Terrible People

Former Foreign Minister under the Howard government, Alexander Downer  still believes David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib were "terrible people' and says 'the government always regarded Mr Habib as the more dangerous of the two" according to today's Sydney Morning Herald.

Alexander Downer

This follows the release of new Wikileaks cables about the inmates of Guantanamo Bay. Both Habib and Hicks spent years confined there without trial. The latest cables proclaim the two men were "dangerous terrorists and that Habib had 'trained the 9/11 hijackers" and had confessed in Egypt that he had "planned to hi-jack a Qantas jet"

When Egyptian students helped overthrew the dictator Mubarak in Egypt secret police files revealed that Habib had been rendered to Egypt  by the USA-despite official denials- where he was tortured for 5 months and questioned whilst an Australian government official was in the room.

Alexander Downer had always emphatically denied Habib's claim that he was sent to Egypt. Habib was eventually flown back to Australia (not by Qantas but in a government leased Lear jet) after being released without charge.

The Julia Gillard government has just made a secret settlement with Habib rumoured to be around the 2 million dollar mark to nip in the bud embarrssing claims about that torture. The exact details still may emerge because Habib is now suing the Egyptian government.

"No, I won't be changing my mind about them. They were both terrible people - absolutely shocking." continues Downer in the SMH.

Hicks was said to "have links to senior Al-Qaeda leaders" (he met Osama Bin Laden once) and he too was flown back by private jet when released on a dodged up charge. He has said of Alexander Downer  :" he is hardly in a position to call me shocking "

Aloysia & David Hicks with Governor Marie Bashir at Boomerang

The Shuttle met David Hicks seven weeks ago at a party at Boomerang, the Spanish style harborside mansion of trucking magnate Lindsay Fox. He seemed a likeable and friendly chap, if somewhat wary of the press but the NSW Governor, Her Excellency Marie Bashir chatted amicably to Hicks and his wife Aloysia and didn't seem at all 'shocked' by him.

Fact : from 1999 tthe Australian Wheat Board paid bribes of nearly $300M to Saddam Hussein in the 'wheat for oil scandal'. During a Royal Commission evidence was heard that the money was used to buy weapons that were used against the allies invading Iraq to depose Saddam.

The minister responsible for the AWB-Alexander Downer claimed that he had never read the hundreds of emails informing him of the bribes. Although the Commission recommended charges against 12 people, no-one ever faced a court.

Aussies Named In Time's 'Most Influential'

Time Magazine calls them the most influential people in the world : artists and activists, reformers and researchers, heads of state and captains of industry. "Their ideas spark dialogue and dissent and sometimes even revolution."

Amongst Nobel prize winners like Aung San Suu Kyi and world leaders Barack Obama,Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, celebrities such as Colin Firth, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Ford and Justin Beiber and a terrorist- Anwar al-Awlaki are two Australians Julian Assange and the emerging star, 22 year old Mia Wasikowska.

Mia, who was born in Canberra got her start in the medical soap All Saints in 2005 and hit the big time when she co-starred with Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's 3D production of Alice In Wonderland.



Glenn Close & Mia Wasikowska
Photo :Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images



Actress Glenn Close says of Wasikowska : "Mia, 21, is a sun, not a satellite. She generates her own energy. She's seductive because she's not compelled to reveal everything. Her shyness has made her an acute observer. At the same time, she loves a good joke, loves to laugh and can suddenly have the boisterous physicality of a teenager."

Julian Assange, listed as a 'muckraker' comes in for some harsh treatment from Germaine Greer :

"Egregious to the last, he is convinced that his prosecution for rape in the Swedish courts was engineered by vengeful U.S. intelligence, unable to grasp the plain fact that his callous treatment made two women angry enough to seek redress."

Read more on The 2011 TIME 100
Here's a trailer for the new production of Jane Eyre in which Mia stars :

Pics Of The Litter

Patrick McMullan is New York City's top society snapper and his work appears in dozens of US

magazines and throughout the world. He's a contributing editor for Vanity Fair and has regular columns in publications like Ocean Drive and New York Magazine.

