Another Day..Another AACTA

a red dog

This is becoming repetitive. Not a week seems to go by without a new film award. Just a few days ago Geoffrey Rush was in Los Angeles helping hand out AACTA gongs to the Gumleaf Mafia and LA locals like Meryl Streep. That was followed by the SAG Awards a few days later.

Cate Blanchett shines

Miranda Kerr

Megan Gale

Last night he looked bright eyed and bushy tailed at the Sydney Opera House handing out more AACTAs to those in the local film industry.
He had some help from colleague Cate Blanchett. Actually that is the Samsung AACTA Awards. It's the re-incarnation of the Australian Film Awards and Samsung have put a hefty sum behind the whole deal hence the media were invited inside to the Opera House instead of being, as is film publicist's wont, bundled into some pen alongside the red carpet out in the elements. So we in the meejah are now very fond of Samsung and almost as happy as actor Simon Baker who keeps popping up on television promoting Samsung products for a reputed $3M a year.

The "Australian equivalent of the Oscars" went off without a hitch and anyone who has done anything in an Aussie film was there including some who haven't like Miranda Kerr. And there was a bar for the media.

The big winner was the film Red Dog judged Best Film. It's a charming feel good movie that was inexpensive to make which should delight the producers as not only has it been a box office success, animals don't get residuals.

The LaPaglia Brothers

And Judy Davis-who Woody Allen reckons is the "best actress in the world" won Best Actress for Eye Of The Storm which is based on the book by the crankiest ever Nobel Prize winner Patrick White. Olivia Newton John, Anthony La Paglia and Magda Szubanski were there as was  Shutle pal Jaqui Weaver who was up for an Oscar last year. She spent a few hours regailing us in the bar and roaring with laughter over some very risque tales of Jacqui's after Oscar party experiences, plus Claudia Karvan who is still having difficult recalling how the Shuttle bounced her on our knee in her dad's bar Athurs in Kings Cross (innocently of course!) when she was seven. Miranda Otto and her sis Gracie Otto and their dad Barry Otto attended. And Barry is the man that Sir John Gielgug once said was the best actor in the world.

SNOWTOWN picked up a gong and qute right too. It's a pretty gruesome true life tale but well made and  based on the shocking serial murders where ten bodies were found dumped in barrels of acid n a disused bank vault in Snowton in South Australia.  Done wonders for the tourism trade I'm told.

Ain't Love Grand

He  brought down the Berlin Wall (or something like that), now Baywatch star 59 year old David Hasslehoff has proposed to his 31 year-old girlfriend, Hayley Roberts, this morning while climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Hoff is currently in Sydney starring in Celebrity Apprentice and has been seen around town doing all sorts of weird jobs like washing dogs and selling hot dogs on Bondi Beach.

 The Bridge Climb is one of the great tourism successes and every visiting celeb has to do it. Even Oprah Winfrey managed to, chained to a dozen of her fans that she had transported Down Under with her on the great adventure in 2010 that has largely been forgotten.

At $200 a person and in teams of ten they set off every ten minutes. Everyone gets a nice certificate after the climb and a photo as in the one above of the Hoff and Hayley. You aren't allowed to take a camera with you but at least the snap is included in the price of the climb. Everyone says it's a great experience but that may have more to do with the oxygen levels at that height. The climbers are as high as kite in every way.

Big Stars For Mardi Gras

The Shuttle can reveal the top acts who will be performing at this years Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney on Saturday March 3rd: Kylie Mingoue and US drag star Ru Paul.

And Kylie, gay icon that she is, will have her own float in the parade from where she will wave to the crowd.

Kylie has been a long time supporter of the Mardi Gras and always supported her gay fans.

Despite being a major tourist attraction for NSW with both State and Federal governments providing grants with an estimated tourism surge in spending in Sydney of over $20M each year, the Mardi Gras committee are always struggling to make ends meet.

With Kylie on board and providing her services for free, she should be a major draw card and help boost finances. Also expected to put in an appearance as a guest will be George Michael, now recovered from his bout of pneumonia. Michael has a concert scheduled in the Hunter Valley and has booked the same luxurious apartment in Potts Point where he lived for 4 months in 2010
Ru Paul recently announced she may stand for this year's US presidential elections. First black and gay president. Why not !

