Strange connections

L-R Keith Moon & Kit Lambert " Arthur Brown * George Lambert* Sir Keith Murdoch

Hollywood heavyweights Cassian & Cary Elwes

 Following the dreadful terrorist attacks in the New Zealand Mosques (the perpetrator's name should never be mentioned) comes an odd and rather upsetting 'scandal'. Videos of the terrible shootings have been removed in their hundreds from social media websites. But an artist from 1968, Arthur Brown who had a hit record 'Fire' with his 'The Crazy World of Arthur Brown' is distressed that his recording has been used in those videos.

The recording Fire is a production by the late rock manager Kit Lambert who died in 1983. A big budget film on the life of Lambert is currently being planned by ace Los Angeles producer Cassian Elwes and his actor brother Cary Elwes.
Lambert was the grandson of Australia's first internationally famous artist George Washington Lambert.

During the first World War George Washington was commissioned by the Australian government to travel to Gallipoli and record scenes from the terrible battles. The journalist who accompanied Lambert was Sir Keith Murdoch, the father of possibly the world's most powerful media baron, Rupert Murdoch. 

# Heir apparent to the world-wide Murdoch media empire, Lachlan Murdoch and his glamorous wife Sarah (pictured right) arrived back in Sydney this week for an extended stay.
## Kit Lambert discovered, among many others like Jimi Hendrix, one of the world's most enduring super bands The Who who are co-operating on the planned Elwes brother's biopic.
### Arthur Brown who now lives in the USA has cancelled a recent tour due to his distress that he & Lambert's music features in the video.
Here is another version of Fire with Arthur Brown recorded in Germany in 2012.

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From the Crypt:

At a Pepsi Cola promotion at the Sydney Intercontinental Hotel: 
 ..actor Leslie Nielsen & Meatloaf. Why were they there? Beats me. I just turn up to these events & hope for the best and was pleasantly surprised to see two well known names who had been flown into Australia for a party.

Prime Minister Update

 We like to keep tabs on the Prime Ministers of the world. They're very busy. In the above snap former Oz PM Kevin Rudd interviewed- as he called him..the Comeback Kid of Malaysian politics, 93 year old PM Mahathir Mohamad.

In New York where New Zealand PM Jacinta Arden is wowing the United Nations, former Australian PM Julia Gillard interviewed her for the New York Times.

Ms Gillard gets about- she was in Berlin yesterday meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

 And last but not least, our newly minted Oz PM Scott Morrison partied this week with celebrity hairdresser Joh Bailey at the beautiful Southern Highlands' property of David & Skye Leckie.
And Malcolm Turnbull?. We'll let you know shortly as we are sure to encounter him next week somewhere around the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.

Hope ?

 The man considered to be the mastermind behind the shambles successful BREXIT campaign Nigel Farage is soon to grace our shores. While the political party he started, UKIP stumbles from disaster to election disaster, the MEP (Member of European Parliament)  who finds little time to actually spend in Brussels will tour Australia for 5 days spruiking his message in September. Farage will also visit New Zealand. Perhaps he'll be telling the New Zealanders they need to break away from Australia.
A "VIP" ticket to his events will be around $500 but you get to attend a backstage cocktail party or you can pay $250 for a photo with him or you can fork out nearly $1000 for a pre-show dinner with Farage. 
Most people should be aware that things are not going well in the UK Parliament as they wrestle with just how to manage the split from the rest of Europe. One major problem is the Custom's Union between Ireland and North Ireland which now enjoys unfettered access with the EU saying this must cease. To date several large corporations have threatened they may have to leave Britain and base themselves in Europe for easy access. The giant Airbus Corp being just one but there are fears several big banks may also decide to HQ in France or Germany.
Never mind, Nige is quoted as saying he will bring his Oz listeners "a message of hope and optimism". Perhaps he's specifically targeting that at current PM Malcolm Turnbull who needs all help he can get at present. What a shame Whispers happens to be busy that night. Whenever it is.
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Trigger Warning ! 
 Over night on Twitter the following message appeared from the UKIP MEP Neil Hamilton. 

