Mystery Model

There was much chatter at the recent Balenciaga fashion show that feautured Nicole Kidman and Kim Kardashian as to who were the models dressed head to toe in black leather with crash type helmets. Well we can reveal one: as shown above is gorgeous Aussie model Michelle Walshe who is married to top Australian model agent Martin Walshe who looks after the careers of some of the world's top catwalk names. You can watch the Balenciaga parade on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqmkAS6FDKQ

"Poundshop Marilyn"

Ouch!. It's what a British journalist called a celeb who wore the famous Marilyn

Monroe dress to this year's Met Gala. We couldn't possibly comment. Here is the famous frock and MM singing to President JFK.

Uber's car crash

If people have been wondering why we Aussies have been on the receiving end of a flood of TV commercials for the car ride app and service Uber the mystery has been revealed. Below is the latest featuring Kim Kardashian and Magda Szubanski (as her character Sharon Strzelecki from 'Kath & Kim") Other s have featured a host of local TV and music stars from Ray Martin to Jimmy Barnes.

# The rumored fee for the Kardashian appearance is $1Million while Szubanski was paid $100,000 the fee that mostof the Australian celebs who appear in the adverts receive.
Also while the Uber car share service appears to be doing well in Australia, authorities in the UK have just refused to re-new Uber's license there after  a series of incidents in London:Transport for London says Uber has not been granted a new license to operate in London after ‘several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk’ were identified. Uber has confirmed it will appeal against TFL's decision to strip it of its license describing the action as ‘extraordinary and wrong’.

 Uber's use of secret software, called Greyball, which can be used to block regulators from monitoring the app, was another factor, according to TfL”. Uber has claimed “We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years and are setting the standard on safety".

"Secret" wedding not so secret

It's being billed as the 'secret wedding' of Ginia Rinehart, heiress to her mum Gina Rinehart's fortune and one of her favoured children, to her ex-SAS bodyguard.
To be held on Hamilton Island the Oz media is hyperventilating about the "exclusive" guest list that includes Hayseed Central Barnaby Joyce and hamburger king Jack Cowin. Can you bear the excitement?
Whispers has been to Hamilton Island twice but the last time was 10 years ago. It's quite lovely but it's the sort of place you need to take your own company so it's ideal for the Rinehart clan and their pals. 
Mind you it's not a patch on Tangier in Morocco where Whispers attended the 70th birthday of publishing mogul Malcolm Forbes in 1989 and got sat at a table twice removed from Elizabeth Taylor who threw a bread roll at yours truly having mistaken us for someone else.
Even more exciting is the fact we can present you with a snap of Gina & Ginia from the website of the irrepressible Kua Hee Che. It doesn't get much better than this.
Below is a photo of the Concorde arriving in Tangier which Malcolm Forbes hired to jet his 200 guests to Morocco. Whispers only scored a regular flight and in Cattle Class at that. We didn't complain. 

CELEBRITIES WHO DATED / MARRIED THEIR BODYGUARDS:

Scarlett Johansson     Kim Kardashian                    Heidi Klum                        Joan Collins          Roseanne Barr

Wintour Blues

She's the Queen of the fashion world but many are criticizing Anna Wintour and US Vogue

magazine for proclaiming that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were the Best Dressed at Wintour's increasingly down-market annual Met Gala ball in New York.
Says Vogue: "It’s not the first time that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have coordinated their style. You might say it’s an art form that the pair has honed in their downtime, often subtly matching their off-duty looks with his-and-hers monochromatic ensembles, but little can compare to the stunning fashion moment they orchestrated on the Met Gala red carpet tonight" 
Oh yeah? Kim managed to make this ultra expensive Balmain dress look, well cheap. As for Kanye's Fear of God outfit- those tragic slashed jeans were passe even when they were in fashion.

Purveyor of uber smart Polish Vodka Vitek Czernuszyn who doubles up as the husband of Australian style queen and Bauer publishing maven, Australian Women's Weekly editor Deborah Thomas says : "Kim and Kanye declared best dressed at the Met Ball - REALLY?

