Plastic Fantastic

Whispers is a reality TV show aficionado. We can't get enough of them . Here is the latest show to come out of the US : Plastic of Hollywood. It's about a model agency featuring surgery enhanced models. Nothing new there but these models are, well slightly on the extreme side as you can see in our video. Not much more we can say about this...

# And we'll have an update soon on the Aussie /US reality TV show currently in pre-production : The Private Eye & The Madame which stars ex-Sydney gumshoe Frank Monte and his girlfriend Sharon Sargeant.

Movie News

Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban at the US Country Music Awards

  While the Australian media has ignored the activities of former Sydney based private investigator Frank Monte , the US media shows no such timidity. Monte along with his partner Sharon Sargeant upped stakes and moved to Beverly Hills nearly a year ago where Monte has always maintained an office. He is licensed to practice as an investigator throughout the US and has some pretty high profile clients from Hollywood stars to New York business moguls. He also acts for a famed Las Vegas casino.
Whispers first met Monte at a New York party given by US presidential candidate Donald Trump. Our snap below shows Monte with Trump and also on the Larry King Show. In total Monte has appeared in 1000s of US publications and TV shows.
Cindy Adams the show biz columnist on the New York Post's famous Page Six has now published a snippet about Monte & Sargeant's reality TV show The Private Eye &The Madam now in production in LA. Whispers hears that numerous TV networks are negotiating with Monte for his series including the giant Redo Globo in Brazil and Silvio Berluscini's  Italian Mediaset (Monte was born in Egypt & his parents were Italian).
Word now reaches Whispers that a long term Frank Monte project has fired up one Hollywood's top producers : a biopic on the life of Michael Rockefeller (left) the explorer who disappeared in New Guinea in sensational circumstances that gripped the world's media in 1961. Monte was hired by the powerful US Rockefeller family and has never revealed the truth of what happened to their son & heir except to the family. Monte penned a script for the film two decades ago which was picked up the powerful William Morris Agency with superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger buying the rights. Complex legal negations with the Rockefeller family stalled the project but apparently a settlement has finally been reached.

Sharon Sargeant & Frank Monte are regulars on the social circuit

Cate Blanchett is the Toast of New York

Mary Mapes*Cate Blanchett*Robert Redford* Dan Rather (Truth is about Mapes & Rather)

 Cate Blanchett's latest film has premiered in New York City. "Truth" was filmed in Sydney's Western Suburbs earlier this year. Whispers reported on the fact that one of the Shuttle's most searched for personalities Sharon Sargeant (right) had a small role in the flick. So impressed were the 2 stars of the film -Cate Blanchett and the legendary Robert Redford - that Blanchett said to Sargeant after her scene :"you were perfect, just perfect". And Redford requested Sargeant share his limo back into central Sydney to discuss the film with her.    

Now one the USA's most famed chroniclers of society Liz Smith is raving about Cate Blanchett in Truth. She said this:
"What the movie couldn't do without is Cate Blanchett. To say this is a great performance, would be a laughable understatement. I don't know

Liz Smith

if the real Mary Mapes is as volcanically intense and charismatic as Blanchett, but after seeing herself portrayed by Cate, she might have wished she was, or had been, during her five months battling CBS and the rest of the media...I would go so far as to say that Blanchett's performance, from beginning to end, makes her recent Oscar win for "Blue Jasmine" seem like rehearsal footage! You cannot look away from this woman, who needs nothing but her eyes, her mobile mouth, and her cheekbones to rivet. (I know — you can't really "act" with your cheekbones, but somehow, Blanchett seems to.) Even if you are a staunch conservative, go see "Truth" just for Cate's amazing performance"
So you heard it here first : expect Cate Blanchett to be nominated for an Academy Award.
But it gets better. Liz Smith has also discovered Noni Hazelhurst who also appears in Truth and had this to say:     "But aside from the pyrotechnics provided by Miss Blachette, there is another great female performance. Her name is Noni Hazlehurst, whose face is familiar to me, but whose credits are not on the tip of my tongue. She portrays Stacy Keach's wife, who urges him from the start not to "get involved."
Ms. Hazlehurst delivers a scene toward the end of the movie, in which she upbraids Mapes and her crew, for dragging her ill husband across the country to "explain" himself, to agree, on camera, that he lied. "So, don't you dare ask me 'how is he!'" This confrontation cannot last more than two and a half minutes. It sears the screen. Judi Dench won an Oscar for eight minutes as Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love." Noni Hazlehurst could be carrying home an award for her splendid two and half!

Sharon's New Career

Feisty party girl Sharon Sargeant who has sold her escort agency (and treated herself to a new Mercedes with the profits) has launched a new career in the media and it's taking off like wildfire
The healthily built Sergeant has not only fronted a Japanese TV commercial shot on Bondi Beach (modestly dressed in full bikini) but has now acted in 2 movies soon to hit the screens.
Sharon has roles in both in the House of Hancock based on the life of Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart which stars Mandy McElhinney and Sam Neil and the flick that has just been shot in Western Sydney Truth which stars Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. In Truth Sargeant received plaudits from Blanchett whilst Redford was so impressed he asked Sharon to accompany him in his limo to discuss a possible film project in the USA.
And it seems she has taken Redford up on that offer as our latest snap shows Sargeant and fiancee Frank Monte in Beverley Hills.

Robert Redford              Cate Blanchett                                         Gina Rinehart                              Sam Neil

The  House of Hancock which will appear on our TV screens soon charts the life of billionaire Lang Hancock, his daughter Gina and Lang's marriage to his Filipino maid Rose Porteous.

 right : Frank & Sharon in LA & Rose & Lang in Perth

 Here's Rose in action, below:

Picture Post

Spotted at the Black & White Charity Committee's annual ball last weekend- Sydney party girl Sharon Sargeant and her paramour Frank Monte. International man of mystery Monte now spends most of his time in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, returning to Australia 4 times a year to visit friends and relatives.
This year's bash was held in a marquee in Centennial Park with a fun park theme and as our snaps show, Ms Sargeant got into the spirit of the occasion. Certainly the gent in our second pic seems to think so. Money raised goes to aid the Royal Blind Society.

Also pictured are LA based comedienne Jackie Loeb and Australia's Got Talent winner Jack Vidgen- all grown up- at a party at the Californian Australian Consulate in Los Angeles for a fundraiser for Netball America.
Loeb is a regular at the comedy clubs around LA and Vidgen has set up home there with his mum as he continues his quest to conquer US show biz.

One Man & His Blog

Oh the joys of  blogging, even if the rewards may not seem apparent at first.
Advertising wise thesocialshuttle has picked up a handful of (badly) paid adverts- enough to settle maybe 2 telephone bills.
 Photography wise we have sold hundreds of photographs sourced from the Shuttle since 2010.  Our pics have appeared around the world in major newspapers and on similar websites as the Shuttle.
Surprisingly, few snaps get stolen from the website. Only 2 have in the last 3 years, both by a major Australian publisher.

Whilst websites pay a minimal amount to publish a snap for a month- when it's a particularly popular one like Aussie hunk Chris Hemsworth (right) it can be very rewarding: it has sold over 60 times. For some reason our snap of Rupert Murdoch (left) and the soon to be ex-Wendi Murdoch is extremely popular in China. 4 publications have used it including the Chinese Hello! in the past month and one Taiwanese newspaper.

Even better British newspapers that still pay big bikkies, routinely scour the Shuttle for tales and photographs. The Daily Mail for instance has 3 full time web assistants whose sole job is to search the net for suitable stories.
 Recent publications in the UK the Shuttle has sold material to (sourced from here) include  The Sun, the Sunday Mirror, The Daily Mail and The Independent amongst others. In the USA The Daily News & Vanity Fair have run Shuttle pics recently.
We may not have a billion dollar entity behind us providing unparalleled support. We may just operate from a second floor apartment sitting at a humble desk albeit with a pleasing view over Prince Alfred Park and within a cooee of the nearby mighty News Ltd empire but we reckon it's the way of the future. One day, we will all be bloggers !
Time to report on the latest Social Shuttle viewing figures : since mid 2010 daily readers of the Shuttle have never fallen below 1000. they usual hover between 1400 /1800 and on a peak day have reached 2600.
Google's own stats reveal an interesting picture and they cannot be fiddled with or fudged - they record every visit, the location of the viewer and the system they use-Apple, Ipad , IPhone and so on.
Total Social Shuttle page views this month: 48297
That's similar to a large suburban newspaper. As for readers they can be spread around the world as the last 2 weeks show:
Australia  15164
United States 3514
Germany  1582
Russia 1336
China 1234
United Kingdom 1151
Indonesia 430
Saudi Arabia 225
France 203
Ukraine 73
Not bad for what some critics may call an unknown website.

exclusive : Sharon Sargeant Special

She can usually be found shopping in the smart boutiques of Double Bay, perhaps having a coffee at the Cosmo or lunching at the uber smart Ottos. All within a cooee's distance from her Darling Point apartment (a Ferrari is parked in the underground garage).

The Shuttle encountered her 2 years ago at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, with the British Rugby team in tow (captain Mike Tyndall & wife Zara Phillips were elsewhere that day), escorting them to a gin palace where a bunch of scantily clad girls awaited to join the lads on a harbour cruise. The Shuttle's subsequent report was picked up by British newspapers and a scandal ensured.

