Tina's Perfect Storm & My Role In Mommie Dearest

You have to feel sympathy for Tina Aldiss, a publicist at Mango PR who wrote an article for the media website Mumbrella.
Tina was commenting on the current woes at Fairfax Media where up to 1900 workers are to be laid off over the coming years. News Ltd will do likewise. The Shuttle has been quizzing hacks and snappers from both organisations and the fear and loathing is palpable.

Tina reckons when printed newspapers crash and burn her job flogging Arnott's biscuits and McDonald's Chicken burghers will be that much easier as she harnesses net power.
In the mean time the comments section has gone ballistic attacking poor Tina with most thinking her timing is a bit off.

The lines between reporting and publicising were blurred well over two decades ago and it's gotten worse. The Shuttle has worked both sides of the fence and gave up trying to think in terms of ethics years ago and decided to concentrate on survival.

Our only gripe is the attitude of Australian PRs and publicists ( Sydney ones are the worse.. Melbourne publicists are far better mannered). Many come across as far grander that the product they are flogging yet are really quite ignorant when it comes to inventive publicity.

Charlotte Dawson, Sarah Murdoch & Alex Perry at the WALL.

Hence the rise of the tiresome photographic/publicity board that pops up at every event from a blockbuster movie premiere to a minor beauty product launch.
And the press section will be crammed with paparazzi with sometime half a dozen working (unpaid and only on commission) for one agency who reckon the scatter gun approach will get sales. Amass hundreds of snaps of the same celebrity in varying poses and a handful might sell.

Regular Shuttle contributor Bill Ranken (right) who knows just about everyone in town and probably dated their grandmothers (at 81 years of age) discovered this recently at a charity bash for a children's hospital.
He was snubbed at the entrance by a bright-eyed 20 something publicity operative who scolded him for missing the 'wall' and scoffed at the idea guests could be photographed whilst sitting at tables. The fact the guests were the same people we all see day after day, week after week in this town was incidental.

And the problem is not really that Tina Aldriss is just stating the obvious, newspapers and magazines are responsible for blurring the lines and you can't blame a publicist for taking advantage of the fact.

Rupert Murdoch's Daily Telegraph has long been criticized for it's Sydney Confidential pages which resemble at times, a series of press releases full of inane information. It's significant that the former top Packer PR and journalist Annette Sharp has now been given her own Saturday edition spread and is delving into the lives of anyone who isn't Lady GaGa or Beyonce in an obvious move to challenge er rivals-not that it should be too hard.
As for the Shuttle, we have been shameless at times and never let accuracy get in the way of a good publicity campaign.

Years ago we travelled to New York with the UK Daily Express' William Hickey correspondent, the late Timothy Swallow and set up shop in a suite at the Waldorf Astoria in order to interview US celebrities for a series of show biz style books commissioned by a top promoter.

One day we went to a Times Square cinema to see the just released Mommie Dearest with Faye Dunnaway starring as Joan Crawford. Hollywood had boycotted the film, the star and producers deeming it a treacherous portrayal of a Hollywood legend.
 We loved it.

At one point in the movie Joan beats her children late one night after discovering their wardrobes contained wire coat hangers (apparently Joan had a thing about wire hangers), screaming "NO WIRE COAT HANGERS !!!"

 That night over cocktails at Studio 54 (working our way through our generous expenses allowance) we concocted a story that groups of fans were attending theatres and when the scene appeared, would wave wire coat hangers in the air. The Daily Express duly ran the tale which was picked up and swept the world's newspapers and TV news broadcasts.

Life imitated art and soon people were appearing at cinemas and doing just that. Not only had we created a movement (and a Wikipedia page), we had given the ailing flick a million dollar boost in free advertising by propelling it into the mass media.
All for the cost of a few drinks !

Conchords Channel Kenneth Williams

There is just standing room only for the appearance of the New Zealand duo Flight Of The Conchords at the Sydney Opera House on 5th July. Tickets cost $74.45 each and are limited so will go fast : Phone +61 2 9250 7777.

It's taken Conchorders Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement around 15 years to find success in Oz.
They won Best Newcomer at the Melbourne Comedy Festival a decade ago and have appeared twice at the Edinburgh Festival but it was the phenomenal reception of their HBO series in the US, only shown here recently, that has given them a real boost. In between, Bret won an Oscar for his song Man Or Muppet in The Muppet's film

Here is their very funny and popular 'Fouz Da Fafa', a take on French pop songs.
Older Shuttlers may recall a similar style of song by the wonderful late Kenneth Williams of Carry On film fame. Both are below :

Clive James : "I'm approaching the end..."

Broadcaster Clive James has announced that he is losing his battle with cancer and will "never see Sydney again".
He said :""I’ve still got an Australian passport, that’s ­patriotism, loyalty, and that’s also because I’m a masochist and I like being on the end of the longest queue for anything in Europe which is the security queue at Heathrow.”

