we want you at 6am tomorrow-naked.

This morning's shoot-is there a giant pile of clothing somewhere?

    Photographer Spencer Tunick has sent out an urgent call for his photo shoot tomorrow morning on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House.

   You will be only required to drop your gear for about 5 minutes and the shoot takes place come rain or shine (probably rain ).

    You have to be over 18 and sign up here-now, tonight. Spencer says about 30% of those who sign up for his famous nude shoots drop out on the day. It should be rather spectacular with the Opera House sails in the background and every participant gets a special Tunick snap as a souvenir.

 And don't think you can sneak down for a look !. No-one is allowed in the vicinity !

# update: nearly 5000 turned up! How does he do it ?.So many happy to get their clothes off for art( not tSS of course-6am..you must be joking). And an overcast day which means much kinder lighting..and by the look of those who made it, that's a blessing.

## before arriving at the Mardi Gras carnival George Michael did a pub crawl up Oxford Street, happy to mingle with locals. He's so taken by the town he's extended his Sydney stay another 4 days.

Everyone-including a cynical tSS was blown away by his Thursday night concert. Maybe because it's been so long between visits. Maybe age has mellowed him into middle-aged coolness. George is a superb performer. Relaxed, professional, like a rock'n'roll crooner.. His voice has never been better. If you get the chance, catch his show..

Mardi Gras come-down

 Sunday : Driving down Oxford Street today is like entering a war zone. The trash and litter from the estimated 700, 000 spectators has been collected overnight but the human flotsam and jetsam is everywhere. It's pretty clear thousands of party goers never made it home-they chose to continue the celebrations at the numerous "recovery parties" that can last 2 days.

   Behind all the fabulous colour and movement, inventive costumes and year long planning , there is a serious side to Mardi Gras. While tSS was correct in nearly all predictions-George Michael was there (he gave the parade a plug in his brilliant concert on Thursday night) largely unnoticed in the VIP section, we were wrong in one aspect. There was no tribute to TV star Eddie McGuire.

Olympic ice-skater

AFL footballer

on edit # The person who passed themselves off as a noted gay "activist" to our tSS staffer was just bizarre. Perhaps it was heady excitement of the night.  Our apologies to the 'activist' (what does one call him ?) but imitation is a form of flattery. You are in good company though. Actor Matt Damon has experienced the same recently.

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     On the same night at a house in Bellevue Hill, veteran good manners and deportment queen June Dally-Watkins was celebrating her 81st birthday.

      June once almost took Hollywood by storm in the 1950's when she set up business in LA after taking a successful fashion show to the US.

   She set about grooming a host of newly signed starlets, including a young Marilyn Monroe on how to behave at movie premiers, parties and such. Studios sent all their new contracted actresses to Dally-Watkins for mentoring.

   In Rome she met and was wined and dined by Gregory Peck who proposed marriage on a moon-lit night overlooking the Roman Forum. Peck wanted the pair to live in Monte Carlo. Instead she returned home to Sydney to care for her ailing mother and eventually married John Clifford-a dead ringer for Peck. Her Double Bay school still tutors a new breed of nice young gels how to behave correctly in polite society.

Legends to lead the parade..

Napier-Bell

Dusty

        It's always a bit off a secret but we can reveal the lead float for tonight's Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras will feature famous gays and lesbians through the ages from Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Oscar Wilde and so on. And later day icons will include the likes of Dusty Springfield which should please a regular Shuttle reader, the Thailand based pop mogul Simon Napier-Bell who co-authored her greatest hit "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" ( he titled his autobiography after the song and was Britain's Gay Personality Of The Year in 2005).

For the uninformed, the parade this year begins at Whitlam Square. At last year's beginning point a few hundred metres down the road there were reputedly 8 stabbings and about 40 fist fights. Why organisers think it will be any different this year is a mystery but there will be a 1000 police on hand ( including the contingent who march in the parade). No guesses that a fair number of them will be posted outside the party venue with a dozen sniffer dogs. Take your drugs early folks although this does bring the risk of peaking early and tears before bedtime-or party time. Not that we encourage that sort of thing.

