From The Vault: The Day Hollywood Came Calling

so many Marilyns

Dear reader, cast your mind back some decades. 1980 to be exact.
Whispers was living in a small but cute Mews flat just off London's famous Portobello Road. To be exact, where the real antique shops began and before the bits & pieces stalls started. Saturday was always a joyful day as the Portobello Market began in full swing early in the morning.

In our quaint street we were always awakened by the sound of a Tuba on a Saturday around 10am. A neighbor taught the instrument and it really was the most pleasant and reassuring way to be awakened and one always knew it was market day,
Whispers had a pal staying. His name was Ben and he worked in films organizing transport. As a bonus he would take a side job of driving around whatever star was in town at the time and filming at Pinewood Studios. While he lived in the country, Notting Hill was far more convenient for obvious reasons.
I had also moved in the legendary rock manager Kit Lambert who had fallen on rather tough times and who I was working with attempting to revive various music projects. Kit had discovered and nurtured one of the most famous and enduring bands on the planet, The Who along with legends like Jimi Hendrix.
 
This was the era of The Blitz. A Tuesday night club in London's West End, operated in a small restaurant by a budding entrepreneur named Steve Strange (pictured). The Blitz Kids had grown out of the Punk era and the kids wwo flocked to the club called themselves the New Romantics with their colourful and inventive outfits. It was really just kids from the suburbs dressing up. Innocent but a lot of fun
I had convinced Lambert that there were bound to be future stars and musicians to come out of the very creative Blitz scene. And they surely did. Boy George with Culture Club was one. Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet began there as did Strange himself who had a huge hit with his band Visage. Another was Phil Collen, my personal discovery who I hired for a band and who later went on to join one of the biggest groups on the planet Def Lepard. I took Kit to The Blitz once and he was hooked. Together we decided there was a gold mine of talent there.

Living in Notting Hill had distinct advantages because of it's close location to central London. Most of the teenagers who went to the Blitz on a Tuesday night, after planning their exotic outfits, lived in the outer London Suburbs. George O'Dowd ( Boy George) was one. Peter Robinson who called himself Marilyn and styled himself after the Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe was another, Inevitably half a dozen or so would choose to flop on my Mews flat floor having missed the last tube home.

And so it was on one such night when we had been partying at The Blitz that around 8 souls descended upon my tiny flat, along with flatmate Ben who had accompanied us to The Blitz for his first visit. Ben was now working on a film called Saturn 3 staring two Hollywood greats - the late star Kirk Douglas and the former Charlies Angels star Farrah Fawcett Majors. Ben had also nabbed me a job as Kirk Douglas' "gofer". Such an easy job although one had to be available at all hours. Douglas was popular with film crews. He had a reputation as being easy going, very professional often only needing one shoot of a scene, treating the crew respectfully and a great tipper when a project had been completed.

Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett Majors in the Sci Fi flick Saturn 3

CONTINUED HERE.

No Invites To Bill Gate's Party

New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour is always a great event with the spectacular midnight fireworks.

One of the world's richest men Bill Gates is hosting a party at his rented Point Piper mansion but it will  be mainly a family affair with just a handful of invited guests. Although the Shuttle has seen the guest list and the catering arrangements-it's a fairly modest affair considering Gates is worth a reputed $59B. Will his neighbour Leo DiCaprio attend is the big question?. He's been invited.

The Island Bar

The Lord Mayor's party is always one of the best spots to be, located at the Sydney Opera House with a great view of the bridge and it's happenings. The Shuttle has passed on it though over the past few years. Getting there is like an expedition once the local roads are closed off and you pick your way through the tens of thousands of people streaming to the Opera House forecourt. It takes ages and leaving is likewise.

 In fact getting a spot anywhere on the harbour foreshore usually means grabbing your spot by early afternoon.

There are two bashes though that should be pretty special. The Island Bar, the brainchild of Julian Tobias will be hosted an amazing dinner with plenty of champagne to get you through the night. Book at their website but there are just a few tables left.

