Peter & Hugh's Goodbye to Joan

 One little fact unreported about Joan Rivers' star-studded funeral- as she wanted it to be- was the song she was finally bade goodbye with that brought tears as well as applause to her last exit. The late Australian singer Peter Allen was a good friend of Joan's and each would go to see their respective shows in whatever city their paths crossed. Indeed the Shuttle who worked with Peter in London recalls Joan turning up to see Allen sing on three occasions when he appeared at a club called Madisons in Camden Lock.
And so Hugh Jackman who portrayed Allen in The Boy From Oz bicycled to Joan's farewell to sing the song Peter originally wrote about the late Judy Garland : Quiet Please There's a Lady on Stage.
Here is Peter's original recording of that song.

Vale the Queen of Comedy

 



Joan Rivers was in Sydney in 2009 to launch the (then) Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras at a small party at the Hilton Hotel, as seen in our snap here with drag queen Mitzi McIntosh.
A tiny lady, she took time to talk to every guest and was sweet as can be. And she gave an impromptu performance which mainly centered on superstar Tom Cruise. If only we could repeat the jokes- wicked, hilarious and totally unprintable ! That was Joan. Farewell dear lady.

At the Archibalds

 The Archibald portraits never disappoint and an invite to the opening night is much sought after. Pictured above left is the NSW Art's Minister Troy Grant with the youthful NSW Premier Mike Baird and the director of the NSW Art Gallery Michael Brand on the far right. Below is the winning portrait on the left, a painting of Penelope Seidler by Fiona Lowry (it picked up $70,000), Rodney Pople's Barry Humphries, Tonya Bright & Zoe Young and Kate Benyon with 'Sangeeta and Fuji'.

# The Shuttle was once invited to a party at Harry & Penelope Seidler's magnificent harbour side duplex that overlooks Luna Park in North Sydney. Asking for the gents, Penny responded "upstairs and down the hallway and through the door with the Picasso on one side and the Van Gogh on the other".  Below-more portraits.

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Two snaps have come to our attention. One is a pic sent to us from our good pal Joan Rivers currently on a European tour. She's just about to join a queue to get into The Vatican. The other a sharp eyed reader has sent with a query : there is a remarkable resemblance between the popular (?) Speaker of the House of representatives Bronwyn Bishop MP and the famous Australian housewife & megastar Dame Edna Everage. Are they perchance related ?. I think we should be told.

New York, New York-If I can can make it there...

   Daniel Garofali, Matty Bee, Joan Rivers, Rupert Noffs

Twitter & Face book-it's like having a neighbour permanently gossiping over the back fence. No-one escapes your gaze.
The Shuttle has been keeping up with former Sydneysider Rupert Noffs who it appears, has settled nicely into an apartment in Manhattan to the extent of mastering  that all important staple-chicken soup!. Helping out is ace New York publicist Kelly Cutrone whose contacts are next to none in the USA.

Glee star Kevin McHale in his Gideon Shoes NYTimes

According to our new York spy Rupert's also been doing the rounds: fashion week, top night spots, Halloween parties, meeting Beyonce and Joan Rivers, fighting with Lindsay Lohan over a taxi -as one does- but more importantly, promoting Gideon Shoes, the business set up by he and his brother Matt Noffs.

For those not yet in the know, Rupert and Matt are the grandsons of Sydney saint the late Rev Ted Noffs who started the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross in 1964.

Matt and Rupert have parlayed that charity spirit into Gideon Shoes, the fantastic and stylish shoes that are made ethically in Australia. That means no slave labour in the Third World (or here!).

Respected US writer Naomi Klein tried to tell the world decades ago that ethical manufacturing was the way to go. Local shareholder activist and journalist Stephen Mayne has been saying likewise.

Rupert and Matt started Gideon Shoes in order to fund The Street University, the kid's retreat in Western Sydney set up by Matt and wife Naomi. 11.000 kids a year are benefiting from the Street University and in 2009 they were given the seal of approval with a visit from then PM Kevin Rudd and HRH Prince William.

Now they are tackling the USA and it really is just a matter of time before the penny drops with US fashion editors-their shoes are there to stay. Already the New York Times has featured them with Glee star Kevin McHale wearing a pair. It's surely just a matter of time before Anna Wintour is spotted striding up Fifth Avenue in her Gideons.

## If top New York publicist Kelly Cutrone is on your case, it's pretty well taken for granted that success is imminent. Here is a clip from Dr Phil shown last month on Australian TV where Kelly reads the riot act to a couple of guests.

Will Jackie Weaver win an Academy Award ?

The small independent film Animal Kingdom is already a runaway success and looks like winning some Oscars if the latest awards from the prestige National Board of Review in the USA are anything to go by. These awards are a good indication of how voting will go in the Academy Awards.

The movie has won best Independent Film and a star of the film, Jackie Weaver (right)  has won Best Supporting Actress in her role as the matriach of a blue collar crime family in the locally made drama that has already won a swag of AFI Awards.

The Social Network, the drama based on facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg has picked up the Best Film with director David Fincher picking up the  gong for direction and Jesse Eisenberg getting Best Actor for his role as Zuckerberg.

And the documentary about Social Shuttle favourite Joan Rivers has come in amongst the top five !