Photo Finish !



Gai & Robbie Waterhouse, Hoda Vakili and Tom Waterhouse



Too many parties, too much champagne !.

Our discovery of the week : a travelling cocktail cabinet filled with Pommery Champagne. This we like.



The gorgeous Racheal Finch



It was at the  hot young bookmaker Tom Waterhouse's launch of his betting website at the Beach Haus nightclub in Kings Cross : http://www.tomwaterhouse.com/ : online betting.

Tom's family has been in the horse racing game for over 100 years. His mum Gai Waterhouse is Australia's (and one of the world's) top trainers who has trained so many winners she has billionaires and Middle East potentates battering down her door to have her train their stallions at her stud.



Terri Biviano & Tim Holmes a` Court

His dad is Robbie Waterhouse who had a slight mis-hap with a nag named Fine Cotton. Something about daubing it with paint and a substitution  horse. A few million bucks was won on the betting tote. The whole scheme came crashing down and Robbie was 'warned off' the course for awhile but he's back in business.



a Pommery cabinet !



But it's young Tom who has taken over the family mantle and he gave me a few tips for the track :

"it's always easier to back winners in the first half of a race meeting"-"if the track is heavy and the favourite is odds on, get on"- "if you like a horse and you are surprised the odds are longer than you expected, don't alter your bet, bet the amount you intended. Value is king"

So there it is, straight from the horse's mouth as they say.

                                             

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OK, enough already !. We've had a few dozen emails demanding to see our snaps of gal about town Sharon Sargeant who took the ritzy Black and White Ball crowd by storm in her glittering red outfit.



Here are 2 to go on with.  Sharon is launching her own website soon so check back for the address. She promises us you won't be disappointed.



The Parliamentarian who makes grown men tremble-Bronwyn Bishop MP & B&W president Sue Diver

# A special mention must go to Tamburlaine Organic Wines (alcoholic !) from the Hunter Valley who supplied their superb tipple at the Black & White Ball. Visit their website :  http://www.mywinery.com/. Not only  a very nice drop, healthy to boot !
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The Quay Restaurant is world famous. This year it was voted Number 27 on the coveted S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurant’s list, to become the highest ranked Australian restaurant in the world, as well as rewriting Australian restaurant award history by scoring a “double double” win, having been named Restaurant of The Year for the second consecutive year in the industry’s two top awards, the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards 2010 and The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010.



Leon & Margaret Fink



Chef Peter Gilmore & John Fink



So of course you would be stark raving mad to miss a book launch there especially when it's a recipe book by the famed head chef at the Quay, Peter Gilmore.

You know the nibbles will be superb, the Bollinger chilled to perfection and the crowd friendly. The only thing missing were some of the restaurant's regular clients when in town-David Bowie, Gordon Ramsay, Mick Jagger and King Constantine II of Greece.



our favourite Murdoch family member-Matt Handbury and partner Clare



The Quay is owned by Leon Fink and run by his son John. John's mum is the film producer Margaret Fink who produced Candy with Heath Ledger and My Brilliant Career (for which she won an Academy Award )and which launched the careers of Judy Davis and Sam Neil.



The view from The Quay Restaurant







Oprah's Aussie Secrets-we have them

One of the benefits of attending the old fashioned Black & White Ball is the contacts one runs into. It's the last of the old style Eastern Suburbs dances and the madcap Debutante's Derby is a sight to see.

Ball-gowned young beauties reel in wooden horses in a paean to the Royal Randwick Races. A heart stopping starter's gun is fired and pandemonium breaks loose as the barracking from the well-heeled spectators fills the room egging on their young daughters to gallop the wooden charges into first place.

The other major excitement for the night was asking the Hon Bronwyn Bishop MP-guest of honour-what she thought about now being the oldest MP in the Federal parliament. She fixed us with her steely gaze and replied-"there are MPs older than me you know". Her prediction for the future-Kevin Rudd will resign from Parliament within a year.

Next year all that may change. As one racing identity told us tonight-the snooty Australian Jockey's Club (AJC) that runs Randwick has voted to merge with the Sydney Turf Club that oversees racing tracks in outer Sydney such as Rosehill near Parramatta. AJC members are mortified.

The last time the Shuttle attended the races at Rosehill we were cadged into assisting as spotters in a local version of 'Fashions In The Field' . When our choice of young filly alighted the competitor's stage in a white wedding dress (with beefy tattooed arms), the announcer enquired as to what the large ornamental object was that she was holding high like a trophy.

His words-broadcast to thousands as necks craned to see, faded away to a hoarse croak as it dawned upon him that he just drawn the inquisitive crowd's attention to a giant purple dildo. Alas-she didn't win a prize and we haven't been asked back.

We digress. The ball was held at the Four Season's Hotel at Circular Quay and we button-holed someone that matters. In December a large block booking has been made for 180 rooms plus the penthouse . A range of alterations to the penthouse have been requested from a crew of 8 advance crew from a certain TV show broadcast out of Chicago. At the nearby Holiday Inn, a further 144 rooms have been booked.

However the plot thickens. At the very same time 6 of the very very best rooms and the major suite at the Park Hyatt Hotel, directly opposite the Opera House has been booked by the same US crew.

Our source however says that Oprah herself will most likely be at the Hotel Intercontinental due to it's close location to the Opera House.

And there are more hotel bookings. At the luxurious Hamilton Island, a luxury suite that comes with butler service and overlooks the Coral Sea, has been secured for 2 nights. So now you know. And more soon on who will be Oprah Winfrey's guests and who won't. Gardening guru Jamie Durie is in the second lot and we'll tell you why.

