Snapped

TV presenter Sam Armytage has been tweeting about the dreaded paparazzi hounding her at Bondi Beach. To nip them in the bud she posted this snap on Instagram. And who is the chap Sam is getting up close and personal with on the far right ?. it's designer Jonathan Ward who has been responsible for the successful revival of the iconic Aussie brand R.M.Williams.

The annual Fag Hag 2018 bash went off with masses of wigs and hairspray at The Star Sydney as a lead-up to the Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras (pics by Belinda Rolland)

The Bay Soiree at the Watson's Bay Boutique Hotel raised funds for the Victor Chang Institute (launched in 1995 by the late Princess Diana as her last public charity event). Artistic duo Charles & Krista Billich (left) attended 
(pics by Belinda Rolland)

And last but not least: our snaps from the sensational Inaugural Grammy Awards party hosted by Steven Tyler in Los Angeles to raise funds (nearly $2M !) for Janie's Fund which assists young girls from across America who have suffered from trauma and abuse. Our own Ruby Rose was there along with..some Kardashians (it's not a party without a Kardashian) Alice Cooper with Sharon Stone while Tyler performed.

Arise Sir Frank

Completely nu-noticed by the Mainstream Media possibly because No Kardashian was harmed during the making of this news, it didn't involve the late Princess Diana and Meghan Markle has nothing to do with it, but one of Australia's richest men has been knighted by Her Majesty, Queen of Australia,

Plain old Frank Lowy worth a reputed $8Billion who lives in Sydney's Bellevue Hill now becomes Sir Frank Lowy. Lowy is the mastermind of the giant Westfield Shopping plazas that now dot the landscape in Australia, the US and the UK. He was quietly knighted a month ago. One of Britain's largest Westfield is in the shadow of the dreadful Grenfeel building in West London. The Brits have taken to them like ducks to water.
And it was not for the services of confusing shoppers world-wide as to where they parked their car in a Westfield car-park, rather for his services to industry which have been considerable certainly in his adopted Australia where he arrived as a penniless refugee after WW2. You could read more of Sir Frank's fascinating history here.

Made for Me

Whispers is an unashamed reality TV junkie. Now there's a new streaming service Hayu dedicated to just that : reality TV shows and often on the same day they appear in the US or elsewhere.

So we jumped when we heard Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne was in town to promote the service.

Here is  snap of Erika on a glorious harbour cruise with stylist-about-town Danny Galella.  Disclosure : we've never actually watched Real Housewives of Beverly Hills nor anything with the Kardashians in it.

Our tastes are somewhat a tad more down market. Mafia Wives was a favourite and Real House Wives of New Jersey a particular favourite- oh those fights !.
And dare we admit a sneaky love for 60 Minute Makeover which has suddenly disappeared from our broadcast TV screens?
You can find more about hayu here.

Mangling the Met

Whispers has been to three Metropolitan Museum Gala Balls. It was before Vogue's Anna Wintour took over. We once accompanied artist Andy Warhol who at the time was probably the most outrageous guest. But that was a different era in New York City were we once lived and have visited many times.
The heady days of New York in the 70s and 80s have long past as the city has picked up an homogenized "Westfield" shopping centre feel to it much like most of the Mediterranean resorts including the once exotic Morocco where fascinating cities like Tangier and Marrakesh are almost indistinguishable from Manchester or Melbourne. Every bit of local 'colour' now has a forced tourist attraction feel to it especially when you see billboards advertising Gucci or Fendi near the old souks. The days when Whispers sat alone at a tiny Marrakesh coffee shop and within an hour found ourselves invited for drinks at Yves St Laurent's magnificent house and dinner with Madame De Gaulle are long past. Now St Laurent's house is a museum.
When designer Jasper Conran opens a hotel in the old city you know the good days have finally passed.

The Greek writer Taki Theodoracopulos, an admitted snob, has ripped into the Met's Gala Ball in only the way he can. But he's spot on.

"Once upon a time, the Metropolitan Museum’s gala ball was fun. Serious social-climbing multimillionaires competed openly for the best tables and for proximity to blue-blooded socialites like C.Z. Guest and her ilk. Pat Buckley, wife of William F., ran the show with military precision, allotting the best seats to those who had paid a fortune for them, but also to those who were young and handsome and whose pockets were not as deep. I used to be a regular. Then something happened. Anna Wintour took over after Pat’s death and the party turned into a freak show no self-respecting circus would allow on its premises.

Last week the uglies were out in force, the newspapers and glossies revealing themselves as fake-news purveyors by calling the show exclusive and impossible to get an invitation to. Do the people who write such crap take the rest of us for total idiots? The Met Gala is reserved for a few D-list celebrities, fashionistas, and advertisers. Proper souls wouldn’t be caught dead on the premises, especially near the Kardashian table. The ugliness of some of the attendants assaulted one’s frontal cortex, and I only saw the photos; imagine the horrors of seeing it live. Clinging like a barnacle to the Met’s hull, Anna Wintour’s horror show diminishes a great American institution. The freak show should be staged in Times Square, in the exact spot where the peep shows of old used to be."

Ouch !

You can read the rest here.