Why Mel B Fled Oz

Just as the Shuttle exclusively revealed that Mel B and husband Stephan Belafonte had moved into a Vaucluse apartment, overlooked by the Double Newspaper editor Jane King of Latte Life, we can also reveal why the family are now packing up just 6 weeks after moving in and Scary Spice has flown to the USA..

And it isn't as the woeful daily newspapers reported because she was having visa problems ( people like Mel B don't have visa: problems- Mel and Stephan are taking out Australian citizenship) it's because Mel is to become a judge on America's Got Talent along with radio jock Howard Stern and Howie Mandel.


So many times we tell News Ltd & Fairfax to check details with us first but do they ?. No. The UK's Daily Mail does though.

Exclusive-Top Investigator Frank Monte drawn into Department Store Scandal

The same day that Mark McInnes-ex David Jones store CEO has flown back into town to face a $37million lawsuit, the Social Shuttle can reveal that private eye Frank Monte is on the case and  is investigating Kirsty Fraser-Kirk, the former DJ's publicist at the center of the scandal.

Monte with Donald Trump

The Shuttle has always maintained a fairly good on-going relationship with the international private investigator but he wasn't revealing any details when we managed to get through to him tonight.

"I would never either confirm or deny who my clients are " said Monte. "In fact I'm rather surprised you would ask me to". 

He did however confirm that someone had hired him to look into the background of the girl at the centre of a scandal that has rocked Australia's top department store chain and forced Mark McInnes to resign from his job that is said to have carried a yearly salary of $8 million.

A little over 2 weeks ago we called into Lotus Restaurant in Potts Point where Monte was celebrating his 60th birthday with family and friends and ended up chatting via a mobile phone to top US TV interviewer Larry King who had rung to wish the gumshoe all the best.

Monte has appeared on numerous US TV shows including Oprah Winfrey and Howard Stern and is a regular name in  the US newspapers. He seems to pop up in all sorts of intriguing cases-from the disappearance of  Michael Rockefeller Jr in New Guinea to the mysterious John F. Kennedy Jr plane crash. He was also head of security for the Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis and once led a team of mercenaries into a Middle East country to rout some insurgents on behalf of  the Sheik of Dubai.

And now that our memory of a conversation with the urbane Frank at his birthday bash returns, he did mention that he was working on "something big" without revealing details.

Monte, who has offices in Beverly Hills, New York and Dallas and had recently returned from the US did say on the night that he had been meeting with a former top FBI agent who was an expert profiler.

" We are doing some business together and it involves an upcoming case" said Monte over a glass of Bollinger.And not the everyday stuff-vintage Bolly.

Kirsty Fraser-Kirk

" I've just received a handsome retainer " said Monte. "I'm letting my hair down for the night before I get stuck into a very complex job on the books".

McInnes has said that many of the sexual harassment claims against  him are untrue and that he will be "vigorously defending himself"

Monte dines with Anthony Hayden Guest in New York

On the 2nd of August Ms Fraser-Kirk's legal representatives revealed details of her lawsuit against David Jones and McInnes with the staggering claim they were suing for an unprecedented $37 million. 

The following day David Jones held their Spring & Summer parades with all media mentions consumed by the pending court case.

 Many experts and commentators have speculated that the release of Fraser-Kirk's legal case that day was obviously carefully planed to over shadow the fashion parades (which normally would have starred DJ's star model Miranda Kerr who was still holidaying with her new husband Orlando Bloom).was a strategic mistake and could backfire.

Whilst Frank Monte is keeping his lips sealed on just who his client is, it's an indication that this story is going  to get bigger...much bigger and very very sticky !

Larry King toasts Frank Monte

A visit to the chic restaurant Lotus for a glass of Dom Perignon to toast the 60th birthday of the man dubbed by the media as the world's most famous private eye, Frank Monte.

outrageous !

Monte was celebrating with his buxom ex-fiancee Sharon Sergeant who has recently caused a media storm with her outrageous antics hosting parties for a group of visiting British footballers and dancing to gay abandon with one of the most famous US porn stars in Las Vegas.

The highlight of the evening-apart from the series of lavish presents from the ex, was a phone call from US talk show host Larry King wishing Monte a happy birthday. Monte was a regular on King's show in the US when he lived for a few years in New York and he still catches up with King for dinner on visits there, as recently as 2 months ago.

In fact Monte was a regular on all sorts of TV shows-Howard Stern and Oprah to name 2 but that's a tale for a future story.

King & Monte-old pals

After a 5 minute chat Monte handed over his mobile phone so the Shuttle could introduce ourselves to Larry and of course, give the Social Shuttle a good plug. 

King says he'll weave in a mention of the site on air. What a lovely chap !. Let's hope he does it before he retires shortly.

A scoop : We also asked Larry about the tales that have swirled about the British media  that journalist Piers Morgan would be replacing him on CNN.

"Piers who ?" was the response. Ouch.

calling private eye Frank Monte

    An alarming report as an heir to the US Rockerfeller fortune goes missing from Melbourne airport shortly after collecting a hire car. Herman Rockefeller (pictured) hasn't been heard from by his family since arriving in Australia last Thursday which family members say is unusual. But is he from that family ?. Police aren't quite sure.

   Sounds like a case for the world's most famous private eye Frank Monte, currently moving digs from the luxury Horizon building into the even more salubrious Ikon apartment block in Potts Point.

    Monte says the "walls were too thin " at the Horizon and besides, he was just living out the end of society doctor Dr Robert Fox's lease. Fox is now living in Melbourne.

     "I always planned to live at the Ikon" says Monte. "The views are better and the rooms larger".

      Will this missing heir be found ?.

Unlike his relative Michael Rockefeller Jnr, the son of Nelson Rockerfeller who was the New York governor when his youngest boy disappeared in the wilds of the Asmat region of southwestern New Guinea around 1961. The Rockerfellers are one of the most powerful and richest US families and they called upon a young Italian born investigator Frank Monte to search for the heir.

Monte with Donald Trump

Rockefeller Jnr was never found alive although Monte says he tracked down his final movements and found the missing man's skull, duly delivered to to Nelson Rockerfeller in New York. The subject of Michael Jnr's disappearance is never discussed by the Rockerfeller clan.

                                               Frank Monte on the Larry King show

      Monte went onto become one of the most famous gumshoes in the world, working for Aristolte Onassis and various Arab sheiks and royal familes out of offices in New York and Los Angeles. He detailed his life in a book, The Spying Game and has been the subject of hundreds of magazine profiles, appeared on the Larry King and Howard Stern TV shows and ran one of the world's first internet live shows when he hit New York nightlife with thousands of viewers watching real life action via Monte's tiny spy cameras.

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

      Friday night was the last appearance in Australia for Tallulah Rendell on her world tour. Song-writer and singer Tallulah is the daughter of former London and Hello social scribe John Rendell, famous more recently for his best selling book Christian The Lion. Tallulah's mum is the top British publicist and co-host of the hysterical Ladettes to Lady TV show Liz Brewer.

                                                   Tallulah Rendell and father John

 Tallulah made several appearances at the Vanguard in Newtown and the Oxford Art's Factory in Darlinghurst before jetting out today for New Zealand and Japan while dad John tours local schools lecturing kids about animal conservation in Africa.