Check out his new on-line magazine PMc. .Here are a few pics from his regular monthly feature : Pics of the litter




Keanu Reeves & Vera Farmiga pic by Steve Hunt for Patrick McMullan.com



Elton John by Jimi Celeste for Patrick McMullan.com



Gwyneth Paltrow*Adam Rapoport*Simone Shubuck by Patrick McMullan



Rats Invade Ritzy Hotel

There is plague of rodents in the uber smart suburb of Double Bay according to 'Mr Double Bay' Graeme Goldberg the owner of the popular restaurant  Dee Bees.



Ritz Carlton Double Bay



Writing in the latest copy of Latte Life where he has a regular column, Goldberg says he and fellow business owners signed a petition asking the Woollahra Council to hire a pest controller. The matter was raised in a council meeting by councillor Andrew Petrie but apparently a Greens councillor nipped it in the bud claiming it was a problem for local business owners.



Diana at The Ritz



Graeme Goldberg



Says Goldberg "Mate you gotta be joking. they're coming out of the drains and last time I checked the Pied Piper of Hamlin didn't own a property in Double Bay. I suggest the council send the experts to the old cinema and the closed down Stanford Hotel"

The Stanford is a sorry sight at present. It closed nearly two years ago and in a previous life it was one of the chicest 5 star hotels in Sydney- The Ritz Carlton.



Bob'n'Blanche Hawke



As the Ritz it enjoyed an illustrious clientele including most visiting celebrities like Tom Jones, Whoopi Goldberg and Bob Dylan. Two US presidents stayed there -George Bush Sr and Bill Clinton and it was a home away from home for the late Princess Diana on her very last visit to Australia. Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke lived there for a year when he left office and was married there to wife Blanche and the late singer Michael Hutchence died in a first floor suite on a Saturday morning in 1997.



As the Standford Hotel the inn gradually declined in favour and a new owner plans to turn the site into luxury apartments but is having problems with local council height restrictions. At present the building remains empty and uninhabited like the suburb's former cinema in New South Head Road.

Goldberg and others want action and believe the problem will escalate fast : "The Bay has always had rats but they wear suits and sip Chardonnay. If there is vermin breeding you don't have to be Einstein to know where to start looking"

exclusive : Defamation Case to Be Launched Against Zuckerberg & Facebook

The Shuttle has seen some of the legal papers but we cannot reveal the name of the litigant. This is going to be a biggie though.

A Melbourne based celebrity and high profile figure is to launch a massive defamation case in the Australian and other courts against Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.

He/she claims they have almost been driven  mad and to despair by a facebook page set up in their name and only just brought to their attention after 18 months, which contains dozens of defamation's and libelous posts by the approximately 1000 'friends'.

And we aren't talking just personal insults here which this person could wear-we mean viscous nasty rumours of extra-marital affairs, involvement in murder and all sorts of illegal activities.

Our anonymous litigant has a Sydney and a Melbourne QC itching to take on the Internet giant and one of the countries top law firms working pro bono. They intend launching actions in the English, US and Australian courts simultaneously. They also intend to ask a British court to suppress the name  of the litigant because of the nature of the falsehoods which they say may be authored annonymously but are published by facebook.

We have been told that the law firm and both barristers has been appalled by a recent case of a  facebook page that named a deceased child on which pornographic images were posted and the seemingly lax attitude of the facebook managers, and the way in which British anti-child abuse campaigners were continually rebuffed when trying to get a 'panic button' installed for kids. That lawyer claims facebook only acts at the last moment and after considerable pressure and only then , when it feels it may receive bad publicity.

Further-the law firm says it has now been requesting via the normal facebook channels to have the offending pages removed and have basically met a brick wall.