Sir Elton & Ross Watson

Meanwhile at the Depot Gallery in Waterloo there is an exhibition of paintings by Ross Watson-who has a fan in Elton John. He has done a huge portrait of last year's lead from the Mardi Gras, the gold medalist diver Matthew Mitcham who thanked his male partner on the winning dais at Beijing in 2008 and has since become a gay pin-up. Mitcham is depicted in Caravaggio style paintings as seen here.

lovers: Johan van Vloten & Justice Michael Kirby

Watson has done a series of local gay icons including Justice Michael Kirby the recently retired High Court judge who quietly came out via his Who's Who entry 10 years ago when under his partner listing he included his lover, a Dutch news agent Johan van Vloten calling him "domestic partner". A political firestorm followed as his head was demanded with claims he was admitting to illegal gay sex previous to 1984.

  Says Sir Elton of Watson- "Having known Ross Watson for a long time, and been a collector of his art, I had the opportunity recently to visit his gallery, which reconfirmed my belief that he is a great talent. I never tire of his paintings - he is a leader in contemporary realism."

blogging from the Champagne Bar at Pink Stiletto

     Light rain has kept early racegoers away-except for tSS who has commandeered a corner of the Champagne Bar with a track-side view to host drinks for our expected numerous instant new friends. That was half an hour ago, now they are streaming in for the world's first Gay & Lesbian race day at Royal Randwick, Pink Stiletto. The ladies look glamorously turned out at this stage. But are they cocks in frocks ?. We can't tell until they get a little closer.

    One correction. The Mardi Gras is tomorrow night and not next Saturday as we  reported earlier . The Mardi Gras party is next Saturday night and tonight there is a sort of Mardi Gras carnival at the Fox Entertainment Centre-the venue for  mass orgy gala after-parade party was previously booked. Such is No, we can;t work it all out either.

      One guest who we hope will be joining us later this afternoon, film-maker John Waters of Hair Spray and Pink Flamingos fame. Waters will be presenting a one-man show at the Concert Hall in the Opera House (tickets $45 at their website) on March 2nd during which he talks about his career onwards from his first 8mm film in 1964-Fag in a Black Leather Jacket.

John Waters

    Will the Channel Nine publicity department take note of our suggestion relayed to them yesterday and extend our invitation to Olympics host Eddie McGuire to front the Pink Stiletto day and kill 2 birds with one stone ?. Probably not in these days of corporate group think. The CH 9 publicist couldn't grasp our concept that it would produce fantastic front page photographs of Eddie with Minnie Cooper, Clair de Lune and other delightful Ladies of the Oxford Street circuit. Just as we did similarly at past Mardi Gras events with snaps of comedian Billy Connolly and Men Behaving Badly stars Martin Clune and Neil Morrisey with groups of drag queens which garnered media coverage throughout the world.

Eddie-investigation

   And Eddie's image in the gay community  may have been repaired which may  help mitigate circumstances with today's anouncement that the Anti-Discrimination Board will hold an inquiry into McGuire and co-host Mike Molloy's disastrous Olympic commentary. There can be repercussions if a finding is against McGuire-although a fine would mean little a TV station's licence can be seriously affected not to mention when negotiations come up for the station to broadcast the next Olympics.

There is now video up on the Sydney Morning Herald's website of the drag race where a few delightful trannies lined up at the barriers for a foot race. Boobs flopped out much to the delight of all. So predictable and obvious-they had to say what everyone has been avoiding-the Sport of Kings became the Sport of Queens.

Eddie McGuire-arrogant, over rated meglomaniac.

  Hey, they aren't our words !.

       They're from one of the 10880 10886 10890 members (coincidentally mirroring the same number of tSS readers since we first revealed the website's existence) who have joined up to Eddie McGuire is ruining the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage facebook page.

    Another recent joiner Tim Stone says "he should be cryogenically frozen so future generations can be annoyed."

    Poor Eddie. We feel guilty. He really is a nice chap. Eddie is a regular at Graeme Goldberg's Dee Bees cafe in Double Bay and on nodding terms with tSS. He calls in after picking his kids up from the nearby snooty Cranbrook School.

   What would former Channel Nine boss the late Kerry Packer say about Eddie's crass homophobic remarks on the men's skating efforts at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games ?. Probably a lot after the number of complaints that have flooded the Nine switchboards. The current owners of the Nine network. PBL Media didn't return our calls.

Rob Astbury at his 2006 book launch

The King

   Instead we turned to the nation's former top sport's broadcaster who reigned at the Nine network for years, the openly gay Rob Astbury who now lives in Thailand where he is a property developer.

