Baz Keeps The Party Going

 

Erica Packer, Baz Luhrmann & Neil Perry

Baz Luhrmann has a huge hit on his hands with The Great Gastby and has thrown yet another shindig to celebrate.
                                                                  Gatsby is cleaning up at the box office : to date the flick has grossed over $147M well on it's way to covering the $180M cost and it still doesn't open until this Wednesday in Australia , one of the world's most lucrative markets. This will be his most successful production to date and will give a huge boost to the local film market- it was shot entirely in Sydney around Paddington, Manly and Birchgrove.

The success also vindicates the decision by the NSW state government to invest $40M in the film.
All this was yet another reason for Baz and wife Catherine Martin to host another swell dinner at Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar & Grill, a cavernous restaurant with marbled lined walls and a balcony fora full orchestra to .serenade guests.
Right : Ricky Martin with Baz and (below) with Catherine Martin.

Gatsby Rules !

Baz Luhrmann and The Great Gatsby bandwagon rolled into Sydney tonight for the Australian premiere and it was a huge hit with the audience.

The film's stars flocked to the Hoyts Cinema Complex in Moore Park, right next door to Fox Studios and Centennial Park where much of the movie was filmed. All that was missing was Leo DiCaprio who had other filming commitments but there were heaps of movie stars to keep hundreds of fans screaming their heads off and defying the pelting rain.
Forget what the critics say : Gatsby is a visual feast and a joyous romp through The Roaring Twenties. It's the first 3D film that the Shuttle has been able to sit through comfortably. Catherine Martin's sets and designs are sensational, over the top and there really is never a dull moment in this flick.
No-shows but reported elsewhere as attending : Ricky Martin, Seal and Kate Ritchie.

Gatsby fever strikes

The modelling Stenmark twins                                       Lachlan & Sarah Murdoch braved the rain

the brolly brigade at The Great Gastby

The Great Gatsby gets a Great Review...

USA Today's entertainment editor Dennis Moore has kind words to say about "The Great Gatsby." Baz Luhrmann's  fourth big screen treatment of legendary novel.: there were others in 1926, 1949 and 1974.  Moore talks about how the film was shot in 3D but little about the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire.
"The director is known for valued visuals more than storytelling. but in this case, it is mesmerizing. It is gorgeous. The costumes, the sets are lavish. but Leo really gets into the role of Gatsby and carries you all the way through the film." So there.
 Some pics from the premiere and after party by our man on the scene-  New York's top society snapper Patrick McMullan:

Queen of Pop- Kylie,                                                                   Baz & Catherine                                         Rachel Taylor

Gwen Stefani & Katy Perry                                   Leo DiCaprio, Baz & Carey Mulligan                                 Oliver Stone

 

Dame Edna,Vagina Deniers & Gladioli Interuptus

It was bound to be a night of laughter, memories and tears as Dame Edna Everage took to the stage at the Capitol Theatre to bade farewell at the beginning of her final tour, Eat Pray Laugh !.

The first hour was given over to Sir Les Patterson who despite a severe attack of Montezuma's Revenge insisted on treating audience members to an on-stage BBQ in between Sir Les rushing for relief in a handy stage loo complete with amplified sound effects.

Sir Les introduced his brother Gerard Patterson, a Catholic priest who seemed much taken with Dame Edna's young Asian male pianist despite his correctional ankle bracelet sounding an alarm. According to Les, Gerard is a "card carrying member of the Vagina Deniers Club ".

Maria Venuti

The late Sandy Stone gave a final discourse about his life on Earth before ascending to the heavens in his armchair to the sounds of My Blue Heaven.

Dame Edna's manager Barry Humphries & Lizzie Spender

And then it was time for the grand Dame herself, arriving on an elephant with a decidedly Indian theme. Apparently Dame Edna's manager Barry Humphries has signed Edna to a long Bollywood film contract after mistakenly believing he was signing a Hollywood film contract.

artist John Olsen

Bruce Beresford

This was a night with Dame Edna at her best and those in the 'ashtrays' and upstairs circle were invited to "cling on like fruit bats" with the star promising to glance at them occasionally in direct proportion to their ticket prices. We heard the latest on her children, the dress designer Kenny and her daughter Val Mai with her numerous piercings who is in show biz as well, performing at the women's only Clit Clat Club in Marrickville.

Various hapless audience members were grilled as to their bedroom decor and few were spared Edna's pithy comments. The finale was as expected, with every audience member, stomachs aching from laughter provided with their own gladioli and a standing ovation to wish the Dame farewell.
And a final appearance from Barry Humphries with thanks to the audience and a hope that they would all attend the next farewell tour.

As for Dame Edna's future plans-she's been telling a UK newspaper that a biographical film of her life is in the planning :"little Carey Mulligan will be playing me, Helen Mirren will play my grandmother and that dear little Judy Dench will be my bridesmaid Madge".
It's just the beginning of Dame Edna's world tour and at 78 years of age could be her last. Run don't walk and get tickets now wherever you are. They're going like hotcakes and it's a seriously funny night of laughs.

exclusive : Great Gatsby Gaff #1

Above is a screen capture from the trailer (below) that has just been released for Baz Luhrmann's $130M
Great Gasby 3D epic that is having the finishing touches put on it at Fox Studios. It's a scene from New York's Time Square set in the 1920s.

