Times up

Seven years ago Whispers joined a battery of Nine Network stars at a Kings Cross restaurant to celebrate the launch of celebrity interviewer Richard Wilkins' book Black Ties, Red Carpets, Green Rooms.
Nine's then head honcho David Gyngell was there along with Australia's powerful music mogul, Sony boss Denis Handlin.
TV colleagues who joined the throng included Georgie Gardner and Lisa Wilkinson with Karl Stefanovic who launched Wilkins' book with some pretty raunchy tales. They were all at the peak of their careers. Now they have crashed and burned and their careers lie in tatters.

left- Wilkins with Vanessa Amarosi at his book launch.

A Nine insider has told Whispers that the rot began not with Stevanic's over hyped wedding, rather in 2017 with the pay negotiations over presenter Lisa Wilkinson who demanded $Millions or she would defect to Network Ten's The Project. Our source says Nine's management were more than happy to see her leave and only half-heartedly continued negotiations.

The departing Today crew that includes Richard Wilkins, well passed his prime as a star interviewer and presenter Karl Stefanovic may have believed  as many TV presenters do -that they were irreplaceable and more powerful than the show they fronted.

 Our Nine spy says senior management were secretly delighted over the endless tabloid tales of the Stefanovic shenanigans and were determined to use Karl's courting of the media as a reason to clear the decks.
 His sale of his wedding snaps to a rival magazine lead to the coup de grâce. Georgie Gardner remains having never (sensibly) rocked the boat.You can be sure those pretty younger faces who replace the other sacked Today crew are on a fraction of the wages of their predecessors.
right- Georgie Gardner & Lisa Wilkinson at Wilkins' book launch.

Predictions:  
# Our source says Karl Stevanovic is sure to end up on the board of his close pal James Packer's Crown Casino in Sydney.
# Difficult to imagine where Richard Wilkins goes from here except downwards.
# And there are warning bells for a particular high profile publicist who seems to court publicity with numerous clients questioning their involvement with her.
Below: Karl on Christmas Day:

"Sizzling" Fashion

We just know that loyal Whisper's readers are dying to know just what you will be wearing next Summer.
Some of these events in Sydney are like our very own Ground Hog Day. It's a bit like entering a world where nothing ever changes. Even the faces. Especially when they invite assures you the legendary "A-List" will be in attendance.
Here is our snap that has excited so many. It's two models at the recent David Jones' Summer Fashion parade. Whispers had an invite but quelle horreur, we weren't feeling top-of-the-world that evening. Just as we also had to miss the launch of a fabulous luxury car the same week at which we were assured numerous "influencers" would be attending along with that A-List again.

The snap is from a Getty photographer. For the uninformed Getty is a photographic agency that is scooping up independent photo agencies in the hope they will be the only photographic agency on the planet. The media seem more than happy to go along with that. At least you know- next Summer people will be wearing shorts and bikinis. Isn't that fun?
If you want more fab fashion shots go here.
If you want to see a video of these scintillating Summer Fashion Sizzles in a film introduced by TV hosts Karl Stefanovic (favourite of the Mail Online) and Lisa Wilkinson who apparently someone wasn't very nice to recently, go here.

Instant Update

"The biggest twit on Australian television."

The UK MailOnline's fascination with Aussie celebrities continues into it's third day , albeit still befuddling loyal Mail readers.
A tale about the Human Headline Derryn Hinch's decision to spend 6 weeks in the pokey has drawn a complete blank with readers. However a photo extravaganza featuring amateur bikini models and 'instababe' stars has set pulses racing with comments along  the lines: "cor blimey look at that.." etc.
Sadly a feature on morning TV host Karl Stefanovic appears to have fallen flat with readers :

"The biggest twit on Australian television."

"Going to say it again, why all the oz stories? Who the hell would be interested in Karl Stefanovic outside oz?"

"What on earth is going on with the over the top coverage of Australian stories on here lately...most of them barely rate a mention in our newspapers..."

Still, it's early days yet.

25 Years of Wilko

Richard with Tracey Grimshaw

 To Luke Mangan's superb restaurant, the  Glass Brasserie in the Hilton Hotel for a select gathering of Nine Network bigwigs and stars to celebrate Richard Wilkins's 25 years on the telly.

Tony Bennett at Glass Brasserie

Mangan is a great pal of Wilkins so the venue was an obvious choice. And there was a surprise guest who called in to wish Wilkins the best- crooner Tony Bennett.

