Birthday Boy

It's a very Happy Birthday to former Prime Minister Bob Hawke (pictured here in our exclusive snap on Friday with Labor leader Bill Shorten) who turns 87 today (well yesterday actually). The former union leader won the 1983 general election in a landslide and at one stage was the most popular PM in Aussie history. He was eventually rolled by his (former) loyal deputy Paul Keating.
Whispers often runs into the Silver Bodgie as he is affectionately know, at various social functions and we have featured him on these pages over the years. Always popular with the electorate and he always greets you with a cherry smile and more often than not, a risque joke.
Below: Bob with John Singleton at the opening of Singleton's The Worker's Bar in Balmain (reputedly where the Labor Party was created in 1891) and with wife Blanche d'Alpuget at her book launch Hawke, The Prime Minister, the best selling Australian political biography of all time.

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Photo roundup:
Matty Bennett and partner Rupert Noffs are creating a foodie storm in New York with their successful restaurant The Lucky Bee as celebs pour through the doors- below with gorgeous Victoria's Secret model, Megan Williams

 At the AACTA Awards on Wednesday night at Star City: Claudia Karvan * Mel Gibson * Ky Baldwin * George Miller * Paul Hogan * Cate Blanchett * Hugo Weaving

Love Still Going Strong

It was many moons ago when Whispers introduced to the world, the former Mrs Anna Murdoch, with her new husband William Mann at the Lord Mayor's News Year's Eve party at the Sydney Opera House. Anna & William (pictured centre left) had flown into town to visit family members as out exclusive photo shows with her brother Hans Torv and his wife Kaiya.
Hans, who runs a radio network centred on the Gold Coast in QLD (sister Anna is a shareholder) is also father of the successful actress Anna Torv (below) star of the cult TV series Fringe. She lives in New York and often holidays with her aunt Anna Mann.
How pleasing then to see William & Anna in fine form last week at The New York Center for Children's "The Sunflower Party" in Southampton in Long Island.                              
As for former hubby Rupert Murdoch, he is currently in Sydney visiting son & heir Lachlan Murdoch and wife Sarah. They were spotted last week at Hamilton Island for the Audi Race Week.
Early next year a New York court is expected to hear what could be America's most expensive divorce case when Rupert & Wendi Murdoch go to battle unless an amicable settlement is reached as it was when Rupert divorced Anna who picked up a reputed $500M.

William & Anna Mann at the New York Center for Children's "The Sunflower Party". photo by Patrick McMullan (c)

Moran Art Prize

The Moran family have at times been steeped in controversy. They also live now as a happy family unit in the extraordinary Swifts in Darling Point. Swifts, built in 1876 by Sir Robert Lucas Lucas-Tooth is possibly the most valuable house in Sydney with it's many acres.    

The Moran Art Prizes are amongst the most valuable in Australia and the awards were given out today in the beautiful Juniper Hall  (also owned by the Morans and faithfully restored) in Paddington.
Louise Herman won first prize with this stunning portrait of photographic artist Bill Henson who has also been surrounded by controversy over his work.
Alisha Staines picked up the Student Prize Year 10-11 for her photo those that don't jump will never fly (left) and below that is Emily Riley's Colour of Life the winning snap in Student Year 9-10

The exhibition of all the winning photographs and much much more is now on at Juniper Hall in Oxford Street Paddington

Right :  Bill Henson, Lewis Miller, Edmund Capon & Peter Moran with Louise Herman accepting her award.

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Cirque du Soleil opened last night in the big top at the Entertainment Quarter at Fox Studios.

Attending as our snap shows: actress Claudia Karvan and her son, Alex Greenwich MP and Sharri Markson the Media Editor on the Australian Newspaper.

Women of Style

In Style Magazine held their annual shindig of top looking gals at the Horden Pavilion. Lots of familiar faces- so familiar we saw most of them at last week's parties but who are we too complain when there's some top nosh on offer washed down by Piper Heidsieck !  
Melissa Doyle hosted and songbird Jessica Mauboy entertained and it was nice to see some of our acting fraternity on the red carpet including Claudia Karvan, Rachel Griffiths, Rebecca Gibney and Susie Porter.

