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++ UPDATED 5.00pm July 31

Well it's almost time for Kochie, Mel and some of the Sunrise team to fly to Beijing. Pretty soon after the end of tomorrow's show, there'll be an exodus to the airport!

It'll be an interesting week for them, with the city buzzing with excitement.. and also some tension, in the lead up to the Games.

Check out this quick guide on how to survive as a tourist in China. Some of the cultural differences are quite interesting!

Tomorrow we'll be crossing to our own Olympic reporter in Beijing, plus we'll catch up on the preparations for our swim team.

To send off our Sunrise travellers we've got The Whitlams performing tomorrow. Two hit songs from their new "best of" album. The perfect way to end the week.

Plus we'll meet a man who's about to retrace the steps of Burke and Wills - on foot! He might need a holiday in Beijing when he's finished..

 

++ UPDATED 4.40pm July 30

A big chunk of our team is heading over to Beijing pretty soon. As you know, Kochie and Mel will be broadcasting from there next week.

 

The hosts are busy packing, and people around the office are working on the logistics for hotels, food, flights and cameras.

 

Everyone's also had their shots, and even a security briefing! In some ways, it's very similar to the preparations we had before the Athens games in 2004.

 

Tomorrow we'll get an update from Beijing on what the athletes can expect, as they arrive in China.

 

We're also chasing up grocery prices. It's going to be a big issue, with the ACCC crunching the numbers on what we pay at the checkout. Its report is nearly ready.

 

Plus, the Bureau of Statistics has some figures out on a typical basket of goods, around the country. We'll take some time to analyse it all, in the morning.

 

Grant Denyer is back on the show in the morning.. Can't say too much, but it's a nautical theme, which means he might put on his pirate outfit. Any excuse will do..

 

As well, a good friend of ours is back tomorrow. Pete Murray performs his new single, along with the hit "Opportunity"..

 

++ UPDATED 6.17pm July 29 

Remember New York's "subway romance"? That was when a guy saw an Aussie girl on the train, and it was love at first sight. He set up a website to find her, and within days they were together.

 

They were only a couple for a short time though, and now they're "just friends"..

 

But the intense start to their relationship got us thinking - is there really such a thing as "love at first sight" - and does it last?

 

Let us know what you think, and be watching in the morning for more.

 

Also tomorrow.. a look at the growing ranks of farmers, supplying organic produce..

 

Did you know that Australia now accounts for the largest amount of organic farmland in the world?

 

But just what is "organic"? We'll get the details from the industry itself.

 

And check out our Olympic panel tomorrow.. Jana Rawlinson, Matt Shirvington and Jodie Henry are coming in early to show off the latest Aussie supporter gear for Beijing.

 

Don't say "Oi Oi Oi" without it!

++ UPDATED 4.44pm July 28

 

The cold has hit the production desk in a big way. So much so that pretty much everyone had roast lamb for lunch! 

Apart from the weather, something else sure to leave you cold is your superannuation fund result this year. Funds are tipped to report their worst figures since super became compulsory.

At the same time, the ANZ Bank has seen its share price fall today, and a lot of super funds invest in banks..

So when will things start to look up for our retirement savings? Find out tomorrow.

We're following up on an unusual profession - the male midwife. We've got one joining us on the show - they're certainly in the minority, with less than one percent of midwives being male. But what do the mums think?

And Kochie will be entranced, as we check out the Von Trapp home, which is now a hotel.

 

++ UPDATED 4.27pm July 27

You've probably seen one of the many emails going around, about tomorrow's national truck strike. We've received heaps on the Soapbox!

Drivers have clearly had enough of low pay and high fuel prices.. and they're desperate to force some changes.

But how big will the protest be? What effect will it have on supermarket supplies? We'll get some perspective on the issue in the morning. And let us know if you've been stocking up on food..

Other emails hitting our inbox at the moment, are videos of you dancing like Matt.. We're impressed at how many people have embraced this simple idea: just have a dance in front of a camera somewhere!

We'll be putting new videos on our website tomorrow.

And make sure you catch Pete Peterkin in the morning - he's an impersonator, performer and musician, who transforms himself into over 300 celebrities. We'll see a medley of his most popular voices, at 7:50.

Insider

++ UPDATED 4.37pm July 24

 It's about this time each week the production desk starts to let its collective hair down.. For us (who work Sunday to Thursday), it's our "Friday" afternoon and we're putting the finishing touches to tomorrow's show.