From Flab to Fab ! : Russell Crowe

Last night at LA's Soho House

RUSSELL CROWE ISN'T THE FIRST Hollywood star to have a battle with the bulge.

But look at the snap of our Russ from two years ago and our exclusive picture from last night's AACTA Awards in Los Angeles

2010

Crowe was topping the scale at a hefty 102 kilos but has shed 25K in a two year concerted workout regime and we have the secrets.

We and all Russell's Twitter followers. Russ is an active twitterer and last week he detailed his exercise regime which is pretty simple :

1hour 20 minutes walking, 30 minutes of Yoga followed by a 15 minute weights workout.

For the last two years Crowe has made his home in Sydney, partly to spend as much time with his 2 boys Charlie  and Tennyson  and partly to get himself in top shape.
Last year he splashed out $10M on a mansion in Rose Bay with spectacular views of the harbour and a state of the art security system so Russ could do simple things like kick a footie ball around the garden with the kids, away from prying eyes.

Russ & Danielle in 2009

Meryl Streep & Nicole Kidman at the AACTAs

He still has the Finger Wharf duplex penthouse in Woolloomoolo (on the market for $6M) but it was becoming increasingly difficult for Russell and wife Danielle Spencer to enjoy those family type events like relaxing in the back yard.

He was also a regular sight walking around the Loo and the Botanic Gardens, sometime wheeling the kids in their strollers.
To nip paparazzi in the bud he kept a wardrobe of 20 similar track suits so one day's photo looked like the rest. These days he still walks around Rose Bay and Bellveue Hill  (with it's punishing hills) but has a minder following in a car.

 Crowe was attending the AACTA Awards (that have replaced the Australian Film Institute Awards ) hosted by Australian Of The Year Geoffrey Rush, presented at a party at Soho House along with Guy Pearce, Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep who picked up a gong for her portrayal as Margaret Thatcher.

Om Tuesday the local AACTAS will be presented at the Sydney Opera House with Cate Blanchett hosting the gala.
In 2009 Crowe challenged the Shuttle's favourite show-biz editor Annette Sharp from Sydney Confidential in the Daily Telegraph to a bike ride around Sydney:

We Stand Corrected

It's the riot that keeps giving.......
 
Several missives arrive taking the Shuttle to task for claiming the famous missing show belonging to Prime Minister Julia Gillard was a Mixxy shoe designed by one of the USA's top fashionistas Betsey Johnson.

The shoe appeared for sale briefly on Ebay today before the advert was pulled.

In fact the shoe was a Midas brand with the name GLORIFY as featured in our snap below and it sells for a hefty $A148 and not the mere $US87 that the Mixxy sells for.

And quick off the mark we spot this sales pitch for the famous Glorify  on the Midas website :

	GLORIFY Classic pump outline medium heel wedge. Super soft suede all leather lined available in black and navy. Perfect for the office, political escapes and finding the burley bodyguard of your dreams.  !!!!

Julia Gillard-So Fashionable

You too can dress like our gorgeous Welsh born Prime Minister. Julia Gillard.

The Shuttle has tracked down the designer of the famous Blue Suede Shoe that featured in yesterday's dramatic exit form a Canberra restaurant when the PM fled (with London born Opposition leader. Tony Abbott fast behind) to her waiting armour plated limo.

 The shoe is fast becoming almost as famous as the Kevin Costner-like minder who swept the PM along like a movie style hero as she clutched his manly arms.

Betsey Johnson's Maxxi

The shoe appears to be the Mixxy shoe by New York uber designer Betsey Johnson and a pair can be yours for the very reasonable price of just $US87 (plus postage).

It's Love.....

As the video and pictures sweep around the world.....Prime Minister Julia Gillard clinging to a minder and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott being bustled out of a Canberra restaurant surrounded by dozens of policemen and being attacked by....err....what looks like a chubby elderly Aboriginal gent and a large Hippie style woman, the hard questions are being asked..

who is the bodyguard ?

The race is on to discover the name of the handsome public servant. Just look at some of the comments from the UK's MailOnline:

Her Body guard can protect me any time!! Coorrrr!!!

- lucylooselegs, Me casa, 26/1/2012 22:29

Wow! Her personal security guard is hot!

- Saulle Dinne, London, UK, 26/1/2012 22:26

Sweet Holy Mother of God, I am so in love - how can we find out who that bodyguard is ????

