Publishing Pitfalls #1

Two months ago we wrote of the doom and gloom at the venerable Fairfax Media publishing house who produce two of the world's oldest and most respected newspapers The Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Age.

As crikey.com.au revealed Fairfax plan to cut up to 200 staff including journalists and sub-editors at the same time they are reaping in tens of millions of dollars in annual profits. Fairfax want to out source sub editing to Pagemasters part of AAP who are in turn 45% owned by News Corp currently the subject of a police and parliamentary investigation in the UK over hacking and whose boss Rupert Murdoch was attacked by a cream pie wielding comedian yesterday.

One complaint over the Fairfax cuts that will further concentrate media power into fewer hands is that standards are likely to fall. Particularly at an organisation like Fairfax which has maintained a long history of high standards not only in reporting news but in presentation.

Fairfax managers should heed our warnings. Just a few days ago we pointed out how the web-site of the Daily Telegraph carries the odd story of how Lady GaGa appeared at the Sydney Opera House although it was in fact the Sydney Town Hall where she wowed 1000 invited guests. The clanger still remains.

There was a reason Lady GaGa chose the Town Hall-it boasts the world's biggest and most magnificent organ which GaGa pounded away on to great effect during her concert.

Is the curse of the absent sub-editor spreading ?. This series of posts in one of favourite newspaper websites London Evening Standard owned by the Russian entrepreneur Alexander Lebedev  caught our eye this morning :

When Bette Midler Attacks!

On Sunday the Shuttle ran the tale of how Lady GaGa made a dramatic entrance onto the stage of the Monster Hall (Sydney Town Hall) in a wheel chair wearing a mermaid tail.

We pointed out that this was remarkably similar to Bette Midler's act from over 20 years ago when she appeared at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Midler has warmed to the theme and been twittering her fans : I’m not sure @ladygaga knows that I’ve performed my mermaid in a wheelchair for millions of people — and many of them are still alive,”

“Dear @ladygaga I’ve been doing singing mermaid in a wheelchair since 1980-You can keep the meat dress and the firecracker tits, mermaid’s mine.” Ouch !.

When Wendi Attacks!

It was one of the most anticipated television appearances in modern time. The legendary media mogul Rupert Murdoch was to be grilled by the powerful UK Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

In the end it was more like being lashed with a damp lettuce leaf but who wasn't impressed by Rupert Murdoch's humble physical appearance that one viewer described as more like Mr Grace from Are You Being Served.

Heir apparent James Murdoch was full of sincerity with his Ivy league, well mannered and scrubbed looks. With Murdoch Sn we saw flashes of his Australian laid back humour but direct answers. And who could not have felt for him when he appeared almost on the verge of tears as he described his father, the late Sir Keith Murdoch who broke tradition when he attacked the British government over the Gallipoli disaster in which Australian and New Zealand troops were treated as useful cannon fodder for incompetent British generals.

Rupert was reminding us that there is a need for an open and fearless media to shine a light on the political machinations that are not always in the best interests of  citizens and he is correct on that.

Sadly Rebekah Brooks appearance was an anti-climax although she presented her case well.

But the winner of the day was Wendi Murdoch who sat loyally behind her hubby, at times trying to stop him thumping the table (a legendary Rupert trait) and who rushed to the defense of her man  when threatened with a custard tart (an annoying stunt that was badly timed).

While James Murdoch looked suitably shocked with a momentary freeze, Wendi jumped to her feet and laid into the tart bearer with a right hook that left the attacker wearing his own pie !

A round-up of reactions to Mrs Murdoch :

Murdoch attack: wife leaps to tycoon's rescue at hacking inquiry London Evening Standard

FURY AT RUPERT MURDOCH PIE ATTACK COMIC            UK Express

@buchu Piegate hits hackgate. Wendi Deng is more sprightly than the portly Met officer who ran across the screen #hackgate.

And as Rupert is 80, there is one person who shines above the others as the ideal candidate to lead the mighty News Corp into the uncertain future-step forward Wendi Murdoch: Warrior Princess

PS : Thank God for spell check but it produces some odd corrections such as :
Rupoer ( as in Rupert)...Ripper !
Gallipolli  (as in Gallipoli)..Gladioli !

