Looking Good

One guest at the Helpmann Awards last night was supermodel and Foxtel star Sarah Murdoch. Sarah is an ambassador for the Australian Ballet Company. Although she trained to be a ballet dancer she switched careers when told she was probably too tall for the ballet.

Today News Ltd has run a story claiming that the ailing Sydney Morning Herald has refused to run $30,000 worth of adverts promoting the book Killing Fairfax, the book by Fairfax writer Pamela Williams which is odd given that the current managing team at Fairfax weren't running the show during the period the events take place. James Packer, who isn't Fairfax's greatest fan and Sarah's husband Lachlan Murdoch, son of Rupert Murdoch were both at the launch of the book.
Meanwhile the Sydney Morning Herald has a new Editor In Chief, one of the countries most experienced investigative reporters Darren Goodsir- a move in the right direction.

How Tom Cruise aided James Packer

Some remarkable revelations in the new book by Pamela Williams Killing Fairfax which is published today.
When James Packer feel into a slump in 2001 after some less that stellar business dealings, he came under the care of superstar Tom Cruise who helped boost James back to his old self. Cruise and Packer have been friends for years and Tom has holidayed on James' converted ice-breaker the Arctic P on the Mediterranean and attended James and Erica Baxter's wedding.
The association gave rise to the rumour that James had joined the Church of Scientology under Cruise's guidance.

Most of the Scientology reports appeared in Fairfax newspapers, now disliked by James. His father Kerry Packer was furious at the reports and sent Fairfax boss Fred Hilmer a copy of the United Nations Human Rights charter warning him  that he was violating the charter. The book also says James Packer rounded on Fred Hilmer at PM Julia Gillard's Christmas party last year at Kirribilli House telling him "Don't come up and try to be my friend...Fred. Fuck off."

James Packer is known for not suffering fools gladly. In 2009 it's reported he told  Nine Network  supremo David Leckie also to "fuck off' at a party for Sam Chisholm at the Sydney Opera House and then invited Leckie outside to ''sort this out".

James with Jodhi ...and wife Erica

At a Nine Network TV season launch at Garden Island when James with then wife Jodhi Meares, he spotted News Ltd gossip writer Ros Reines, called her aside and tore strips off her over reporting about his private life.