Rumbled by ex-PM Paul Keating

 From a speech on the loss of privacy to be given by Paul Keating tonight at The Centre for Advanced Journalism ,University of Melbourne

"The press is overstepping in every direction the obvious bounds of propriety and of decency. Gossip is no longer the resource of the idle and of the vicious, but has become a trade, which is pursued with industry as well as effrontery. To satisfy a prurient taste, the details of sexual relations are spread broadcast in the columns of the daily papers. To occupy the indolent, column upon column is filled with idle gossip, which can only be procured by intrusion upon the domestic circle. …In this, as in other branches of commerce, the supply creates the demand. Each crop of unseemly gossip, thus harvested, becomes the seed of more, and, in direct proportion to its circulation, results in the lowering of social standards and of morality. Even gossip apparently harmless, when widely and persistently circulated, is potent for evil. It both belittles and perverts. It belittles by inverting the relative importance of things, thus dwarfing the thoughts and aspirations of a people. When personal gossip attains the dignity of print, and crowds the space available for matters of real interest to the community, what wonder that the ignorant and thoughtless mistake its relative importance.’1

Says Keating: "Some of that language is a give away - that it wasn’t written by me, or written yesterday. But the content is highly relevant to a discussion about privacy and the media, as a trip to the local newsagent, or time spent in front of the television, or online will quickly affirm."

The quote is from The Right to Privacy by Boston lawyers Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis, published in the Harvard Law Review in 1890.

You can read all of Keating's speech on privacy here.  It would be difficult to fault his thinking. One thing he does point out that has not been spotted or discussed in the media anywhere. 2 Law Commission Reports have stated that the general public should have a formal recourse to a breach of privacy.

Tweet of the Day !

We bring you the mindless tweets so you don't have to bother-
 
ParisHilton

  

Been at the "Happiest Place on Earth" since this morning! I Love Disneyland! Having the best time ever! :) It's so much fun being a kid. ;) 41 minutes ago via UberTwitter


 
russellcrowe

  

begging tweets,whingeing tweets,negative tweets about 2 hours ago via web  



justinbieber

  

EVERYONE GO FOLLOW MY BOY @TLANEZ HES SOO TALENTED. about 2 hours ago via web  




maxmarkson

  

Hanging with Dick Smith at Terrey Hills.. You? about 2 hours ago via web  
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Twit of the Day !

No guesses-first prize goes to designer Alannah Hill for her 'grope' gaffe at the David Jones spring fashion show ( see story below) Yes that's we thought...24 hours is all it will take for the penny to drop !

Read it here. 

"I Wish He Had Touched Me Up !"

That was designer Alannah Hill's claim today when she showed off her wares at the David Jones department store in the spring / summer fashion collection.
This was following the announcement that former DJ's publicist  Kristy Fraser-Kirk's  has launched a $37million lawsuit against the firm following allegations the CEO Mark McInnes "touched her up".

It's the largest claim of it's kind and Fraser-Kirk is asking for 5% of DJ's takings and of McInne's wages during his tenure as boss. She says she will donate the money to charity. Good luck!

This morning's parade at the Sydney flagship store was pretty well packed despite the absence of DJ's mascot model Miranda Kerr who is recovering from her honeymoon after wedding Orlando Bloom.

Nicole Trunfio

She twittered the troops at DJ's at lunchtime :"Hey guys, Thank you so much for chatting with me today. I hope you all have the most amazing day and night."

Alannah says of McInnes: " I threw myself at him. He told me he didn't want to mix business with pleasure." Yeah, sure.

Kristy Fraser-Kirk says McInnes phoned her one night wanting to have dinner with her and said he could have had sex with a brunette the night before.

"Yes I was the brunette, yes, yes I was the brunette," Hill said."He could have bedded me but he chose the other one. He is dreamy". Ahhh..sounds just like she was dreaming .

In place of Kerr there were 4 other 'supermodels'- Nicole Trunfio ,Abbey-Lee Kershaw,  Catherine McNeil and Alexandra Agoston.

Meanwhile as we blog, CH 9's Today Tonight show is screening some ham fisted replies after they interviewed a host of designers at the parade today on the controversy. 2 hapless PR people unsuccessfully tried to snatch a newspaper that ran a headline on the matter out of the reporter's hands .Go to the website and watch the video at the right titled "David Jones Backlash". Why didn't they prep these  PR folk beforehand ?. Didn't people like Megan Gale and designer Alex Perry realise the press was out in force and they would be asked difficult questions ?

Star with Russell Crowe

The Shuttle attended an announcement last week at the Blue Hotel on Woolloomooloo Wharf. It was to announce who would be the narrator of the Ben Hur spectacular at the ANZ Stadium in October.

