Pretty Pictures

Some lovely snaps of some very pretty people at a London party. No Terri Biviano or Laura Csortan at this bash and not one Alex Perry frock in sight !. That's a sure sign you ain't in Kansas any longer. And we're overjoyed to see Baz Luhrman's Great Gatsby has finally had an influence on British fashion- or is it Mary Poppins?. 
The do was for Rimmel, one of the world’s oldest beauty brands who reckon they are the fashion-forward inventor of the hip London look and have been since 1834. The party was hosted at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden and as you can see from the gorgeous models below, they dipped into the Museum's drag box.

Rita Ora, Kate Moss and Georgia May Jagger ... also with James Brown              Fiona Young and Kyle De'volle

party guests !                  all pics by David M.Bennett image.net

Triumphant Baz

Despite the nay saying critics, Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby looks like being a stellar Box Office success : the only success that really matters.

Yesterday US cinemas had raked in over over $90M in takings in the USA alone and that's before it opens in the UK, throughout Europe and ahead of Australia's gala premier this Wednesday evening when 1000 guests will front up for a sensational premier and after-party.

Luhrmann continues to defy movie snobs with his lavish productions : from his Oscar winning Romeo & Juliet to Moulin Rouge and the critic panned Australia, each production has reaped huge financial rewards and now the influential Huffington Post has given the flick the seal of approval with this article:
 Why the Critics are Wrong About Luhrmann's 'The Great Gatsby'
And get set for a year of Gatsby 1920's fashions as illustrated in the latest The Lady Magazine, the first off the rank. 

Sharks Attack In Venice

It's Jaws and the Tsunami in one movie (in 3D nat!) with a touch of Westfield thrown in.
Disaster-shark film Bait 3D, directed by Kimble Rendall, will screen as Australia's only official selection for the 69th Venice International Film Festival.

Bait 3D is a movie about a group of shoppers trapped in an underground supermarket after a tsunami strikes the coast which has sent a school of sharks into the building. Produced by Arclight Films it was shot on the Gold Coast at Village Roadshow Studios in 2010 and stars Xavier Samuel, Julian McMahon, Sharni Vinson and Dan Wylie.

The Shuttle has seen a preview of Bait 3D and it's delightfully scary with fantastic FX especially in 3D with sharks jumping out of the screen at you. Let's hope Baz Luhrmann's Gatsby is this good.

Grin And Bear It!

Robert Redford at Sundance

A BIG THUMBS UP  for actor Nash Edgerton's short film Bear which premiers today at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah. The Sundance Festival was created in 1978 and the actor Robert Redford is chairman,.

Directed by Edgerton, Bear stars Nash with Teresa Palmer and Warwick Thornton. Below is a clip from the film which was produced by Lauren Edwards and John Polson of Tropfest fame.

Joel & Nash

 Nash Edgerton's credits are possibly longer than his brother and fellow actor Joel Edgerton who has now finished working on The Great Gatsby. Nash has worked as a stunt double in umpteen Aussie productions and on Gatsby, stands in for brother Joel.

### Michelle Williams, the mother Heath Ledger's baby daughter Matilda Rose has been nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the film My Week With Marilyn.

Baz Sets Us Right

First pic of Joel in 'Gatsby'

A missive arrives from Baz Luhrmann's production office for The Great Gatsby being filmed at Sydney's Fox Studios starring Leo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton.

It says that yes indeed, many of the cars used in the film are right hand drive-as the Shuttle reported last week- as they were sourced locally although 2 magnificent Dussenbergs were imported from the USA for the film. However when the movie is released, all the vehicles in the film will, by the magic of modern film techniques, appear to be driven on the correct side IE: left hand drive. Thank God. After all, it will be screened  in glorious 3D.

# A local paparazzi tells us a tale of encountering Leo Di Caprio at Bondi Beach a week ago taking a walk along the promenade with an entourage in tow. DiCaprio had lunched with co-star Tobey McGuire at Icebergs.

As the  snapper snapped away at Leo, causally dressed in shorts, sandals and baseball cap, a female minder hissed at him :"why don't you get a real job?"
The photographer retorted "why don't you?". Apparently Leo found it most amusing !

