Another Triumph for Baz Luhrmann

The critics were always going to be waiting with baseball bats for Baz Luhrmann's latest film. Baz has become one of those directors they just love to hate even when his flicks- the last they laid into, Australia -are still a financial hit.
But The Great Gatsby really has confounded them especially in the USA where the viewing public has taken Luhrmann's Gatsby to heart. To date the $180M epic has reaped in $312M at the box office, most of that in the USA. Audiences love it and while much of that can be put down the star power of Leo DiCaprio, now Hollywood's most bankable movie star of all time, it's a credit to Luhrmann that he could actually get DiCaprio, the most chased actor in the world. DiCaprio has made no secret of his loyalty to Luhrmann ever since he acted in Romeo &Juliet which sealed his star status.

But Luhrmann has another, notch to add to his belt. Since he first announced his plans to film F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, which sold poorly during the author's lifetime, sales have been climbing. For the last 5 years now the book has remained in Amazon's top 100 all time best sellers. Take a bow Baz!

Missing the Scoops

While Fairfax Media's share price continues to plunge, down 8% to 48c and with printed circulation dropping around 24% every six months, perhaps it's endless campaign to mimic News Ltd's more downmarket tabloids is finally beginning to hit home.
The UK Guardian's local edition has rocketed into the top ten within 4 weeks of opening with an average readership of over a million a day and although Fairfax's aggregated daily views tops approx 2.8M, the notion that this will continue when they introduce a pay wall for readers to gaze upon their cold potato offerings ( often 48 hours after the tales have appeared on UK & USA sites) is wishfull thinking.
 Whilst Fairfax along with most commercial outlets were agonizing over the death of actor James Gandolfini with their LA based TV critic offering a bizarre load of tripe and an irrelevant eulogy on ABC radio claiming the actor was someone the younger generation "identified " with, real news stories are sliding by them and local outlets are picking up scoops.                                                                                 
And one such story is the explosive claim in the First Nation Telegraph that the Prime Minister in waiting Tony Abbott 'inappropriately touched" respected award winning Aboriginal writer Ali Cobby Eckerman in a Darwin cafe earlier this week. Eckerman says Abbott sidled up beside her and rubbed his finger up and down her arm. NSW Labor MP Linda Burney is demanding an explanation from Abbott and still, deathly silence from the mass media.
 Meanwhile Tony Abbott's main rival in the LNP, multi-millionaire MP Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) joined 350 others to sleep out on Thursday night at the Carriageworks to support St Vincent de Paul's WinterSleepout that raises funds for the homeless. And it was bloody freezing !
                                            ***********************
 


Form An Orderly Queue :

 Introducing Matt Wilson a 24 year old carpenter from Bondi Beach who has just landed a gig as the new 'face' of Diet Coke.

                              

"Just say No to Knitwear "

Pop critic for the UK Telegraph Neil McCormick got stuck into the British music bible NME's 2010 Cool List and exhorted readers to 'just say no to knitwear' , a reference to his horror that a 1980's jumper revival may be ready for a comeback. Feature writer Hannah Betts of The Guardian agreed calling these colourful creations from our own beloved fashion ikon Jenny Kee : nasty knitwear-more chunky than funky !. Betts was referring to Kee's famous Koala jumper as worn by the late Princess Diana in the 80s. Have they no shame?                                    
Our Jenny was inducted last night as the 6th Annual Australian Fashion Laureate as shown by our snap above where Jenny is pictured with Heidi Middleton of sass & bide, Nicholas Huxley head of the fashion design school TAFE NSW and Vogue heavyweight Nancy Pilcher.
Before you gaze upon the our snap below it's recommended sun glasses be donned : here's Jenny and a group of pals in 2012.

Gladiators For Gillard !

She may be taking flak left right and centre but Prime Minister Julia Gillard has a new hero in her corner : Russell Crowe. Crowe hasn't minced words and while he Tweeted today that he admired Malcolm Turnbull MP he said : Julia G is my choice though...Leader through tough times. And cricketing legend Allan Border said on ABC radio today that he admired Gillard as a strong leader. So there!


