Gatsby Rules !

Baz Luhrmann and The Great Gatsby bandwagon rolled into Sydney tonight for the Australian premiere and it was a huge hit with the audience.

The film's stars flocked to the Hoyts Cinema Complex in Moore Park, right next door to Fox Studios and Centennial Park where much of the movie was filmed. All that was missing was Leo DiCaprio who had other filming commitments but there were heaps of movie stars to keep hundreds of fans screaming their heads off and defying the pelting rain.
Forget what the critics say : Gatsby is a visual feast and a joyous romp through The Roaring Twenties. It's the first 3D film that the Shuttle has been able to sit through comfortably. Catherine Martin's sets and designs are sensational, over the top and there really is never a dull moment in this flick.
No-shows but reported elsewhere as attending : Ricky Martin, Seal and Kate Ritchie.

Gatsby fever strikes

The modelling Stenmark twins                                       Lachlan & Sarah Murdoch braved the rain

the brolly brigade at The Great Gastby

Gatsby's Garbo

MEET GORGEOUS actress/model  Kasia Stelmach who attended the Myer fashion show last Thursday.

The Shuttle's spy disguised as a potted Aspidistra on the 3D set of The Great Gatsby at Fox Studios tells us Kasia stars in the flick.
 The rumour is that she plays the exotic movie star Greta Garbo although mysteriously she is listed as 'Geraldine Peacock-Prada Woman'  Prada Woman ?. Did they have Prada in the twenties?.
 Kasia has appeared in one previous film, a shortie called Grace Of Others in 2011. We reckon Kasia has a big future ahead so she is now officially a Social Shuttle Discovery (well OK, the Shuttle's and Baz Luhrman's!)

 *Talk filtering out the set of Baz Luhrman's fabulous production says the movie's $120M plus budget  has been exhausted recreating New York and the Hamptons and Warner Bros have put their foot down, refusing to fund Baz who wants to re-film some scenes with Leo DiCaprio and Tobey McGuire, hence the release date of the movie being pushed back to 2013.
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Wolverine AKA Hugh Jackman currently residing in Sydney while he films The Wolverine around town has sent us a pic of himself just fitting into his Knox Grammar (very posh) School blazer.

We've uncovered a school pic of Hugh in that very jacket.
Wasn't he handsome even then !

exclusive : Great Gatsby Gaff #1

Above is a screen capture from the trailer (below) that has just been released for Baz Luhrmann's $130M
Great Gasby 3D epic that is having the finishing touches put on it at Fox Studios. It's a scene from New York's Time Square set in the 1920s.

Luhrmann imported half a dozen fabulous automobiles from the USA and rounded up dozens of similar era cars from around Australia. With the magic of cinema the right-hand drive vehicles magically become left-hand drives. Sydney's Centennial Park doubled up as The Hamptons and Long Island and several mansions including Strickland House in Vaucluse capably passed for grand US estates. The old Balmain power station looks perfect as industrial New York and only the trained eye-judging from the great clip below-could spot the parts of Sydney that stand in for 1920's Manahttan. While the film's stars Leo Di Caprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire have long departed Sydney, around 200 technicians are beavering away at Fox on the production.

The Shuttle's sub-editor, a dyslexic moggie named Mildred Pierce with a fierce catnip addiction prone to making more mistakes than she corrects, however draws our attention to a major boo-boo that will hopefully disappear from the final production due to be released in early 2013.

The Ziegfeld Follies ran on Broadway from around 1907 to 1931 as well as making it to the big screen in several lavish productions. Yes, that's the Ziegfeld -not Zeigfeld!

Leo DiCaprio's Catalogue Christmas Present

 




Great Gatsby star Leonardo DiCaprio is back in California today for Christmas after flying out of Sydney on Thursday afternoon courtesy of The Star Casino's corporate jet.

Accompany him was Victoria's Secret model Erin Heatherington who the Daily Mail has reported,  Leo spotted in an underwear model catalogue and contacted her with a request to join him in Sydney. Erin continued on to New York on a commercial flight.

The UK Daily Mail newspaper also has a series of photographs taken last Tuesday by a tourist of the pair touring the grounds of historic Vaucluse House which is in the next suburb to Point Piper where DiCaprio is renting a harbour side house while he films Gatsby for director Baz Lurhmann.

Several newspapers have reported that Leo has 'imported' several models to date yet the Hollywood star has often been spotted partying with his close knit band of male friends sans these 'girlfriends' at several Sydney night spots including Ivy in the city where twice he has rented the lounge bar for he and his pal's exclusive use and the tiny Beach Haus nightclub in Kings Cross where, once Leo & pals arrive one of his bodyguards is posted at the front door to screen further guests who may arrive. DiCaprio will be back in Sydney in early January to wrap up filming.

Burt

Baz

Meanwhile director Baz Luhrmann is recovering from an injury that required several stitches and resulted in the Gatsby set being closed down until January, after he hit his head on a camera weight last week.
While DiCaprio's co-stars Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire are spending Christmas in Sydney, friends have been commenting on Baz's new smooth look around his eyes and pondering whether Luhrmann has had surgery.

