More on the James Packer yacht

It's yourd for s lazy $200M, the Packer super yacht IJE which is for sale after just one Med cruise. Now there is a video featuring it. Very stylish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFINU-aRa_0

Gina Rinehart

The clever lad who spotted Gina Rinehart at the Donald Trump launch was 15 year old newshound Leonardo Puglisi @Leo_Puglisi6 who runs his own website 6 News Twitter site and news channel on Youtube..He trumped (geddit !) Australia's mainstream newspapers..clearly a name to watch.

"If you don't know Patrick you should go out more"

The above is a quip by the legendary artist Andy Warhol about popular New York based social snapper Patrick McMullan. We're happy to hear Patrick has recovered from a bout of Thyroyd Cancer as reported in the New York Post..click the link. https://pagesix.com/2022/01/18/iconic-photog-patrick-mcmullan-undergoes-cancer-surgery/

Last word on Will Smith

As Whispers scooped the entire world when we declared on April 1st (it was no joke) that actor Will Smith would resign (be booted) from the Academy Awards committee the folowing day, comedian Ricky Gervais has a word to say about hair loss. We couldn't possibly endorse this:

Excusive : John Rendall

Come back soon for our exclusive story on the life of John Rendall..perhaps better known as the Christian The Lion man.

A RALLY to save the Metro-Minerva Theatre Sunday 5 December from 12.30pm Fitzroy Gardens, Kings Cross Featuring: Marcia Hines and John Waters (original cast of HAIR) Mark Trevorrow, Catherine Alcorn, David Carroll and Christa Hughes Speakers: Alex Greenwich (Member for Sydney), Andrew Andersons AO (renowned theatre architect) Olivia Ansell (Artistic Director Sydney Festival) Media are invited to join members of the entertainment profession, supporters of heritage architecture, and concerned residents of Potts Point, at a Rally on Sunday 5 December from 12.30pm in the Fitzroy Gardens, Kings Cross. Fitzroy Gardens is directly opposite Orwell Street, the location of the Metro-Minerva Theatre. There is a chance that the Metro-Minerva Theatre will be sold to developers for commercial use. This stunning art deco building was once the home to many musicals including the Premiere of HAIR in 1969.

Fashion moment

To the glorious Sydney Opera House for a preview of department store David Jones upcoming fashion season.
The northern hall of the Opera House really is quite sensational especially in the day time. Stunning views across the harbour to the Harbour Bridge and Luna Park ('Just For Fun').
And of course.. the fashions...what fun.

Ladies Who Lunch

B/W Chair Susan Diver * TV news reader Natarsha Belling * Mem Fox * Julia Baird * Dame Marie Bashir * Kate Carnell

 The Black and White Charity Committee raises funds for Vision Australia to provide support services for children and their families.  Each year they hold the Women Of Achievement lunch at the Four Season's Hotel at Circular Quay.
This is a great event: every penny raised goes to the charity as the ladies on the B/W Committee, cajole, beg, borrow and steal every aspect of the day. They are all unpaid volunteers and it's a pretty good achievement in itself to be able to draw over 500 attendees as they did this year, to pack the hotel ballroom.
Three distinguished ladies of "achievement" give a speech outlining their career and how they got there. Most started from humble beginnings This years speakers were Mem Fox who is married to the billionaire trucking magnate Lindsay Fox, ABC TV presenter Julia Baird and Kate Carnell former Chief Minister of the ACT and currently the Ombudsman for Small Business.
Among the guests, Gina Rinehart arguably the world's richest woman with a mining fortune and Dame Marie Bashir former NSW Governor, Professor Ross Steele, one of world's great experts on the French language and Olympian Jessica Gallagher.

Judith Crawley * Daniel Trelease * Maria Finlay * Professor Steele* Jessica Gallagher * Mike Levendi

Electrifying news

 She was a regular on the Sydney and Melbourne social scenes before re-locating to the Coffs Harbour area where she is now in the restaurant business.
Danielle Wallace was renowned for her beautiful ties worn by the great and good (see our snap). You can still buy them on the internet and at the occasional pop-up shop. Or if you happen to be shopping in New York try Bergdorf Goodmans on Fifth Avenue.

