exclusive: At the Billy Joel concert in Melbourne

Fans Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce meet up with Billy Joel

at his Melbourne concert.

Nightlife

Escher

We'd be remiss not to show a snap of Nicole Kidman in a fluffy chicken dress with hubby Keith Urban who attended the music industry ARIA Awards this week. And here they are.
Our Nic will also be at the film & TV industry AACTA Awards next week when she'll present awards and receive one.

Meanwhile down in Melbourne last night Hollywood star Natalie Portman graced the red carpet for the launch of the Escher x Nendo: Between Two Worlds exhibition.." a groundbreaking exhibition that features the work of Dutch artist M. C. Escher in dialogue with the work of acclaimed Japanese design studio nendo." says the blurb.

 The exhibition is at the NGV International from 2 Dec 18– 7 Apr 19

Nendo

And entertaining at the Esher x Nendo launch: young heartthrob Troy Sivan who sang up a storm.

On the subject of Dr Olivia Newton John- the fab Livvie appears on the cover of this month's Woman's Weekly and for every issue sold, 20c goes to Olivia's great charity Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre. So get a copy now. In fact get several (give them to your pals- always a good read !)

And another very important charity event for our Melbourne readers as pictured in the advert below to aid mental health awareness. How can you miss up the chance to meet Jeff Kennett. And Olympic swimmer Grant Hackett who has had his own battles in the past.

Brynne...

Another gratuitous snap of Brynne Gordon. We just can't help ourselves. Enjoy.

ANOTHER GRATUITOUS BRYNNE GORDON PHOTOGRAPH !

We just had to bring you yet another snap of Brynne Gordon from the series taken by uber fab Melbourne snapper Greg Desitov. ( check out Greg's sensational work here)

And why not ! We reckon the America's loss is Australia's gain. Whispers has never actually met Brynne- we did linger in the background at a Bondi Beach promotion where she and her ex-hubby Geoffrey Eldersten featured but everyone who has met her says Brynne is one very nice gal. It shows.

Brynne Update

It's not usually an earth shattering piece of news but we really thought we should immediately bring you a copy Brynne Gordon's updated Facebook profile pic. It doesn't get much better than this. Whispers is sure you will agree. This snap is by Melbourne photographer Greg Desitov. We think he's excelled himself. Check out his work here

The former Mrs Edelsten

Did she ever take the name Edelsten? Whispers cannot remember but wowsie- just look at Geoffrey Edelsten's former flame Brynne Gordon now. Hot!

This snap just landed in our in-tray and we had to bring it to you asap. You can thank us later.

Dream on Salim

Melbourne has Geoffrey - Sydney has Salim

Budding personality Salim Mehajer who is Deputy Mayor of a suburb somewhere in the west ( we mean that nicely) has made a promotional video. We think that's what is (and is Salim still Deputy Mayor or was the Council dissolved?)
There's lots of exhorting to the viewer to "dream, dream" about what? We aren't sure. Any way it's a chance for Salim to show off one of his fab cars. the last time we had a 'celebrity' who expected us to be transfixed by his expensive motor cars was the colourful Geoffrey Eldesten iof Melbourne but sadly his stable of luxury vehicles all disappeared from the garage one day and were last seen speeding off in a cloud of dust with a posse of debt collectors driving them. We hope Salim fares better. Watch and dream.

INSTANT UPDATE : Oh dear..since the 7 Network ran some videos of Salim in a less than happy mood his Dream video has gone private. Never fear, another version has appeared on Youtube.

Gabi Grecko Update

That saucy minx Gabi Grecko ( see our tale below) has been revealing more about her latest antics that includes a "mile high sex romp with NYPD officers."


What can poor Geoffrey Edelston be thinking as his former flame appears to  have re-joined the Oldest Profession. And what does his mum think?
Whispers once sat with her at a table at a Melbourne charity do and she said "Geoffrey always falls in love with the wrong type of woman". Indeed.
According to the current issue of Womans Day Geoffrey say he "didn't know Gabi was a prostitute".