James was brought up in the southern Sydney suburb of Kogarah and recounted his early days in the first volume of his autobiography "Unreliable Memoirs".

Clive spoke to the UK'S Daily Mirror and told of the father he never knew and how he was named after a character in a Tyrone Power film.

The interview can be read here.

Move Over Hugh Jackman-Thor Is In Town

He's could easily take the mantle of Mr Nice Guy of
the movies- Chris Hemsworth who flew into town for the opening night of Snow White & The Huntsman and wowed hundreds of waiting fans at Westfield in Bondi Junction.

Some had camped out for 8 hours to catch a glimpse of the 6' something,blue eyed, blond star and co-star Kristen Stewart and despite a publicist warning fans that Chris wouldn't be signing autographs, he spent 30 minutes doing just that.

Lincoln Younes

Michelle Bridges spots Thor

Veronicas : Jessica & Lisa

leggy Laura Csorton

GaGa Lunches

 Our favourite pop star Lady GaGa went to one of our favourite restaurant for lunch : Manta on the Finger Wharf at Woolloomoloo. She didn't disappoint.

Celeb Sightings in Sydney

Olivia, hubby John Esterling, Delta Goodren at the Downs Syndrome fundraiser

An unusually busy Sydney wet weekend with a charity ball, the finale of the Sydney Film Festival at the State Theatre and new superstar Chris Hemsworth taking a day off to surf at Maroubra Beach before the launch of his film Snow White and The Huntsman this Tuesday at Westfield in Bondi Junction.

Our favourite Academy Award types were at the State Theatre including Oscar winner Emile Sherman (producer of The King's Speech), nominee Jackie Weaver and Hugo Weaving. 

Emile Sherman

Hugo Weaving

Still celebrating his 25 years on TV, celeb interviewer Richard Wilkins hosted the 25 Year Anniversary Fundraiser for Downs Syndrome at Fox Studios and that brought out Hollywood types like Nicole Kidman and Olivia Newton John plus the judges from The Voice-Seal, Delta Goodren, Keith Urban and Joel Madden (they sang for their supper). 
Meanwhile Lady GaGa jetted in from Melbourne and did a walk about outside the Park Hyatt Hotel greeting a few hundred excited Little Monsters and posed for snaps with them.

major Hollywood eye candy at Maroubra Beach yesterday

And that's just the weekend!

She's Baack...

Eden & entourage tour Sydney Harbour

 Just when you thought it was safe to go to your local kiddies beauty pageant, pint sized pageant queen and chanteuse, 7 year old Eden Wood of Cootie Patootie fame has slipped back into town.

Eden meets a fan at Taronga Zoo

Eden comes with an entourage : make-up artist and hairdresser, agent, manager (her mum) and film crew. She's spent the last few days touring Sydney tourist spots, taken a harbour cruise, visited the Opera House and Taronga Park Zoo and even made it to the top of the Skywalk at Centre Point totally unperturbed as she stepped out onto the glass floor and gazed down at the 309 metre drop while her camera crew looked decidedly pale.

Eden is filming scenes for her new reality TV show having hung up her pageant crown at the grand age of 6. Never fear, locals aspirants are invited to the Cutie Patootie Pageant and Cute Camp, where Eden and mother Mickie Wood will give tips to Sydneysider tiny tots on how to gain success in the industry.
                                       
 Here's Eden's ode to Justin Bieber -Bieber Fever in which she has dreams of marrying Justin and err having his babies!

Cheyenne with Danni Minogue at ModelCo

# Gorgeous New York based model Cheyenne Tozzi ( a Shuttle discovery) attended the ModelCo Summer 2012 Collection at The Pier restaurant in Rose Bay.

ModelCo was started just 10 years ago by model Shelley Barrett who reckoned she had the inside knowledge on what women really needed for quick quality make-up fixes. Her fantastic success proves she was spot on.




Meanwhile across town at Dover Heights in a deserted mansion Channel 7's  Morning Show celebrated five years of top ratings. The locale was host Larry Emdur's previous home having just sold it to move into an even bigger house. Guests included co-host Kylie Gillies and regulars from the show like style queen Melissa Hoyer .
left : Edwina Bartholomew, Larry Emdur & Melissa Hoyer at The Morning Show bash (pic : Belinda Rowland)

Vale ABC presenter Alan Saunders

Sad news today with the sudden death of ABC presenter Alan Saunders who has passed away from pneumonia in hospital at the age of 58. Alan was broadcaster on Radio National and presented programs on food, philosophy and design.

Born in London, Saunders studied philosophy at the University of Leicester and travelled to Australia in 1981 to continue research at the Australian National University where he earned his PhD.
 He joined the ABC in 1988 and has been hosting broadcasts there regularly since. Last Tuesday he felt ill while presenting his radio show and was admitted to hospital.