- Mary, Leinster, 26/1/2012 22:12

Sorry, I know this is serious, but holy crap that body guard is GORGEOUS!

- Sue, Galway, 26/1/2012 22:08

Ooooo.....i'd have a cling as well, he's one tasty bodyguard!!! Lol ;-)- lilylitebug , west midlands , 26/1/2012 22:06

Blimey, I would have clung to him too, he's gorgeous........- Paula, Cheshire, 26/1/2012 22:55

Any excuse to cling on to your bodyguard...eh Jules..??- Sam, Dubai, 26/1/2012 23:07

I'd cling to her body guard too if I had the chance.. Crowds or no crowds...- Sarah, Newcastle, 26/1/2012 21:41

He can come and guard me any day.- Jane, London, 26/1/2012 21:31

ooooh errr I would like him to rescue me too. mmmmmmmmm- Me , Here, 26/1/2012 21:21

That guard is enjoying every moment of it.....ha ha ha- Anita, Nairobi, Kenya, 26/1/2012 22:12

Twitter Trends...

Ahhh. Twitter.

The opportunity to read every intimate detail of people's lives as they go about their daily activities. Surely the prime example of information overload. The current Twitter trend is Jonathan King, the pop personality who just appeared at the Leveson Enquiry in London.

Leveson is looking into the amazing revelations that the pontificating media so beloved off the masses has been engaged in an unholy hacking into people's private lives.

King's video of his song about the mass killer of dear old ladies  Dr Harold Shipman is a current trend. A Shuttle reader has directed us to another video.

Knowing we are a great fan of Marlene Dietrich (having shared an adventure with her..a tale for another day) we have a video of the film goddess singing live in Bournemouth in 1966.
It's Jonathan King's timeless song Everyone's Gone To The Moon. The song has been recorded by so many greats from Nina Simone to Bette Midler and was King's first big hit, selling over 4 million copies when released.

Not the greatest recording but an example of why Dietrich was a true star :

Australia Day Eye Candy..

It's pelting down with rain all over the country despite being mid-summer.

A gloomy Australia Day (or Invasion Day if you are Indigenous)...so here are some pics of our favourite super-model, Victoria's Secret star and the former Gunnedah resident who married a Hobbit...gorgeous Miranda Kerr wrapped in the Australian flag In a glorious display of nationalism and oddly-dressed as Wonder Woman.

They're from the Aussie edition of Grazzia . Enjoy!




                                                                                                              

Australian Of The Year....

He follows in the footsteps of Sir Robert Helpmann (right) and Paul Hogan to become the third actor to be declared Australian of The Year ten minutes ago at Parliament House In Canberra.

Our favourite Oscar winner-Geoffrey Rush receives a well deserved honour.
Below is part of the speech we recorded a few months ago when Geoffrey helped launch a book about the Belvoir Street Theatre where Rush along with his good friend director Neil Armfield got their start in the theatre.

Just One Aussie In Chance for Oscar Win

We do so love to live vicariously on this island but who could not feel proud that Kirk Baxter, a film editor who studied in Sydney has been nominated for an Oscar at the 2012 Academy Awards.

Kirk and co-editor Angus Wall have been nominated for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo".


The film stars Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer (Plummer has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 'Beginners').

Baxter has two top films under his belt-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Social Network and he previously was nominated for his editing of the film of the 2009 Academy Awards presentations.

Grin And Bear It!

Robert Redford at Sundance

A BIG THUMBS UP  for actor Nash Edgerton's short film Bear which premiers today at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in Utah. The Sundance Festival was created in 1978 and the actor Robert Redford is chairman,.

Directed by Edgerton, Bear stars Nash with Teresa Palmer and Warwick Thornton. Below is a clip from the film which was produced by Lauren Edwards and John Polson of Tropfest fame.

Joel & Nash

 Nash Edgerton's credits are possibly longer than his brother and fellow actor Joel Edgerton who has now finished working on The Great Gatsby. Nash has worked as a stunt double in umpteen Aussie productions and on Gatsby, stands in for brother Joel.

### Michelle Williams, the mother Heath Ledger's baby daughter Matilda Rose has been nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in the film My Week With Marilyn.

Photo Fail!

businessinsider.com

While tales of the luxurious living arrangements of the recently busted and gloriously named Kim Dotcom resound around the world in the FBI's bust of the allegedly piracy file sharing site Megaupload (see scary poster below now on the website), one Sydney photo agency manager who wished to remain anonymous is crying foul !

