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| 3 April 2002 |
| 3 April 2002 Todd's Brotherly Love TODD James, the dreadlocked didgeridoo player from Big Brother, admits the hysteria surrounding the TV fish bowl surprised even him. "I had people cry once," he says of his post-eviction encounters with the public. "I walked out of a store and a couple of girls were a bit over-excited. They were shaking and crying. My favourite letter was from a guy who sent me $5 to have a beer on him. I've still got to send him the bottle top as proof that I did." Now Todd, minus the shaggy locks (shorn on the show), returns to the scene of the TV phenomenon - this time as roving reporter. The new series of Big Brother, again hosted by Gretel Killeen, returns at 7.30pm on Sunday with a look at 40 of the housemate applicants. It also goes into the process of culling 30,000 website applications and an eventual 4500 video submissions into the final 12 housemates, who will be revealed in a 90-minute special at 7pm on Monday. A 9.30pm special that night will focus on this year's house "intruders". The show will then screen for a half-hour at 7pm, weekdays. The racier Big Brother Uncut returns at 9.30pm, Thursday, April 18. Eviction nominations will run 7.30pm Mondays from next week, while the actual eviction episodes will air 7.30pm, Sundays, from April 21. While not giving too much away, Ten says there will be new rules to the house, new twists and surprises, 17 extra microphones and 34 cameras (two more than last year). Devotees can monitor the housemates 24 hours a day and vote for evictions on www.bigbrother.iprimus.com.au Todd, who lasted a month on the show, describes the house as a great experience, even if he did get testy at times. "Yeah, I wanted to punch someone - I'm not telling you who - and I didn't," he laughs. "They're not sticking robots in the house. They're sticking humans in there and that's just a human reaction." Once again, one housemate will be voted off each week by viewers - the ultimate winner walking out with $250,000. Todd says the key to survival is to "just be yourself". "If you start trying to be something that you're not to appeal to the public, then it's not going to last," he says. The Melburnian, whose new role requires vox pops with the public, replaces last year's reporter Sami Lukis, now with Nine's Today show. Sami is dating Big Brother's Peter Timbs, who was famous for the doona dance with Christina Davis. Davis also applied for Todd's job. Todd remains in contact with some of the former housemates, including Sharna West, who claims the show ruined her life. "Financially I've got nothing out of it. That is why, as time goes on, I'm getting more bitter and twisted," Sharna sobbed in January. Todd says: "I think really you get out of it what you put into it. I just don't think she's been patient enough with it. You can't expect to jump out of the Big Brother house and go 'Right, I'm here now. The world is my oyster. Start giving me offers'." Todd had acted on and off before BB. He guest-starred in Channel 9's Stingers and had the lead role in feature film Narcosis, which won the Melbourne Underground Film Festival in 2000. He says he applied for Big Brother just for the experience, not to further his acting career. "I don't know if a serious actor would actually do that to establish a career. My attitude to life is you could be dead tomorrow. I'm going to try everything," he says. Article from The Advertiser |