When Wendi Attacks!

It was one of the most anticipated television appearances in modern time. The legendary media mogul Rupert Murdoch was to be grilled by the powerful UK Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

In the end it was more like being lashed with a damp lettuce leaf but who wasn't impressed by Rupert Murdoch's humble physical appearance that one viewer described as more like Mr Grace from Are You Being Served.

Heir apparent James Murdoch was full of sincerity with his Ivy league, well mannered and scrubbed looks. With Murdoch Sn we saw flashes of his Australian laid back humour but direct answers. And who could not have felt for him when he appeared almost on the verge of tears as he described his father, the late Sir Keith Murdoch who broke tradition when he attacked the British government over the Gallipoli disaster in which Australian and New Zealand troops were treated as useful cannon fodder for incompetent British generals.

Rupert was reminding us that there is a need for an open and fearless media to shine a light on the political machinations that are not always in the best interests of  citizens and he is correct on that.

Sadly Rebekah Brooks appearance was an anti-climax although she presented her case well.

But the winner of the day was Wendi Murdoch who sat loyally behind her hubby, at times trying to stop him thumping the table (a legendary Rupert trait) and who rushed to the defense of her man  when threatened with a custard tart (an annoying stunt that was badly timed).

While James Murdoch looked suitably shocked with a momentary freeze, Wendi jumped to her feet and laid into the tart bearer with a right hook that left the attacker wearing his own pie !

A round-up of reactions to Mrs Murdoch :

Murdoch attack: wife leaps to tycoon's rescue at hacking inquiry London Evening Standard

FURY AT RUPERT MURDOCH PIE ATTACK COMIC            UK Express

@buchu Piegate hits hackgate. Wendi Deng is more sprightly than the portly Met officer who ran across the screen #hackgate.

And as Rupert is 80, there is one person who shines above the others as the ideal candidate to lead the mighty News Corp into the uncertain future-step forward Wendi Murdoch: Warrior Princess

PS : Thank God for spell check but it produces some odd corrections such as :
Rupoer ( as in Rupert)...Ripper !
Gallipolli  (as in Gallipoli)..Gladioli !

Murdoch paper crashes

Rupert Murdoch was in town this year for the Frank Lowy tribute dinner and demonstrated his 'funny old man walk' to the delight of wife Wendi. (copyright the Shuttle)

The UK's most controversial blogger Madame Arcati is revelling in the news that another of her predictions has come to pass- the closure of the TheLondonPaper, a News Corp give-away tabloid that is about to close after Rupert Murdoch pulled it's funding.

Arcati was furious over the paper's 'ageist' policies where 'bright young things' replace older but seasoned hacks who know the rounds. It's common practice in most newspapers now with the majority of writers on 2 or 3 year contracts as old-timers retire. The days of secure employment are well and truly over in the publishing world.

TheLondonPaper is a less lightweight version of Mx, the thin freebie that is thrust into passenger's hands at Sydney & Melbourne subway stations by bright-eyed young backpackers from Germany & Sweden on temporary work visas.

Murdoch opened Mx after Fairfax Newspapers announced plans to launch their own afternoon give-away tabloids to compliment their hugely popular Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne's The Age.

When News Corp announced they would launch a competitor, Fairfax backed off only to have Murdoch go ahead and launch Mx anyway a short time later.

The problem is of course, Mx competes directly with Murdoch's most popular Australian titles , the Daily Telegraph and the Herald Sun and has started to bite into their markets. Why fork out cash for the Daily Terror when Mx offers shortened versions of the same tales for free ?.

(disclosure : in the interests of fairness we should point out that the Shuttle had been lined up for a major position on the Fairfax give-aways which evaporated with it's non-publication.  We were well pissed off ! )