Abbey Under The Knife

She was the face of Versace's 2011 Spring campaign and this year the face of Gucci but gorgeous Australian model Abbey Lee Kershaw was absent from much of the catwalk at the recent New York Mercedes Fashion Week.

Now Patti Huntington of the [frockwriter] blogspot has revealed that Abbey is to undergo an operation in the Big Apple today because of a knee complaint that has troubled her for several years. Kershaw has taken a tumble at a few fashion shows which would not have helped her ligaments and fainted once at an Alexander McQueen parade.

Huntington also speculates the world's no 5 top model may be working on a project with Stephen Spielberg. Read more at [frockwriter] and see more of Mario Testino''s wonderful pics of Abbey here.

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     Duty Calls...

 An odd thing has been happening in the local media scene over the past few months.
Amongst the loose  gaggle of  paparazzi who attended every media event in Sydney and Melbourne, several of the more eager (read aggresive ) members have been no-where to be seen.

The lads from Big Picture seem to have vanished into the mist, coincidentally just as the Leveson Inquiry in the UK went into second gear.

Run by the self styled Mr Paparazzi Darryn Lyons of implanted six-pack fame, the Big Picture crew were all over the place in the last few years, exasperating the oldtimers of the pap scene who relied on keeping a low profile. In the UK they were equally disliked by the regular celebrity snappers who hang around outside the homes of the famous.
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Lyons is currently starring in Excess Baggage, the bizarre TV show where viewers watch a bunch of  minor celebrities like Ajay Rochester and Kevin Federline (Britney Spears's ex) try to lose weight. It's a bit like watching paint dry.

Could the low profile of the Pig Picture snappers and Mr Lyon's extended stay in Australia have anything to do perchance, with the fact that Justice Leveson wishes to call a representative of the paparazzi to the witness box and interrogate them over their relationship with the late News of The World and accident prone The Sun ?.

Lyons has claimed he got his start in photography after a 'chance meeting' with Rupert Murdoch (although the great man when once asked said he'd never heard of Lyons). Whatever happens the name Murdoch is probably not the best one to drop should Mr Paparazzi end up in front of M'Lud.

A Bumpy Year & A Bieber Baby

The 2012 predictions are flowing in and the usual catastrophes await us-floods, typhoons etc as well as our old favourite Nostradamus predicting the beginning of WW3.

The New York Post's Cindy Adams says Justin Bieber will become a dad for real and Prince William and Kate become parents (that organ of repute Woman's Day says likewise but that 'medical intervention' will be needed)
The famous Edgar Cacye had lots to say about 2012 including that the entire West Coast of the USA will disappear (presumably in an earthquake) and that New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco will be destroyed as will Japan! Another tsunami ?. How accurate was Cacye ? Some of his predictions for 2012 have been uncanny having happened this year including turmoil in Lybia,. Egypt and Syria.

The BBC's Diplomatic Correspondent James Robbins says Assad's regime in Syria will fall in '12. Meanwhile Henry Deedes in the RightMinds blog in the MailOnline says Barack Obama will win again in 2012 (even I could have predicted that) but Jeremy Clarkson will be embroiled in another scandal when he calls Obama the Mad Mullah.

The howtosurvive.net website has bad news for us here in Australia. We're facing a 7000 ft tidal wave! Time to sell that harbor side property and move to Ulhuru.

The Psychic Twins Terri &Linda Jamison who it's claimed warned about the 9/11 attacks two years before they happened have a pretty good track record. They reckon 2012 will be a 'calm' year in the video below. No tsunamis. No 7000ft tidal wave. Phew.
They reckon however that Britney Spears will be working on a new album. Amazing !

As for the Shuttle-we predict tons more champagne parties in 2012, lots more gossip and scandal involving celebrities, politicians and business figures plus love affairs that begin and end. And when have we ever been wrong? . Happy New Year!

Richard Wilkins & Jeff Goldblum's 'Death'

One guest at last Friday's Volvo Alpine ice skating party was Richard Wilkins who arrived with his pal top chef Luke Mangan.

Luke Mangan & Richard Wilkins

 Wilkins has had a long and varied career. Born in New Zealand he was a budding classical violinist until he decided that rock was more his thing. After graduating from teachers’ college, majoring in English and Music, he started a band – Wilde and Reckless which he fronted under the name Richard Wilde.

He enjoyed some success, touring Australia with the band in 1980 and supporting Grace Jones, while managing several other bands from a small Sydney office. Eventually he became the face of MTV when it was first launched and for many years now he's been a fixture on the Nine TV network jetting back and forth between the USA and Australia and interviewing celebs like Billy Connolly, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Robbie Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Britney Spears and Barbara Streisand.