In a desperate panic at the loss of circulation and relevance amongst the under 30 year olds, American Vogue has resorted to courting the Kardashian's for their enormous following amongst the vacuous young. I guess you can't blame them for doing what they think is necessary to save the venerated 125 year old title- though the compromise in their integrity is considerable".
 Harsher words come from former Australian fashion expert and now top selling author Maggie Alderson who said of Kim'n'Kayne "American Vogue has just lost all its credibility, as far as I'm concerned. How is this well dressed anywhere? Let alone the Met Ball. Tragic - and craven." Ouch.
As for Sarah Jessica Parker's interesting white outfit Maggie simply said : "lost for words".

Slipping Standards ?

One aspect overlooked in the reporting of the glamorous fundraising event  to aid The Costume Institute in New York, the 2015 Met Ball which is chaired by the Queen of New York Society Vogue high priestess Anna Wintour, was the inclusion of guests who normally wouldn't get a look-in at the snooty end of New York society.
Whispers has attended a few of these events and even at a ticket price of $25,000 a head, there is a waiting list of the well heeled anxious to crash into Big Apple society. Two celebrities that have been denied a seat in the past were finally allowed to put their ample assets on show : Kim Kardashian and Beyonce were first-timers at the gala with it's Chinese theme to reflect a current costume exhibition on show. Also there was Wendi Murdoch and her daughter Grace.

 
Right : Wendi & Grace Murdoch

Pictures by Nicholas Hunt & Clint Spaulding for 
Patrick McMullan.com

www.patrickmcmullan.com
www.pmc-mag.com

Photography by Nicholas Hunt and Clint Spaulding for PatrickMcMullan.com - See more at: http://pmc-mag.com/category/out-and-about/#sthash.x3sgLaSL.dpuf

Kim Komes to Town

                                                                        

 The Kim Kardashian Circus came to Sydney and the required paparazzi moment was supplied.

Kim and assorted entourage stepped out last night and spent an hour at the new restaurant and bar,  Bar De Thé.

What a coup for them ! It opened quietly less than a month ago in East Sydney and has become a favourite meeting spot for Sydney's smart set.

Final word goes to Foxtel's Melissa Hoyer who was granted an audience with the reality star and received an allotted eight minutes.

And eight was what she got. Not a second more or a second less.

Tabloid Tales :"Kate's Pregnant!"

Daily Telegraph

Australia's top selling tabloid The Daily Telegraph (proprietor : Rupert Murdoch) brings us the tale of how dozens of magazines world-wide have reported the false claim that Prince William's bride Kate is pregnant.

A 'staff writer' tells us how "a tally of incorrect US gossip mag covers shows their editors have made fake hay while the sun remained behind clouds this year" when reporting the non-existent pregnancies of Kate Middleton, Kim Kardashian, Angelina Jolie and more.

These mad claims were brought undone when that US TV network of repute Fox News ( proprietor : Rupert Murdoch) compiled the list of glossy magazines which made the phoney claim.

Our staff writer even has a dig at the Oz glossy New Idea (referred to as No Idea by industry wags) which also fell for the Kate Middleton 'pregnancy' claim.

Alas, our News Corp scribe missed one small fact in his/her mention of the New Idea. Just who was the source for their claim?.

Step forward a 'royal photographer' who is interviewed for the cover piece that screams :
YES. KATE'S PREGNANT!...Exclusive interview with official royal photographer

New Idea

The snapper in question and "royal insider" is Arthur Edwards who gushed to New Idea :" Kate looked great but I just got a feeling she wasn't quite herself".

And just who does our 'royal insider' take his royal photographs for ? (from the press pen along with every other photographer)...why the popular top selling UK tabloid The Sun (proprietor : Rupert Murdoch)

Get A Glimpse Of Joan Here

Joan at Flemington

Do not fret-the Chloe & Kim Kardashian charabanc may have fled town after turning down the $150,000  fee for an appearance at the Melbourne's Spring Carnival for Swisse , but Joan Collins now has a Sydney show as part of her one woman bandwagon. The Shuttle's Kardashian spy disguised as an over-priced handbag says their agent ordered Kim to return asap to LA to cash-in field offers from major US networks to discuss her collapsed publicity stunt marriage.

Warnie & Hurley at Ladies Day

Joan was at the Ladies Day at Flemington yesterday looking as glamorous as she ever did in Dynasty, hard as that may be, and her outfit could definitely have come straight from the 80's series.

