Guy Up For An Emmy

Guy Pearce has been nominated for an Emmy as best Supporting Actor in A Miniseries for the re-make of Mildred Pierce. Actor Bryan F.O'Byrne has been nominated for the same award in the same film.

The mini-series is a re-make of the 1945 film which starred Joan Crawford at her campest and which starred Zachary Scott in the part played by Pearce. The new series has been nominated for a staggering 21 Emmys including Kate Winslet for best actress  in the lead role.

Pearce first found world fame in the Oscar winning movie Priscilla Queen of The Desert but Aussie TV viewers knew Pearce from the soap Neighbours where he starred alongside Kylie Minogue and Jason Donavon.

The Shuttle has uncovered some hot footage of the three former teen heart throbs frolicking on the beach :

A Billionaire's Mistress

In the NSW Supreme Court a drama is being played out as Madison Ashton, the mistress of the late billionaire Dick Pratt makes a claim for $10 Million from the $6B estate Pratt left when he died in 2009

Dick Pratt

Madison says she was offered $500,000 a year by Pratt to be his exclusive mistress. Another mistress Shari-Lea Hitchcock who had a daughter by Pratt received a substantial sum from Pratt's estate while her daughter Madison reputedly received $22M and the deeds to a luxurious beach side mansion in exclusive Camp Cove. Shari-Lea is also disputing the estate over ownership of a country property.

The Sydney Morning Herald's PS column has revealed Madison's website where she offers escort services with the moniker Christine McQueen-Movie star face-Porn star body- with prices starting at a very reasonable $800 for one hour up to $5000 for 3 hours and $500 for 'Greek' (what is Greek?).

Shari-Lea Hitchcock

PS says Madison is a regular customer of a Paddington cosmetic surgeon who keeps the lady's body trim, taut and tucked.

However in today's Sunday Telegraph Ros Reines who sat behind Madison in a court session this week paints a most unflattering portrait of her -"I thought she was a legal clerk who had been running errands from Phillip St, and then stayed around to watch the action."..." especially when I took in the scuffed, flat shoes (what billionaire's mistress wears flats?) and the rubber band holding her unbrushed black hair in a ponytail".

We thought we may turn to a less jaundiced view- Punter Planet that assesses the virtues or otherwise of working girls with reviews from the average punter. Christine is quite a star on Punter Planet with dozens of threads plus some excellent reviews

LeapingLeroy reckons she is model material, lovely and that he had a 'fantastic time" . MadMick says she is an "absolute goddess" and "out of this world" while BoredDude666 is in total agreement with both commenting on her command of English. FrodoBaggins and paranoiddroid are equally enchanted with Madison's charms although it seems that all of them could only afford one hour with the famous lady.

Jeanne Pratt

Quite what Pratt's long suffering widow Jeanne Pratt thinks of this is anyone's business but she is fighting the case in court  Jeanne and Dick lived in Melbourne in the historic homestead Raheen and they also owned a magnificent penthouse duplex apartment in the ritzy Quay Apartments in Sydney. Neigbours at the Quay include Bold And The Beautiful star Ron Moss who purchsed on the floor below in 2006.

neighbour Ron Moss

PS says he visited Quay Apartments in 2006 and uncovered (along with a half eaten BBQ chook in the fridge) "rooms with a distinctly ''adult'' flavour to them, such as the salmon boudoir, where everything was decorated in pink  " and that "the penthouse at Quay was renowned for its bacchanalian parties ".

The Shuttle has been to the apartment twice under different circumstances, once in 2002 and again in 2007. Did Dick have The Renovators on call for quick makeovers ?. We found no "adult flavour" rooms.

 The two parties we attended were very staid affairs-one for the Sydney International Piano Competition and the other for the Australian Singing Competition for aspiring opera and classical singers.

Jeanne Pratt hosted both functions and there was no Louis Roederer champagne ( as discovered in the dozens by PS in the fridge) just a friendly glass of white and some unappetising hors d'ouverers. No pictures of Dick and his daughter Madison by Shari-Lea (as described by PS).

Perhaps more will be revealed as the case progresses and Madison's threatened diary of life with Dick is produced in court.

Sneak Preview : The Great Gatsby 2

We don't really have any footage-yet, but we are privy to the inner workings on the set of Baz Luhrmann's $150M epic, The Great Gatsby currently being filmed in secrecy at Fox Studios.