On the 25th of this month he launches his first book : Black Ties, Red Carpets, Green Rooms published by Doubleday. Richard says it isn't an autobiography but more a series of anecdotes about the people he's met, interviews with some of the world's top stars along with back room show biz gossip.
Maybe he'll reveal how he happened upon one of his top exclusives that swept the world- the announcement that actor Jeff Goldblum had 'died' while falling from a cliff in New Zealand. Fortunately for Goldblum it turned out to be a hoax !.

Look Who Is Coming to the (Mardi Gras) Party !

2 unique acts are lined up for personal appearances this month in Sydney and to ring in the after party at Fox Studios at the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras on Saturday March 5th.

Courtney Act (left) who has been touring the UK & US and internet sensation Chris Crocker.

Those who have been living in a wardrobe for the past few year may not know Crocker who started his own club of one : the Britney Spears Extremist Committee.

Both Courtney and Crocker will be performing at the new Oxford Street venue Nevermind ( George Michael was there last Saturday nite) where Chris will sing his chart topping single Freak Of Nature.

Below is Chris Crocker's video-Leave Britney Alone. It launched Chris to international stardom. The poor lad gets a bit upset and over 37 million people have watched it on youtube. You should watch all his youtube offerings. The lad is very funny.

Jerry Hall jets in

an ecstatic Guy Sebastian

Myers held their Summer Spring fashion show tonight in the Carriage Works in downtown Redfern. The contrast between the David Jones fashion parades this Tuesday could not have been more stark. No expense was spared with about 4 times the guests, huge platters of delicious Sydney oysters, champers etc.

And a special guest-Jerry Hall who flew in this morning sans her reputed boyfriend chauffeur. Jerry tells me she is on her way to Perth for 3 weeks rehearsals before opening in The Graduate. Her daughter Georgia May Jagger joins her tomorrow and they expect to be in Oz for 3 months. "Lots of things lined up" says Jerry, "adverts, promotions and so on". At 54, she looks sensational. She joined Leah Woods, Ron Wood's daughter for pre-show cocktails.Singer Leah is living in Sydney for the foreseeable future.

Natrasha Belling & Jackie Frank

Leah Woods & Jerry Hall

footballer Kris Smith models

the magnificent Maggie Tabberer

Jennifer Hawkins and friends

pontificating on fashion

Leona Edmiston

designer Jayson Brunsdon

Jessica Hart

Larry King toasts Frank Monte

A visit to the chic restaurant Lotus for a glass of Dom Perignon to toast the 60th birthday of the man dubbed by the media as the world's most famous private eye, Frank Monte.

outrageous !

Monte was celebrating with his buxom ex-fiancee Sharon Sergeant who has recently caused a media storm with her outrageous antics hosting parties for a group of visiting British footballers and dancing to gay abandon with one of the most famous US porn stars in Las Vegas.

The highlight of the evening-apart from the series of lavish presents from the ex, was a phone call from US talk show host Larry King wishing Monte a happy birthday. Monte was a regular on King's show in the US when he lived for a few years in New York and he still catches up with King for dinner on visits there, as recently as 2 months ago.

In fact Monte was a regular on all sorts of TV shows-Howard Stern and Oprah to name 2 but that's a tale for a future story.

King & Monte-old pals

After a 5 minute chat Monte handed over his mobile phone so the Shuttle could introduce ourselves to Larry and of course, give the Social Shuttle a good plug. 

King says he'll weave in a mention of the site on air. What a lovely chap !. Let's hope he does it before he retires shortly.

A scoop : We also asked Larry about the tales that have swirled about the British media  that journalist Piers Morgan would be replacing him on CNN.

"Piers who ?" was the response. Ouch.

The Daily Mail strikes again...

You have to love the British Daily Mail newspaper and their infected outrage.
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Today they have run a story about the hapless Jon Venables:

"Jon Venables' used mobile phone to take 1,200 pics up women's skirts "

On the same page they have run a tale about singer Alesha Dixon :

"Where's your dress gone, Alesha ?"

illustrating the story is a pic of Alesha...up-skirt!

Fantasy versus reality

photo shopped Sarah

The Sydney Morning Herald draws attention to the changing face of Sarah Murdoch, wife of Rupert Murdoch's son Lachlan and the host on the next Australia' s Next Top Model.

stunning..a natural Sarah

Sarah recently joined  Youth Minister Kate Ellis's advisory board to help foster a healthy body image for youth which includes a policy for fashion magazine editors to label doctored and photo shopped pictures so that young people do not get an unrealistic belief in how one can look. She also appeared on the front cover of the Australian Women's Weekly last November au naturel, flaws and all.