"Facebook is one of the most troubling internet websites at the moment " says one lawyer "It operates under that hoary old claim of 'freedom of speech' which is a cover for the freedom to insult, libel ,defame and humiliate. It offers the most illusory but dangerous feeling of security in that people feel they are reaching out to find friends when the very opposite could be happening. There are stories of vunerable teens committing suicide after hate messages being posted. There are media releases galore from facebook saying they will solve these problems but it's just words in the end"
If successful this could open the floodgates against facebook. It could rival the famous case in 2002 when diamond merchant Joseph Gutnick launched a successful libel action against Dow Jones in a Melbourne court which basically changed the rules.

Hottest Bachelor Named - Loser Strips

Australia's Cleo Magazine Bachelor of The Year was named last night-Olympic swimming champ Eamon Sullivan (above) described as "charismatic, ambitious,  intelligent, and amazing in the kitchen ".

 Organisers this year sensibly chose ace PR Roxy Jacenko of Sweaty Betty to promote the event-hence acres of coverage on TV networks and newspapers. Roxy is the sort of publicist who doesn't subscribe to the current fad that media workers-photographers, journalists and TV crews are some sort of 'necessary evil' to be tolerated and shoved into a pen and then discarded when it suits.

hosting-Sophie Monk

This years' event was a glittering bash with a black tie dinner at the Ivy ballroom and actress Sophie Monk-still looking for that big break in Hollywood, flew into town to host the event. Sophie confided to the Shuttle that she had been 'celibate' for a year but was looking for a possible candidate amongst the 50 bachelors on show that evening.

On the subject of celibacy-there was much talk during the evening about the successful TV film



Bachelor shows his charms



 Paper Giants : The Birth of Cleo  just screened on the ABC and it's creating editor Ita Buttrose (who famously declared after divorce she intended remaining celibate), and the late media mogul Kerry Packer's hand in getting to print Cleo Magazine in the 1970s which at times reached sales of up to 250,000 copies a month and is still going strong.

Everyone credited actress Asher Keddie for her role as the lightly lisping Ita Buttrose as having given an award winning performance.

Society photographer Bill Ranken who has been around long enough (he's 81) to know the Packers and all the personalities featured in the film (he's also 'landed gentry') agreed Asher's performance was superb and that Tony Barry as the guff Sir Frank Packer was spot on.

As to the long rumoured romance between Buttrose and Packer, Ranken says it never happened :

 "Kerry never mixed business with pleasure" says Ranken.

"Kerry admired Ita for her talent and he would never have risked complicating the business relationship by making it personal. It was just the usual Sydney gossip that ramped the relationship into a love affair. "

Ranken , whose Society Spy pages can be seen in Latte Life also says the film skipped over Kerry Packer's tipple of choice Fanta and how that choice of drink it came about.

Asher Keddie & Rob Carlton as Ita Buttrose
& Kerry Packer in the ABC's Paper Giants.

"Restaurants around the world would be phoned ahead to tell them Kerry was booking a table and that a crate of Fanta should be on hand. The corporate jet was always stocked with plentiful supplies." says Bill.



bachelors come in all sizes



" In the film Kerry says he went on a bender when very young and woke up with a shocking hangover the following morning. He says in the film and that 'he never wanted to feel that way again'. The real truth is that in between the drinking and waking up there was a scene that resulted in tragedy that Kerry never got over. He swore off alcohol for life and kept his word". Ranken declined to illuminate on what had happened that fateful night.




bachelorette attacks cake

 

The media behaves

Julian Assange in Uncle Sam Outrage

In the week following the prestigious Archibald Exhibition and the awarding of the $50,000 prize for the winning portrait of a notable figure in public life, comes the Bald Archies, the alternative art prize.

This year's winner-a  painting of Julian Assange urinating into Uncle Sam's top hat. It should infuriate Washington even further !

