Sydney (drugs & social ) crime update

Just a few weeks after his portrait was chosen winner of the Archibald Portrait Prize high profile barrister Charles Waterstreet (below left) has had to withdraw from the drugs and murder trial involving former policemen Roger Rogerson (below right) and Glen McNamara who are accused of murdering Jamie Gao. The trial will now take place early in 2016. He withdrew apparently after a series of social media posts appeared under his name but whether they were actually by him is still a mystery.

Waterstreet makes regular appearances on the Sydney social circuit, has written several books and in his spare time is a film producer and script writer.
He produced the 1986 film Howling 3 and is the inspiration behind the successful ABC series Rake which has also been picked up by US television. Waterstreet is also a columnist for the Sun Herald newspaper and a Facebook pal of Whispers, known for his often witty posts.
Sadly, he has gone a bit silent over the past fortnight.

Meanwhile former blogger Lisa Stickbridge  has been jailed for 2 and half years after being busted in a drugs sting. Whispers often spotted Stockbridge at Sydney parties and was always slightly puzzled about how her blog supposedly profited. We better than anyone know how difficult is to make any website even pay for itself and view it as a...public service?.
The schadenfreude shown by some social writers over Stockbridge's jailing has been a bit over the top though. Not mentioned of course is just who are the high profile customers who indulge in cocaine and the sort of drugs that were supplied by Stockbridge which she dealt out of a luxury Range Rover. Do we know? If so we aren't saying.

But the strangest report must be from the world's worst best tabloid the Mail Online and their claim that a Coogee model Kirsty Dayment was a "socialite". Shurley Shome Mistake as the UK satirical magazine Private Eye would say. Other newspapers echoed that the claim the model was a "fixture" on the social circuit. Not in the ones we mix in. But maybe her alleged customers are.

2015 Archibald Prize winner Announced

Artist Nigel Milsom has won the Archibald with his portrait of colourful barrister-around-town, film producer, novelist, film script writer (Rake) and newspaper columnnist Charles Waterstreet.
Says Milson : ‘"I’ve known Charlie indirectly and directly since birth. I was born in Albury around the corner from the Waterstreet Hotel, owned and managed by his parents. On Friday afternoons, my father used to sell them freshly caught Murray cod to earn extra money for materials he needed to complete a boat he was building at home, which later sank to the bottom of the Murray River during its maiden voyage one freezing afternoon."
Perhaps the claw like hands (left) are a reference to Waterstreet's 1987 production of Howling 111.
 And the famous Packer's Prize : chosen by the workers at the NSW Gallery-has been picked up by Bruno Jean Grasswill ( husband of ABC "Australian Story" producer Helen Grasswill ) with his portrait of actor Michael Caton. (pictured left inset)

Below are just a selection of this year's Archibald entries. The full exhibition can be viewed from Monday at the Art Gallery of NSW.

 below : At the gallery today for the announcement : Sarah Najjar, Charles Waterstreet, Nigel Milsom & partner. 

Photo by Chryssanthe Hronopoulos

 

Stefano Canturi Shines

rare gems....and beautiful baubles

Stefano Canturi has come a fair way in 25 years of designing precious jewellery and now numbers the likes of Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Oprah Winfrey, Melissa George and Madmen star Christina Hendricks amongst his fans and customers. He's even received the ultimate accolade : designing a necklace for Barbie! (the necklace sold at a New York charity auction for over $300,000)

Stefano Canturi, Silvia Colloca & Richard Roxburgh

During the week Stefano hosted a dinner at the social set's fave new restaurant Apollo in Macleay Street, Potts Point with the restaurant kitted out with Stefano's original design sketches for his creations including the amazing diamond necklace worn by Nicole Kidman in Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge.

Amongst the guests: designer Carla Zampatti (left) and Moulin Rouge star Richard Roxburgh and his beautiful Italian wife Silvia Colloca.  Roxburgh, a friend of Canturi's from the Moulin Rouge days had another reason to celebrate that night-his hit show Rake  premiered it's second season that night on ABC TV.

Christina Hendricks wears Canturi

       














left : Nicole Kidman wears the Stefano Canturi creation