I had no idea what to expect, and to be honest I probably didnt really know what a movie was. We had an old Krysler TV, so Sunday Night Disney was about my extent of knowledge when it came to showbiz type expereicne.

Dad gave me a choice of two flicks. We could see ET, some movie about an alien, or SuperMan 2. Now I had no idea who or what ET was, but I was a big fan of Superman in general. The choice was excrutiatingly hard. Little did I know at the time that the first movie I ever chose to see would or could impact my life forever. Not knowing the ramifications I chose ET, and have breathed that sigh of relief ever since.

Not only was I blown away by the magic of movies in general, but ET turned out to be an all time classic. It was also the first time I met Dew Barrymore ( even if it was on a large screen, and have remained a fan ever since) and we all know the fate of Superman 2, not some of Christopher Reeve’s finest work.

I was hooked, and have had a love of movies ever since. A love of escpaing from reality, letting my imagination run wild and expereicning a world where good does always win and romance is how you wished it would be. The boy does gets the girl, while beating the bad guy, and saves the planet , becomes extrememly rich and lives happily ever after.

Skip forward a few years and I scored my first job in media as a Movie Reviewer for The Sunshine Coast Daily, doing weekly movie reviews in my own column. After switching to radio for the past almost 2 decades, Movies still play a big part of what I now do, talking about them, critiquing them and enjoying how far they’ve come. I’ve seen plenty, my weekends in my youth would be spent seeing the latest flick, and since I started reviewing for the paper in 1992, I’ve at least seen a movie a week, every week with out fail.

FYI, although ET celebrates its 30th year in 2012, my all time fave is “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” starring John Candy and Steve Martin. Cause nothing says laugh out loud on screen moments than 2 men having to share the same bed waking up to ask

Where are your hands

Between two pillow

They’re not pillows.

They don’t make em like that anymore

To the point these days where we have an unnatural obsession with knowing whose doing what, when and where. To pedastool a “Celebrity ” is a dangerous practice, that at my guess wont give you much in return and waste your valuable time. Today’s 5 minute of famer has extended their welcome for more than we should have let them, filling our magazines with gossip, our TV screens with rumor and our minds with junk.

Now I’m a fan of many, Jamie Oliver, Tom Hanks and Merryl Streep come to mind. All of which Id love to have over for dinner, meet and get a photo and autograph. Id ask them about their families, their dreams and secrets to success.

I’m keen to hear how they made it and learn from their success, not so i can replicate their fame, but to see how they tick, operate and see the story behind the facade that is the life of the rich and famous. As a radio announcer Ive met plenty of actual celebs, people who are known for doing their thing, and doing it well. Are they all nice? NO! A particular interview with a little Aussie Band INXS springs to mind where the guys were wearing Sunglasses at 7 in the morning, to which I asked them why? Cause we’re in a band was the harsh reply. Whatever! I had no interest in learning more.

But when I met Deisel, Johny Young, Troy Casser Daly and Russel Crowe all lovely, all good family men who gave me the time of day, and treated me like an average guy, they were a delight to meet.

Famous for Famous sake, this is where it gets Dangerous., The Chick Chick Boom Girl, The Cast of Jersey Shore and the 4th Runner Up on Beauty and the Geek, all nice people I’m sure but not worth your effort to follow, tweet, obsess over and chat about at the water cooler.

How about instead of those who wont enrich your life, you get to know those that may, and probably even can. The old lady across the street, the girl who makes your coffee at Gloria Jeans every day ( Hi Sandy and Wendy), the lady behind the deli counter who givers your kids free Cheerios every time you visit

( thanks Berryl, the kids talked about all the way home.

Maybe a little less time on the Gossip mags, and a bit more on those you pass in the street everyday for a change. Sure a little Celeb Action is good, even healthy, but not at the expense of those who count.

POP QUIZ

See if you recognise any of these 15 Minute of Famers.

