The Rupert Murdoch and Jerry Hall rumours

Fleet Street in the UK is having one of it's meltdown moments as the claim that Jerry Hall is now dating Rupert Murdoch run riot. Oddly they all echo the same source who is said to be a 'family friend' - the usual way of describing an unknown source - and all quote the same thing :
" they are set to go public by attending next Saturday’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham. Billionaire Murdoch was introduced to Texan Jerry by one of his sisters and a niece while in his native Australia." 
 Time will tell. As Whispers reported on the September 20th Murdoch's defunct News of The World  bugged the phone of Mick Jagger's publicist when Jagger was married to Hall and they were having marital problems. The bugging provided many stories that were published. So is all forgiven?

Cate Blanchett is the Toast of New York

Mary Mapes*Cate Blanchett*Robert Redford* Dan Rather (Truth is about Mapes & Rather)

 Cate Blanchett's latest film has premiered in New York City. "Truth" was filmed in Sydney's Western Suburbs earlier this year. Whispers reported on the fact that one of the Shuttle's most searched for personalities Sharon Sargeant (right) had a small role in the flick. So impressed were the 2 stars of the film -Cate Blanchett and the legendary Robert Redford - that Blanchett said to Sargeant after her scene :"you were perfect, just perfect". And Redford requested Sargeant share his limo back into central Sydney to discuss the film with her.    

Now one the USA's most famed chroniclers of society Liz Smith is raving about Cate Blanchett in Truth. She said this:
"What the movie couldn't do without is Cate Blanchett. To say this is a great performance, would be a laughable understatement. I don't know

Liz Smith

if the real Mary Mapes is as volcanically intense and charismatic as Blanchett, but after seeing herself portrayed by Cate, she might have wished she was, or had been, during her five months battling CBS and the rest of the media...I would go so far as to say that Blanchett's performance, from beginning to end, makes her recent Oscar win for "Blue Jasmine" seem like rehearsal footage! You cannot look away from this woman, who needs nothing but her eyes, her mobile mouth, and her cheekbones to rivet. (I know — you can't really "act" with your cheekbones, but somehow, Blanchett seems to.) Even if you are a staunch conservative, go see "Truth" just for Cate's amazing performance"
So you heard it here first : expect Cate Blanchett to be nominated for an Academy Award.
But it gets better. Liz Smith has also discovered Noni Hazelhurst who also appears in Truth and had this to say:     "But aside from the pyrotechnics provided by Miss Blachette, there is another great female performance. Her name is Noni Hazlehurst, whose face is familiar to me, but whose credits are not on the tip of my tongue. She portrays Stacy Keach's wife, who urges him from the start not to "get involved."
Ms. Hazlehurst delivers a scene toward the end of the movie, in which she upbraids Mapes and her crew, for dragging her ill husband across the country to "explain" himself, to agree, on camera, that he lied. "So, don't you dare ask me 'how is he!'" This confrontation cannot last more than two and a half minutes. It sears the screen. Judi Dench won an Oscar for eight minutes as Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love." Noni Hazlehurst could be carrying home an award for her splendid two and half!

Baz Luhrmann honoured in New York City

2015 Fiesta! Honorees Veronique and Bob Pittman, Board Chair Jacqueline Weld Drake, and honorees John Bernbach and Baz Luhrmann photo by Patrick McMullan (c)

The Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education based in New York states it's mission is to empower youth and their families by creating a culture of learning through high quality social, cultural, and educational .opportunities. Each year they honour individuals who have done just that. Honorees have included Margot Fonteyn, Oscar de la Renta, Audrey Hepburn, Oscar de la Hoya and Julio Ingelsias. This year Baz Luhrmann, described by the Centre as "film director extraordinaire" was a recipient.
And the Casita Maria Centre comes with some powerful chairperson names, amongst them Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, Sting and Trudie Styler, Roberto Cavalli and Prince Dimitri of Yugoslavia. So the answer to that question you're asking yourself "was Baz's move to New York a positive one"..is, you betcha life!.