One older technician who has worked on many Hollywood films said that when he arrived for the first day of filming on Gatsby, Baz's new look reminded him of another movie great he has worked with-actor Burt Reynolds.

Baz Sets Us Right

First pic of Joel in 'Gatsby'

A missive arrives from Baz Luhrmann's production office for The Great Gatsby being filmed at Sydney's Fox Studios starring Leo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Joel Edgerton.

It says that yes indeed, many of the cars used in the film are right hand drive-as the Shuttle reported last week- as they were sourced locally although 2 magnificent Dussenbergs were imported from the USA for the film. However when the movie is released, all the vehicles in the film will, by the magic of modern film techniques, appear to be driven on the correct side IE: left hand drive. Thank God. After all, it will be screened  in glorious 3D.

# A local paparazzi tells us a tale of encountering Leo Di Caprio at Bondi Beach a week ago taking a walk along the promenade with an entourage in tow. DiCaprio had lunched with co-star Tobey McGuire at Icebergs.

As the  snapper snapped away at Leo, causally dressed in shorts, sandals and baseball cap, a female minder hissed at him :"why don't you get a real job?"
The photographer retorted "why don't you?". Apparently Leo found it most amusing !

The Great Gatsby-Spot the Bloopers

Jeff Duff

While the News Corp Daily Telegraph is bringing the world exclusive snaps from the set of The Great Gatsby and tales of Leo DiCaprio's weekly new handbag girlfriend, the Shuttle's on-set spy has been supplying us with a few tidbits.
As we exclusively reported a few weeks ago, the singer Jeff Duff has been cast in the movie as a friend of Jay Gatsby (apparently director Baz Luhrmann has been telling friends that Duffo-as he was once known-exemplifies the sort of eccentric character Baz aspires to).

Now we have noticed a glaring gaff spotted in a series of snaps from the set, that were featured in the UK Daily Mail (courtesy of News Corp). The originals can be seen here and we re-produce a couple of screen shots.
 No, it isn't the beat-up about Tobey McGuire looking very smart in 1920's gear topped with a boater and wearing a pair of 2011 Nikes. (our spy says the snaps were taken as Tobey wandered around in between takes and he had slipped of his movie shoes).
It's the series of splendid 1920's automobiles.

Each one of them is a right hand drive vehicle and of course, in the USA cars are left hand drive.

Is this a first for the fans of movie mistakes who scour the flicks and to date, have clocked up as many as 600 similar mistakes in the Harry Potter movies, over 300 in Pirates Of The Caribbean and about 260 in just one Lord of The Rings film?.
It makes the famous scene from 1959 Ben Hur where a trumpeter is spotted wearing a modern watch pale into insignificance.
Perhaps the viewers will never notice. But then again, The Great Gatsby is being filmed in glorious 3D.

Lots Of Stars At The World's Most Costly Building

In report after report we are brought the news that the former Star City Casino at Sydney's Darling Harbour has received a much needed make-over (it's rather nice now) that cost a whopping $961 million dollars. (The Shuttle's resident architect says this must rate as the most expensive building  renovation ever undertaken on the planet and suggests the owners re-check their invoices.)

Now re-named The Star, a series of parties have been thrown to show case the joint and it is rather splendid. Leo Di Caprio has even taken a whole floor in the sumptuous hotel tower (reputedly provided free of charge).

We do hope they have enlarged the elevators. The Shuttle was once almost throttled by action star Jean Claude Van Damme in the hotel's lift. It's a long story for another time.

Last night they had a party but Leo avoided the red carpet and inside introduced star act Stevie Wonder to a glittering audience that included Elle McPherson, Tobey McGuire and Russel Crowe.

You can see a couple of photos from the event at the New s Corp's Daily Telegraph which has billed one as  World Exclusive Photo. You have to congratulate the Tele who have had an amazing run of good luck at getting some exclusive snaps of Leo driving cars, on the set of his new film at Fox Studios and so on.

The fact that News Corp owns the Tele, Fox Studios and has invested a mega sum in the new production being filmed at Fox The Great Gatsby (in glorious 3D) is of course, entirely co-incidental.

Irrelevent / Irreverent Fact :Anti-gambling campaiging MP Nick Xenophon on his website It's A Big Fat Lie reckons $12 billion a year is lost on poker machines.

Sub-Edit Howlers #1-Comedy Legend Outed

Perhaps they were being kind and waiting until the death of his beloved wife Delores Hope who passed away yesterday at the grand age of 102.

The UK Daily Mail-as our picture shows- reveals possibly the USA's best kept show-biz secret : legendary comedian Bob Hope who died in 2003 (aged 100) was a cross-dresser.

  Why have their been no rumours ? The snap looks like it was taken for a fan magazine or perhaps the Ladies Home Journal.  Certainly London born Hope appears happy to pose for the readers in sensible shoes, matching skirt and top with a jaunty scarf casually draped around the shoulders.

So much more fashionable than Bob Hope's great friend J.Edgar Hoover (they were both fans of right wing politics) a cross dresser who was forever embarrassing his live-in lover Clyde Tolson.

