Eddie McGuire and Ghosts of Mars: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox_Film |

{{unreferenced||date=June 2006}}

name = John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars |

[[Image:Eddie_mcguire.png|right|frame|Eddie McGuire]]

image =Ghostsofmars01.jpg |

imdb_id =0228333 |

writer =[[John Carpenter]]<br>Larry Sulkis |

starring =[[Ice Cube]]<br>[[Natasha Henstridge]]<br>[[Jason Statham]]<br>[[Pam Grier]]<br>[[Clea DuVall]]<br>[[Joanna Cassidy]]|

director =[[John Carpenter]] |

producer =Sandy King |

distributor =[[Storm King]] [[Screen Gems]] |

released =[[August 24]], [[2001]] ([[Theater]])<br>[[December 4]] [[2001]] ([[DVD]]) |

runtime =98 min. |

language =English |

music =[[John Carpenter]] |

awards = |

amg_id = 1:250566 |

budget =$28,000,000 |

}}

'''''Ghosts of Mars''''' (also known as '''''John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars''''') is a [[2001]] movie directed by [[John Carpenter]], which in its basic themes is similar to his earlier [[Assault_on_Precinct_13_(1976_film) | Assault on Precinct 13]].

'''Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire''' '''[[Order of Australia|AM]]''' (born [[29 October]] [[1964]]) is the CEO of the [[Nine Network]], and president of the [[Collingwood Football Club]]. He has also been a [[journalist]], sports broadcaster, [[television]] [[game show]] host, and businessman. Before his time as CEO, he was well known for hosting the game show [[Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?]] and the [[AFL Footy Show]].

==Plot==

==Early Media Career==

Born in [[Melbourne]] and growing up in the notably working-class outer suburb of [[Broadmeadows]], McGuire was the son of a Scottish coal miner and an Irish farm girl who had arrived in Melbourne in 1958. He and older brother [[Frank McGuire]] both won scholarships to Christian Brothers' College, East St Kilda. [[Frank McGuire]], who worked as a newspaper sports reporter, got Eddie his first job in the media as a [[Australian rules football|football]] statistician and cricket reporter for ''[[Herald Sun|The Herald]]'' (1978 - 1982). Later he became a cadet sports reporter for [[Network Ten]], and then transferred in 1994 to [[Kerry Packer]]'s [[Nine Network]], where he became the host of a sports variety program, ''[[The Footy Show|The AFL Footy Show]]'', acting as ringmaster as a variety of current and former football players used the announcement of team lists for the [[Australian Football League]] on a Thursday night as a pretext for a variety of antics. Sneered at by many TV reviewers, the show was a massive hit with viewers.

The movie is set in the mid 22nd century. The planet [[Mars]] has been [[terraformed]], allowing Humans to walk on the surface without having to wear pressure suits. The story concerns a police officer, Melanie Ballard ([[Natasha Henstridge]]) who is leading a small team to pick up and transport a prisoner named Desolation Williams ([[Ice Cube]]). Arriving at the remote mining town where Williams is being held, Ballard finds virtually all of the people missing. On investigating she discovers that the miners found an underground doorway which had been created by an ancient [[Martian]] civilization. When the door was opened it released "ghosts", disembodied spirits who possessed the miners.

==1999 onwards==

McGuire's role at Nine expanded when he became the host of the Australian edition of ''[[Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?]]'', another hit that expanded his exposure to the rest of Australia. He hosted the show from its premier on [[April 18]], [[1999]] until [[April 3]], [[2006]].

Violence ensues, as the now possessed miners commit acts of [[death]] and [[destruction]], as well as [[self-mutilation]]. <!--The self mutilation however may be merely the alien spirits attempting to alter their human bodies to look more like those of the aliens themselves (which are only partially seen very briefly).-->

In what would otherwise have been a career highlight, McGuire's stint at hosting the annual [[Logie Awards]] became an embarrassing debacle, after he repeatedly referred to popular singing star [[Delta Goodrem]] as "Deltra".

