Flip-Flops
We good for a new Brainstorm? Let’s see if we can assemble a post-holiday posse to tackle this Oz Day challenge.
The theme is a flip-flop on what Americans do. Movies, books, songs, TV shows: whenever it’s liable to cause any confusion in the US market, the Yanks will make a parochial change. Here are some real examples:
Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone – Harry Potter & the Sorceror’s Stone
Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin – Fleshmarket Alley
Born Survivor with Bear Grylls (great show by the way) – Man versus Wild
The Boat That Rocked – Pirate Radio
Sherbet – Highway
Et cetera. It’s bloody endemic. And time we antipodeans turn the tables. Pick an American title and give it an Aussie tweak. Like these few maybes:
The Postie Always Rings Twice
Off the Piss (Sober by Pink)
Hitched….with Billy Lids
Holden Monaro (Gran Torino)
Where it’s not obvious, supply the import’s original name. Choose across the spectrum: TV, cinema, music, books, even commercial products, flip-flopping from US to Us. Feel free to go Ocker, off-colour, Ruddish…so long as the translated title has a greater chance of local acceptance.
Three prizes to be doled out on Satdee, depending on the list we can generate. The Golden Gumnut. The Silver Snag. And the Bronze Bilby, oyoyoy.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
slag to top bird (ladette to lady)
fatty-boombah parade (biggest loser) (Ozzies can be offensive at times, but at least they see through the pretensions of reality television)
January 26th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
tv antenna on the blink (paradise lost)
January 26th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Ankle-biters in the scrub (Lord of the Flies)
Bog in, Hit the Piss, Bloke, Shiela (Eat, Drink, Man, Woman)
Bingle (Crash)
Cuppas and Durries (Coffee and Cigarettes)
January 26th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Some LOLs in that last lot. Great kickoff.
Noah’s Ark (Jaws)
Two-Bob Watch (Psycho)
Up Shit Creek (Lost)
Chippies (The Carpenters)
January 26th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Alternately,
Flake (Jaws)… flake in the drink?
January 26th, 2010 at 1:43 pm
Biffo Bunch (fight club)
January 27th, 2010 at 9:47 am
Boomerang (Lethal Weapon)
Buggered Off Rugrat Buggered Off (Gone Babay Gone)
January 27th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Amendment:
It seems “rugrat” may be American in origin, so let’s make it:
Buggered Off Nipper Buggered Off (Gone Baby Gone)
January 27th, 2010 at 10:05 am
XXX WARNING – The following brainstorm contains mild coarse language and sexual references XXX;
Rooting and the Big Smoke (Sex and the City)
January 27th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Arsey-Versey (Sideways)
Whiff of a Sheila (Scent of a Woman)
Fairgo (Fargo)
Chipper/Starkers (Frost/Nixon)
Siya, Have a Good’n (Good Night and Good Luck)
January 27th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Bloody Huge (Titanic)
Dickhead (Jackass)
Davo and Barry go to Red Rooster (Harold and Kumar go to White Castle)
…and of course the sequel Davo and Barry Escape From Christmas Island
January 27th, 2010 at 11:15 am
And an auditory one for those of us who remember the 1980s: Setchetary (Secretary)
January 27th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Mates (Friends)
January 27th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
Davo and the bloke built like a brick shithouse (David & Goliath)
My sheila cut me mullet! (Samson & Delilah)
January 27th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Cobber, Where’s Me Ute ? (Dude, Where’s My Car ?)