Is The Family Turning on Rupert?

With perfect timing a new book has just been published by Murdoch Books- Making News by Melbourne sport's journalist Tony Wilson.

Murdoch Books is owned by Sydneysider Matt Handbury who is the son of the late Helen Handbury, Rupert Murdoch's older sister. When Sir Keith Murdoch died in 1952 he left the Adelaide Advertiser, his only newspaper to son Rupert and a small publishing firm to Helen who subsequently passed that firm on to Matt.

Matt Handbury built the company into highly successful publishers of  magazines and books selling off the magazine section in 2004 for $77M to Perth media mogul Kerry Stokes.

The London Evening Standard says Making News is a  thinly disguised novel which is highly critical of the behaviour of news-hounds in Australia and Britain

Says author Wilson : “The phone hacking scandal is right on topic for my second novel, Making  News. Phone hacking is an important part of the plot, albeit in the sense that the hacked know they’re being hacked, and deliberately spread misinformation to the tabloids in the hope of a defamation success. It’s a satire of British tabloid misbehaviour.
In the first half of the book, a young ‘weekend trainee’ learns the standard hack tricks. In the second, the trainee’s celebrity father is caught up in a sex scandal that sweeps the world, and motivates the trainee to seek revenge against his mentors. The main inspiration for the novel was a memoir by a celebrated tabloid editor.”

Matt Handbury & former wife Fiona

The diarist who penned the Standard piece says: " As a publisher, Handbury has not previously been critical of his uncle. But maybe he feels Murdoch’s days of influence and power are on the wane".

But it's been long rumoured around town that the Murdochs and Handburys aren't the greatest of friends.

Clare & Matt Handbury

The Shuttle recalls attending a party at the magnificent harbour side mansion Altona when the Handbury's owned it and asking Fiona Handbury-then married to Matt , if they would be attending the wedding of Lachlan Murdoch and model Sarah O'Hare.

"Certainly not " replied Fiona, "Matt and I are regularly forgotten when it comes to family invitations. The only one we seem to get is the annual family get-together organised by Dame Elisabeth Murdoch at Cruden Farm"

Matt and Fiona divorced in 2000 and Fiona received Altona as part of a divorce settlement promptly selling it for $29M to publisher Deke Miskin (it's currently on the market for a reported $60M).
Fiona-now the Countess of Dartmouth married William Legge, the 10th Earl of Dartmouth and the grandson of the legendary romance novelist Dame Barbara Cartland.

Matt Handbury married Clare Strang in 2002 and they now live in the beautiful council owned Bronte House overlooking Bronte Beach on a 50 year lease. Once a year they are obliged to open Bronte House's splendid gardens for public viewing.

Did Rebekah Make a Secret Visit To Sydney?

Alexander Tristran Duff Brodie

The endless round of product launches in Sydney can be tiring at times, especially when what passes for the social media in this town present some very dubious characters as 'socialites'.

Brodie Castle

How pleasing then to be invited to the annual Brodie Clan get together -The Grand Bannockburn Ball at the inner west suburban Petersham Town Hall. We sent a Shuttle operative along to get a few snaps and a short film.

 The Brodies are a clan whose origins are slightly obscure as the rival Gordon Clan pillaged and burnt Brodie Castle near Inverness in 1645 destroying their historical records. They were like that these Scottish clans. Always at war with each other.

That castle was re-built and still stands today and is run by the Scottish National Trust. You can rent out apartments in it for the weekend.  The landlord of Brodie Castle and the 27th Chief of Clan Brodie   flew in from Scotland as a special guest for the night. He's the wonderfully named Alexander Tristran Duff Brodie who wrapped himself in the new Brodie Clan flag for our cameras.

But on viewing some film of Alexander being piped in something caught our eye. He's accompanied by a tall flame haired woman who looks suspiciously like Rebekah Brooks the Fleet Street Titan just released from police questioning.
Did she make a secret visit to Sydney 3 weeks ago ?. Looking for a bolt hole, knowing her collar was about to be felt by the Old Bill?. The Murdoch's are another Scots clan and Uncle Rupert did famously say when asked what his first priority was.."to look after her !" We should be told.

Petersham celebrates an erection.