Ballard must fight off the attacking miners, escape the town, and if possible destroy the ghosts. Unfortunately all these tasks are complicated by the fact that killing a possessed human merely releases the Martian spirit, which immediately possesses another human. Eventually they decide to blow up a [[nuclear]] reactor, which kills the human hosts. All of Ballard's team are killed by the miners, leaving only her and Desolation. Not wanting the authorities to blame the massacre on him, he handcuffs Ballard to her bed and escapes the train, leaving her to return home. While she reccuperates at a hospital, the miners attack the city. Desolation returns with a pair of [[nickle]] plated [[uzi]]s and they team up to fight off the alien zombies, setting the film up for an unlikly sequel.

McGuire served as a football radio caller at [[Triple M]], a station that had previously concentrated on wall-to-wall rock music, and wrote a football column for ''The Herald''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s successor the ''Herald Sun'', as well as becoming involved in a variety of sports and media-related business ventures.

His activities continued to spread and on 29 October 1998,his 34th birthday, he was elected to the presidency of Collingwood Football Club, a club that was then in financial and on-field difficulties. McGuire was elected by the vote of the members, and the club has become financially stable and its on-field performance has improved markedly (just missing out on the 2002 premiership). McGuire has commonly been held responsible for converting the everyday-imaged team into a financial success, despite its fluctuating on-field results.

Eddie's activities spread still further when he became a prominent campaigner for [[Australian republicanism]] (the movement for replacement of the British monarch as Australia's head of state). He was elected as a delegate to represent Victoria at the 1998 [[Constitutional Convention (Australia)|Constitutional Convention]], which led to the defeated [[1999 Australian republic referendum|1999 referendum]].

==FootballProduction MediaNotes==

When the Nine Network took over the rights to broadcast some AFL games in 2002 (after years of being denied access to footage), McGuire became host of the Friday night TV coverage. This became controversial when fellow broadcaster [[Tim Lane]], long-time [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] chief radio caller, was also recruited by Nine but with a proviso in his contract that he would not have to call Collingwood games with McGuire. Lane believed that McGuire, as the club president, would be seen as less than objective and he didn't want to be associated with the conflict of interest.

*Although Mars has a day/night cycle almost identical in length to Earth's, most of the movie is set at night. The only moment in which we see Mars during the daytime is in a flashback through the character of the scientist, when she talks about how she found and opened a "Pandora's Box" that let the alien spirits out.

McGuire insisted that he call all Friday night games, and Lane was sacked, or as McGuire would say - "boned" - (at considerable cost to Nine, as they had to pay out his contract). Many members of the general public have questioned McGuire's impartiality when calling games involving Collingwood.

*Much of the movie was filmed in a [[gypsum]] mine in New Mexico. The pure white gypsum had to be dyed with thousands of gallons of biodegradable red food dye to recreate the appearance of the Martian landscape.

During a Collingwood - [[Port Adelaide Football Club|Port Adelaide]] game at [[AAMI Stadium]], many Power supporters chanted "Eddie's a wanker" demonstrating how he has the power to polarise AFL supporters into Collingwood-non-Collingwood supporters and Victorian - non-Victorian supporters.

==Trivia==

McGuire's business activities include TipStar, a failed commercial "[[footy tipping]]" game, and more lucratively a production company (McGuire Media, founded 1997). His business activities are conducted in partnership with his brother [[Frank McGuire]], who is a former journalist.

*Originally Courtney Cox was set to play Ballard but after her foot was run over accidently by her husband she was replaced by Natasha Henstridge.

*On a similar note, Jason Statham was originally set to play Desolation Williams. This film also contains Statham's first on screen kiss.

==External links==

Eddie is also a soccer fanatic and is passionate about European giants Glasgow [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]].

