But the Chandeliers !

Last week just wasn't a good week for Whispers. Not feeling top of the world etc. We had to turn down the odd stiffy or two. And thus, we missed yet another glittering' event. And it was a glittering event because several newspaper columnists told us all about the crystal chandeliers that were featured at the 2017 Prix De Marie Clair Awards.

We can't really say we missed those in attendance. Mainly because we saw the same "A-List" the week before and will probably again next week at something or other. Assorted newsreaders and TV hosts, models and fashion designers were there to receive an award. Don't get us wrong. They're all nice people. And they all look nice. Some are beautiful even and some most handsome. Take the modelling Stenmark Twins (please). Absolute charmers and devilishly handsome. We can't say too much as Whispers knows the family quite well but..they were just as handsome as they were last week and will be next week at the next event.
Our one real regret was that last week we also missed an event at which many "influencers" would be in attendance. We've yet to meet a real influencer but it's early days. Back to Marie Claire. Editor Jackie Frank is one of our most liked and clever magazine editors. She's unpretentious and knows the business which is why her magazine is very successful. And apparently, she knows her chandeliers. And now the readers of many publications also know about those chandeliers.

Here is our snap of singer Danni Minogue at the event in an exciting white frock. It's so wonderful that the Mail Online ran at least 8 photos of it. Next to her is the wondrous make-up guru Napoleon Perdis who whipped up some gorgeous puff sleeves out of the the remaining fabric from Danni's dress. And a snap of the designing duo from Romance Was Born. What fun !

She's Baack...

Eden & entourage tour Sydney Harbour

 Just when you thought it was safe to go to your local kiddies beauty pageant, pint sized pageant queen and chanteuse, 7 year old Eden Wood of Cootie Patootie fame has slipped back into town.

Eden meets a fan at Taronga Zoo

Eden comes with an entourage : make-up artist and hairdresser, agent, manager (her mum) and film crew. She's spent the last few days touring Sydney tourist spots, taken a harbour cruise, visited the Opera House and Taronga Park Zoo and even made it to the top of the Skywalk at Centre Point totally unperturbed as she stepped out onto the glass floor and gazed down at the 309 metre drop while her camera crew looked decidedly pale.

Eden is filming scenes for her new reality TV show having hung up her pageant crown at the grand age of 6. Never fear, locals aspirants are invited to the Cutie Patootie Pageant and Cute Camp, where Eden and mother Mickie Wood will give tips to Sydneysider tiny tots on how to gain success in the industry.
                                       
 Here's Eden's ode to Justin Bieber -Bieber Fever in which she has dreams of marrying Justin and err having his babies!

Cheyenne with Danni Minogue at ModelCo

# Gorgeous New York based model Cheyenne Tozzi ( a Shuttle discovery) attended the ModelCo Summer 2012 Collection at The Pier restaurant in Rose Bay.

ModelCo was started just 10 years ago by model Shelley Barrett who reckoned she had the inside knowledge on what women really needed for quick quality make-up fixes. Her fantastic success proves she was spot on.




Meanwhile across town at Dover Heights in a deserted mansion Channel 7's  Morning Show celebrated five years of top ratings. The locale was host Larry Emdur's previous home having just sold it to move into an even bigger house. Guests included co-host Kylie Gillies and regulars from the show like style queen Melissa Hoyer .
left : Edwina Bartholomew, Larry Emdur & Melissa Hoyer at The Morning Show bash (pic : Belinda Rowland)

Will-I-Am? I Don't Think So

A missive arrives from the Star casino with a follow-up phone call from a PR operative : "you will be coming on Friday won't you ?".

"I doubt it" responded the Shuttle, "we have a date in Moss Vale for the weekend..wan't to get out of town early Friday and miss the traffic".
"This is the hottest ticket in town" she replied.."people are begging for an invite".
The Star is opening a new nightclub, Marquee on Friday with a "VIP" party and a public opening on Saturday. Following form they are busing in some star acts-Fergie and the Black Eyed Peas, Will-I-Am and some "party" girl called Paris Hilton. Ashlee Simpson, Nick Lachey, Red Foo, Abbie Cornish, the list goes on. And it wouldn't be a Sydney party without Danni Minogue, Lara Bingle etc ad finitum.

The Star has already run into bother with some of their spruikers being ejected from various nightclubs around Sydney after they were discovered handing out flyers for Saturday night.
The last time Paris was here was to open John Ibrahim's Piano Bar in Kings Cross two years ago on News Year's Eve. She was in and out of the club in under 30 minutes. We'll be in the country having a quiet weekend.