Apparently some chap called Milo has joined the party with a conspiracy apparatchik from the bizarre US Alex Jones show along with Sargon of Akkad whoever that is.

Reporting the Love Match of the Decade

 
The British media were out in force at the now famous Rugby match at Twickenham between New Zealand and Australia. One lucky snapper secured the first pictures of the love-birds Jerry Hall & Rupert Murdoch as they arrived at the grounds. Whispers is a cynical old thing and finds this most odd. The photo is clearly taken as the loving couple are arriving - not via the VIP entrance as other celebrities did, but along with the general public. The photographer appears to have been the only one to get the shot almost as though he/she had prior knowledge of this. And then likewise the photo of Uncle Rupes planting a kiss on a coy Jerry's cheek. Again just one snapper got the pics. And the source of the coupling :"a family friend". Such friends revealing info like this are usually banished to the outer realms, Not that Whispers is complaining as every time Rupert Murdoch's private life is reported our now famous snap of he and former wife Wendi Deng features throughout China's media (Chinese Hello! seems to love it)
Even odder is the fact not one News Corp outlet (proprietor Rupert Murdoch) has mentioned the tryst or published photos. Yet the pair seem happy to pose and appear in public ! Amongst the dozens of News Corp titles across the world that passed on the mention of the Love Match of The Decade:

The Hobbit Premiers in Wellington

Stars of the film: Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, James Nesbitt, Yao Chen and Brooke Fraser

Guests emerged from a Hobbit 'house' and walked a red carpet that stretched 800mtrs through several city blocks watched by 100,000 fans!.

Director Peter Jackson & Katie Jackson

Dane Rumble

Sylvester McCoy, Lizzie Spender, Barry Humphries

Elijah Wood

'Kerr Goes Kiwi'

The New York Times has a feature on Miranda Kerr and Orlando Bloom in New Zealand.
Read it here!

Conchords Channel Kenneth Williams

There is just standing room only for the appearance of the New Zealand duo Flight Of The Conchords at the Sydney Opera House on 5th July. Tickets cost $74.45 each and are limited so will go fast : Phone +61 2 9250 7777.

It's taken Conchorders Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement around 15 years to find success in Oz.
They won Best Newcomer at the Melbourne Comedy Festival a decade ago and have appeared twice at the Edinburgh Festival but it was the phenomenal reception of their HBO series in the US, only shown here recently, that has given them a real boost. In between, Bret won an Oscar for his song Man Or Muppet in The Muppet's film

Here is their very funny and popular 'Fouz Da Fafa', a take on French pop songs.
Older Shuttlers may recall a similar style of song by the wonderful late Kenneth Williams of Carry On film fame. Both are below :

A Very Stylish Party

Miranda Kerr

In Style Magazine threw their annual Ladies Of Style bash in association with Audi at the Carriageworks.

Miranda Otto

Who would miss this party?. So many beautiful ladies in one room and they come in all shapes and ages.

Needless to say, the beautiful Miranda Kerr dominated the room. She had flown in from New Zealand that morning with baby Flynn and her mother and grandmother leaving hubby Orlando Bloom behind filming The Hobbit.

Laura Csortan & Sophie Faulkner

Jessica Rowe & sister Harriet

Ricki-Lee Coulter

Miranda, wearing a powder blue Carla Zampatti gown even picked up a gong for Women Of The Year. Who would have guessed?
 The other winners: Beauty: Co-winners: Miranda Kerr and Rebecca Morrice Williams, News & Entertainment: Asher Keddie,Fashion: Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson (Easton Pearson)
Arts & Culture: Co-winners Nikki Gemmell and Lally Katz, Lifestyle: Indira Naidoo,Charity & Community: Alison Thompson, Business: Kate Weiss,Design: Liane Rossler, Environment: Abigail Forsyth

Good Fortune

Grant Bowler at Tropfest

Grant Bowler star of the cult New Zealand television series Outrageous Fortune, the shaky isle's long running soap opera about a crime family was a guest at Sunday's Tropfest and was welcomed amongst the VIPs like Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett like a long lost friend.

