Subway Sights

If only our own public transport was as handy as New York's famous subway system that is often the only way to travel in that city. Recent sightings have included actors Tom Hanks and Helen Mirren but we have discovered a video of one time Sydney resident Keanu Reeves being very gentlemanly as he offers a lady a seat. Did she realise who he was?

Society Murder

The 2014 murder of Melbourne's top interior designer Stuart Rattle (above) reached it's conclusion yesterday as his killer and partner Michael O'Neill was jailed for 18 years for strangling the decorator. O'Neill was known as “The Talented Mr Ripley” by Rattle's friends due to his propensity to tell lies. Journalist Jan McGuinness wrote a revealing feature on the life of the pair in The Saturday Paper and it's a fascinating read. Go here to read it.

Happy one day...

Just last week the ex-Mrs Packer Jodhi Meares was happily ensconced in the arms of fiance, former INXS singer Jon Stevens at David Jones Autumn Spring fashion show as our exclusive picture shows.
Today police have requested an Apprehended Violence Order (AVO) after Stevens was arrested during a fracas with Jodhi in their Point Piper home. Stevens will appear in Waverely Court on Thusday and according to friends is staying with a pal in Potts Point.
## Not a word has appeared in Australian newspapers : the Chinese government is about to clamp down on Chinese citizens traveling abroad on gambling junkets to Australia, Las Vegas Macau and elsewhere. They make up the bulk of cash that flows into these casinos. James Packer has invested $billions in all 3 locations.
Below is the first Royal Selfie from Buckingham Palace. Taken during a birthday party and tweeted for the world to see.

That Time of the Year Again

We mean it's time for those Autumn Winter fashion shows at David Jones. We love these shindigs and not just because of the copious amounts of French champagne (OK it helps) and great nibbles but..the fashion!. It's all about fashion!
VIP guests (that's us)  entered the event space via a subway tunnel, which opened out onto an urban jungle complete with a live graffiti artist, a paved runway reminiscent of Melbourne city laneways, vivid LED street-style lighting, and a live band of drummers. DJs urged us to dance to our own beat. (we always do but we'll dance to anyone's beat if the champers flows).
Designers on show included Akira, Bianca Spender, Camilla and Marc, Calibre, Carla Zampatti,  Ginger & Smart,Josh Goot, Nicola Finetti and the wonderfully named  The Upside and Vanishing Elephant. Plus tennis ace Mark Philippoussis debuted his collection of sportswear Phl!.

Mark Philippoussis & Silvana Lovin * Richard Roxburgh & Silvia Colloca * Kerri-Anne Kennerley * Luke Sales & Anna Plunkett

Megan Gale    * Jon Stevens & Jodhi Meares       *       Jessica Gomes    *       Tom Williams & Rachel Gilbert

New York Letter

 Whisper's favourite New Yorker, society snapper Patrick McMullan (above right with James Marshall)- with whom no shindig in the Big Apple is complete without his esteemed presence- sends us some snaps from the Museum of the Moving Image annual fund-raising gala which this year they honored actress Julianne Moore.
 And who did we spot in the crowd? Our very own Melissa George (below) looking mesmerised.
Perth born Melissa is currently filming the US version of the hugely successful Aussie series The Slap written by Christos Tsiolkas and which is being partly produced by the Matchbox Pictures.

Rudy Gaskins & Joan Baker              * Helena Christensen  *          Ellen Barkin  & Kevin Huvane

Rochelle Slovin with Julianne Moore, the honoree of the gala

Steve Buscemi, Rebecca Miller, and Ethan Hawke

All pictures (c) PMc Patrick McMullan www.patrickmcmullan.com

Those AACTA Awards in full

 FILM & DOCUMENATRY AWARDS 

In an unusual though not unprecedented twist, two feature films were awarded the AACTA Award for Best Film; THE BABADOOK (by first-time feature film director, Jennifer Kent) and THE WATER DIVINER (also marking a directorial debut for Russell Crowe).

THE BABADOOK also took home the AACTA Award for Best Direction presented by Hyundai Genesis, and Best Original Screenplay.
Despite a duel for Best Film, Feature Film acting awards were evenly distributed.
David Gulpilil’s performance in CHARLIE’S COUNTRY saw him awarded Best Lead Actor, PREDESTINATION star Sarah Snook was awarded Best Lead Actress, Susan Prior’s performance in THE ROVER earned her Best Supporting Actress and Yilmaz Erdogan was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his role in THE WATER DIVINER.
THE RAILWAY MAN was awarded for Best Adapted Screenplay, whilst THE LEGO MOVIE took home the AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation.
The AACTA Award for Best Feature Length Documentary went to UKRAINE IS NOT A BROTHEL.