 One didn't have to be a genius to know that it would be Russell Crowe who lives at the end of the wharf in a penthouse.

Here is a snap from the earlier launch which was hosted by broadcaster Alan Jones at the Sydney Town Hall and a video of Russell at the Wharf plus the fantastic chariot race from the original film with Charlton Heston. For our younger readers, the role of Pontious Pilot who you see in the film drop a scarf to start the race was played by the wonderfully camp Melbourne actor Frank Thring.

Alan Jones smiles..and some  butch Centurions

The production company is also asking for extras to appear in the coliseum scenes.  If they tell you that it's to play the role of a Christian you better check that there won't be lions involved in this show. It's the most amazing and realistic spectacle according to those who saw it in France, the only other time it has been staged. 

As for Russell-he announced on the day he had given up smoking after one of his young kids embarrassed him into it and he will be spending at least the rest of the year in Australia to be with his children. We , as usual will bring you the first news of where Crowe and wife Danielle Spencer will be moving to. They are still looking for a house.

For info on the extra jobs go to  www.benhur.com.au

Larry King toasts Frank Monte

A visit to the chic restaurant Lotus for a glass of Dom Perignon to toast the 60th birthday of the man dubbed by the media as the world's most famous private eye, Frank Monte.

outrageous !

Monte was celebrating with his buxom ex-fiancee Sharon Sergeant who has recently caused a media storm with her outrageous antics hosting parties for a group of visiting British footballers and dancing to gay abandon with one of the most famous US porn stars in Las Vegas.

The highlight of the evening-apart from the series of lavish presents from the ex, was a phone call from US talk show host Larry King wishing Monte a happy birthday. Monte was a regular on King's show in the US when he lived for a few years in New York and he still catches up with King for dinner on visits there, as recently as 2 months ago.

In fact Monte was a regular on all sorts of TV shows-Howard Stern and Oprah to name 2 but that's a tale for a future story.

King & Monte-old pals

After a 5 minute chat Monte handed over his mobile phone so the Shuttle could introduce ourselves to Larry and of course, give the Social Shuttle a good plug. 

King says he'll weave in a mention of the site on air. What a lovely chap !. Let's hope he does it before he retires shortly.

A scoop : We also asked Larry about the tales that have swirled about the British media  that journalist Piers Morgan would be replacing him on CNN.

"Piers who ?" was the response. Ouch.

Our guest snapper Stephen Fry

Just received from Stephen Fry..a snap from a grey day on Sydney Harbour.

Fry's Sydney Opera House appearances have been a sell-out success. Last night he celebrated by dining with Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton at Aria.
Today he is filming in Cronulla-the scene of the infamous race riots in 2006 - for a BBC documentary on language. Let's hope he understands the locals.

..and let's not forget Max Markson in Rome !

Man of the month

It must be Paul Yarrow who is making a career out of appearing in the background of news broadcasts as One Fat Guy. He says it's a statement for the ordinary man. We agree. He is ordinary but he's a star !

Jono's tribute to John & Yoko

Jono Coleman channels Dawn French in his tribute to Yoko Ono and John Lennon with Give Schnitz A Chance

Sometimes they get it right

The much lambasted advertising industry occasionally comes up with an interesting advert. Levis have done it with their Guy Walks Across America advert which has had nearly 1 million views on YouTube. They still sell the best and most affordable jeans as well.

Travels with Max

Twittering Max Markson is in Rome. We thought it was quiet in town. Some pics from our favourite celebrity publicist's travels via twitter:

Your candidate from the Sex Party

With a general election on Saturday 21st August there is a chance to send a message to Tony 'Mad Monk' Abbott, the Leader of the Opposition who could be the next Prime Minister.

For more xenophobic types you can also send a message to London born Tony and the Welsh born PM Julia Gillard by voting for a natural born comedian Austen Tayshus.

 Those who have ever seen Austen Tayshus ( Alexander Gutman) know just how funny he is but he is deadly serious about the election and will be standing as the candidate for the Australian Sex Party in Abbott's North Shore seat of Warringah.
Tayshus wants to "get government out of the bedroom". The proposed internet filter, that will put Australia on par with China, Iran and Burma is one of the new party's gripes along with the weird new 'porn declaration' forms being handed out at Immigration desks at airports.

You can see all the party's policies by clicking on the banner at the right...

Austen Tayshus on language...

The Daily Mail strikes again...

You have to love the British Daily Mail newspaper and their infected outrage.
.
Today they have run a story about the hapless Jon Venables:

"Jon Venables' used mobile phone to take 1,200 pics up women's skirts "

On the same page they have run a tale about singer Alesha Dixon :

"Where's your dress gone, Alesha ?"

illustrating the story is a pic of Alesha...up-skirt!