Jeff Duff

News comes that alternative singer and entertainer Jeff Duff has scored a role in the epic, playing an eccentric friend of Jay Gastby the movie's hero played by Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Shuttle first encountered Jeff Duff-then called Duffo- at Country Cousins, a London cabaret restaurant off the Kings Road in Fulham.
Duffo appeared on stage one Sunday afternoon singing up a storm with his Duff Orchestra and wearing a jacket that had a dozen brightly coloured dildos hanging from it. We aren't sure if the dildos were part of Duffo's act but they certainly ensured he wouldn't be forgotten.

As we have previously reported, Leo DiCaprio has been hanging out at the tiny Kings Cross club Beach Haus where he regularly takes a corner booth with a group of male friends.

Last night he attended the opening of the glitzy re-vamped The Star casino. Leo slipped in unnoticed by most. He can be seen here in the Sydney Confidential pages of the Daily Telegraph, chatting to friends including Russell Crowe, and scratching his backside. (that will teach him for not posing for the snappers).

Meanwhile guests at the party were talking about how healthy and slim Russell was looking. He seems to have shed several kilos so all that walking he does in the mornings is obviously paying off.

 Crowe learnt ages ago how to get the paparazzi to leave him alone. When he sets out each day from his magnificent Woolloomooloo penthouse on foot, he wears exactly the same gym suit, shoes and cap thus lessening the price of any paparazzi snaps. They gave up hounding him long ago. The rest of the day he can be seen tooling around Sydney in a sleek black CS Class Mercedes.

Here is Jeff Duff in a video we have tracked down with Jeff singing Stairway To Heaven in his inimitable style. Remember, in The Great Gatsby you may see something similar in glorious 3D !

Leo Stars

He's been keeping late nights at the nightclub Beach Haus in Kings Cross, sitting in a booth surrounded by half a dozen pals-Leo DiCaprio in Sydney and working on the re-make of The Great Gatsby.

Tonight he slipped into the grand opening party of The Star, Sydney's re-vamped Star City casino and joined Russell Crowe in the restaurant.

The current owners have spent nearly one billion dollars on the re-vamp. That would seem a brave move with the Federal government under great pressure to curb poker machines -of which there are several thousand at The Star-by 2 parliamentarians who Labor needs the support of to pass legislation.

The Star opened it's doors in 1995 with a spectacular party for several thousand with Diana Ross singing, fireworks and such. It had been designed by a Feng Shui master from Hong Kong. It certainly raked in the bucks for the owners but perhaps that had  more to do with lucrative gambling contracts handed over by the NSW Government and a promise that the casino would be the only legal one in the state. Tonight Olivia Newton John entertained.

The Shuttle attended the original opening in '95. During the day we had visited the couturier Claire Handler in her Double Bay boutique and she had shown us an amazing yellow feathered full length cape she had designed for a customer who had never returned to collect it.

"Looks very Diana Ross" we remarked. With that Claire summonsed a taxi and bundled the feather creation into the cab and sent it off to Diana Ross's suite at Star City.

That night Ross appeared on stage in Claire's creation, sweeping around the stage before flinging it off after 3 songs. As for Claire-she never got the boa cape back or heard from Ms Ross. Not a peep.

Blast From The Past & Fashion Divas

Sue & Joy Smithers

Following the success of her Fashion Divas of the 70s & 80s party night last week at Slide, former top model Sue Smithers is planning another nostalgia night.

Susie, who trod the catwalks of Paris, London and New York for legendary designers like Valentino and the Yves St Laurent, and her actress sister Joy Smithers organised the get together of top Australian names who were big in the 1970s and 80s and some who are still going strong today.

Agents like Peter Chadwick , Jane Cameron and Martin Walsh  (who looks after Elle McPherson), photographers, make-up artists, Deborah Thomas, an international star model in hey day-now editor in chief of the Woman's Weekly, Deborah Hutton , Terry Schwamberg and hairdressers Lloyd and Trish Lomas.

Martin & Michelle Walsh

Joy Smithers who has acted in a host of top films and TV shows like Bangkok Hilton and Home and Away and Susie now spend a lot of time on the speaker's circuit and the night at Slide was to aid a charity close to their hearts : Hope for Cambodian Children.

Terry Schwamberg

And Susie tells me she now has another top night lined up in Victoria Street, Kings Cross- an Arthur's re-union.

Arthur's was the Kings Cross club and restaurant run by Arthur Karvan  and was the coolest nightclub in Sydney for a decade. Every visiting star ended up in a booth at Arthur's gazing over it's balcony at the amazing views of the city skyline or sometimes took to the suspended dance floor that was so packed it shook and shuddered and many wondered how it remained standing-or suspended. It did and it's still there today.