Bowler fan Robert Greenblatt

Bowler's star continues to rise especially in the USA where the new TV series he will star in Defiance, a futuristic thriller will be broadcast on NBC later this year.

The New Zealand born actor has had a dream run, despite the film Atlas Shrugged Part 1, based on the book by right wing nutter Ayn Rand flopping dismally at the box office. When the the Defiance series was first offered to NBC word came down from Chairman Robert Greenblatt that the network would snap up the series as long as Bowler took the lead role. Greenblatt has been a long time fan of Outrageous Fortune and treasures his  DVD collection of the series which he regularly brings out on weekends at his summer retreat in The Hamptons to screen for friends.

Drag Star Carmen Laid to Rest

Some mourners flew across the Tasman for her funeral as the legendary drag star and Kings Cross identity Carmen Rupe was laid to rest today at Rookwood Cemetery in Sydney.

Carmen died last week of kidney failure at the age of 75.
At her service at the Sydney Anglican Maori Church in Redfern almost 250 mourners crammed in to celebrate Carmen's life and were treated to same memorable stories.

Such as when Carmen was summonsed by the New Zealand Parliament in 1977 to explain herself for for claiming on a TV chat show that there were many gay New Zealand MPs. How times have changed. Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark sent a letter of condolence and NZ television was there to record her funeral.

Lifetime friend Jacquie Grant, looking out across the congregation said "this looks like the best drag show in town"
Jacquie described how during the 1960s and 70s she and Carmen were hauled in by the Kings Cross police many times when they were spotted walking down the street in drag. Sometimes the police were brutal, sometimes very very friendly, but the 2 spent many stints out at Long Bay Jail.

Koko D'Vyne

Ribena arrives

Friend Ribena said "Carmen's life was theatre in action, so her funeral was always going to be a colourful event."
Said friend Koko D'Vyne:“It is a very sad day because who else do we know that was able to do things that Carmen did? Who was bold enough who was strong enough?”
Famous Oxford Street cabaret star Monique Kelly said :“I used to say ‘you’re to blame for all this influx of drag queens from New Zealand’,”
Carmen joined Abe Saffron's Les Girls in the 1950s and was a popular performer there during the 60's and 70s.

not all tears

 She was way ahead of her time and when she stood for mayor of her home town Wellington in the 1970s she advocated for gay and indigenous rights, legalised prostitution and abortion. Along the way she met Frank Sinatra's granddaughter Deana who became a pal.


As the mourners formed a guard of honour, commandeering the street and stopping traffic, Carmen's bright red casket slowly disappeared from view in a white hearse for her final trip to Rookwood to a rousing cheer and a soloist singing her favorite song Le Vie En Rose.

Legendary Carmen Passes Away

She literally stopped traffic around the inner city of Sydney as she drove along streets in her motorised wheel chair, feathers flying and multi coloured boas trailing behind. Always with a cheery wave and a huge smile.

The famous New Zealand born drag queen Carmen Rupe passed away today in St Vincent's Hospital from kidney failure at the age of 74. A month ago she celebrated her birthday with a gang of friends.

Carmen had recently arrived back from her native New Zealand where she had taken part in a conference of Agender a transgender support group.

Born in Taumarunui and known as Trevor Rupe for the first 20 years of her life, Carmen entered the sex industry after leaving the army in the 1950s.

In 1977 she ran for mayor of Wellington and campaigned for hotel bars to be open till midnight or even 2am; the drinking age to be lowered to 18; prostitution to be made legal; abortion to be decriminalised; homosexual acts to be decriminalised; sex education in schools for 14-year-olds; and nudity on some beaches all of which are now legal in New Zealand.

For many years Carmen worked for 'Mr Sin' Abe Saffron who had  a stranglehold over the booming nightclub and sex industry in Kings Cross for 40 years. As a star act in his Les Girls, the all male drag revue show during the 60's and 70s Carmen was a favourite of tourists who flocked in their hundreds every week to the tiny cabaret venue. And she attended Saffron's funeral at the Emmanuel Synagogue in Woollahra  in 2006 where her photo was splashed across newspaper pages.
RIP Carmen Rupe 1935-2011