And what a variety of topics we've got: everything from new concerns about Taser guns, to where to live for the longest life expectancy.

And in the middle of it all - our Grant Denyer tries to turn himself into a human lamington! Perhaps he's been picking up on our weekend-is-almost-here vibe. Needless to say, it'll be quite a sight.

And tune in tomorrow to see 2GB's Ray Hadley not wearing his jeans..

Errr, the jeans he donated to the Jeans for Genes auction, for which he was the auctioneer.

Seven's master strategist Simon Francis bought the pants, which are now in a glass case at our studios. Find out what Ray makes of all this tomorrow!

 

++ UPDATED 4.28pm July 23

Many of us are comfortable with putting our personal details on myspace and facebook.. But when you email someone, you usually don't expect the message to be seen by anyone other than the addressee..

That's what a TV anchor in the US thought. She was arranging her personal life using email, unaware that a male co-worker was hacking into her account, and tipping off the media about her.

In the morning we'll have more on this case.. and also ask how secure our emails on the work or home computer really are.

And get ready to see double tomorrow.

We'll be catching up with a TV show in New Zealand, that just happens to be called "Sunrise".

It's been on air for a few months now, and we'll meet the hosts, James and Carly.

We were first told about the show by viewers who'd visited NZ, and sampled the local TV. Find out if Kochie can restrain himself, from making one of his infamous comments about the Kiwis!

++ UPDATED 4.56pm July 22

We always aim to really understand the issues we cover on the show.. But sometimes we have the luxury of a first-hand account of them..

Tomorrow we're discussing bipolar on the show. It's something our boss Adam revealed he had, earlier this year.

During this afternoon's meeting he told us how it can give him such euphoric highs, before a low-point crash. He told us how British actor Stephen Fry deals with it - he doesn't take on any roles when he's at that low point. There's a lot more to it than feeling "up" or "down".. as you'll find out in the morning.

Oh, and Adam will be answering questions for a blog you can read tomorrow.

Changing subject.. and we can't wait to see how Beretts' interview with the legendary Mr T turns out. I'll be keeping count of the number of times we hear the word "fool"..

And someone found out there's a new program on those do-anything iphones, that lets you to pop bubblewrap on the screen!

It reminded us of this website which has been having bubblewrap fun since 1996.

Once you pop, you can't stop!

 

++ UPDATED 4.22pm July 21

A few people on the production desk are getting ready to go to Beijing with Mel and Kochie, for when Sunrise broadcasts from the Olympic city next month.

Everyone who's already been over there comments on the pollution, so it's been weighing on our minds. Imagine how the athletes will cope with it!

Now the Chinese government has put a massive pollution plan in place. They're taking cars off the roads, and even telling factories to ease up. But will it be enough? Tomorrow we'll be talking to someone in Beijing about that...

One of the aims of Sunrise is to follow up issues.

We try not to cover something, then forget about it. So after talking about bag-snatching this morning, we're going to investigate a ROSwall question: are we safer than we were a decade ago - or even two decades ago? We've got all the crime stats together, and you'll hear the result in the morning.

And Grant is back on the show tomorrow. He's on a special mission, and I can't say much about it right now.. But it involves a popular marine mammal, and a good deed.

PS keep an eye out for some of the entries we've received for dancing like Matt. In some cases I use the word "dancing" loosely ;)

++ UPDATED 4.20pm July 20 

Dr Keith Suter has been a regular guest on Sunrise for years now, and for good reason - he's what you call a human encyclopedia on foreign affairs. Keith is very busy with community and charity work, but he's still up early every morning catching the news feeds, on troublespots around the world. He's our sounding board for all sorts of international issues.

It's this vast bank of knowledge that's now prompted THREE books from him.

Tomorrow we'll find out what's in the latest edition "All About Terrorism: Everything You Were Too Afraid To Ask"... Since 2001 we've heard a lot about "the war on terror".. but as Keith says, it's been an issue on the boil for decades..

Also tomorrow, we've got a national warning on opportunistic thieves who strike in hospitals. Often you're there as a patient or to support someone who is, so personal security is the last thing on your mind. We'll tell you how to avoid becoming another of their victims..

And don't forget.. catch Kochie's interview with Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman, who stars in the new film The Dark Knight.

++ UPDATED 7.18pm July 17

Well the Pope's visit has been dominating the news, but there are some interesting World Youth Day stories on the sidelines too. You'll hear a couple of them tomorrow.

