Kylie, New Year's Eve & Clueless Media

You know who you are : the Nine & Seven TV Networks and even the ABC. And let's not even mention the tabloids ( perhaps it's the stress of their sister organs being under the spotlight in the UK).

All reported breathlessly this morning that our Queen of Pop , the gorgeous Kylie Minogue will be this year's New Year's Eve ambassador. It was, they repeated in chorus, Kylie's very first involvement in Sydney's New Year's Eve celebrations that sees up to 1.5 million people line the harbour for the sensational fireworks.

Phil Avalon

Well no actually. Kylie was the guest at the 2002 New Year's Eve party at the Sydney Opera House and threw the switch to start the fireworks that year.
We know because as she was stepping forward to throw the switch, cheered on by thousands of spectators, the Shuttle had to separate a paparazzi and the film producer Phil Avalon who said the snapper had insulted his wife.

To soothe Avalon's nerves we took him into the bar for a drink with Kylie so he would forget about the rude photographer. Do your research folks.

(the following year, the guest switch thrower was US actress Sarah Michelle Geller)
                                              *********************

Getting into the spirit for his Cuban visit.

Saucy Christmas Present for Pope Benedict

He sits mesmerised.
Pope Benedict XVI was treated to a special acrobat show with some hunky topless acrobats at the Vatican. The nuns accompanying His Holiness were impressed as well, snapping pics on their digital cameras:



And for our pussy lovers:

forget gay Jesus-we uncover the greatest miracle of all !

Elton's Jesus ?

  The Daily Mail, Britain's most successful on-line newspaper and probably the best presented tabloid on the planet brings us startling news in a story about the canonization of Oz nun Mother Mary McKillop.

Writing about another saintly candidate, the Canadian priest Brother Andre, in it's report the Mail says:

"Brother Andre, who founded Saint Joseph Oratory in Canada. Born on August 9, 1945 under the name of Alfred Bessette, Bother Andre, died on January 6, 1937 in Montreal"

Surely a feat Elton John's rebel rabbi bender could only dream of-dying before one's birth !. It certainly saves time.

"Hope I die before I get old"-Brother Andre

As the Catholic Church,the countries dominant religion eyes it's parish in Australia- there are moves afoot with top Catholic, Cardinal George Pell who has just returned from an extended visit to the Vatican.

With McKillop's rise to sainthood the Catholic Church is shoring up it's constituency and filling a religious void. The power of the country having it's own saint St Mary, should not be underestimated. Lapsed Catholics have been returning to the church in droves since the Mary McKillop campaign started over 10 years ago.

Cardinal George Pell has returned just in time for the announcement after illness delayed him in Rome.

Cardinal George Pell with Pope Benedict XVI

But our Vatican spy-disguised as a handsome Swiss Guard who has wandered the corridors of power for clandestine meetings with elderly Vatican officials brings us news of a move within the Holy City.

Cardinal Pell may well become the next president of the Vatican City State, the highest position and just below that of the Pope. The current president, His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo is rumored to be retiring and the church, with one of the best PR machines that has operated for centuries cannot have missed that all things Oz are currently in vogue. Next to the USA, the Catholic Church's property holdings in Australia are the richest outside the Vatican.

Pell is a great friend of the current Pope Benedict XVI and it's rumored to have stood aside in the final papal ballot to allow his great friend to take the helm. Is he now being rewarded ? It was certainly Pell's advocacy that brought about the hugely successful 2008 World Youth Day to Sydney with the Pope's visit and resulted in huge numbers flocking to the church. Pell has also resided over the healing of a long rift with the Anglican church that has been historically anti-Roman-Catholic since the convict days when Anglican masters ruled over the largely Catholic convict populace.

George Pell is an arch-conservative with a strict adherence to orthodoxy who rules the Catholic church in Australia with an iron fist. He brooks no opposition and has a coterie of young priests at his command, collectively known as Pell's Angels.

Those who believe Pell's move to the Vatican will bring some moderation in the local church's strict views on homosexuality, female priests and divorce will find no relief if Pell's anointed successor, the younger Rev Anthony Fisher takes over. Such is Fisher's adherence to all things Pell he is know locally as Boy George.

                                *********************************

the Odd Couple

  To the NSW Art Gallery to meet the Odd Couple of the British art world-Gilbert and George. Brought to Sydney by art patron and fabric importer John Kaldor , the artists revealed some of the fascinating facts of their life style. They have eaten at the same Turkish restaurant every night in the East End for over 30 years. Gilbert takes a 3 hour walk around the local streets every night before dinner and is joined on the last hour by George.

   

  In the afternoons they are joined by the same 2 local homeless men for afternoon tea and serve them instant coffee-the only beverage in their larder. And they give them each £2 when they leave. What fun !

********************************
update #3... the number of members of Facebook's "Eddie Mcguire is ruining the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage" is now at 7301, a rise of over 5000 since the Social Shuttle brought it to world attention which co-incidently equals the number of readers of tSS over the past few days !
                                       **********************************
Cardinal Pell update : Journalist Mike Carlton speculates that George Pell is in line for the position of prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Carlton is a rare species amongst media reptiles-he does his research. tSS feels our Vatican source is however more accurate.
                                      **********************************
update #4...membership of Eddie Mcguire's Facebook group now stands at 8050. The latest member one Geoff Wills writes  : "Management at that station must be nearly neanderthal in there views.The absolute worst Olympics telecast I have seen"

Heil King Henry IX !