• Evan and Bella My Restaurant rules
• Vesna Big Brother
• Cat White Biggest Loser
• Sara & Lachlan Beauty and the geek

Dear Roxette,

Thank you, for helping me achieve a goal I’ve had since 1991 which was to see you play live.Your concert was amazing and a night Ill remember forever.

Firstly, your accents were so cute, in fact almost comical, in fact slightly distracting so the fact you didn’t talk much was a good thing, cause I kept laughing at your expense and felt like I was in an Ikea store, but hey,,

And gee you’ve aged differently,,, Maria, still as out there as ever, same hair do and looking all of 50, but Pear, you look younger now than you did in the 80s, must be that Scandinavian fresh air,

I just loved the way you took me back to my youth, for 2 hours I was 16 again, I enjoyed the ride of random memories popping in my brain every time a different classic came on, My mind recalled the bush dance I once called using your tunes, the scout camps where we rocked out round a campfire to your hits, and every teenage crush I had, came flooding back Christine Rowan, Leigh Redman, Katie Reeves and even my year 8 teacher Mrs Rainee, you Roxette filled my mind with stuff Id forgotten, but gladly remembered,

And then the hyper coloured t shirt I owned, the braces I wore for 2 years and the not 1 but 2 perms I had in an effort to be cool, all throughout your era, so on second thoughts thanks a lot, for a band that was so cool, why was I so uncool when it came to life whilst I was cranking your classics on the old Teac stereo,

Thank you Roxette, good times, Nothing like a band from my youth to remind me that It was 20 years ago when we last spent time together and even though Im 16 on the inside the bodies closing in on 40,,, and that’s something I wish you hadn’t pointed out.

You have my ears for life

Love Liam

Not an easy thing to do, and the realisation that we are so reliant on the social media side of life is a little scary. I admit I use the net, google, wiki and twitter on a minute by minute basis. And to take a step back and see what I’ve really been missing made me ashamed of the things I could be doing with my time

I love technology, being able to live in the now, instantly accessing what I need ,want, desire online at the click of a button. Our lives are better off today than they were , more than ever before. But the cost of what im missing by having my finger on the latest Iphone app has scared me off my 24/7 usage.

Will I give up technology after this week-long, self-inflicted ban? No. But will I cut back like a jittery 8 cups of coffee a day man to 5 or 6,, Yes. We need mod cons, they make life easier, faster and they help us. But don’t let life pass you buy with your head in a screen  and miss the stuff that will warm your heart in 30 years time

THE TOP 5 THINGS I LEARNT WHILST I WAS COLD TURKEY ON TECHNOLOGY.

1. My wife likes it when I listen to her, don’t say anything, try to fix things, but just sit there and let her purge, uninterrupted.
2. My kids absolutely love watching old home movies of themselves when they were even younger than they are right now. I could watch them watching and laughing at themselves for hours.
3. Stretching yourself and not checking on Wiki where I know that actor from, rather trying even harder to remember manually. It makes your think for yourself and gives your brain a good work-out
4. Not rushing my kids through the shower taught me they love to hosed down with freezing cold water, they can’t get enough of it. The sounds of their little squeals and pleas for Daddy to stop it ( even though they keep asking me to do it) is priceless.
5. The sky is actually a beautiful shade of blue, the trees look greener after it rains and food tastes better when your kids help you cook it. Life is good, don’t miss the small stuff. Cause you can’t get that stuff back .

Although you can usually find some techy mate to help you reload your phone settings and  back up your memory if your gadget is dropped, broken or lost. Drop the ball in the every day things, and there’s no way to “reboot”, “back up” or “Save As” the little gems of the journey once the power goes out in life.

Even in the life of my marriage of 8 years, technology has changed so quickly, and made lives easier, but at what cost.

Sure in a week, where I have been able to give my full attention to my beautiful kids, cook, clean and make conscious decisions to do things I have let slip as a result of becoming lazy, thanks to technology , we are better off as a society, but suffering for it at the same time.