Young professionals love the Black & White Ball

 They were there in force. Young professional thirty somethings who have discovered the famous Black & White Charity Ball which was held this year in the Intercontinental Double Bay's ballroom. Amongst a smattering of familiar social faces including a couple of High Court judges, social mavens and self made business folk were celebrity dentist David Carr (he does the gnashers of Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig) hairdressing boss Marylin Koch and arriving by humble taxi, the former Speaker of The House Bronwyn Bishop ( a waiter had whipped away the toy helicopter one wag had placed at her table setting). Now in it's 79th year the ball raised a tidy fortune which goes to aid Vision Australia.
 left : B&W president Susan Diver and Bronwyn Bishop MP

David Carr - always accompanied by a leggy blonde takes to the dance floor

The traditional Derby was run : young ladies compete by winding in a  wooden horse to win a prize and entertainment was from a Rat Pack  tribute act who while not looking like the originals, sang up a storm

Another fantastic day of racing at Royal Randwick

Check out details at the Sydney Turf Club's website

Bernie Leser who launched Australian Vogue has passed away

After being tested on the local market in the early 1950s, Bernie Leser was appointed to launch the Australian version of the legendary Vogue magazine in 1959.
In an interview Leser said this of the launch:
"Quality was absolutely vital. We were much more interested in the quality of human relations and the quality of the product than money. The money came after that. We made a good profit but our shareholders were never greedy. We could have made more money had we approached it more in a Murdoch fashion, but the Newhouse family was different in its priorities."
Bernie was born in Germany and raised in New Zealand. He and his business partners purchased Vogue from Conde Nast in 1972 although in 1990 Conde Nast bought back the publication from Leser who had turned it into a money spinner. 
Bernie went on to become the vice president of Conde Nast Europe and Conde Nast USA . In 1987 he moved to New York after being appointed president of Conde Nast USA before returning to Australia  as chairman of Conde Nast Asia Pacific. He finally retired in 2000 and was a popular figure on the Sydney and Melbourne social circuit. His artists daughter Deborah Leser announced the death of her father on Facebook this morning.

Friends gather to toast photographer Bill Ranken

Nearly fifty close friends and relatives gathered yesterday afternoon on a sunny day at the property Lockyersleigh near Goulbourn to celebrate the life of the late Bill Ranken latterly known as a social photographer covering the Sydney scene. Bill led two lives, weekdays in Sydney at his Elizabeth Bay apartment and on alternate weekends he would travel to his beloved Lockyersleigh where he was raised, to plant and water trees, stock lakes with ducks and tend to cattle and sheep. Lockyersleigh is regarded as one of NSW 's most desirable country estates and has been in the Ranken family for 3 generations. Now managed by Ranken's nephew Matthew Onions, it has award winning gardens that are open to the public at various times and Bill was rightly proud of the estate. Most guests at yesterday's get-together were the sort of country folk Bill had known all his life, the backbone of the rural community. Amongst city visitors, Di Hamil, public relations expert Deidre O'Loghlin, model agent Grant Dwyer and newspaper executive Cristian King who had nursed Bill during his final days.

Our missing associate

Whispers has been working on along term film project with one of Hollywood's most respected independent producers and directors. Over the past 2 years activity has quickened and brought us into the circle of a whole new world of film people. Eighteen months ago we began to get entreaties from this producer but have largely ignored them as there wasn't really a reason to connect. We don't even know how contact was first made nor does Whisper's partners, who say it's quite common as talk in Tinsel Town reverberates many enterprising folk look to connect with what they think may be a successful project. Imagine our surprise when this report appeared in the UK Telegraph yesterday. It's worthy of a film script itself:

Missing film producer who disappeared owing £45m ' betrayed' friends

Malcolm Turnbull is not who you think he is !

Whispers has come across all manner of odd tales but this one really caught our eye. The Internet is awash with conspiracy rumours and we love this one : our newly minted prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull is not who you think he is. 'Crisis actors' is one of the weirder conspiracy claims of the "truther " movement (they also say the Earth really is flat & the Moon Landing was faked) : these are actors who pretend to be 'victims' of the so-called 'false flag' events where the truthers claim every terrible action is a staged secret government plot as they lead us onto the New World Order, take away every citizen's gun in the USA and so on. Part of the grand conspiracy is that actors play the part of world leaders.
Our favourite was the claim that HM Queen Elizabeth was actually the Golden Girl star Betty White (they do look similar in a low light) but now it has been revealed : Malcolm Turnbull is in fact the star of Hannibal Lecter films Anthony Hopkins. Not only that, former PM Julia Gillard is in reality the Hollywood actress Jodie Foster !
Whispers has encountered all 4 of these personalities in person including being a guest at a dinner at Turnbull's Point Piper mansion, a book launch hosted by Julia Gillard, a small reception at Sydney's Fox Studios for Jodie Foster and 2 movie premiers with actor Hopkins.
Crucially : we have never seen all four at the same time in the same room !. We report, you decide.