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Highlight presentations during the show were for three outstanding individual awards.
AACTA Award winning performer, Rose Byrne, whose career spans Australian and US film and television across drama and comedy, was honoured with the inaugural AACTA Trailblazer Award. Byrne, whose performance in US television series DAMAGES saw her nominated for Golden Globe and Prime Time Emmy Awards, received a tribute from DAMAGES co-star Glenn Close and BRIDESMAIDS co-star Kristen Wiig.
Director, producer, writer Amiel Courtin-Wilson was announced as the recipient of the Byron Kennedy Award, which includes a $10,000 prize, for outstanding creative enterprise within the film and television industries. The Byron Kennedy Award is determined by a jury annually and is given to an individual or organisation whose work embodies innovation and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Courtin-Wilson’s body of work includes critically acclaimed documentaries CHASING BHUDDA (which received an AFI Award nomination in 2000) and BASTARDY (which he shot over seven years, following the life of Aboriginal elder Jack Charles), and feature films HAIL (which became the first Australian feature film in ten years selected for the Venice International Film Festival) and RUIN (which won Courtin-Wilson and co-director/co-producer Michael Cody a Special Jury Prize at Venice in 2013).
The Byron Kennedy Award jury said: "We have chosen Amiel Courtin-Wilson for his risk taking and evocative storytelling. Amiel has been patiently searching for truth and beauty at the margins of society, making films which have captured the attention of international audiences.”
The highest honour that the Australian Academy can bestow upon an individual is the AACTA Longford Lyell Award (this award was recently renamed from the AACTA Raymond Longford Award in recognition of Lottie Lyell’s contribution to the work of her partner in filmmaking and in life, Raymond Longford).
The AACTA Longford Lyell Award went to one of Australia's most loved and respected writers and producers, Andrew Knight. The Award was presented by Adam Zwar and Dave O’Neil, with special tributes from Eric Bana and Shaun Micallef.
Andrew Knight has written and produced vast oceans of television and several films, across several genres, including comedy series Fast Forward, Full Frontal and The D-Generation (executive producer and head writer); television dramas SeaChange (co-writer and executive producer), After The Deluge (writer and co-producer) and Tripping Over (writer, co-writer and executive producer); and feature films The Water Diviner, Siam Sunset and Spotswood (co-writer).
Andrew was co-owner of Artist Services – one of the top production houses in Australia - subsequently purchased by Granada. He and his shows have won over forty industry awards, including AFI Awards, Logies, AWGIES, and SPA Awards for both his writing and producing. Andrew is widely admired in the screen industry as an excellent collaborator and mentor, whose talent is unique in its diversity.

TELEVISION AWARDS

Marking another strong year for Australian television, the 4th AACTA Awards Ceremony saw a total of eight television programs recognised across 12 television awards.
New drama THE CODE (ABC) led the tally, receiving an impressive four awards: Best Television Drama Series; Best Direction in a Television Drama or Comedy (Episode 1); Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama (Ashley Zukerman); and Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama (Chelsie Preston Crayford – Episode 1).
Josh Thomas’s internationally acclaimed PLEASE LIKE ME (ABC2) followed with two wins: Best Screenplay in Television (Episode 2/07: Scroggin), and Best Performance in a Television Comedy (Debra Lawrance).
Working Dog Productions continued its long-time legacy of making Award-winning comedy, beating stiff competition from other ABC favourites including THE MOODYS and SHAUN MICALLEF’S MAD AS HELL, SERIES 3 to take out the AACTA Award for Best Television Comedy Series with new comedy, UTOPIA.
The television acting categories saw first-time AACTA Awards for all winners: Marta Dusseldorp for Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama (JANET KING, ABC); Ashley Zukerman for Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama (THE CODE, ABC); Eamon Farron for Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama (CARLOTTA, ABC); Chelsie Preston Crayford for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama (THE CODE, ABC); and Debra Lawrance for Best Performance in a Television Comedy (PLEASE LIKE ME, ABC2).
The AACTA Award for Best Telefeature or Mini Series went to DEVIL’S PLAYGROUND (Foxtel - Showcase).
HAMISH & ANDY’S GAP YEAR ASIA won last year’s AACTA Award for Best Direction in a Television Light Entertainment or Reality Series. Today, the team won the AACTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Television Series with HAMISH & ANDY’s GAP YEAR SOUTH AMERICA (Nine Network).
THE VOICE AUSTRALIA (Nine Network) was announced as the winner of the AACTA Award for Best Reality Television Series, overcoming tough competition from MASTERCHEF AUSTRALIA – SERIES 6 (Network Ten), THE X FACTOR (Seven Network) and THE VOICE KIDS (Nine Network) in this category.

