Art Attacks !

right : Rodney Pople & Annita Keating

It is the sort of publicity to die for !. Complaints that the art works are 'blasphemous' and 'pornographic'.

Rodney Pople, a graduate from the prestige Slade Art School in London found around 20 placard waving religious folk outside an art gallery at the beginning of his new solo exhibition this week at the Australian Gallery in Paddington. Pople's impressive list of collectors of his works include US film director Spike Jonze, millionaire banker and MP Malcolm Turnbull and Perth billionaire media mogul Kerry Stokes.

The demonstrators-in between bouts of prayers, were complaining that Pople's exhibition, Bellini 21c, includes a work called Altarpiece in which the figures in the famous Bellini altarpiece in Venice are obscured by an image of a woman being penetrated from behind and having oral sex.

Their prayers paid off. As guests arrived for the opening party the heavens opened and rain lashed down. Amongst those guests was a former pupil of Pople's and the former first lady Annita Keating who was once married to former Prime Minister Paul Keating. Annita is having her own exhibition early next year. She wasn't shocked by Pople's works and says she concentrates on painting flowers. So there won't be a demo at her show.

Apparently Inspector Knacker of Rose Bay police is investigating the complaints about the art works.
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He's been called one of 2 of the most important living Australian artists-Charles Blackburn (left)-the other is Margaret Olley-and his past paintings exchange hands for well over a million dollars but the artist at 82 is said to be struggling financially.

Blackman's latest exhibition at the Art House was a sellout which should solve that crisis. Blackman has had 4 wives and they all received generous settlements including the last - Victoria who is a devotee of the Raelians which has been described as "the largest UFO religion in the world".

Raelians don't believe in smoking, drinking and sex. Blackman believes in all 3 so something had to go. It was Victoria.
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At the other end of the art market, the very controversial painter Charles Billich seems to have become very chummy with King Taufa'ahau Tupou V. the King of Tonga who has been keeping a $2000 a night suite at a Kings Cross hotel and entertaining locals with Charles and wife Christa joining in.

Apparently Charles has begun work on a portrait of the King and will be presenting it to him in 8 weeks at a gala dinner in the King's honour (we'll be there!).

Tupov V takes after his predecessors in looks and enormous bulk. His grandmother Queen SalotiTupou III was in the Royal procession of coaches after the coronation of HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Watching was Noel Coward along with actor David Niven. When Niven asked who the large lady in the carriage was, Coward replied "the Queen of Tonga".
"And who is the little man beside her " asked Niven of the small attendant seated next to the Tongan Queen.
"Her lunch" replied Coward.

Bizarre venues

To the Carriageworks in downtown Redfern for the performance of Dita Von Teese in her Cointreauversial burlesque show.

Or so we thought it was the Carriageworks. The marvellous former railway carriage workrooms are in fact 2 venues with the same name. One on the west side of Redfern and one on the south. Equally as huge and both with the same name. Which is all very confusing.

Cointreau is a ghastly drink that completely dehydrates you and gives you the most evil hangover ever. But we love their parties. When ace publicist Deeta Colvin ran the legendary Cointreau Balls every year from 1989 to 1999 invitations were the most sought after all year. People flew from all over the globe to attend the fancy dress galas that were always held in secret venues with guests bussed to an fro in fleets of limos.

No-one drank Cointreau of course. They all stuck to French champagne. At the very last ball in '98 when the budget was clipped, they only served the sickly liqueur. Everyone knew the game was up.

Ms Von Teese is a lovely girl but waiting nearly 2 hours for a ten minute performance was a bit much. Especially when the only alcohol on offer is Cointreau.

Earlier in the night the Shuttle attended the World Champions Ball at Doltone House down by the harbour. Or so we thought it was Doltone House.

Like dozens of others who were deposited in taxis and limos at what we thought was Doltone House (which it was). We were then told by a helpful attendant that it was actually another Doltone House a hundred yards down the road (it was three hundred). Which didn't please the ladies in long gowns and stilettos.

Why would you name two venues Doltone House? . It's hardly a riveting name.

We went to met Usain Bolt, the world champion Jamaican runner who was also the youngest ever Olympic Gold Medal winner. He holds a host of unbeaten records as well which makes him the fastest man on 2 legs on Earth.

Usian wanted to meet some local wildlife so the obligatory Koala Bear and a Kangaroo Joey were trotted out for him and we all oohed and ahhed over them.

And the name of Koala and the Joey?..both were called 'Sidney'!

MI6, a Body in a Bag and the Transvestite Prosititute !

