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'Someone's about to lose their job': Newsroom employee caught watching 'Shrek' during live broadcast on missing woman

The employee streamed 'Shrek' while reporter Gillian Lantouris delivered a report about Sarah Weatherstone, 28, who recently went missing

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: A newsroom employee became the talk of the town after he was busted watching 'Shrek' in the middle of a crucial live bulletin. A staff member at Channel Nine's Melbourne newsroom was watching the antics of the green Scottish ogre while reporter Gillian Lantouris delivered a report about Sarah Weatherstone, a 28-year-old woman who has not been seen for over a month in Melbourne.

The live TV gaffe was spotted by TikTok user Alex Goodman, who uploaded the footage of the incident on Wednesday, April 19. "Old mate got a little distracted. Hope the woman is found tho,” Goodman captioned the post, which garnered more than 319.4k likes by April 26. In the video, the male staffer can be seen in the background in the studio, over Lantouris' shoulder, watching the film that's voiced by celebrities like Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, the Mirror reported.

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'Shrek on the clock'

The video spurred some hilarious banter in the comment section, with one user saying, "Uh-ohhh. Whoever is watching Shrek on that screen is about to lose their job." “The fact he moved aside made it even funnier,” the second user said while a third wrote, "I don't blame anyone for watching Shrek on the clock. I would if I could.” "Shrek made it on to US telly. Love that for him," another TikTok user quipped. Many eagle-eyed users claimed that the staffer was watching the short film 'Shrek Karaoke Dance Party' from the 2001 VHS version of the first movie, according to Daily Mail.

Interestingly, the newsroom gaffe came as Shrek is all set to make a comeback with a fifth installment of the box-office-breaking franchise. 'Shrek', an animated feature from DreamWorks, was first released in 2001 and grossed $491 million worldwide. The franchise then spawned three sequels and two spin-offs, including 'Puss in Boots' (2011) and 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' (2022). In 2008, 'Shrek the Musical', a Broadway stage production, was also inspired by the character.

When is 'Shrek 5' coming?

While no official announcement has been made about 'Shrek 5', Head of Illumination Chris Meledandri, who is also a creative partner in DreamWorks Animation, revealed that negotiations are underway, according to Screenrant. “We anticipate the cast coming back. Talks are starting now, and every indication that we’ve gotten is there’s tremendous enthusiasm on behalf of the actors to return,” he told Variety. Before Meledandri, Eddie Murphy displayed enthusiasm for playing Donkey again.

Murphy also said that there should have been a Donkey movie, despite his love for the Puss in Boots character. “If [DreamWorks] ever came with another ‘Shrek,’ I’d do it in two seconds. I love Donkey. They did ‘Puss in Boots' movies. I was like, ‘They should have done a Donkey movie.’ Donkey is funnier than Puss in Boots. I mean, I love Puss in Boots, but he ain’t funny as the Donkey,” he told Variety following the success of 2022's 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish'.

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