Hack Watch #2 "Hackgate-The Movie"

Everything Old is New Again

The media lapped up the Lady GaGa promotion and fell into lock step in the way that the Australian press is famed for reporting every action of the diva word for word as though it was an earth shattering news event.

Ms GaGa entered the stage at the beginning of her Sydney Town Hall concert (note to the Sunday Telegraph-not the Sydney Opera House as claimed on your website) in a wheelchair wearing a mermaid's tail.

Bette Midler 1991

'Brilliant'! they proclaimed with one voice.

One noted tabloid scribe described the colourful entertainer as "the most original performer the world has ever seen "! 
Not quite. As you can see from our pic above of Lady GaGa in her wheelchair entrance, it's remarkably similar to another entertainer-Bette Midler who 20 years ago premiered her show at the Sydney Entertainment Centre by errr..arriving on stage-in a wheelchair wearing a mermaid's tail.

Lady GaGa 2011

Hack Watch # 1: Earth To News Corp

We know last week Lady GaGa took Sydney by storm much in the way Oprah Winfrey did late last year. However what is wrong with this report today at telegraph.com.au ?:


"IF YOU'RE into pop music, it doesn't get much better than Lady Gaga. Lada Gaga at the Opera House
And as far as live shows go, it doesn't get much bigger or better than Lady Gaga in such an intimate venue as the Sydney Opera House.
With a guest list of just over 1000 people - most of whom were competition winners - a select group of less than 200 celebs packed the venue balcony for Lady Gaga's only official Sydney show last week.
For the occasion, the iconic venue was renamed the Sydney Monster Hall - a reference to Lady Gaga's legion of fans"


This is Sydney's "iconic venue" the Sydney Opera House :  










and this is the Sydney Town Hall dubbed "Sydney Monster Hall "
last week for Lady GaGa's concert

We reckon they look different.

question for 'Insider' : which one these two is Lady GaGa and which one is a journalist who got their facts wrong ?
                                          

Germaine Greer : British Culture "Rotten To The Core"

"The British find it very hard to believe what every outsider knows – that their culture is rotten to the core.".." Assange, who is about to be extradited to Sweden to face charges of being a terrible fuck. "
 Germaine Greer is furious. Her phone wasn't hacked !

  "You can imagine how crushed I am to discover that I am NOT on any of the lists of potential hackees!

My phone remains inviolate! To someone as desperate for publicity as myself, this is proof positive that I have fallen into utter obscurity. Not even in the first 4000! "

Greer continues :

"It matters not to the British commentators that Rupert M. has dumped Australia for the US. Every move he makes reveals him to be a treacherous Antipodean. Hordes of noble British workers have lost their jobs because convict-spawn Rupert has exercised his brutal power and closed the doors of the News of the World, even as it was being read to the nubs by seven million British half-wits."

 
 Germaine has written a piece on the new website Hoopla set up by comedienne Wendy Harmer for the over 35s. Harmer has roped in a bunch of women like Greer, broadcaster Angela Catterns and Jessica Rowe to contribute and its all rather fun.

Go to the Hoopla website here and read more.

Prince Albert of Monaco-In Happier Times

This video of a magician shot at a club in Monaco must be seen. It's amazing. How does the pianist stay on his stool ?.
Note in the audience-Prince Albert loving the act.

Lady GaGa & Sarah Ferguson told to Shut Up !

Ga Ga checks in

and checks out

Not everyone was mesmerised by the Lady GaGa whirlwind as the diva swept through Sydney over the past three days.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports GaGa was pelted with eggs after her performance at ARQ nightclub on Tuesday evening as she left  via a lane way at the rear of the club surrounded by fans. Apparently an irate neighbour furious with all the noise made their sentiments felt from a window high above the commotion.

It's reminiscent of the time Sarah, the Duchess of York was in Sydney and was hired to promote Rupert Murdoch's cable TV network Foxtel. Around ten years ago the 200,000th subscriber was to be connected and a media event was organised in the seaside suburb of Clovelly.

An electricity manhole was opened in the street outside the lucky subscriber's house and Fergie did her duty, clambering into the hole to flick a switch to activate the connection as the occasion was to be broadcast live on Foxtel and Sky News. The assembled hacks crowded around jostling and pushing as they tried to get a good vantage point as a PR operative on a microphone introduced Sarah.