Bondi Icebergs supremo Maurice Terzini will be catering for the You Only Live Once party inside the Opera House at the Northern Foyer with it's views straight over to the bridge. Tickets are $695 each and entertainment will be from The Godfathers of House and Frankie Knuckles with as much beer, wine, cocktails and champagne as you can drink. Book here. But hurry.
Over at Glebe island and under the Anzac Bridge there is a major party that will have uninterrupted views to the bridge fireworks and entertainment from Guy Sebastian and Pseudo Echo. They've built a village with fantastic raised seating for a great view and there will be non-stop food and drinks. Tickets are from $198-$598 with a variety of transport methods thrown in. Bookings here.

And there are still a few VIP Marquee tickets at $495 left at Glebe Island and the return of Boy George and Culture Club. Not to be missed.

For those under 40 who have never heard of Culture Club- here is taster :

Louis Vuitton Goes Down Market

The Shuttle had an invitation to last night’s “glittering VIP” opening party for Louis Vuitton’s magnificent new George Street emporium but had to turn it down due to a prior engagement.

“But how can you miss it” pleaded  a breathless PR operative “when we have an amazing list of top celebrities coming ?”

“like who ?”. 

“Lara Bingle , Erica Heynatz, Melissa Doyle, Miranda Kerr !”

“anyone we may not have run into last week ?”

“Cate Blanchett, she’s cutting the ribbon ?

“look we love Cate but she’s a tad over exposed in Sydney at present . Who else?”

“ Ronnie Wood from the Rolling Stones?”

“Love Ronnie but I'm seeing him at a private party this Sunday. We’ll send our photographer to get a few snaps"

“terrific, I’ll make sure he has a good spot on the black carpet”

“you mean a carpet with one of those boards with your name plastered all over it ?”

“Yes”

“No thanks. The whole idea is to have shots that are different to the paparazzi pics-you know maybe with the product inside the store and so on”.

Ronnie & Jo Woods at LV

And so it went and driving that night at 6.30pm over the Harbour Bridge our cynicism was confirmed. Opening anything on a Friday is verboten in this town mainly because you miss the Thursday deadline for Sunday’s society pages. 

But hearing  LVHM overlord Phillip Corne being interviewed on 2GB (nighttime audience-Long Bay Jail, nursing homes, the deranged etc) tell the befuddled listeners they could save for years to buy a Louis Vuitton piece which could be handed down through their family, or of the two South American peasants who saved a lifetime to purchase a LV suitcase (presumably with no money left to travel ) the madness of the modern world was confirmed.

They did get one thing right-using top party designer David Grant. A veteran of many Olympic Games events and the legendary Cointreau Balls, there is none better.

On Wednesday we had a long conversation with one of Australia’s top movie PRs who has promoted some of the biggest stars in the world and we both agreed about the new breed of publicists armed with a "communications degree” who can do everything but communicate.

The opening of Louis Vuitton was reminiscent of  the opening of the Martin Place Armani store a few years ago.

The Shuttle phoned the PR firm (new in town) to politely inform them we would be attending.

“Oh we can't have media inside” was the snooty reply “we have VIPs coming. You can stand outside the marquee” Miss Bossy Boots said.

“Who ?” we asked. 

“Lady Sonia McMahon, Boy George and Julian Clary”

“Well the reason I’m ringing is because Lady Sonia asked me to escort her” I replied “and Boy George told me today that Armani can ‘f"ck orf” unless they gave him a few outfits and Julian Clary will be in Brisbane. Well that's what he said at lunch two days ago".

We went with Sonia in the end and it was usual suspects (without Lara Bingle as she hadn’t become one yet). No Boy George and no Julian Clary.

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Cate with LV head honcho Philip Corne

Cutting the ribbon for the opening of a new store seemed an odd job for one of the world's top movie stars but Cate Blanchett had a good reason to last night (apart from the set of new LV luggage delivered to her a few days ago)

Now that Giorgio Armani has dropped out as a sponsor for the Sydney Theatre Company-step forward Louis Vuitton. And the brand comes with it's own champagne label, Moët & Chandon, perfect for those all important patron   parties.