There are still tickets available for
A Night With Joan at the State Theatre on Monday evening, 7th November but be quick. They are going fast. Book at Ticketmaster.

below is a promo clip from A Night With Joan with such memorable lines as
"a woman who would reveal her age would reveal anything"!

No Longer Keeping Up With The Kardashians

As Kim Kardahsian and sister Chloe Hardashian do their round of media appointments today, requesting that their...errr.. 'privacy'..be respected over Kim's marriage split up (Mum Kris Jenner is doing likewise in the USA and scoffing at rumours Kim's ring is worth $2M.."only half that") one must wonder who has organised this PR tour as the calamities keep piling up.

It's either a total stuff-up or Hollywood PR at it's best. As you can see by viewing footage here.

Last night the sisters went to the Icebergs restaurant at Bondi Beach, again a wonderful spot but not the best place to avoid the media as their minder's infer as they keep angrily hissing at the assembled paparazzi : one who actually said, clipboard in hand,"how did you find us here..leave us alone?"

Icebergs

This was the spot brilliant advertising guru John Singleton chose to launch his Bondi Blonde Beer in 2006 (like Australia really needs another beer!) with then 'it' girl Paris Hilton in tow. He later sold the beer brand for a huge profit 4 years later.

The Shuttle went to the party and made it through the mayhem on a Saturday afternoon. Unwisely we chose to leave just as Paris Hilton left and got caught up in complete chaos, being shoved against Hilton's waiting limousine that had all doors open waiting for Singleton and Paris to make a quick exit..

Hundreds of tourists had blocked the roadway and restaurant entrance and as 2 heavy minders gradually made their way to the limo with Hilton, they first had to remove an almost stereotype Japanese tourist, cameras strung around his neck who was now sitting in the back of the limousine, casually inspecting shopping bags from Paris's Paddington shopping spree that morning !

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Meanwhile John Singleton, whose exploits have built him a $100M fortune by correctly gauging the Australian psyche-if we didn't know Paul Hogan's larrikan personality was the real deal you could be forgiven for thinking he was a Singleton invention-has escaped censure by the local Woollahra council having re-painted his newly purchased Bellevue Hotel in Paddington without council permission.

Bellevue Hotel

Facing a $3000 fine the council have agreed to waive the fine if Singleton re-paints the pub in  'acceptable"colours within the month.
A similar event happened in London in 2005 when he arrrived at his daughter's Notting Hill house unannounced, and not finding her home, had her front door re-painted red as a surprise. The local council ordered the door be re-painted it's original colour.

The pub re-paint is part of Singleton's promotion of the Gut Foundation, just one charitable cause the generous Singleton donates to which are a diverse lot- from paying legal bills of incarcerated asylum seekers, Rev Bill Crews Exodus Foundation  and almost too many to name..
Sadly, John who has been married 5 times has just split from his girlfriend Yvette Hartmann.

Celeb Round-up

Kim Kardashian at Hugo's Lounge

Probably the whole world knows that Kim Kardashian is in town to launch her handbag range at David Jones having announced just 2 days ago her marriage is over.

Natalie Bassingthwaighte at Hugo's

At the party held for Kim tonight at Hugos Lounge in Kings Cross she lingered in a sort of tiny VIP  section-handy for her as she is quite tiny herself- in a club you can hardly swing a cat in.

Perhaps the event organisers had their reasons for choosing this location. It's great for a small private party but for an event where hundreds of the public are bound to turn up outside to gawp and screeching paparazzi crowded into a tiny media pen, one must wonder what those reasons are.

Sarah-Jessica in Melbourne

Tonight fans are already queuing and sleeping outside David Jones department store for Kim's appearance there tomorrow. Why didn't DJs host the party ? Guests were fleeing Hugos fairly early after arriving. Too hot, no room, claustrophobic, a nightmare battling your way to the bar.

Meanwhile in Melbourne Sarah Jessica Parker has been winning hearts and minds giving about 100 media interviews and today she attended the Spring Carnival Ladies Day at Flemington race course. Tomorrow, Oaks Day is the big one. Expect all the international stars to be out in force including our favourite-Joan Collins.

Melbourne Cup Hat Of The Day

In the end, it looked like the QANTAS debacle was a bonus for Sydney with every pub, bar, restaurant, hotel ballroom, park and garden packed with hundreds of people celebrating the Melbourne Cup.