MI6 Headquarters

As rumours swirl around the bizarre case of the MI6 officer whose body was found stuffed into a sport's bag, the tale brings back memories of other strange deaths with Britain's Secret Intelligence Service ( MI6) always close in the background.

After MI6 officer Gareth William's ( right) body was discovered nearly 3 weeks ago, odd reports have appeared in the media with no-one apparently any closer to the truth of how he died. First reports seemed to indicate his death was some sort of sex game gone wrong but after an outcry from William's relatives who claimed the spy service was sending out mis-information authorities have been quick to scotch the story.

But even today MI6 investigators are claiming that Williams could have padlocked himself into the sports bag where his decomposing body was found. Pathologists have said that he was not strangled, stabbed or shot and they are yet to discover how the spy died.

It's not the first mysterious death in spy circles. The most recent is of course the famous Iraqi weapons inspector David Kelly's purported suicide in 2003. Few people are willing to accept the official version given in the Hutton Inquiry especially after the post mortem report was classified for 70 years.

In 2009 a group of British doctors including Michael Powers, a physician, barrister, and former coroner; and Julian Blon, a professor of intensive care medicine and many MPs have challenged the cause of death and said the manner of death described in the official version could not have happened the way it's claimed.

Who would want to kill Kelly ?. He had certainly embarrassed the British government and there are said to be remnants of Saddam Husein's former government who may have been gunning for him.

The Social Shuttle encountered something similar when we approached the former UN weapons inspector Richard Butler at a Sydney film festival. As we tapped him on the shoulder the poor man jumped out of skin. "Please never do that again" he pleaded. Apparently Saddam had threatened to have him bumped off and Butler was living in fear.

The respected writer Richard Webster however is having none of this conspiracy stuff and believes the Kelly theory is a beat-up.

One of the oddest spy murders was in 1978 when the Bulgarian dissident and writer Georgi Markov (left) was killed in London apparently by a tiny pellet of the poison Sarin being pumped into his leg from an umbrella gun as he waited to cross a street.

Markov had fled the then Stalinist Bulgarian state in 1971 and became a broadcaster on the BBC World Service and was a fierce critic of his homeland. But sources claimed after his death he was also an MI6 informant and may have been uncovered as a double agent.

In 2006 Alexander Litvinenko (pictured right) an ex-KGB officer living in London was poisoned by radioactive material and died shortly after being admitted to hospital. British authorities accused Russian agents of killing Litvinenko but it was discovered that he was also an MI6 informant and again, it was claimed he was a double agent.

Possibly the strangest death was that of the person known as Vikki De Lambray , a transvestite male prostitute whose body was discovered in 1986.

De Lambray was born David Gibbon and claimed to be the illegitimate son of an aristocrat. A part time actor and entertainer he was well known in London social circles and a regular at high society parties.

He also had a job on the side as a prostitute operating from London's Shepherd's Market. Vikki had a particular knack of lifting his client's wallets and credit cards after he had serviced them. He had been arrested several times for theft.

Vikki's life unravelled when he lifted the wallet of a civil servant, Sir James Dunnett after an encounter. De Lambray was busted in Harrods while on a spending spree with Dunnet's credit cards. At his trial the media got wind of the case and it was soon on the front pages.

Unfortunately for Vikki, Sir James Dunnett was a retired head of MI6.

The story had all the right elements to send Britain's Fleet Street tabloids into a frenzy. Spies, male prostitutes, transvestites and it was soon discovered-a Russian naval attache Captain Anatoli Zotov,who was also a client of de Lambray's.

Soon a well spoken young lady named Caroline Clark was on the phone to the tabloids claiming to be an acquaintance of de Lambray's and willing to sell the true story of the former David Gibbon's life. Ms Clark found plenty of takers and was pulling in the pounds before she was discovered to be de Lambray, in one of his finest acting roles.

Friends of de Lambray's warned him had gone too far and that embarrassing the secret services like MI6 just wasn't a healthy game. They warned him to expect recriminations.

When de Lambray announced he had written a 900 page book detailing the names of his famous clients, the nervousness increased.

In 1986 the Press Association received a frantic phone call :
"a group of men have broken into my flat and injected me with heroin or something". It was Vikki de Lambray. Many reporters were used to Vikki's odd and dramatic phone calls and the reporter who answered the call took little notice.

But the following day Vikki's fully clothed body was found, slumped in an arm chair. A post mortem found no marks on his body and could not ascertain how he died. His body still lies in a London morgue.
Missing from de Lambray's flat was the manuscript detailing his affairs with famous names, which a friend said had been there when he visited the hapless Vikki earlier that day.

exclusive- special guest for Oprah Winfrey's Sydney show

US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is to record 2 shows at the Sydney Opera House in December, the first time she has filmed a show outside the USA.