Read about Gabi's Mile High Tricks Here

Everything old is New Again

 It's the title of a Peter Allen song where he refers to fashions being recycled over the decades. But it could apply to the current controversy over the felling of the magnificent Moreton Bay fig trees along Anzac Parade that have survived for 100 years but are now falling to development. The above historic 1914 snap shows Aussie troops marching on the way to Circular Quay to board ships bound

for Gallipoli with the figs in the background and to the left is a Sydney tram.                                                                     
Sydney once had the most extensive tram system in the world. One of the joys of visiting Melbourne is to travel on their superb tram system. It's modern, smooth and gets you everywhere that's worth going to.. But for some reason in the 1960s the burghers of Sydney decided to ditch the trams.
Now they are coming back and that is the reason the Moreton Bay figs pictured above where they remained, grew and prospered for over 100 years are to be felled to make way for tram lines. This has brought the fury of 1000s of inner city residents of all stripes- the well heeled of the Eastern Suburbs and the young alike. Prayers and candles are lit as they line up to watch the trees topple. Tears are shed and occasionally a celebrity like TV presenter James Mathison gets carted off by the Sydney wallopers (police). On a happier note : here is Peter at Radio City Hall in New York with The Rockettes singing his song. We received an invite to attend the latest tree funeral today. And we were there at Peter's concert all those years ago.

An Aussie in Malta

He's spotted at some the smarter parties around Sydney & Melbourne, at fashion parades, the polo and races. Alex Zabotto-Bentley with his Italian-heritage good looks and sunny disposition is a style meister responsible for designing some of this countries best and most stylish events.
Now Alex has scored a new gig- as Style Director for the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta and their entry in the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest.

Malta with under half a million inhabitants has punched well above it's weight in the Eurovision and this year's entry will be no exception. Zabotto-Bentley has taken advantage of the local fashion creatives on the island and combined them with the best of Australian artists to create a unique video. 
Says Alex :" I love this song so much and cannot wait for the Stockholm performance. I am going to Eurovsion, my life long dream !"
Here is a video of Malta's Ira Losco with Walk On Water in what could be her winning performance in Stockholm in May this year:

Jessica needs some good advice

The dramas over Jessica Mauboy's aborted plan to sing the national anthem at the Melbourne Cup could be an indicator of  the professionalism of those advising her. Jessica's no show was passed off by her management with the following statement :

“There was a lot going on yesterday and there was miscommunication with her styling team, unfortunately by the time it was resolved the call time had been missed.".  The Victorian Racing Club responded : "contracts for paid appearances at the Cup are easily understood and it is paramount that paid guests understand the importance of respecting paid sponsors"
Whispers should know. Many moons ago we organised the visit of the famous British milliner David Shilling who was a star guest at the Cup. VRC reps are nothing but courteous and experts in handling visiting celebrities such as Shilling with no stone left unturned during his 3 day stay in Melbourne as they guided him through a tour of personal appearances with their various sponsors like Myer.
Mauboy is currently promoting her new perfume which has had a less than stellar impact. Perhaps it's something to do with the organisers of her launch in Kings Cross a few weeks ago. A top publication sent their photographer to the small launch (guests : the usual newsreaders etc one saw at a function the week before) only to have a snooty publicist proclaim that they would choose what photographs  that the magazine could publish.

Just to show they had no hard feelings, the magazine editor ditched the entire idea of covering Jessica's launch. It's sad as Jessica is a sweet lady and a terrific talent. But as always, you must have the right team to promote you or it can all go pie eyed.

David Shilling at Ascot

Bernie Leser who launched Australian Vogue has passed away

After being tested on the local market in the early 1950s, Bernie Leser was appointed to launch the Australian version of the legendary Vogue magazine in 1959.
In an interview Leser said this of the launch:
"Quality was absolutely vital. We were much more interested in the quality of human relations and the quality of the product than money. The money came after that. We made a good profit but our shareholders were never greedy. We could have made more money had we approached it more in a Murdoch fashion, but the Newhouse family was different in its priorities."
Bernie was born in Germany and raised in New Zealand. He and his business partners purchased Vogue from Conde Nast in 1972 although in 1990 Conde Nast bought back the publication from Leser who had turned it into a money spinner. 
Bernie went on to become the vice president of Conde Nast Europe and Conde Nast USA . In 1987 he moved to New York after being appointed president of Conde Nast USA before returning to Australia  as chairman of Conde Nast Asia Pacific. He finally retired in 2000 and was a popular figure on the Sydney and Melbourne social circuit. His artists daughter Deborah Leser announced the death of her father on Facebook this morning.

