For weeks, Australia has been fascinated by a Queensland murder trial which culminated when Gerard Baden-Clay was convicted of murdering his wife. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, which in this day and age means a fifteen year stint in prison before becoming eligible for parole.
Sensational court cases have a nasty habit of roping in minor players and subjecting them to public scrutiny that can be unflattering - to the point of infamy. In particular, when it involves a " love triangle " there is a tendency to point the finger at the " other woman " and apply that demeaning word - " Mistress ".
It seems that Baden-Clay was a serial womanizer and during the trial a woman employee who worked in his Real Estate company was romantically linked to him. Toni McHugh was splashed across newspaper pages as the trial proceeded and all hope of any sort of privacy flew out the window. Her private life became the subject of public conjecture and this will remain long after the trial fades from public interest.
It is said that everyone on this planet is entitled to their " five minutes of fame " - and in today's world that can deliver a bonanza. It seems that the television channels are locked in combat to secure the exclusive rights to the " Toni McHugh story " and it looks like Sixty Minutes is the winner. It is rumoured that the Nine Network beat out the Seven Network and secured this plum for $ 250,000.
Not to be outdone, it is rumoured that the Seven Network is compiling a story with a different approach, based on the life of the victim, Allison Baden-Clay. There is no doubt that both will receive massive pre-launch publicity and will feature highly in the ratings they attract.
In a by-gone age people shunned publicity and tried to keep out of the media spotlight. Fame was desireable on the sporting field but there was a fine line between fame and infamy - and the latter immediately reduced the prospects of a successful marriage, business career - or upstanding role in the lifestyle of that period.
Today - it is a very different story. The moral tone has changed and the media quest for sensationalism will seize on any opportunity offering to gain an advance in the ratings war. Anyone thrust into the glare of the media spotlight is likely to be bombarded with competing offers from rival television channels - and seizing that " five minutes of fame " with gusto can deliver an unexpected fortune.
It is simply a matter of luck- where the spotlight falls !
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