More Entertainment Videos
Private Sydney: Packer not Mariah's Dream Lover?
It was billed as the wedding of the decade but could this be it for James Packer and Mariah Carey? Andrew Hornery investigates.
It wasn't the phone call I was expecting on a quiet Sunday night in August, channel surfing at home in a post-dinner slumber as an "unknown number" message flashed on my iPhone.
"It's James Packer here," said the voice, somewhat tersely, on the other end.
Caught a little off guard, I responded with "Yes James?" as I quickly gathered my thoughts. I darted a quizzical look at my partner, got off the couch, grabbed my notebook and began what would be one of the strangest 20-minute exchanges I've had in my 27-year career as a journalist.
![Instagram posted image of Mariah Carey with James Packer. Photo via Instagram / @mariahcarey](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/1/x/6/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477624861011.png)
Instagram posted image of Mariah Carey with James Packer. Photo: Instagram/@mariahcarey
Packer had taken umbrage with my column of the previous day and he had called me (for the first time in two decades of writing about him) to make it absolutely clear, and in no uncertain terms, that he and his fiancee Mariah Carey were the real thing, and that they had a passionate relationship. Indeed, he was at pains to express his admiration not just for the woman but for the performer, too, even recounting her album sales as America's best-selling pop star.
He went to great lengths to ensure that I had heard his message loud and clear, and from the noises in the background I could tell he wasn't alone, though I'll never be sure if Carey was there, too.
Eventually we agreed to meet at his office on his next visit to Sydney in a few weeks, to coincide with his attendance at big sister Gretel Packer's 50th birthday, to which he assured me "you will be completely safe" when I reminded him of our last face-to-face meeting. During that interlude he had fired off a barrage of expletives and personally evicted me from his Derby Day marquee, exactly four years ago today.
![Instagram posted image of Mariah Carey in a bathtub with diamonds. Photo via Instagram / @mariahcarey](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/d/1/x/8/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477657281101.png)
Instagram posted image of Mariah Carey in a bathtub with diamonds. Photo: Instagram/@mariahcarey
Following our chat I started receiving a series of text messages and emails, the tone of his dispatches going from "this is an act of war" to "I want us to be friends". He even shared some of his favourite Mariah videos, including the pop star singing with Luciano Pavarotti.
A few days before our planned meeting I was informed by Packer's office the meeting was off as Packer would be on unspecified "business in Israel". That was two months ago.
![Mariah Carey and James Packer in November last year.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/3/m/0/s/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477617911076.png)
Mariah Carey and James Packer in November last year. Photo: Bloomberg
Packer never made it to his only sister's birthday party and has not responded to my queries this week about his split from Mariah Carey. According to the pop singer's statement on Friday, their break-up was over a fight during their holiday in Greece, which took place not long after my call from Packer.
According to Carey's statement they have not seen each other since the fight. Packer and Carey are believed to both remain in the United States.
![Mariah and James in an Instagram post from Mykonos, Greece, last month.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/3/k/l/3/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477624872265.png)
Mariah and James in an Instagram post from Mykonos, Greece, last month. Photo: Instagram/@mariahcarey
In recent weeks reports have surfaced around the world suggesting things were not going smoothly for the couple. One story, later denied by Carey, claimed that during a particularly explosive argument between the couple over fellow pop star Beyonce's Crazy In Love song being played, Carey supposedly threw Packer's laptop out the window.
"Complete rubbish" Packer's right-hand man, former trade unionist and Labor Party figure Mark Arbib told me at the time, adding he received 10 similar queries about rumours and stories a day. Clearly his boss was sick of it.
Indeed, nobody would feel the weight of Carey's huge public profile more than Packer.
However, given her proclivity to share the most intimate moments of her life for the camera, whether it be bathing in millions of dollars worth of diamonds – some of them from Packer – for her Instagram feed, or talking about her wedding on her coming, fly-on-the-wall reality television series, such scrutiny clearly comes with the territory.
Making a Bolt for marquee status at the Birdcage
Long before the first punt is placed, the winners and losers of Flemington's 2016 Spring Racing Carnival marquee stakes have already been decided.
Leading the charge among this year's celebrity guests pulling in astronomical sums is Usain Bolt, who would give Phar Lap a run for his money when it comes to pounding down the home straight and collecting an appearance fee.
PS hears Bolt is being paid a rumoured $400,000 to turn up to James Packer's Crown Casino marquee this year, which will no doubt give a few of those pesky Chinese "whales" something to gawk at between races.
![MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 02: Melanie Brown, aka Mel B attends the Lavazza marquee on Victoria Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 2, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/b/8/w/e/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477611693036.png)
Melanie Brown, aka Mel B, attends the Lavazza marquee on Victoria Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Photo: Getty Images
But back in the Birdcage enclosure and further down the celebrity food chain, things have not been quite so fecund for former Spice Girl turned talent show judging panellist Melanie Brown, aka Scary Spice/aka Mel B, who was thwarted when her representatives put feelers out for potential appearance fees.
"The woman is having an all expenses paid day at the races to promote a Channel Seven television series, and she wants to be paid to turn up to our marquee? Sorry, I don't think so. When we advised them we would not be paying, we didn't hear back," whispered one marquee host on the basis of anonymity.
![MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 03: Lleyton Hewitt and wife Bec Hewitt are seen in The Swisse Marquee at Flemington Racecourse on November 3, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Pat Scala/Getty Images)](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/b/8/y/c/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477611851233.png)
Lleyton Hewitt and wife Bec in The Swisse Marquee at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. Photo: Getty Images
Negotiations to get Goldie Hawn to the Birdcage marquees before her upcoming Melbourne show appear to have fallen over, especially when the potential suitor seemed more interested in getting Goldie and her daughter, Kate Hudson, as a double act for a day at the races. Bizarrely, they were not so interested in hosting one of the original Hollywood power couples, Goldie and Kurt Russell.
