It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of Kyle Sandilands, but I was suprised to read this story in the Herald Sun. Apparently Sandilands accepted free tickets worth $500 to The Boy From Oz then failed to turn up. Now, if the story ended there, it wouldn't be so bad - after all, I can imagine that circumstances might prevent someone from going to the theatre. But there's more. Not only did he not apologise, he apparently went on air the next morning "almost boasting about being invited and not bothering to go". The fact of the matter is that "free" tickets have to be paid for somewhere along the line. The costs of putting on a show are enormous and the financial risks for producers are many. As a reviewer myself, I never accept free tickets unless I intend to go. I think I've missed maybe three shows due to unforeseen circumstances in nearly 20 years, and have always apologised and made ammends. It may surprise some people to know that I also don't shy from paying for tickets when there's something I really want to see. It's uncool to demand something for nothing.