Luhrmann imported half a dozen fabulous automobiles from the USA and rounded up dozens of similar era cars from around Australia. With the magic of cinema the right-hand drive vehicles magically become left-hand drives. Sydney's Centennial Park doubled up as The Hamptons and Long Island and several mansions including Strickland House in Vaucluse capably passed for grand US estates. The old Balmain power station looks perfect as industrial New York and only the trained eye-judging from the great clip below-could spot the parts of Sydney that stand in for 1920's Manahttan. While the film's stars Leo Di Caprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire have long departed Sydney, around 200 technicians are beavering away at Fox on the production.

The Shuttle's sub-editor, a dyslexic moggie named Mildred Pierce with a fierce catnip addiction prone to making more mistakes than she corrects, however draws our attention to a major boo-boo that will hopefully disappear from the final production due to be released in early 2013.

The Ziegfeld Follies ran on Broadway from around 1907 to 1931 as well as making it to the big screen in several lavish productions. Yes, that's the Ziegfeld -not Zeigfeld!

Leo DiCaprio's Catalogue Christmas Present

 




Great Gatsby star Leonardo DiCaprio is back in California today for Christmas after flying out of Sydney on Thursday afternoon courtesy of The Star Casino's corporate jet.

Accompany him was Victoria's Secret model Erin Heatherington who the Daily Mail has reported,  Leo spotted in an underwear model catalogue and contacted her with a request to join him in Sydney. Erin continued on to New York on a commercial flight.

The UK Daily Mail newspaper also has a series of photographs taken last Tuesday by a tourist of the pair touring the grounds of historic Vaucluse House which is in the next suburb to Point Piper where DiCaprio is renting a harbour side house while he films Gatsby for director Baz Lurhmann.

Several newspapers have reported that Leo has 'imported' several models to date yet the Hollywood star has often been spotted partying with his close knit band of male friends sans these 'girlfriends' at several Sydney night spots including Ivy in the city where twice he has rented the lounge bar for he and his pal's exclusive use and the tiny Beach Haus nightclub in Kings Cross where, once Leo & pals arrive one of his bodyguards is posted at the front door to screen further guests who may arrive. DiCaprio will be back in Sydney in early January to wrap up filming.

Burt

Baz

Meanwhile director Baz Luhrmann is recovering from an injury that required several stitches and resulted in the Gatsby set being closed down until January, after he hit his head on a camera weight last week.
While DiCaprio's co-stars Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire are spending Christmas in Sydney, friends have been commenting on Baz's new smooth look around his eyes and pondering whether Luhrmann has had surgery.

One older technician who has worked on many Hollywood films said that when he arrived for the first day of filming on Gatsby, Baz's new look reminded him of another movie great he has worked with-actor Burt Reynolds.

Carey Mulligan : Best Dressed

She's just taken up residence in Sydney for the next few months-beautiful British actress Carey Mulligan who is to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's $120M 3D re-make of The Great Gatsby.

Now she's been named in Vanity Fair's International Best-Dressed List 2011 alongside HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco, Justin Timberlake , Carla Bruni-Sakozy, Lady GaGa, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, Colin Firth, Stavros Niarchos and the Shuttle's favourite The King of Bhutan.
Photographs : Vanity Fair (C)

                                                                    

A Home For Leonardo DiCaprio

IT WOULD BE churlish to publish the address, particularly as we are sworn to secrecy.
We can tell you it is in Sydney's Easter Suburbs and no further than a ten minute drive from Fox Studios. Is it on the harbour?. That would be telling but water can be accessed from the house (that leaves the Harbour and ocean beaches)

Isla Fisher

We're talking about the new home for the next few months for Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio who will arrive on these shores any day now to begin filming Baz Luhrmann's 3D epic  The Great Gatsby.

Fear not though-there will be ample opportunity to see DiCaprio around town as some of the film will be shot in various locations in Sydney. At Fox Studios, Luhrmann has built massive sound stages to resemble 1920's New York and 6 vintage vehicles have been imported with left hand drive for authenticity.

Also arriving soon to co-star in the movie-Isla Fisher, married to Sacha Baron Cohen (she met him at a Sydney party in 2002), Spiderman's Tobey McGuire and English actress Carey Mulligan.

DiCaprio reprises the role of Jay Gatsby which was played by Robert Redford in the 1974 version of F.Scott Fitzgerald's book while Mulligan plays Daisy Buchanan, a role taken by Mia Farrow opposite Redford. Jason Clarke and Joel Edgerton also have roles.

Leo as J.Edgar Hoover

Quite what Fitzgerald would have thought of his book being turned into a 3D film is any one's guess but DiCaprio is undeterred by Luhrmann's last rather droll production, Australia which went to video soon after release. He has only praise for Luhrmann after starring in Baz's 1996 Romeo & Juliet and is probably the big name-he's box office gold-needed for another Lurhmann production.

And the producers of bio-pic J.Edgar in which DiCaprio plays the legendary cross dressing founder of the FBI, J.Edgar Hoover have released the first pic of Leo in the role.

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"talk to the hand "..Joel Edgerton and Susan Sarandon at a party in Sydney

 JOEL EDGERTON is one of the hardest working actors in Australia and with Gatsby-it will make 8 productions in which he has major roles awaiting release.
The Thing, a blockbuster Sci-Fi epic in which an alien craft is discovered at a research station in the Antarctic, is due for release during the Christmas holiday season and the word is that his acting in the Disney production The Odd Life of Timothy Green, due for release next year will bring high praise.

Here is a trailer for The Odd Life of Timothy Green,: