Carlotta premieres tonight

Starting tonight on ABC TV : Carlotta, the bio-pic about Australia's first (well the most famous) sex change Carlotta who starred at Kings Cross famous Les Girls for many years.

Worth Another View

Last night's Q&A program from ABC TV is now on Iview and well worth a look if you missed it.

With Parliament in recess the panel comprised of guests in town for the Sydney Writer's Week including Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson, actor Brendan Cowell, Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Cunningham, anti-porn activist Gail Dines and novelist Leslie Cannold.

Go here to watch.

we are the new media

So says film-maker and artist Bruno Grasswill the son of a noted French film director. Bruno was filming everything that moved and didn't, at the launch of top foodie Lyndey Milan's 4th book The Best Collection. Bruno is also married to top ABC TV producer Helen Grasswill, the driving force behind the hugely successful Australian Story (which featured the Shuttle once-we are biased) and Oz sections for the US series Entertainment Tonight.

Both were guests at the swell shindig given by Lyndey's merchant banker boyfriend in his magnificent duplex apartment in the Ikon building in Kings Cross. The Ikon is the home away from home (and the best kept secret until now) of Hollywood royalty and visiting film stars working at the near-by Fox Studios.With the most commanding views of the Sydney skyline from the harbor heads to the Opera House and beyond, it's hard to top these homes.

Lyndey presents food sections on the top morning show hosted by Kerri Anne Kennerley and is food editor on the Packer family pride and joy, the Woman's Weekly (which is published monthy to confuse readers). She is also a hostess with mostess-in every way. Bruno also painted a fab portrait of Lyndey for beau John and when our party gal saw it she immediately requested more cleavage should be added. Those who know the lovely Lyndey know this is par for the course. Delicious nibbles at the party came from Lyndey's recipes and were passed around by the handsome waiters from Mandy Foley-Quin's Stedmans (the French government is trying to lure this top caterer to Paris).
                                  


Food legend Margaret Fulton launched the book. At 85 , Scot's born Margaret has now sold millions of cookbooks and knows a great chef when she sees one.  In between glasses of champers and vintage wines from Lyndey's own cellar we forced down Bloody Mary shooters with oysters. And every time we tried to leave another crate of French champagne was wheeled out. Who are we to disappoint ?. No-one can actually re-call what time they left but the Shuttle woke up this morning clutching a bottle of wonderful Taittinger. Get the book now. For Christmas.

                       




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A darling of the new media Madame Arcati features a video on her blog by writer Duncan Fallowell. It's a superb piece titled  Andy Warhol in Church :



Check out Fallowell's books on his site. They are really very good. Put him on your reading list.Now.

Handling Edna

Barry Humphries speaks on the ABC 's 7-30 Report about his forthcoming unauthorised biography of Dame Edna Everage titled "Handling Edna" (she's threatened to sue) :

"Well, of course, she didn't try very hard to stay in touch with her suburban roots. She used to say quite early on her career, "The secret of my success is that I've put my family last." And she would recommend that to everybody. If you put your family first, they'll never thank you. Which is probably why Edna's family is rather spectacularly dysfunctional.

KERRY O'BRIEN: How do you compare 1955 Edna with the Dame Edna of today?

BARRY HUMPHRIES: There's a total difference. In those days, Edna was, well, a frump. She looked - she stood at her kitchen sink, like so many other women in 1955, wrist deep in grey water, peas and mutton fat floating thereon. She looked out through cracked venetian blinds at a dismal backyard littered with broken plastic toys. "Is this all there is?" she might have said to herself. So, because she was appearing in a passion play in Moonee Ponds, playing the role of Mary Magdalene, she wrote to me, according to this book and the postcard. I wish I could show you the postcard, but it's disappeared. She wanted my advice. Now, I was a very inexperienced actor. I'd barely done more than Edna in the theatrical field, but I'd had a bit of publicity. So she wrote to me and this partnership began.