Dad dies-Daughter tours

Carrie Fisher has announced tour dates for her Australian visit during October and November.

Yesterday her father Eddie Fisher passed away at the age of 82. Fisher died at his home in Hollywood following complications from hip surgery.

5 times married-Fisher was a teen heart-throb in the 1950's before Elvis Presley. He married Debbie Reynolds, another teen star (and Carries' mum) but famously left her to wed Elizabeth Taylor.

Taylor eventually divorced Fisher for actor Richard Burton when she and Burton co-starred in Cleopatra in a love tryst that became word-wide headlines.

Carrie Fisher's autobiographical one-woman show Wishful Drinking was a hit on Broadway in 2009 and followed her hugely successful book Postcards From the Edge which was filmed starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MaClaine.

Oddly-given her amazing and forthright revelations, warts and all stories of her life-Carrie has never discussed or disclosed one of Hollywood's worst kept secrets-dad Eddie's double life as a bi-sexual.

The blurb for Wishful Drinking reads: "recounts the true and intoxicating tale of her life as a Hollywood legend, told with the same wry wit she poured into bestsellers like 'Postcards from the Edge.' The daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher became a cultural icon when she starred as Princess Leia in the first 'Star Wars' trilogy at 19 years old. Forever changed, Carrie's life did not stay picture perfect. Fisher is the life of the party in this uproarious and sobering look at her Hollywood hangover."

If this show is anything like Postcards-it should be huge fun-
tour dates are :
Sydney: State Theatre (Oct. 19-20)
Melbourne: The Athenaeum Theater (Oct. 22-27)
Canberra: Canberra Theatre (Nov. 4-6)
Adelaide: Her Majesty's Theater (Nov. 10-12)
Perth: Regal Theater (Nov. 15-18)

Watch Eddie Fisher sing his 1954 hit "Oh My Papa"!

A victory for the little man !

To the Channel 7 studios for a public performance by Justin Bieber. This was a dangerous mission. About five thousand teenyboppers were there in the streets in the grip of Biebermania. Bieber is minute, tiny-perfectly formed. Undeniably as cute as a button, confident and extremely professional.

Someone I first mistook for a slightly older fan, his mum, confirmed my suspicions. Far from being a phenomena on youtube with the home produced films of his singing, Justin has been attending every known class for dance and song since he was about 3. Which isn't long ago.

The police called off the outside performance claiming it unsafe. Those of us privileged to be inside stood as far as we could from the giant plate glass windows facing Martin Place that seemed to throb as waves of tearful hysteria come from the wild eyed girls in the street.

Justin was singing and dancing in front of us, the fans outside were going berserk. 3 constables manned the barricades just a metre from the windows which I was sure were about to crack as the girls surged forward to rip little Justin to pieces. There wouldn't be much of Justin to go around.

Firass Dirani

Another small star had a victory of some sorts. Firass Dirani who stars as nightclub promoter John Ibrahim in the purported tale of Kings Cross police corruption Underbelly, The Golden Mile has been voted Cosmo's Bachelor Of The Year at the Zeta Bar in the Hilton Hotel. Firass is about the same size as Bieber but thankfully, the camera lies. He looks like a 6 foot hunk in the series. He does have piercing blue eyes though. Or are they contacts?.

By contrast the party at the Bulgari on the same night to launch their exhibition of famous jewellery was as good as it gets. The chilled Louis Roederer champagne and Belinda Frank's catering helped.

The Bulgari family have been buying up some of their previous masterpieces for years and this exhibition features some of the treasures. It was in Rome last week, will be in Sydney for another 7 days and then heads for Paris. They won't quite say who owned some of the diamonds and rubies but a few names get mentioned in passing.

Diamond Liz

The Duchess of Manchester was a Bulgari fan. Elizabeth Taylor still is. Apparently when Liz was filming Cleopatra and began her affair with Richard Burton, her then husband Eddie Fisher plied her with Bulgari jewels in an effort to woe her back.

Burton did likewise and won the fight. Taylor ended getting Fisher's invoice from Bulgari which he had refused to pay. Bulgari never did get payment but figured having Liz wearing their creations was more than enough in publicity value.

The Seven Wonders

One amazing necklace must be seen to be believed. The Seven Wonders of The World is one large emerald surrounded by 6 slightly smaller ones in a diamond encrusted necklace. That's about 160 carats of emeralds and around 116 of diamonds.

It was purchased by an Italian industrialist as a wedding present for his wife. Years later when she had to go into an aged nursing home she sold it back to Bulgari on the understanding it wouldn't be re-sold while she was alive.

When she was filling in the form for the retirement home she got to the part that said "occupation'. "I've never worked " she puzzled." what should I put " She wrote-'well off' !.