Apart from 25o crew members and 300 guests who will travel with her, Oprah will have a host of Aussie guests like Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Cate Blanchett. Russell Crowe has said he will appear if he is in town.

Agents are already negotiating for a number of smaller stars to appear given the extraordinary showcase the opportunity presents with 40 million viewers world-wide.

The Social Shuttle can exclusively reveal one guest who has been signed to appear-Bondi Vet's Chris Brown. Apparently Oprah had already seen vision of Chris and has been secretly negotiating for the TV vet to appear. This is sure to catapult the 6'2"Brown into international stardom with his classic movie star looks and easy manner.


The credit for getting Oprah to Sydney goes to US born NSW state premier Kristina Keneally whose NSW Tourism department began negotiations with the US TV queen 9 months ago. And how will this mob get here ?. Simple. Qantas roving ambassador John Travolta will be piloting a 747 from LA to Sydney !.



Watch Oprah tell her audience they are off to Australia !

When Media Moguls dine

James & Erica (left)

Lachlan & Sarah

Heads turned on Saturday night as one of Australia's richest power couples walked into Surry Hill's Winery Restaurant. It was billionaire James Packer (estimated wealth : $6.1B) and his wife, ex-model Erica.

And the guests who joined them shortly after soon got tongues wagging-Lachlan Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, and his wife, the model Sarah Murdoch.

This was a joint celebration.
James and Lachlan both share the 8Th September as their birthday. Which makes them typical Virgoans. In Chinese astrology James is Sheep. Sheep are often into new age philosophies.

Perhaps that explains the young Packer's interest in Scientology which movie star and good friend Tom Cruise introduced him to. ( Cruise phoned Packer at the restaurant to wish him all the best)

Sheep can be generous in love. Former wife Jodhi Meares could probably attest to that. It's rumoured she picked up $15M in her divorce from James plus a house and another for her mother.
Ex fiancee Kate Fisher is said to have got a $3M parting gift plus a Bondi apartment.

When James and Kate married they did it in style on the French Rivera at Hotel du Cap - Eden Roc . 100 guests were flown from Australia first class and the 2 honeymooned on the Mediterranean in the Packer's luxurious former ice-breaker, the Arctic P. ( joined by Cruise and Katie Holmes).

Sheep aren't the best in business. Possibly why Packer has dropped a billion since his father Kerrie left him the biggest inheritance in Australian history in 2005.

Lachlan Murdoch is a Pig or Boar in Chinese astrology. Pigs are nice to a fault and possess impeccable manners and taste. They delight in finery and riches. Lachlan fits this to a tee. He recently paid a record $23M for the former French Consulate in Bellevue Hill which came with tennis courts, swimming pool, sculptured lawns, 8 bedrooms and magnificent harbour views. It's also a stone's throw from his good sheep mate Jame's Belleveue Hill compound.

Pigs are so pure they cannot see bad in anyone. James and Lachlan took a pasting in their joint One-Tel venture losing around $300M of their respective father's money when they hung on every word from their former school mate Jodee Rich (pictured left with James & Lachlan) who convinced them it was a great investment.

When Lachlan was CEO of his father's Australian News Corporation he used to walk around the various newspapers enquiring after just about everyone's health. Old timers said he was too soft.

What do the rich give each other on their birthdays?. We aren't sure but Lachlan came bearing Cartier carrier bags for James !
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Following our report that Russell Crowe and Danielle Spencer (plus kids) viewed a Seven Shillings Beach house (right) last week, the 1950's style house sold for $19M on the weekend at auction.

The property was sold by cardboard packing industry heir Nigel Butler who prefers surfing most days rather than high finance and business. Although the house is rather run down it does have exclusive access to the beach and a sensational view to the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. No news yet on whether the Crowe family will be moving in.

Jerry Hall's new Aussie bloke

Jerry at a Sydney party last month

Warwick Hemsley

The rumour began just over ten days ago-Jerry Hall was being squired around town by a new man. This week his identity was revealed : Warwick Hemsley, a millionaire Perth businessman who is on the board of numerous A- listed companies. 

Jerry is residing in Perth for an upcoming appearance of her memorable role in The Graduate, in which she appears nude on stage and which opens tomorrow night.  