"No Comment"

One guest at the David Jones Spring Summer fashion parade last night was TV presenter Angela Bishop, pictured right. Angela's mom is the Hon Bronwyn Bishop MP who has just had a horror few weeks culminating in her resignation as Speaker of The House. Something to do with a helicopter. And what did Angela think of Bronnie's Mensis Mensis Horribulus (hey it's Latin for a ghastly month!).
"No comment" was Angela's response. Sensible girl.
And another guest- the delightful actress and film producer Samara Weaving  (who is actor Hugo Weaving's niece) who we are showing just because we can. And she looks fab.

Construction Zone at David Jones

Daniel Johns entertains at the David Jones Spring Summer fashion parade

They promised us an auditory & sensory experience unlike anything they had showcased before. What we got was David Jones 7th Floor decorated with scaffolding and some colourful lighting. New for them maybe. Hey these publicists have to write something to lure us out on a freezing Sydney winter night. We did get to see some fab clothing from local designers, Daniel Johns from Silverchair singing and forced ourselves to quaff the odd glass of Champagne. And of course, there were some rather nice models. Here are some of the outfits you might be wearing on the beach this year. And the delectable Jessica Gomez because we know you like her.

Another Opening

The good and great are gathering at the brand new Nobu Hotel City of Dreams today in Manila where the owners will celebrate with a few ceremonies and cocktail parties,. Amongst those owners are James Packer and actor Robert De Niro who have teamed up on several projects. One person who won't be there is the Sydney journalist who requested an invitation - several journalists and photographers have been bussed in for the weekend. Apparently a hapless pr girl who submitted the name of said hack to Packer was left red-faced when the mogul pointed out in his inimitable style that the writer was on his media 'enemies' list.

Society Murder

The 2014 murder of Melbourne's top interior designer Stuart Rattle (above) reached it's conclusion yesterday as his killer and partner Michael O'Neill was jailed for 18 years for strangling the decorator. O'Neill was known as “The Talented Mr Ripley” by Rattle's friends due to his propensity to tell lies. Journalist Jan McGuinness wrote a revealing feature on the life of the pair in The Saturday Paper and it's a fascinating read. Go here to read it.

Sleeping Rough Tonight

Cardboard City at the Carriageworks in Redfern

St Vincents de Paul- or Vinnies as they are known, are one of the Shuttle's favourite charities. They raise millions$$ via various activities and their charity shops all over the country. Eastern Suburb's Vinnie shops sell amazing designer outfits and our favourite Paddington store gets a fantastic selection of Savile Row shirts at rock bottom prices. Check them out.
Their annual sleep out to raise funds for, and highlight homelessness in one of the richest countries on the planet is underway as we speak. Thousands are sleeping rough tonight in cardboard boxes (supplied by Visy) all over the land. The Shuttle's bad back and a prior date with the ABC's new series Carlotta means we can't make it but others are far more generous than us : right : Latte Life newspaper honcho Cris King has already raised thousands of dollars. Above : Mamamia editor Jamila Rizvi sends a message that many woman are homeless tonight

Todd Tai & Gina Lednyak

Kelly O'Dwyer MP gets ready for a cold Melbourne night

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Tom, Nicole, Keith,Swiss Pills & Prada

One guest at the Tom Keneally celebration was top show biz publicist Wendy Day (pictured with  husband publisher Mark Day.)
Wendy was having a cultural respite after collecting her most famous and steadfastly loyal client, superstar Nicole Kidman (in Prada) who arrived in Sydney that morning before heading to Melbourne to attend the Suisse Celebrate Life Ball with hubby Keith Urban to aid the Monash Children’s Hospital and Sydney’s Children’s Hospital. And doesn't she look fab!

Bolly Dinner Date

Sunday in Melbourne is not to be missed. One of France's best exports the ever so elegant Guy de Rivoire (left) is hosting a bash for another famous French export- Bollinger champagne. It's the 50th anniversary of the Ultimate Cuvee Bollinger R.D launch.
Guests at the black tie bash will join a special tasting through the exquisite Bollinger champagnes expertly matched with cuisine in a special champagne salon at the event. But where we hear you ask ?. Well the location is a secret but it will be held in a palatial penthouse just of Collins Street in Melbourne with limos busing the guests to the bash. We can't wait.