Tilted Bad Ass-Ange by Xavier Ghazi the Bald Archies can be viewed at the Tap Gallery in Darlinghurst.

exclusive : Footage From the Royal Wedding Rehearsal

OK we fibbed. This video has gone viral on youtube with over 6 million hits but we bring it to the Shuttle for those who haven't yet viewed this wonderful offering from T-Mobile.

So Sudden-A Sad Passing.

Blair Milan 1982-2011

Just 2 months ago the Shuttle wrote of the plans of one of Sydney's bright young men about town-Blair Milan the charming 29 year old son of celebrity chef Lyndey Milan and TV executive Nigel Milan.

 In recent weeks Blair had been suppressing feelings of being unwell. He thought it was due to complications from recent dentistry work. On Wednesday Blair was immediately admitted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for blood tests after a visit to his GP.

Early yesterday morning Blair Milan passed away after slipping into a coma after it was discovered he was suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia.



Lyndey Milan with Margaret Fulton

Testimony to how much Blair was loved by his pals was that over 30 of them along with Lyndey and his dad Nigel packed his hospital room to be with him. Outside dozens  more friends filled the hospital waiting room. At the local pub next door many of Blair's school pals from Barker College had already began to drown their sorrows.

The Shuttle had watched Blair grow from a cheeky school lad who first appeared on the stage at the age of 14 into a well mannered, charming and gifted actor. He appeared on the Foxtel Go channel and big things were being lined up for him.

At the launch of the Lavazzi calender in February where Blair- who like so many in the uncertain theatre world, doubled up as a maître d' for Stedman's Catering told us of his plans to start his own catering staff firm and of the 13 part TV food series -Lyndey & Blair's Taste of Greece, he had completed with his Mum . It is due to be screened on SBS TV this year.

We joked about how Lydney, the vivacious and hugely popular TV chef had been one of the few to tame Gordan Ramsey whenever he was in town and of how chefs Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver had sent messages of encouragement to both Blair and Lyndey wishing them success for their Greek food show.

Blair Milan is survived by his sister Lucy who is travelling back from London and his mother Lyndey Milan and father Nigel Milan.

Aussie Love Song for Prince William and Kate's Wedding a European Hit



David & Eden : Lovers Electric



An Australian singing duo Lovers Electric who have been living in Berlin for the past few years quietly building a cult following have had their new release adopted by Germany's biggest TV network as the theme song for the April 29th wedding of HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Originally from Adelaide, David Turley and wife Eden Boucher's new love song "Love Can Save Us" began being aired last Friday on the top commercial TV network RTL and it will be featured during every show in which the Royal wedding of the century is discussed, RTL promos as well as the actual live broadcast when an estimated 35 million Germans will watch the network's coverage.

The exposure is certain to catapult the two into fame throughout Europe

David and Eden were in London about 18 months ago rehearsing when an invite came out of the blue to audition for RTL producers. They performed 3 songs live and the producers immediately snapped up the song. The pair moved back to Germany to work on a new album of love songs "Impossible Dreams." The single and  album will be released by Universal Music in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on April 22

The pair who have been together since they were both 17 have music and performing in their blood. Eden used to perform with her 6 sisters, dancer mother and musician father while they travelled Australia in a camper van. 

David has been playing piano, composing and singing since his school days, encouraged by his poet father and pianist mother who is also a songwriter.

Lovers Electric have slotted nicely into the hip artistic Neukölln district in Berlin with both claiming the area is inspirational in the composing of their pop-rock songs. The pair are also active in agitating for refugee and asylum seeker rights . David is quoted as saying : "Our songs are often about a greater concept and how perfect the world can be if we all care for one another".

The opening verses of 'Love Can Save Us' and video can be viewed on Lovers Electric's website and below is an earlier song and video "Could this be.."

Aussie Victim of Britain's Phone Hacking Scandal

James Murdoch who has just been appointed as third in command of the mighty News Corp's USA operations has said that the phone hacking scandal in Britain has been "put in a box". But that Pandora's Box threatens to burst open in unexpected ways.