Eileen Bond

Hemsley has impeccable art credentials as well. He is on the Council of the National Gallery in Canberra and was Deputy Chairman of the West Australian Opera Company and was Chairman of the Australia Day Council of Western Australia. He was instrumental in bringing about the current exhibition in Canberra :Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and beyond: Post-impressionism from the Musée D’Orsay.

Hall and Hemsley were spotted arm in arm at a party given in Jerry's honour at Eileen 'Big Red' Bond's up-market Peppermint Grove mansion on Tuesday night. Bond, ex-wife of Alan Bond and Hall are old friends-they met through theatre producer John Reid, the former manager of Elton John.

It Runs in The Family !

Amelia & Lucy-Glamor from Melbourne!

In the weekend Sunday Telegraph, star columnist Ros Reines was quite correctly be-moaning the dearth of 'glamorous' figures on the social circuit. Sometimes you need to look a bit further afield than the usual round of  promotional  cocktail parties flogging products and services.

Which was what the Social  Shuttle did last week by  attending the Australian Himalayan Foundation fundraiser at the Sofitel- a charity that raises money to build classrooms, medical clinics and finances cultural activities for the people of the Himalayas. 

The Foundation has a number of worthy partners including the National Geographic Channel and the Australian Tibetan Society. 

One person we always find at these functions is Gabbi Hollows who runs the superb Fred Hollows Foundation which continues the work of the saintly late Prof Fred Hollows in providing medical operations to restore sight all over the third world.

Our find ?- gorgeous Amelia Hillary !. Amelia is the grand-daughter of Sir Edmund Hillary, the conqueror of Everest and she's just returned from her second climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. Sadly we won't be seeing Amelia on the Sydney circuit-she flew up from Melbourne for the night and she brought a glamorous pal with her-the exceptionally tall and beautiful Lucy Myer, the grand-daughter of the very Victorian establishment figures Bales and Sarah Myer, heirs to the Myer Emporium  fortune.

Kylie's London pad for sale at a bargain price !

Further to our story on the London property developers Candy & Candy (see below) and the falling value of their empire.

 

Our favourite songbird Kylie Minogue has put her London apartment up for sale at a reduced price of $6.6M (although a little budgie tells us any offer over $5M will seal a deal !). Kylie bought the apartment from the Candy's in 1998 paying $5.4M.

The Social Shuttle has been to Kylie's lovely flat twice (she's an old family friend) and although the gorgeous pad is impressive, it seemed indicative of everything that was wrong about the era of New Labour Thatcherism in England where style triumphed over substance, consumerism was on steroids and an  American style of flaunt your wealth crassness consumed the British persona when it had survived for centuries on the very opposite

Kylie says she found the place a bit austere and when her brother left some years ago, a little on the lonely side. And especially when little sister Danni moved out in 2004. She wants a cottage somewhere which is really more her style. The extended Minogue family are extremely close and she wants to be able to have room for family to stay. In fact we reckon Kylie is seriously thinking about having her own family-she adores Danni's new baby.

Property prices sky-rocketed under Blair & Co's corporatism and every man and his dog became a developer as reality shows pushed the fable that all could become rich and that the ' inevitable bubble will burst' day would never arrive, as it did in the USA under the Fannie Mac (or is it Freddie May ?) fiasco . The British population should be gearing themselves up for a correction still to come in the property market.

You can read about Kylie's beautiful place here :

Here's the gorgeous Danni talking about her new book out soon. 

Paris Hilton Vs Perez Hilton

 Update :  "RADAR EXCLUSIVE: Paris Owns Purse That Appears Identical To One She Claimed Was Borrowed Night Of Cocaine Arrest"
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By Twitter :

ParisHilton
  Love this site, it's nice reading the truth instead of these invented stories on other blogs. Check it out - http://tinyurl.com/283qyug

Paris Hilton isn't happy with Kim Kardishan or the gossiper Perez Hilton. That's if you believe the website

Paris Hilton is HUGE  which gets Ms Hilton's seal of approval with her above tweet earlier tonight. 

According to the site:

"Paris Hilton would never jeopardize her career by doing cocaine. We believe her and know exactly what it feels like to be tangled in a mix-up to that degree, all too well. That is another story, for another time, on another blog! This is about Paris! "

On Kim Kardashian the site says : "To add salt to this HUGE wound, Paris Hilton former friend, or should we say leech, was on Jay Leno’s late night show talking bad about her. This is what she had to say about Paris Hilton’s run-in with the law:"

And another former friend Perez Hilton comes in for a serve : "Enough is enough Mario! We think it is disgusting you are using Microsoft’s Paint application to deface Paris Hilton’s photo’s for your posts, mock her, and jump on the Anti-Paris Hilton bandwagon, when you were just butt-kissing a few months prior. 

