Hello Sailor at the Wharf4Ward

Natalie Bassingthwaighte & hubby Cameron McGlinchey  plus Hamish & Andy or Ham for short                 

Kerri-Anne Kennerley channels her inner Big Bird in bright yellow while James Tobin waves

Ronan Keating with Storm Uechtritz plus X-Factor's Jai Waetford

 Sony Foundation's biggest annual fundraiser, Wharf4Ward, went off with an expected bang at Woolloomooloo Wharf and raised a whopping $880,000 for the Sony Foundation's national youth cancer program, You Can.

Held across all six top restaurants at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomool- Otto, Chinadoll, Kingsleys, Criniti's, Manta and AKI's — Wharf4Ward 2014 with a nautical theme proved to be a spectacular afternoon.
Sony Music artists joined personalities from TV networks Seven, Nine and Ten at what is shaping up to be the social event of the year - and there can't be anyone who has not been touched by cancer either via a friend or family member.

You Can is establishing specialised youth cancer centres around Australia for 16-25 year olds with cancer, who are currently falling through the gaps in our health care system.
Australia's first You Can Centre opened in Perth in May 2013, with a $1.8 million donation from Sony Foundation, and a second is currently under construction at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney.

And top entertainment for the day included Human Nature and X-Factor winner Dami Im with the Royal Australian Navy Band.
And a fashion note - surely it's time Australian blokes dressed in pastel light suits and ditched those heavy black numbers especially on a glorious summer day


 left : Sam Armytage looking very summery
 

Here's young Jai Waetford interviewing celebs!

Party Of The Month

 
  Catalina Restaurant in Rose Bay, by the harbour, has now been one of Sydney's most popular eateries for 20 years and owners Michael and Judy McMahon decided to throw a bash. And what a party . Guests were delivered in a fleet of Jaguars, entertainment was by the world renowned trumpeter James Morrison and his big band and most importantly, the Pommery flowed. We think they should have a party every year like this !


right : Ronan Keating and girlfriend Storm 
Uechtritz enjoyed themselves

below : a sure sign of how well Catalina is thought of by fellow top chefs : Neil Perry & Luke Mangan (right) joined the party

Eileen 'Red' Bond had a ball ..as did Tim Storrier and Justin Miller and this couple approved of the bubbles!

Wharf4Ward A Winner

Sam & Kochie from The Morning Show were in good humour as were Peter Overton and Karl Stefanovic

Dannii Minogue says You Can                                             X-Factor finalist Jae Waetford visits the You Can centre

 The third annual Sony Foundation Wharf4Ward at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo was another stellar success raising over $700,000 for the new Sydney You Can Centre. You Can is a joint initiative of Sony Foundation and CanTeen to support young people who have been affected by cancer. And the stars turned out including X-Factor judges Dannii Minogue and Ronan Keating and numerous TV presenters and entertainers.

sharing a joke : Jessica Rowe , Natarsha Belling & Ita Buttrose.         Titomatic and Boxing champ Jeff Fenech

Dannii Minogue went on a Luvvie bender

Singer Samantha Jade shows how to arrive.

Storm Uechtrit & Ronan Keating, Troy Casser-Daley....and what where these waiters and the snapper doing ?

rules made to be broken especially at The Garden For Life Bar created by Alex Zabotto -Bentley

Spaced Out Charlie

He was a special guest at Ronan Keating's Emeralds and Ivy Irish ball last Friday night, attending with his daughter - brilliant neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has an almost cult like following amongst scalpel wielders with many flying in from the USA and worldwide to learn his techniques.
Now Teo has a new research partner – the American space agency NASA.

Following a visit to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, Dr Teo hopes that an electronic nose developed by NASA scientists can be used to “smell” brain cancer cells. The technology, originally developed to identify gas leaks on space craft, is sensitive enough to pick up the difference between the smell of cancer cells and the smell of normal skin.
Now the plan is to put the electronic nose to work on the brain tumour bank established in Sydney by Dr Teo’s Cure for Life Foundation.

When Spice Girl Attacks!

We aren't too sure what is happening here at the Emeralds & Ivy Ball last night. Mel B seemed to be leading fellow X-Factor judge Natalie Bassingthwaighte away by hand before she turned and lunged for her throat.
We've been assured Natalie is in good health, bearing in mind these two have clashed on the show.

Nat & Mel B were attending the ball which was hosted by one of our favorite Irish imports Ronan

Keating who brought his stunning girlfriend Storm Uechtritz to the ball. Storm should be a model. She is quite spectacular but she does something important on X-factor. There was however an Irish model there- Vogue Williams and her hubby Brian McFadden. And another ex-Boyzone star dropped in-Keith Duffy as our snap shows.

The Emerald & Ivy Ball at the Ivy Ballroom was to aid Cancer Research Australia and we've been told they are still counting the takings from the 300 who dipped deep in their pockets.