Collateral damage may be far and wide and open up even more lawsuits from those not directly hacked but who have also suffered because of the illegal phone taps.

It's already been aknowledged that model Elle McPherson was one celebrity whose mobile phone voice-mail messages were illegally listened to by the tabloid  News of The World employees, but one of her innocent associates ended up being sacked because of it.

 Mary Ellen Field was the Australian brand manager, legal adviser and confidante of Elle who advised and worked on McPherson's hugely successful range of personalised merchandise that has earned the supermodel a reputed $60 million dollar fortune.

When Elle McPherson discovered that messages between her and her adviser Field were mysteriously ending up as gossipy items in the media, she sacked the firm Mary Ellen worked for. As has been since discovered, Field and her employer were innocent of revealing Elle's confidential information.

On Friday the ABC radio broadcaster Mark Colvin spoke to Field's lawyer Mark Lewis who has issued court proceedings in Britain against News Corp on Field's behalf and who described the recent offer from News for compensation as not being quite all that it seems

Lewis responded to Colvin's question on compensation : " It's only partially true. What has been said by the Murdoch companies is that if a claim can be proved, that they will then compensate the people but the criteria that had been set out by Murdoch - I mean, it's very different, I mean we have a position where they're sort of playing Australian Rules Football and the game we're playing is cricket; they're just two different criteria. "

Read the full transcript on ABC News PM here, listen to the broadcast and download podcasts of previous ABC shows.

 ** The UK's Dail Mail has run a story on Andrew Bolt's continuing court case in which he is being sued by 9 Indigenous folk in a piece headlined : ''They're not really Aborigines': Right-wing columnist sparks race row in Australia".

The case has brought Bolt some unlikely supporters like the Sydney Morning Herald's legal columnist Richard Akland and the top political website crikey.com.au, neither of which could be accused of leaning to the right in the political spectrum with many saying the case amounts to an attack upon free speech.


Bolt : ABC TV



In the past Bolt has questioned the veracity of Climate Change claims and if there really was a Stolen Generation- the practice of white 'protectors' forcibly removing Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children to assimilate them into mainly white religious missions.

Aboriginal activists say the opposite as in this piece "An open letter to Andrew Bolt from a “half-caste”, “yella fella”, “half-breed” Kungarakan-Gurindji woman"
Read the full story at the Mail Online here.

Art'n About

Joanna Braithwaite's 'Royal Mount' from the Sulman exhibition

Now in its 90th year, the Archibald Prize is one of Australia’s oldest and most prestigious art awards. JF Archibald’s primary aims were to foster portraiture, support artists and perpetuate the memory of great Australians.

There was little controversy this year. No-one is suing anyone as has happened several times in the past - once over a claim a charcoal drawing was not a painting. Although the Archibalds thrive on controversy and out of hundreds of entries only 40 get hung as a twelve trustees of the NSW Art Gallery-led by the president Steven Lowy (his family own the world-wide chain of Westfield shopping centres) finally decide on a winner after much debate.



Margaret Olley &  Ben Quilty



This year's winner of the $50,000 prize was Ben Quilty with his portrait of Australia's doyen of art, 88 year old Margaret Olley acclaimed as our greatest living artist who was also the subject of the 1948 winning work by William Dobell.

Richard Goodwin won the Wynne Prize for his sculpture of a vertical motorcycle titled ' Co-isolated slav.'and the Sulman Prize was won by Peter Smeeth for his painting 'The artist's fate'.

Hugo Weaving admires a painting of his pal Richard Roxburgh

All the works  go on public exhibition from tomorrow until June 26 at the Art Gallery of NSW and will then tour regional NSW and Victoria.



Rodney Pople with his family portrait



round the world sailor Jessica Watson by Tom McBeth

Judy & Ken Done with his self portrait

Nicholas Harding's portrait of actor Hugo Weaving



Gallery director Edmund Capon, new NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell , Steven Lowy



Song Ling's self portrait