Distant Cousins #3 ?

Sir Norman Wisdom

On a sad day that it's revealed one of Britain's most enduring stars, Sir Norman Wisdom has passed away at the ripe age of 95, we feel compelled to ask if he was perchance related to the popular singing star Robbie Williams (right) who bears a striking similarity to the the professional comedian and actor.

Fact : Sir Norman was a mega star in Albania after his films were the only western movies allowed to be screened under the Communist government because of Wisdom's roles as the oppressed worker who triumphs over the ruling classes !

Fact : Working class born Robbie Williams was known as the "funny man of the group' when he fronted Take That in it's early days and his first solo single 'Feel' was a No1 hit in Albania !

Fact : In his early films Wisdom's manic performances were once described as 'like someone on LSD'

Fact : During many of his early performances Williams has admitted he was usually on cocaine.
Surely they are related !. We should be told.

Watch popular crooner Robbie Williams sing his latest hit !

Madame Arcarti Returns plus Foot Fetish !

a present to us from Danny DeVito-pic of his foot!

The dame who put the Fear of God into Fleet Street's finest has resurrected herself in the form of writer Victor Olliver at the excellent British web-site www.Anorak.co.uk

Best to click this link and read his excellent pieces but in the meantime below is a fab video illustrating his article on a TV Scientology doco. It's BBC reporter Alan Johnson losing his rag when confronted by a Scientology heavyweight. It's wonderfully schizophrenic as Johnson seems to switch between rage and calmness in a flash.

Regular Shuttlers will recall our piece on the late London society hostess Lady Edith Foxwell when we encountered Scientology founder L.Ron Hubbard at one of her cocktail parties in London and she informed the Shuttle that he always brought crates of French champagne when he came visiting.

## Whilst on interstellar matters-next Tuesday we are looking forward to the party at Omega's swish Castlereigh boutique to meet the second man to walk on the Moon-Buzz Aldrin (left)-or depending on your beliefs, one of the co-stars of the conspiracy to fake the Moon walks.

We've had to promise the PR we won't grill Buzz on the conspiracy as he's likely to physically lash out even though he has found God after his space trip.

On Wednesday ace jeweller Stefan Canturi who is now wowing them with boutiques in New York and on Rodeo Drive launches his new perfume at Bennelong Restaurant in the Opera House and Saturday night brings the ever so genteel Black & White Ball with it's Debutante's Derby ( we'll be filming it for the new tSS video channel) with special guest Christian the Lion author John
Rendell. above : Stefan Canturi & Barbie


Nicole Kidman wears Canturi

That Rage Video :

A Swell Party-One Missing Guest !

It was one of the smartest bashes Sydney has seen for some time.

The 75Th Birthday party for one of the top producers of pearls in the world-the famous Paspaley Pearls who dominate the industry in Darwin and Australia.

Thrown at the magnificent Great Hall (part of the snooty gel's school SCEGGS) in East Sydney.

Models stood very still in nice poses on marble plinth's wearing beautiful pearl and diamond creations valued at millions of dollars and a host of well heeled Sydney-siders and Paspaley customers trotted out for the evening to view the gems, scoff Darwin oysters and quaff the finest French champagne.

We counted ten multi-millionaires in the room including the Man From Uncle-publisher Matt Handbury , (he's Rupert Murdoch's fabulously rich nephew) hotel csar Terry Schwamberg and heiress Anna Lisa Klettenberg who quietly informed us that she has just purchased a few chalets in her favourite skiing town Aspen, as one does-"so much nicer than hotels my dear". Quite.

But there was an undercurrent coursing through the room. The magnificent decor had been put together by designer Edward Coutts Davidson.

For the unenlightened Coutts Davidson swept into town from London eighteen months ago, took up residence and brought his well thumbed CV to impress the locals. That includes designing and decorating houses for Madonna, Kate Moss and George Michael and a dozen glitzy magazine articles told us all about it.

Paspaley's 75th was to have to been a superb showcase for Coutts Davidson's exceptional talents with it's genteel guest list, wonderful location and the Chiparus tableau living statues in a 1920's hall decorated as a speakeasy complete with a lively floor show of black musicians specially flown in from Harlem for the evening.