John Ibrahim & Chelsea Mitchell

Charlotte Dawson & pals

There were parties everywhere one looked.

A few of the smartest : the  Moët & Chandon party at the W Hotel hosted by TV personality Charlotte Dawson with a room full of good looking young punters including Liberty & Somer Watson from Coco Ribbon in London's Notting Hill Gate plus some fine food and plenty of champers.

The Chandon luncheon in Centennial Park with social heavyweights like Glen Marie Frost, Deeta Colvin, Melissa Hoyer and Victoria Morish and top party designer James Gordon.

Sharon Sargeant & Frank Monte

Liberty & Somer Watson, Alison Barton-Chen

The Finger Wharf, which the W Hotel forms part of, had a dozen parties with every restaurant packed to the rafters, with the very swish Otto's booked out weeks beforehand.

Cup cakes at the W

Radio king John Laws was there with wife Caroline and Malcolm Coppleson , Frank Monte with party girl Sharon Sargeant and keeping a low profile, nightclub tsar John Ibrahim with his girlfriend Chelsea hosting a table with about a dozen friends.




At the Cup itself at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne , international stars were few on the ground.
Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley failed to show nor did Joan Collins. Kim Kardashian is in Sydney for a party tonight (pursued by the world's media)

The W Hotel

But they will be there on Oak's Day (Thursday) which is far more genteel and fashionable, along with Sarah Jessica Parker who flew in to Melbourne on Monday but lunched at the Chandon's Greenpoint Brasserie in the Yarra Valley. The only star of note at the Cup-actor Adrian Grenier.


And amongst the wild and wacky costumes that appear on Cup day-the prize goes to multi-millionaire self promoter Dick Smith for his simple but effective Dick Smith's Ozemite hat !. That's Dick's political statement on his annoyance that the iconic Aussie spread Vegemite has been snapped up by a foreign corporation and a clever plug for the new spread he is marketing.

Paris Hilton Vs Perez Hilton

 Update :  "RADAR EXCLUSIVE: Paris Owns Purse That Appears Identical To One She Claimed Was Borrowed Night Of Cocaine Arrest"
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By Twitter :

ParisHilton
  Love this site, it's nice reading the truth instead of these invented stories on other blogs. Check it out - http://tinyurl.com/283qyug

Paris Hilton isn't happy with Kim Kardishan or the gossiper Perez Hilton. That's if you believe the website

Paris Hilton is HUGE  which gets Ms Hilton's seal of approval with her above tweet earlier tonight. 

According to the site:

"Paris Hilton would never jeopardize her career by doing cocaine. We believe her and know exactly what it feels like to be tangled in a mix-up to that degree, all too well. That is another story, for another time, on another blog! This is about Paris! "

On Kim Kardashian the site says : "To add salt to this HUGE wound, Paris Hilton former friend, or should we say leech, was on Jay Leno’s late night show talking bad about her. This is what she had to say about Paris Hilton’s run-in with the law:"

And another former friend Perez Hilton comes in for a serve : "Enough is enough Mario! We think it is disgusting you are using Microsoft’s Paint application to deface Paris Hilton’s photo’s for your posts, mock her, and jump on the Anti-Paris Hilton bandwagon, when you were just butt-kissing a few months prior. 

If it were not for Paris Hilton or your stalkerish ways to get into her inner circle, you would be a TRAGIC waste of space living in your mother’s house."

Our favourite piece :

"Paris Hilton’s recent run-in with the Las Vegas P.D., has been keeping the internet full of made-up stories and rumors. We absolutely hate it! The latest rumor that has spun completely out of control, is that Paris Hilton thought that the cocaine that was found in the purse, was gum.

Yes! Chewing gum that has be around since the dawn of time. This is so disrespectful to Paris Hilton intelligence as a human being. This blog’s owner has shed tears about this, and spoken to her family about it.

So the cocaine that Paris says wasn't in the handbag she was carrying ...that she says wasn't her handbag but a friend's ....didn't have gum in it..and that gum was actually..err ..cocaine!. Wonderful. 

read more of this madness here.

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a must read:

NYC's Golden Gossip Era Fades

in The Village Voice