And you can blame (or thank) Kim Kardashian's recent Parisian ordeal for the lack of Kardashian/Jenner offspring at the track, with a family wide travel ban in place ruling out offers to come to Melbourne.
However, who needs a Kardashian when one of Spring Racing's iconic fixtures, Eileen Bond, will be installed at the luxury Lexus marquee?
![In this photo made available on Sunday Oct. 2, 2016 Jamaican sprinter and Olympian Usain Bolt stands on a bench in the 'Schuetzen-Festzelt' (Shooters Tent) at the Oktoberfest in Munich,?Germany, Oct. 1, 2016. The world's largest beer festival will be held from Sept. 17 until Oct. 3, 2016. (Felix Hoerhager/dpa via AP)](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/b/8/s/w/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477612012596.png)
Olympian Usain Bolt stands on a bench in the 'Schuetzen-Festzelt' (Shooters Tent) at Oktoberfest in Munich. Photo: DPA
Indeed Red's services will be rewarded in champagne rather than cold hard cash, though there will be a deeply felt absence this year, with one of the other great fixtures of the carnival, Lady Susan Renouf, having left this mortal coil in July after her long and valiant battle with ovarian cancer.
Lady Susan, along with Lady Sonia McMahon, who died in 2010, along with Red, were dubbed Flemington's Holy Trinity. No doubt Red will not be alone in raising her glass in their honour during this year's carnival.
![THE AGE. NEWS. MELBOURNE Melbourne Cup 2003. Pic shows Lady Sonia McMahon, Eileen Bond and Lady Susan Renouf in the Moet tent in the Birdcage. PICTURE BY PAUL HARRIS SPECIAL MCUP](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/b/8/5/y/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477458447033.png)
Lady Sonia McMahon, Eileen Bond and Lady Susan Renouf in the Moet tent in the Birdcage. Photo: Paul Harris
Meanwhile, over at the Mumm tent PS hears a swimming pool is being built to re-create a Cote d'Azur beach club theme, along with a disco, which is set to become party central once again.
Other names heading to the Birdcage – some for free, some for payment – over the coming week include Bec and Lleyton Hewitt, Chris and Rebecca Judd, Gina Liano, Jennifer Hawkins, Megan Gale, Lindy Klim and even former Melrose Place heart throb Grant Show is being wheeled out as a star attraction.
Emirates is embracing an Australian theme in its lavish marquee this year, with Michael Caton adding a dinky di flavour, along with Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and her chief racing attache, boyfriend David Panton.
But it is the lack of big international celebrity names this year which appears to be common cross the Birdcage, with marquee hosts questioning the value of paying a star $350,000 to turn up and be photographed in their marquee.
Last year Gwyneth Paltrow was pipped at the post when negotiations with Swisse vitamins fell apart and she failed to materialise in their marquee.
This year Swisse itself has pulled out of the Birdcage, replaced by the incongruous arrival of new marquee host Sensis, the owner of the White and Yellow Pages, which has been busy shopping around trying to secure big name celebrities to bring a bit of pizzazz to an otherwise beige business, though PS is yet to hear of any big names who have signed on.
Egos aplenty as 2016 'sexies' revealed
Of all the parties on the Sydney social calender, Who Magazine's "Sexiest People of 2016" event on Wednesday night would easily go down as one of the most conceited.
PS bravely rolled up to a dimly-lit (thank you) Bar Machiavelli in Rushcutters Bay to cop an eye-full of this year's "sexies", though for a while it appeared none of them had actually turned up.
![Who Magazine sexiest people party 2016. Jessica Mauboy and James Stewart (ex- partner of Jessica Marias). For PS. Andrew Hornery. Photo supplied.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/7/t/1/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477552249485.png)
Who Magazine sexiest people party 2016. Jessica Mauboy and James Stewart (ex-partner of Jessica Marias).
Sure, Russell Crowe's ex-wife Danielle Spencer was there, looking very attractive in a sexy figure-hugging cocktail frock, though she confided to PS she wasn't actually on the sexies list: "Well, I've been on Who's 'Most intriguing list' before, so I guess I'm part of the broader family".
She wryly added: "You know when you've made the list because they do a photo shoot ... I didn't get that call."
![Who Magazine sexiest people party 2016.?Richie Strahan and Alex Nation . For PS. Andrew Hornery. Photo supplied.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/7/t/2/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477552273119.png)
Who Magazine sexiest people party 2016. Richie Strahan and Alex Nation.
Then, like a herd of giraffes, a seemingly endless supply of models began filing through the door, a few of them making a B-line for the courtesy bar just as Roxy Jacenko barged past PS, storming into the centre of the room and standing under the spotlight just in time for the speeches. She must have been disappointed to discover she had not made the list either, as she left the party briskly.
Behind her was former Channel Ten Bachelor Richie Strahan and his living rose Alex Nation, who both made the list, though they seemed more interested in checking their respective Instagram feeds than actually talking to each other or meeting any of their fellow sexies.
![Who Magazine sexiest people party 2016. Havana Brown. For PS. Andrew Hornery. Photo supplied.](http://web.archive.org./web/20161030225908im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/c/7/t/0/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1477552273176.png)
Who Magazine sexiest people party 2016: Havana Brown.
Who Magazine is part of Kerry Stokes' Channel Seven media empire, which no doubt explains the overwhelming supply of Seven personalities filling up the list, not least cover girls and Secret Daughter co-stars Jessica Mauboy, and Bonnie Sveen.
Lurking in the shadows was Channel Ten showbiz correspondent Angela Bishop, who declared "I'm working!" when PS enquired if she was one of 2016's sexiest.
Me too, Angela!