Gatsby Gaff #2, Rupert & Lord Leveson

It was a tremendous relief last month when Rupert Murdoch, after calling former British PM Gordon Brown "unbalanced', informed Robert Jay QC at the Leveson Enquiry in London that :
 "I take a particularly strong pride in the fact that we have never pushed our commercial interests in our newspapers".

far left-"Barry Otto" and centre Leo Di Caprio

It's certainly a mere co-incidence that Sydney's Daily Telegraph (prop: R.Murdoch) has been at the fore-front of some marvellous scoops about the 3D epic Great Gatsby, being filmed right now at Fox Studios (prop : R.Murdoch) and that the flick is largely funded by Fox Studios and former Fox Studios boss Kim Williams has just taken the helm as CEO of News Ltd.

"Barry Otto" & Leo Di Caprio

The Daily Terror has been able to obtain extraordinary access to filming and produced some fantastic picture essays on the 1920s epic through sheer ingenuity.

Jeff Duff

One that featured in our favourite show-biz pages Sydney Confidential scored this fine scoop in November last year with the headline:
Manly man Leonardo DiCaprio unmoved by decadence :"He came, he stood, stared and brooded as a little bit of Manly was transformed into a roaring 1920s Long Island party mansion early yesterday." referring to the magnificent St Paul's Catholic College on the headland at Manly that is standing in as a Long Island mansion.

the acting Ottos: Miranda, Barry & Gracie

So secure is the College that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban chose it for their nuptials, knowing the paparazzi would be kept at bay. Not so the intrepid snappers from News Ltd who brought us a colourful spread of one of Gatsby's legendary parties with the words :

 "The Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann conducted the epically decadent scene - ironically in an old Catholic seminary - with a full-force cast including Tobey Maguire and Barry Otto, seen here resplendent in red jacket above Maguire...referring to the above photos.

Alas-actor Barry Otto (once described by Sir John Gielgud as the 'greatest actor in the world') features not. The man resplendent in red jacket is our dear friend singer Jeff Duff , as we exclusively reported in September 2011 who director Baz Luhrman lured to the production to play an eccentric friend of Gatsby's.

Wendi & Rupert at the launch of Fox Studios

They really should, as several London tabloids do, read the Shuttle every day.


## The Shuttle was in the opening crowd at the launch of Fox Studios many moons ago as Hollywood star after star walked the red carpet. When we spied the Greatest Ever Media Mogul Rupert Murdoch with wife Wendi amongst the celebrating guests we approached him for an interview.

"Certainly " said Rupert.."where are you from?". Informing him of our then employer, a rival tabloid amongst the 30% of Australian publications not owned by Murdoch, he said "well f*ck off then!"

exclusive : Great Gatsby Gaff #1

Above is a screen capture from the trailer (below) that has just been released for Baz Luhrmann's $130M
Great Gasby 3D epic that is having the finishing touches put on it at Fox Studios. It's a scene from New York's Time Square set in the 1920s.

Luhrmann imported half a dozen fabulous automobiles from the USA and rounded up dozens of similar era cars from around Australia. With the magic of cinema the right-hand drive vehicles magically become left-hand drives. Sydney's Centennial Park doubled up as The Hamptons and Long Island and several mansions including Strickland House in Vaucluse capably passed for grand US estates. The old Balmain power station looks perfect as industrial New York and only the trained eye-judging from the great clip below-could spot the parts of Sydney that stand in for 1920's Manahttan. While the film's stars Leo Di Caprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey McGuire have long departed Sydney, around 200 technicians are beavering away at Fox on the production.

The Shuttle's sub-editor, a dyslexic moggie named Mildred Pierce with a fierce catnip addiction prone to making more mistakes than she corrects, however draws our attention to a major boo-boo that will hopefully disappear from the final production due to be released in early 2013.

The Ziegfeld Follies ran on Broadway from around 1907 to 1931 as well as making it to the big screen in several lavish productions. Yes, that's the Ziegfeld -not Zeigfeld!

Aussies Shine At Cannes Film Festival

Brad Pitt with Australian director Scott McNairy & actor Ben Mendelsohn at the Killing Me Softly premiere

Mia Wasikowska at VF

Jean-David Blanc & Melissa George

Li BingBing & Wendi Murdoch at the Vanity Fair party

Naomi Watts at VF

l

Party With The Stars

which is the real Alf?

Amanda Keller(s)

That's what the invitation said-'party with the stars at the opening of Madame Tussauds" in Darling Harbour. It was a fairly understated affair. The stars?- Layne Beachley, Amanda Keller, Dawn Fraser and a couple of Home & Away stars.

the Shuttle finds Madame Tussauds a little on the creepy side. We went to the one in London 25 years and haven't been back although we know someone in television who goes regularly to check up on celebrities heights, Tussauds being the only place one can really get the correct measurements!.

old &wrinkly works best

What do slebs think when they see a real life version of themselves?. It's probably a great example of the ego today's sleb must have in order to succeed-clocking a life size version of themselves and not being frightened to death in the process. One thing we have noticed is that older and wrinkly people come up best in wax as opposed to the young and botoxed, as our pics show.

Delta with scary Delta

Madame Tussaud herself



Below-our favourite-Rolf Harris

The Shuttle  went to a do once where they had a Tussauds 'Michael Hutchence on display and having known the singer when he was alive it was startlingly lifelike. His father Kel burst into tears upon seeing it.

plastic Brangelina

Julia Gillard

Madame Tussauds is now open at Darling Harbour next door to the Aquarium so you can do the sharks and celebrities in one go.

