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 !
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.
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.
This week the Sunday Telegraph made much of singer Holly Vallance's romance with UK property "billionaire" Nick Candy, although she and Candy have been dating for sometime now. (the paper's sister rag The Herald Sun called Candy a 'millionaire')
How rich are the Candys?. Nick and his brother Christian own a building corporation (like Sydney , London society under New Labour saw the rise of the property developer) but the brotherly entrepreneurs have had a few hic-cups in the past.
In 2004 they were conned by four men into buying the King's Beeches site once owned by the
King and Queen of Thailand. The four men who presented credible documents didn't actually own the property which belonged to a Saudi billionaire. The 4 con men were eventually jailed and the Candy's were compensated by the Lands Registry Office which had passed the deal. It's said the Candy's loss of face was almost as bad as their financial loss.
Nick & Christian Candy
Earlier this year a consortium the brothers put together to pay $500M for a choice Beverley Hills plot in Los Angeles fell into default when it couldn't pay two-thirds of the purchase price. The lot was eventually auctioned but failed to cover the cost price.
When the pair bought the plot in 2007 local realtors were already gossiping that they had paid far too much.
The Candy's are based in Monaco and are seen about London with the usual toys- Rolls Royces, Bentleys and Ferarris.
They also had sumptuous headquarters by the Thames River in a building they had paid $39M for and renovated with black marbled floors and black leather lined lifts which they also sold this year for $60M claiming to have made a huge profit. Insiders say they spent nearly $60M alone renovating the building and are puzzled by the claims of a profit.
More recently they came a cropper over plans to re-develop the famous Chelsea Barrackswith yet another glass and concrete monster, when HRH Prince Charles wrote to their partner and expressed his dismay in the venture. That partner Sheikh
Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, prime minister of Qatar and the Qatar Royal Family pulled the plug on the venture. When Charle's letter became public there were howls of protest from all corners and the loudest were the Candy's.
Charles launches a development he likes-Breakfast Point in Sydney
The Candy's sued the Qatari Royal Family and won an out of court settlement in July this year.
But they also made a grovelling apology to Prince Charles for dragging his name into the debacle.
However residents of Chelsea cheered Charles for his endeavour.
Other developments in London have been cancelled while their pride and joy-One Hyde Park , a glass palace of 86 apartments in Knighstbridge due for completion this year is half sold according to the Candys.
Not so says our source in Dubai where one buyer had put a holding deposit on 3 of the super luxury flats. Since the downturn in the Dubai property market he has withdrawn from the sale. There are rumours 2 other buyers have pulled out and others are beginning to re-negotiate the original sale price.
Following our Twitter tale about Paris Hilton and her day in Las Vegas that included a hairdressing appointment , a radio interview and a night in front of the telly watching A Family Guy ( with a police arrest for cocaine possession in between) the UK Daily Mail has taken up the theme :
Alesha Makim, daughter of Jane Ferguson and niece of the Duchess of York has established a new career as a model during the Rosemount Fashion shows at the Sydney Town Hall this week.
Jane Ferguson & daughter Heidi
Alesha Makim-William's cousin
At a special parade at the Paddington Inn as part of the Paddington Alive Festival, Alesha strutted the catwalk to show off some of Camilla Frank's wondrous caftans. Camilla has just opened in Paddington a few doors from the hotel and is one of Australia's low key fashion success stories with her caftan creations now available in 500 outlets throughout the world.
Particular hot-spots : the South of France, the Mediterranean and the Greek Islands where hardly a luxury yacht or gin palace cruises by without a Camilla designer gown being sported by one of the well heeled ladies aboard. And she is opening her own boutique on The World, the ginormous luxury ocean liner.
******************** Hot news : As Paul Hogan's lawyers negotiate a deal with the Australian Tax Office that would allow him to return to LA, various reports have surfaced about the bill the ATO has presented the Aussie larrikan-between $31 to $110 million dollars!
The UK Independent newspaper's music critic Edward Seckersonhas ripped into the Sydney SymphonyOrchestra's appearance at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday night with the opening 2 paragraphs :
"The prospect of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra getting down under and dirty
with Strauss and Scriabin got off to a frenetic start with Vladimir
Ashkenazy’s body language perhaps telling us more than we needed to know
about the heated carnality at the start of Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier
prelude. And what you saw was what you heard: all sex, not much love-making.