    

Hair today, not gone tomorrow

In a world of sometimes bewildering change, a reader points to a constant we can grasp onto in order to maintain a sense of permanency : crooner Kamahl's hair.
Luxuriant, thick, black and bouncy, Kamahl's coiffure remains the same from year to year, decade to decade.

Born Kandiah Kamalesvaran, a one-time Rupert Murdoch handyman and gardener, Rolls Royce lover, confidant of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, star of Royal Command Performances and perennial Australian television favourite, : just how has Kamahl's maintained his monumental mop?
Is it some mystical formula from the island of his birth Sri Lanka or an ancient Asian potion picked up in his former Malaysian home?.

 Kamahl, who was forced to change his stage name from Kamal after a MC introduced him as Mr Camel has silenced his critics over the years with his simple and effective trademark quip :"why are people so unkind ?" but he has never lifted the veil on his grooming routine.
Now 79, but looking 20 years younger, and although the miles are etched upon his handsomer face, that beauteous,  bouffant remains intact, cruelly mocking the thinning strands of the decades younger Greg Mathews and Shane Warnes of the world, and their Hey Hey ! hair replacement ads. Just what is Kamahl's secret ?  I think we should be told.

The Merry Wives Of Murdoch, the Gardener & the Crooner

Patricia Booker               Anna Torv                 Wendi Deng

Whilst the rest of the media is still reeling after having been caught on the hop by the announcement of the Rupert Murdoch divorce : unlike Social Shuttle readers who read 2 months ago that the marriage was on the rocks and the end was pending, a former Murdoch confidante has come up with an insightful article on Rupert Murdoch and his former wives including Patrica Booker, Anna Mann (nee Torv) and the soon to be Wendi Deng.

Most of the media have turned to Michael Woolf's excellent biography  The Man Who Owns the News: Inside the Secret World of Rupert Murdoch for details but Rodney E.Lever was Rupert Murdoch's right hand man and a News Ltd executive for many years, a friend of the family and someone intimately involved in Rupert's personal and business affairs. He even accompanied Rupert and Anna on their honeymoon.

His series on Murdoch and his empire on the informative website Independent Australia are well worth reading.

One piece shines out as a previously unknown detail is revealed : In Adelaide when Rupert first set up home with his first wife Patricia, the gardens were tendered by a dusky hued handyman. And who was this gardener?.Step forward our favourite Malaysian import Kandiah Kamalesvaran , the late Queen Mother's favourite singer and now known as Kamahl !. Kamahl has certainly come a long way from the Adelaide Hills. He now lives in a large mansion on Sydney's elite North shore and drives a gleaming Rolls Royce. Last week we encountered Kamahl at an America Australia Association awards dinner attended by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

What a small world we live in.
Here is a clip of Kamahl (hiding in the foliage) singing his 1975 hit The Elephant Song which won the heart of HRH Queen Mother who invited Kamahl to share a few G&Ts at Clarence House.
trivia : He first used the name Kamal but after an MC introduced him as 'Camel' he became Kamahl.

Tearjerker Moment # 2

Every now and then X-Factor, AGT or The Voice throw up an unforgettable moment. Here is one from the America's Got Talent featuring a young man named Jonathan Allen. Watch the whole thing and remember the name:

Murdoch Split No Surprise

the Social Shuttle : April 2013

The news may have caught the Australian, British and US media on the hop but avid Shuttle readers were in on the secret at least 2 months ago when we reported a snippet from our New York operative who had been a guest at an up-town dinner party. A fellow guest, a Fox executive had confided to a stunned table that all was not well with the marriage of our favourite ex-pat media mogul Rupert Murdoch and wife Wendi. Apparently the liberally watered executive said that Rupert and Wendi had been living separate lives for so long now that he expected the marriage to end soon and thus, as the world discovered yesterday it came to pass.
 Despite that the pair were in Australia last December for the red carpet opening night of Les Miserables and all looked well but Rupert has been back to Sydney twice since( just last week) on his own. At that time we spoke of the troubles that have bedevilled the entire Murdoch clan as revealed by former News Corp executive and insider Rodney E.Lever.

