Channel Seven to air Ben Cousins documentary - Aug 25-26

[one-eyed]

Channel Seven to air Ben Cousins documentary

   * Tony Sheahan
    * From: Sunday Herald Sun
    * August 01, 2010


BEN Cousins' explosive tell-all documentary is set for a primetime screening.

Sources say all networks were in talks to show the graphic program, which details Tigers star Cousins' drug spiral and healing.

But Seven, offering to broadcast the doco mid-week, over two nights, in primetime, is set to seal the deal this week.

The news will add fuel to speculation that Cousins won't play on next season as Richmond has insisted in the past the documentary could not screen while the star was a Tiger.

The documentary is said to be a raw and chilling account of Cousins' substance abuse and road to recovery.

It also features his off-field passions like skydiving.

Television executives who have seen the doco say it is profound and destined to win awards.

Richmond Football Club has said it does not want the documentary screened during the 2010 season.

Late on Saturday, music boss Michael Gudinski, executive producer of the doco, said no deal has been signed.

Mr Gudinski said Cousins is still working on the as-yet unfinished doco.

Seven would not comment.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/channel-seven-to-air-ben-cousins-documentary/story-e6frf9jf-1225899478017

[Go Richo 12]

Today, Tonight?

[jackstar is back again]

Channel Seven to air Ben Cousins documentary

    * Tony Sheahan
    * From: Sunday Herald Sun
    * August 01, 2010


BEN Cousins' explosive tell-all documentary is set for a primetime screening.

Sources say all networks were in talks to show the graphic program, which details Tigers star Cousins' drug spiral and healing.

But Seven, offering to broadcast the doco mid-week, over two nights, in primetime, is set to seal the deal this week.

The news will add fuel to speculation that Cousins won't play on next season as Richmond has insisted in the past the documentary could not screen while the star was a Tiger.

The documentary is said to be a raw and chilling account of Cousins' substance abuse and road to recovery.

It also features his off-field passions like skydiving.

Television executives who have seen the doco say it is profound and destined to win awards.

Richmond Football Club has said it does not want the documentary screened during the 2010 season.

Late on Saturday, music boss Michael Gudinski, executive producer of the doco, said no deal has been signed.

Mr Gudinski said Cousins is still working on the as-yet unfinished doco.

Seven would not comment.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/channel-seven-to-air-ben-cousins-documentary/story-e6frf9jf-1225899478017

Good story Tony

[one-eyed]

Cousins hopes for blessing on doco
August 3, 2010 - 4:17PM


Richmond veteran Ben Cousins hopes a revealing documentary on his battle with drug addiction will be televised soon, and with the blessing of his AFL club.

Cousins, 32, said on Tuesday a documentary detailing the drug battle which led to his demise at West Coast was a "week or two" away from completion.

The documentary, which also covers Cousins' path to recovery, has attracted significant interest from Australia's television networks, but Seven is understood to be close to finalising a deal for the rights.

Richmond have been wary of the documentary since they recruited the Brownlow medallist in late 2008 and at the time said the program would never be screened without the Tigers' permission.

Tigers football manager Craig Cameron told radio station SEN on Sunday he expected the Tigers to be given a look at the documentary before it aired.

But Cameron said it was not a case of Cousins choosing the screening of the documentary over another one-year contract.

Cousins was hopeful the documentary could air while he was still an active player in the AFL.

"I think so," he told radio station Nova.

"... It will be there to certainly not upset people."

Cousins hoped the documentary could have "a bit of an impact" when it was televised.

But he doubted the documentary would be screened at the pinnacle of the AFL season, as has been suggested.

"I think grand final week would be out of bounds because it's a pretty special week for the football industry," he said.

Cousins played in West Coast's 2006 premiership win but was sacked by the Eagles after the 2007 season when his drug problem and behaviour spiralled out of control.

He was suspended by the AFL soon after for bringing the game into disrepute, before Richmond recruited him for the 2009 season.

Comment was being sought from Seven and Cameron.

http://www.smh.com.au/afl/afl-news/cousins-hopes-for-blessing-on-doco-20100803-114oz.html

[one-eyed]

Seven to televise Ben's doco
CAROLINE WILSON
August 4, 2010


CHANNEL Seven has reached a six-figure agreement with Ben Cousins to televise the long-awaited documentary regarding the football star's battle with drug addiction and journey back to the AFL.

Although no one at the network would confirm that an agreement had been signed, the AFL broadcaster could televise the two-hour special as soon as next month, although the prevailing view at Seven last night was that the screening would be more appropriate once Cousins had retired from the AFL - which could happen by September.

Channel Seven has briefed Richmond regarding its plans for the documentary, which had its genesis when Cousins first attended drug rehabilitation in California in March 2007. The player is understood to have invested close to $200,000 in the program, which senior industry executives estimated could be worth more than double that in sale value.


The same sources believed Cousins would have sold the production for a minimum $400,000.

With the 32-year-old's playing future yet to be announced by Richmond, the Tigers have indicated they would want to approve the program's release, as has the AFL. Those approvals would be irrelevant should Cousins retire at the end of this season.

Cousins hoped the documentary could have ''a bit of an impact'' when it was televised. The view from those who have seen it have described the documentary as confronting and instructive.

Tiger chief executive Brendon Gale is understood to have seen an unfinished version of the production and Richmond and the AFL have indicated some discomfort at a prime-time release while Cousins was still playing.