But this was the dreadful “stitch-up” of a suite often attributed to Artur
Rodzinsky, though who was the perpetrator and who should want to perform it
says more about their indifference to the opera than it does about the
suite. Ashkenazy was somewhat twitchy and short-winded with it – too many
accents, not enough legato – drawing attention to its bad edits and the
shrieking lack of opulence in the Sydney Symphony string sound."
The SSO was established in 1945 and has had numerous noted conductors like Edo de Waart and Sir Charles MacKerras who passed away in June this year.Controversy has often courted the acclaimed orchestra.
The first international conductor was Sir Eugene Ghoosens who took over in 1947 but was caught up in a tawdry scandal with the Kings Cross witch and artist Rosaleen Norton. The pair had a love affair and were into bondage sex.
A newspaper reporter stole saucy letters the pair had exchanged. Those letters came to the attention of the then notorious Sydney Vice Squad who had custom's officers stop Ghoosens when he returned to Sydney after a visit to London in 1956. They found a number of porno books, tame by today's standards, a rubber mask and (gulp) incense sticks in his luggage.
The resulting publicity, conducted with that extraordinary co-operation law enforcement and tabloids are so good at, destroyed Ghoosen's career after he was fined £100. He died a broken man in the UK in 1962 .
In happier days:The Whitlams & the Sydney Symphony Orchestra with 'No Aphrodisiac'
5 days after he attended the funeral of his 101 yer old mother, actor Paul Hogan has been refused permission to leave the country and return to his wife Linda and 12 year old son Chance in Los Angeles.
John Cornell, Linda Kozlowski, Paul Hogan and Delvene Delaney at a Sydney charity party in 2006 (c)
The Australian Taxation Office has served notice on Hogan to remain in Australia while it continues investigations into his tax affairs. Earlier this year the actor lost a court battle to keep tax documents secret.
Two media organisations, News Ltd and Fairfax Media had fought a 6 year legal battle to obtain the documents.
In 2002 Hogan and wife Linda Kozlowski purchased a $3.5M house on Sydney Harbour before selling up in 2006 and moving back to LA..During that time the ATO has claimed that Hogan had declared himself stateless for a
number of years whilst travelling between Australia and the USA
Although later films received poor reviews, Hogan and his partner in the Crocodile Dundee films, John Cornell made millions of dollars from the 3 successful movies after financing the series themselves. Investing heavily in real estate in Northern NSW, the pair have made a further fortune. Cornell has just recovered from a bout of cancer and is recuperating in the resort of Byron Bay where he and wife Delvene Delaney live.
Here is one of the finalists in the Moran Art Prize for portraiture (the richest of it's kind in the world).
Looking like something spooky out of the Portrait of Dorian Grey, it's artist Adam James K's interpretation of Rupert Murdoch.
As the artist puts it-
"my goal was to show a side of Mr Murdoch that we don't normally see-vulnerability mixed with a small dose of fear ".
He's right-we've never actually witnessed the vulnerable side of Mr Murdoch in all our sightings of the great media baron. Plenty have felt a good dose of fear from him though.
Nicky Hilton wears Charlie Brown
Mr James K says " Mr Murdoch gave me ten minutes to prepare some preliminary sketches and photos then said "very efficient Adam " before walking out the door.
A shiver runs up your spine just reading that.! You can see the rest of the Moran Prizes 2010 here.
#You can also see fashion entrepreneur Danny Avidan and designer Charlie Brown interviewed about the winning portrait.
The pair hosted a party for Nicky Hilton at Star City's Astral Bar tonight after she appeared earlier on the catwalk for Charlie's show at the Rosemount Sydney Fashion Festival at the Town Hall..
Nicky's very nice but what does she do ?. We forgot to ask
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Astronaut Buzz Aldrin will be in town soon on an assignment (secret at this stage). He was on the first Moon mission in 1969 and the second to walk on the Moon (or a film set if you believe the conspiracy theories). We'll be lunching with Buzz and we're dying to ask him about the UFOs he said he saw on the Moon trip !
Most social facilities in Kamchatka will get a gas connection in four years. This programme is crucial for the region.about 1 hour ago
via web (and you thought you had it bad !)