And the little girl in pigtails who often stood shyly on the side on weekends as her parents, Arthur and Gabriel Karvan worked the room ? That was actress Claudia Karvan now starring in the TV series Spirited.

the ever so cool- Arthur Karvan of 'Arthur's'

New York Fashion Week

Anna Wintour and Valentino

The New York Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is in full swing so naturally we turn to our New York pal, top society photographer Patrick McMullan to provide us with a few snaps.

If McMullan is normally full on, fashion week brings an extra dimension. Armed with a fist full of invitations he is almost a blur rushing from one precinct to another,  often with a film crew in tow.

One event he has just covered-The Couture Council of the Museum of FIT  luncheon last Wednesday on the Promenade of the David Koch Theater at Lincoln Center to honour couturier Valentino.

Photographs : Patrick McMullan
        www.patrickmcmullan.com

Lizzie Tisch and Cameron Silver

Rod Keenan and Lisa Boone

Daphne Guinness 

 

 

 

Valentino and Diane von Furstenberg

See more at Patrick's on-line magazine PMC

Lanie Lane Launches Album and Tour

Lanie Lane at Porteno

To the restaurant Porteno in Surry Hills for the launch of Lanie Lane's new CD and a performance from the florist turned songstress.

Lanie is about to set off abroad and has appearances lined up all over the place-The Garage in London on the 19th September followed by Shepherds Bush, Hoxton and the Black Cat & Silver Bullet Bar and thence onto the USA starting in Boston.
Lanie's built a big following in her short career and she is one of the most pleasant acts around. And her songs are nice as you can see from this video below with her Hoochie Cochie Man.

# Porteno won the award for best new restaurant at the important Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide launch last week. It's a large and pleasant establishment and was packed for a Monday evening.

Lanie's tour dates can be seen here.

Vale Andy Whitfiled

SAD news today with the death of Welsh born actor Andy Whitfield who has passed away at the age of 37 with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma disease.

Andy's first big break came with the TV series Spartacus : Blood and Sand. Previously he had appeared in a number of successful Australian series including Packed To The Rafters, All Saints and McLeod's Daughters.

Born in Anglesey Wales, Andy studied engineering at Sheffield University before moving to Australia. He is survived by his wife Vashti.

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Remembering 9/11

There were many heroes on September 11th , 2001.

 This was just one- Father Mychal Judge, the beloved New York Fire Department chaplain.

Chardonnay At Ten Paces : Guardian's Nick Davies Attacks!

News comes of an incident this week between two leading journalists at a book launch in London. The occasion was the launch of Heather Brooke’s new book The Revolution will be Digitised at the offices of publishers Simons Muirhead & Burton in trendy Soho.

Nick Davies guardian.co.uk

One guest was the Guardian journalist Nick Davies who has been diligently plugging away in the back ground for years on the great hacking scandal  that recently brought about the demise of Britain's best selling tabloid, Rupert Murdoch's News Of The World.

In 1996 Davies also worked at The Age in Melbourne where he scored a major scoop by getting several doctors to say, off the record, that they had helped with assisted suicides and would do so again.It caused a political firestorm.

Enter another guest, Australian writer Guy Rundle, popular correspondent for websites crikey.com.au , Counterpunch and more.

Guy Rundle

Rundle is a vocal defender of Julian Assange and had written a piece that appeared on crikey and Counterpunch, dissecting what he says was a 'stitch-up' of the Wikileaks founder Assange by The Guardian.

Davies took Rundle to task in this letter published in The Monthly claiming Rundle got his facts wrong. On the 11th April crikey ran this correction following Rundle's story.

Apparently this wasn't enough for Davies and upon spotting the hapless Rundle at the book launch was finally able to deliver a coup de grâce
with a well aimed tumbler of excellent  publisher's white hurled into the face of Rundle. While Davies did a victory dance around the room Rundle trundled off to change his contact lenses, doused by the wine.                                                

Tom Albanese

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Meanwhile not far from Soho at the British Museum, the mining corp Rio Tinto are sponsoring an Australian season with presentations on our fauna and flora, talks by writers Malcolm Cox and Phillip McLean along with an exhibition of Sydney Nolan paintings and a lecture on that iconic Aussie family saloon the FJ Holden.
                                             
A debate was underway about the environmental effects of European civilisation in Australia with Rio Tinto CEO Tom Alabanese at the lectern when a blaring fire alarm resulted in 340 guest fleeing  the lecture room. It was a false alarm.

The official explanation was that a fierce storm and wind outside had set off the alarm,. Not so according to Stephen Hopper, the Australian director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. He reckoned a slide of red-bellied black snake being used to illustrate a point by Albanese was the cause.