Suddenly a window in a nearby building was flung upon and an elderly woman leaned out and yelled "what's all that bloody racket down there about?"

Foxtel PR flacks rushed over and asked the woman to keep quiet telling her a very important person was about to give a speech. The woman responded : "I wouldn't care if you had the bloody Prime Minister or that silly Duchess woman there you can pull your heads in and shut up " as an egg landed squarely on the head of an earnest looking publicist.

Jack Vidgen

Accompanying Lady GaGa on her trip was the US blogger Perez Hilton who has slimmed down and was looking remarkably fit compared to his visit 3 years ago.
Here's a film of Perez on an empty Bondi Beach :

Perez  features blond bombshell Jack Vidgen ( he was at Lady Ga Ga's concert) on his website. Jack gave another stellar performance on Tuesday on Australia's Got Talent with his rendition of Adele's Set Fire To The Rain and we have the video below followed by fellow teen sensation in his first public appearance Ronan Parke singing up a storm in front of thousands and mincing sashaying down the stage like an old trouper.

Ronan Parke

Going Ga Ga-Lady GaGa on Our 'Lesbian' Prime Minister

photo : Patrick McMullan www.patrickmcmullan.com  http://pmc-mag.com/

It's a sad fact but whenever a celeb comes to Sydney or Melbourne all life as we know it ceases. And so it is with Lady GaGa in Sydney on a three day photo opportunity and taking the town by storm.

arriving at Nevermind

The Shuttle went to the Channel Nine studios for GaGa's interview with Tracey Grimshaw and was pleasantly surprised when the great pop star performed singing two songs in a giant perspex box with a minimum of backing,

and leaving Nevermind

And she was good, bloody good and far better than other unnamed pop goddesses (although the name Madonna springs to mind). Yesterday GaGa tweeted her fans with non too subtle messages about the gay clubs Nevermind and Arq which she duly turned up to last night. She arrived in one outfit and departed in another. At both clubs. That's four outfits for the cameras who obliged.

Earlier in the evening Lady GaGa went to the Town Hall and received a certificate proclaiming her an honorary citizen from Lord Mayor Clover Moore for her work for gays and lesbians (she tweeted "just do it" to local politicians referring to gay marriage).  She also made a gaffe during her interview with Grimshaw and wondered why the Prime Minister Julia Gillard as a lesbian didn't support gay marriage. That didn't make it to air.

The majority of those who queued from 3pm for tickets to Arq and Nevermind -both gay clubs, were heterosexual teens but it's the thought that counts. GaGa sang two songs at Arq. Tomorrow night she gives a special show for 1000 fans at the Town Hall and by what we've seen so far, it should be one special night.Not bad for a singer who came to Sydney in 2009 as a support act for The Pussycats.

Go to Channel Nine's A Current Affair website to watch the Lady GaGa interview and performance.

A Current Affair

Murdoch The Movie-The Empire Strikes Back

Getty/The Beast

In January the Shuttle brought news of a proposed movie based on the life of Rupert Murdoch-the Sun King who has arrived in London to try and stem the fallout from the great hacking scandal.

Getty/The Beast

'Murdoch' the movie was commissioned by the UK's Channel 4 and written by TV script writer Jesse Armstrong but 4 decided against making it. It's now being handled by a top agency Creative Artist's Agency who are looking for a producer and backer.  Presumably Fox Studios won't be bidding for the rights any time soon.

Colin Myler- editor of the late NoTW (Getty/The Beast)

The script blurb reads : "As his family gathers for his birthday party, Rupert Murdoch tries to convince his elder children to alter the family trust so that his two youngest children by his newest wife will have voting rights in the company."  The events of the last week must surely mean that it's just a matter of time before this film is made.

All movie scripts evolve over time and we proposed a number of actors to take leading roles including Barry Humphries (manager of gigastar Dame Edan Everage) as Rupert Murdoch (he's already played him in the Hitler Diaries) and Hayden Christensen as the good looking James Murdoch.

New characters have moved into the frame though, so to speak. In particular Rebekah Brooks the CEO of Murdoch's News Corporation who from all reports, Rupert regards as  one of the family. And Andy Coulson the hapless former adviser to British PM David Cameron.