Don Spencer & daughter Danielle aka Mrs Russell Crowe
With the ABC 702 Radio riding to the top of the ratings charts, mainly to the efforts of morning host AdamSpencer, perhaps that is why his wife and a good pal have splashed out and opened a new wine bar in the boom inner-west suburb of Enmore.
Mel Spencer has bought an old betting shop and tarted it up as the Green Room, conveniently located just a short walk from the Enmore Theatre which is now one of the last inner city live venues and which is packed most nights with it's line-up of international acts.
About 30 of us trotted a long for the opening night, mainly a clutch of Adam and Mel's show-biz pals like TV hosts Kylie Gillies and Tracey Spicer, top rating Gruen Transfer'sWil Anderson, actor Russell Crowe and wife Danielle Spencer (no relation) who brought her dad Don and our favourite crooner Kamahl.
Wil Anderson & Deborah Hutton
Kamahl & Adam Spencer
Never forget: Kamahl was the Queen Mum's favourite singer and she had all his albums. Which is just as well as few other people do. But he's actually a great singer and once headlined at the Carnegie Hall in New York City so he can't be that bad !.
Tracey Spicer & husband Jason
And Russell was able to put to bed the recent rumour that he and the family had visited the home of the late Lady Sonia McMahon which is up for sale with a view to buy.
"Not for us" said Russell." Not even interested". Asked if the $42M palace Altona was more his style, Crowe replied:
Tony & Kylie Gillies
"Altona would be wonderful for the kids but it's a bit open and accessible. I need something more private but I am looking. You can't bring up kids, especially 2 rowdy boys, on a wharf ".
He was referring to his $12M penthouse at Wolloomooloo Wharf where he has lived for the past 8 years.
Co-incidently the Shuttle lunched at Ottos on the Wharf today after the General Election shambles the night before. At adjoining tables, PI Frank Monte and guest.
At another- retired radio host John Laws and wife Caroline who lunched with guests former Liberal Party leader Andrew Peacock and his wife Penne ( who was a former Texas beauty queen and is Laura Bush's best pal ).
See why HRH Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was enraptured with Kamahl !
3 years ago I was on the side of
the street busking in Stratford for anyone who would listen....2nite we
sold out the ACC!! NEVER SAY NEVER! ( busking at 12 ??)
Our favourite satirical magazine, and probably the best of it's kind in the world Private Eye which has been in print for nearly 50 years has been "a prominent critic of public figures deemed incompetent, inefficient or corrupt, and has become a self-styled "thorn in the side" of the British establishment,
though it also receives much criticism and ire, both for its style and
for its willingness to print defamatory and controversial stories "(all according to Wikipedia).
We agree entirely and are pleased they are as on the ball as the Social Shuttle is. At the right is a tale in their current issue dated 6 August to 19 August and below our story from July 28th.
Should be viewed immediately-the Australian band Axis of Awesome and their '4 chords' rendition of numerous famous songs. They're about to embark on a tour of Edinburgh and Montreal and their YouTube channel has had over 6 million hits !
He was described by top US talk showhost Larry King as "the best in the business",
Monte on 'Good Morning America'
Frank Monte the private investigator who has now been linked with the David Jone's case involving former CEO Mark McInnes, who recently resigned from his $8M job and former DJ's publicist Kirsty Fraser-Kirk who has alleged she was sexually harassed by McInnes and is asking for a whopping $37 million in damages.
In the lawsuit filed in the Federal Court there are 11 defendants including McInnes. Earlier this week the Daily Telegraph broke the story that Monte had been hired and paid a substantial sum to investigate the back ground of Fraser-Kirk.
McInnes & Megan Gale
He then gave a raft of radio interviews confirming the story whilst saying at the time that he would neither confirm or deny who his client was. As of yesterday Monte was taking no more media requests for interviews and has turned down several TV station requests.
One daily newspaper speculated about Monte's involvement in the case and published a story that both David Jones and McInnes had denied hiring Monte but as the gumshoe pointed out to us this morning, he had specifically stated that he would not say who his client was.
The Shuttle spoke to a well know solicitor on Wednesday ( he asked not to be named) who has worked on several harassment cases and he pointed out that there could be any number of prospective clients who could become involved in the case and use the services of a private eye.