 We are talking about Sydney's Sharon Sargeant and now a wad of new pics have landed on our desk, sent by a tourist visiting something called Adultcon in Las Vegas armed with a Box Brownie : here they are for your perusal  to brighten up a quiet Easter.
Sharon's a good Catholic gel so say 3 Hail Mary's before viewing :

Sharon Sargeant with the English Rugby team

Letter from Las Vegas

THE MYSTERY surrounding the absence of Sydney party girl Sharon Sargeant has been revealed : she's been spotted by the Shuttle's spy disguised as a one-armed-bandit, hitting the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Sargeant has featured many times on the Social Shuttle as well as the UK's Daily Mirror and numerous European publications because of her outrageous antics. She's also a pin-up girl for a US battalion in Afghanistan .
Apart from being spotted at Hugh Jackman's recent Oscar party in Los Angeles she also attended the Adultcon Convention in Vegas.

But what news of her permanent fiancee, the private eye Frank Monte ?. Our spy says he was spotted deep in conversation with some serious looking gents at a private dinner at the ritzy Sahara Hotel. Apparently they were the security managers of Las Vegas' top casinos and Monte was imparting some advice. One rumour has it that Monte was involved in unmasking the recent $32M card sharp attempt at Melbourne's Crown Casino. Monte was seen arriving at the casino last month for 3 days that coincided with a visit by Crown owner James Packer.

It's Black & White for Frank and Sharon

 One couple at the recent Black & White Masquerade dinner at the NSW Art Gallery, easily recognised beneath their masks were girl about town Sharon Sergeant and her fiancee PI Frank Monte.



Frank wouldn't be drawn into revealing details about the $20M defamation writ he has issued against a well known tabloid journalist.
"all will be revealed in the Supreme Court next January" says Monte.  'Expect fireworks" he said enigmatically.

Gunning For The Mayor

The Prince Edward Yacht Club boasts one of Sydney's premier locations. Right at the end of ritzy Point Piper with commanding views of the harbour, it reeks of old world charm with it's wide verandahs and commanding views of the harbour.

Any excuse to visit the club is taken but the opportunity to wish council aspirant Deborah Thomas well for her bid for a seat on the Woollahra Council couldn't be turned down.

Malcolm Turnbull & Deborah Thomas

Andrew & Penne Peacock

Really, the folks of the Eastern Suburbs should be so lucky to be represented by a quality candidate like Thomas. Deb's day job is the Media Manager for ACP Magazines. She used to be editor of the Australian Women's Weekly, the magazine that is the basis for the Packer family fortune. Kerry Packer knew the top selling magazine would be in good hands when he handed the reins to Deborah. After all, her mother and grandmother had been editors of the Weekly in their days.

Joining us for the launch was Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull (they say he talked Deborah into standing) and former Liberal party leader Andrew Peacock with wife Penne. Penne Peacock is a great pal of Laura Bush (Andrew famously had a long affair with Shirley MacLaine who will star in the next series of Downton Abbey)
Also there to wish Thomas well, Christine Foster (right: who just happens to be the sister of Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott) who will be challenging Lord Mayor Clover Moore.
                                *******************************************
 DESPITE SEVERAL NEWSPAPERS and radio shows claiming noted private investigator Frank Monte would be standing for the Mayoral elections in September, the Shuttle can reveal he has dropped out of the race at the very last moment.

Frank Monte & fiancee Sharon Sargeant

Monte says he had to make a quick decision last week on the day nominations closed and decided against throwing his hat in the ring:
 " I had great feedback especially from business owners in the City and Kings Cross who are fed up with Clover Moore. However there are good reasons I decided not to run at the last moment. I had  information that both Labor and Liberal would be throwing big bucks at the election as they perceived Moore is vunerable. It takes at least $30,000 to mount a reasonable campaign and I would rather wait until the General Election next year and run as an Independent. And I have to travel for business in the next 3 weeks which would complicate any campaign"
"To Rome by any chance?" the Shuttle asked. Our spy disguised as a humble gaffer at the famous Cinicitta Studios in Rome tells us Monte is booked in as a consultant for a new Italian TV series about the Mafia.
"I have nothing to say about that" replied Monte before the phone went dead!

By Popular Demand

Several female readers of the Shuttle have complained about our penchant for publishing photos of Sydney party girl Sharon Sargeant.

For balance, here are some snaps of our good pal Didier Cohen. All you have to do is ask.

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Distant cousins ?

Hawtrey

Cumming

A reader has pointed out the resemblence between British actors Alan Cumming and the late Charles Hawtrey of Carry On fame. Are they perchance related?

More From Morocco

Following our story on the visiting hotelier Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli  from Morocco, a missive arrives in the form of a card and some snaps of Sydney party girl Sharon Sargeant who is currently holidaying in Marrakesh.

Ms Sargeant says she has been to Prince Fabrizio's hotel, La Maison Arabe for lunch and it truly is splendid :
"if I wasn't staying with friends in their villa I would certainly stay at La Maison. It's quite gorgeous".