Sub-Edit Howlers #1-Comedy Legend Outed

Perhaps they were being kind and waiting until the death of his beloved wife Delores Hope who passed away yesterday at the grand age of 102.

The UK Daily Mail-as our picture shows- reveals possibly the USA's best kept show-biz secret : legendary comedian Bob Hope who died in 2003 (aged 100) was a cross-dresser.

  Why have their been no rumours ? The snap looks like it was taken for a fan magazine or perhaps the Ladies Home Journal.  Certainly London born Hope appears happy to pose for the readers in sensible shoes, matching skirt and top with a jaunty scarf casually draped around the shoulders.

So much more fashionable than Bob Hope's great friend J.Edgar Hoover (they were both fans of right wing politics) a cross dresser who was forever embarrassing his live-in lover Clyde Tolson.

They would holiday in Florida at Mafia owned hotels and J.Edgar loved nothing more than sitting pool-side wearing cheap make-up, a ridiculous blond Jean Harlow style wig and a gaudy sun frock while flirting with black waiters.
F.B.I motto : A G-Man always gets his man!

Here is a small film on J.Edgar. We're looking forward to seeing Leonardo DiCaprio playing the G-Man in Edgar.

J.Edgar in a pill-box hat

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On the subject of Leonardo DiCaprio- our spy disguised as an aspidistra on the set of The Great Gatsby currently being filmed at Fox Studios says there has been great hilarity amongst the cast with reports that  Leo, rake thin and 5'10", has a  bodyguard who stands at 6'4" and is "built like a brick sh*t house" who has been described as DiCaprio's "decoy" double to fool the paparazzi.
                                                                                                        
And no more so than Leo himself who was both mortified and amused that the bruiser would be mistaken for him.

And who was the offending paparazzo that sent an annoyed DiCaprio and co-star Tobey McGuire plus family back to shore only minutes into what was to be a relaxing Sunday afternoon harbour cruise when Leo spotted a boat following and a long lens poking his way ?

Step forward Jamie Fawcett (right)-scourge of Nicole Kidman and assorted slebs.

Carey Mulligan : Best Dressed

She's just taken up residence in Sydney for the next few months-beautiful British actress Carey Mulligan who is to star opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's $120M 3D re-make of The Great Gatsby.

Now she's been named in Vanity Fair's International Best-Dressed List 2011 alongside HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco, Justin Timberlake , Carla Bruni-Sakozy, Lady GaGa, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, Colin Firth, Stavros Niarchos and the Shuttle's favourite The King of Bhutan.
Photographs : Vanity Fair (C)

                                                                    

World Premiere-Dr Zhivago, a New Musical





 

London may have Anna Nicole The Opera but Sydney tonight had the world premiere of a new $5.5M musical : Dr Zhivago with a star studded red-carpet opening.

Launched at the newly re-furbished Lyric Theatre at the Star City Casino, the Lucy Simon scored musical received a rapturous standing ovation from the audience. Anthony Warlow's (as Yuri) vocals were superb.

Michael Scott-Mitchel's sets are an achievement-from lavish room settings to war torn street scenes with real snow, the pace is set in the first scene that moves quickly and never slows.

Lucy Maunder as Lara is a treat while Taneel van Zyl as Yuri's wife Tonia puts in a superb performance.



Lucy Simon



Rob Mills



Director  Des McAnuff whose Jersey Boys has been a smash hit has another success on his hands.

 Simon's music is romantic and perfect, never waning and there is that much needed memorable song, the musical's refrain Now which will be in your mind for long after.

Mrs Russell Crowe-Danielle Spencer

With great lighting and terrific costumes by Teresa Negroponte-will this be the beginning of a trend for out of town preview runs ? . Sydney as the new off-Broadway ?. We hope.

                                **************

 A little over a week ago the Shuttle brought it's readers the news that despite talk that the production had come to a standstill, the Baz Luhrmann planned re-make of The Great Gatsby was still on the cards.



Luhrmann told the Shuttle's contact at a New York dinner to honour Geoffrey Rush that he had 2 Hollywood studios competing for the movie.

And that he would shortly decide which studio to go with.

Now the secret is out- The Great Gatsby is to be a Warner Bros production but the big news is that the 3D film will be shot in Sydney at Fox Studios with Australian government backing.





Maria Venuti does Dr Zhivago