BusyBee

What on earth was Ellen Pompeo thinking when she walked out of the house in this hideously awful thing and  then turn up  at the Screen Actors Guild awards wearing it? Honestly, it looks like she was running incredibly late and wrapped herself up in a shower curtain, put her wet hair in a bun and hailed a cab to get herself to the awards on time.  This is the worst dress, ever.  Bjork looks like a style Goddess compared to Ellen.  Maybe I am being a bit harsh.  Who knows, it could be the start of a trend.  Oh, that’s right, Demis Roussos has done this look already…

This, my dear friends, is Daniel Radcliffe. You may know him better as Harry Potter. Or now, as an incredibly cute 17 year old who is about to become a man on stage in the London West End production Equus, a play about a man and his love for a horse….which is quite an interesting way to break out of the child-actor stereotype, I think.  The pictures are quite, um, artful, I suppose, although I would have thought maybe a little fake tan wouldn’t have gone astray.

Keith Urban has just posted this message on his website, talking about why he went to the Betty Ford Clinic for a 30 day rehabilitation period that turned into 90 days.  He is refreshingly frank and candid, and I just can’t help but hope that he has been able to put his demons behind him.

Robbie Williams is about to release this new video clip for his single “She’s Madonna”.  Check it out here for yourself.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS0SD12Wo0g

You have to admit, it is a little bit funny, even though Team Britney is denying rumours that she is pregnant with baby number three. Given the way Britney has been behaving in recent months, I certainly want to believe them. I am sure that even as crazy as Brit can be, she would have worked out by now how babies are made?

Mind you, it might not be too long before Britney joins her pal Lindsay Lohan in rehab, the way she is going. Lindsay’s rep issued this statement from Lindsay today:

“I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health. I appreciate your well wishes and ask that you please respect my privacy at this time.”

Consider it done Linds, and all the best. Congratulations on taking such a brave step!

Last night, I took the kids to see the Perth City Ballet production of Peter and the Wolf at Prompt Corner, Kings Park. They thoroughly enjoyed it! This classic tale, written to music by Sergei Prokofiev, is a great introduction to music and the instruments of the orchestra. In this adaptation, the character of the Wolf transforms from young woman to wolf before their very eyes as she donned clever make-up and a fur coat in front of their eyes before the performance began. The proximity of the stage and the intimacy of the setting meant the children felt part of the production, but none more so than the 6 brave kids who volunteered to be the Hunters!

The production is not slick or overcomplicated, and to be honest probably a little overpriced at $13.50/head, but for one hour, between 5pm and 6pm last night, my children were mesmerised, and at this end of the school holidays, that is saying something! Peter and the Wolf has being playing since January 5, but it finishes on January 21, so get in quick if you have a spare evening, pack a picnic and enjoy this enchanting performance. Tickets are available through BOCS ticketing, or are available on the night for cash only.

Ok, I know I have already blown my resolution to post more frequently, but I have to tell you, it has been a wild weekend!

On Saturday, I joined the flotilla of boats that headed for Rottnest for what promised to be one of the best weekends of the year so far. Admittedly, it ended up being a little windy on Saturday, but that didn’t stop us or what seemed like thousands of others from jumping into their tinnies, dinghies and launches in search of the perfect mooring. We found it a little difficult to find an empty bay - Longreach, Geordie and both Parakeets were full. However, we managed to find a mooring in Catherine Bay and enjoyed a great day’s fun in the sun. We missed out on the huge SeaRay raft-up in Little Parakeet, which was really going off with about 16 boats joining up for a great day. My sources tell me that the Quokka Arms went off on Saturday night, and that everyone seemed to be generally in favour of the new hotel development and pub upgrade that was announced last week. Given that many visitors to the island arrive by private boat and stay on them, upgrades to the infrastructure that would service them were well received.

