The Great Gatsby gets a Great Review...

USA Today's entertainment editor Dennis Moore has kind words to say about "The Great Gatsby." Baz Luhrmann's  fourth big screen treatment of legendary novel.: there were others in 1926, 1949 and 1974.  Moore talks about how the film was shot in 3D but little about the acting of Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire.
"The director is known for valued visuals more than storytelling. but in this case, it is mesmerizing. It is gorgeous. The costumes, the sets are lavish. but Leo really gets into the role of Gatsby and carries you all the way through the film." So there.
 Some pics from the premiere and after party by our man on the scene-  New York's top society snapper Patrick McMullan:

Queen of Pop- Kylie,                                                                   Baz & Catherine                                         Rachel Taylor

Gwen Stefani & Katy Perry                                   Leo DiCaprio, Baz & Carey Mulligan                                 Oliver Stone

 

Great Gasby Inspired Rugs

 To Iona, the Darlinghurst home of movie director Baz Luhrmann and his designing wife Catherine Martin who is the genius behind all those fantastic sets on Moulin Rouge, Australia , Romeo & Juliet and the upcoming Great Gatsby 3D epic staring Leo Di Caprio.

Iona is fairly unique in Sydney-a huge mansion with gardens more suited to the ritzy eastern Suburbs. It's bang smack in the middle of trendy Darlinghurst and East Sydney, surrounded by blocks of flats, terrace houses and just a stone's throw from bustling Kings Cross. Once through the large wrought iron gates, it's an oasis of calm.

 Martin has designed a set of Art Deco inspired floor rugs which really are sensational. With The Great Gastby due to be finished by November and released in early 2013, there is bound to be a surge in interest in Roaring Twenties design similar to the impact Moulin Rouge had for around 2 years (it was impossible to avoid a Parisian style party in Sydney or Melbourne).

 The last time the Shuttle visited Iona it was in a run down state with parts of the roof missing. Baz & Catherine reportedly spent a million dollars restoring the listed house. In parts it resembles a lavish film set as can be seen in our snaps of Catherine's rugs, pictured in various rooms in the house.

Iona-surrounded by apartment blocks (http://mydarlingdarlinghurst.blogspot.com.au)

You can see more of Catherine's rugs here :
www.designerrugs.com.au   www.mokumtextiles.com   www.anthropologie.com

Gatsby Gaff #2, Rupert & Lord Leveson

It was a tremendous relief last month when Rupert Murdoch, after calling former British PM Gordon Brown "unbalanced', informed Robert Jay QC at the Leveson Enquiry in London that :
 "I take a particularly strong pride in the fact that we have never pushed our commercial interests in our newspapers".

far left-"Barry Otto" and centre Leo Di Caprio

It's certainly a mere co-incidence that Sydney's Daily Telegraph (prop: R.Murdoch) has been at the fore-front of some marvellous scoops about the 3D epic Great Gatsby, being filmed right now at Fox Studios (prop : R.Murdoch) and that the flick is largely funded by Fox Studios and former Fox Studios boss Kim Williams has just taken the helm as CEO of News Ltd.

"Barry Otto" & Leo Di Caprio

The Daily Terror has been able to obtain extraordinary access to filming and produced some fantastic picture essays on the 1920s epic through sheer ingenuity.

Jeff Duff

One that featured in our favourite show-biz pages Sydney Confidential scored this fine scoop in November last year with the headline:
Manly man Leonardo DiCaprio unmoved by decadence :"He came, he stood, stared and brooded as a little bit of Manly was transformed into a roaring 1920s Long Island party mansion early yesterday." referring to the magnificent St Paul's Catholic College on the headland at Manly that is standing in as a Long Island mansion.

the acting Ottos: Miranda, Barry & Gracie

So secure is the College that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban chose it for their nuptials, knowing the paparazzi would be kept at bay. Not so the intrepid snappers from News Ltd who brought us a colourful spread of one of Gatsby's legendary parties with the words :

 "The Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann conducted the epically decadent scene - ironically in an old Catholic seminary - with a full-force cast including Tobey Maguire and Barry Otto, seen here resplendent in red jacket above Maguire...referring to the above photos.

Alas-actor Barry Otto (once described by Sir John Gielgud as the 'greatest actor in the world') features not. The man resplendent in red jacket is our dear friend singer Jeff Duff , as we exclusively reported in September 2011 who director Baz Luhrman lured to the production to play an eccentric friend of Gatsby's.

Wendi & Rupert at the launch of Fox Studios

They really should, as several London tabloids do, read the Shuttle every day.


## The Shuttle was in the opening crowd at the launch of Fox Studios many moons ago as Hollywood star after star walked the red carpet. When we spied the Greatest Ever Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch with wife Wendi amongst the celebrating guests we approached him for an interview.

"Certainly " said Rupert.."where are you from?". Informing him of our then employer, a rival tabloid amongst the 30% of Australian publications not owned by Murdoch, he said "well f*ck off then!"