Uber's car crash

If people have been wondering why we Aussies have been on the receiving end of a flood of TV commercials for the car ride app and service Uber the mystery has been revealed. Below is the latest featuring Kim Kardashian and Magda Szubanski (as her character Sharon Strzelecki from 'Kath & Kim") Other s have featured a host of local TV and music stars from Ray Martin to Jimmy Barnes.

# The rumored fee for the Kardashian appearance is $1Million while Szubanski was paid $100,000 the fee that mostof the Australian celebs who appear in the adverts receive.
Also while the Uber car share service appears to be doing well in Australia, authorities in the UK have just refused to re-new Uber's license there after  a series of incidents in London:Transport for London says Uber has not been granted a new license to operate in London after ‘several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk’ were identified. Uber has confirmed it will appeal against TFL's decision to strip it of its license describing the action as ‘extraordinary and wrong’.

 Uber's use of secret software, called Greyball, which can be used to block regulators from monitoring the app, was another factor, according to TfL”. Uber has claimed “We have fundamentally changed our business over the last two years and are setting the standard on safety".

Hollywood Hits Town

Anchorman 2 premiered last night at Fox Studios with the film's stars attending including Will Ferrell, Kirsten Dunst and Steve Carrell (his 3rd visit this year). Producers have conducted one of the best PR campaigns imagined : with Ferrell in character as Ron Burgundy reading news reports with local news from countries around the world. The Youtube videos have been picked up by localTV stations and re-played dozens of times. Hollywood publicity at it's best !

Timomatic & date                                         Demi Harman                             Hamish Blake & Zoe Foster

Alyssa McClelland                                                     Ray Martin                           Layla Subritzky                                     

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Meanwhile two leading ladies have taken up temporary residence in Sydney.
Charlize Theron has taken two suites at the ritzy Park Hyatt Hotel while she films Mad Max: Fury Road and Angelina Jolie and brood have rented a Rose Bay mansion for three months while she directs the war film Unbroken.

W*nking For Art's Sake

While John Safran's new ABC, TV series Race Relations is garnering heaps of controversy over some of the scenes-Safran sniffing the underwear of celebrities and one where he masturbates for the camera (yet to be screened), criticism comes from a former foe whose autobiography the Shuttle has had a sneak preview of.

Current affairs host Ray Martin gives Safran a 3 page serve in his up coming book Stories From My Life to be released in early November. Safran and Martin famously clashed a few years ago when Safran was discovered going through Martin's garbage bins looking for evidence of something, anything, similar to investigator's for Martin's then tabloid show A Current Affair.

Martin describes Safran in most unflattering terms including "with his high pitched voice" which could be explained by the fact Martin attempted to throttle Safran at the time after he caught him-all filmed for John's then show John Safran-Media Tycoon.

Safran was 'discovered' as one of the most amusing contestants in Race Around the World where competitors travelled world-wide competing for who could film the most outrageous footage.

Safran's memorable moments including streaking naked through Jerusalem-much to the annoyance of angry locals despite Safran's pleas"I am Jewish!"- being baptised in Africa, having a Voodoo curse put on his former girlfriend, sneaking into Disneyland and attaching small memorial plaques to the rides proclaiming Walt Disney's alleged support for Hitler ( some remained in place for a month ) and the stunt that got him disqualified from the show-filming as he took confession with a priest ( hidden camera footage wasn't allowed in the show.

Early this year Safran had himself flogged and crucified in the Philippines during Easter. A pilot for a new show which never made it to air was titled John Safran: Master Chef where he first cooked a delicious beef steak and then visited an abattoir and filmed the whole process from start to finish of a cow being slaughtered and diced. Not for the squeamish.

Safran's first successful series was in 2003,John Safran Vs God,where he had himself exorcised in front of the cameras by a Catholic priest.

Ray Martin's book is to be launched at the Leichhardt Town Hall on November 4th.

The Safran Crucifixion