After a few beers on Rotto, we headed back to Perth to get ready for the Party of the Year - Man About Town David Anthony held his 40th birthday party at his recently renovated award-winning house in North Fremantle. Man, what a party. The festivities kicked off with a petting zoo and a ballon artist for the kiddies (although they must have been whisked off straight after that entertainment because they were not seen for the rest of the night). I got my first inkling of what a night it was going to be when we were ushered up to the roof deck, which offered the most spectacular panoramic views of Fremantle and its surrounds. On the deck, Fremantle band ‘The Sunshine Brothers’ were working their magic and getting the crowd in the mood as they played their original music and serenaded the sunset. They were joined at the microphone briefly by Phil Ceberano (yes, Kate’s brother) who flew in for the party. David’s wife organised for the food to be served by twin topless male waiters from Hotbodies, who mentioned a few times that this was the first time they had ever done a mixed party - it was usually just hen’s nights for these guys! They still got plenty of appreciative looks from the young glamazon’s in the crowd who took full advantage of a hot summers day and wore as little as they possibly could. They all looked absolutely amazing! (Fella’s, just a warning, even if you are wearing sunglasses, you can still see your eyes and where they are looking…. youknow who you are and exactly what I mean!)
After the sun went down, the party spread out over the four levels of the house although most of the action was around the cocktail bar, where the guys from Becointreauversial were working the cocktail shakers, along with serious hair and smouldering looks and attitude. The lychee martini’s were delicious, but deadly… Birthday cake time was a hoot, when a Marilyn Monroe look alike jumped out of it and sang ‘Happy Birthday to You” in her huskiest voice. This was followed by a real birthday cake which was laden with sparklers. After a quick speech and a smooch with his wife, the entertainment continued with fire dancers who performed around the pool. By this stage, my head was swimming from the combination of a full day in the sun, killer corona’s and cocktails, and the amazing ‘it’ crowd surrounding me. There were models, footy players, players, filmakers, doctors, brokers, composers, musicians… you name it! We called it quits at around midnight, but this party was definitely headed for dawn. When we returned in the morning to pick up our car, the bottles, glasses and general debris strewn over every balcony of the 4 story house told the story. As the mercury hit 40 degrees, my thoughts turned to the hosts and the mess they woke up to…always the sign of a great party.
One of the guests I met at the party was Iain Grandage, who has composed the Lotterywest Overture for the opening night of the Perth International Arts Festival. Iain has accomplished a lot in his 35 years, and this PIAF project is just one of many that he is currently working on. After chatting to him, I had to check out the festival programme and see for myself what great events this year’s festival has in store. I have already bookmarked a few. Emma Matthews, an old school friend of mine, graduated from Musical Theatre at WAAPA, and is returning to Perth from Sydney, where she lives and works with Opera Australia, to sing in the World Premiere of a new opera by Richard Mills, who composed Batavia. The new opera is called “The Love of the Nightingale” and also features another home grown talent, Sara Macliver. I will definitely be getting a ticket to that! Once again, the Beck’s Verandah Bar promises to be THE place to see and be seen during the PIAF, with a fabulous line-up of musical talent to help you chill out after a hard day and night of cultural feasting. Bring it on!!

Rehydrate. Rehabilitate. Intoxicate. Introducing Adequite, the world’s first single-grain triple-distilled luxury vodka available in a discreet plastic container that resembles an innocent - yet stylish - water bottle. Specially developed by troubled alcohol enthusiast and occasional movie actress Lindsay Lohan, Adequite is the solution to the problem you’re not ready to admit you have.

I just want to point out that the captions on the photo are not mine.  I would have said “healthier”, not “fatter’, but I have to say that I was relieved to see that since ditching stylist Rachel “Zombie” Zoe, Nicole  Richie looks a whole lot better.  Well done Team Richie!

It is so quiet out there! Everyone must have decided to take my advice and lay low for a few days, hang out with their kids and not bait the paparazzi. Spoilsports. It is handy though, that even when the usual suspects let you down (and you know who you are…), Kate Moss and Pete Doherty are always reliable. Apparently, Pete is saying that he and Kate DID get married in Thailand over the Festive season. However, it seems that marital bliss was not enough to keep him away from his one true love - drugs, and he got arrested by Thai police after he was involved in an altercation with a taxi driver whilst he was out and about trying to score. He told an autograph hunter at Heathrow Airport that after he was arrested, he and Kate had a huge barney and she kicked him out. She then started issuing statements that the wedding never happened and the publicity machine went into overdrive. I do love a good trainwreck. Thanks Pete and Kate. If you did actually get married, you have proven everyone correct who said it wouldn’t last a week!

Did you also catch the news that Jamie Packer proposed to girlfriend Erica Baxter on Christmas Eve? Romantic old bugger. Remember I told you they were back together in one of my first blogs. Jamerica... The proposal came almost a year to the day after his father, Kerry, died.