Vivid Sydney

Whispers ventured out on a chilly night with our Box Brownie to check out the cities colourful Vivd Sydney festival.

Seeing red on Sunday

The sight of 5000 Santas should convince everyone that the Christmas season is here. This was the annual Variety Club's fun run from the MCA through Circular Quay and back again. Maybe even I could do that!. The event was to raise $250,000 to help children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs. And that's a good thing.

Meanwhile across town in Kensington, Hollywood great Mel Gibson took time off from filming Hacksaw Ridge which is being shot in Sydney to attend the launch of a new school at the National  Institute for Dramatic Art (NIDA) where he studied acting. Mel was joined by his co-star Teresa Palmer who also studied at NIDA. A few years ago Mel stumped up over $3M for the new NIDA building which is now one of the leading film & acting schools in the world. Above left  : the building Mel donated to NIDA

Healthy Fruit

 It's not every day one is confronted by a live breathing platter of fruit. The opening night party for the revamped Cruise Bar at Circular Quay was an eye-opener. Leggy bodies were covered in all manner of goodies like luscious grapes, bananas, peaches and berries of all kind. And you don't always see guests eager to scoff their daily supply of vitamins with healthy fruit but this was a food platter extraordinaire. We didn't wait to see what would be revealed once the food had been consumed. Far too well mannered.
News of live food platters has swept social media and even newspapers in the UK are running the tale with headlines like "Outrage!" and"Guests shocked !". So that's another successful PR coup then.

## When Hollywood star Keannu Reeves was living in Sydney while he filmed the Matrix movies, the Cruise Bar was one of his favourite hangouts. Whispers often spotted him there in the afternoons, quietly sipping a latte and reading a book or just taking in the sensational view of the Sydney Opera House which is directly across the bay.

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Has high profile barrister Charles Waterstreet noticed this image of his Archibald winning portrait?

It's on the corner of Park & Elizabeth Streets in Sydney not a stones throw from his chambers. It's plastered on the outside of a uni-sex convenience.
There's a joke somewhere in there about briefs etc