exclusive:The Uncensored Justin Bieber Nude in Bora Bora photographs

 

  Would we publish nude photographs of anyone? Oh phurelase. We have more style. Unlike this website that outrageously publishes snaps that prove Justin is everything you thought and more THIS LINK

Naomi Watts & Liev Schreiber host party to save endangered turtles

  Aussie superstar Naomi Watts is currently gracing our TV screens as the face of online Presto in a campaign titled "Demand More", where she embraces the more 'demanding' side of her personality playing an over-the-top version of herself. Her runoured salary is said to be just over $2M

But in New York Naomi and husband Liev Schreiber are giving back to the community. They have just hosted their annual Turtle Ball to aid the Turtle Conservancy which protects threatened turtles and tortoises and their habitats worldwide.
left : Naomi & Liev
And they found support when a host of Hollywood & show biz greats turned up to help raise a whopping $800,000 as our exclusive pics from the event at the  Bowery Hotel show.
 Photographs : Patrick McMullan (c) www.patrickmcmullan.com

Ted Danson                    Helena Christensen                      Bruce Webber                           Richard Branson

Graydon Carter * Griffin Dunne          Shauna Robertson * Edward Norton              Susan Rockefeller *Anna Scott

Robert Kennedy Jnr                              Gina Gershon * Cheryl Hines                       Lynn Goldsmith * Patti Smith

 

GoggleBox Stars quit Oxford Street

Mick and Di Kershaw are 2 of the stars of the hit TV show GoogleBox noted for their often dry witty comments about the various programs watched, usually delivered while sipping on cocktails.

But now the Indigenous art dealers are the latest high profile Oxford Street business people to quit the once Golden Mile.
On Saturday Whispers counted 30 empty store fronts just in the Darlinghurst area. Further up the street in the Paddington part of

Oxford Street 'To Let' signs seem to pop up overnight. The Kershaws are Australia's top experts in selling & promoting Indigenous art and often acompnay successful artists for exhibitions in cities like Paris and Houston but now they have shut down their large gallery and are continuing to trade on-line.
And more seem to be fleeing the area as the popular medico Ben Hanson a favourite of the gay community and arts crowd is moving on from his Oxford Street surgery after 21 years. Last month thousands of protesters took to the streets decrying the lock-out laws that are crucifying inner city nightlife on the gay strip and Kings Cross.

A new women's cancer charity is launched

Marie Sutton*Tim Gilbert*Merle Finkel*Julie Singleton

 Charity Ambassadors and supporters gathered at a private home in Darling Point to hear Ovarian Cancer survivor Merle Finkel describe her battle with the deadly disease. Mrs Finkel is the Director of the newly formed Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation (AGCF) which hopes to raise awareness and funds needed to fight ovarian cancer which is often referred to as "the silent killer" due to the difficulty diagnosing symptoms.

Ms Finkel was diagnosed 4 years ago has been through a series of chemotherapy sessions. She became determined to inform other women about the importance of regular pap smears and sees the launch of the AGCF as a fitting tribute to her friend Senator Jeannie Ferris who passed away earlier this year from the disease.

Among the Ambassadors who hope to raise awareness and donations are Marie Sutton , Channel 9 'Today' reporter Tim Gilbert, Julie Singleton, actress Carmen Duncan who is appearing in the new musical Anything Goes, fashion designer Camilla Freeman-Topper and comedienne Jean Kitson.

                         right : Jean Kitson & Carmen Duncan


For more information go to the AGCF website here

Princess Diana's Aussie pal may write a book

Diana & Sutton

Chatting to Marie Sutton at the Darling Point morning event to launch the AGCF cancer charity (see above) brought some new revelations about the late Princess Diana's last visit to Australia in 1996 to launch the Victor Chang Institute. The visit  was to be Diana's final charity contribution before retiring to private life. Subsequent events have become history but Mrs Sutton revealed that she is seriously contemplating writing a book on her battle to maintain control over the plan which she conceived after contacting her friend Dr Hasnat Khan who was Diana's secret lover.

'My husband Bill kept incredible detailed diaries about the battle I had' says Marie. "Powerful people were desperate to seize control because of Diana's profile but she remained loyal to me". It is no secret that having conceived of the plan, Sutton found herself under intense pressure from figures like the late Nevile Wran who tried to wrestle control from her.

