We reveal identity of Marco's Mystery Blonde !

Marco Pierre White with the glamorous interesting cast of the upcoming Hell's Kitchen

The adverts for the 7 Network's new series of Hell's Kitchen starring celebrity chef Marco Pierre White have been running non-stop. A youngish Marco appears in numerous snaps including one with Gordon Ramsey with the claim that he "made Gordon cry".
 But another snap flashes up with a glamorous blonde giving the handsome (younger) Marco a juicy kiss on the cheeks. 
But all is not what it seems as Whisper's ever eagle eye spotted who that blonde was - the androgynous British singer Marilyn who had a hit song in 1983 called "Calling Your Name". Marilyn- real name Peter Robinson - is well know to Whispers who at one time promoted the then struggling singer.

Along with his close pal Boy George the pair often flopped on Whisper's living room floor at our Notting Hill Mews house after Tuesday's night's legendary Blitz nightclub where kids know as the New Romantics would gather.
Indeed there is a scene in the forthcoming film based on the life of legendary The Who manager Kit  Lambert who also occasionally bedded down on Whisper's living room floor.
At the time Whispers was working on a film being shot at Pinewood Studios called Saturn 3 with famed Hollywood great Kirk Douglas and the late Farah Fawcett Majors. A scene in the Lambert film includes an extraordinary but amusing meeting between Marilyn, Douglas, Lambert and Farah Fawcett Majors in the Mews street at 6 am in the morning.

This wasn't the first encounter with a Hollywood star for Marilyn. Before his recording success, famed actor Jack Nicholson flew Marilyn / Peter - who at the time looked exactly like Marilyn Monroe- to Los Angeles and arrived at a gala show biz party with Marilyn on one arm, and on the other Australian model Linda Kerridge (pictured above left) famous for her Monroe impersonations. As only Nicholson could get away with- a male and female Monroe. Ahhh, the memories.
# Whispers once asked singer Marilyn what his mother thought when he dolled up and left their suburban London home for the evening : "she just cries" he responded.

Kit Lambert                   Kirk Douglas & Farah Fawcett Majors                                   Jack Nicholson

Happy Birthday Regine, Nightclub Queen of the World

Regine

Boxing Day is the 82nd birthday of Regine Zylberberg, the creator of the modern nightclub. Born in Belgium to Polish Jewish parents, Regine spent her early life hiding from the Nazis in France during the occupation.

In 1953 at the age of 24 she was managing the Paris Whisky aGo Go dance club when she seized upon the idea of exchanging the American jukeboxes common in nite spots with record turntables and hiring a disc jockey to spin new records. Thus, the modern discotheque was born

Soon a rival Whisky aGoGo opened in Los Angeles copying Regine's idea as it spread throughout the world.  Regine opened her own club in 1957-Chez Regine in the Latin Quarter of Paris which became the smartest nite spot in Paree. She imported twist king Chubby Checker to introduce his new dance to the Continent and taught the Duke of Windsor how to do the Twist.

At her peak Regine had 26 nightclubs around the world. The Social Shuttle attended the opening night of the London Regine's on top of the old Derry & Toms department store in Kensington High Street in the famous Rainbow Room which is surrounded by an extraordinary roof garden complete with  flamingos.

Opening night guests included actors Tony Curtis, Diana Dors and  Larry Hagman then at the height of fame in  the soap Dallas along with 2  guests smuggled in by the Shuttle-Boy George and the singer Marilyn (neither were famous then!).

When waiters pointed out the 2 gatecrashers and asked the hostess if she wanted them booted out she replied "Non non, ils ne sont beatiful !".

Marilyn later became a star guest at Regines when he arrived on the arm of Jack Nicholson.

Regine had a huge hit in France with Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive'. It's the Shuttle's theme song for 2011 and below is a video of Regine's version.

Other celebrity birthdays today shared with Regine include Rattlesnake Annie, Ugly Dave Gray and Bashful Brother Oswald. Look them up.