Apparently for the last three years they have been using Megaupload as a storage site for their top selling celebrity and paparazzi photos because of limited storage space on their own server.

The agencies manager says :" we were about to upgrade computers with our own server in 3 months in a new office and have been using Megaupload to store bulk images"

He reckons the Feds have nabbed 1000s of celebrity photos worth an estimated $100,000 along with everything stored on Megaupload.

"Most of the pictures are irreplaceable and they were all digital pics from the past ten years. It's a devastating loss. We phoned the FBI in the USA but they were non responsive"

Is it normal for policing authorities to nab the private property of innocent people because they may be associated without knowing with an accused ? There is talk in the USA of lawyers lining up for a class action.

Winner Of The Week!

She's one feisty lady and sharp as a tack. She got our attention in 2010 when she clambered to the back of utility truck in a Subiaco oval (that's Perth's ritziest suburb)  pearls jangling around her neck, and thrust her arms in the air while gold bangles cascaded down her wrists chanting  :

" we will not stand for this unfair tax...billionaires united- will never be defeated!" (or words to that effect).

Within two months the prime minster Kevin Rudd's career crashed and his replacement Julia Gillard cut back the proposed 40% 'super profits' mining tax to around 30%.

On Sunday West Australia mining magnate Gina Rinehart  barely struggled by on $10 billion. Today that fortune doubled to a staggering  $20 billion when Gina's mining corporation Hancock Prospecting sold 15% of the Pilbara-based Roy Hill project to South Korean steel giant Posco.

The Posco investment pushes Rinehart's combined wealth up to nearly $20 billion, based on the increased value of her holding in the mines.

                                                          But wait-there's more......


Last year the giant Citicorp released a report on Gina's mine holdings and reckoned she is on track to become the world's richest person worth possibly $100 billion. That leaves Bill Gates ($59B) and Carlos Slim Helu ($74B) eating her dust.

Only two women are wealthier than our Gina- French L'Oreal heiress Lillian Bettencourt (left) with $23B and American Christy Walton (Waltons stores) with $24B. She'll see them off by the end of the decade !.

Sydney Theatre Awards

Richard Roxburgh, Helen Dallimore & Andrew Upton at the Sydney Theatre Awards

300 MEMBERS of the Sydney theatre community packed the auditorium at Paddington RSL to celebrate the best of Sydney theatre throughout 2011.

Kirsten & David Williamson at the awards

Amongst the recipients :
Best Mainstage Production was awarded to Belvoir’s production of The Wild Duck, which also won Best Direction of a Mainstage Production -Simon Stone, and Best Actress and Actor in a Supporting Role of a Mainstage Production -Anita Hegh, Anthony Phelan.

Best Independent Production went to The Libertine, produced by Sport for Jove Theatre with Darlinghurst Theatre Company, which also garnered Best Actress and Actor in an Independent Production -Danielle King, Anthony Gooley.

Oz Of The Year ?

Best Actress in a Leading Role of a Mainstage Production was won by Cate Blanchett for Sydney Theatre Company’s Gross und Klein, for which Alice Babidge was awarded Best Costume Design.
For the full list of awards go to the awards website.
                                                             
Meanwhile the search is on for replacements for Cate Blanchett and husband Andrew Upton who are relinquishing their roles in 2013 as co-artistic directors and CEOs of the Sydney Theatre Company. Under their auspices, the STC has received rave reviews and plaudits for their productions, around the world and turned around the fiances of the company into a healthy profit.

And our favourite Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush has been nominated as a contender to pick up the Australian of The Year award on Australia Day (or Invasion Day as some prefer to call it) on January 26th.
                                                         ********************
# Should the Shuttle feel flattered or otherwise as we were ushered past the door minders at the Paddington RSL with great aplomb whilst actor and Hollywood star Richard Roxburgh stood patiently while they searched for his name on the door list ?

## Speculation is mounting as to who the VIP was as mentioned in our previous story with the bodyguard who waved a pistol in the face of a photographer in Double Bay last week. Watch this space.....

Royal update:Limos,Guards,Guns and Paddington

It's generally one of the quietest times of the year with just the Sydney Festival providing some light relief but last week was fairly eventful for the normally deserted Paddington and Double Bay.