Apart from showing gritty footage of Cousins's battle with addiction and rehabilitation, the documentary includes interviews with his family, former teammates, including Chris Judd and coach John Worsfold.

The family of the late Heath Ledger also co-operated with the production.

http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/seven-to-televise-bens-doco-20100803-115f8.html

[Mr Magic]

The player is understood to have invested close to $200,000 in the program, which senior industry executives estimated could be worth more than double that in sale value.

The same sources believed Cousins would have sold the production for a minimum $400,000.

It's Caro's article so I'm dubious but I personally have a problem with Cousins benefitting financially from his personal screw ups.
Put any financial gain back into charity rather than your pocket and I'm fine.

[ros]

The player is understood to have invested close to $200,000 in the program, which senior industry executives estimated could be worth more than double that in sale value.

The same sources believed Cousins would have sold the production for a minimum $400,000.

It's Caro's article so I'm dubious but I personally have a problem with Cousins benefitting financially from his personal screw ups.
Put any financial gain back into charity rather than your pocket and I'm fine.

Ben auctioned his Eagles premiership jumper and part proceeds of a luncheon held in Perth on the 30th of August 09, with Kevin Sheedy, to  Cryrenian House( a not-for-profit, non-government ) drug rehab centre in Perth. 

I doubt there is much profit in the doco once everyone involved takes their cut. Anyway ,  it’s ok for someone else to write a book or do a doco on the life of Ben and profit,  but not for Ben?

[Penelope]

The player is understood to have invested close to $200,000 in the program, which senior industry executives estimated could be worth more than double that in sale value.

The same sources believed Cousins would have sold the production for a minimum $400,000.

It's Caro's article so I'm dubious but I personally have a problem with Cousins benefitting financially from his personal screw ups.
Put any financial gain back into charity rather than your pocket and I'm fine.

Ben's "personal screw" up is pretty much the same "screw up" that many, many people who become addicted to alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling or whatever, make. The major difference is how public it was. I doubt that too many people would be able to go through what he went thorough in such a public manner, yet alone handle the public scrutiny the way he did.

It cost him his job as captain of an AFL club, his job as a West Coast footballer and brought a suspension from his career for 12 months. Financially he has probably lost more money than he will recoup from this, much more.

It's not like someone engaging in criminal activity and then profiting from the story, nor should telling your story only be the domain of squeaky clean successful people.

If after all he has been through, he is prepared to have all his dirty laundry aired in public yet again, then he is entitled to whatever he can get. You never know, it may even help some people get over their ignorance on the subject of addiction.

[Smokey]

Good post Al, spot on.   

[Mr Magic]

It's not like someone engaging in criminal activity and then profiting from the story

I thought hard drug use was still illegal in this country al? Perhaps I missed something?

If Cousins is putting the profits back into rehab clinics etc. as he apparently done previously then I have no issue with it.
Otherwise it doesn't sit well with me.

[Penelope]

while drug use is illegal, it's hardly criminal activity. There are many things that are illegal ie most traffic offences but those guilty of them are hardly criminal.

i'm pretty sure that suicide is still illegal in some if not all states and anal sex (male or female) is still illegal in Tassie, but you'd hardly label people "guilty" of such things as criminal.

The point is that most addictions have a similar root cause, it's just that cousin's manifested itself in the abuse of a substance that is deemed to be illegal in the misguided notion that will prevent it's use.

If cousins problem had been alcohol or solely prescription drugs would you still have the same view?

Hardwicks comments on the doco are worth noting;

"But the thing about the documentary is if one person learns one thing from it, I reckon it will be a documentary well worth doing," Hardwick said.

"It's something that at some stage we'd like to show our playing group.

"You've got to heed its message - drugs within our society, it's a very confronting thing, I have young kids myself."

[Mr Magic]

while drug use is illegal, it's hardly criminal activity.

Sorry you lost me here.

If Cousins is putting the profits of his drug doco towards trying to help others then great otherwise he's just profiteering from his illegal activities.

We agree to disagree on this one.

[Infamy]

while drug use is illegal, it's hardly criminal activity.

Sorry you lost me here.

If Cousins is putting the profits of his drug doco towards trying to help others then great otherwise he's just profiteering from his illegal activities.

We agree to disagree on this one.

It's not like he was profiting from dealing drugs, he is telling his story of addiction, not exactly proceeds of crime

[mightytiges]

while drug use is illegal, it's hardly criminal activity.

Sorry you lost me here.

If Cousins is putting the profits of his drug doco towards trying to help others then great otherwise he's just profiteering from his illegal activities.

We agree to disagree on this one.

It's not like he was profiting from dealing drugs, he is telling his story of addiction, not exactly proceeds of crime

Until we all see the doco it's kind of hard to make any judgements. We don't even know where the starting point of doco is relative to his life. Does it start from the beginning of his footy career when he got drafted and the late 90s/early 2000s when he would've started to dabble or does the doco begin when the proverbial hit the fan when he got sacked by the Eagles and his road to redemption now at Richmond. All we know that is in it is the cameras where in the rooms for the NAB Cup game against the Pies last year.

[Stripes]

Saw the documentary advertised on TV tonight with Benny topless most of the time and with bottles of booze strewn everywhere. Looks like his family plays a bit part in the doco too.