Birthday Boy

It's a very Happy Birthday to former Prime Minister Bob Hawke (pictured here in our exclusive snap on Friday with Labor leader Bill Shorten) who turns 87 today (well yesterday actually). The former union leader won the 1983 general election in a landslide and at one stage was the most popular PM in Aussie history. He was eventually rolled by his (former) loyal deputy Paul Keating.
Whispers often runs into the Silver Bodgie as he is affectionately know, at various social functions and we have featured him on these pages over the years. Always popular with the electorate and he always greets you with a cherry smile and more often than not, a risque joke.
Below: Bob with John Singleton at the opening of Singleton's The Worker's Bar in Balmain (reputedly where the Labor Party was created in 1891) and with wife Blanche d'Alpuget at her book launch Hawke, The Prime Minister, the best selling Australian political biography of all time.

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Photo roundup:
Matty Bennett and partner Rupert Noffs are creating a foodie storm in New York with their successful restaurant The Lucky Bee as celebs pour through the doors- below with gorgeous Victoria's Secret model, Megan Williams

 At the AACTA Awards on Wednesday night at Star City: Claudia Karvan * Mel Gibson * Ky Baldwin * George Miller * Paul Hogan * Cate Blanchett * Hugo Weaving

Star Power at the ACCTA Awards

International stars mingled with local movie & TV personalities at the 6th ACCTA Awards at Star City.
Below : 1.the always elegant Marta Dusseldorp, 2. Sacha Baron Cohen & Isla Fisher 3. Brooke Satchwell and foodie queen Donna Hay 4. Rose Byrne and 5. Mel Gibson

 

Annnie Get Your Gun-Maria Gets Engaged!

SHE'S THE LARGER than life red carpet regular but buxom Maria Venuti shocked even the jaded press tonight when she announced that she was engaged as she arrived at the premiere of the musical Annie.

Maria introduced the tall dark stranger accompanying her as her 'fiance' and who are we to doubt her?.
The gentleman's name is Glen Ware and Glen looked slightly taken aback at the news as out favourite Italian song bird gushed and grabbed her man to her side.  Good luck Glenn !

Annie is back for another season at the Lyric Theatre in the newly re-vamped Star Casino.

As I and a guest were escorted through the vast auditorium of the casino itself which looks like it's about 5 acres in size and packed to the gills with craps and roulette tables and thousands of poker machines as far as the eye can see, we now know where everyone has gone. There must have been a few thousand gamblers entranced by the spinning wheels and flashing lights.

Wiggle Anthony Field and kids

Annie stars Anthony Warlow as Daddy Warbucks and Nancye Hayes as the villain Miss Hannigan plus Todd McKenney-the Dancing With Star's judge everyone loves to hate plus several little Annies. And with the return of the famed TV show Young Talent Time where such discoveries as Kylie Minogue and sister Danni got their start, another YTT star was on hand-Debra Byrne as she escorted her granddaughter who plays one of the 'Annies'.

John Foreman flashes the paparazzi

And what a treat-in the Sydney production we have our favourite shock jock Alan Jones playing FDR. That will take some acting from Alan as everyone knows he and FDR's politics would have to be diametrically opposed.

Annie is on until March 25th and it then tours the nation.Book tickets here.
Right-Debra Byrne and Lucille who plays Annie.

Below is and one of the numbers from the show courtesy of theTheatreShowTV.