Najib Razak & Rosmar Mansor

 The Shuttle became embroiled in a minor fracas in Paddington mid-week as we motored through the back streets and emerged onto William Street, the tiny thoroughfare of smart boutiques (Gail shopped there for chocolates for Oprah Winfrey when they were in town) to find the street blocked by a fierce looking black limousine- the four wheeled drive variety now so beloved of today's celebrities. With two sunglass wearing black suited gentleman blocking the traffic.

 A full five minutes past before these self-appointed traffic wardens graciously allowed the mounting traffic to pass, with a furious waving of the hands as we inched our way past the shop and peered in to see who it was that may have commanded such pomp and ceremony

King of Tonga

One report appeared today stating that Rosmar Mansor the wife of the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak happened to be shopping in Paddington that very day

But the plot thickens.

A report arrives that a similar vehicle was seen idling outside an upmarket boutique in Double Bay the same afternoon. A well-known paparazzi reports that as he began to take photographs of an "Asian looking" lady who emerged from the shop and headed for the limo, he was suddenly confronted by a pistol packing minder telling him to buzz off.

 Co-incidentally word spread through the Bay that the daughter of the Tongan rulers His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV and Her Majesty Queen Halaevalu Mataaled was on a shopping spree in Double Bay that day as well. Such excitement!

                                      ************************************

Queen Margrethe

 Meanwhile the crowned heads of Europe gave e their collective tiaras an outing at a grand party at Christiansborg Palace Chapelin Copenhagen to celebrate Queen Margrethe II of Denmark's 40 years on the throne. 

Naturally the popular former Tasmanian Crown Princess Mary was featured along with a variety of dethroned and serving royal heads such Pavlos & Mary-Chantal of Greece (they have no last name-so chic!) Queen Silvia and King Gustav of Sweden and Queen Sonja of Norway.

There is a Shuttle connection to Queen Margretthe. In her 20s she shared a flat in London with Jean Onions, the sister of Shuttle contributor Bill Ranken.

 And we have an exciting exclusive on the British Royal Family. According to one report HM the Queen will announce her abdication at her Jubilee celebrations later this year and handover to Prince William. No King Charles or Queen Camilla-they are to by-passed for the younger and more glamorous Wills and Kate.

The scoop comes to us courtesy of the newsofthewoldonline.

Sadly we note this must read glossy website no longer appears to feature our favourite minor German aristocrat Frederic Prinz von Anhalt as a show biz writer.

Married to the ailing Zsa Zsa Gabor, perhaps he has other things on his mind.

************************

And here is a snap that young Jack Vidgen sent us from the red carpet at last week's G'Day Ball in LA. Tonight he sings at the New York G'Day Ball..  he sent the following message :

" The New York Gday USA Ball is tomorrow night.. Loved the LA one so much am really excited for this one.!! The other acts were so awesome in LA, Guy Sebastian is going to be performing as welll. Will be great to see him!
It was FREEEEEZING in New York today! Apparently it's meant to snow tomorrow so i better rug up lol
Am flying to Houston in a couple of days, I bet Texas will be awesome!
Hope your all well and only a few more days till I'm back in Oz :)"

Aussies on The European Catwalk

 

YOU CAN'T MOVE on the European fashion cat-walks at present for Aussies-Miranda Kerr, Gemma Ward and the androgynous beauty Andrej Pejic (a favourite of Jean Paul Gaultier)

The way was paved of course by the likes of Elle McPherson , but now male twins-the Stenmarks (left) are becoming the ones to watch.

Zac and Jordan Stenmark have appeared in shows for Calvin Klein along with a host of other Australian male models as reported by noted fashion writer Patty Huntington who regularly prowls the fashion precincts of Europe and the USA and writes the informative frockwriter blog.

The Stenmarks hail from Mosman in Sydney and are the sons of former 80's models Susie Stenmark and Stuart Darcy and they come with impeccable social credentials.

Georgia & Paul Stenmark

Andrej Pejic

Second cousin (also) Susie Stenmark was the communications manager for Chanel for many years and before that, the Park Hyatt hotel. 

Another cousin Paul Stenmark is the marketing manager for Laurent Perrier champagne (we lurve Paul!) and is married to the photographer Georgia Moxham whose best pal is Gretel Packer, the late Kerry Packer's much loved daughter .