January 27th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Wagga Wagga Wagga Wagga (New York, New York)
January 27th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
The Brumby Yabberer (The Horse Whisperer)
Wazza Gone Walkabout (Where’s Wally) (While where’s wally is already “translated from the american, i don’t think where’s wally was just the australian title)
Debz Roots Brizzie (Debbie Does Dallas)
January 27th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Blame New Zealand (Blame Canada)
South to Tasmania (North to Alaska)
January 27th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
Seppo Spunk (American Beauty)
Meet the Rellies
Dodgy Bizzo (Risky Business)
Doing the Bunk from Brizvegas (Leaving Las Vegas)
The Blowie (The Fly)
Wanna Winna Shitload of Moola? (Millionaire)
January 28th, 2010 at 1:03 am
Time to get bluer…
Mateship of the Clacker (Fellowship of the Ring)
January 28th, 2010 at 8:51 am
Dingo Shocker (Coyote Ugly)
January 28th, 2010 at 9:06 am
The Sturt’s Desert Pea of South Australia (The Yellow Rose of Texas)
January 28th, 2010 at 10:02 am
And if we include characters:
6 Simpson (Homer Simpson)
January 28th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Surely they’re The Simmos anyway.
And how’s about a few more US sitcoms:
Put a Plug in it [Curb Your Enthusiasm]
Ray’s a Top Bloke [Everyone Loves Raymond]
How Me and Your Old Woman Got Hooked Up
Main Poof [King of Queens]
Ooroo [Cheers]
S*P*U*D*S [M*A*S*H]
And I’m not even touching Leave It To Beaver
January 28th, 2010 at 12:41 pm
For a classical aussification:
6′s Walkabout (Homer’s Odyssey)
January 28th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
And if we’re including band names:
The Too Right Too Right Too Rights (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
January 28th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Laura Norder
Rapt (Charmed)
Where The Bloody Hell Are We? (Lost)
Little Ripper (Small Wonder)
The Big Ask (Mission Impossible)
January 28th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Mr X – not the Yeah No Yeahs?
More music:
Pash (Kiss)
Get Your Skates On (Rush)
Snoop Flamin’ Mongrel
And my apologies for doubling up Lost above.
January 28th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
Terror Australis (Fear) *rimshot*
January 28th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
Redbackbloke (Spiderman)
January 28th, 2010 at 3:12 pm
Beverly Hills 2209
January 28th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
Pauline (Roseanne)
Somers (Seinfield)
Jana (Oprah)
January 29th, 2010 at 6:45 am
whoa, not a good party to arrive late to!
Seabiscuit – Bondi Bikkie
The Dixie Chicks – The Tassie Chooks
The Dick Van Dyke Show – The Trouser Snake Kombi Lezzo Show
January 29th, 2010 at 10:58 am
Twelve Ropable Blokes
Angels at Deep Square Leg
Dances With Drop Bears
A Tram Called Show Us Ya Tits
The sequels to Mateship of the Clacker:
ii) Coupla Towers – Bewdiful
iii) F— Me, The King’s Back
January 29th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Tiny Tim…….Tiny Timtam
Mad Men…….Bonkers Blokes
Thelma and Louise…….Thelma: Geez Louise!
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious…….
Bonza yabbie franger dipstick esky Mallee goldrush
(or, if you change the subject of the song to a communal barbecue in Bordertown…)
Beauty! Mallee Madge has biscuits, eskies, yabbies, toasters
January 29th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
Woolloomooloo (Manhattan)
January 29th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Roma Queensland (Paris Texas)
January 29th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Big M (Milk)
Lygon Waiter (Italian Job)
Cyclone Reuben (Hurricane)
A dynamic return to the Storm cycle for all recidivists. (And thanks CRD for playing it safe with the F-bomb.) Don’t envy the poor bugger vested with splitting the short & curlies. Hang on. Bugger. That’s me.
January 29th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
No worries. My mum reads this blog, after all
January 30th, 2010 at 1:46 am
Bludgers (Slackers)
The Corker Harold Holt (The Great Escape)
Cactus Bloke (Dead Man)
Chokkies (Chocolat)
Sheila and the Swagman (Lady and the Tramp)
Chook Bolt (Chicken Run)
Yewy (U-Turn)
G’Day, Ooroo (Hello, Goodbye)
Lollies Reckon (Candy Says)