Hello Sailor at the Wharf4Ward

Natalie Bassingthwaighte & hubby Cameron McGlinchey  plus Hamish & Andy or Ham for short                 

Kerri-Anne Kennerley channels her inner Big Bird in bright yellow while James Tobin waves

Ronan Keating with Storm Uechtritz plus X-Factor's Jai Waetford

 Sony Foundation's biggest annual fundraiser, Wharf4Ward, went off with an expected bang at Woolloomooloo Wharf and raised a whopping $880,000 for the Sony Foundation's national youth cancer program, You Can.

Held across all six top restaurants at the Finger Wharf in Woolloomool- Otto, Chinadoll, Kingsleys, Criniti's, Manta and AKI's — Wharf4Ward 2014 with a nautical theme proved to be a spectacular afternoon.
Sony Music artists joined personalities from TV networks Seven, Nine and Ten at what is shaping up to be the social event of the year - and there can't be anyone who has not been touched by cancer either via a friend or family member.

You Can is establishing specialised youth cancer centres around Australia for 16-25 year olds with cancer, who are currently falling through the gaps in our health care system.
Australia's first You Can Centre opened in Perth in May 2013, with a $1.8 million donation from Sony Foundation, and a second is currently under construction at Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney.

And top entertainment for the day included Human Nature and X-Factor winner Dami Im with the Royal Australian Navy Band.
And a fashion note - surely it's time Australian blokes dressed in pastel light suits and ditched those heavy black numbers especially on a glorious summer day


 left : Sam Armytage looking very summery
 

Here's young Jai Waetford interviewing celebs!

Gina's Pals in Canberra

Gina Rinehart was in Canberra yesterday to cheer on her pal Barnaby Joyce MP as reported in the Sydney Morning Herald and via their photograph on the left.
But who accompanied Gina to Parliament House?.

Imelda & Bill Roche

On the left is her daughter Ginia and on the right is Imelda Roche.
Imelda and her husband Bill bought a franchise for the struggling US  Nutrimetics company in 1968 and in 1992, they bought the company lock stock and barrel and then re-sold it for a fortune in 1997 having built up revenue to over $250M a year. Imelda's wealth is estimated to be almost $1B so she's a relative pauper compared to Gina with $22B but she and hubby Bill still live in style in a magnificent harbour side penthouse in Woolloomooloo opposite the Finger Wharf and on a huge estate- regarded as about the finest there, in the Hunter Valley.

Russell Crowe's UFO

Russell Crowe filmed  some UFOs  flying over Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens  this week and uploaded the film on YouTube. The film was taken from his Woolloomooloo apartment.
"A friend and I set camera to capture fruit bats rising from Botanic Gardens. This was a big surprise,'' Crowe tweeted to his followers this morning.

GaGa Lunches

 Our favourite pop star Lady GaGa went to one of our favourite restaurant for lunch : Manta on the Finger Wharf at Woolloomoloo. She didn't disappoint.

The Streets Ran Red With Blood

It was the 1920s and Sydney was dominated by two rival crime queens who presided over vicious gangs and stand over men. Between them they controlled prostitution, the booming cocaine and heroin trade and dozens of inner city sly grog shops.

Matilda 'Tilly' Devine

It earned Sydney an international moniker as the "Chicago of the South Pacific"


Tilly Devine, a tough Cockney was known as the Queen of Woolloomooloo and her deadly rival Kate Leigh, a former country convent girl, was the Queen of Surry Hills. Both lived to a ripe old age with the law only ever catching up to them for minor crimes.

A state government law dictated severe penalties for carrying guns so the gangs decided razors were an alternative and they used them with deadly accuracy.

Kate Leigh's 1923 police mug shot.

One night in 1931 in Kellet Street in Kings Cross, up to thirty gangsters battled it out with razors, iron bars and knuckle dusters and blood literally flowed in the gutters. Local police sensibly never dared enter the fray while many detectives were on the payroll of the two crime queens.

 A small club Gastro Park, backing onto Kellet Street was the venue on Thursday night where the NINE network launched the fourth series in the hugely successful crime films based on real life

Chelsie Preston Crayford and Danielle Cormack

Underbelly: Razor, produced by Screentime, will screen on Sunday 21 August at 8.30pm and it's back to the future with the series set in the roaring twenties. In the lead roles Chelsie Preston Crayford as Tilly Devine and Danielle Cormack as Kate Leigh.

 Legend goes that Sydney had become so corrupted by the end of the era that it took until the late 1990s for police corruption to be finally winkled out when the NSW government hired Commander Peter Ryan, the former head of London's Police Training Centre in Hendon to clean out the infamous 'white shoe brigade ' as bent coppers had become known.

For his efforts Ryan was pilloried by politicians and shock jocks and eventually left to become the head of security for the Olympic Games.

Fast forward to 2011 and Mark Standen the chief investigator for the secretive and powerful NSW Crime Commission was found guilty last Friday on drug conspiracy charges with an enquiry announced to investigate the Commission itself and it's involvement with leading crime figures.

Not much changes in the Emerald City.

Kerri Anne Kennerley joins Underbelly actors Conrad Colbey & John Batchelor

stars of Underbelly :Anna McGahan & Richard Brancatisano

Kate (left) and Tilly tried reconciliation in 1948. It didn't last. Kate died in 1964 and Tilly in 1970.

Below is the promo film for the series.

Russell Crowe Unhappy With Waiters

Word came at about Mid-day. Russell Crowe who occupies the penthouse at the end of the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo was unhappy with the noise.

Glen Wheeler & Maria Venuti

It was the annual Variety day when the kid's charity takes over seven iconic restaurants along the wharf for a long lunch while a number of local show biz stars entertain.
Russell wasn't unhappy for too long when he heard what the event was for and although invited to join the throng he declined but sent a very large cheque instead.

Over $200,000 was raised.

And that's what it's all about. Raising lots of money for kids. The theme was a Wharfies day and there was one special treat-The Singing Waiters.

If you haven't seen them check them out in our video. They are one of the most successful corporate acts of all time. Three opera singers pose as waiters at a party, serving drinks. Then they burst into opera favourites to the surprise of the party goers. So successful is the act that it has been franchised around the world-to the UK , USA , Asia and Europe.

Benny Elias, Sami Lukas

Country music star John Williamson & Meg Doyle

Star with Russell Crowe

The Shuttle attended an announcement last week at the Blue Hotel on Woolloomooloo Wharf. It was to announce who would be the narrator of the Ben Hur spectacular at the ANZ Stadium in October.

 One didn't have to be a genius to know that it would be Russell Crowe who lives at the end of the wharf in a penthouse.

Here is a snap from the earlier launch which was hosted by broadcaster Alan Jones at the Sydney Town Hall and a video of Russell at the Wharf plus the fantastic chariot race from the original film with Charlton Heston. For our younger readers, the role of Pontious Pilot who you see in the film drop a scarf to start the race was played by the wonderfully camp Melbourne actor Frank Thring.

Alan Jones smiles..and some  butch Centurions

The production company is also asking for extras to appear in the coliseum scenes.  If they tell you that it's to play the role of a Christian you better check that there won't be lions involved in this show. It's the most amazing and realistic spectacle according to those who saw it in France, the only other time it has been staged. 

As for Russell-he announced on the day he had given up smoking after one of his young kids embarrassed him into it and he will be spending at least the rest of the year in Australia to be with his children. We , as usual will bring you the first news of where Crowe and wife Danielle Spencer will be moving to. They are still looking for a house.

For info on the extra jobs go to  www.benhur.com.au

a little scandal for New Year's Day

        As tSS saw in the new year perched high in the air from a 20th floor apartment which gave a commanding view of the superb fireworks, a little contretemps was occurring at the nation's top radio station 2GB to add to the woes of the diminutive but fiery A Current Affair reporter Ben Fordham who has received his fair share of kicks to the bollocks as he confront's fleeing dodgy builders or financial planners who have purloined the savings of a few hundred pensioners and so on.

    Down at the Woolloomooloo Wharf , retired radio king John Laws and his wife "Princess" Caroline were quietly seeing in the new year from their favourite table at Ottos with a few friends.

      Ben is currently filling in at 2GB for regular host, the ranting Ray Hadley who is on annual hols and for hours Fordham announced an up-coming interview with Lawsie-once the world's highest paid radio star. But then the interview was suddenly cancelled, embarrasing Fordham.

John and The Princess

     Various scenarios are being bandied about. Part owner of 2GB is current king of the airwaves Alan Jones who for about 12 years was Law's stablemate at the rival station 2UE where between them, they captured the nation's listeners.

       The emnity between the 2 radio stars was no secret. Laws referred to Jones as 'The Parrot' in private and had a wonderful time on air when letters between Jones and ABA chairman David Flint -which sounded like love letters, were revealed during the infamous

cash for comments scandal when both stars were accused of making paid advertising sound like normal comment whilst receiving millions of dollars for favourable mentions of various products.

        Laws, who had his fair share of run-ins with various government bodies was once  forced to apologise on air when Queer Eye For The Straight Guy Carson Kressley was a guest at the Melbourne Cup and Lawsie said to his millions of listeners "Who is this pompous little pansy prig?". Laws delighted in upsetting various minority groups and was accused of being 'homophobic' but it was all a pose-half his close friends are gay. Anything to get top ratings.

       Ben Fordham meanwhile is facing claims he allegedly concealed a serious crime when he posed as a hitman-suposedly hired by a former 75 year old Mayor of Waverley who claimed a male hustler was blackmailing him. The secret meeting where an alleged deal was done to top the blackmailer (the poor ex-Mayor neeeds new specs if he didn't recognise Fordham' face which is plastered on bus adverts) was secretly filmed and went to air on A Current Affair and the whole matter has become decidedly messy with all involved appearing in various courts. The matter has been held over to next this year.

      All the other media outlets are pondering about the reason just why Fordham would interview John Laws who has been retired for 2 years.

      Elementary, Mr. Watson. Laws long-time manager just happens to be John Fordham who also happens to be young Ben's dad. Fordham ,who also manages major sporting stars is the one who took Laws to such peaks of stardom he is now able to travel the world in style and live in the sumptous Woolloomooloo Wharf penthouse next door to Russell Crowe , and lunch and dine every day at Ottos, a small walk from home

                              John Fordham lunches with his client, John Laws at Ottos.
and for those who miss the dulcet tones of Laws-or that extraordinary hair-here is Lawsie on Muslims