We're catching up with East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta. He's here for WYD, but we also want to ask him about the assassination attempt last February, which left him dangerously ill in hospital. He's now out and about once again, and he's also got a special request for Australia.

And Chasing Bailey are performing for us - they're a young pop-country-type band from Tamworth, who are featuring in the World Youth 4 Justice Concert. As always, there's an interesting story with how they formed.. Check out their debut single "Little By Little"..

And thanks for all your comments about the new "raunchy" Barbie doll, which we saw this morning. It's obvious a lot of people have fond memories of innocent childhood fun with Barbie, and don't want today's kids to miss out on that.

++ UPDATED 5.25pm July 16

As you know, Molly Meldrum is the "Godfather of Music" on Sunrise.. Our globetrotting guru has two scoops for you in the morning, direct from our New York studio..

Molly caught up with Kylie Minogue after one of her concerts, and out of that meeting he's got some BIG news for us.

There's also an exclusive interview with John Mellencamp, which he recorded this morning in the US.. Some producers worked through the night to arrange a camera crew for that!

PLUS Molly's got an Australian first on Delta Goodrem.

But for the moment he's keeping the details on our favourite artists.. under his hat - ahem, couldn't help myself there.

Another favourite is the tween toy Barbie. If you thought a curvaceous doll in a swimsuit was pushing the limits of taste, just wait until you see the latest version of Babs.

Let's just say, she gives those Bratz a run for their money! But is it what girls should be playing with?

And the studio crew are looking forward to having the little red monster Elmo on set in the morning. The last time he visited Brekky Central, he had everyone in stitches.

For a three-year-old, he's very quick with a witty line or two - and it's all delightfully innocent. 

Insider 

++ UPDATED 9.43pm July 15

 

Never take technology for granted. That's the lesson for us all, after Optus lost phone and internet services in parts of Queensland and New South Wales because of a cable problem. It left households, businesses and even the government in the lurch!

But is it unrealistic to expect your phone or internet to work ALL the time? Is the phone an essential service, which shouldn't be cut off because of one company's cable problem? We're chasing this up tomorrow.

Let us know if you lost your phone or internet today, and how it affected you.

And how good would it be to blast off into space? You wouldn't have to worry about mobile reception.. Well if you're willing to pay, it's possible..

In the morning you'll meet an Aussie who's paying his way into orbit. Find out why it's so important to him.

And Monica's been watching Jim Carrey in Liar Liar, to get in the mood for a segment.. We'll be seeking the truth on every parent's habit of lying to their kids. Is it harmful, or protective? Let us know what you think.

Insider 

++ UPDATED 8.21pm July 14

 

Pageants come in many guises.

 

Personally, I found Miss Congeniality the funniest, but with Miss Australia, Miss World Miss Universe and Eurovision on constant rotation, you barely need to go six weeks without hearing of another crowning glory (or, if you are American, a nightmarish stumble).

Miss World has come around awfully quickly though hasn’t it? And aren’t they looking better every year.

Tomorrow we talk to the woman of the moment, top 10 finalist Laura Dundovic (left).

Sure she didn’t come absolute first place, but we’re patriotic enough to stick with her despite this minor setback.

Max Markson, the agent with the spark of a flamethrower, will sit in to offer his proven tips on how Laura can now make it big regardless.

We will also be looking at the less fortunate story of a woman who is a victim of the cut-throat rental market. If you have been looking for a lease in the last few months, you will understand. But you won’t believe how many times she has been shafted out of her apartment.

Getting stuck in the revolving door of real estates is painful enough when you’re not a single mother with children in tow.

Insider 

++ UPDATED 5.15pm July 13

The pope has arrived. Why? We all know there's a big event with road closures and it is attracting 'pilgrims' coming from all over... but what's it for? Who are these youthful types holding a World Youth Day that actually goes for a week?

And while we're at it, what is Catholicism?

It doesn't take long to find an Australian who attended a Catholic School. (We have more than a few in the Sunrise office - at least one of whom is headed for WYD.)

Whichever way you look at it, the Catholic Church is an entrenched part of our culture, which makes it all the more strange that millions of Australians don't understand the first thing about it.

Take Opus Dei, a Catholic organisation with the goal of helping people find God in daily life.

If you are already thinking of Tom Hanks and the Da Vinci Code, you are not alone.

Today in the Sunrise office we quickly realised Hollywood has formed many of our primary perceptions of what the church represents. Unless we went to a Catholic school.