In 1992 he was awarded the Pascall Prize for critical writing and broadcasting and in 2007 was awarded the Australasian Association of Philosophy Special media Prize.  He also the author of a book : A Is For Apple and Alanna.

Alan lived a few doors away from the Shuttle and we often ran into him in the street or at the many foodie shindigs around Sydney. His Radio National program The Philosopher's Zone was required listening and one of the ABC's most downloaded program. Alan's calm, cultured deep voice was very re-assuring in a world gone haywire- as though everything was OK. He'll be deeply missed.

Bad News for Baz

Jay McInerney is one of America's most celebrated writers having published many best sellers including the legendary Bright Lights Big City and The Last of The Savages. Bright Lights was made into a movie in 1998 and starred Michael J.Fox. A re-make of the film is underway.

Amy Fay Collins & Jay McInerney in New York

McInerney contributes to prestigious publications like Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and does book reviews for The New York Times and the Times Literary Supplement. He's the sort of hip writer that defines the new American urbane author- sophisticated, connected, knowledgeable and in demand.

He's just contributed a piece to the UK Guardian titled : "why Gatsby is so great". It's an ode to the great F.Scott Fitzgerald and his brilliant novel The Great Gatsby. McInerney is clearly a Fitzgerald fan and enthuses over the book and the extraordinary eight hour West End play Gatz which is receiving rave reviews. He likes Gatz because it presents the book in it's entirety and he clearly loves the poetry and mastery of Fitzgerald's writings.
It seems then he would be looking forward to the upcoming Baz Luhrmann production The Great Gatsby (in glorious 3D) to be released in early 2013.
Alas, no. As Jay says:

This is just one reason why I avoided the 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, with a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola. And why I will almost certainly be skipping Baz Luhrmann's film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, much as I would love to see Isla Fisher in the role of Myrtle Wilson, the floozy mistress of Gatsby'

 Read more at The Guardian here  and see Jay McInerney's website here
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Andy Warhol once famously said of New York photographer Patrick McMullan " If you don't know Patrick you should go out more".

McMullan at work

Along with 81 year old Bill Cunningham he is a regular fixtures on the New York social, party and fashion scene. McMullan even has his own TV show and online magazine PMc Magazine. If you have party in New York and Patrick isn't there (or at least one of his snappers) it's a dud!

Sydney publicists could probably learn a few things from a night out with Patrick. There are probably three of the old guard snappers left in Sydney (Melbourne prs are far more civilised) who really know what it's all about, know the new and old faces and aren't bedazzled by the latest X Factor contestant.
The above snap of Jay McInerney is by McMullan who has worked on projects with the writer- here are a few of his latest pics from New York:

Anne Hathaway & Jim Carrey at Stella McCartney's fashion show.

Dita Von Teese

Bill Cuningham

exclusive : Tiger Lilly Grows Up

Michael & Paula with Tiger Lilly in 1996

She's been protected from the public gaze by her sisters Pixie & Peaches and step-father Bob Geldorf but now 17 year old Tiger Lilly, the child of the late Michael Hutchence and Paula Yates has posted  some pictures of herself on Twitter.

Pixie Geldorf & Tiger Lilly

 Michael died in Double Bay's Ritz Carlton Hotel in 1997 ( the Shuttle shared a drink with him in the bar the night before) and Paula died from a drug overdose in 2000.

"A Dingo Took My Baby"

They were the words uttered by a confused Lindy Chamberlain that fateful night in 1980 in the shade of Uluru when the unfortunate mother rushed to tell her husband Michael their new baby Azaria had been snatched from their tent. Lindy had seen a quick blur of the dog disappearing with a bundle in it's mouth. Today, a Northern Territory coroner has finally concluded that Lindy told the truth.

Sam Neil & Meryl in Evil Angels

Lindy & Azaria

In 1988 Meryl Streep immortalized the line In the film Evil Angels ( A Cry In The Dark) which detailed the extraordinary events of one of Australia's most infamous mysteries.

Harry M.Miller & Lindy in 2009

The sad tale of the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain, and the subsequent witch-hunt against Lindy who was to be jailed, accused of Azaria's murder is probably even more relevant today with the Leveson Inquiry into the media underway in the UK and the recent Finklestein Inquiry in Australia.
Lindy was crucified in print, depicted as an awkward and cold woman. A cruel spotlight examined every minute detail of her actions and convinced the public she had murdered her own child.

Two years ago Lindy attended the book launch in Kings Cross of entrepreneur Harry M.Miller's autobiography. Miller became Lindy's agent during the turbulent years when she was cleared of the murder. Far from the cold, seemingly stern woman devoid of emotion depicted by the mass media in the 1980s, Chamberlain is warm and friendly.

As for Harry, today he is in a nursing home suffering from the onset of alzhiemers disease. The sudden change in the brilliant media manipulator has distressed his friends and family.