Fortunately The Daily Beast has come up with an updated cast list which looks spot on and you can see from our pictures some of the proposed new cast for the movie.
                            *************************************************
As the scandal swirled around the News Corp bunker at Wapping in East London and in the offices of the 168 year old tabloid News of The World, journalists were already seething over the flame haired CEO of News Corp and the former editor of the newspaper Rebekah Brooks who most of the hacks had come to the conclusion had led the the tabloid into treacherous waters with her 'take no prisoners' style of editing.

There are reports of writers being berated for up to an hour at the 11am editorial meeting and tales of younger journalists fleeing to the toilets in tears over Ms Brooks threats that they would receive their marching orders unless  they came up with a major celebrity or political based piece of scandal to fill the pages.

In it's final weeks a YouTube video was doing the rounds-unbeknown to Rebekah-that was viewed with glee by the staff. It's a clip from a movie called Vile Pervert produced by pop mogul Jonathan King who spent time as a guest of Her Majesty and has often complained that the tabloid unfairly distorted reporting of his predicament.

A Date in New York City

Diary note for our New York readers (around 500 a day !)

photograph by Patrick McMullan (c) PMc

A missive arrives from New York (and America's) most famous social photographer Patrick McMullan (left):

"Next Wednesday I, alongside Jacqui Rosshandler and Arthur Shorin, am co-hosting a really exciting launch party for the revolutionary breath freshener, EATWHATEVER. It should be an absolutely 'kissable' event! Limited copies of my book KISS KISS will be available to buy and have signed. So check out the invite below, RSVP to eatwhatever@gita-group.com and meet up with us at the Museum of Sex next Wednesday at 8:30PM. Hope to see you all there!"

No party in New York , Miami or Los Angeles is complete without McMullan or one of his trusted snappers present. He visited Australia in the late 90's ( courtesy of the Social Shuttle) and hosted an exhibition in Kings Cross on the premises that are now Hugo's nightclub and welcomed a host of local social figures like Lady Sonia McMahon, Kirk Pengilly from INXS, Min Keating and Deeta Colvin. There's talk that McMullan may visit Sydney and Melbourne in the near future to check out the local scene.

Read Patrick's internet magazine PMc here.

First Ita Buttrose, now Rudy Giuliani

The rumours still roam about town that publishing identity Ita Buttrose may stand in the coming council elections for Lord Mayor, a role she has every chance of winning given her popularity and celebrity status. Despite being contacted by at least two media organisations Ms Buttrose's office has not returned calls with a denial. Perhaps she should take some advice from a former New York  mayor on her bid.

In a little reported conference ex-New York mayor Rudy Giuliani  told delegates at the Asia Pacific Cities Summit in Brisbane that he was still contemplating whether he would stand for the Republican party in the 2012 presidential primaries.

Giuliani said " “President Obama is an incumbent president, whether you agree or disagree with his policies, incumbent presidents have a very good chance of being re-elected.”

You can read Vanity Fair's report on Giuliani here and note that they have elevated (or demoted) Australia to being America’s most electorally significant state and claim : "But as they say: as Australia goes, so goes the nation "

Ita Buttrose : Missing In Action

Finally a daily newspaper has picked up on our tale that Ita Buttrose may be drafted in to run for Lord Mayor in council elections 9mainly ebcause we told the ungrateful bugger)

Our source is an Oxford Street businessman who represents several others who have requested anonymity.

The writer says he has had no response from his email or phone calls to Ms Buttrose which seems odd as Ita is known for being the epitome of good manners  (see : A Guide to Australian Etiquette)

Likewise last week the Shuttle received no response from an emailed request for a comment from Ms Buttrose on the claim. But why not ?. If the rumour is untrue it would be a simple matter to just say it isn't so. Silence says it may be true ! And when have we ever been wrong ?  Watch this space.

The Iron Lady-teaser

Famous Last Words # 1

19th January 2011 James Murdoch Chairman News International speaking about the phone hacking scandal at the News of The World newspaper :

"You talk about a reputation crisis – actually the business is doing really well. It shows what we were able to do is really put this problem in a box."

8th July 2011: