exclusive: Rebel's new "paparazzi proof" pad

 Celebrating her libel win against Bauer Media,  actress Rebel Wilson has shelled out nearly $3M for a New York pad described by agents as "paparazzi proof". In an old converted book bindery in the trendy Tribeca area (it was a slum when Whispers lived there for 5 months in 1982) the luxury loft-style apartments have some starry residents with Harry Styles, Jennifer Lawrence and Blake Lively also purchasing in the same building. A large private garden means Rebel can sun bathe in private and an underground garage means she can slip in and out in a limo with darkened windows.
The asking price was $4M and the apartment had been on the market for 2 years so Wilson got an excellent discount which means, if she collects the $7M she reckons she deserves in libel damages from Bauer, she'll have plenty of cash left over.

Lawyer rips into the Womans Day

High profile Sydney lawyer Chris Murphy has criticised Bauer Media and their magazine Womans Day over a story on his client actor Matthew Newton. Last night Murphy poster this message on his Facebook page:
NEWS RELEASE: There is a story about Matthew Newton in Woman's Day magazine today. It is a total fabrication. My client Matthew Newton has written and authorised the following media release:
NEWS RELEASE: MATTHEW NEWTON STATES:
There is an article in Woman's Day magazine today saying that I have been rushed to hospital and that I suffered a psychotic episode. It is absolutely untrue. It did not happen. It has been made up. The whole article is full of lies.
I am happy and healthy. I have been residing peacefully in New York for the last three years with occasional business trips to Los Angeles. I am working with people on several film projects. I have not sought nor received financial support from my parents for many years
No journalist spoke to me before writing this nonsense in Woman's Day and it has been concocted with no basis in the truth. I have referred it to my lawyers to take action.
# we aren't going to re-print the Woman's Day story and trust Mr Murphy as a man of his word who takes great care of his clients. And good luck to Matthew Newton who we have had the pleasure of meeting several times when he lived in Sydney.

Recipe for Good Looks

Since arriving in Sydney around 20 years Whispers has often seen Deborah Hutton around town. And she doesn't seem to have changed a bit. Vivacious, impeccably groomed and very good looking. What is her secret? Is in the genes or is it what she eats?.
Deborah has now launched her first recipe book so perhaps that will give a clue. Here is a lovely snap of her from the launch on Friday night. Doesn't she look great !
The book My Love Affair With Food is published by Women's Weekly - Deborah is an ambassador for Australia's top selling mag - so it will be available everywhere including newsagents, 

The Real Thing

The Gold Coast is nothing if not colourful and glitzy in a sort of refreshing way that Sydney and Melbourne could take more notice of.
The Magic Millions is now one of the world's great race meetings with prizes that dwarf others. Obviously an injection of cash from (always complaining) retailer Gerry Harvey and his wife Katie is welcome. Yet the often clueless social writers who snatch their freebie flights and Casino hotel rooms in Queensland and breathlessly report on the z-list celebs that attend always forget whose idea it always was and who put the whole idea of a race meet on the Gold Coast into motion, against the odds, and was successful

Angela Belle McSweeney

And credit for that goes to Sydney socialite Angela Belle McSweeney who comes from a well known racing family. It was Angela's brainchild and it was her efforts that eventually saw Queensland's recalcitrant racing officials finally concede that her idea had merit.
The Magic Millions should always pay homage to one of Australia's more interesting public relation's experts and entrepreneurs.
Here are a couple of snaps from this year's event.
 Princess Anne's commoner daughter Zara Phillips (hey guys- she is not Royalty which was  the whole idea of her parents not giving her a title) and one of Sydney's glam couples, fine vodka purveyor Vitek Czernuszyn (right)and his always glamorous wife Deborah Thomas who is head honcho at Bauer Media and doubles up as a Double Bay councilor in her spare time, with a couple of good looking chaps.

Day One with Georgia May Jagger

Bauer Media launched their '30 Days of Fashion & Beauty' with a cocktail party at the Sydney Town Hall. Ambassadors include Jecinta Campbell, looking quite amazing in a hot pink Alex Perry dress and Georgia May Jagger who brought her mum Jerry Hall.

Topless Kate Middleton Pics & an Aussie Connection

William & Kate in Malaysia

While the brouhaha over the topless photographs of HRH The Duchess of Cambridge gets more dramatic by the day, an Australian connection is emerging.

A fortnight ago Bauer Media, Europe's largest privately owned publishing firm purchased Australia's largest magazine empire ACP for around $500M. Bauer Media also own the Closer brand of magazines. The topless photographs have been published in the French edition of Closer and the editor is unrepentant with reports now emerging that there are further pics to be published next  week.

Bauer have issued a statement deploring the use of the topless photographs of Kate Middleton and have complained to the magazine but the French edition is published under license by an Italian publisher Mondadori.

Bauer CEO Paul Keenan says he has asked Closer to remove the pics : "We deplore the publication of these intrusive and offensive pictures and have asked that Closer France takes these pictures down immediately from its website and desist from publishing any further pictures"'. Bauer are said to be reviewing the Closer license with Mondadori.
                                                                                                                           
Where does this leave the Australian Woman's Day, the biggest selling weekly magazine and new Baeur acquisition ?. WD is in fierce competition with New Idea (owned by billionaire Kerry Stokes' Pacific Magazines) and barely a week goes by without the 2 glossies running a feature on Prince William and Kate. A month ago we can imagine a bidding war would have erupted between the 2 mags for the topless photos. New Idea was the first to breach an agreement, not to mention that Prince Harry was serving in Afghanistan in 2008.

The Shuttle has worked on a number of occasions with the British royals including the late Princess Diana on her last visit to Australia. We once attended a dinner for HRH Prince Edward at Lady Mary Fairfax's pile Fairwater. Twenty guests had paid $10,000 each for the privilege of dining with Edward (the money went to charity) with the promise of a snap with the royal. The Shuttle obliged but not before an arrangement was made with Edward's minders- 2 charming but lethal looking gentleman from Scotland Yard's Royal Protection Squad. The Shuttle was to be searched before we left the function to ensure we had not taken any covert pics of Edward, perhaps rubbing his bald spot and so on. We were happy to oblige.
But where were Kate Middleton's minders while she was holidaying in France and for that matter, Prince Harry's when he was in Las Vegas ?.