Sharon says she and her fiancee, the 'world's most famous' private eye Frank Monte spent a week in Tangier before driving to Marrakesh via Casablanca which she says she was slightly disappointed by :
"I was really expecting something out of the movie of the same name, you know with Humphrey Bogart and Rick's Cafe but it's quite a modern city. But Marrakesh is wonderful"

Ms Sargeant assures us that the two snaps taken at the front door and inside her friend's villa are definitely not how she appears in the streets :
"I cover myself from head to toe in caftans which are perfect for the climate and I certainly don't want to cause a commotion when I am in the local market"
                  ************************                                        

Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli

  Although Prince Fabrizio Ruspoli has now left Sydney it  was a successful visit in more ways than one. Visiting Sydney's top Thai restaurant Spice I Am in Darlinghurst which specialises in Issan food (from Northern Thailand ) he was so taken with the food he has invited the chef Sujet Saenkhan to visit La Maison Arabe for a few weeks to holiday and oversee some banquets.

Sharon Sargeant Vs The Middletons

Britney Spears attacks paparazzi

Lord Justice Leveson

At the Leveson Inquiry into phone hacking in the UK, the picture editor of The Daily Mail-the newspaper that receives more web hits than any other publication on the planet-Paul Silva gave evidence that Pippa Middleton the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, typically has eight or nine photographers camped outside her door and estimated that they produce between "300 to 400 pictures" of her daily. Silva says these photographs arrive on his desk and most are literally, snaps of Pippa either entering or exiting her front door and are of no value.

It's an example of the nature of today's so-called 'papparazi that has seen thousands of young kids armed with an inexpensive digital camera swell the ranks of the 'media' section of show-biz events.

For old-timers (like the Shuttle) they're a pain in the neck. Most of them are arrogant and seem to have no connection to the celebrities they snap. They show little interest in the subject matter. It's like big game hunting with a lens and as long as a 'kill' is made that's all that matters.

Frank Monte

Pippa Middleton

The Shuttle dates back to the days when they were just three photographers at any event in London. Richard Young was one and he was a welcome addition to any show biz shin dig or high society party. Likewise New York's Patrick McMullan. Both are still going strong and the difference is they are welcome at any event because not only do they have a personality, they know how to play the game.

In Los Angeles the paparazzi are even worse. Agencies are hiring illegal immigrants at around 6 a time to stake out a movie star's home. They have strict instructions. Two will have cameras, two will be 'spotters' and they other two 'agitators'. Their role is to annoy, cajole, flirt or otherwise to get a reaction from the star. A smile is as good as a scowl from their prey.

And so it leads us to Sydney party girl Sharon Sargeant who as we reported last week, was  photographed at an exclusive Fijian resort while her partner, private investigator Frank Monte held secret discussions with Fijian government officials. The snaps came from an unlikely source-a well known American show business star who had spotted Ms Sargeant bathing topless at the beach.

What the Shuttle wasn't expecting was the roasting we got when we finally got in touch with the girl known as Shazza who made her displeasure known in a 5 minute tirade down the phone.  Surely she would be happy to know an American star- and we do mean a top movie star who was quite taken with Sargeant's charms-thought enough of her to pass on the pics?. Sadly we cannot reveal his name despite Ms Sargeant's threat to take legal action.

However-just to show there are no hard feelings, we decided to publish two more from the set !

First Fiji-Now Kings Cross

SYDNEY GIRL-ABOUT-TOWN SHARON SARGEANT has returned to Sydney after holidaying in Fiji for the past week at the uber Jean-Michel Cousteau Islands Resort, the luxurious hotel that has cabins stretching along it's own palm fringed beach.


 


The Shuttle's local spy disguised as a fallen coconut managed to grab a few shots of the fun loving Shazza on the beach despite the hotel's boast that armed guards roam the grounds to keep prying eyes at bay and celebrities feeling safe to frolic in the sea au naturel, just as Sharon was (we've had to censor the snaps for our family readers).


Our local contact says the only time he spotted Ms Sargeant's escort, the famous private eye Frank Monte was once in the hotel's restaurant deep in conversation over lunch with a large important looking Fijian man who arrived and left with a military escort. What could he be up to?.The mind boggles!.

Kings Cross

But it's Ms Sargeant's activities over the past few days that has spiked the Shuttle's curiosity. Sharon was spotted on Sunday and Monday inspecting a number of vacant business premises in Kings Cross with a local real estate agent in tow. 

Apparently she was dressed far more demurely than usual and carrying a briefcase (albeit..a Louis Vuitton one) of papers, looking very business-like and  jotting down particulars of the properties she was looking at. What on earth is she up to ?. To date, our telephone messages left for Shazza haven't been returned.