In a town where the party decorator James Gordon reins supreme, Gordon may have found a rival to his unique talents. But it seems it isn't to be. Coutts Davidson appears to have vanished and was certainly not at the party he designed which was a credit to his skills.

It seems Mr Coutts Davidson has fled these shores unexpectedly and some prospective clients are a tad unhappy, others extremely disgruntled. Something about large deposits paid, goods undelivered and so on. There is talk of Inspector Knacker getting involved.

Apart from that minor detail, we can assure you that not only do Paspaley's deserve their reputation as one of the world's finest jewellers-they know how to give a memorable party !

Marylynne Paspaley poses with a bunch of hoofers from Harlem

'Talk Isn't Cheap-It Can Move Mountains'

Should He Be Held to Account ?

It's one of the logo statements for this long weekend's Festival Of Dangerous Ideas at the Sydney Opera House from 2nd to 3rd October.

A range of fascinating speakers will be appearing.

Geoffrey Robertson QC will discuss ' Sins Of The Fathers-Should The Pope Be Held to Account ?" with high flying US Lawyer Alan Dershowitz (he's the one who defended accused murderer Claus Von Bulow).

The controversial philosopher P.W.Singer will tell us how we are 'Wired For War' and writer Tariq Ali will inform us of What We Learn From Terrorists.

There are heaps more talks with well known people and this is always a fascinating event.

Tickets are cheap-from $20.
Check out the official website for more information here.

Tariq Ali (above) and Alan Dershowitz (right)

The Shuttle Scoops The World Again !

Following our exclusive story below about top private eye Frank Monte who has announced he will sue the former publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk, the rest of Australia's media has finally caught up today with the story sweeping the majority of news outlets including every TV network and newspaper.

Fraser-Kirk is suing her former boss Mark McInnes and David Jones department store for 'sexual harassment' in a $37M lawsuit. Both worked at the top department store where McInnes was on a rumoured $8M yearly salary.

Monte announced sometime ago ( again in another Social Shuttle scoop) that had been hired to do background checks on the public relations officer. Whilst some media outlets speculated just who had hired the high flying gumshoe-the Shuttle was shown exclusive background material the ace investigator had uncovered. It makes for sensational reading.

Monte, pictured here in New York where he drives a Ferrari, has offices in the USA and Australia and has been featured on top US talk shows including Howard Stern, Larry King and Oprah Winfrey.

Some questioned why Monte would announce that he was investigating someone when presumably discretion and secrecy is needed in his trade. But a fellow private eye told us today that the disclosure was probably part of a well planned attack upon the case against DJs and McInnes, and that Monte whilst being extremely high profile employs a number of covert operators with their boss overseeing their work.

When Kristy Fraser-Kirk's solicitors announced the multi-million dollar lawsuit in August on the day David Jones launched their Spring fashion shows, the tide seemed to turn slightly against her from sympathy to cynicism.

Monte announced today he will sue Fraser-Kirk for libel after stories appeared in the media regarding his surveillance work. He has hired the top barrister Clive Evatt. However the Shuttle had wind of the story 24 hours before the announcement.

As they say-this show will run and run and as one astute reader of the News Corp Melbourne tabloid Herald Sun said upon reading of Monte's lawsuit :

"This is a hoot! Better than the stuff Hollywood turns out." !

Prank of The Week !

It's one of those videos about to go viral. A prank played on a gay babysitter. Everyone in this deserves a Viral Video Oscar !

Exclusive ! Big Guns Called in over David Jones Case

Frank Monte with female bodyguards

Hard on the heels of the report that former department store boss Mark McInnes sent text messages to the publicist Kristy Fraser-Kirk who is suing him - a press release thuds onto the Shuttle desk from private investigator Frank Monte announcing the following :

"Recently there have been remarks and assertions and imputations by Kristy Fraser-Kirk the claimant in the David Jones scandal put to the court and in public to friends and associates that Mr Frank Monte Private Investigator carried out illegal attempts at bugging, stalking or bombing her, all of which are serious illegal acts and so actionable at Criminal law.

These untrue statements accuse Mr. Monte, who has 44 years' experience in the business and is licensed in Australia and other parts of the Globe to have acted in a criminal act and she said this without regard to the truth.