 Glass is quite spectacular with it's huge glass windows fronting George Street. It was designed by New Yorker Tony Chi and really does conjure up the feel of a Big Apple skyscrapper venue. But it's the food that is the reason to be there and plenty of nibbles created by Mangan were served.

Wilkins like many of our best imports hails from New Zealand where he was once a school teacher who started a band called Wilde & Reckless and travelled to Australia to support Grace Jones. He scored a job as a presenter on the fledgling MTV show which was cancelled after about 2 years. Snapped up by the Nine network, he's been in work for the past quarter decade reporting from the red carpet at the Academy Awards  and travelling the world to interview stars. Lucky man !

                         
 right : Karl Stefanovic attempts to hypnotise Luke Mangan

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

Christopher & Fiona Day

Sandersons who have showrooms in Rushcutter's Bay selling Mercedes cars hosted a drinks party for the  launch of the new M Class and B Class luxury motors. Just a small crowd and nearly everyone of them confessed to actually owning a Mercedes.  
Christopher & Fiona Day who own the wonderful Christopher Day Gallery in Paddington say they love their new B Class Merc particularly as it parks itself.

One thing they did note-unlike their car, the model on display had little trays ala Rolls Royce in the back passenger seats. What were they for we pondered? . Is one likely to host a drinks party in the back?. It was a topic that occupied us over 2 glasses of Veuve Clicquot and the Shuttle can't quite remember what the outcome was.
Such trivial matters occupy one when looking at luxury motor vehicles.

Duncan Fallowell , a Long Lunch & "Massive C*ck"

Duncan Fallowell

The Wikipedia claim that travel writer, author and social commentator Duncan Fallowell was also the famous British blogger Madame Arcati- as reported on the Shuttle,  turns out to be a hoax.

This will come as a great relief to both writers who were besieged by readers demanding an explanation -quite apart from Fallowell and Arcati being mortified that others may think they were one and the same person.

It was  another piece of Wikipedia mischief where posters slightly alter entries.
Some famous ones include an entry in singer Robbie William's page that "in 2006 he ate pet hamsters for a living in and around Stoke ": that the entire village of Denshaw near Greater Manchester was "the home to an obese population of sun-starved, sheep hurling yokels with a brothel for a pub and a lingering tapeworm infection " :  that "Italians drink children’s blood." :   that US pro-golfer Fuzzy Zoeller had admitted to "polishing off a fifth of Jack after popping a handful of Vicodin pills": that  David Beckham "was a Chinese goalkeeper in the 18th century." :  Plato was "an ancient Hawaiian weather man and surfer " and our favourite : Stephen Fry " regularly wears a gorilla suit to bed.

Who then is Madame Arcati ?. Well that mystery is still to be solved but we believe one man may hold the secret : writer Victor Olliver, star astrologer for the English publication The Lady, who is known to be an intimate of Arcati.

Karl Stefanovic : "long lunch, massive c*ck ""

Still, these Wikipedia frauds are no-where near as good as the tale perpetuated by celebrity TV interviewer Richard Wilkins who launched his book Black Ties, Red Carpets, Green Rooms last week at Kit & Kaboodle.
In 2009 Wilkins announced on the Today Show that actor Jeff Goldblum had died after falling down a cliff in New Zealand. The story swept the world in news reports before an embarrassed Wilkins said he had been the victim of a hoax.
And was this a hoax ? Launching Wilkin's book, TV presenter Karl Stefanovic, fresh from a long lunch with Channel Nine boss David Gyngell,  said ( in front of Wilkin's three children) there were three things he knew about Wilkins : "he has great hair, he's a great bloke, and he has a massive c*ck " !


For more on Duncan Fallowell's books go to his website here.
Madame Arcati has an excellent review of Fallowell's book here. 
 Victor Olliver's astrology website is here.

Earth to Dame Edna & British Royal Watcher James Whitaker

..and the entire Channel Nine Network reporting from The Mall in London including Lisa Wilkinson, Karl Stefanovic and 'Royal watcher' James Whitaker :
this is Mohammed Fayed who was not invited to The Wedding :

 and this is George Tupou V who is the King of Tonga :

who was invited to The Wedding as a Head of State of a Commonwealth member country.

We know they are both dark and amply built but there is a difference.