      Astbury, a good friend of McGuire's isn't saying much. He referred us to Peter Jess who mangers the biggest names in Australian sport including Olympian and aboriginal Cathy Freeman whose book, which Jess promoted, was a best seller. Jess has contracted Astbury to promote his upcoming autobiography Twice As Hard. Jess told tSS Astbury’s book will reveal intimate details about some of the nation's top sporting personalities and the biggest names in television. Jess says Astbury’s account of his personal and business life in Thailand will ensure the book is a block buster that is sure to amuse, bemuse and shock.
        Astbury's 2006 book King & I, about his long time relationship with the King of  Television, the late Graham Kennedy was a best selling despite ruffling feathers in the media..

  
     46 year old McGuire has had a meteoric rise from his working class background. He is president of the Collingwood Football Club and hosts a number of TV and radio shows. He is reputed to earn up to $5M a year.

    He was appointed the CEO of the Nine Network in 2006 in a surpise move after the departure of David Gyngell whose father, the legendary Bruce Gyngell was the first person to appear on Oz TV and Channel Nine in 1956.

     McGuire lasted nearly a year and presided over plunging ratings before Gyngell was lured back from the USA.

Jessica-boned

      His famous quip "bone her"-a directive to sack newsreader Jessica Rowe has become common lexicon after an internal memo was leaked. Jessica had the last laugh-her husband Peter Overton is now the network's top newsreader. Eddie is also a good friend of Kerry Packer's son James.

   

  It's hard to believe McGuire would actually be anti-gay. Comments like those of his and Olympic's co-host Mike Molloy are pretty much standard football language. The Footy Show is a perfect example with hardly a week going by without a footballer climbing into drag for an amusing sketch.Not for long though.

      The rumour mill inside the Nine network is in overdrive with the current bosses including Gyngell said to be alarmed at the backlash.

Sir Frank and son Kerry

# The founder of the Nine network Sir Frank Packer was a noted homophobe who abhored the number of gays in the budding TV industry.

Barton-"fluid" sexuality

# Sir Frank's sons and heirs Kerry and Clyde talked tough but rebelled against their father's views. Clyde used to attend publisher Gordon Barton's famous "anything goes" parties where one's sexuality was expected to be "fluid". Whilst Kerry Packer took care of business, his older brother Clude roamed Sydney in a Bentley convertible, his enormous girth encassed in flowing brightly coloured caftans. He could have been the lead float at any Mardi Gras.

# Cranbrook School-the expensive private boarding school in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs where the Packer, Gyngell & Murdoch clans were tutored was the butt of endless jokes in it's early years including the raunchy song that ended with the words-"if you can't get a girl get a Cranbrook boy "!

Cranbrook

# # tSS is travelling to Thailand next month to interview Rob Astbury amongst other expatriates who live there. Astbury’s manager, Peter Jess says, “Astbury is ready to blow a trumpet which will make King and I seem like comparing a wave to a tsunami.” According to Jess, Astbury, in his book Twice as Hard, describes television as a “despicable industry” and he will name stars with first hand account tales about top executives which will have lawyers working overtime. Is the raw truth a defence?.

 # Derryn Hinch is a leading contender for the title of 'Australia's Worst Journalist". Voting at the website ends on the 28th Feb.

# Bruce Gyngell was the driving force behind the successful networks-TV am and Yorkshire Television in the UK.

# Expect a float dedicated to Eddie McGuire in the Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras on Saturday week.

Eddie's houseguest-Johnny Weir

# Eddie has invited top US skater Johnny Weir to stay with him during his upcoming visit to Australia.

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Everyone is invited to join the Social Shuttle team in the Champagne Bar in the Member's Stand at the Pink Stiletto Race Day tomorrow (Friday) from 1pm at Royal Randwick racecourse.

If you make a substantial donation to the Bobby Goldsmith Fund we may even introduce you to singer Maria Venuti !

a Tom of Finland invasion

Tom on the Golden Mile

        The excitement on Oxford Street-the Golden Mile is palpable. Just 10 days to go to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The dog collar wearing Lord Mayor Clover Moore has bedecked the streets of the city with huge pink flags bearing a heavy leather dude.

Clover

        The Mardi Gras has come some way since that fateful day in 1978 when a few hundred gays marched up Oxford Street to Kings Cross and ended up in an all out brawl with the same number of coppers. Now the boys in blue march in the parade. Along with Federal police, customs and immigration officers. Politicians from all parties send their best wishes.

        One of the original Living National Treasures of gaydom, Ken (Kandy) Johnson has launched his autobiography-Kandy what a drag !

       Ken opened one of the first gay pubs in Sydney and went on to run the legendary Purple Onion, a cavernous drag cabaret bar in suburban Kensington that was packed to the rafters and with every visiting celebrity putting in a appearance. Sir Robert Helpmann, Judy Garland. Rudolf Nureyev and Sammy Davis Jr were all spotted there taking in the extravagant drag spectaculars.

          Kandy sold the Onion and opened the first gay sauna-Kens Karate Klub and then launched his travelling drag troupe-Femmes and Feathers. He hired a girl to masquerade as a man masquerading as a woman masquerading as a man ( I think that's right !). They fell in love, married and had a son (an heir to the Kandy $$millions). It's a rollicking read and no holds barred look at the life of a gay icon including a stint in jail where he became the most popular jailbird for his nightly performances for the inmates.

      Ken's retired now and divides his time between a Sydney mansion and houses in Noosa and Turkey. Get his book here.

Andrew Neil, Peter Costello, Oscar Humphries in Sydney (c)

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Meanwhile another drag star has a son who is going from success to success. Barry Humpries' son Oscar is now editing the British arts magazine Apollo.

Oscar Humphries already edits the Australian Spectator from London.
Regular Shuttlers will recall Oscar arrived in Sydney from the UK where he was brought up, about 5 years ago and seemed set to take the town by storm as a 'new face' on the scene. Then the social media got stuck into him. We can't remember the reason why-probably none at all. He fled after 2 years.

   One however recalls his father Barry's words over dinner about 10 years ago when he was discussing the amazing success he had in the UK which has been finally repeated in the USA.

Barry said every time he was about to leave Melbourne in the old days to travel to the UK the Oz media would say words to the effect-"what's the problem Mr Humphries, aren't we good enough for you ?"

   When he arrived back after a successful season in the West End he would be greeted with the words-"so what's the problem Mr Humphries. couldn't make it overseas then ?" .
You can see why the reptile bitches thrive so well on the British tabloids when they travel there to further their experience.

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 How timely for cricketer Shane Warne to launch his range of men's underwear in a venue not too far from the Golden Mile.      

The only other time the Social Shuttle encountered Warne was at the Commonwealth Day lunch in 1996 when Princess Diana attended her very last charity function before retiring.

tSS was the only media permitted inside the venue for the lunch much to the chagrin of a few hundred Fleet Street hacks who stood outside the building.

   We sat with Warne at the table next to Diana-not knowing who he was. Upon enquiry Shane informed us he was a cricketer of some note.

 "Oh does Diana follow cricket then ?" we asked.
"Don't know" said Warne,"but I think she likes rough trade !". Diana smiled sweetly in his direction.

Meanwhile, noses pressed to the windows outside, the assembled reptiles glowered towards us.

Hollywood beckons for Abe

   At only 19 young actor Abe Forsyth has won the 18th Tropfest short film festival with his movie about a radio DJ-Shock .  How scary-tSS went to the very first Tropfest at the Tropicana Cafe in Kings Cross all those years ago when Abe was just a baby !.

John Polson, Abe Forsyth, Elijah Wood (c)

    From a night at the coffee shop Polson's baby has grown to a phenomenal size that attracts Hollywood stars to judge the 15 finalists in the short film festival. Polsons own film career is blooming and Tropfest has a life of it's own. Sponsors fall over themselves to get involved and 75,000 people attended the festival in the Domain on Sunday night. Similar numbers likewise in Melbourne, Perth , Brisbane and so on. (tSS received an email on Friday from a previous judge-Jamie Foxx asking if we were attending and to request we pass on our regards to Polson!)

  Polson  has a New York version underway in association with Robert de Niro 's Tribeca Film Festival-tropfest@tribeca and will be launching a European version next year.

    And previous winners have gone on to great success. 1995 winner Gregor Jordon directed Two Hands, Buffalo Soldiers and Ned Kelly with the late Heath Ledger. His latest thriller Unthinkable with Samuel L. Jackson and Carrie-Ann Moss will be released this June.

Bryan Brown

Elijah Wood (c)

  

 2005 winner of the Tropfest best comedy Alister Grierson is currently directing his first feature, the 3D film Sanctum staring Richard Roxburgh and Welsh star Ioan Gruffudd. Sanctum is being produced by Avatar director James Cameron who chose Grierson after watching him work on Avatar.

   

Part of Forsyth's prize includes a trip to LA to meet some film bigwigs. Amongst this year's judges-Toni Collette, Elijah Wood and Bryan Brown.

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## What Would Warhol Blog?

see the answer to one of the great mysteries :

What would Andy Warhol think of the internet ?