Meanwhile when it rains it pours-literally on a wild and wet Sydney Friday evening. A few streets away at the State Theatre Daniel Craig braved lashing winds to attend the Sydney premiere of the latest James Bond flick Skyfall. Craig says he'll make 2 more Bond films and then, maybe that's it.

Daniel Criag at the Skyfall premiere

Mel B's Dramas!

One of the hot topics discussed at last week's Sony Music's Wharf4Ward kid's charity fundraiser was the absence of X-Factor judges Mel B, Ronan Keating and Guy Sebastian.
Given the charity lunch at the Finger Wharf is also an opportunity for the X-Factor finalists to strut their stuff and most of the X-Factor bigwigs, cast and crew were there including Natalie Bassingthwaighte, the trio's absence was noted.

There was some talk of a rift between the three judges over voting for their X-Factor wards and a family member of one of the finalists confirmed that recent reports of heated exchanges between the judges were correct and not a publicity stunt. The other talk was that Mel B and her husband Stephen Belafonte were still fuming over a weekend encounter with a paparazzi on Sydney Harbour.

All should be revealed when paparazzi Jamie Fawcett appears in Waverley Court today to contest an Apprehended Violence Order that Mel and husband have applied for. In 2004 Nicole Kidman successfully applied for an AVO against Fawcett after listening devices were found outside her Darling Point home.

As Big as One Direction

The Collective above are set to become as big as One Direction according to X-Factor judge Ronan Keating who knows a thing or two about successful boy bands.

Nathaniel Willemse

The lads were at Sony's Wharf4Ward the kid's cancer charity fundraiser where every restaurant along the strip on the Finger Wharf at Woolloomooloo donates their services and profits raising hundreds of thousands of dollars.It's also a day when the finalists from X-Factor get to strut their stuff for the audience

Luke Jacobz & Natalie

Every TV network and film company and most of Australia's top PR companies along with banks take tables.
Oddly missing from this year's lunch were judges Mel B, Ronan Keating and Guy Sebastian with all sorts of rumours about their absence. Judge Natalie Bassingthwaighte and compere Luke Jacobz  put in appearance. Below is a video of Justice Crew who performed during the day.

Nikki Phillips

Shiane Hawke & Bella Ferraro

Hot Chelle Rae

      

Mel B Goes Commando

The whole town is talking about : Mel B's impromptu performance on X Factor with Korean Gangnam star Psy.
We can't quite see the wardrobe slip but co-judge Ronan Keating says he copped an eye full!
We'll let you be the judge..watch closely:

On The Waterfront

Cam McGlinchey & Natalie Bassingthwaighte

Dennis Lillee

Nikki Phillips

To one of our favourite spots-The Finger Wharf in Woolloomoolloo for Sony's Wharf4Ward.

Odds-on favourite to win X Factor-16 year old Reece Mastin at the Finger Wharf

Wharf4Ward is a music business charity raising funds to build cancer wards for kids across Australia and with a turn out of 800 at 10 top restaurants today nearly half a million dollars was added to the kitty.

Melissa Doyle &Sony's Denis Handlin

It was also a chance to check out the current X Factor finalists who all attended .Entertainment was provided by Sony Music artists, including platinum-selling Kate Miller-Heidke,  Guy Sebastian, 2009 Australian Idol's Stan Walker and 2010 Australia’s Got Talent winners Justice Crew.

Jo Casamento & Ronan Keating

Jodi Gordon &Braith Anasta

Amongst the guests- Ricky and Rianna Ponting, Geoff Huegill, Eamon Sullivan, Natalie Gruzlewski, Richard Wilkins, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, Angela Bishop, Melissa Doyle, David Koch, Natarsha Belling, Samantha Armytage and Larry Emdur. Plus teen sailor  Jessica Watson and cricket great Dennis Lillee. 



Every one can also get involved with Sony's You Can campaign without donating a single dollar. There are over 20 million old mobile phones lying in bottom drawers across the country - the You Can campaign calls on all Australians to recycle these. Sony Foundation has partnered with an international recycling company to swap old mobile phones for cash.

X Factor's Mitchell Callaway &Andrew Wishart

Every wharf should have one-the Champagne Bar

Every person should have one-a new Bentley

Here's a message from Alice Cooper, Meatloaf and others:

When Will This Fashion Die?

We've been watching with alarm the tendency for everyone these days to succumb to the tattooist needle, surely the most unoriginal fashion of the century,

Sunday Telegraph

Ros Reines writing in the Sunday Telegraph has ripped into the current X Factor judges ( and contestants) who  sport tats and insist on displaying them at every opportunity including Ronan Keating and Guy Sebastian the committed Christian who seems to be trying to re-assert his 'street-cred' to balance his palm waving life.

Lachlan Murdoch and wife Sarah Murdoch both sport them and recently the estranged wife of media mogul Mike Willesee, Jordana Willesee turned up at a Hermes party sporting a newly inked depiction of Jesus Christ although she expressed reservations that the Thai tattooist had given the Saviour a slightly Asiatic look.

Past 40, tattoos are not a look and maybe it's time to call time on this fashion!.