What is love? It's nature's treasure, it's the storehouse of her joys; it's the highest heaven of pleasure, it's a bliss which never cloys.

When Ms Gillard delivered a glutinous speech to a joint session of Congress in March, she got six standing ovations.

Those unsung heroes are lauded by netizens, who are turned off domestic TV screens marred by stultifying melodramas, rigid formulaic news coverage, soppy tear-jerkers and saccharine films.