Kirsty Fraser-Kirk
" Firstly there is the obvious- 11 defendants who would most likely be represented by one firm of solicitors and a barrister but each individual, particularly as they are high profile directors of the department store chain would have their own counsel as well. They may not even know who is hired on their behalf "
" Then there any number of insurance companies, large shareholders in the listed company, individual shareholders and clients of David Jones including those with a vested interest in the financial well being of the department store chain.
Such as a supplier who may have millions of dollars in stock supplies involved and are anxious that there are no boats rocked by the scandal. They in turn could have their own insurance companies "
" It's like a pebble thrown into the pond of lawsuits and the vested interests radiates outwards. Even on a normal case this happens but this looks set to a very special matter with the claim of $37M in damages . The fallout will be immense, whether the case is proved or not, for there not to be covert investigations of every person involved. And there is the share price of the chain store to consider" said our legal source.
On 2 radio interviews with Sydney's 2GB's Money News with Ross Greenwood, a noted financial journalist and on 1377AM with Steve Vizard in Melbourne both announcers voiced similar sentiments as the solicitor. ( Vizard's interview can be heard here)
One matter we brought up with the solicitor was the fact that, why would there would be a leaking to the media of the fact that a high profile private eye like Monte was on the case ?.
"Surely this would be counter productive ?" we asked " particularly as it is meant to be a 'covert'" surveillance"
" Not in the least" said the legal eagle. '"In fact it could have been quite deliberate to either rattle the other side or be like a clarion call to any interested party to supply information-and that Monte is the repository starting point. Monte's probably not actually doing the foot work himself, most likely overseeing the matter".
At Mid-day today Monte said he would show us some documents as long as we signed a confidentially agreement to never disclose the name involved.
At a city coffee shop he produced several emails from a high profile business group commissioning Monte for the job with a host of details and suggestions. of required information And bank documents that verify that indeed, a 'substantial sum' had been paid into his business bank account by wire transfer from that firm.
But even more interesting were a host of emails that Monte had received in the days following the media clamor about his involvement-from former family members and associates of the Fraser-Kirk familyin Zimbabwe and the UK offering information. Some of it. to put it mildly is sensational!
As they say, the plot thickens.
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We have unearthed an interview with Frank Monte on Kerri-Anne-Kennerley's showtalking about the paranormal !.
Mary Donaldson from Tasmania, now known as Crown Princess Mary of Denmark slipped into Australia today and took the media by surprise. She's on a visit to see her family members in Hobart and is pregnant with twins.
By all accounts, Mary has become a hugely popular figure in Denmark amongst it's 5.5 million subjects and has revived the Royal Families fortunes. Amazingly she is able to wander Hobart at ease and without the pomp and ceremony that goes with a Royal in her newly adopted country Denmark.
Having been fairly below the radar as far as European Royalty goes, Princess Mary has quietly crept up to become one of the world's most stylish women. In the September edition of Vanity Fair that has just hit the stands , she is named as one of the world's top ten dressed women. High praise indeed.
Mary Donaldson, working in a King Cross real estate agency swept Crown Prince Frederick off his feet when the two met in a Sydney pub during the 2000 Olympics. From that moment, the relationship was sealed and the 2 wed in a wonderfully toy town style wedding in Copenhagen in 2004 , attended by the the crowned heads of Europe.
She is said to be adored by her mother-in-law Queen Margerite 11 who gave her son instant approval upon meeting Mary formally in 2001.
The wedding, broadcast live throughout Europe and Australia was not without it's memorable moments, including when Mary's Scot's borne father apparently lunged for a sausage roll at the reception and sent the King Carl XV1 Gustaf of Sweden flying. Ever the gentleman, the Swedish King dusted himself off and fetched the kilted dad a drink..
Princess Mary has come a long way since we first met her at a promotional real estate party in her then office digs. A few weeks later when she was trying to assist us find accommodation in the area and the Shuttle spied a gorgeous apartment in Macleay Street Potts Point, Ms Donaldson's words still remain in our memory : "a bit out of your price range I think my dear "!
we spoke too soon : Hobart police have issued a warning to the huge contingent of media who have congregated outside Princess Mary's Hobart sister's house, to keep their distance.
____________________________ Tweet Of The Day prize goes again to Yoko Ono : yokoono
"My mind was taking in the shimmering leaves of the trees outside the window."
Tweeted by Russell Crowe :
maxmarkson