The Downfall of 'Lord' Davenport

The Emmanuel's famous wedding gown

The Shuttle exclusively revealed in December last year that 33 Portland Place, the home of 'Fast Eddie' Edward Davenport was used to film part of The King's Speech. Now the resident of the grand London terrace has been banged up for 8 years in prison for perpetuating one of the most common scams today-the offer to raise non-existent multi-million dollar loans on payment of an up front substantial fee. Dozens of conned souls have lost millions.

Sadly one of Eddie's victims was another Shuttle discovery, the designer Elizabeth Emmanuel who has lost her life savings to the ghastly rogue.
Many moons ago The Shuttle was commissioned by a New York nightclub to bring a host of the newest up and coming British fashion designers to the Big Apple for a series of parades. Elizabeth and her then husband David Emmanuel were two struggling designers operating out of a minuscule West End studio when we chose them as designers of refreshingly new and romantic designs.

The subsequent fashion spread featuring the Emmanuel's clothes in the US prestigious Woman's Wear Daily brought them to the attention of the British media and three years later they were commissioned to design the dress of the century, Princess Diana's famous wedding gown in her marriage to Prince Charles in 1981.

But why did London ever fall for this con-man and is he a symptom of the instant celebrity culture that has invaded British society?.

His pompous website, replete with incorrect spellings of names reeks of self-promotion with a series of snaps of Eddie with a host of movie actors and pop stars.

Most of the pictures were taken at the various events held at Portland Place which Eddie hired out for parties to PR companies. Large West End houses that can be hired by the night are rare so obviously the venue was popular. Most homeowners, except the most desperate are sensible enough to never allow a bunch of wannabes and certainly a film crew to trample their muddy boots through their rooms.

33 Portland Place

                                                                         
Tales abounded from those who hired Portland Place of Eddie's penchant for attending every bash with his own snapper and muscling in on the action by button-holing any celebrity for a snap. Boy George is reputed to have said after posing with Eddie :"who the fuck was that?. I thought he must be the butler"

The British tabloids duly reported every phony aspect of Eddie's life as though it were fact, from the hired luxury cars and planes that Eddie claimed to be his to his supposed wealth and never twigged to the fact that Davenport's family tree seems oddly free of aristocratic titles yet he claimed his was an inherited one.

As for Portland Place-it was purchased for a small sum in a highly dubious deal that some have likened to a classic pea and thimble trick. So clever was the dream Davenport weaved when obtaining the lease  that government officials from the impovererished country of Sierra Leone who owned the premises (and may still) are still scratching their heads as to how Fast Eddie ended up with the deeds to the graceful mansion.

British newspapers are still slipping up on facts-one has claimed that Eddie's Thai 'girlfriend' was in tears in the court. "Girl friend?" Eddie may feel right at home amongst the chaps at Wandsworth Prison.
As for the Daily Mail's decimation and exposure of Fast Edward Davenport's exagerated claims of wealth, perhaps they could have mentioned the magazine that leant credence to the Davenport Fantasy : The Mail on Sunday!

Happy Birthday Regine, Nightclub Queen of the World

Regine

Boxing Day is the 82nd birthday of Regine Zylberberg, the creator of the modern nightclub. Born in Belgium to Polish Jewish parents, Regine spent her early life hiding from the Nazis in France during the occupation.

In 1953 at the age of 24 she was managing the Paris Whisky aGo Go dance club when she seized upon the idea of exchanging the American jukeboxes common in nite spots with record turntables and hiring a disc jockey to spin new records. Thus, the modern discotheque was born

Soon a rival Whisky aGoGo opened in Los Angeles copying Regine's idea as it spread throughout the world.  Regine opened her own club in 1957-Chez Regine in the Latin Quarter of Paris which became the smartest nite spot in Paree. She imported twist king Chubby Checker to introduce his new dance to the Continent and taught the Duke of Windsor how to do the Twist.