Fomer friends from The Factory ponder on what the artist would have thought of the WWW.

forget gay Jesus-we uncover the greatest miracle of all !

Elton's Jesus ?

  The Daily Mail, Britain's most successful on-line newspaper and probably the best presented tabloid on the planet brings us startling news in a story about the canonization of Oz nun Mother Mary McKillop.

Writing about another saintly candidate, the Canadian priest Brother Andre, in it's report the Mail says:

"Brother Andre, who founded Saint Joseph Oratory in Canada. Born on August 9, 1945 under the name of Alfred Bessette, Bother Andre, died on January 6, 1937 in Montreal"

Surely a feat Elton John's rebel rabbi bender could only dream of-dying before one's birth !. It certainly saves time.

"Hope I die before I get old"-Brother Andre

As the Catholic Church,the countries dominant religion eyes it's parish in Australia- there are moves afoot with top Catholic, Cardinal George Pell who has just returned from an extended visit to the Vatican.

With McKillop's rise to sainthood the Catholic Church is shoring up it's constituency and filling a religious void. The power of the country having it's own saint St Mary, should not be underestimated. Lapsed Catholics have been returning to the church in droves since the Mary McKillop campaign started over 10 years ago.

Cardinal George Pell has returned just in time for the announcement after illness delayed him in Rome.

Cardinal George Pell with Pope Benedict XVI

But our Vatican spy-disguised as a handsome Swiss Guard who has wandered the corridors of power for clandestine meetings with elderly Vatican officials brings us news of a move within the Holy City.

Cardinal Pell may well become the next president of the Vatican City State, the highest position and just below that of the Pope. The current president, His Eminence Cardinal Giovanni Cardinal Lajolo is rumored to be retiring and the church, with one of the best PR machines that has operated for centuries cannot have missed that all things Oz are currently in vogue. Next to the USA, the Catholic Church's property holdings in Australia are the richest outside the Vatican.

Pell is a great friend of the current Pope Benedict XVI and it's rumored to have stood aside in the final papal ballot to allow his great friend to take the helm. Is he now being rewarded ? It was certainly Pell's advocacy that brought about the hugely successful 2008 World Youth Day to Sydney with the Pope's visit and resulted in huge numbers flocking to the church. Pell has also resided over the healing of a long rift with the Anglican church that has been historically anti-Roman-Catholic since the convict days when Anglican masters ruled over the largely Catholic convict populace.

George Pell is an arch-conservative with a strict adherence to orthodoxy who rules the Catholic church in Australia with an iron fist. He brooks no opposition and has a coterie of young priests at his command, collectively known as Pell's Angels.

Those who believe Pell's move to the Vatican will bring some moderation in the local church's strict views on homosexuality, female priests and divorce will find no relief if Pell's anointed successor, the younger Rev Anthony Fisher takes over. Such is Fisher's adherence to all things Pell he is know locally as Boy George.

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the Odd Couple

  To the NSW Art Gallery to meet the Odd Couple of the British art world-Gilbert and George. Brought to Sydney by art patron and fabric importer John Kaldor , the artists revealed some of the fascinating facts of their life style. They have eaten at the same Turkish restaurant every night in the East End for over 30 years. Gilbert takes a 3 hour walk around the local streets every night before dinner and is joined on the last hour by George.

   

  In the afternoons they are joined by the same 2 local homeless men for afternoon tea and serve them instant coffee-the only beverage in their larder. And they give them each £2 when they leave. What fun !

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update #3... the number of members of Facebook's "Eddie Mcguire is ruining the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage" is now at 7301, a rise of over 5000 since the Social Shuttle brought it to world attention which co-incidently equals the number of readers of tSS over the past few days !
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Cardinal Pell update : Journalist Mike Carlton speculates that George Pell is in line for the position of prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Carlton is a rare species amongst media reptiles-he does his research. tSS feels our Vatican source is however more accurate.
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update #4...membership of Eddie Mcguire's Facebook group now stands at 8050. The latest member one Geoff Wills writes  : "Management at that station must be nearly neanderthal in there views.The absolute worst Olympics telecast I have seen"

Camilla conquers The World

Gina Rinehart

       As it departs Australian shores, news comes of a major success for fashion designer Camilla Franks onboard the most luxurious liner sailing the seven seas, The World.

The World

  Franks, one of the countries most successful low profile designers was invited to show her summer caftan range at a fashion show for The World's pasengers, many of whom live permanently onboard the liner as it cruises the world.