If it were not for Paris Hilton or your stalkerish ways to get into her inner circle, you would be a TRAGIC waste of space living in your mother’s house."

Our favourite piece :

"Paris Hilton’s recent run-in with the Las Vegas P.D., has been keeping the internet full of made-up stories and rumors. We absolutely hate it! The latest rumor that has spun completely out of control, is that Paris Hilton thought that the cocaine that was found in the purse, was gum.

Yes! Chewing gum that has be around since the dawn of time. This is so disrespectful to Paris Hilton intelligence as a human being. This blog’s owner has shed tears about this, and spoken to her family about it.

So the cocaine that Paris says wasn't in the handbag she was carrying ...that she says wasn't her handbag but a friend's ....didn't have gum in it..and that gum was actually..err ..cocaine!. Wonderful. 

read more of this madness here.

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a must read:

NYC's Golden Gossip Era Fades

in The Village Voice

Video of The Day : I Will Survive!

Something stinks and Russell Crowe isn't happy

Tweeted by Russell Crowe :

  from Woolloomooloo to past Stanley St up to hyde park,the whole area pongs of diesel fuel. Apparently a spill at Garden Island. about 1 hour ago via web .

Russell's view

Wooloomooloo Wharf

Russell's new view ?

It's one of the drawbacks of living on the Woolloomooloo Wharf as north facing residents discovered long ago. Directly opposite is the Garden Island naval base and when the ships are in the smell of diesel wafts over. And it's not healthy for the kids either.

spotted at Seven Shillings Beach

Via Veneta

Perhaps that's why Crowe and family were spotted checking out this 1950's Point Piper mansion on Seven Shillings Beach on Monday.

Despite a rumour that swept the property market, Crowe did not purchase Via Veneta in the same suburb that sold for a record $60M this week.

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Prize for packing the most product placements into a series of daily tweets goes to our favourite celebrity spruiker Max Markson  with these :
  maxmarkson
  Had grt day today ... Did I ever show u the 3 bikini girls ? about 3 hours ago via web 

 maxmarkson
  Check out the uber sexy uber model Emily and get Boca Lupo energy drink  about 11 hours ago via Twittelator
  maxmarkson
  Having hot choc at Guylian with the fully clothed bikini models and Spiderman... Want to join us  about 11 hours ago via Twittelator
  maxmarkson
Crikey this is hard ... 3 bikini clad girls+ Alain Robert and only one can of Boca Lupo energy drink! about 12 hours ago via web 


We thought we should show a pic of spiderman Alain Robert as well. He and Zoo Magazine are clients of Max !

Another one bites the dust

With the death of Colin Tennant, 3rd Lord Glenconner last Friday at the age of 83, the world loses another larger than life character.

Colin Tennant

Mustique

Tennant was once the master of the magical island of Mustique in the Grenadines. He purchased the island in 1959 and set about turning the mosquito plagued barren acres into a millionaires paradise. Along the way he presented HRH Princess Margaret a plot of land as a  wedding present when she wed Antony Armstrong Jones. 

Margaret built her dream holiday home there (designed by the famous stage designer Oliver Messel) and over the next 30 years the island became a playground for international jet-setters and rock stars, criminals and thugs.

Princess Margaret parties on Mustique

You had to be interesting to be even allowed on Mustique. 

Tennant ruled the place like a feudal landlord. 

As he spent an estimated $100M inheritance living a charmed life - he once said  "people like me aren't expected to work for a living"- Tennant gradually took on partners in the luxury resort and eventually found himself an outcast in the paradise he had created.

The New York Social Diary has a good round-up of various British reports on Lord Glenconner here. 

 And there is a critique of a film made about Tennat here :The Man Who Bought Mustique. How the film came about makes a story in itself.

Maragret's holiday house

Watch a clip from the film here. It's a delicious piece where Tennant rounds on an American couple who are involved in preventing the lord from living in a grand marquee he has erected to hold a dinner party for Princess Margaret on the island he founded. The end of the clip where he sends the couple packing as they arrive to invite him to their cocktail party is priceless.

It's said that Lord Glenconner left an anecdote packed diary to be published afer his death. It should make fascinating reading in a world obsessed by minor celebrity and reality TV stars.

If anyone saw the 2008 film The Bank Job they will recall that the gang who break into the London bank were after photographs reputedly of Margaret holidaying on Mustique and inflagranti with some dark locals. We may finally learn if the tale is true.