The Real Housewives of Melbourne

For a Barrister, Gina Liano isn't very smart.  She's caused a lot of bad feeling in the first series of Real Housewives of Melbourne. You don't expect a barrister to use the "C" word or call someone an "insignificant arse hair" on camera.  It slowly becomes clear why she's so unpopular with her co-stars, she's difficult and doesn't fit in. She also lies with conviction, caught out by reruns of the tape.

Gina

The bitching has reached the stage of utter boredom and if they keep Gina in, it's bound to continue.  Foxtel has announced there will be a second series, but it will need to be better than the first.

Jackie

Clairvoyant Jackie Gillies and husband Ben of Silverchair fame have launched their pre-made cocktail range La Mascara, now on sale at Dan Murphy's. 

But by far the smartest housewife is the one the other girls call "Switzerland" because she doesn't take sides, Chyka Keebaugh. 

Co-owner of The Big Group, The Design Depot  and Capital Kitchen she and her husband have 150 full time employees and 1250 casuals.  Clients include Middle Eastern Sheiks, European aristocracy and high profile celebrities.   

Chyka

The three other housewives are somewhat forgettable.

The real referendum results of Crimea

Paul Roderick Gregory wrote an article today in Forbes that will change your mind about what's really going on in the Ukraine.  It reads as follows:

The website of the “President of Russia’s Council on Civil Society and Human Rights” posted a blog that was quickly taken down as if it were toxic radioactive waste. According to the Council’s report about the March referendum to annex Crimea, the turnout was a maximum 30%. And of these, only half voted for annexation – meaning only 15 percent of Crimean citizens voted for annexation.The fate of Crimea, therefore, was decided by the 15 percent of Crimeans, who voted in favor of unification with Russia (under the watchful eye of Kalashnikov-toting soldiers).
The official Crimean election results, as reported widely in the Western press, showed a 97 percent vote in favor of annexation with a turnout of 83 percent. No international observers were allowed. This pro-Russia election pressure would have raised the already weak vote in favor of annexation.To make sure no one misses this:
Official Kremlin results: 97% for annexation, turnout 83 percent, and percent of Crimeans voting in favor 82%.President’s Human Rights Council results: 50% for annexation, turnout 30%, percent of Crimeans voting in favor 15%.Putin’s people pulled this “rather unfortunate” report from the President’s Human Rights Council website, but council member Svetlana Gannushkina talked about this subject on Kanal 24 (as reproduced on Ukrainian television), declaring that the Crimean vote “discredited Russia more than could be dreamed up by a foreign agent.”Putin plans to repeat the Crimean election farce in the May 11 referendum on the status of the so-called People’s Republic of Donetsk. He will use the same tricks to produce an overwhelming vote for “independence” and a high turnout. The few international election monitors will object, but Putin counts on repetition of his Big Lie to convince his own people and sympathetic politicians and press in the West that the people of east Ukraine actually want to separate from Ukraine.Will the West let Putin get away with it again?

James Packer and David Gyngell punch up

Millionaire casino mogul James Packer is surrounded 24/7 with "yes men" - when you are that rich, you get to call the shots on everything, every time.  But on Sunday afternoon, Packer's attempt to throw his weight around backfired.

When security rang him soon after he touched down in Sydney to tell him there was a Channel 9 truck parked not far from his Bondi beach pad, he went ballistic.  He immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion and sent a scathing text to his mate, boss of the network, David Gyngell.  

He basically told him to remove his f...ing truck from his street and accused him of setting him up to get an exclusive scoop about his latest love interest, Miranda Kerr who arrived in Sydney on Friday. After a brief exchange of angry texts, Gyngell was left seething with rage and went to his house and blocked the entrance with his car.

Best mates

When Packer arrived, he jumped out and started swinging. During the scuffle, Gyngell was heard to shout "I didn't even know you were in Australia."

What Packer didn't know was that the television truck belonged to a Channel Nine employee who lived in the same street.

Gyngell, next morning

Next morning, Gyngell came back to apologise with no apparent injuries, but so far, Packer hasn't been seen.

It would have been easy for Packer to sue his friend, there were plenty of witnesses to prove Gyngell threw the first punch, but he won't be filing a complaint to police.

Eight months ago, when everyone was saying how Packer appeared to have finally found peace and happiness with his lovely wife Erica Baxter and their three small children, he suddenly ended the marriage. Gyngell, best man at his wedding, was said to be upset with Packer over the split and since then, their relationship has cooled.  Erica and the children now live in Los Angeles.

Interview with Michael Willesee 

Newscorp Australia Chairman Lachlan Murdoch and Kerry Stokes also visited Packer at his Bondi pad since the scuffle.

Lachlan Murdoch yesterday

Nine issued a statement saying the pair remained friends and over 35 years, have had their "fair share of ups and downs."

New love interest, Miranda Kerr

Edit 6 May:  Packer leaves for work this Monday morning nursing a black eye.

Grace of Monaco pure fantasy

Nicole Kidman's portrayal of Grace Kelly has run into trouble from the royal family.  Her children, Prince Albert II and Princesses Caroline and Stephanie said the film is pure fantasy and yesterday they released another statement.  "The Prince's Palace would like to reiterate that this feature film cannot under any circumstances, be classified as a biopic."