Mr Monte believes such statements to be acts designed at pressuring him and his team into ceasing his lawful activities pursuant with his rights to investigate M/s Kristy Fraser-Kirk and others to the fullest extent of the law."

Earlier today we heard how Mark McInnes who is accused by Fraser-Kirk of "sexual intimidation" had sent a number of text messages to his accuser stating :

"I am pleading with you to show some mercy ... or everything I have worked for or earnt [sic] is gone,"

"I will be totally destroyed ... I no [sic] my attempt to kiss u was wrong and im so so so so sorry but I am about to lose everything I have in my life so please please please please have some compassion on me and we will settle this as you wish."

Yesterday Kristy Fraser-Kirk's lawyers claimed in court that she could not move outside her apartment following newspaper reports that Monte had been hired to investigate her.

Monte further states :
"These statements have led him in the past few days to request his legal team of Beazley Singleton and Mr. Clive Evatt Barrister, to commence legal proceedings against M/s Kristy Fraser-Kirk for defamation and perjury forthwith, as such statements are untrue and malicious and designed to interfere with Mr Monte's rights and to injure him and stop him carrying out his lawful business. Mr. Monte's legal team have all the evidence before them as to the identity, correspondence and fees transactions, identifying Mr.Monte's client in this matter. This is also designed to cease the parties alluding that Mr. Monte 'Claims' to have been hired to investigate the plaintiff".

Fraser-Kirk is suing her former boss McInnes and the department store chain David Jones for $30M in the biggest ever sexual harassment suit. Clive Evatt is one of Australia's most astute libel barristers.

At Least The Boss Can't Fire Her !

It was one of the most embarrassing moments on TV-the host tonight announcing the winner of Australia's Next Top Model.

Gorgeous supermodel and host of the show Sarah Murdoch announced Kelsey Martinovichas the winner of the first prize which is guaranteed to lead to an international modeling contract.

Seconds later she corrected herself and announced that in fact-18 year old Amanda Ware from Queensland was the winner. Sarah looked close to tears as she said "Oh no this is wrong, this is what happens on live TV -it's insane, insane , insane "

Amanda's prizes include an eight-page spread in Harper's Bazaar, a contract with Priscilla's modelling agency, a $25,000 Levi's campaign, a $20,000 cash prize, a Ford Fiesta Zetec and a trip to New York.

The awards were held tonight at Luna Park (motto-Just For Fun!) at North Sydney beneath the Harbour Bridge and broadcast live on Foxtel.

Kelsey's tears of joy turned to despair as the truth sank in but she is probably thanking Sarah tonight. Foxtel have decided to give her a $25,000 consolation prize.

As for Mrs Murdoch-her job should be safe. Dad-in-law Rupert Murdoch is the major share-holder in Foxtel and husband Lachlan Murdoch holds a great swag of shares in the cable network.
Sarah took over the hosting job when previous host, Jodhi Meares, ex-wife of James Packer said she suffered stage fright and couldn't handle the job any longer.

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Former Cleo Bachelor Of The Year Dr. Richard Young has been banned from practising medicine after paying a prostitute/patient for sex. You can read the tale in The Sydney Morning Herald here

Foodies at Ten Paces !

It's brewing up to be a scandal of major proportions and has been reported in the New York Times.

Acclaimed Australian chef David Thompson has had the temerity to open a restaurant in Bangkok and fellow foodies are not happy.

Thompson has been visiting Thailand for 25 years and has finally sealed his love affair with the country by opening a local branch of his hugely successful Nahm Restaurant.
This year his London eatery of the same name was the first ever Thai food outlet to receive a much coveted Michelin star.

Thai food writer Suthon Sukphasit reckons Thompson is "slapping the face of Thai people"-an odd comment that somewhat goes against the grain of the Land of Smiles legendary hospitality towards visitors and 'farangs' who settle in the country.

US born writer, the corpulent Bob Halliday who has lived in Thailand for a few decades sniffs
“When someone comes along and presents himself as the spokesman of Thai cuisine it’s like Osama Bin Laden going to the Vatican and saying he is the high authority on Catholicism".