NB: the real  Ray Meagher.is on the right!

Growing Old Outrageously with Prince

At the launch party for the 2012 Sydney Writer's Festival at the Hickson Road Wharf 2 on Wednesday evening the Shuttle's eyes were immediately drawn to the above tee-shirt.

And the wearer lived up to expectations. She's Elisabeth Davies and it's the title of book she's penned with her school day's pal Hilary Lindstead (pictured above)

Jennifer Byrne & the Chaser's Julian Morrow

Davies and Lindstead went to school together in England before parting company for 35 years and then meeting up again and discovering a shared love of travel. The eccentric pair embarked on a trial journey to Morocco. That tentative beginning has turned into a series of wonderfully unusual holidays, and Hil and Lis have been circumnavigating the globe ever since.
Among many other destinations, they have taken in Marrakech, Fez and the Atlas Mountains; Patagonia and the Galapagos Islands; Istanbul and Cappadocia. They've been on safari in Namibia, Botswana and the Serengeti, attended music festivals in Naples and Prague and made a pilgrimage to the western isles of Mull and Iona. Along the way they have encouraged, enraged and entertained each other, while living through countless adventures.

  In the preceeding decades Elisabeth went to Cambridge, studied economics and became a civil servant and journalist. Meanwhile Hilary had re-located to Australia where she has been a theatrical agent for names like Baz Luhrmann, Neil Armfield and Gillian Armstrong. These two are great fun and the book should be a good read-the Shuttle has just orderd a copy. After recounting their history the two minxs' were soon off working the party with writers like Professor Ross Steele, Roddy Doyle, Frank Moorhouse and Tom Keneally. Listen to the ABC Radio interview with Hil & Lis here.

## On Tuesday evening Prince wowed audience's at the Allphones Arena albeit with a toned down show  (he's found God or something) but the real action was at the after party at Ivy in the city where Prince jammed with Seal and Public Enemey's Flava Flav as the Shuttle's exclusive snaps show.

Pity the ballroom was packed to capacity but it was still better than the Allphones Arena and for a rock'n'roll party, fairly civilised.

Those Michael Clarke Wedding Snaps

 Tweeted by Michael Clarke for the world to see- his secret wedding pics from yesterday when he and Kyly Body wed in the Wogan Valley Resort.

Great Moments of Irony #1

 1992: Page 1 !

                                                                       2012: Page 28

A Very Stylish Party

Miranda Kerr

In Style Magazine threw their annual Ladies Of Style bash in association with Audi at the Carriageworks.

Miranda Otto

Who would miss this party?. So many beautiful ladies in one room and they come in all shapes and ages.

Needless to say, the beautiful Miranda Kerr dominated the room. She had flown in from New Zealand that morning with baby Flynn and her mother and grandmother leaving hubby Orlando Bloom behind filming The Hobbit.

Laura Csortan & Sophie Faulkner

Jessica Rowe & sister Harriet

Ricki-Lee Coulter

Miranda, wearing a powder blue Carla Zampatti gown even picked up a gong for Women Of The Year. Who would have guessed?
 The other winners: Beauty: Co-winners: Miranda Kerr and Rebecca Morrice Williams, News & Entertainment: Asher Keddie,Fashion: Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson (Easton Pearson)
Arts & Culture: Co-winners Nikki Gemmell and Lally Katz, Lifestyle: Indira Naidoo,Charity & Community: Alison Thompson, Business: Kate Weiss,Design: Liane Rossler, Environment: Abigail Forsyth

Colour & Movement

It brings back memories of the Sydney Mardi Gras or perhaps a Jenny Kee fashion show- the Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival opened on Sunday with parades and lots of colour and movement..
This year's theme is INNOFASHION, a mix of two words Innovation and Fashion, an interpretation of national culture richness in the fashion and culinary industry with the touch of latest trend.

JFFF was first established in 2004, and ever since annually held on May.

Isla Supports Dictator

One of our favourite Aussie ex-soapie stars Isla Fisher attended the world launch of the movie Dictator at the Royal Festival Hall in London onThursday evening as our exclusive snaps show.
 Fisher is married to Dictator star Sacha Baron Cohen.

New Hotel Rocks!

David & Lisa Campbell with Michelle Burke & Richard Wilkins

The copious flutes of Pol Roger, the delicious canapes have not affected this report in any way : we have discovered a new hotel and it's a beauty.

The Harbour Rocks Hotel opened on Wednesday night with a small party for a select 100 (Shuttle included)-various TV stars and travel bigwigs and a handful of those keen young men who are involved in finance.

song legends Helen Reddy & Barry Crocker

Funny gal Julia Morris and hubby Dan

And what a fantastic addition to Sydney's inns of quality.

 Tucked away in The Rocks and just a short walk from all manner of tourists spots, the Opera House and so on, the HRH has about 50 beautifully decorated rooms with sensational luxury bathrooms and a wonderful penthouse suite with views of the harbour.

Apparently the hotel has been there since 1887 as our pic shows but over the past few years it has been going under extensive renovations with millions of dollars spent on the makeover. And it was worth it.

And it was a swell opening party with champagne in the cosy book-lined foyer, drinks on the terrace with a harpist paying Mexican music (unusual but entertaining) and then finally drinks in the penthouse with crooner David Campbell.

stylish rooms

The Harbour Rocks Hotel in the early 1900s and today
                                     Below: the balcony/courtyard

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