Whispers was lucky to accompany Sutton & Princess Diana on the tour and can confirm that Diana remained steadfastly loyal to her Aussie pal & was fully aware of the political machinations around her visit. When Diana died (and Whispers also had a connection to the late Dodi Fayed having lived in his Park Lane apartment for 3 months during the early 80s) Marie was rewarded by Diana's brother the Earl of Spencer with a personal tour of Diana's resting place on an island in the middle of the Althorp estate. Visitors cannot access the island and trees have been grown to prevent aerial photography of the grave. Marie took some photographs of Diana's resting place which had some extremely touching personal mementos placed upon the grave by her sons William & Harry. Although we have seen the snaps we are sworn to secrecy to never reveal what the items were. Sutton is still offered a small fortune by European publications for the photos.
A book on Sutton's Diana exploits would make fascinating reading.

Brouhaha in Bronte

Clare Strang & Matt Handbury

Bronte House, built in 1838 is a magnificent National Trust property owned by the local council. It's sweeping lawns cascade down a slope and join the park that backs onto the quaint Bronte Beach noted for it's trendy cafes frequented by many of the young elites that live in the Eastern Suburbs.
Bronte House's most recent tenant, Matt Handbury, a nephew of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has just relinquished his lease after a number of years living there.
Before Handbury Sydney style expert Leo Schofield resided there and gave some pretty good parties. One which Whispers attended was a birthday bash for the late painter Margaret Olley where the entertainment featured the world famous artists Richard Tognetti on violin and Simon Tedeschi on piano.
Now Bronte House is up for lease again - one of the provisos for a pepper corn rent is that the beautiful gardens must be opened to the public for a certain number of days and the tenant is responsible fo r upkeep &repairs which can be pretty pricey.
Green's councilor, the exotically named Dominci Darugland Boondi Boondi Wy Kanak (pictured left) is demanding that confidential documents relating to the tenancy be revealed to the general public. Fellow Waverley councilors are resisting Kanak's request claiming that the papers contain confidential financial information about previous tenants.
Meanwhile Handbury who is boss of Murdoch Magazines with his HQ based on a wharf on Sydney Harbour is looking for new digs. Worth an estimated $370M he & wife Clare Strang could probably afford to move near his cousin and future News Corp boss Lachlan Murdoch in Bellevue Hill while Whispers awaits with baited breath to see just who the new tenants in Bronte House will be. Hopefully they'll be the entertaining kind.

Leo Schofield             Margaret Olley                            Richard Tognetti                    Simon Tedeschi

24th October Sydney : Qantas Credit Union Arena, Phone 132 849

Careless Whispers is now published in LattéLife Newspapers

The Aussie actor starring at New York Fashion Week

 Ed Oxenbould & Olivia DeJonge

 New York Fashion Week, one the highlights of the social calender in the Big Apple is in full swing. Among the 200 designers showing are Australian locals Dion Lee, Zimmerman, Rebbecca Valance and Bec & Bridge. Another Aussie has also taken centre stage with the director M.Knight Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense") premiering his new low budget flick The Visit in NY to co-incide with the fashion galas.
The Visit is the "terrifying story of a brother and sister who are sent to their grandparents' remote Pennsylvania farm for a week long trip." 
And starring in the film with Olivia DeJonge as one of the teenagers is young Melbourne actor Ed Oxenbould who at just 14 years old is a veteran of local TV shows like Puberty Blues and Underbelly. Made on a budget of just $5M The Visit has already taken over $50M at the box office and looks set to launch Oxenbould on a US film career.
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Also a box office success and almost rivalling The Visit has been Joel Edgerton's The Gift with serious talk of Edgerton picking up an Oscar this year at the Academy Awards. The Gift was written, directed and starred Edgerton.
right : Cate Blanchett & Joel Edgerton at the Sydney Theatre Co
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# And we have broken a few records ourselves here at Careless Whispers & the Social Shuttle with a staggering  13,200,379 views on Google!




Below is a clip from The Visit 

Matthew Newton answer his critics :"I have been in excellent health for the last three years"

Following our report last week that actor Matthew Newton had slammed the tabloid magazine Woman's Day over recent health claims, the actor has now given an exclusive interview to the Australian MailOnline and scotched rumours about his health and expressed how happy he is that sister Lauren is expecting her fourth child. The Newtons are a close knit show biz family and although the talented Matthew has been through some rocky times due to illness, it's pleasing news that his career appears to be thriving in the USA. You can read the Mail's report here.
# One of the oddest aspects of this mini controversy was a columnist on an Australian newspaper who had hoped that Newton would  "provide evidence to back up  his claims the Woman's Day article was "full of lies"". Call Whispers old fashioned (we are) but the usual expectation is that if a claim is made about a person, the claimant is the one expected to "provide evidence" etc. Still, we live in interesting times where many aspects of life have become topsy turvy.