My wife works part-time and on the days she’s at work, I am Mr Mum. I pick up the kids, clean up, make dinner and get them bathed, fed and in bed just as she’s coming home.

Having put down  the distractions, I was able to make my wife a delicious parmesan chicken and salad dish, waiting for her when she got home. She’d had a rough day and we just sat, (TV off) and I listened. Something I usually do, but whilst checking my phone for updated twitter feeds, news and events. So she rarely has my full attention. I am a bad husband, I know, I can see it. By just listening to her day, giving her my full attention, eye contact and concern, we re-connected.

Mod cons, have stolen away our ability to communicate, which is ironic as communicating is what they do. When do we ever just talk, listen and share. i enjoyed something I’d been missing from my life,  time out, alone time with my wife, quiet time with just the two of us.

No I havent had a massive light bulb moment where I will never use my phone in the house again, I’ve just realised how detrimental modern tools can be, and regaining those skills of listening, reflecting and being empathetic to others is really important.

My fear is when my Self Imposed Tech Ban ends, old habits will re-emerge. So I am weighing up that cost, reminding myself whats really important and looking for life balance. And someone to mend my lycra running shorts, since Ive had the phone off Ive been using them more, buts thats a different story.

It never used to be this way. Summer days of backyard cricket while waiting for Last Ninja on the Commodore 64 to load up were the norm. But my reliance on the mod cons, and having my finger on the pulse of “everything” has taken it toll.

So one day down, and not really knowing what this social experiment will achieve gave me plenty of free time to do stuff, but “what”, was my problem. Looking after the kids whilst on the phone is normal. Setting them up in front of the DVD while I check twitter is what I do, and having a few hours to “Do Life” already left me wondering, what does everyone do when there not multi tasking.

Well for me , it was about my full attention, on my kids. An arvo free, and I spent some quality time continuing to toilet train my 2-year-old. To the point of resorting to mimick, I went, she copied ( not a recommended method, but it killed 2 birds with one stone).

I started teaching my baby how to ride her pedal powered bike. She has been using it like a push along bike for months while I watch from afar, on my phone, so I physically went and showed her where to put her feet and how to pedal. She loved it.

I put the kids in the blow up pool and hosed them for an hour. The hose on full pelt, my babies running and ducking for cover under the trampoline, their beautiful squeals filling the neighbourhood.

I cooked, I sent them to bed and watched TV with my wife, without the distraction of having me, constantly on twitter making social comment on MKR or what I thought of the small amount of weight this weeks contestants lost on The Biggest Loser. It was kind of nice. Yet I’m in major withdrawal mode, almost to the point of having the shakes. I love technology and although im prepared to go the whole week in this experiment, I cant help but be scared that I’ll be straight back on it when the week is done.

I wrapped up my night with an entire book, cover to cover, I got stuck in and ploughed through it. I love to read and that was my 6th book for the year. No distractions. A productive arvo sure, but how am I going to fill the rest of my week? Will I get bored? Will I crack and get my fix of Twitter at 2 am when I get up to use the loo?

I’ll keep you posted (during office hours only, this week of course)

I admit it, I love my Iphone,Pad and Pod. I’m never more than an arms length away from either. I check my virtual world all day long, repeatedly. To the point of pressing refresh on my emails when nothing is coming through. I can’t see the problem as yet, but have been told its effecting my day-to-day relationships.

My wife has had a gut-full, telling me I ignore the kids in favor of reading the latest txt, tweet or email. I didn’t think it was that bad. I just love technology, keeping my finger on the pulse of life, whose saying what, tweeting something clever or trending on social media.

But the point has been made, and for this week, I have promised to put down my I-tools and go Cold Turkey on the mod-cons. After office hours, no Iphone, IPad or iPod, instead, real conversation, real-time with my kids and my undivided attention to my wife. All those years thinking I was multi tasking by watching TV, following twitter and talking to my wife at the same time meant nothing to those I love most, thinking I was a very clever boy.