 

 Well that's according to Nostrodamus and Mario Reading's

The Complete Phrophecies of Nostradamus.

King Charles III will abdicate in 2022 (yes-it will be Camilla's fault) and Harry takes over (no word on why William is by-passed). Expect Buck House to become fun city and a cross between Annabel's and your local boozer.

       Not for long-the Royal Family is gone by 2040 and Britain becomes a Republic and naughty France rejoices ! (don't worry-by 2098 France has descended into utter anarchy)

   

   

 tSS telephoned our regular psychic Mandy Miami ( right ) who is currently in Melbourne for our new century predictions but she wasn't giving anything away. 'Not since my run-in with Uri Geller over Michael Jackson" she said."

 " I keep my predictions to myself now", Mandy had written a raft of predictions for that august publication the National Enquirer and correctly predicted the winner of the Kentucky Derby, the next host city of the Olympic Games but one piece raised the hackles of thousands. Words to the effect of "within the coming year Michael Jackson will be involved in a huge scandal that will forever change his life and he will need to re-invent his image. He will marry but never be the same again".

       Sounds innocuous but at a charity dinner a few weeks later Geller declared his "close friend" Michael would never get himself involved in scandal  and to shove home his point he bent Miami's dinner fork, house key and stopped her watch.

       Nine months later the Jordan Chandler story erupted and the rest is history.

   Nostradamus,according to Reading's book, says there are rocky times ahead including the flooding of the Aegean Sea in 2016 .
       Things aren't looking too rosy for Pope Benedict with a new younger, liberal and more hip Pope taking over in 2012. That rules out the ultra-conservative Cardinal Pell of Sydney who was pipped at the post by his German pal.

        Hillary Rodham Clinton becomes president in 2015 with the prediction in the following quatrain :

The Masculain woman will exert herself to the north.

 She will annoy nearly all of Europe and the rest of the world

 (surely Sarah Palin ?.)

   Meat will be banned by 2031 and we'll all be vegans. Or maybe eating

Soylent Green. And the following year the new Anti Christ is born !

     Islamic terrorism is on the rise and new weapons will be actually secreted inside their bodies-forget body scanners. A waste of money.

         And finally the fear of White Australia will come true in 2037 when Oz and Indonesia go to all out war over who dominates the Indian Ocean.

    And a victory for the UK Independence Party in Britain when England leaves the Eurpean Union in 2064.

        

There are endless climate disasters ahead for us and most of New York disappears in an earthquake in 2083. There are tsunamis , locust plagues wiping out crops worldwide, earthquakes in Europe and a re-emergence of the black plague that wipes out huge amounts of the population throughout the world and Europe.

       But Britain is spared !. Not so fast folks. Over populated, the UK suffers from a famine. (remember-the locusts )

            And did I mention the asteroid that hits planet earth in 2069 ? So don't even worry about the global nuclear war that begins in 2070 and lasts for 20 years.

       

The Protestant and Catholic churchs will be kaput by 2070 and Buddhism is the new faith. And maybe Scientology with Tom Cruise as the new Messiah.

 It just gets worse after that so there's no point in being too pessimistic.

     

Basically we're all going to hell in a handbasket. So all in all-nothing much changes for the next ten decades and it's business as usual.!

 Happy New Year and have a great century !

              

                 ***********************************************************
# our thanks to a regular reader Mr P.Taylor who pointed out some shocking spelling mistakes. Mildred Pierce is banished from the office yet again . Staff are hopeless these days.

But you have worse things to worry about really-the Anti Christ is on his/her way !

Hollywood appointment

                                                                                                Marie Sutton & Gordy Willesee

Jetting out to LA today is Gordana Willesee, wife of former TV presenter turned media mogul and more recently, re-confirmed Catholic Mike Willesee.

Gordana, a make-up artist who fell for Willesee while working at the Channel Nine studios, will be checking out the latest make-up techniques at various Hollywood studios and hopes to put them into practical use back in Sydney.

Gordana's the top favourite to touch-up major celebrities before they walk the red carpet at film premieres and has worked with some of the world's major movie stars.

  She took time off for a quick lunch at Ottos at Woolloomooloo Wharf with tSS and society maven Marie Sutton and brought us up to date on some of her husband's latest projects. Following the success of his Signs From God documentary in the USA in which Willesee explores various incidents of stigmata around the world, he is busy writing a book on the same subject.

Willesee is also pushing for further research on the Shroud of Turin and is backing a scientific analysis to see if  the artifact contains the blood of Jesus Christ. The Shroud goes on public display next year for six weeks at Chapel of the Shroud in the Turin Cathedral.

The Willesee's have impecable Catholic credentials with Mike re-discovering his faith in recent years. Gordana showed us the tiny Rosary beads that bear the Papal seal given to her when she and her husband had a private audience with Pope Benedict on his recent Australian visit. Recently at an exhibition opened by Cardinal Pell, Mike snapped up all 12 life size decorated statues of Christ which now decorate the large garden of his Centenniel Park's mansion, forming a pathway to his private chapel.

And when Gordana returns with her new skills she has her first client lined up-Hugh Grant when he attends the premiere of his latest flick Did You Hear About the Morgans?. But not before she is joined by Mike in LA who intends to whisk her off for a week at the Waldorf Astoria for Gordana's first visit to New York.