A Letter From Hugh Jackman

..written to a sixteen year old Hugh Jackman....

See more at Dear Me : A Letetr to My Sixteen Yearl Old Self with JK Rowling, Alice Cooper, Stephen King, Danni Minogue with donations going to Doctors Without Borders.

Summer Fashion From Myer

As day follows night, the Myer fashion parade occurs a week after the David Jones parade.

To the Carriageworks in downtown Waterloo as Jennifer Hawkins and British import  Kris Smith ( Mr Danni Minogue ) launched the Myer Spring Summer 2011/2012 Collections last night with lots of  fresh, bright and bold colours

Brands new to Myer, Jayson Brunsdon, Fleur Wood and sass & bide (lured away from DJs with a multi-million dollar payout) plus new season collections by Myer’s leading stable of Australian designers and our favourite US import, Charlie Brown.

This summer campaign has drawn inspiration from the Australian landscape, with the show’s set design embracing the expansive and dramatic Pinnacles Desert in Western Australia. Models made their way down a 30-metre catwalk created to form a spectacular panoramic desert scene. 

Check out our exclusive back stage video below                                                              

Jennifer Hawkins

dapper Kris Smith

                                                             

Drag Star For Hollywood and Film Fame

Courtney Act, seen here in our pic with Danni Minogue recently is headed for Hollywood but is also to play the lead role in a film based on the life of the legendary Kings Cross transgender show biz star Carlotta.

Carlotta, who was born Richard Byron first appeared in the famous Les Girls show at in Kings Cross and for many years worked for the Sydney crime baron Abe Saffron who ruled all night life around Kings Cross with an iron first.

Carlotta

Carlotta also appeared on the TV show Beauty & The Beast where a panel of 4 women would do battle with the 'beast' and host, the late Stan Zemanek as viewers wrote in letters asking for advice.

Les Girls finally closed it's doors in 1993 after a 35 years and was the inspiration for Stephan Elliot's "Priscilla Queen of the Desert". The show continued on the road under the banner of co-star Simone de Troy for several years including a short stint at London's Wimbledon Theatre. Carlotta also appeared in the famous Number 96 , 1970's soap opera playing a transgender girlfriend of Arnold Feather.

Courtney Act, Shane Jenek was a finalist in the 2003 Australian Idol quest and had a hit record "Rub Me Wrong" in 2004. After several attempts he has now secured a working visa for the USA.

Here is Carlotta on Beauty & The Beast :

Chef Goes Bananas !

Courtney Act & Danni Minogue at Aria

Is it all a stunt ?. It's certainly a wonderful promotion for Masterchef now in it's 4th season and driving us all witless as we sit munching on our baked beans and watch amateurs produce sensational dishes.

Chef Matt Moran who is now a fixture on the show has thrown a tizzy and it could become a youtube hit (with our help)

Moran owns Aria, one of Australia's smartest restaurants over-looking the Sydney Opera House. His food is simply to die for and the Shuttle will go to the opening off a pantry door if it's at Aria just to sample the hors d'ouvres.

The last shindig a few weeks ago was a promotion for Danni Minogue's TV show and the previous party late last year was a super secret bash for the Queen of TV Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey who was staying at the nearby Hotel Interontinetal also rented an apartment above Aria in the infamous 'Toaster' Building. She used the apartment to dine on several nights with Matt preparing some of his world famous dishes.

Here's Matt doing a Gordon Ramsey:



Update : as we correctly guessed..a stunt !. All for a good cause by http://www.ozharvest.org/ to highlight food wastage.

The giveaway- despite Matt's superb acting skills, when the camera pans around the crew as Moran storms off. It's something we see in every fake 'reality' TV show ala The Office.

Marianne Faithful's Nemesis Photographer Dies

One of Australia's most popular photographers Peter Carrette has died of a heart attack.

 Regarded as the gentleman of the paparazzi, London born Carrette first came to prominence when he photographed Marianne Faithful in a drug coma in her hospital bed in 1969.

Faithful had travelled to Australia with Mick Jagger who was to star in a film about Ned Kelly. She had over-dosed after it was claimed she had discovered Jagger in bed with another woman.

Carrette borrowed a white doctor's coat and stethoscope and sneaked into Faithful's room, took the photo that was flashed around the world as one of the first examples of intrusive photography. Earlier this year when Faithful was in town for an arts festival, she told the Shuttle she'd still like to give the snapper a "quick boot in the backside". However she conceded she had forgiven him.

After studying photography in London, Carrette travelled to Sydney and snared a job as Sir Frank Packer's copy boy when the media mogul owned the Daily Mirror newspaper.

Once established, he worked for various publications photographing news stories. He gatecrashed the US invasion of Grenada by hiring a smuggler's boat while the world's media waited for official transport in Barbados, worked in New York for 6 years and  photographed  for Vogue in Paris for 2.

More recently he and another photographer squirted the actor Heath Ledger with water pistols at a Sydney film premiere-again in an action where the film of a startled Ledger was flashed around the world. Briefly banned by film companies from red carpet premieres, Carrette later made peace with Ledger shortly before he died in New York.

Carrette also supported an orphanage in Cambodia by donating the fees received from his exclusive candid photos of celebrities often taken around the beach at Bondi.

 For the past few years Carrette had been running his own studio and photo distribution service from a Bondi flat where he had lived for the past 20 years. The flat is owned by his good friend , the actor Jack Thompson.

Carrette was concentrating on studio portraits and had just completed a series of studio shots of Danni Minogue when he died suddenly on Sunday evening from heart failure while working at his computer.

Kylie's London pad for sale at a bargain price !

Further to our story on the London property developers Candy & Candy (see below) and the falling value of their empire.

 

Our favourite songbird Kylie Minogue has put her London apartment up for sale at a reduced price of $6.6M (although a little budgie tells us any offer over $5M will seal a deal !). Kylie bought the apartment from the Candy's in 1998 paying $5.4M.

The Social Shuttle has been to Kylie's lovely flat twice (she's an old family friend) and although the gorgeous pad is impressive, it seemed indicative of everything that was wrong about the era of New Labour Thatcherism in England where style triumphed over substance, consumerism was on steroids and an  American style of flaunt your wealth crassness consumed the British persona when it had survived for centuries on the very opposite

Kylie says she found the place a bit austere and when her brother left some years ago, a little on the lonely side. And especially when little sister Danni moved out in 2004. She wants a cottage somewhere which is really more her style. The extended Minogue family are extremely close and she wants to be able to have room for family to stay. In fact we reckon Kylie is seriously thinking about having her own family-she adores Danni's new baby.

Property prices sky-rocketed under Blair & Co's corporatism and every man and his dog became a developer as reality shows pushed the fable that all could become rich and that the ' inevitable bubble will burst' day would never arrive, as it did in the USA under the Fannie Mac (or is it Freddie May ?) fiasco . The British population should be gearing themselves up for a correction still to come in the property market.

You can read about Kylie's beautiful place here :

Here's the gorgeous Danni talking about her new book out soon. 

ailing Sonia who took the White House by storm

Sad news today that Lady Sonia McMahon, widow of ex-Prime Minister Sir Billy McMahon is in the private wing of St Vincent's Hospital being treated for cancer. It's the third time Sonia has faced treatment and she has successfully fought of the disease before.
At 77 there is no keeping the much loved society figure down. Only late last year she recovered after a fall down the gangplank of media mogul Paul Ramsay's cruiser at a birthday party on Sydney Harbour and was soon back out on the party and charity circuit. Sonia is a regular at the Melbourne, Sydney and Ascot horse racing meets.

Lady Sonia at the White House with Richard Nixon

It was in 1965 when Lady Sonia and her husband Sir Billy, the then Prime Minister paid a visit to the Richard Nixon White House and the snaps of their ascent /descent of the White House stairs for a state dinner went flashing around the world making front page news as everyone asked who was the stunning 6ft blond in a revealing dress with slits up the side. The Washington Post has described the gown as the most talked about fashion item ever to be seen in Washington. That dress is now stored in the Powerhouse Museum.

Sonia was 20 years younger than Sir William when she married him in 1965 when he was 57. It has long been rumoured that Sir Billy was gay and had been advised by Liberal Party founder and Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies to marry if he wished his career in politics to advance. Lady Sonia and Sir William subsequently had 3 children.

Son Julian McMahon is a former model and the star of the US series Nip Tuck and is currently working in South Africa on the film The Smell Of Apples with Gillian Anderson.

Sonia & son Julian McMahon at Johnny Baker's funeral

Lady Sonia & Priscilla Presley

Julian fell out with Lady Sonia when against her wishes he married Danni Minogue in a short lived marriage in the late 1990's.

Sonia also faced legal battles when daughter Debra challenged the will of her late father and demanded a share of his estate. Estranged from her mother for several years, Debra turned to Spiritualism and alternative religious beliefs.
Julian has returned to Sydney to be by his mother's bed-side and was at the funeral of the late society walker Johnny Baker in August 2009 where Lady Sonia and her 3 children appeared united once again.