So for this week, no looking ahead on Wikipedia as to how my favorite show ends, whats trending on twitter or which last-minute guests are trying to get on the radio show the next day. I’m going techno free, after hours to see if I can do it, how I will go and if there is more to life than the Virtual World I have come to love.

Dont bother calling , tweeting or txting after hours, my phones in lock down, I will resume normal programming from 5am till 1pm for the rest of the week. Wish me luck,  cause I already have the withdrawal shakes. And without my phone as a gentle reminder, how on earth am I gunna remember my kids names,,, watch this space.

So these days it has been pointed out that I’m letting the team down when it comes to the overall Family Fashion Theme. It’s not enough for my babies to wear Sea Folly dresses, and my wife to look a million bucks, I have been told I too, now need to up my game and not let the team down. When you kids ask you, “Youre not going to wear that daddy, are you”? you’ve got problems.

I don’t see a problem with my rotation of 5 shirts from Rivers, they were cheap, practical and do the job. And to add insult to my girls injury, I recently acquired  a pair of Pearl coloured Crocs. To which I’ve since been told are not meant for people over 5, and nothing matches the colour Pearl.

My response,  TOO BAD, I like what I wear, its comfortable, clean and suits me. And to be honest there is something slightly satisfying about knowing your annoying your wife and fashion conscious kids,  all though   Mental Flashback to when I was a teen and my dad was such a Daggy Dad, with his Flannelette Shirts and Stubbies Short. I can remember him trying to sign me up to get my first Lowes Card,(there in store credit card, which meant you could by as much Darryl Summers inspired clothing as you like)  as if it was a right of passage , him passing to me the fashion right to proudly wear Slacks and Multi coloured vests. I’m sure he had shares in Lowes, and when I see  store today I still smirk. And maybe my kids will when there older and pass Rivers  thinking about what a Daggy Dad I was.

In the words of Steve Irwin,,,Crocs Rule , especially Pearl coloured ones.

Me with Miss 2 (Amelia) in my Green Rivers Shirt, I also have it in Blue, Red and White.

Dont get me wrong, I love my kids, who doesn’t love their own pride and joys. Except I havent slept since 2008, both little angels know how to huff back at daddy in  disgust and walk off on me , and every room  in what was my house, is now there’s with the floors being covered in my little ponies, princess wands and play dough.

Love em, sure, but I just don’t get the daily grief from my brand new Big Screen TV like  dads do from their kids.

So here’s todays Fast 5 reasons (while I’m still in the honeymoon period of gleefully coming home from work to watch my favourite shows on all its 50inch glory) why I Love my Big Screen TV more than my kids.

• My TV doesn’t keep sneaking their jam covered hands into my pockets, stealing my wallet and emptying its contents on bottles of Hair product that cost $24 a pop. (did I mention my girls are both under 4, and their already using product). A one of payment for my TV and we were square, no more payments required.

• My TV has a volume switch, which I can control. My girls love to wake me up , early and loudly. The ability to turn down, or mute those bits in life or on the box I choose is magic.

• My TV gives me a night of variety. The groundhog like experience of Bath, Teeth , Bed, Crying, Nappy Change and then Get me a glass of water ran its course of being interesting years ago. My Big Screen throws Ice Road Truckers, then The Kardashian’s or MacGyver my way keeping me on my toes,, Its TV Roulette every night of the week.

• I can push my TV’s Buttons, it doesn’t push mine. Unlike my beautiful kids who know where daddy’s tolerance is. Theres a nice feeling of knowing when I ask my TV to go to 3D mode it will, it wont start to take its clothes off, run up and down my hallway screaming I don’t want to brush my teeth,  nude. Why do kids always get nude,  my TV keeps respectable at all times

• I can turn my TV off. As opposed to the other night at 3.15 am, when my angels wanted to daddy to read them a story, even though Daddy was spent. when I tell me TV it does whats its told,,, ahhhh the silence is deafening.

In saying all that, I tried to snuggle up with Big Screen TV  last Sunday morning for a hug, tickle and giggle but just wasnt feeling the Love in return, Lucky my Kids still love their Daddy.  Anyone for a bit of couch time in front of the Wiggles.

This week marke my  my 6 year anniversary of hosting the Family Show on 96five in Brisbane.

This is my second stint at 96five. I worked here from 1995 to 2000 as the host of tyhe Night Show  and then as the drive host. So I’ve racked up over a decade over the years at this place. It got me thinking of the past and thought I share a few stand out memories

• My first night on air was very exciting. I already had a day job at Sun FM on the SunShine coast as a day announcer, but the lure of the Capital City was my dream, Mal Pollard offered me my first Mid Dawn shift ( to see what I could do ) and I was wrapped. The first song I played was by Simply Red and the shift went well. Back then we still had the same phone system as the one we just got rid of, and to put calls to air we’d put the phone on speaker and move Mic 3  close to the speaker so we could get the call to air.
• After my first shift I went downstairs to drive to the coast to do my Day Job without any sleep. I’d parked in the Lutheran Car park by mistake next door, which had a massive padlock on the Gate so I was locked in till 8am. Only Just made it to work and had a sleep under my desk at lunch time. That arvo Mal relieved the current Nite Alive Host of his duties and I started Nite Alive from that night, still with no sleep, but was on such a high I didn’t care

• Our first ever OB was from the Open Book Bookstore, which was just below us in the same building. In true 96five style, we ran a Mic lead from the 3^rd floor downstairs about 50 metres to get to air, Hokey, yes, but it worked, and has seemed to ever since

• We did an OB years later from Boggo Road Jail at the first ever Paul Colman Trio Concert. It was massive. I dressed my 2 housemates in suites, sunglasses and earpieces as my bodyguards to keep the crowds back.

• The first celebrity interview on the family Show back in 2006 was with Eddie Maguire. We didn’t do mainstream celebs on air back then and it was an interesting debate as to why we did, and why we would now be including them in the new show. The station changed from that day.

• Our first big FS promotion was 96fives Ideal Bride. We married a couple Live on air at Suttons Beach. It was a great broadcast and for the next 3 years every year on their anniversary we talked to the happy couple to hear their progress.

• The Homeless Street Sleep of 2007 was life changing. Living as a homeless man for a week in the valley was awful, embarrassing, scary and humiliating and at times dangerous. I was an emotional mess by day two and found it hard to keep my thoughts together to do a week of live shows from the streets. There were even times I was so lost I felt I could have just disappeared down a back street, leave my life, job and family and never be heard of again,,,,  such was the overwhelming trap and stranglehold being homeless and unnoticed has on people.

• Hugging every listener was a highlight. Getting out live, meeting those who choose to turn us on every day was a privilege. That was also around the time we birthed Romeo the radio Dog. The hardest finance meeting I’ve ever had to do, convincing 50 year old men that a 6 foot Dog suite would be beneficial to our brand., Especially when it cost $5000. I’ve always appreciated the abilty of the stations leaders to trust those in key roles to do their jobs and the support they’ve given throughout the good and bad decisions. And thankfully Romeo seesm to have paid off.

• There have been lots of laughs, good times and special moments over the years. The good days have always outnumbered the bad. The teams I’ve worked with have been amazing, and always much different to my time at commercial radio as we all have the same dream and goal of making a difference. I remind myself every day that the worst day on radio is better than the best day Digging a Ditch. And after 6 years , many contract negotiations and demands  being met and knocked back it was a true delight to come to work late last year and see my Hot Dog Machine which Id been asking for the announcers since 2007 was on my desk,,,, My work here is done. Hot Dogs on Me at 12 today.

 Thanks everyone,  heres looking forward to a brilliant 2012.

Liam