Kai Torv, William & Anna Mann, Hans Torv.

Never fear. Social Shuttle operatives are everywhere and we shall bring you news of any new splits or pairings involving a current or former Murdoch, just as we did in December 1999 when we presented the first photograph to the world of the former Anna Murdoch with her new husband William Mann along with Anna's brother, Gold Coast radio boss Hans Torv and his wife Kai. Hans is the father of actress Anna Torv, star of the hit cult TV series Fringe.  The foursome were celebrating the New Year at the Sydney Opera House.

When Rupert & Anna divorced in 1999 Anna is reported to have received over $1B in assets, the largest ever divorce settlement.

Julia's Terminator Ally

Still reeling from the great MenuGate scandal , Julia Gillard at least has a friend in former California governor Arnie Schwarzenegger who was in Canberra this morning and met with the PM.

Although a Republican Arnie implemented a carbon pricing scheme in California to reduce emissions, in almost identical fashion to the one imposed by Labor.

You're Fired !

Dancers at the Janus opening party in May.

Arriving at the recently opened Janus restaurant tonight for the launch of a new food website, the Shuttle was disappointed to find the doors firmly closed and chained.
 It was just 3 weeks ago Janus celebrated it's opening with a Brazilian themed party but as winter closes in and the Sydney social scene slows to snail's pace, it seems the customers are staying home in droves.
One guest expected tonight at the Janus party was TV celebrity chef Peter Everett who was co-incidentally fired this week from Celebrity Apprentice.

And the food disasters don't end there. A few months ago we attended a party to launch a new model search quest at the Darlinghurst restaurant Alibi opened with great fanfare by Dane & Alex Bouris, the sons of millionaire businessman Mark Bouris, host of Celebrity Apprentice which draws to a close next week.
Bouris took to Twitter last August to condemn thieves who broke into Alibi and rifled through cash registers just a week after it opened.
Alas Alibi too has bitten the dust and the doors have remained closed for 4 weeks now.

Gold Everywhere

radiant : Sonia Kruger

UK cricketing captain David Gower may think Australian cricket fans are devoid of culture but the Aussie cricketers sure have damned fine luggage. That was evident at this week's 2013 Gold Ball where one of the auction items was a splendorous set of Louis Vuitton luggage created for cricket captain Michael Clarke.
The Louis Vuitton luggage was just one of the many donated items along with Paspaley Pearls and world airline trips that saw around one million dollars being raised for the Sydney Children's Hospital in Randwick.
The Gold Ball brought out 350 of the good and great including former prime minister Paul Keating and captains of industry including the new slimline 'Aussie John' Symonds and new girlfriend Amber Keating , PM Paul's former daughter-in-law and a newly svelte Joe Hockey MP.
 Also there was Nine Network boss Jeff Browne and partner Rhonda Wyllie. Nine will be hosting the Gold Telethon this Queen's Birthday Holiday and Nicole Kidman, the hospital's patron has kicked in $100,000 to get the ball rolling.

slimmers club : Joe Hockey MP, John Symonds & Amber Kaeting

Glenn & Sarah McGrath

The Tony Assness designed ball room was really quite sensational with what seemed a million candles glittering and with catering by Matt Moran and endless crates of the finest chilled Bollinger. The idea first kicked around by PR gal Skye Leckie and Professor Les White (Chief Paediatrician for NSW Health) 17 years ago has grown to be the must attend social event.