Danielle Spencer            Jessica Mauboy                   Melissa Doyle           Rachel Griffiths            Teri Biviano

Book Launch Brings out Movie Crowd

He wasn't well known by the general public but within Australian cinema the late Albie Thoms was a name to be reckoned with. He completed his memoir My Generation days before he slipped away from cancer at aged 70, three weeks ago.

Albie Thoms, Charles Higham and Frank Thring

Bryan Brown & Gillian Armstrong

Thoms was a leading figure in the revival  of the local film industry in the 1970s when he began Ubu Films inspired by the French New Wave , British and US underground film movements.

Many of today's most recognisable names came within Albie's orbit and were inspired or encouraged by Thoms to pursue their dreams at a time when their hopes of success at best may have seen them appear in an episode of an ABC drama or a commercial TV cop show, in front of, or behind the camera.

Peter Clifton & Glen A.Baker

Claudia Karvan

At the celebration to honour Albie Thoms' life and to launch his just completed autobiography, many turned up to discuss old times. Actors Claudia Karvan, Bryan Brown and Judy Davis joined directors Bruce Beresford, Jan Chapman and Gillian Armstrong along with producers Jim McElroy, Margaret  Fink and Oz Magazine's Richard Neville.

Publisher Richard Walsh & Jim McElroy

Wendy Whiteley

Richard Neville

Over 300 guests packed Paddington Town Hall's newly decorated auditorium to take in screenings of some Albie's first movie productions like Bluto and Blunderball which were praised in their day by the late US film critic Charles Higham.
 There was also time to re-tell one of Albie's favorite stories : Thoms was commissioned to produce several episodes of the TV series Skippy, the Bush Kangaroo (still big in Eastern Europe) and the guest star was the high camp actor Frank Thring, star of Hollywood biblical blockbusters like Ben Hur.                                      
As the crew brought on yet another struggling  kangaroo in a sack for the day's shoot- Thring quipped  "If that's the star's friggin' dressing room, what's mine going to be like?"

Blast From The Past & Fashion Divas

Sue & Joy Smithers

Following the success of her Fashion Divas of the 70s & 80s party night last week at Slide, former top model Sue Smithers is planning another nostalgia night.

Susie, who trod the catwalks of Paris, London and New York for legendary designers like Valentino and the Yves St Laurent, and her actress sister Joy Smithers organised the get together of top Australian names who were big in the 1970s and 80s and some who are still going strong today.

Agents like Peter Chadwick , Jane Cameron and Martin Walsh  (who looks after Elle McPherson), photographers, make-up artists, Deborah Thomas, an international star model in hey day-now editor in chief of the Woman's Weekly, Deborah Hutton , Terry Schwamberg and hairdressers Lloyd and Trish Lomas.

Martin & Michelle Walsh

Joy Smithers who has acted in a host of top films and TV shows like Bangkok Hilton and Home and Away and Susie now spend a lot of time on the speaker's circuit and the night at Slide was to aid a charity close to their hearts : Hope for Cambodian Children.

Terry Schwamberg

And Susie tells me she now has another top night lined up in Victoria Street, Kings Cross- an Arthur's re-union.

Arthur's was the Kings Cross club and restaurant run by Arthur Karvan  and was the coolest nightclub in Sydney for a decade. Every visiting star ended up in a booth at Arthur's gazing over it's balcony at the amazing views of the city skyline or sometimes took to the suspended dance floor that was so packed it shook and shuddered and many wondered how it remained standing-or suspended. It did and it's still there today.

And the little girl in pigtails who often stood shyly on the side on weekends as her parents, Arthur and Gabriel Karvan worked the room ? That was actress Claudia Karvan now starring in the TV series Spirited.

the ever so cool- Arthur Karvan of 'Arthur's'