The SMH 'PS' column quotes a spokes person for Sarah saying : ''Sarah never said she would never again appear in a retouched photo. Her appearance on the cover of the AWW untouched was and remains an incredibly bold and important statement,'' PS was curtly informed. ''Sarah will, of course, continue to appear in both completely natural campaigns as well as photos that require hair, make-up and retouching to suit a client's needs, as you would expect from any professional."

at the ANTM launch

Here are our exclusive pics from the launch of Australia's Next Top Model a fortnight ago which was hosted by Sarah Murdoch along with her fellow judges from the show, fashion designer Alex Perry and Charlotte Dawson. Both Charlotte and Alex seem to have obtained a stretched smooth look. But Sarah looks quite amazing..gorgeous!

the real Elle

fantasy Elle

 Another Aussie supermodel will be judging new talent with Elle McPherson hosting Britain's Next Top Model. Her promo shots give us a smoothed out Elle. We like the real one as well.

Perhaps BP should employ the expert photo shopper.

Who is Rhys Muldoon ?

Rhys Muldoon & Peter Garrett at the Hawke book launch

Who is Rhys Muldoon ?.

The quick answer is a very successful actor. A former host of a kid's TV show Muldoon has acted in numerous critically acclaimed roles including the Oscar nominated The Saviour in 2006 and Bitter and Twisted, the hit of the 2008 Tribecca Film Festival.

But perhaps one role could have revealed a political side to Muldoon. In the Melbourne and Sydney productions of the David Hare play Stuff Happens he played the lead role of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

On Tuesday night as our exclusive picture shows, Muldoon was at the Blanche d'Alpuget's book launch of her new title Hawke The Prime Minister. He stood and chatted with Environment Minister and former Midnight Oils front man Peter Garrett MP.

Now it appears he is also a close personal friend of former PM Kevin Rudd, recently ousted by Julia Gillard who launched d'Alpuget's book. And if we believe an article in tomorrow's Australian newspaper Muldoon is so close to Rudd he may have been advising him on certain matters during his tenure as PM. He and Rudd also penned a children's book together-Great Australia Day Kerfuffle.

What does all this mean ?. Well we have no idea but it does add to the amazing publicity campaign-planned or unplanned that is certain to push Hawke The Prime Minister into the number one book spot.

As media reports continue unabated with Labor tribes lining up on either side to support former PM Paul Keating or Bob Hawke the relationship between the 2 former political allies seems busted beyond repair. Or is it ?.

Keating say he hasn't previously considered writing his own book about his term as PM from '91 to'96 and as the World's Greatest Living Treasurer ( an honour accorded by a host of financial publication editors around the world) from 1983 to 1990.

If he puts pen to paper now his book is also bound to be a bestseller. Perhaps Hawke will return the favour.

The tables turn on the Silver Bodgie

happier days-Hawke, Keating & Gough Whitlam

Days after the launch of the Blanche d'Alpuget book  (see below), Hawke The Prime Minister, his successor Paul Keating has come out sledging Bob and Blanche Hawke with a letter published in the Australian in which Keating reveals for the first time that Hawke was suffering from depression during his tenure as PM.

At the launch on Tuesday night at the Wharf Restaurant Blanche mentioned Hawkie's bout of depression, as did Hawke himself but both said it lasted a few months.

Keating claims it was for 4 years while  he Keating as Deputy Prime Minster , carried  Hawke through the most difficult decisions including his advice to Hawke to immediately approach George Bush Sr before the first Gulf War and establish Australia as the USA's first ally-which he did giving Bush Sr much needed moral support for the pending war and in return obligating this country the need to only provide 2 warships as support.

Keating demanded Hawke's resignation in 1990 after he claimed a previous agreement between the two would see Hawke  handover power and when Bob refused, Keating retreated to the back bench only to usurp him 10 months later in 1991. Keating held power for 5 years until he lost to the man he hated more than any-John Howard in 1995.

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Miranda

In a more disingenuous article, the fragrant Miranda Devine has also gotten stuck into Bob and Blanche in a piece in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Miranda is meddling it again. She claims all of Hawke's children wore black when he and Blanche wed in 1995 . Not true. The Shuttle was there. And all the Hawke children and grandchildren were at the book launch on Monday and happy to support their step-mum Blanche.

Miranda's biggest faux pas though is her attempt to paint former wife Hazel Hawke, who remained loyal beside Bob while he was PM  and while he was conducting a secret affair with Blanche who he would eventually marry, as being 'discarded' when no longer needed. Hazel sadly is in the advanced stages of alzheimers.
She was diagnosed with the disease while Bob was still PM and both she and her husband carefully planned Hazel's gradual withdrawal from the public eye. 