Nahm in London
Another bizarre comment from a writer who err...presents himself as a spokesman on Thai food with his internet site Aw Taw aw Market (don't click the link-it takes you to a Thai betting site).

tSS thinks they protest too much and can't handle the competition.

Thompson has now published two well received books Thai Food and Thai Street Food which is regarded as the definitive recipe book on Siam eating. His second book was sold out within 2 weeks of being released.

Sydneysiders will remember Thompson's superb Darley Street Thai restaurant in Kings Cross in the 90's. It was Tom Cruise and Nicolle Kidman's home away from home.

However according to Pongtawat Chalermkittichai, the first Thai national to become Executive Chef at the 5 star Four Seasons Hotel in Bangkok-Thompson is a master of Asian cooking and he says his '"mouth salivates at the thought of David's dishes".

Bob Halliday(right)

Pongtawat Chalermkittichai who is a world-wide consultant for Asian food and has opened the successful Kittichai Restaurant in Manhattan reckons he can learn much from Thompson. He plans to open a new eatery in Bangkok early next year and he hopes Nahm and his establishment "complement each other".

Perhaps the last word should go to someone who knows.
In a country that reveres it's Royal Family, not only is David Thompson a consultant for the Thailand's premier food cooking school, the prestigious Suan Dusit College in Bangkok on the preservation of Thai culinary heritage, he also oversees state banquets for the longest reigning monarch in the world, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX of Thailand.

Delicious Ironic Moments # 1

In an exert from her autobiography in the UK's Daily Mail, Jerry Hall-currently in Australia writes in a piece titled :

'I got Mick Jagger to quit heroin... but I could never get him to give up GIRLS': Jerry Hall reveals all in long-awaited autobiography

"He wasn't nearly as rich as people thought".....and in the following paragraph..

.."We bought homes in New York, London, Paris and Mustique !"

Our favourite Oligarch returns !

Another fleeting visit from our favourite Russian oligarch-although to the Moscow crowd of his contemporaries he's considered a 'baby oligarch' with just a small fortune by comparison-$2.9B.

Rustam Tariko is a vodka merchant with a taste for fine art and an eye for beautiful women. The 44-year-old is the owner of Russian Standard Vodka and a bank, the sources of his wealth. With his rapidly growing empire he is fast becoming one of Russia's most successful entrepreneurs.

Tariko hit the headlines in early May when he was outed as the buyer of Pablo Picasso's Dora Maar with Cat. He paid more than $150 million for the canvas.

He was in London for the Russian Economic Forum earlier this year, when he spoke on the theme of luxury as a Russian national idea. He should know. His dog, Dow Jones, wears a Louis Vuitton collar, goes on holiday with him to Sardinia, and has its own "nanny".

On Tuesday evening he hosted a vodka shindig at Ivy in the city. As with his visit earlier this year Miss Russia accompanied him and like last time, Rustam left straight after the party for the airport where his jet was waiting. Presumably Dow Jones was also waiting onboard.

We like Rustam's parties. There's always a generous gift bag with a selection of vodkas.

Exclusive: Our Secret Weapon in Oprah's camp

He's been Working behind the scenes for 2 years to pull off the Oprah Winfrey Australian trip. Peter Walsh, a 54 year old Australian designer and professional organiser who lives in Los Angeles.

Walsh was born in Adelaide and holds a Master's Degree in educational psychology. Finding little use for his talents in Australia, he moved to LA in 1995 and found work immediately as a professional 'organiser' for numerous Fortune 500 companies and wealthy individuals including the Russian oligarch Vladimirovich Deripaska .

Walsh's speciality is coming into a person or companies life and completely re-organising it. He now heads his own corporation and has published 4 best selling books-How to Organize (Just About) Everything; It's All Too Much; Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? and Enough Already!

4 years ago he secured a regular spot on the Oprah Winfrey show. Next year he will host his own show on Oprah's channel-OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network)

But it was 2 years ago that he conceived of the plan to get Oprah to visit Australia. His first contact-apart from Winfrey who had already expressed the desire to pay a working visit-was the NSW Tourism Board. Timing is everything. After several failed campaigns like Tourism Australia's So Where The Bloody Hell Are You TV adverts with Lara Bingle, it was a slam dunk.

