exclusive : More Fallout from the Hacking Scandal

Mary-Ellen Field                                                                                            Mark Colvin

One of the lesser know victims of the tawdry hacking scandal in the UK was the Australian Mary Ellen-Field who guided the career of supermodel Elle McPherson, as reported in the Shuttle in 2011.
Elle became suspicious that messages between her and Field were ending up as gossip items in the media. She unceremoniously sacked Mary-Ellen who had helped McPherson build her reputed $65M fortune.

As has now been discovered Elle's phone had been hacked by News Corp tabloids and Field was innocent. When McPherson sued News Corp the case was settled confidentially and Elle was soon fronting a TV show produced by the corporation.

Field was left in the lurch and launched a lawsuit against News Corp.
Now she has been forced to withdraw after being unable to definitely prove a link between her sacking and the hacking of McPherson's phone. Faced with little help from her former employer (they breed those girls tough in the Shire) she has been left with a huge legal bill, her own and News Corps' costs.

At least Mary-Ellen can hold her head high. As we reported back in April 2011, ABC News radio's Mark Colvin was the first Australian outlet to interview Field over her dilemma.
London born Colvin, one of Australia's most respected broadcasters kept in touch with Field to see how her case was going and they developed a friendship.
And when Mary-Ellen Field discovered Colvin was under-going dialysis she offered him a precious gift : one of her kidneys. The transplant took place in December 2012.
Colvin is now recovering and will hopefully be back on the airwaves soon.
 As the saying goes : It's an ill wind that blows no good. Out of the shocking hacking scandal that has engulfed News Corp, one person has emerged as a heroine with dignity and every reason to hold her head high, albeit facing financial ruin.
Perhaps News Corp could finally show a smidgen of class and pick up Mary-Ellen Field's legal tab.

Lord Leveson, Vile Perverts & Mayan Predictions

Did the good judge know what was coming ?. Lord Leveson leaped on a jet bound for Australia a few days ago after releasing the first part of his report into the hacking claims against Rupert Murdoch's newspapers that have seen dozens of journalists, police and public servants arrested.

King, Leveson Starr, Glitter & Max Clifford

 The Jimmy Savile scandal had already descended across Britain with over 400 assault claims about the dead DJ. Tabloids who just one year ago printed hand wringing eulogies about the track suited, cigar chomping Leeds' resident back pedaled like crazy.

One of those at the forefront of the decline of England's red tops into celebrity obsessed glossies propped up by sordid tales of sex was the celebrity agent Max Clifford who was the first port of call for those claiming they had been abused by a celebrity and who wished to sell their tale for a few thousand pounds.

Now Clifford has been arrested over alleged sex claims involving the Savile investigation.
Another arrested was the comedian Freddie Starr who spent time in Australia last year in 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.  Clifford shot Starr to fame when he sold a tale to a tabloid : Freddie Starr Ate My Hamster.

And with bizarre synchronicity, the former pop star Gary Glitter was also arrested and questioned by the very same Savile police on the same matter. It was Max Clifford  who sold stories of an alleged sex assault by Glitter, to the News Of The World. Glitter was found not guilty of the charge by a jury.

Rebekah Brooks & Flame Mitchell

Another show business identity who has tangled with Clifford is Jonathan King who spent time banged up by Her Majesty.
 Clifford represented  men who sold their stories of alleged abuse by King to several newspapers.

The world is soon to end according to the Mayans (and PM Julia Gillard).
Jonathon King produced a film Vile Pervert about his ordeals and time in jail (the judge labelled him a 'vile pervert' during the trial).
In Vile Pervert, King through song and dance warns Max Clifford of the certainty of Karma and makes predictions that several identities who reveled in his trial and jailing, would come to a sticky end.
To date several have including former News Corp executive Rebekah Brooks ( Flame Mitchel in Vile Pervert)  and Max Clifford (Waxie Maxie in King's film).
You can download or view Vile Pervert on line here.
In Sydney today Lord Leveson said he "was watching developments in the UK with interest".
Below is King's 1975 hit Una Paloma Blanca :

Media Madness *2

Lord Leveson

The first part of the much anticipated Leveson Inquiry into press standards is to be published next Thursday in the UK and the very next day it's author Lord Leveson will jump on a plane to Sydney. The  world's most colourful tabloid, the Daily Mail mischievously puts it thus : :
Leveson to head on expenses-paid trip to Australia for speech on media freedom.
leading many readers to think it is a UK government funded trip.

The Daily Mail recently ran a superbly crafted hatchet job on Leveson weaving together a conspiracy that the wacky reptile hunter David Icke would have been envious of.   

Leveson will be the guest of the Sydney University of Technology at the Privacy in the 21st Century conference on Sunday 7th December and they will pay all his costs and fees.
Other speakers include 'lock 'em up and throw away the key' former NSW AG John Hatzistergos, former Federal AG Robert McLelland MP and the chair of the toothless Press Council, Prof. Julian Disney.
Also included are several journalists : the recently retired Fairfax writer David Marr along with several from Rupert Murdoch's baby The Australian : Janet  Albrechtsen, Mark Day and Chris Merritt.
News Ltd boss Kim Williams has been frothing at the keyboards over rumoured press standards that may be introduced on recommendation of our own media inquiry, the Finkelstein Report.And who pulled off this remarkable coup in getting Lord Leveson down-under ?. None other than the popular media critic, crikey columnist and  UTS Faculty for Arts and Social Sciences Advisory Committee member , the fearless writer Margaret Simmons.
The Australian has run a relentless campaign ala Daily Mail against Simmons over the past 2 years.
  Sounds like a conference not to be missed !. Tickets can be obtained here.   
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COMING SOON : The CHARLES BILLICH art extravaganza party..uncensored !!!

 

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!"