Tom Gleeson revels in ‘personal’ Logies smear campaign as Gold rivals clap back
Gold Logie 2019 nominees (from left) Tom Gleeson, Sam Mac, Eve Morey, Amanda Keller, Rodger Corser and Costa Georgiadis. Photo: Getty
Days before Australian TV’s biggest stars mingle on the red carpet at The Star Gold Coast on Sunday, the public campaign by Gold Logie nominee Tom Gleeson to win continues to create ructions within the rarefied ranks.
“Most Australians struggle to care about the Logies and that’s fine, because they don’t mean anything,” the Hard Quiz host told The New Daily of his motive for his “very smear-focused” PR efforts.
“You have to get personal.
“The days of sitting around and waiting for a Gold Logie to lob in your lap are over. You can’t be humble now, we’re in an age of Instagram where everyone’s a media player,” Gleeson said.
“I’ll leave the humility to Ash Barty. I’m chock full of hubris.”
The ABC star’s final pitch to voters is “to ask who you want to see at the mic making the speech. With me, you get a professional, not some actor who needs someone else to write their words.
“I’m going to create trouble and rattle the cage and you get to be part of it.”
Gleeson’s tactics include releasing mock Twitter videos dissing fellow nominees, who include The Living Room’s Amanda Keller, Sunrise weatherman Sam Mac and Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis.
The Project’s Waleed Aly, Doctor Doctor’s Rodger Corser and Neighbours’ Eve Morey are also in the running.
To win the Gold Logie you have to fight dirty. Going negative works. Here's my Amanda Keller attack ad. #tvweeklogies #Gleeson4Gold Vote here now: https://t.co/oIgKOm3nip pic.twitter.com/G85CVsC6lM
— Tom Gleeson (@nonstoptom) June 23, 2019
Mac and Keller clapped back at Gleeson’s attacks, which include that Keller didn’t deliver on Beyond 2000 promises about flying cars and that Mac just tells people what we can find out on phone apps.
Keller is “struggling” with the hardline approach of bookies’ favourite Gleeson, who is up for three awards.
“It’s always been that the nominees are a happy soup, and I still want us to be a happy soup. There’s no need to make it personal and pick us all off,” she told News Corp
After Gleeson said it would be a “travesty” if Mac wins, the weatherman unleashed a hailstorm of his own on Nova’s Fitzy & Wippa radio show Tuesday.
“I love all of the other nominees except Tom Gleeson because I think that he’s been bullying people,” said Mac, who has campaigned as hard but not as mean as Gleeson.
Is TV Week down with having their night of nights awash with bad blood, faked for the cameras or not?
“Tom’s a professional comedian and cutting satire is his trade. Sounds like he’s executing his trade well,” TV Week editor Thomas Woodgate told The New Daily.
Gleeson admitted his campaign is “both” a funny and innovative exercise to show the Logies can be manipulated, and a shameless PR grab.
“There’s no point campaigning to win the Gold Logie if you can’t be entertaining,” he said.
“A lot of the other nominees wrestle with campaigning and find it self-serving, which it is.
“Some people get me wrong and think I hate the Logies. I don’t. I only ever make fun of things I’m genuinely interested in.”
Last year, Gleeson claimed he got Grant Denyer over the line for the Gold Logie after throwing his support behind the former Family Feud host.
Denyer said this week that claim “sh–s” him and he won off his own bat.
“I towelled him up for that,” Gleeson said.
“He’s in the fortunate position he will never know if he won it because of me or not.”
LIVE VOTING IS OPEN! When I win Gold, I promise I will un-axe #HardQuiz immediately. Let’s get @ABCTV it’s first Gold Logie in over 40 years. It’s time. #tvweeklogies #Gleeson4Gold Vote here now: https://t.co/oIgKOm3nip pic.twitter.com/exnYYHE1Ym
— Tom Gleeson (@nonstoptom) June 23, 2019
If he wins, Gleeson is toying with inviting everyone to crash the ABC afterparty.
“Last year it was just me and Deborah Mailman with a glass of red, watching Virginia Trioli dance by herself. It would be good to get a crowd there for once.”
Gleeson has prepared for the rigours of the night by “ramping up” his alcohol intake.
“I don’t want to look like an amateur on the night, so I’ve been drinking heavily. The featherweights will fall around me while I power on.
“I think Karl [Stefanovic] is going, so I’ll meet him for breakfast beers. I want to turn up cooked so that way people can be disappointed before I’ve started, then I’ll bring it home.”
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