After a stint in New York and then ritzy Lake Como, as one does, Danielle is currently based in her old stamping ground on the NSW North Coast and has a new project underway.
She's taken her parents older Rolls Royce and is having it completely turned into an electric vehicle. And what a fantastic idea which should give hope to all those who have hankered after a Roller but were always put off by the expensive repairs . If you check out the UK Ebay you can pick up one of the vintage models from anything from $7000 to $20,000. While the conversion isn't cheap, apparently around the $25,000, over time this is bound to become a growing business with prices dropping and what a boon to those who love the more stylish older vehicles.
Whispers is rather sad we didn't hold on to our first auto, a convertible Morris Minor.

The $100,000 Selfie

The Archibald Prize for portraiture has been announced and the winner is Yvette Coppersmith for her self portrait (left) whipped up in the week before entries closed. She picks up the $100K prize. The Packing Room Prize (chosen by the art gallery workers) went to Jamie Preisz for his portrait of rocker Jimmy Barnes (right) garnering him $1500. Below are some of the finalists. You have to go to the exhibition itself to see who the artists are but it's well worth it. The NSW Art Gallery is one of the world's great galleries. It's open from 10am every day.

Lost in Paradise

 Whispers has been invited several times to check out the Lost Paradise Festival in NSW's Glenworth Valley but we haven't quite made it yet. Still our spies are omnipresent and sent some snaps from the idyllic valley where the festival is fast becoming one of the main music attractions of the New Year celebrations.

The valley itself is lush as our snaps show and despite it being the middle of summer cool breezes are constant making the weather ideal.

Long gone are the days of camping in an uncomfortable tiny tent. Luxury marquees with comfortable beds and living areas make perfect accommodation.

And below: the people- they dress up, they behave, the dance and sing and make merry.

Backstage with George

Star Trek star George Takei is in Australia on a speaking tour where he talks about his treatment in an internement camp during WW2 and the prejudice Asian actors face in Hollywood. We managed to get some snaps backstage after his Sydney talk tonight.

 Pics by William Yang

Princess Diana broke up My Marriage

The charity worker who brought the late Princess Diana to Australia, Marie Sutton has told Whispers how the experience ended up wrecking her marriage.
When Sutton raised the idea of inviting Diana to Sydney to help launch the Victor Change cardiac unit at St Vincent's Hospital to the charity committee organizing the event, no-one thought it could possibly happen. But one week later Marie was astonished to receive a late night phone call from Diana herself who confirmed that not only would she launch the charity, it would be her last public appearance before retiring from the public eye.

The dramas that followed have been well documented as then NSW premier Nevile Wran and a number of society figures tried to wrestle control of the project from Marie. But Diana remained loyal to Sutton and Marie eventually accompanied the Princess during her 4 day visit.
But Sutton now says the stress she suffered as vested powerful interests continually tried to take over the event eventually led to she and husband splitting.
Marie has given an interview to Channel Ten's Studio Ten show with show-biz editor Craig Bennett which you can view below.

Lord Sugar Vs Piers Morgan #1

Whispers noticed this snap on twitter 2 days ago. It's a pic of a young lad at Sydney's prestigious Knox Grammar school. He grew into one of Australia's most loved movie stars. Over drinks that evening we showed it to a pal who works for the MailOnline where it dully ended up today.
Aren't we nice to our fellow struggling hacks?
# Hugh Jackman is the lad in the middle in the plain t-shirt.

Lisa Wilkinson : 180 degree turn?

When Whisper's first read of  TV host Lisa Wilkinson's unfortunate fall in the shower while on holiday in Italy, our sympathy was with the poor lady. Lisa broke her arm in two places and having dealt with a relative just a year ago who suffered a similar fall with a broken arm, it was only the quick intervention of the doctor's at our inner city hospital St Vincent's that pain relief was finally administered.

Instagram

Lisa gave an interview to her Nine Network's The Fix and seemed to be implying that the treatment she received in an Italian hospital was superb:
"I couldn't help but compare it to our experience in the USA in January, when our daughter swallowed a piece of pineapple the wrong way and it got stuck in her throat. There, we were treated with equal speed, warmth and professionalism -- but only after we had handed over credit-card details. And for what was only a very brief and successful procedure, the bills are still coming in -- for many thousands of dollars.