Tomorrow on Sunrise, we will take a closer look at what World Youth Day is about, while the website will have some info on the wider Catholic Church and its beliefs, to help us all be a little better informed.

And one of us will actually go to WYD. We must get her to report back on if she saw Tom Hanks.

Insider. 

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++ UPDATED 4.41pm July 10

This daily blog has been going for two months now. Everything else at Sunrise works on viewer feedback - so I think  it's time this production blog had some feedback.  What do you like and dont like? How can it be better?

If a week goes by an no comments appear at the bottom, we'll all know that this - the first daily blog of any Australian breakfast or morning show TV show - is futile. Let's not let that happen.

I see it as an extra way to keep in touch with our viewers that is also way to give you a more authentic look into how Sunrise works, how the show is compiled and a secret preview of what's coming up.

So as Kochie and Mel often say, tell us what you think! We know it's a bit of effort but c'mon! We are real people here, and we haven't missed a day! Post it below...    

Today started slowly but then we found out the sickness of Alan Jones has prompted other men, notable media personalities included, to have themselves checked out for prostate cancer too. We'll go along with one Sunrise regular to see how he fares.

The iPhone hype captured our interest once more - this time as it is being launched (last time was just the announcement - which proves Apple really know how to build a media frenzy). 

Now it's practical - is there actually a plan people would buy the phone on? Mobile plans, as everyone knows, are hideously wordy and complicated. So Paul, producing this segment, decided we needed to cut the crap and tell viewers which is the best pre-paid plan and which is the best contract plan.  

The extended details will be on our Gadget Guy page.

Rick Price is visiting to sings us one of his biggest hits. 

Now, don't forget to tell us how to improve our blog! 

Insider. 

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++ UPDATED 11.41pm July 9

Long day - Insider working late. Must sleep soon.

Today a major production meeting was held that updated the team on the Sunrise horizon.

Our production meetings, the formal kind, happen less than you might think.

And if you are imagining a serious boardroom with Kochie, Mel, Nat, Beretts and a few nameless producers seated attentively and adding polite suggestions - wrong again.

In fact, you would be hilariously off track!

Often our hosts don't even make it - they've gone home or to the gym.

What we like are informal meetings, the ones that creep up on you like a fire alarm.

Adam Boland's office is not big. Most of it is desk and TVs and that's where we head when the alarm sounds.

Into this small glass cage we cram up to 12 producers, huddled in corners, sharing a bean bag, whatever works... Adam also got some stackable plastic seats - ugliest available it seems - and somehow we all grab one and get in there for a good natter, all assembled at a moment's notice.

Today's meeting was a little more organised than that, and actually needed the board room. Well, that is until we found it full of young Morning Show guests getting their faces painted.

The meeting ran a little late. It was funny, as always, as we ran through some Olympics planning, some history of how the show has evolved from its early days and where it is headed. There is much that will amaze you by the time the year is out.

You guys are in on the grand plan. You may have noticed some changes even in the last week. Every day we reveal a little more!

But now, I gotta sleep.

Inslider. (sic) 

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++ UPDATED 7.45pm July 8

Today's outdoor broadcast from Olympic Park brought back many memories for us and for our viewers.

One thing many of us didn't remember was that Nicole Kidman was very, very, very, very, very, pregnant.

So just when you think you know what's going to be the hot topic of the day, someone famous has a baby and names the child something cryptic. In the media, a story of importance as big as the celebrity mother becomes that much larger because the name choice sparks as much debate as a wage rise!

The soapbox imediately went into overdrive with all your thoughts about baby names, their origin and opinions on the name 'Sunday Rose Kidman Urban'. 

This comment is typical:

jay.anaru- Jul 08 10:07am Talking about unusual names: I named my son Korea, and no he wasnt made in Korea =)

Some of you were annoyed that we covered the story at all, yet with so much soapbox action, you can be sure it will be mentioned again tomorrow.  Funnily enough, there's also a story of wage rises.

No more mentions of this young woman below - except by Kyle Sandilands, who we hear, enjoyed her unique style of singing. We are all still startled at her performance, so thought it was worth sharing again!

++ UPDATED 12.23pm July 7

 

Already today, we have seen real news action from our window.

Out in the plaza (Martin Place), the whole team, Kochie included, stood up to see a police drama unfold outside.

A man was being held by what appeared to be regular citizens - or perhaps undercover police - on a seat directly opposite our studio.