NSW jumped at the opportunity and Qantas came onboard immediately. Oprah's visit will cost the government $3M but the resulting publicity is estimated to be worth 100 times that. Plus the visit should inject at least $10M into the local economy.

While Oprah's 300 hand picked studio guests will travel on a new Qantas A380 jet piloted by John Travolta, Walsh will travel with Oprah and personal staff in her private Bombardier jet .

And after the 8 day tour, Oprah and her entire staff will be holidaying over Christmas at the El Questro resort (below) in the East Kimberley's. That's her yearly treat to her staff.
Below : watch Peter 'de-clutter' a house in Inside The Lives of Hoarders !. It basically involves putting things in boxes. Nice work if you can get it !

Dad dies-Daughter tours

Carrie Fisher has announced tour dates for her Australian visit during October and November.

Yesterday her father Eddie Fisher passed away at the age of 82. Fisher died at his home in Hollywood following complications from hip surgery.

5 times married-Fisher was a teen heart-throb in the 1950's before Elvis Presley. He married Debbie Reynolds, another teen star (and Carries' mum) but famously left her to wed Elizabeth Taylor.

Taylor eventually divorced Fisher for actor Richard Burton when she and Burton co-starred in Cleopatra in a love tryst that became word-wide headlines.

Carrie Fisher's autobiographical one-woman show Wishful Drinking was a hit on Broadway in 2009 and followed her hugely successful book Postcards From the Edge which was filmed starring Meryl Streep and Shirley MaClaine.

Oddly-given her amazing and forthright revelations, warts and all stories of her life-Carrie has never discussed or disclosed one of Hollywood's worst kept secrets-dad Eddie's double life as a bi-sexual.

The blurb for Wishful Drinking reads: "recounts the true and intoxicating tale of her life as a Hollywood legend, told with the same wry wit she poured into bestsellers like 'Postcards from the Edge.' The daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher became a cultural icon when she starred as Princess Leia in the first 'Star Wars' trilogy at 19 years old. Forever changed, Carrie's life did not stay picture perfect. Fisher is the life of the party in this uproarious and sobering look at her Hollywood hangover."

If this show is anything like Postcards-it should be huge fun-
tour dates are :
Sydney: State Theatre (Oct. 19-20)
Melbourne: The Athenaeum Theater (Oct. 22-27)
Canberra: Canberra Theatre (Nov. 4-6)
Adelaide: Her Majesty's Theater (Nov. 10-12)
Perth: Regal Theater (Nov. 15-18)

Watch Eddie Fisher sing his 1954 hit "Oh My Papa"!

Exclusive : Oprah To Pose Nude?

A Sydney artist has started an international campaign to persuade Oprah Winfrey to pose for a nude body painting portrait when she visits the country this December.

Artist Eva Rinaldi wants to paint Oprah's body with Aussie icons like the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House - which will be dubbed the Sydney Oprah House for the 2 broadcasts she will be filming there with the 300 guests she is bringing with her.
"I've always been a fan of Oprah" says Eva "and this will be for charity-how can she refuse ?"

Eva intends to paint an Oprah look-a-like at Bondi Beach this Saturday and is calling for volunteers to get down to the beach and be painted-nude of course !




Go to Eva's facebook page and see her amazing works, two of which we feature here. at right : Eva

Demi Moore to front Melbourne court

Actress Demi Moore is due in Melbourne next week to appear in court over a legal action she is taking against the top selling magazine New Idea for breaching copyright of her photographs.

The magazine-known locally as No Idea, printed a series of black and white snaps taken at a private party Demi threw to celebrate the Oscars. The snaps show herself, her daughter Rumer Willis, Orlando Bloom, P Diddy, Cameron Diaz and Amanda De Cadenet hamming it up at the after Oscars party in 2008 given at Madonna's house.

Moore lodged a claim in 2008 stating the magazine breached her copyright when it published the pictures on the front cover and on two pages inside its March 8 edition without her permission.

She says she has suffered loss and damage as a result of the publication.

According to the statement of claim, Moore spoke to event organiser Jeffrey Best at the party and the pair agreed that by paying for the photographs Moore would be assigned the copyright.

The trial before Justice John Middleton is expected to run for four-days beginning on Monday.

Other witnesses will give videolink evidence from Los Angeles.

