It's a Win for Bieber !

In Whisper's shameless clickbait experiment  reporting of some very important news - the fact that nude photos had been published (not by us !) of heartthrobs Orlando Bloom and Justin Bieber there has been an interesting development.
In just 4 days nearly 40,000 plus visitors have come to this little corner of the internet to seek news of Orlando's hunky frame but as of today over 60,000 have come to hear about the Bieber's bare-all action. So that puts Bieber at No 1 in the Nude Male Hunks stakes.

Even more pleasing over 38,000 readers have come to hear all about David Jones Spring Summer fashions and nearly 26,000 readers clicked to read about the opening of Eleven Bridge.

Jessica Gomez at the David Jones Spring Summer Fashion Parades

Exclusive : James Packer & Miranda Kerr Together in New York

The Shuttle has scoffed in the past at tales of the supposed love affair between billionaire James Packer and supermodel Miranda Kerr but the exclusive amateur photographs we have obtained means we may have to eat humble pie.
Our source, an ardent fan of Kerr followed her from the ritzy Pierre Hotel in New York at 2pm one afternoon last week to a luxury apartment block on 56th Street. She disappeared inside and emerged around 6pm as the sun was setting and he snapped Miranda on his IPhone looking very discreet as she headed for a waiting car.
 But it was half an hour later that our fan got just a little curious as the same limo returned to the building. He took a snap of the extremely tall and casually dressed gentleman who emerged from the same apartment
block and slipped into the same car. A further source has confirmed that the apartment block contains a Packer company owned flat that is used for business.
So there we are- the very first photographs, grainy as they are of what may have been a liaison between Australia's richest man and undoubtedly Australia's richest model.

Silly Season is No Excuse

When the esteemed Aussie publication Woman's Day burst into print with the claim from a "good friend" that billionaire James Packer "was dating" supermodel Miranda Kerr, Aussie social writers were out of their starting blocks claiming 'exclusive exclusive ! and presenting the tale as their own discovery.
By the day's end at least one notable scribe (who has made a habit of attacking the Shuttle) was

expressing reservations, oddly only hours after we poured scorn on the tale. We know who James is actually (occasionally)  dating but she isn't a 'name'. How do we know?. Directly from a Packer family source who confirmed the fact but asked us not to name the lady.
And just as one of New York's top society snappers confirmed 3 weeks ago that Miranda is also occasionally dating a handsome male model and because that model was a friend of the snapper's, he requested we not name him. Despite that, a New York newspaper has now confirmed that Miranda has been out on the town with the young chap after spending Christmas with Orlando Bloom and family.

Other bloopers of the season : the bizarre tale re-printed faithfully around the world by those who should know better : the claim begun by a satirical website and picked up by a dodgy Chinese 'news' outlet that a former North Korean politician had been "fed to the dogs".

Even more alarming is this tosh published by tabloids and noticeably many News Ltd outlets : a claim that British police "know who had kidnapped Maddie McCann" and that Portuguese police were preventing them from arresting the perps.
This is dangerous stuff and the fact that the sad case of the disappearance of Madelaine McCann should be used to flog newspapers is a disgrace.
The UK police merely identified some new "suspects" in the form of 3 burglars who were operating on the night the girl was taken. They join a growing list of suspects that number in the dozens. And the blatant racist attack upon the Portuguese police helps no-one : under EU laws British police can request the extradition of any suspect they believe may have committed a crime.

Distant Love

Gorgeous Miranda Kerr was out and about this week in New York where she lives. You can see her in this lovely picture spread in the UK Daily Mail.
But alas, no James Packer by her side. Packer is in China and Sri Lanka for a week but will be back in Sydney in the next few days to oversee the continuing construction on his mega new home in Vaucluse and for business meetings about the proposed Barangaroo casino.
What an odd affair they seem to be having -so many thousands of miles separating this love-struck pair and Miranda still seeing her ex Orlando Bloom on a daily basis. Meanwhile James is confiding in his new (well relatively- 10 months) 'personal assistant' who hails from the land of Wendi Deng.
Perhaps James & Miranda are having a modern style of affair- one of the mind. Sounds just like a dream.

Marriages

 Danni Minogue's ex Kris Smith has linked up with glamorous model Maddy King and the pair were spotted over dinner last week in Kings Cross and partying afterwards at the Bondi beachside bar The Bucket List.










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 It was probably the worst kept secret. The Shuttle got wind of it at the David Jones' Spring/Summer fashion show a fortnight ago when we spotted Qantas CEO Allan Joyce sitting quietly amongst the guests.

Orlando & Miranda at the Qantas party last night

                                            Today Qantas announced a new partnership with Emirates Airlines and on Thursday evening at a party at the Park Hyatt to celebrate the marriage Miranda Kerr was named as the new Ambassador for Qantas.  Miranda checked into the Park Hyatt on Tuesday with baby Flynn and hubby Orlando Bloom with the couple attending the bash together.
Kerr now has three major sponsorships: Victoria's Secret, David Jones and Qantas where she joins John Travolta (who pilots his own Qantas jet) Cathy Freeman and Greg Norman.

'Kerr Goes Kiwi'

The New York Times has a feature on Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom in New Zealand.
Read it here!

A Very Stylish Party

Miranda Kerr

In Style Magazine threw their annual Ladies Of Style bash in association with Audi at the Carriageworks.

Miranda Otto

Who would miss this party?. So many beautiful ladies in one room and they come in all shapes and ages.

Needless to say, the beautiful Miranda Kerr dominated the room. She had flown in from New Zealand that morning with baby Flynn and her mother and grandmother leaving hubby Orlando Bloom behind filming The Hobbit.

Laura Csortan & Sophie Faulkner

Jessica Rowe & sister Harriet

Ricki-Lee Coulter

Miranda, wearing a powder blue Carla Zampatti gown even picked up a gong for Women Of The Year. Who would have guessed?
 The other winners: Beauty: Co-winners: Miranda Kerr and Rebecca Morrice Williams, News & Entertainment: Asher Keddie,Fashion: Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson (Easton Pearson)
Arts & Culture: Co-winners Nikki Gemmell and Lally Katz, Lifestyle: Indira Naidoo,Charity & Community: Alison Thompson, Business: Kate Weiss,Design: Liane Rossler, Environment: Abigail Forsyth

Sweet Taste Of Morroco

Meet the very elegant Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli  (pictured here with tv personality Tracey Spicer) who is in town to tell us about Morocco and the rather splendid hotel he owns there-La Maison Arabe in Marrakesh.
Fabrizio was the star guest at a small reception-The Sweet Taste of Morocco -in the Patisse restaurant in the Pyd building near Dank Street in Waterloo.

Born in France with an Italian father, Fabrizio holidayed as a child in Tangier at his grandparents villa and fell in love with the country.
 La Maison Arabe, as you can see from our pics is a luxury hotel decorated in Moroccan style and is Ruspoli's pride and joy. It's one of the town's best kept secrets and is reasonably priced considering it's now been discovered by the jet set who see it as the perfect alternative to their usual choice, the 6 star historic Mamounia which re-opened in 2009 after a complete makeover.

La Maison Arabe

At the Mamounia's re-launch a host of famous names jetted in for the celebrations-Salma Hayek, Orlando Bloom, Bryan Ferry, Sarah Jessica Parker and Paloma Picasso. Jose Carreras entertained the guests. The re-opening of the Mamounia summed up just how quickly Marrakesh is becoming a tourism developer's dream.

Salma Hayek in Marrakesh

La Maison Arabe

Although Prince Fabrizio is in the tourism business he is fearful that Marrakesh may go the way of some famous Mediterranean hot spots and has likened it, (and not in a complimentary fashion) to "St Tropez without the boats". He is alarmed that luxury spas and branches of French restaurants, art galleries, nightclubs and golf courses, all with European prices are opening there. Hopefully he's comforted that at least McDonald's was given the cold shoulder by the town burghers. At the reception to greet our Italian aristocrat was one Sydney's best chefs who also happens to be Moroccan-Hassan M'Souli who owns the award winning restaurant Out Of Africa in Manly. He whipped up some delicious Morrocan treats for the party guests.
As for Sydney, Fabrizio said he has been pleasantly surprised :"the trees" he said,"so many beautiful trees, everywhere I go there are just beautiful trees!"

Check out La Maison Arabe here and Out Of Africa here.

Photo Fail #2

A reader points to two photographs the Shuttle recently ran of the supermodel who married a Hobbit-Miranda Kerr.

