Have they got the message yet?

 Late last year Whispers posted a video (below) of a US comedian who is a superb Barack Obama look-alike as he toured Kings Cross in support of attempts to revitalize the former nightclub area of Sydney.


Tonight Whispers had reason to visit the Cross after a small party in Dank Street. Dank Street in Waterloo is a sort of uber design area with million dollar apartments and oh-so-smart designer shops and is home to Luke Mangans latest restaurant Mojo. Pleasing to see that Mojo was filling up as we passed by but Kings Cross?. Dead as the proverbial Dodo. Even the strip joints are closing down. Coffee shops, small fast food outlets are screaming foul. As for cleaning up crime, Whispers was offered drugs twice on our stroll.

Boy Wonder enjoys a glass of wine-before midnight

On Facebook a post by respected art dealer Michael K. Carr drew ire. It was snap of a recent typical sunny Sydney day at the wondrous Boy Charlton Pool that nestles beside the harbour. The snap was of 2 policeman and Sydney's drug sniffer dogs that now invade everywhere and anywhere courtesy of former Labor premier Bob Carr who loved to govern via whatever edict came that week from Rupert Murdoch's downmarket tabloid The Daily Telegraph.
#Some posters say the snap was of dogs during a bomb search.
                  

It's Front Page news

Visiting our doctor in Oxford Street near Whitlam Square this morning brought the sight of even more empty shops, former bars & nightclubs.               

Never mind- you can still drink  24 hours at the glitzy Star Casino and also when the James Packer consortium finally opens the Barangaroo casino there will be no lockout laws and despite what Boy Wonder premier Mike Baird says (he reckons if you need a bottle of wine after midnight there is something strange about you) drinks will flow at all hours at Bangaroo,

further reading : # the screed by Matt Barrie that has ignited a seething undercurrent of furious Sydneysiders distraught at seeing their nightlife vanish overnight.
# The 'raid' by police on a small restaurant serving wine by the glass
# You can also read Boy Wonder's Facebook page defence of the Lock Out Laws- 8000 plus comments and they aren't complimentary. The campaign is just beginning!.

A (food) Star is Born

 If you have never tried chef Stefano Manfredi's food you really haven't lived. He's been one of Sydney's most favoured star chefs who is admired by his customers and all in his profession.
Stefano has opened PizzaPerta at The Star casino and it really must be visited. Do your self a favour, these are undoubtedly the best pizzas I have ever tasted and I've traveled the world seeking out the best !
left : Luke Mangan showed his support along with Richard Wilkins and Stefano
Find out more here : www.manfredi.com.au/

where else would you get a juggling waiter ? Perhaps the Veuve Clicquot helped.

Party Of The Month

 
  Catalina Restaurant in Rose Bay, by the harbour, has now been one of Sydney's most popular eateries for 20 years and owners Michael and Judy McMahon decided to throw a bash. And what a party . Guests were delivered in a fleet of Jaguars, entertainment was by the world renowned trumpeter James Morrison and his big band and most importantly, the Pommery flowed. We think they should have a party every year like this !


right : Ronan Keating and girlfriend Storm 
Uechtritz enjoyed themselves

below : a sure sign of how well Catalina is thought of by fellow top chefs : Neil Perry & Luke Mangan (right) joined the party

Eileen 'Red' Bond had a ball ..as did Tim Storrier and Justin Miller and this couple approved of the bubbles!

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.

Mother Of All Balls

Rachel Ward and husband Bryan Brown

Actress Rachel Ward's Mother of All Balls annual event has raised over $3M now for the YMCA and is becoming so popular that larger and larger premises are needed each year.

Held at Royal Randwick Racecourse this year, the huge function centre easily held the 450 guests who attended. With the theme- Shanghai Chic, a 1930s 'Paris of The East' atmosphere was re-produced.

Food by top chef Luke Mangan and excellent champagne from Nicholas Feuillatte (still the top selling champagne in Paris and billed as the "Australian champagne'-vineyard owner Nicholas divides his time between his French chateau, a Tangier palace and a magnificent Sydney harbour side penthouse) and some excellent wines from a new label, Eagle Rest.

Silverchair's Chris Joannou & Laura Csortan

Anthony Minichiello & Terri Biviano

\

*********************************************************************
Earth to Channel Nine News !

The photographer Alison Jackson (who you have just discovered) as featured first on the Shuttle over 12 months ago and as recently as 4 weeks ago is not American-she is British, born in Hampshire.

here's Alison's film of Charles & Camilla's yoga session..see lots more at her youtube channel

Richard Wilkins & Jeff Goldblum's 'Death'

One guest at last Friday's Volvo Alpine ice skating party was Richard Wilkins who arrived with his pal top chef Luke Mangan.

Luke Mangan & Richard Wilkins

 Wilkins has had a long and varied career. Born in New Zealand he was a budding classical violinist until he decided that rock was more his thing. After graduating from teachers’ college, majoring in English and Music, he started a band – Wilde and Reckless which he fronted under the name Richard Wilde.

He enjoyed some success, touring Australia with the band in 1980 and supporting Grace Jones, while managing several other bands from a small Sydney office. Eventually he became the face of MTV when it was first launched and for many years now he's been a fixture on the Nine TV network jetting back and forth between the USA and Australia and interviewing celebs like Billy Connolly, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Diamond, Robbie Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Britney Spears and Barbara Streisand.

On the 25th of this month he launches his first book : Black Ties, Red Carpets, Green Rooms published by Doubleday. Richard says it isn't an autobiography but more a series of anecdotes about the people he's met, interviews with some of the world's top stars along with back room show biz gossip.
Maybe he'll reveal how he happened upon one of his top exclusives that swept the world- the announcement that actor Jeff Goldblum had 'died' while falling from a cliff in New Zealand. Fortunately for Goldblum it turned out to be a hoax !.