      With a limited budget that prevented her hiring professional models, Camilla hit upon a unique idea-why not have the passengers walk the catwalk. And so they did at a parade that turned out to be not only fun for the ship's residents, but a financial success for Franks who sold out her complete range.

       And one of those who purchased around 20 caftans-Australia's richest woman, the reclusive West Australian iron-ore billionairess Gina Rinehart.

Camilla Franks

    For Franks, her meeting with Rinehart was the second within the last few months. Camilla and her mother had run into Rinehart, the daughter of the late Lang Hancock last year while showing her wares in a Mediterranean port when Rinehart happened upon the showing and purchased 30 caftans-ideal clothing for a lazy summer sailing the Med. 

At number 30, Gina's husband John called a halt to the sale : " Enough to see you through the summer dear". Obviously Gina thought not quite-she now has at least 50 Franks designs in her wardrobe.

With a rapidly rising fortune estimated at $4B due to the mineral resources boom, Rinehart could soon be the richest Ausssie, displacing James Packer and the Westfield shopping centre king Frank Lowy.

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Brother Andre-died before he was born !

As the Catholic Church shores up it's Australian constituency with the expected announcement that Mother Mary McKillop will achieve sainthood, the London Daily Mail newspaper reports on another candidate :

"Brother Andre, who founded Saint Joseph Oratory in Canada. Born on August 9, 1945 under the name of Alfred Bessette, Bother Andre, died on January 6, 1937 in Montreal"

Surely one of the greatest miracles of all time-St Andre died 8 years before he was born !



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Sydney Morning Herald scribe Matt Buchanan has at last picked up the tale reported by the Social Shuttle nearly 3 months ago-singer George Michael will be a guest at the 2010 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras on Saturday 6th March. 

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Johnny Weir

UPDATE 2. All is forgiven- although American Olympic ice-skating star Johnny Weir has been pipped at the post by team-mate Evan Lysacek who picked up gold, he has forgiven his Nine TV network detractor and Olympic commentator Eddie McGuire who ripped into Weir with a series of homophobic statements about Weir's costumes. Weir gave a coy smile into the Ch 9 cameras tonight and expressed his desire to visit Oz.

McGuire

Eddie 'Everywere" McGuire responded to Johnny that he was welcome to stay at his place. Isn't that nice ?

Meanwhile membership of the Facebook page "Eddie Mcguire is ruining the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage" first reported by this blog yesterday now has 6274 members!

like some bastard love child of Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlusconi..

  Oh dear. That's how Nicky Moore describes the Olympic coverage by Eddie McGuire : "Racist, insular, lowest common denominator, uninformed, homophobic, dull, cheesy, irrelevant, flag-waving … like some bastard love child of Rupert Murdoch and Silvio Berlusconi.".

   The facebook page- Eddie Mcguire is ruining the 2010 Winter Olympics coverage has a growing membership. In the past few days it's grown from a few dozen to 2075. It's description in the 'philosophy' section says : "Anyone else absolutely sick of this no-talent clown and his verbal diarrhoea during the 2010 winter olympics?"
    Michaela Riddell says :"I was embarrassed and ashamed and then to top it all off The Brokeback (Mountain) comment was just outrageous- does Eddie have any evidence that sexuality affects capability ? ".
    Why did the Channel Nine network put Eddie in charge of the Winter Olympics coverage ?. Surely they learnt from James Packer's experience. When McGuire-the host of the quiz show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire ran the network on behalf of Packer he almost stuffed the place. It was typical of younger James-his father Kerry would never have made such a mistake. Nor would Kerry have allowed a raft of homophobic comments to air. He would have been on the blower the following morning blasting the commentators if he got wind of any statement-like McGuire's fellow host Mike Molloy's dig at some Olympians for "not leaving much in the closet" remark.
     Packer cared for every viewer no matter what their race, sexuality or age. They were his meal ticket and he knew it. When he lured one of the top sport's broadcasters away from a rival network he interviewed him personally in his office. When the broadcaster announced he would taking his male partner to any social functions Packer said "everyone knows your a bloody poof and couldn't give a stuff-now sign the bloody contract".
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UPDATE : within 5 hours of tSS reporting on the anti-McGuire facebook group membership has climbed to 4328.

The UK Sun newspaper has got in on the act. The fact the The Sun is owned by Rupert Murdoch who also owns the rival Foxtel cable network where the Olympics are also being reported is entirely co-incidental.