They would holiday in Florida at Mafia owned hotels and J.Edgar loved nothing more than sitting pool-side wearing cheap make-up, a ridiculous blond Jean Harlow style wig and a gaudy sun frock while flirting with black waiters.
F.B.I motto : A G-Man always gets his man!

Here is a small film on J.Edgar. We're looking forward to seeing Leonardo DiCaprio playing the G-Man in Edgar.

J.Edgar in a pill-box hat

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On the subject of Leonardo DiCaprio- our spy disguised as an aspidistra on the set of The Great Gatsby currently being filmed at Fox Studios says there has been great hilarity amongst the cast with reports that  Leo, rake thin and 5'10", has a  bodyguard who stands at 6'4" and is "built like a brick sh*t house" who has been described as DiCaprio's "decoy" double to fool the paparazzi.
                                                                                                        
And no more so than Leo himself who was both mortified and amused that the bruiser would be mistaken for him.

And who was the offending paparazzo that sent an annoyed DiCaprio and co-star Tobey McGuire plus family back to shore only minutes into what was to be a relaxing Sunday afternoon harbour cruise when Leo spotted a boat following and a long lens poking his way ?

Step forward Jamie Fawcett (right)-scourge of Nicole Kidman and assorted slebs.

The Social Shuttle Scoops The Rest

It's becoming the norm-tales that appear first in the Social Shuttle and are picked up around the world from the UK's Daily Mail and Sunday Mirror, the Times Of India along with Australian tabloids.

Three weeks ago we published the exclusive story that media personality Ita Buttrose may stand for election as Sydney's Lord Mayor against the incumbent Clover Moore.

Ms Buttrose's could well sweep Moore out of office. She has a reputation for hard work and her credentials for the post are impeccable having worked for both Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer.

And Ita's profile has sky-rocketed since the tele-movie about her life, Paper Giants-The Making of Cleo received huge ratings.

Now the Sydney Morning Herald is to publish a story later today on Ita's mayoral bid as will the Daily Telegraph as our snaps of their websites show.

Even smaller tips appear here first.

One week ago we told how film director Baz Luhrmann had imported 6 superb left-hand drive vintage vehicles to appear in his $120M re-make of The Great Gatsby and lo and behold, the Daily Telegraph warmed to the theme with their exclusive photographs yesterday of Leo DiCaprio and Gatsby co-star Tobey McGuire practising driving a beautiful Duesenberg, one of two sourced from a US automobile museum.

On the 30th July we told of the drama in Double Bay when the suburb's very popular star-spotting restaurant and coffee shop, Dee Bees run by the amiable Graeme Goldberg shut-up shop, albeit as the signs on the windows say, temporarily "for renovations ". It took a full week for the Daily Telegraph and the local newspaper for the penny to drop and for them to get on board.

You read it here first!

A Home For Leonardo DiCaprio

IT WOULD BE churlish to publish the address, particularly as we are sworn to secrecy.
We can tell you it is in Sydney's Easter Suburbs and no further than a ten minute drive from Fox Studios. Is it on the harbour?. That would be telling but water can be accessed from the house (that leaves the Harbour and ocean beaches)

Isla Fisher

We're talking about the new home for the next few months for Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio who will arrive on these shores any day now to begin filming Baz Luhrmann's 3D epic  The Great Gatsby.

Fear not though-there will be ample opportunity to see DiCaprio around town as some of the film will be shot in various locations in Sydney. At Fox Studios, Luhrmann has built massive sound stages to resemble 1920's New York and 6 vintage vehicles have been imported with left hand drive for authenticity.

Also arriving soon to co-star in the movie-Isla Fisher, married to Sacha Baron Cohen (she met him at a Sydney party in 2002), Spiderman's Tobey McGuire and English actress Carey Mulligan.

DiCaprio reprises the role of Jay Gatsby which was played by Robert Redford in the 1974 version of F.Scott Fitzgerald's book while Mulligan plays Daisy Buchanan, a role taken by Mia Farrow opposite Redford. Jason Clarke and Joel Edgerton also have roles.

Leo as J.Edgar Hoover

Quite what Fitzgerald would have thought of his book being turned into a 3D film is any one's guess but DiCaprio is undeterred by Luhrmann's last rather droll production, Australia which went to video soon after release. He has only praise for Luhrmann after starring in Baz's 1996 Romeo & Juliet and is probably the big name-he's box office gold-needed for another Lurhmann production.

And the producers of bio-pic J.Edgar in which DiCaprio plays the legendary cross dressing founder of the FBI, J.Edgar Hoover have released the first pic of Leo in the role.

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"talk to the hand "..Joel Edgerton and Susan Sarandon at a party in Sydney

 JOEL EDGERTON is one of the hardest working actors in Australia and with Gatsby-it will make 8 productions in which he has major roles awaiting release.
The Thing, a blockbuster Sci-Fi epic in which an alien craft is discovered at a research station in the Antarctic, is due for release during the Christmas holiday season and the word is that his acting in the Disney production The Odd Life of Timothy Green, due for release next year will bring high praise.

Here is a trailer for The Odd Life of Timothy Green,: