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.

Vale Lady Packer

Lady Florence Packer who passed away last week in Monte Carlo was one of the most liked members of the Packer family. Florence Mathilde Adeline Violet Porges was born in France in 1915 and her marriage to Sir Frank Packer in 1964 was her third.
When Sir Frank died in 1974 Florence retreated to Monaco to live where she often dined at the Palace with the Grimaldi Royal Family and helped out at the local church, St Pauls where she played bridge on many an afternoon.

Lady Florence Packer with a portrait of Sir Frank Packer at the National Gallery

Florence would visit Sydney once a year and the Shuttle met her often around town. Her European manners of accepting all no matter their rank and file was refreshing in a  town which takes itself far too seriously. She was particularly fond of step-grandson James Packer's then fiance Kate Fisher and at a reception for Kate once told us the type of anecdote she loved.
 Lady Packer's second husband was Noel Vincent who owned the magnificent property Wee Jasper near Exerter in NSW. It was once owned by Banjo Patterson and later by former Liberal Party Opposition leader John Hewson.

2008 in the South of France:
    Lulu van Antwerpen,Jim Mitchell
      and Lady Florence Packer at
     James & Erica Packer's wedding.

The Vincents were hosting the heir to the US DuPont fortune, Lauren DuPont an expert Olympian horse rider and whilst walking through the beautiful gardens at Wee Jasper Mrs DuPont commented on how stunning they were and how they  rivalled her own back in Connecticut.
"Do you have gardeners ?" asked Lady Packer. "Yes" said Mrs Dupont, "I think about 30 at present".
Reaching for a glass of champagne Lady Packer said "we poor things had to do with just 9 at Wee Jasper"/
Lady Packer's funeral will take place at her beloved St Paul's Church in Monte Carlo tomorrow.
 For more read the SMH's obituary of Lady Forence Packer by Mark McGinness.

Party Rivals see in the New Year

Catalina in Rose Bay                                                                Bondi Icebergs

Paris Hilton at Icebergs in 2007

Ever since Paris Hilton and then boyfriend Stavros Niarchos III attended the first New Year's Day charity bash at Bondi  Icebergs in 2007 it's been the recovery party for January 1st but a new competitor looks like stealing Iceberg's thunder. 

Damion Downey

Catalina in Rose Bay threw an almost identical party hosted by musician Damion Downey formerly of Sneaky Sound System . With his party partner Tim Holmes a'Court they pulled in around 300 guests, about the same number that attended the Bondi Bash.

Catalina's was slightly marred by the discovery of a body floating beneath the pier the previous day, the result of  tragic boating accident but with it's expansive view and large dining room it's certainly a comfortable venue.

Chris Brown

Chris Joannou * Laura Csortan

At the Icebergs and sipping on Veuve Clicquot: Dan Single and girlfriend Bambi Northwood-Blyth, Kings Cross nightclub mogul John Ibrahim, Charlotte Dawson and Brian McFadden with Vogue Williams.
At Catalina swilling Pommery and lunching on pancakes and duck sauce-the newly trimmed billionaire James Packer taking a series of intense looking phone calls and wife Erica, Laura Csortan and boyfriend Chris Joannou from Silverchair and Southeby's Justin Miller with designer Danielle Wallace-she flew in from Lake Como.
Missing in action : Kylie Minogue and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Your Melbourne Cup Form Guide

It's come a long way since Jean Shrimpton-The Shrimp- shocked and outraged and positively delighted the crowds at Flemington in Melbourne in 1965 and established once and for all time, The Mini Skirt was here to stay ( it looks so tame today).

Today as a few hundred thousand racegoers descend upon Flemington racecourse for the Melbourne Cup we've provided a handy form guide for the fillies and their jockeys to look out for in the Birdcage, Member's Stand and the private marquees (hover around the Emirates for the real action)

Starting with the richest :
Billionaire James Packer and wife Erica (be nice to them and they may invite you back to James' private bar at the Crown Casino for their karaoke night) and Richard Branson.
Celeb receiving the most for showing up (about 200 grand) Sarah Jessica Parker.

Lovebirds Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley. Burlesque queen Dita Von Teese, Kim Kardashian  Rebecca Judd and the real star of the day who should not missed (easy to do as she's so tiny) Joan Collins. And there is bound to be a few surprises like Leo DiCaprio and Tobey McGuire

Mumm champagne, Moet & Chandon, Bollinger will all be hosting marquees and in "Millionaire's Row", the Emirates marquee is styled on St Petersburg's Catherine Palace with the Zhivago restaurant and powder room for ladies, and a Jo Malone perfume stylist demonstrating how to "accessorise" with 23 fragrances.

 Myer's have their "Butterfly House" with Jennifer Hawkins complete with  fluttering laser-cut butterflies, as the PR sheet wittily says..'to show off the social butterflies". 

Garden guru Jamie Durie has flown back from the USA where he hosts a cable TV show to create a "vertical garden installation" in a three-level marquee and VIPs will  be chauffeured to and from the track in luxury Lexus vehicles.

Irreverent / Irrelevant Facts : The first Melbourne Cup in 1861 was filmed and this was the very first  movie to be screened commercially.

The first prize in 1861 for owners of the winning horse-a nice watch while today's prize purse will be $3.5M. The Shuttle's favourite horse name of all time : Whykickamoocow.