Grace of Monaco will officially open at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14 and in cities around the world.  But there's trouble brewing. US distributor-producer Harvey Weinstein, also known as "Harvey Scissorhands," is said to be unhappy with the version of the film and is seriously considering dropping it from US distribution.

Hollywood producers have been bending the truth to make a good story about famous people for years, but not this time.  The royal family are furious and refuse to shut up.

"We have absolutely no association with this project which claims to be about the lives of our parents" Prince Albert said.  "For us, this film does not constitute a biographical work but portrays only part of her life and has been pointlessly glamorized and contains important historical inaccuracies as well as scenes of pure fiction."

But here in Australia, the controversy only makes it more appealing and Nicole Kidman seems perfect for the part of Grace Kelly. Kidman needed a hit movie and this could be it, but we'll have to wait until June 5 to find out.

Madeleine McCann isn't coming back

Kate and Gerry McCann are still clinging to the hope that Madeleine is still alive.  Although it's been seven years since the three year old was taken from her bed in Portugal while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant with friends, they haven't given up hope of seeing her again. If she isn't dead, the person or persons who know the truth should take pity on them and tell police where to find her body because they have surely suffered enough.

Kate McCann is in a very bad place and how she hasn't tipped over the edge into madness says a lot about her character.  Every year she goes back to Portugal to feel close to her daughter and 'walk those streets and look for answers.'

Police believe there was a mystery man in the vicinity at the time Madeleine went missing who had "a vile interest in young, white, female children."

The sick mind of the paedophile and this case have taught today's parents of young children well.  They no longer allow their child to enter a public toilet alone and worry about giving permission for a sleepover at a school friend's house.  And after the Robert Hughes trial, even putting a toddler to sleep in a bedroom at a private party is now a real concern.  

Nobody seems to be telling the McCanns there is a possibility that their little girl isn't coming back.  Their nightmare has been going on for seven years and for their own sanity, it's time police to put an end to their suffering and help them face the truth.  

Peaches Geldof died from heroin overdose

Peaches with father Bob Geldof

When the body of 25 year old Peaches Geldof was discovered, there were no drugs found anywhere in the house and police said there were no suspicious circumstances.  But surely the person or persons who removed the evidence must have realized that the toxicology results would reveal the truth - that she died from a heroin overdose. 

Her body was found in the house she shared with husband Tom Cohen and their two sons, 2 year old Astala and 11 month Phaedra.

Peaches was 11 years old when her mother, Paula Yates died from a heroin overdose and it obviously had a huge negative impact on her life. When her body was discovered, her sister Tiger Lilly was found playing nearby.

Paula

Hours before she died, Peaches posted a picture of herself with Paula Yates.  She said she felt her presence around her recently and that her mother "was living through me all the time because we are just so similar."

Peaches

In one of her last interviews, Peaches talks about her sons.  "I have a lot of hopes for them and when they are older I hope they get to have a bit of the youth that I lost out on when I had them.....before I was not at peace with myself, I was just traumatized....that's why I was living such a chaotic lifestyle...but now I have the kids, I can heal the situation....it's so good in every single way, really."

Paula and Peaches

How much more pain is in store for Bob Geldof?

Cruel mother gets 4 years for murder

You can see the fear in the eyes of four year old Chloe Valentine as she looks into the camera, and she had good reason to be afraid. Her mother Ashlee Jean Polkinghome and her boyfriend Benjamin Robert McPartland killed her with a cruel vindictiveness that beggars belief.

In 2012, Chloe died when she sustained horrific injuries after falling off a motor bike and hurting herself, over and over again.  Her feet couldn't touch the ground and it was far too heavy for a four year old girl, but that didn't matter to her mother and her boyfriend who laughed every time she fell off.

Similar motor bike

Chloe was put on a newly purchased motor bike over a four-day period, even though she had two black eyes and significant bruising. The child was terrified of McPartland, every time she fell off, he virtually threw her back on.  Her mother recorded several videos of the event and the couple can be heard laughing when she falls and hurts herself.

When she was finally knocked unconscious, the pair didn't bother to call an ambulance for several hours.  Instead, as the child lay dying, they checked their Facebook page and did some internet banking. When she eventually arrived at the hospital, her injuries were so horrific, relatives said she was unrecognizable.  Her life support was turned off the next day. 

The court heard that Chloe would cling to her grandmother at the end of a visit and plead not to be sent home. "I feel so guilty that I didn't try harder to get her away from Ben and Ashlee" she said.

At the time of her death, Polkinghome's brother Jake Valentine said when the couple were outside the hospital, laughing and smoking, they said it was lucky the police hadn't found the drugs in the house.

Polkinghome was jailed for eight years with a non-parole period of four years and nine months after pleading guilty to manslaughter by criminal neglect.  Her partner Ben McPartland got seven years with a non-parole period of four years and two months.

Chloe died in the arms of her grandmother, her mother was nowhere to be found.

Child safety Department spokesman David Waterford said

"For Families SA to remove a child from the care of their parent or parents, we need to have evidence we can present to a court.  We are unable to make those decisions by ourselves and at no point was there sufficient evidence for us to go before a court and say 'This child should not be in the care of their parents and should be under the guardianship  of the Minister.'" 

But surely Mr Waterford must take some responsibility for the death of Chloe Valentine.  The Office for Child Safety in Families SA said they received 22 notifications that Chloe was at risk, the first one when she was three weeks old.  It's just not good enough!