*{{imdb title|id=0228333|title=Ghosts of Mars}}

He is married to [[Carla McGuire]] [nee Galloway] and has two sons Joseph and Alexander. He serves on many boards of companies and charities in Melbourne.

*[http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/pages/themovies/gm/gm.html Ghosts of Mars at theofficialjohncarpenter.com]

{{John Carpenter Films}}

==CEO of Nine Network==

On [[9 February]] [[2006]] it was announced that McGuire would become the new CEO of the [[Nine Network]], filling a vacancy created by the departure of David Gyngell in May 2005. McGuire has had to sacrifice his on air commitments including hosting ''[[The Footy Show]]'' and ''[[Who Wants to be a Millionaire]]'', as well as commentating [[Australian Football League|AFL]] games. He hosted the first seven episodes of Who Wants to be a Millionaire in 2006.

{{2000s-horror-film-stub}}

According to [[Business Review Weekly]], his on-air salary was $3.5 million a year. Gyngell had earned $1.1 million a year by comparison. According to the 2006 PBL annual report, McGuire is reported to be on a $4 million fixed remuneration contract, a considerable difference to what Gyngell took home.

[[Category:2001 films]]

In May 2006, McGuire traveled to [[Beaconsfield, Tasmania]], to rally [[National Nine News|Nine News]] troops covering the [[Beaconsfield mine collapse|mine collapse]]. On May 9, McGuire was seen on ''[[A Current Affair (Australian TV series)|A Current Affair]]'' at the Beaconsfield Pub, enjoying a [[Jim Beam]] and [[Coca Cola|Coke]] with mine survivor [[Todd Russell]]. Having just shouted all in attendance at the Pub free drinks, Eddie announced a concert for the town that was partially televised on the Nine Network on [[May 11]].

[[Category:Mars in fiction]]

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[[Category:Films directed by John Carpenter]]

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[[de:Ghosts of Mars]]

McGuire came out of on air retirement to host the event, which was broadcast as part of ''The Footy Show'' (both versions). It is also rumoured he was in Beaconsfield to personally negotiate an exclusive deal with the miners to tell their story to PBL media outlets. If successful, a story of this magnitude could give McGuire's network a much needed profile boost. He got both Todd and Brant for around $2 million, when Channel 7 pulled out of the battle. Their interview, titled "The Great Escape", was shown on Channel 9 on Sunday 21st May.

[[fr:Ghosts of Mars]]

[[it:Fantasmi da Marte]]

McGuire also hosted a special edition of ''The Footy Show'' live from [[Munich]] on [[18 June]], [[2006]], several hours before [[Australian national football (soccer) team|Australia]] were due to face [[Brazil national football team|Brazil]] in the [[2006 FIFA World Cup]].

[[ja:ゴースト・オブ・マーズ]]

[[fi:Ghosts of Mars]]

Before leaving for the costly Munich edition of ''The Footy Show'', he announced the elimination of 100 jobs, most in news and current affairs. Despite a vigorous publicity campaign by the CEO, these cost-cutting measures severely damaged morale at the network. [http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/its-black-and-white-teams-says-eddies-out-of-form/2006/09/01/1156817099211.html] On one program, McGuire's required job-cuts exceeded the actual number of employees, raising questions in both the media and within Channel 9 itself about the competence of Nine's executives. [http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/its-black-and-white-teams-says-eddies-out-of-form/2006/09/01/1156817099211.html]

The troubles worsened when an affidavit written by a Channel Nine executive affected by the purges was leaked to the press, and Nine failed in its attempts to suppress it (download the [http://www.badongo.com/file/1331490 Mark Llewellyn affidavit]). It contained damaging allegations regarding McGuire's treatment of employees. The document's author, Mark Llewellyn (previous head of news and current affairs who has since defected to Channel 7), claimed that McGuire and his lieutenant had told him that he would be forced to "eat a shit sandwich" (accept a dramatic pay-cut). He also recalled conversations with McGuire where the CEO had spoken of wanting to "bone" (sack) [[Jessica Rowe]], host of the network's ''[[Today (Australia)|Today]]'' show. Following these allegations, McGuire was forced to guarantee Rowe her position on the program.[http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/its-black-and-white-teams-says-eddies-out-of-form/2006/09/01/1156817099211.html] McGuire has strongly denied the allegations.