Sharon's New Career

Feisty party girl Sharon Sargeant who has sold her escort agency (and treated herself to a new Mercedes with the profits) has launched a new career in the media and it's taking off like wildfire
The healthily built Sergeant has not only fronted a Japanese TV commercial shot on Bondi Beach (modestly dressed in full bikini) but has now acted in 2 movies soon to hit the screens.
Sharon has roles in both in the House of Hancock based on the life of Australia's richest woman Gina Rinehart which stars Mandy McElhinney and Sam Neil and the flick that has just been shot in Western Sydney Truth which stars Cate Blanchett and Robert Redford. In Truth Sargeant received plaudits from Blanchett whilst Redford was so impressed he asked Sharon to accompany him in his limo to discuss a possible film project in the USA.
And it seems she has taken Redford up on that offer as our latest snap shows Sargeant and fiancee Frank Monte in Beverley Hills.

Robert Redford              Cate Blanchett                                         Gina Rinehart                              Sam Neil

The  House of Hancock which will appear on our TV screens soon charts the life of billionaire Lang Hancock, his daughter Gina and Lang's marriage to his Filipino maid Rose Porteous.

 right : Frank & Sharon in LA & Rose & Lang in Perth

 Here's Rose in action, below:

exclusive: What Barry Humphries misses about Australia

Comedian, author and artist Barry Humphries, manager of Mega Star Dame Edna Everage, who lives in London talks about his visits back to Oz:
 "I go straight to Machiavelli in Clarence Street in [Sydney], where I feel instantly at home. There, I have a restorative chicken consommé with parmesan and basil leaves, followed by a langoustine (the best in the world) or a minute steak on a bed of rocket, garlic and tomatoes. With a zabaglione for dessert I am totally restored. Alternatively, I fly to Mildura on the Murray River to Stefano De Pieri's incomparable restaurant at the Brewery, for Murray cod, perfect pasta or whatever delectable meal Stefano places before me. This has to be one of Australia's greatest restaurants."
OK, it is an exclusive but not the Shuttle's. Barry Humphries was talking to journalist  Naomi Chrisoulakis for the superb Aussie magazine Gourmet Traveller.
Naomi interviewed a number of famous ex-pats like Catherine Martin and make-up expert Napoleon Perdis about what they miss about their home country while living abroad. Read the full story here.
Pictured is Barry with his son Oscar at the recent Sydney launch for Oscar's new magazine The Art Book.

The Real Thing

The Gold Coast is nothing if not colourful and glitzy in a sort of refreshing way that Sydney and Melbourne could take more notice of.
The Magic Millions is now one of the world's great race meetings with prizes that dwarf others. Obviously an injection of cash from (always complaining) retailer Gerry Harvey and his wife Katie is welcome. Yet the often clueless social writers who snatch their freebie flights and Casino hotel rooms in Queensland and breathlessly report on the z-list celebs that attend always forget whose idea it always was and who put the whole idea of a race meet on the Gold Coast into motion, against the odds, and was successful

Angela Belle McSweeney

And credit for that goes to Sydney socialite Angela Belle McSweeney who comes from a well known racing family. It was Angela's brainchild and it was her efforts that eventually saw Queensland's recalcitrant racing officials finally concede that her idea had merit.
The Magic Millions should always pay homage to one of Australia's more interesting public relation's experts and entrepreneurs.
Here are a couple of snaps from this year's event.
 Princess Anne's commoner daughter Zara Phillips (hey guys- she is not Royalty which was  the whole idea of her parents not giving her a title) and one of Sydney's glam couples, fine vodka purveyor Vitek Czernuszyn (right)and his always glamorous wife Deborah Thomas who is head honcho at Bauer Media and doubles up as a Double Bay councilor in her spare time, with a couple of good looking chaps.

We're Back !