Hazel Hawke

People we trust more than Devine have said Hazel was almost saint  like in her love for Hawke and said that she told most close friends that as she deteriorated mentally, she had no wish to put him through what is acknowledged as being one of the most debilitating  and soul destroying illnesses a couple can face together.

Oscar winner at the Bob-a-thon

Only ex-Prime Minister Bob Hawke could draw an Oscar winning actor to a book launch. Geoffrey Rush confirmed he had always been a Hawke fan. It was also an opportunity to meet for the first time the new Prime Minister Julia Gillard-a smaller, prettier woman in real life with amazing white porcelain like skin

PM Julia Gillard with Bob'n'Blanche

Hawke, The Prime Minister  is the next instalment on Hawke's life covering his 9 years as PM and is written by his wife, Blanche d'Alpuget. Her first biography of  Hawke remains the best selling political biography of all time in Australia.

Hawke fan

Hawke is a unique creature almost universally loved even by his political enemies. At 81 he still draws an admiring crowd anywhere he goes. When Bob gets out on the hustings for the Labor Party during an election campaign it can be pandemonium. With the image of the average Aussie, Hawke is anything but. 

After attending 3 universities including 2 years at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, Hawke went straight into the top spot at the ACTU without ever having to hustle for a job He became the unionist's hero when unions  were the most powerful force in the country. 

An example of his power was when Frank Sinatra visited Australia for concerts in 1972 and referred to female reporters as "$2 hookers". Unions closed ranks and refused to re-fuel Sinatra's plane. Frank found himself stuck in the penthouse suite of the Boulevard Hotel without even room service while his manager Jilly Rizzo fumed. Hawke was called into conciliate and told Cranky Frankie that of he didn't have wings he'd never leave the country without apologising first.

Peter Garret at the book launch

B1 & B2

Over a day long drinking session a deal was thrashed out with Sinatra agreeing to give 2 charity performances.
Later Sinatra was to tell friends "that Hawke could have given the guys in Chicago lessons".

The episode was later made into a film-The Night They Called It A Day with the late Dennis Hopper playing Frank.

Hawke's forte was conciliation. Preventing strikes before they happened whilst getting wages up. Big Business loved him and got behind him in his election campaign for PM. Along the way he saved huge swathes of Australia and Antarctica as national parks, was instrumental in ending war in Cambodia, formed APEC, sent troops to the first Gulf War, actively opposed the later invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

An example of Hawkie's amazing charisma was at an American Australian Association dinner about 8 years ago. Then PM John Howard was the guest of honour. When Hawke walked into the room it was electric. He was quickly surrounded by ambassadors from all over Asia. The US Ambassador, a George Bush Jr pal warmly embraced him. When Howard arrived he was like any other guest. A waiter with  a plate hors d'œuvre would have gained more attention. As the politician Gareth Evans once said scathingly-"when Howard walks into a room, it's like he just walked out of another one". No wonder the cricket world wants anyone but him to be the new boss.

Next Sunday in the Hawke-a-thon is the premiere of Hawke, the Movie. A gripping look at the tussle between he and Paul Keating who eventually deposed him in a party room coup, just like Julia Gillard who launched the book, did with Kevin Rudd.

And on facebook you can join the Bring Back Bob Hawke page.

Hawke The Prime Minister is published by Melbourne University Press


Hawke (the film) starring Richard Roxburgh premiers on Sunday night at 8.30pm on the Ten Network

Anna Nicole, Michael, Elvis goodies up for sale

 Show-biz Special :

If you always wanted to own a piece of a dead celebrity this is your chance. At Julien's Auctions in Las Vegas beginning on the 24th June a whole range of star memorabilia is up for sale with some fabulously tasteful pieces including a medical swab from Elvis Presley (expected to sell for about $1000). 

Just think of the assortment of drugs in that swab-percodan,Quaalude, Seconal, Ritalin-the lot. Just sit yourself on a toilet seat with a peanut butter sandwich and you too can feel like The King.

Our personal favourite is Janis Joplin's arrest photos. The best she's ever looked !.

There's a mass of stuff from Michael Jackson's estate including just about everything he ever wore and a few pieces from the Neverland Ranch including a "security badge' to bring out the inner bossy pedo in you.

Anna's doggy's bed

 

Anna Nicole Smith must have collected every bit of Marilyn Monroe tat going. Dozens of handbags with Marilyn's face, mugs, photos, it's all up for sale including some of Anna Nicole's own "art". Gorgeous. And her doggies bed and her fake Louis Vuitton suitcase.

A masterpiece by Anna Nicolle

 

There's something for everyone including from those still breathing-Bob Dylan, Britney Spears and check out Ozzy Osbourne's dreadful office 'suite' which they think may bring $800!. Yuk 

You can bid online here.