Rupert Murdoch & Jerry Hall : so much to discuss

One of the madder tales doing the rounds and which is bound to be repeated ad infinitum is the rumour that billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch is dating the Texan model Jerry Hall. Jerry is pictured here with her former boyfriend Warwick Hemsley and with her daughter Georgia May Jagger during Sydney visits.
What could this newspaper obsessed mogul possibly have in common with fun loving Jerry?. Well according to Nick Davies in his best- seller Hack Attack about the recent hacking scandal, perhaps pillow talk could involve a discussion about how Rupert's tabloids hacked the phone of Bernard Doherty who was Mick Jagger's publicist when he was married to Jerry which provided a string of exclusive tales about the couple's divorce for the Murdoch newspapers.

Away from the drama in Canberra, former PM Julia Gillard dines with pals in New York

Rupert Noffs* Julia Gillard* Matty Bennett

While Tony Abbott was being removed by his own MPs in Canberra and replaced by Malcolm Turnbull, former prime minister Julia Gillard dined with friends in New York as our exclusive snap shows. Pictured above with Julia are comedian Mark Trevorrow and Gideon Shoes' boss Rupert Noffs. The trio joined friends from the "gumleaf mafia" and Noffs partner Matty Bennett for dinner at Noff's & Bennett's apartment.
Noffs and Bennett are soon to open their own eatery, Lucky Bee in Soho's Broome Street (the street only had factories when Whispers lived there) specialising in South East Asian food and they have the New York Times buzzing with excitement. Ironically Malcolm Turnbull's first act as PM was to sign the two most populous states Victoria and NSW up to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) considered one of Gillard's most important pieces of legislation and one which she is justly proud of.

Saturday : another great day of fun, fashion and racing at Royal Randwick

For more information go to the Australian Turf Club website here

exclusive : President Obama visits Kings Cross to talk on Lock Out laws

With the Kings Cross "lock out" laws having a devastating affect on Sydney's Kings Cross and the night life, help is at hand as the US president jets into town to save the day. And we were there..our special report:

Lawyer rips into the Womans Day

High profile Sydney lawyer Chris Murphy has criticised Bauer Media and their magazine Womans Day over a story on his client actor Matthew Newton. Last night Murphy poster this message on his Facebook page:
NEWS RELEASE: There is a story about Matthew Newton in Woman's Day magazine today. It is a total fabrication. My client Matthew Newton has written and authorised the following media release:
NEWS RELEASE: MATTHEW NEWTON STATES:
There is an article in Woman's Day magazine today saying that I have been rushed to hospital and that I suffered a psychotic episode. It is absolutely untrue. It did not happen. It has been made up. The whole article is full of lies.
I am happy and healthy. I have been residing peacefully in New York for the last three years with occasional business trips to Los Angeles. I am working with people on several film projects. I have not sought nor received financial support from my parents for many years
No journalist spoke to me before writing this nonsense in Woman's Day and it has been concocted with no basis in the truth. I have referred it to my lawyers to take action.
# we aren't going to re-print the Woman's Day story and trust Mr Murphy as a man of his word who takes great care of his clients. And good luck to Matthew Newton who we have had the pleasure of meeting several times when he lived in Sydney.

Bill Maher on Australians

Saddle Up !

George and Thomas Burgess, a couple of GGs & their jockeys

It's that time of the year - Spring which means the Spring Summer racing season at Royal Randwick is upon us. Race days are like a melting pot of society where all manner of colourful characters, celebrities, socialites, sport's stars and fashion names gather to mingle, socialise and gamble on the horses.
Highlights of the season will be the Star Epsom Day and the Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes Day with pop-up champer's bars, disc jockeys and a good reason to dress up for the day, the Myer Fashions in The Field. Randwick threw a shindig to launch the season and here are some of our snaps from the event.  

Tommy Berry * Gai Waterhouse,                                Edwina McCann             Maddison Kerry  *  Cloudia Ingall

worth the price of admission alone : Myer ambassador Jodi Anasta

Eliza Grant * Roy Billing * Nerida Winter                         Jodi Anasta* Kate Waterhouse * Anna Bamford