At her peak Regine had 26 nightclubs around the world. The Social Shuttle attended the opening night of the London Regine's on top of the old Derry & Toms department store in Kensington High Street in the famous Rainbow Room which is surrounded by an extraordinary roof garden complete with  flamingos.

Opening night guests included actors Tony Curtis, Diana Dors and  Larry Hagman then at the height of fame in  the soap Dallas along with 2  guests smuggled in by the Shuttle-Boy George and the singer Marilyn (neither were famous then!).

When waiters pointed out the 2 gatecrashers and asked the hostess if she wanted them booted out she replied "Non non, ils ne sont beatiful !".

Marilyn later became a star guest at Regines when he arrived on the arm of Jack Nicholson.

Regine had a huge hit in France with Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive'. It's the Shuttle's theme song for 2011 and below is a video of Regine's version.

Other celebrity birthdays today shared with Regine include Rattlesnake Annie, Ugly Dave Gray and Bashful Brother Oswald. Look them up.

drop your gear for Spencer

Nude artist Spencer Tunick is coming to the 2010 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in March and is calling on all gays and lesbians to be prepared to take off their clothes for one of his mass nude snaps, on the Golden Gay Mile of Oxford Street.

The work will be called The Base and all body shapes, sexualities and preference are welcome. Will the legendary Dykes On Bikes participate ?. The once topless ladies on Harley's who lead the opening of the parade went all coy about 4 years ago when their topless snaps started appearing world-wide and on various porn websites.

There's a sort of schizophrenic attitude here.

Once a year normally reserved people let their hair down, fling open the wardrobe door and burst out in gleeful abandonment, screeching slogans about gay rights before heading off to the mass party of thousands that usually ends up in a drugged seething mass grope in the underground facilities.Come Monday they retreat back to their day jobs as chartered accountants, school teachers etc. Or in my case with the 6' horrendous drag queen in a vintage YSL ball gown who slapped me on the back half-way up Oxford Street with a maniacal look in his eyes-the bench at Downing Street Courts where he presides as a very sober magistrate,

The Shuttle experienced this mini Sodom & Gomorrah (without participating) at the last G & L Mardi Gras we attended when we accompanied 'movie star" Rupert Everett who was the special guest in 2007. Unless one swallows huge quantities of drugs (and most do) it's the most tiresome night of the year. Hours spent in the VIP room peering down on the seething mass of people circling the cavernous dance floor swaying in time to whatever DJ Boy George says goes. And just to catch a glimpse of the star act like Kylie Minouge lip syncing at 4am. Maybe we are just past it. Getting bitter as we age.

Apparently getting your gear of with a few hundred others is liberating. But is art ?. Whatever turns you on.

If the idea turns you on-sign up here : www.mardigras.org.au/tunick

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Only 2 weeks after his successful exhibition at the National Trust, artist Martin Sharp and the art world is in shock with the brutal murder yesterday of Sharp's curator, the respected art figure Antony Waterlow OAM whose body was found along with his slain daughter, the popular food writer and publicist Chloe Waterlow in her Randwick house. Chloe's young daughter is clinging to life after her throat was slashed and her 2 young sons who escaped unscathed are being cared for by family members as husband Ben Heuston rushes back from London.

Sharp attended a party at the University of NSW Roundhouse onSaturday night with Waterlow . Police have one suspect- a family member who was seen near the home shortly after the murders.
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The awful tragedy that has struck the Waterlow family is having far reaching effects in many areas. Australia's most renowned painter Margaret Olley has spoken affectionately of the gentle Waterlow who she housed when he first arrived from the UK 40 years ago.

Police have only one suspect-a family member who suffers from schizophrenia. Over 15 years ago the state government in a rash move closed the many excellent hospitals that dealt with mental illness on the claim that patients should be housed in the community.

The battles that have ensured since over the valuable land where these hospitals were located-some by the harbour, have been long and bitter. Sadly, the then government minister who oversaw this action has gone on record proclaiming his mistake after both his sons committed suicide while they were suffering from depression.