"They have evil powers according to Aboriginals " says Hooper. "they avoid them like the plague".

Small But Cuddly Bar

It's tiny but popular.

Beach Haus in Kings Cross opened in a side street a year ago and has become one of the suburb's trendiest bars.





Jamie Wright

Certainly film star Leonardo DiCaprio must think so. He's been spotted there twice hunkered down with friends in a corner. There's even a claim he has has rented the magnificent penthouse of the Gazebo building, just across the road to be nearby.
On Wednesday night Beach Haus opened it's Moet & Chandon Bar for a select clientele of about 50 regulars only too eager to sample the bar's wares.
So many long legged beauties in one room !. Where do they all come from ?. Perhaps that's what attracts Leo.

One guest- former Bondi Blond beer model Jamie Wright looking heavily pregnant had to forgoe the champers for mineral water  but she still celebrated  the fact that she and hubby John McClean had completed purchase of their million dollar Eastern Suburb's apartment that week.

Jamie became the face of the beer when John Singleton launched it in 2008 and imported party girl Paris Hilton to do the honours. It was such a success that Singleton sold out while Jamie and Paris partied around the world.

Sadly Leo was a no-show on Wednesday even though it was rumoured he may turn up. Perhaps he hasn't moved into the Gazebo yet.

bar owner Danny celebrates with gal pals

Justin Under Attack

While the compact Kings Cross club Beach Haus celebrated the opening of their Moet & Chandon bar (above) Australia's most successful night club entrepreneur Justin Hemmes has come under sustained attacks that bear all the hall marks of the infamous Australian "tall poppy syndrome".

Justin Hemmes

No-one has invested as much money as the young mogul in providing chic and luxurious premises for Sydney-siders to party in. To date an estimated $200M. Hemmes employs around 2000 staff and is regarded by those who work for him as a firm but fair and generous boss. There is a waiting list of hundreds of young hopefuls wishing to be employed by Justin's Merivale Group.

Starting with 2 hotels in the city, Hemmes bucked the trend and turned old style pubs into stylish and modern bars aided by his sister Bettina who is responsible for decorating all his premises.

Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman partied at his Slip Inn while the Crown Prince of Denmark, Frederick met his future bride Mary Donaldson there during the 2000 Olympics.

When he opened the elegant Establishment in lower George Street in a beautiful colonial Georgian building he introduced the city to a style not seen before.

Huge marbled floored bars that become packed after office hours, an award winning restaurant Est run by top chef Peter Doyle (picking up '3 Hats' again last week at the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide launch) and a series of function rooms constantly in use with a nightclub Hemmesphere that became the place to relax for visiting international stars from Beyonce to Bono to actor Simon Callow.

In any other world class city Hemmes would probably be given a gold key to the city having almost solely revived central Sydney' dormant nightlife.

A party at the Ivy pool

Instead he has faced a raft of opposition from local police over exaggerated incidents that pale into insignificance when one considers he hosts tens of thousands of patrons every week.

Hemmes also came under the gaze of  Lord Mayor Clover Moore who donned a new hat as the head of the Anti-Fun Police and attempted to enforce strict drinking hours reminiscent of the dreaded 1950s "six o'clock swill" when pubs slammed their doors shut at 6pm each evening. Fortunately the outcry was deafening particularly as Hemmes had invested his family fortune in his city nightclubs

Hemmisphere

Three months ago Hemmes was held up at gunpoint in his recently purchased Surry Hill's pub . Outside a police car with 2 officers calmly watched as the armed raiders made their get away in a stolen BMW crashing into another car in the process.

A fortnight ago it is alleged his doormen bashed a patron in the cellar at Hemme's Ivy complex and mis-lead police whilst cleaners washed away bloodstains.

A few nights ago Hemmes distinctive black Rolls Royce Phantom was pulled over in Redfern and the driver was charged with drug possession. Yesterday a man claimed he had been assaulted by Hemmes at Ivy. Hemmes denies the charge and says CCTV footage backs him up.

Sydney once had the most corrupt police in the Southern hemisphere, routed out at great personal sacrifice by an imported British police commander who, for his efforts and success was forced from the country by a series of cowardly and false attacks from shock jocks and politicians.

It comes as no surprise Justin Hemmes has been spotted in New York City in recent months checking out premises. His talents would be snapped up in the USA. They would roll out the welcome mat.
It would serve the good burghers of Sydney right if they forced the man who has done more to brighten Sydney life to flee abroad to a city that would appreciate his talents.