A rip-off

Whispers has attended numerous New Year's Eve events in Sydney and 4 at the Sydney Opera

House and the Lord Mayor's Party. We were there when Kylie Minogue launched the famous fireworks and once discovered the US actress Sarah Michelle Geller (left) sitting quietly among the party goers.
While the party's were great fun getting there was something else. You can't drive into the city on NYE and you can't get a taxi when leaving. You spend an hour forging your way through a millions of people and end up walking back to a spot like Kings Cross where, if sensible, you parked your car early in the day.
It's still the same of course so it's very handy now to have a pal who lives in one of Surry Hill's tallest apartment blocks that has a commanding view of the Harbour and the sensational fireworks.

Which brings us to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald and Lord Mayor Clover Moore's outrage at how private business and the NSW State Government are co-opting the fireworks event- arguably the most spectacular in the world- and profiteering off an event paid for by City of Sydney ratepayers (me !) to the tune of $5M each year.
She is correct. The best solution would be to tax every entity that charges, what can be quite exorbitant entrance fees because they just happen to have a handy location to view the fireworks.

'It's complicated': how your NYE celebrations are being privatised

 New Year’s Eve in Sydney was always a simple affair. Dusting off that picnic rug, it was as easy as making a few salads and buying some bread rolls with a chook, putting some white wine into the cooler bag and organising the family to get to the best vantage point to watch the fireworks. What's more, it was free.

 READ THE FULL STORY HERE : SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

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)
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Getting into the spirit for his Cuban visit.