Rhonda Wyllie & Jeff Browne

cute blonde Lea Goodrem &daughter Delta

Professor Les White & Mrs White

Peter Overton & Jessica Rowe

Movie Stars at premiers

Toni Collette attended the premier of her new film The Way Way Back at the Sydney Film Festival tonight at the State Theatre.
Collette has been spotted around Darlinghurst and Paddington in the past few days during filming of The Devils Playground, the film that picks up where Fred Schepisi's 1976 film left off.
 From the original book by Tom Keneally, the tale is set 35 years later in the 1980s and also stars Simon Burke who starred as a schoolboy in the original Catholic guilt laden true story based on Keneally's life. Simon was on hand at the premier tonight to support Toni while on the other side of town Collette's co-star Steve Carell attended the premier of Crazy Stupid Love.

                                           

Capt. Wacky of Titanic 2

Our favorite billionaires Clive Palmer has launched his political campaign to take power In September and become Supreme Ruler Of Australia.
Speaking at a policy launch on the weekend Clive had some harsh words about our Welsh born Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the London born Leader of The Opposition Tony Abbott:
“You wonder how two people, both born outside Australia, in foreign countries, can relate to the people that live in this country,”“They don’t think about what it means to live in this country, to live and to die, and to stand for what it means to be Australian.”
Well there goes around one quarter of the countries votes with now nearly 6 million Aussies born abroad and another 3 million having at least one parent born elsewhere.
Palmer was speaking at the weekend launch of his campaign jet pictured above. 

 Alas, the Shuttle's intrepid sub editor Mildred Pierce donned her Amelia Earhart Memorial Flying Helmet and has uncovered Clive's patriotic fervor is not all it seems : the Bombarder jet dubbed Clive 1 is registered in a tax haven, the Isle Of Man.
Meanwhile those planning a joyous voyage on Clive's Titanic 2 can now view an interactive model of the ship and choose their cabin. Take note : it looks like there are the same number of lifeboats as the original!

Baz Luhrmann's 'abused child'

You have to feel for Baz Luhrmann.
His latest film offering that has taken ten years of hard work is still receiving lukewarm reviews and some that are very scathing.

Peter Bradshaw writing in the UK's Guardian newspaper has some harsh  words for The Great Gatsby director describing him as : "“a man who can’t see a nuance without calling security for it to be thrown off his set”. Ouch.

Bill Mullen and the Socialist Worker weighs in with all manner of criticisms accusing the flick of racism and glorifying the excesses of capitalism. Well they would, wouldn't they!
In an interview in Encore magazine Baz compares negative reviews of his films as being" like hitting a child over the head with a lump of wood.". Poor baby.
But Luhrmann is having the last laugh. Gatsby is a runaway box office success and looks like being the most successful Australian made film ever which will soon eclipse Paul Hogan's 1986 Crocodile Dundee which snared around $328M.

As of last night world-wide box office takings for Gatsby total over $250M and in Australia alone it has raked in a record $7m since it opened 3 days ago..
And Baz should add another feather to his cap : since talk of the film began over a year ago, F.Scott Fitzgerald's book has flown off the shelf in bookstores, selling more copies in the last month than sold during Fitzgerald's lifetime. Which has to be a good thing.
Luhrmann is well on the way to earning his (according to our source) $35M director and producer's payment and the choice of Leo DiCaprio, now the most bankable actor in the history of Hollywood at a $22M fee has paid off.                                        

picture by Patrick McMullan

Vivid continues..

We exhorted Sydney-siders not to let rain dampen their spirits and around 50,000 did that Last night to attend the Vivid Sydney's tribute to Dr Who at Customs House at Circular Quay. It was also the day actor Matt Smith announced his retirement from the show.
Pic: Vivid Sydney : Daniel Boud

Lighting Up Sydney

 Don't let a few drops of rain put you off : Vivid Sydney is in full force and the city is looking very exciting. The Shuttle's personal favourite is the tribute to ailing artist Martin Sharp  (below) with scenes from his art works projected onto the Opera House. Circular Quay is a blaze of colour and should not be missed. The festival runs until the 10th June- be there. Or be square. Here are a few snaps from the changing scenery :