On 1 September 2006, it was announced that Nine had lost Wendt, despite McGuire's earlier claims that he would ensure she stayed at the network, though not as presenter of ''[[Sunday (television program)|Sunday]]''. Wendt's move also contradicted reports in some media citing Nine sources who had suggested the high-profile journalist would return to ''[[60 Minutes (Australia)|60 Minutes]]''.

McGuire's decision to force Wendt off the ''Sunday'' program backfired with the relaunch of the show on 3 September 2006, as the Nine Network's switchboard was flooded with an unprecedented number of calls complaining about the show's new format and hosts. [http://www.crikey.com.au/Media/20060905-Viewers-let-Nine-know-what-they-think-of-the-new-iSundayi.html]

This episode was considered by many in the media as a failure by the 'P-plated CEO' (a term coined by Sydney tabloids) to manage the network in a professional and ethical manner. It has also fuelled speculation as to his longevity in his position as CEO of Nine. [http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/its-black-and-white-teams-says-eddies-out-of-form/2006/09/01/1156817099211.html] Moreover, his well-honed 'good guy' image has been irretrievably tarnished, making a return to on-air duties unlikely.

James Packer (head of Nine's parent company, PBL) has been keen to publicly reaffirm his support for McGuire despite the network's increasing vulnerability in the ratings. He and others who have publicly supported McGuire claim that the CEO has been the victim of a media 'smear campaign'. This might be regarded as ironic, given the damaging smear campaigns targeting Nine presenters (most notably Jessica Rowe and Jana Wendt) that McGuire allowed to be carried out in the tabloid media.

PBL and Nine executives have also been eager to claim victory in the 2006 ratings war with Channel 7, to the extent of paying for half-page advertisements in national newspapers reaffirming their 'No. 1' status. However, many in the media have been quick to point out that Nine has gone against traditional ratings protocol by taking into account its coverage of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Usually, coverage of the Olympic and Commonwealth Games is not a factor in determining a network's ratings success. Indeed, if this standard protocol were observed, then victory in the 2006 ratings season would still, as of early October, be in the balance.

==McGuire in Popular Australian Culture==

In 2004, the comedy [[television]] program [[CNNNN]] featured a [[satire|satirical]] [[skit]] about the presenter's permeation of Australian media, named the ''Eddie McGuire Virus''. [[The Twelfth Man|The 12th Man]] also suggested Eddie plays [[Humphrey B. Bear]] in the Humphrey B Bear suit.

McGuire has regularly featured as a winner in the TV Fugly Awards, Australian television's anti-awards. Categories he has won include Worst Male TV Personality and Most Biased Sporting Commentator. In 2005, the organisers named the Most Over Exposed TV Personality category 'The Eddie' after he won it three years in a row.

McGuire's most memorable contribution to popular culture, however, has been his popularisation of the word 'boning' in the context of sacking. Most newpaper headlines featuring his name now routinely link it to the word 'bone' or 'boning'.

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{{succession box|title=[[Collingwood Football Club]] president|years=1999-|before=[[Kevin Rose]]|after=Incumbent}}

{{succession box|title=[[Nine Network]] [[CEO]]|years=2006-|before=[[Sam Chisholm]]|after=Incumbent}}

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[[Category:1964 births|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Living people|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Australian television presenters|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Australian radio personalities|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:People from Melbourne|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Australian rules football commentators|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Australian game show hosts|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Members of the Order of Australia|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Australian businesspeople|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Nine Network presenters|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Australian journalists|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Chief executives|McGuire, Eddie]]

[[Category:Australian television executives|McGuire, Eddie]]