Bigger Than Elton John's Christies Sale

After finally departing the Byron Bay mansion, Cedar Springs (left) in Possum Creek, built by actor Paul Hogan, British born banker Duncan Mount (right) and his horse mad wife Sally are auctioning off their fabulous collection of antiques at Shapiro's Auction gallery in Queen Street Woollahra on October 26th.

Hogan built the house for his 1990 wedding to actress and Crocodile Dundee co-star Linda Kozlowski, However he rarely visited the property and it was on the market for 10 years before the Mounts moved into the 25 room palace.

The Mounts have taken up temporary residence in a $3.5M penthouse in Bellevue Hill, built by would be property developer Gary Baker who has fallen on hard-times with the collapse of his property empire. Baker and his wife Karin Upton Baker, boss of Hermes were neighbours of the Mounts in Sydney.

Last year the Mounts began to sub-divide Possum Creek with it's hundreds of rolling acres of prime land and forests that back onto the uber resort of Byron. Each of the plots sold for $2M as the couple prepared to enter the Sydney social scene again.

The furniture collection was housed in Byron Bay and the couple's equestrian centre on the northern beaches at Ingleside which they sold for $7.3M earlier this year. The remainder of the Possum Creek property with Cedar Springs is priced at $7.9M.

Emigrating from Hong Kong in 1996, Duncan and Sally paid $15M for the Spanish style mansion Boomerang in Elizabeth Bay, selling six years later for $20.5M . The glamorous pair were a regular sight around the Eastern Suburbs as they ferried their kids to school in a Bentley Continental convertible.

The Mounts threw some memorable parties at Boomerang including one for Jennifer Lopez.
The house was also featured in the film Mission Impossible 2 and Tom Cruise offered to buy the house from the Mounts as his Sydney base for he and then wife Nicole Kidman.

Duncan mentioned over drinks to the Shuttle one night that he was slightly miffed that Cruise's film crew clambered through Boomerang for 2 weeks and although Tom promised him an invite to the movie's premiere-the invitation never arrived.

Auctioneer Andrew Shapiro says : ''This is the biggest collection that has ever come on the market, and it is all museum-quality,'' ''It's even bigger than the Elton John collection which sold at Christies in 2003.''

Amongst the 250 lots there are designs by modern artists like Andre Dubreuil, Mark Brazier-Jones and Scott Cunningham with works cast in bronze, finished in ornamental glass plus paintings and a range of traditional antiques, mainly French, Italian and English from the 18th and 19th centuries. The collection is estimated to sell for about $500,000.

You can view and drool over the pieces at the Shapiro's on-line catalogue here.

Meanwhile the woes of the Mount's close former neighbours, Gary and Karin Upton Baker continue as around the same time as the Mount Collection sale, their beautiful Elizabeth Bay duplex which is directly opposite Boomerang goes up for auction.

The scene for parties for the likes of Giorgio Armani and
Elle McPherson, the property has a 3 car garage with a turn table-now empty. The Upton Baker's Bentley and Rolls Royce Phantom having been sold to satisfy creditors.


Boomerang which featured in Mission Impossible 2

Will Oprah Winfrey Strip Off in Oz ?

After our earlier report that Sydney body artist Eva Rinaldi wants to paint one of her amazing artistic creations on Oprah Winfrey when she visits Oz this December, news come that Eva has received a phone call from one of Oprah's staff asking for more details.

Eva was quoted in the Mosman Daily newspaper on Sydney's North Shore where she lives as commenting on the 3.15am phone call which woke her up:

"`At first I thought is was a joke, I was mumbling and jumbling my words as I was half asleep on the phone,’’ she said. ``You know that feeling when you get butterflies in your stomach; that’s how I felt. I asked them for the details five times just to be sure I wrote it down correctly.’

As you can see from this Elenor Tedenborg photograph of Eva's work, the artist's plans are already well advanced with this look-a-like- Taaleah Jezierski who along with 40 other volunteers were daubed with local inspired designs when they turned up to Bondi Beach a fortnight ago.

You can join Eva's facebook page here and help boost the plan to get Oprah to agree to be decorated Aussie style. Let's kick along the plans to make the Greatest Journey Ever Taken the most memorable for Oprah Winfrey and her local fans.

And don't forget-all that amazing publicity the local tourism scene will get with Oprah's visit!

# 1: Gossip From The Oprah Negotiations!

A tale in a series from our well placed mole in the Sydney organisers of the Greatest Journey Ever Taken- Oprah Winfrey's December visit to Australia when she plans to bus in 300 of her favourite guests for a sightseeing tour and a grand show at the Sydney Opera House where up to 3000 fans will view her live show.

After initial contacts were made, pleasantries exchanged, a battery of lawyers from either side got down to hard negotiations via video conferencing.

As the first day wore on neckties were loosened, fresh bottles of water consumed, coffee pots re-filled and the US side began to go in heavy.

The Aussie legal eagles began to sense that the other side where sending out vibes of "well just who the hell are you people ?".

The question they expected finally came towards the end of the day :

" OK guys," said the heavy Bronx accent of the sharp-suited US Oprah attorney as he thumped a table with his open hand-
"we really want to know some of your history so we can be sure you know what you are getting into-just who have you guys handled in the past down there ?"

The Aussie solicitor beamed as he delivered his response- " Are presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Jr big enough ?. How about the Pope ?"

Bingo !. The ice was broken. It's been plain sailing ever since !

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 !