Thursday, March 20, 2008
Brace Yourselves, Ken Done May Need To Start Painting Again
3:21PM Jess McGuire | We have such fond memories of artist Ken Done, you know? A man not afraid of a bright colour, he was the brains behind some of our favourite curtain designs at our childhood holiday home in Shoal Bay. So we are saddened to hear that things are not going all that well for Ken.
The artist behind some of Australia’s most colourful images, Ken Done, may have to return to painting the harbour and cuddly koalas after losing three-quarters of his personal fortune due to what he claims was bad financial advice.
Done, 67, who painted the widely recognised and colourful depictions of Australian life, is suing the financial advice arm of the Commonwealth Bank for $53 million after his nest egg was whittled away on risky loans and stakes in untested and little-known companies that ultimately failed.
In a case that will have its first preliminary court hearing today, he claims that had the advisers invested as he said over the four years from 2001 to 2005 he and his wife, Judith Done, would now have a trust fund worth $61.5 million. Instead he has been left with just $8 million.
Still. $8 million from this kind of stuff -
- seems like a pretty good deal, in our uncultured eyes. More » 
Jason Dundas Is Cleo’s Bachelor Of The Year
2:49PM Jess McGuire | From winning MTV’s “The next MTV VJ” competition six years ago to winning the hearts of Cleo readers, Jason Dundas has come a long way for a man who lists Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger as one of his celebrity crushes. At this point, for no real reason whatsoever, we’d like to mention once again our favourite insult ever directed at the Pussycat Dolls by UK website HolyMoly , who described the musical ensemble as “herpes in a halter neck”.
Jason Dundas beat tough competition in the form of Dean Geyer and breadloving fitness fanatic Shannon Ponton to earn the crown of Cleo’s Bachelor of the Year, and we offer him hearty congratulations.
Confidential mention in their article regarding Jason’s win that his “recent flame” is inspiration dolphin defender Isabel Lucas, but the last we heard from our insiders (and yes, we have them – believe it or not), that situation could best be described as a one way pursuit rather than an actual relationship, but hey – perhaps things have changed since we were last updated on the love lives of former Home & Away stars?
Not that it matters whether the bachelors in the competition are actually single.
(Cleo editor Nedahl) Stelio defended the contest when quizzed by Confidential, claiming “all the bachelors told us they weren’t in long-term relationships”.
She admitted the magazine had to cast the net “further afield” and beyond the realm of celebrity in order to find more single men for this year’s bachelor contest.
So we should probably just refer to it as Cleo’s annual “Search For Somewhat Attractive Male You Have Possibly Heard Of And Who May Or May Not Have A Partner, What Do You Care, Like You’ve Got A Chance Of Landing Him Anyway, Bitch” competition?
We also chuckled quietly at the second comment on this website’s story about Jason’s win.
Thursday, 20 March 2008
i am so hot
Posted by: jason dundas, sydney
More » 
YouTube Clip Of The Day
12:57PM Jess McGuire | You know what? Perez is right. Ken Lee is brilliant.
If you are one of the three people in the world who hadn’t seen the above clip from Bulgarian Idol yet (and marveled at the accompanying “English subtitles”), you may like to thank us by urgently sending giant lattes filled with sugar in our needy direction. Thank you.
KEN LEE! If living is without hits from the coffee bong… More » 
The Food Network Don’t Want A Motor In The Back Of Nigella Lawson’s Honda
11:18AM Clem Bastow | Between all the too-hairy, too-skinny, too-mental coverage womankind is getting in the media these days, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there are better places to be than in the spotlight. And now it seems even sextastic television chefs – i.e., people who are generally accepted as being able to eat FOOD, as opposed to the sunlight and roasted almonds that the other female stars are served up – aren’t immune to the exacting pressure of waistlines and bum sizes.
Evidently TV chef Nigella Lawson, she of the finger-licking-goodness and dangerous curves, has been deemed too “fat” for US televisions.
The New York Post said: “Our spies at the Food Network say Nigella has way overeaten.
“The result is a butt like a horse.
“Her director is now doing back flips to not show her below the waist.”
A Food Network spokesman denied any filming changes.