They claim something strange is happening to Ms Kerr's anatomy in the photograph (left) that was published for Australia Day on the front cover of Grazzia magazine .
We produce both snaps here.

The second (right) in which the pose is almost identical is untouched, We know because the Shuttle took it at the last David Jones fashion parades.

Decide for yourself.

Is Miranda's back double-jointed such that she can shove her chest so far forward and still keep her hips in line with her shoulders- a neat feat if she can.
Or is it just another photoshop disaster.?
Or just an excuse to run another pic of Miranda?

Miranda Kerr's Family Heartbreak

Model Miranda Kerr's grandparents Peter and Anne Kerr are recovering after a lightning strike burnt their Gunnedah home to the ground yesterday.

With Australia's current bout of inclement weather, a fierce storm swept through the area in the afternoon with lightning striking the house, awakening  Peter Kerr from his afternoon nap. Although fire crews were on the scene within the hour the house was razed by fire fanned by strong winds. The pair who have been avid supporters of Miranda's modelling career lost their lifetime collection of antiques.

Last year Miranda and her husband actor Orlando Bloom travelled to Gunnedah to meet Miranda's family after the pair announced their engagement. Her grandparents still plan to travel to Los Angeles later this month to be there when the couple's first child is born.

"I Wish He Had Touched Me Up !"

That was designer Alannah Hill's claim today when she showed off her wares at the David Jones department store in the spring / summer fashion collection.
This was following the announcement that former DJ's publicist  Kristy Fraser-Kirk's  has launched a $37million lawsuit against the firm following allegations the CEO Mark McInnes "touched her up".

It's the largest claim of it's kind and Fraser-Kirk is asking for 5% of DJ's takings and of McInne's wages during his tenure as boss. She says she will donate the money to charity. Good luck!

This morning's parade at the Sydney flagship store was pretty well packed despite the absence of DJ's mascot model Miranda Kerr who is recovering from her honeymoon after wedding Orlando Bloom.

Nicole Trunfio

She twittered the troops at DJ's at lunchtime :"Hey guys, Thank you so much for chatting with me today. I hope you all have the most amazing day and night."

Alannah says of McInnes: " I threw myself at him. He told me he didn't want to mix business with pleasure." Yeah, sure.

Kristy Fraser-Kirk says McInnes phoned her one night wanting to have dinner with her and said he could have had sex with a brunette the night before.

"Yes I was the brunette, yes, yes I was the brunette," Hill said."He could have bedded me but he chose the other one. He is dreamy". Ahhh..sounds just like she was dreaming .

In place of Kerr there were 4 other 'supermodels'- Nicole Trunfio ,Abbey-Lee Kershaw,  Catherine McNeil and Alexandra Agoston.

Meanwhile as we blog, CH 9's Today Tonight show is screening some ham fisted replies after they interviewed a host of designers at the parade today on the controversy. 2 hapless PR people unsuccessfully tried to snatch a newspaper that ran a headline on the matter out of the reporter's hands .Go to the website and watch the video at the right titled "David Jones Backlash". Why didn't they prep these  PR folk beforehand ?. Didn't people like Megan Gale and designer Alex Perry realise the press was out in force and they would be asked difficult questions ?

Karin's woes

Managing Director of French luxury goods brand, Hemmes in Australia, Karin Upton Baker is battling to keep possession of her luxurious Elizabeth Bay duplex apartment where she has hosted glamorous parties for the likes of Elle McPherson and recently model Miranda Kerr and boyfriend actor Orlando Bloom.

Complicated property deals have soured with the international property collapse and after husband Gary Baker took out an $18M mortgage on their home in 2006 to finance a number of developments, he is now fighting to prevent Perpetual Trustee and Challenger Managed Investments from gaining control over their home.

Karin and Gary are well known for their collection of sleek black autos with XXX number plates-the latest Rolls Phantom, a stylish Bentley Continental, a 'pagoda style' vintage Mercedes sports car, and for Gary in his day job as one of the only qualified installers of piers along the harbour side, a huge pantechnicon with the distinctive colour and plates.

Considered one of Sydney's most stylish couples, the Baker's pride and joy is the beautifully designed apartment in one of the most sought after blocks overlooking the harbour, with it's ground floor garage to house their luxury fleet and a private elevator.