Front Row: Logies mystery as huge star is a no-show while one nominee gets camera shy

Front Row is a new weekly column on nine.com.au bringing you behind the scenes of some of the Aussie entertainment industry’s biggest parties, premieres, and more. Got a tip? Email us at frontrow@nine.com.au.

The race for the 66th TV Week Logies has officially begun, and Front Row had a front-row seat to the chaos at nominations event. This week, we navigate being snubbed by three of television’s biggest names, hold our breath over a surprise Jacob Elordi appearance (of sorts) and watch Julia Morris pull off a cardboard heist.

The Logies lowdown

There is something deeply unnatural about facing a room full of glittering Aussie television royalty at 7am, but that’s precisely what Front Row did as the Logie Awards nominations kicked off in the unmerciful glare of sunrise.

Not a champagne in sight, just piping hot caffeine and a sea of nominees including Ally Langdon, Lisa Millar, Julia Morris and Poh Ling Yeow who – totally unplanned – were bizarrely coordinated in white.

The two biggest names on everyone’s lips were newly minted (and youngest ever) Logies host Robert Irwin and our very own Todd Woodbridge. Both were up for the Gold but were nowhere to be found.

Woodbridge had a solid alibi, currently bunkered down across the globe as a commentator at Wimbledon. The man never clocks off, more proof of why he’s up for the most coveted award of the night.

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Irwin’s whereabouts were more mysterious, though we can safely assume he was somewhere at Australia Zoo trying to pin down a three-metre crocodile while the rest of us were downing our third espresso.

But leave it to the formidable Julia Morris to distract us all from the absence with pure, unfiltered comedy and chaos.

Bursting onto the media wall, Morris arrived flanking a life-size cardboard cutout of her dear friend and colleague Robert Irwin clad in his signature Australia Zoo khakis.

Morris told Front Row that she couldn’t bare the thought of Irwin missing out on the iconic shot of the nominees together.

“I wanted him represented in that photo. So, yesterday afternoon, ‘I thought I’m going to Officeworks’. I printed out his face from his Bonds commercial, hashtag not-sponsored,” she said.

Fearful that the protocol police would shut down her morning arts-and-crafts project, the comedian didn’t tell a soul about ‘Cardboard Rob’.

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Morris couldn’t wait until Irwin discovered the gag himself on social media, she wondered if he’d be so surprised the wholesome host might finally let out his “first swear word”.

With it being her fifth Gold Logie nomination, Front Row asked Morris to pitch her best campaign to voters to that this year might finally be her year.

Instead, she humbly used the camera time to urge Aussies to vote for Irwin: “Vote for Robert for the Gold Logie because he is the future of television. I’m just a weird, old, white woman from the past.” What a modest queen.

Irwin fever was in full swing, with comedian Sam Pang thankful the 22-year-old was going to give him a night off from Logies hosting for the first time in three years.

Pang’s golden advice for the newbie: “If I was him, and I looked like him, I’d have my top off very early in the night. Give the people what they want.” No complaints from us.

After pressing Pang about handing over his hosting duties we followed him up for a quick, shameless voting pitch, as we had with all the other nominees. He looked at the microphone, looked at us and politely rejected, “I’m not going to do that, if that’s OK.”

We aren’t in the business of holding national treasures hostage, but it did leave us wondering why a man on the edge of Gold glory didn’t want the extra publicity.

The morning was full of surprises, with homegrown Hollywood heartthrob Jacob Elordi securing a Silver Logie nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Drama for The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Unsurprisingly, Elordi was another no-show. Given his Hollywood trajectory we’re not holding our breath to see him and girlfriend Kendall Jenner make their red carpet debut at The Star Casino for Aussie TV’s night of nights on August 16. But hey, a reporter can only dream.

By the time the microphones were packed up and the half-eaten pastries were cleared, Front Row’s consensus was clear. If the official nominations morning is any indicator of what’s to come, the actual Logies night will be a wild ride.

We just hope that by August, Robert Irwin is made of real skin and bone.

From the biggest night in TV to the darkest time in radio

While television’s night of nights is looming, the Aussie radio industry is currently in a state of absolute, unadulterated chaos.

Ever since The Kyle and Jackie O Show spectacularly fell apart, the future of the coveted KIIS FM breakfast slot has been up for grabs – and the rumour mill has been working overtime.

We’ve been desperate to know who the hell could be taking over, and Dubai radio host Kris Fade seemed like the perfect fit.

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That is, until he casually turned down the “dream gig” to stay exactly where he is.

Instead of moving back to Sydney, Kris re-signed with Virgin Radio Dubai, where his show pulls in over a million listeners a day. Honestly? Fair play. Why trade tax-free luxury for corporate radio Down Under?

Because we absolutely needed the tea, we got his number and rang him up. And now? It all makes complete sense. But we’re still no closer to knowing who the hell could be taking over.

Read the full interview here.