A week in the sun on a sensational Fiji island. What bliss, followed by 3 days of some strange stomach bug contacted-we think- on the return flight of an airline we shall not name.
Sadly our New Year's Resolutions were not heeded. The ones we made for others. As always the Daily Telegraph is obsessed with the Ibrahim family with endless gushing stories of this family whose rise in Kings Cross over the past few years has mirrored the downfall of the wonderful and diverse nightclub area of Sydney.

There are other guilty parties though.

Hey guys- when Abe Saffron (right)  Mr Sin, ran the Cross he kept a very low profile. Very. The Shuttle met the Ibrahims many moons ago in The Tunnel, their first nightclub. It was at a PR promotion for something or other and they eagerly begged to be in the social pages (at the time we worked for one of Sydney's Sunday newspapers.) After pleasantries we politely declined. Since then they have risen to great heights aided by a few social writers who should know better. It will all end in tears.

New Year Resolutions

Just a few we have made for other people :

a.The Daily Mail will hire extra sub-editors after this clanger in their headline about Soraya Kashoggi ( The Shuttle worked for Adnan Kashoggi for a few years)

 b. Columnists who should know better will finally abandoned their fantasy of an affair between James Packer and  Miranda Kerr which reached a fever pitch after the Shuttle's April Fool Joke that brought a dozen enquiries from local and international media when the phony snaps could easily be found via Google. We have said for ages : we know who James is dating and while we are sworn to secrecy she is not famous and leads a very private life.

c. Same columnists will abandon their love affair with the Ibraham family of entrepreneurs whose rise in Kings Cross has mirrored the downfall of the same with drunken yob filled streets and 'one-punch' killings.

Nearly Time

2015 is going to be a really fab year. That's according to the Shuttle's trusted astrologer Victor Olliver and our resident mystic the mysterious Madame Guyon, a Roman Catholic nun channeled via a spooky old lady who lives downstairs.
The Shuttle will see in the New Year in style (?) at the Sydney Opera House (after picking our way through 200,000 revelers- surely golf carts should be provided) at the Lord Mayor's Party. We may pop into the celebrations upstairs where they are serving Pommery & Bollinger (try and keep us away!).
Here's a little snap from earlier tonight of the esteemed Lord Mayor Clover Moore, our favourite Hollywood movie star who is organising tonight's party, Jack Thompson and the gloriously named Fortunato Foti of Foti Fireworks who is responsible for the most sensational fireworks on the planet. 
And a Happy New Year to all our readers.

A special Yuletide treat from Jan Terri

Gratuitous One Direction Photo

Did you just watch the Royal Variety Performance?.  Fact: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 of Australia (Great Britain and Her Dominions) cost British taxpayers roughly $99M yearly. The British Tourism Board estimates that the income derived from tourism because of the history of GB and the Royal Family is from $700M to $900M per year (in 2013 5.8 million tourists visited a royal palace).
You do the maths.  That's a long winded way of introducing our exclusive photo from the 2014 Royal Variety Performance of the Most Famous Pop Band That Ever Lived- One Direction !!

Unforseen Event

Simon Turnbull, often labelled as Australia's  'psychic to the stars' and writer on parapsychology has died suddenly of a heart attack whilst giving a client a tarot card reading.
Turnbull appeared on many television and radio programs discussing psychic matters and debating with skeptics about the perceived value of following ones intuition, ran at telephone psychic consulting service and was president of the Australian Psychics Association (APA), and an astrologer. He is survived by his second wife Hiromi and their two daughters Marika and Karina, along with his four older children Simone, Peter, Christian and Rebecca.

Dirty Dancing!

Our exclusive photographs of PM Tony Abbott getting down and boogying at last night's Christmas Party at Parliament House. What a groover !

Exotic Fiji

Is this ship headed to Fiji ? who knows but it's the sort of thing you see from the Intercontinental rooftop pool

Tom Williams tries Kava. Inset- Kris Smith

An invite arrives to attend the exclusive swimming pool at the beautifully re-furbished Double Bay Intercontinental Hotel. It's a small party to introduce the new celebrity ambassador for Tourism Fiji. If you have never been to Fiji you just aren't trying hard enough. It's a tropical paradise with wonderfully friendly people, beautiful scenery and the most romantic exotic islands. Best of all, it's not that expensive. And our new ambassador...the male model and TV presenter handsome Kris Smith. Apparently Kris won the hearts of the locals when he visited Fiji to work on a Myer promotion. Naturally Kava was served..now that is a drink!

they effects of Kava...Monique Wright,Tom Williams, Kris Smith,Prue McSween, Kylie Gillies, a chap from Fiji and Peter Everett