A police van backed down onto the pedestrian area as around 100 passers-by watched several cops surround the man being held.

He was a Caucasian man, about 40 years old, with dark hair in a smart white shirt worn over jeans. He kept shaking his head as he was walked slowly toward the van.

Unsubstantiated rumours - now confirmed here - soon started to filter through the office that he was in fact the man wanted over the recent shooting in Manly. 

More info to come...

Insider

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++ UPDATED 11.49pm

It's another artrage. The art world is either hankering for a better debate on the issue of censorship and pornography or, when Bill Henson's images started all this furore, we never actually sorted out exploitation from expression.

For the media, including Sunrise, the issue of do we show the photos or not can itself be tough.

Showing images of children on air is a fraught area. Regularly, calls need to be made to the Channel 7 legal department to confirm what is the correct way to proceed.

Just last week, the murder of two children and a relative involved meant the childrens' names or faces could not be shown and neither could that of their relative, as it may, in turn, identify the children.

The states and territories have different  laws regarding these things, so no TV producer can keep up with them all. 

As for the art vs. pornography issue, we are glad to err on the side of caution, especially when children are involved. The link wil be available on our website - with a warning - which leaves the decision in the  fingers of the viewer.

Right or wrong, it's your right to click. 

++ UPDATED 3 July 11.31pm

Multiplying signatures on our solar rebate petition continue to mount pressure on the government over the means test.

The tech guys have been hammering out new ways to spread the word. You can find the petition through SMS, on Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo!7 VIDEO, Flickr.  And you have! We passed 30,000 signatures today. - And every time a new milestone is passed, an email goes around to a small roar of approval.

Tomorrow, Alan Jones's shock prostate cancer announcement is on the agenda - so many people are struck with this form of cancer - we'll find out if it really is on the increase.

Some of the team have fled the city of Sydney in fear of World Youth Day (hence the late publishing time, sorry folks).

It's not clear yet if WYD will attract the million pilgrims predicted, but one group will be there - the victim support group who wants the Pope to apologise for child sex abuse within the Church on his visit to Australia.  Sunrise will ask the group's president why he believes the Church hasn't yet given a meaningful apology to victims.

And Kylie, our Kylie, has scored an OBE. That begs the question, are we still calling her Australian? We were wondering if Aussies can even get OBEs? It's all getting very murky. But good for her. We'll pay her a tribute because Aussie or not, we can't get her out of our heads.

Insider.

++ UPDATED 2 July 6.51pm

Boy, that was at least three normal days packed into one.

It began with a pledge by the Sunrise hosts to go for 15,000 signatures on our solar rebate petition.

Now, at the time of publishing, we are over 20,800 signatures! A brilliant response.

And it's not the only Sunrise campaign that has seen a good response today.The long resounding cry by us and many interest groups for a better system to manage organ donation is about to receive a major boost.

Heroes of the stage Lenny Henry and Eddy Murphy have a face off tomorrow when we show interviews with each and ask you to pick which one is funnier.

(Eddy certainly doesn't think his movies are funny any more and he's heading back to do stand-up comedy).

We've also discovered some little heroes who need us all to thank them for some superhuman behaviour. 

And then there's this new video we just made. It's a good one you may be seeing more of in future.

You saw it here first.

Don't forget to sign!

 

++ UPDATED 1 July 4.18pm

The pending Olympics are only six weeks away and planning is in full Beijing swing. This planning drew several of our producers out of the office today.

Producer Paul Richards reports back:

A group of twenty of us from TT(Today Tonight), 7News and Sunrise were today given 'risk training'. The group was mostly cameramen but there are also cameramen, reporters, produces and editors.

This training explained everything from what to do in a hostage situation to dealing with local police and  how to avoid getting sick.

This is going to be an Olympics like no other.

And the Chinese culture is so different to ours that it will be an enthralling one to be part of.

It all feels very real now as we make lists of medications and are starting to think about what clothes to take.

I've had my 12 vaccinations already. 12!

We were given an idea of the restrictions - there's a 275 page booklet of various forms to fill out if you want to interview someone.

We were told to expect we will be stopped by police as we move through checkpoints in the city. This will make the whole trip a real challenge.

We will be moving around the city every day shooting stories for Sunrise with presenters.

Most of all, I really hope none of us are taken out of action by sickness.

While we were all worried about the safety of drinking water, one news reporter asked "What about milk?!

"Ummm," someone interrupted. "Milk comes from cows."

Paul Richards.