August 13th, 2006

Sydney’s Coolest Nightclub King

Phil Cawood with television presenter girlfriend Laura Csortan - pix by Robert Rosen.

Move over fiesty (and then some !) Nick Russian of Melbourne’s nightclub Eve, Sydney has its own stars of the late night scene. Lustsome Phil Cawood is part owner with Paul Schell of Ruby Rabbit in Paddington which is first base for every celebrity visiting in Sydney. They head for the exclusive De Nom which is decorated to suggest a chateau in Versailles. Mischa Barton was there on Wednesday night to help David Jones’ publicist, Annie Kelly celebrate her 30th after the show. Nick Lachey, Delta Goodrem and Brian McFadden stayed really late on Thursday. It’s not all about Eve anymore.
The two partners are keen to make De Nom even more exclusive by offering just 100 memberships at $10,000 each and they have no shortage of interested takers. are / were there on a u

August 12th, 2006

McLoud’s Daughters Star Engaged

One of the happiest people at Thursday night’s opening of Cirque de Soleil’s new show, Varekai, was Zoe Naylor, who plays the feisty Regan McLeod on the long running Channel Nine, soapie, Mcleod’s Daughters. Naylor had just returned from a holiday in New Zealand where she had become engaged to long time boyfriend, James Noother. “We grew up together on Sydney’s north shore,'’ she told me. “He went to Barker and I went to PLC.'’ The wedding date has not yet been set.

Zoe’s engagement is a good sign for the soapie which seemed to have been blighted when it comes to romance. Gorgeous Michala Banas has always been ending hers and then there is Aaron Jeffrey who was recently in court over a domestic assault on his wife. But with Zoe and James - it’s all good.

August 12th, 2006

Amber Petty’s Birthday Bash

Amber Petty with fashion designer, Jayson Brunsdon - pic by Titomedia
Danish Royal bridesmaid and Celebrity Survivor contestant, Amber Petty, chose the Kirketon Dining Room and Bar in Darlinghurst as the scene of her birthday drinks last night and an opportunity to show off new boyfriend, Teriu Le Mon to her favourite friends including Jayson Brunsdon, his partner Aaron Elias, Justin Melvey and Imogen Bailey . But why was everybody dressed in black?

Unfortunately The Kirketon has some sniffy rule in place that taking photos inside is a no no - so Amber and Jayson had to walk out of the bar and into the hotel to have this snap taken. Well, how pathetic is that? I think the Kirketon is up itself now and forever more it will be known on this site as `a Darlo hotel’.

Celebrity Survivor goes to air on Thursday on Seven. I don’t think that Amber won but at least she met set designer, Teriu Le Mon once she was evicted from the island in Vanuatu. ..

August 11th, 2006

Robert Rosen at Varekai

Mischa Barton slipped in after returning from Melbourne.

Erica Baxter

Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall

Kate Fischer with Joh Bailey’s boyfriend, Adam Williams

Alex and Mary Perry

Wayne Cooper with Sarah Marsh, Ruby and Jude

August 11th, 2006

Cirque du Soleil Varekai Opening - Thursday

Forget the other celebs in the opening crowd including Mischa Barton, who came with her sister, Hania and tried to slip in just before it started (she didn’t even budge from her seat to enjoy the A-list hospitality in the lavish Rouge Tapin tent at interval), Varekai’s premiere at the Entertainment Quarter was like a feel good exercise for Nine’s embattled staff lead by chief cheerleeder Eddie McGuire with his wife, Carla. Eddie Everywhere absolutely ate it up - clapping to the beat. (Note to future, first night hosts - you couldn’t ask for a more appreciative guest). The Nine boss sat behind some of the remaining survivors from Torvill & Dean’s Dancing On Ice including Lara Bingle who took a girlfriend along and sat in the front rown. Then there was Jane and Mark Ferguson, Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill (who came with separate dates, sat in different sections and hardly made eye contact in fact Jayne Torvill looked mostly po faced), and Mr Personality - Jake Wall with Jennifer Hawkins, who sat across from Michael Slater.

No one could compete with the NIne gang when it came to sheer numbers although there were plenty of other well known faces in the crowd including John Symond, Wayne Cooper, Ita Buttrose and Swans’ star, Adam Goodes, who was given a hard time by the clown ushers when they pretended not to be able to find their seats.

As for the show itself? Varekai is quite spectacular but after you have seen at least one Cirque du Soleil show, they can seem a little drawn out and predictable And it wasn’t quite as fluid as we have come to expect - but perhaps we can put that down to first night nerves.

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean really get on each other’s nerves

Nine’s P Plated ringmaster, Eddie McGuire with his wife, Carla

Swans heroic Adam Goodes tries to revive the tam with Mara Rotheran.

All pix by Titomedia.

August 11th, 2006

Megan and Mischa - Probably Not Soulmates…

Photo by Titomedia

It was Megan who stole the show off Mischa at David Jones’ Wednesday’ night fashion fest. Maybe it’s because among the crew of wafer thin models stomping akwardly down the runway- a confident Megan looked like a separate species but 100 per cent woman. Mischa somehow was lost in the tidal wave of Megan glamour. She just looked like one of the models.

At least Mischa was given a rock star reception at Melbourne’s Myer on Thursday while Megan stayed behind in Sydney to do some store appearances for the summer collection launch.