Artemis,Packer, Picasso and Obama

Shanthini Naidoo & Ros Packer at the Picasso show

She was at the Art Gallery of NSW last Friday taking in the Picasso exhibition- Ros Packer, the widow of the late media mogul Kerry Packer who passed away in 2008. On the same day a remarkable sculpture was being loaded on a ship bound for Australia where it will arrive on December 27^th.

A report has emerged claiming Ros may have been the purchaser of the giant bronze sculpture by British artist Nic Fiddian-Green which has recently been on display at Goodwood Racecourse.

Titled Artemis after the Greek god, its name has now reverted to the original name given it by the artist: ‘I Look Beyond for a Distant Land’.

The Midhurst & Petworth Observer newspaper says the 40ft high piece is on its way to Australia where it has been “bought by the widow of an Australian media mogul who had strong links with the equine world. She has collected work by Mr Fiddian-Green for the past 15 years.”

Kerry’s grave is at his beloved property Ellerston in the Hunter Valley where there is already some of the artist’s work and it's believed the sculpture will overlook his resting place.

Artemis

Nic Fiddian-Green

Son James Packer who inherited Kerry’s $6B fortune and was recently entertaining Tiger Woods, Shane Warne and Elizabeth Hurley at his Crown Casino in Melbourne has undertaken extensive renovations at Ellerston including installing a new Olympic size swimming pool, upgrading the private Polo field , building several guest cottages and landscaping the gardens.

Meanwhile Ros Packer will be in Canberra today to attend a reception for the US president Barack Obama.

Will Shane Warne Succeed where Gordon Ramsay Failed ?

Sad news today and a further blow for embattled restaurateur Gordon Ramsay as he announces that his Melbourne restaurant- maze Grill at the Metropole Hotel-part of James Packer's ritzy Crown Casino, is put into liquidation.

Despite the gleaming new restaurant receiving excellent reviews and a reported turnover of nearly $14M in the one year it was open, it was loosing money and becoming a drain on Ramsay's declining restaurant empire.

Melbourne's maze Grill

The Crown Casino by the Yarra River is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the biggest in the world. With 3 hotel tower blocks including the Metrople, endless fast food outlets and a string of 5 star restaurants , luxury stores,cinemas, theatres, a ballroom and a convention centre it is one of the most opulent gaming establishments on the planet.

Stars like Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Tiger Woods  have called it home while in Melbourne on extended visits.
Fine dining restaurants at Crown that are going gangbusters include the Japanese Nobu part owned by actor Robert de Niro (who officially launched Nobu in 2007) and  Bistro Guillaume owned by French chef Guillaume Brahimi who also owns Bennelong at the Sydney Opera House. In both establishments it often takes weeks to book a table.

Diana at the Commonwealth Day lunch with Samantha Riley

But if Ramsay couldn't make a go of it , will our newly minted Metrosexual Shane Warne do any better?

rough trade?

It's been reported in today's Sydney Morning Herald that Warnie will be attending this year's Melbourne Cup (with Liz Hurley) and will be opening a night club at Crown.
Warnie's new sophisticated image has come some way since the Shuttle sat with him at a Commonwealth Day lunch for Princess Diana in Sydney in 1996.

When we asked if he was a friend of Diana's Shane replied "no, I haven't met her yet" (she was at the next table). Asked if he thought she may be a cricket fan he said "not sure-but I think she likes rough trade !"

TigerGate # 2

It had to happen.

 tSS's favourite celebrity spruiker Max Markson has nabbed a piece of the Tiger Wood's juggernaut and signed up Las Vegas cocktail waitress, the delightfully named Jaimee Grubbs. Grubbs (right) first media appearance is a saucy photo shoot in the high brow English mag Zoo to be published this Tuesday.

Max has a few helpful words for Tiger to repair his image :"a stint in rehab for sex addiction like Michael Douglas" and some serious interviews on 60 Minutes, Oprah and Larry King. Max gets 20% of the take for this stuff.

Born in Bournemouth in the UK, Max failed his A-level exams, left school and began promoting pop groups and BBC Radio One disc jockeys, sold saucepans from a market stall in Shepherds Bush and finally ended up in Oz selling political slogan t-shirts. Now he's the antipodean answer to England's Max Clifford, representing sports stars and just about anyone who happens to hit the headlines, as long as there is a dollar to be made.

some of Max's clients:

left to right : Corey Delaney,  Bill Clinton,  George Bush Snr,  Mick Gatto ,Cherie Blair,

Maria Venuti 

TigerGate

Our spy in Thailand disguised as property developer Rob Astbury informs tSS that his houseboy printed up a few hundred t-shirts stating "I HAD SEX WITH TIGER TOO"-sold the lot at his girlfriend's market stall and has gone off for a holiday on the proceeds.

## fact : Tiger Wood's mum is Thai.

SPECIAL NOTICE :

The entire staff of the Social Shuttle (including the recently sacked sub-editor Mildred Pierce) would like to state, for the record, they have never had an affair or dalliance with the respected golfer  Mr Tiger Woods.