"Two countries, two systems. For me, it was the difference between running health care as a business, and providing it as a human right."
While Lisa's arm will need to be fitted for a plate upon her return to Sydney, she's grateful for the care she received abroad."

 After x-rays showed the extent of the damage, the pair were sent to a larger hospital that despite looking "like a tattered 1950s warehouse from Beirut", Lisa says she received excellent care and was put in a plaster cast.
Shockingly, the ordeal didn't cost her a cent.
"In Italy, public hospitals are free for everyone, including blow-in tourists like us," she wrote.

Alas, Lisa now has a different view of her Italian medical experience as the Daily Telegraph thundered yesterday:

Bad doctors leave Lisa Wilkinson's arm in 's-bend' as she reveals it'll take another 12 months to heal

Whatever the outcome we wish Lisa all the best. A broken arm is very debilitating for someone who still goes to work every day.

Hair included

Here is the latest snap of Lord Alan Sugar on his boat the Lady A having his hair cut. You can almost see those ex-Biba art deco lady lamps in the background. All of this- except Mr Sugar and hair stylist, can be yours for under $20M.
The boat is moored off the beautiful island of Capri where Sugar has a holiday villa. Give Lord Sugar a call and maybe he'll put you up for the week-end as you inspect his ship. For details- see story below.
# you can always follow Lord Sugar on his twitter feed and in fact he is encouraging more followers so he can beat Piers Morgan's number.

TheTruth about George Michael

On September 11th legendary British music entrepreneur Simon Napier-Bell will appear at Leadbelly in Newtown to give an after dinner talk.
Among Napier-Bell's many music discoveries are Dusty Springfield, The Yardbyrds, Marc Bolan & T-Rex and of course, George Michael and Wham who he turned into world superstars.
Simon remained a close friend of George Michael's and is threatening to tell the real story of Michael's life. Once when visiting Napier-Bell at his Thai villa where he now lives, Whispers found George Michael hiding from the world's media after yet another druggy car accident in the UK.
                                                            

Simon will have plenty to say about the Same Sex marriage issue having recently married his male partner in the UK and having recently directed a fascinating documentary "50 Years Legal" which is currently being screened in UK cinemas. In the film he interviews a host of famous British gays including Elton John, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Ian McKellan , David Hockney and many more.
He has now written 5 best-selling books about music which have received rave reviews. One "Black Vinyl White Powder" was included in the UK school curriculum. His current book Ta-Ra-Ra-BOOM De-Ay tells the history of commercial music from the 1700s onwards. Napier-Bell's last visit to Sydney was in 2016 when he accompanied Sinead O'Connor who he was then managing.

AN EVENING WITH SIMON NAPIER - BELL Monday 11th Sept Leadbelly 6-12pm

Below is the famous song Napier-Bell wrote for Dusty Springfield which was also a mega hit for Elvis Presley

Margot's Message

The latest Australian export to Hollywood Margot Robbie sends Whispers her latest snap and with an important message:

"LOVE IS LOVE Aussie's register to vote before August 24th:"
http://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/  #marriageequaility #australia

"Sizzling" Fashion

We just know that loyal Whisper's readers are dying to know just what you will be wearing next Summer.
Some of these events in Sydney are like our very own Ground Hog Day. It's a bit like entering a world where nothing ever changes. Even the faces. Especially when they invite assures you the legendary "A-List" will be in attendance.
Here is our snap that has excited so many. It's two models at the recent David Jones' Summer Fashion parade. Whispers had an invite but quelle horreur, we weren't feeling top-of-the-world that evening. Just as we also had to miss the launch of a fabulous luxury car the same week at which we were assured numerous "influencers" would be attending along with that A-List again.

The snap is from a Getty photographer. For the uninformed Getty is a photographic agency that is scooping up independent photo agencies in the hope they will be the only photographic agency on the planet. The media seem more than happy to go along with that. At least you know- next Summer people will be wearing shorts and bikinis. Isn't that fun?
If you want more fab fashion shots go here.
If you want to see a video of these scintillating Summer Fashion Sizzles in a film introduced by TV hosts Karl Stefanovic (favourite of the Mail Online) and Lisa Wilkinson who apparently someone wasn't very nice to recently, go here.

Brynne...

Another gratuitous snap of Brynne Gordon. We just can't help ourselves. Enjoy.