.mp3]

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Shaping up with Dicko? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.