Big Stars For Mardi Gras

The Shuttle can reveal the top acts who will be performing at this years Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney on Saturday March 3rd: Kylie Mingoue and US drag star Ru Paul.

And Kylie, gay icon that she is, will have her own float in the parade from where she will wave to the crowd.

Kylie has been a long time supporter of the Mardi Gras and always supported her gay fans.

Despite being a major tourist attraction for NSW with both State and Federal governments providing grants with an estimated tourism surge in spending in Sydney of over $20M each year, the Mardi Gras committee are always struggling to make ends meet.

With Kylie on board and providing her services for free, she should be a major draw card and help boost finances. Also expected to put in an appearance as a guest will be George Michael, now recovered from his bout of pneumonia. Michael has a concert scheduled in the Hunter Valley and has booked the same luxurious apartment in Potts Point where he lived for 4 months in 2010
Ru Paul recently announced she may stand for this year's US presidential elections. First black and gay president. Why not !

No Show As George Goes Home

A sharp eyed Shuttle reader informs us that George Michael jetted out of Sydney on the 20th February and obviously would not be attending the 2011 Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras last night.



George-now home

That make George and Rihanna the two latest celebrity non-shows at the Mardi Gras party following a long line of international acts visiting Oz  that happen to co-incide with the parade and party and that the local media begin inferring for weeks beforehand will be appearing at the party.

 It's become almost obligatory that anyone with the remotest gay following must somehow offer their entertainment services to the party even if it's for free. The chances of this happening when tour promoters already walk a fine financial line are remote. The only exception has been the saintly Kylie Minogue who sang (mimed) at the 2000 party.



"hate your media!"



It goes hand in hand with visiting celebs having to say they "love the country and have always wanted to visit" when questioned by local media.
 Oprah Winfrey  went overboard with her "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi !" screeches during her 2 local Opera House broadcasts while Eminem was refreshingly honest and said he couldn't stand the country or it's media- words spat out at a presser in 2002 much to the Shuttle's delight as we knew it would infuriate local scribes (and it did).

Or the claim that every visiting star who "loves the country" must therefore purchase a mansion in what international economists say is the most over-inflated real estate market in the world.

Thus we are still looking for proof George Michael purchased the Whale Beach house with magnificent sea views in which he holidayed in this year as reported in a daily newspaper of note, on a respected real estate website and on a morning TV broadcast. Our property mole says there is no record yet of such a transaction and that the house is available for rent or purchase since Mr Michael departed these shores.

 ## On Friday the Shuttle will attend the Cornucopia charity event at the most expensive private property in Sydney and Australia -Swifts in Darling Point, the castle like former home of the Reschs beer brewing clan.

Exclusive !-famous cottager to attend Mardi Gras

tSS can confirm that singer George Michael will be the guest star at the 2010 Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney.

Promoter Paul Dainty announced Michael's tour on Thursday and now a shift in dates has one show in Sydney scheduled for February 26th-the Mardi Gras is on the 28th February.

  It’s George Michael’s first Aussie tour since 1988 and both Dainty and the office for the Mardi Gras have refused to comment-which basically confirms he will be present.

The gay pride event, the largest of it's kind in the world , began as a political protest in 1978 when a group of protesters marched up Sydney's Oxford Street to protest the Stonewall Riots in New York. Hundreds of police officers weighed into the marchers with batons and 53 were arrested with claims of vicious bashings in police vans. 

These days the police march in the 2 kilometre parade along with thousands of gays and lesbians and colourful floats with parents and children of the marchers, representatives of the police, armed services, firefighters and hundreds of drag queens walking side by side to Fox Studios where a mass orgy party begins at 10pm and ends around 12 hours later. Politicians from the Prime Minister down send their best wishes and crowds of spectators have at times, numbered up to one million..