Great Minds Think Alike #3

Following our exclusive story yesterday about Australia's TV media mogul and billionaire Reg Grundy, the UK's Daily Mail has warmed to the theme today with the story of Kylie Minogue's attempts to get her appearances on Neighbours permanently canned.

2011 STC Launch plus Fashion Week Tribute !

The Sydney Theatre Company announced it's new season at a small shindig at their Wharf headquarters hosted by husband and wife team Cate Blanchett and Andrew Upton.

The centrepiece for the 2011 season will be a co-production of Botho Strauss's Gross und Klein (Big and Small)translated by English playwright Martin Crimp which will tour the Vienna Festival, the Young Vic in Britain, at the Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen in Germany and the Theatre de la Ville in Paris in 2012. This should seal the reputation of the STC throughout the world after Cate's acclaimed production of the A Streetcar Named Desire in the US earlier this year.

Australian actors who will appear in productions include Jacqueline McKenzie (right) Miranda Otto, Colin Friels and Bryan Brown all who have achieved success overseas.

The German writer's work will be directed by opera and theatre director Luc Bondy.

The STC usually presents 12 productions a year and 2011 will include two new Australian works with the Abbey Theatre production of Mark O'Rowe's hit Terminus as well as Andrew Upton's version of Mikhail Bulgakov's The White Guard which received five-star reviews when it played at London's National Theatre this year.

Another project is Bloodland, written by Wayne Blair, directed by Stephen Page from the Bangarra Dance Co and performed in Yolgnu language and pidgin English. It was inspired by a photograph of an Aboriginal boy up a power pole. The boy was subsequently electrocuted.

All in all, the choice of Cate and Andrew has been the most successful decision ever for the STC board. The duo have taken the company to great international heights with not only critical success but a much needed boost to the companies finances. This year, Streetcar alone made a $3M profit.

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As New York's Mercedes Benz Fashion Week and London's Fashion Week draw to a close, we bring you some examples of outfits from some of the wackier world leaders, courtesy of the on-line magazine Foreign Policy in The Devil Wears Taupe !

The Quiet Billionaire

He has brought the world a host of the most successful soap operas ever- Reg Grundy who at 87 is publishing his autobiography.

Grundy is the quiet achiever of Australian TV. As a boxing and sporting commentator he first tasted success when he devised the Wheel Of Fortune game show which he eventually syndicated throughout the world.

Following that came shows like Sons and Daughters, Prisoner, Young Doctors and the mega hit Neighbours which has produced some of the biggest show biz stars to come out of Australia like Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue, Guy Pierce, Natalie Imbruglia, Daniel MacPherson, and Holly Valance.

Grundy reveals that Kylie Minogue had approached him once she became world famous to request that old Neighbour's shows she had appeared in were not re-broadcast. Reg rebuffed her and set her straight as to who owned the copyright of the programs-namely him !.

Grundy talks in his book about how he used to fly to the USA, book into a hotel and tape record TV shows, fly back to Australia and pitch the ideas to local stations. That paid off handsomely with Grundy eventually selling out for nearly one billion dollars to Freemantle Media.

Along the way, he and wife , the former actress Joy Chambers picked up a magnificent estate in Bermuda which came with it's own lagoon. Reg chose the spot so he could fly to New York on a 7am flight, do business for the day and return on the 7pm flight for dinner.

And he indulged his boating passion with the extraordinary super yacht Boadecia. He isn't selfish with Boadecia-you can rent it for about $150,000 a week but that does come with the 27 man crew.
These days he concentrates on his other love, photography and has produced several books on wildlife.

There is another star Grundy also helped launch. His chef on the Boadecia went on to international fame-Gordon Ramsay !

Reg Grundy is available from Boomerang Books.

A Star Is Born

TheMainMeal has his own youtube channel where he posts videos of his performances of well known songs.

They are mainly karaoke versions and he does pretty well-considering he has Tourette syndrome "characterised by multiple physical motor tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these tics characteristically wax and wane (all according to wikepedia)..."Tourette's was most often associated with the exclamation of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks".

TheMainMeal is for real and none of his movements in the video are put on. We think he's very brave presenting his music to the world and with his unique performance of Spandau Ballet's "Gold'.... he is a star!