While we’re not entirely sure why they would need to film Nigella’s bum in the first place (other than to revel in its wondrousness, of course), we can’t help but issue a world weary grooooaaaan when we read about things like this.
Yes, Nigella has traded on her appearance/sex appeal, but come on, dudes – she’s a chef. She’s not America’s Next Top Model. More » 
Aaaaaaah! She Can’t Hear!
11:13AM Seth | “Fabian is my music,” Marlee Matlin said, just moments after playing grab-arse with her mambo-champion Dancing with the Stars partner. This suggests to us that her gaydar is about as finely tuned as her hearing. [DWTS] Set your alarms, everyone: Your first glimpse of J.Lo’s twins comes at 7 a.m. sharp! [People] Ivan Dixon, aka Hogan’s Heroes Kinchloe, dead at 76. [AP] Hey–it’s that immortal dude from New Amsterdam’s junk! (NSFW) [OMG BLOG] Bring this coupon Saturday, get $100,000 off your Silver Lake loft–and free sangria. [Curbed LA] More »
Sherri Shepherd Demands To Know: Where Is The ‘Idol’ Beatles-Mangling Outrage?
10:43AM Seth | After two weeks of witnessing American Idol finalists despoil the beloved compositions of The Beatles’ songbook, Sherri Shepherd could sit silent no longer, unleashing on today’s The View a blistering condemnation of their shameless, vocoder-assisted blaspheming of the sacred pop texts. More »
Chipshop Tires Of Smoking, Drinking While Pregnant, Goes To Rehab
10:40AM Clem Bastow | Well! We were going to tell you about Kerry Katona laughably needing to get hypnotherapy to quit smoking (she’s pregnant, but evidently the thought that her bub might come out deformed or ill wasn’t enough of an incentive to give up the cancer sticks), but she’s gone and one-upped herself.
Kerry Katona has entered The Priory!
The Priory, for those who don’t know, is essentially the UK’s Betty Ford or Promises, and finds a lot of its more famous patients in attendance for “emotional exhaustion”. However, in Chipshop’s case, that seems to be spot on:
The pregnant mother-of-three fell to pieces after learning about her husband’s alleged affair with a barmaid and more reports of her doing drugs.
Currently being treated in the Priory, Kerry is said to be “severely emotional and depressed” which has forced MTV to temporarily halt filming at the stars home.
Poor Kerry. As much as she’s fun to point and laugh at, and as much as she can be a complete and utter nong (smoking/drinking/drugging while pregnant, marrying Brian McFadden, leaving Atomic Kitten), we get the feeling that underneath it all she’s just an uncomplicated lass from the wrong end of town who somehow got “lucky”.
We trust she’ll be back and entertaining us all soon! More » 
Fear Not, Men Of The World: Celine Dion Has Waxed!
10:25AM Clem Bastow | Lordy… Remember the kerfuffle that blew up because Celine Dion dared to go onstage without submitting her body to a full hair removal session?
Well, you’ll be “pleased” to know that she has capitulated to the gaze and made sure all that “unsightly” hair on her thighs is gone, daddy, gone.
Now if she could just work on Third World poverty and maybe a cure for cancer, that would be ace. There’s a pet.
Celine appeared to have taken care of all her grooming details, including waxing her thighs.
And there was no repeat of the furry incident as the smooth-skinned French-Canadian star took to the stage looking completely fuzz-free.
No doubt those poor, poor souls who had to witness her unwaxed thighs that night are looking into some sort of post-traumatic stress class action. It’s only reasonable, really. More » 
10:01AM Molly Friedman | Michelle Trachtenberg has proven herself the ideal go-to actress for naughty TV guest appearance: When she portrayed Sarah Michelle Gellar’s “normal” little sister on Buffy, she had a penchant for kleptomania, on Law & Order: CI, she masterfully outwitted the cops and the media by staging an online kidnapping, and she perfected the demanding pop star character of Celeste on Six Feet Under. So it’s no surprise that the actress’s upcoming guest appearance on Gossip Girl will feature her wreaking havoc on fellow rehabber Serena. We’re not sure possessing the natural ability to portray bitchy sidekicks is a blessing or a curse, but in Michelle’s case, we always find her small-screen bad-girl characters are ones worth rooting for. [THR] More »
