It was like a scene straight from one of those fabulous Hollywood Hills parties: a lavish Sydney mansion by the harbour filled with rappers, agents, music producers, dancers and preening models – along with the promise of a AAA superstar guest.
And not forgetting the beaming hostess willing to please, socialite Di Maloney, a middle-aged mother who was clearly as excited about the prospect of Justin Bieber dropping by as her over-excited daughter.
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Private Sydney: Party pooper Justin Bieber
It seems hordes of pretty models were no match for a hot cup of cocoa in bed when Justin Bieber failed to show up at his own after party.
But despite her best efforts to get the pop star to her Point Piper pile, the recently single mother of two was unable to get her star guest to actually turn up, much to her stunning daughter Sarah's disappointment.
Rather the Biebs was safely tucked away in his bathrobe at his luxury Sydney suite, presumably having a hot cup of cocoa rather than partaking in the bacchanalian affair happening across the harbour, as the champagne flowed and the DJs cranked up the beats well into the wee hours of Thursday morning.
![Justin Bieber in concert at ANZ Stadium.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/f/f/t/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489755589425.png)
Justin Bieber in concert at ANZ Stadium. Photo: Wolter Peeters
"All his entourage were there, producers, agents, dancers ... probably around 50 of them, his closest friends, they were ALL there," PS's mole revealed.
But, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, Bieber did manage to Skype into the party being held in his honour following his Wednesday night concert at Sydney Olympic Park. The pop star was able to see all the guests enjoying the party despite his absence.
![Di Maloney pulled out all the stops to get Justin Bieber along to her lavish party â but he was a no show.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/f/9/y/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489738712238.png)
Di Maloney pulled out all the stops to get Justin Bieber along to her lavish party but he was a no show. Photo: Supplied
Apparently he showed his approval in a flurry of smiley faced Emojis – or so PS was assured. Clearly the guy is an artist rather than a wordsmith.
PS hears Maloney, the former wife of pub baron Kim Maloney who has been earning quite a reputation around Point Piper for her wild parties, was the one footing the not inconsequential bill to host the huge party.
With hordes of models shipped in especially for the occasion, PS hears a half-pipe skateboard ramp had also been built in the luxury home's ballroom, which once belonged to fashion designer Lisa Ho and her ex-husband, ragtrader Phillip Smouha.
Indeed, there was not much more Maloney could have done to get Bieber along.
![Di Maloney's daughter Sarah Maloney must have been disappointed Justin Bieber was a no show.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/f/r/0/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489738863582.png)
Di Maloney's daughter Sarah Maloney must have been disappointed Justin Bieber was a no show. Photo: Supplied
Loss of work in fire torches Leak-Singleton friendship
Cartoonist Bill Leak has taken one of his most painful regrets to the grave with him – the loss of $200,000 worth of paintings he had on loan to wealthy mogul John Singleton, destroyed in a house fire four years ago.
And it wasn't just his prized paintings which were lost in the fire, with some of Leak's friends still angry about the incident, which they say damaged his friendship with Singleton.
In the months leading up to Leak's untimely death last week the artist had confided in friends his disappointment that his works were not covered by insurance, unlike the other contents in the Pretty Beach house on the Central Coast in 2012.
![Bill Leak lost over $200,000 worth of artworks in a house fire four years ago.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/w/l/t/l/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489737600476.png)
Bill Leak lost over $200,000 worth of artworks in a house fire four years ago. Photo: Marco Del Grande
Leak himself had expressed his dismay over the loss to PS in 2013. He was especially upset about a portrait of the late Sir Donald Bradman, said to be worth around $170,000 alone, which had been destroyed. Leak had previously refused to sell the Bradman painting, even rebuffing a lucrative offer from Rolling Stones guitarist and cricket tragic Keith Richards.
"It wasn't just the grand piano which had burned into oblivion, so had my paintings … it has taken a while for me to realise just how devastating this has been," Leak told PS several months after the blaze.
While insurance covered the cost of rebuilding multi-millionaire Singleton's guesthouse, Leak revealed the insurance policy did not stretch to his artworks.
"Singo and I had a mate's agreement. The house was an excellent place to hang the works, but I never took out insurance over them. Financially it is a disaster, and I guess it means a lot more cartoons."
And while Leak did continue to draw, his friends informed PS this week that his relationship with Singleton was never quite the same again, while attempts to seek compensation from Singleton for the lost artworks proved unsuccessful.
![The paintings were on loan to wealthy mogul John Singleton, but were not covered by insurance.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/l/b/i/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489737696759.png)
The paintings were on loan to wealthy mogul John Singleton, but were not covered by insurance. Photo: Kate Geraghty
Singleton did not respond to PS' calls this week.
Among the works were portraits of late AC/DC singer Bon Scott and the late Charles Perkins, an old friend of Singleton's.
"The Don Bradman piece was signed by him, too. I had painted it in 1988 and it was particularly valuable. I had kept it as a sort of retirement plan," Leak previously told PS, adding that the loss was not just measured in financial value.
"You don't just acquire artworks, they are created. It is a massive blow for me … it's a bit like losing one of your own. If someone had stolen the works, it probably would not have been so hard for me to take because at least you know the artwork lives on. But this, this is just so final. It is a terrible blow."
Leak, a father of two, had certainly endured his fair share of bad luck at Singleton's properties. Four years before the fire he suffered serious head injuries in a fall from a balcony at Singleton's Mount White property. It took him months to recover, after spending a long time in a coma.
Teary George promos signal lifting of Seven PR fatwa
Five years after then freshly minted Hollywood it girl Melissa George stormed out of Channel Seven's Martin Place Studios after issuing a fatwa on The Morning Show hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies if they dared to ask about her rather more pedestrian years on Home and Away, the star's feud with the network is well and truly over.
A teary George has been appearing on high rotation on Seven this week in promos for Sunday Night's tell-all exclusive with the now 40-year-old actress, who has been embroiled in an acrimonious marital breakdown with her wealthy French husband, Jean-David Blanc.
![Australian actress Melissa George and former husband Jean-David Blanc in happier times.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/o/f/r/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489737844624.png)
Australian actress Melissa George and former husband Jean-David Blanc in happier times. Photo: AP
George is seen on air claiming to be trapped in her adopted Paris, unable to leave with the couple's two small children claiming her estranged husband won't allow it. Blanc has subsequently denied the accusations. On Thursday he accused George of trying to "secretly leave the country with our children without my consent, which led me to file a criminal complaint for kidnapping attempt".
While Sunday Night bosses would not be drawn on how much George was paid to do the interview, it is understood to be a nominal amount compared with some of the show's other high-profile stories.
Interestingly PS can also reveal that producing the story with reporter Steve Pennells is Stephen Rice, the former 60 Minutes producer who found himself in a Lebanese lock-up with Tara Brown after the bungled Beirut child abduction fiasco. Rice reportedly reached a $1 million settlement from Channel Nine following the incident.
![Melissa George with Sunday Night reporter Steve Pennells.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/z/o/c/a/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489737931237.png)
Melissa George with Sunday Night reporter Steve Pennells. Photo: Supplied
PS was told Rice and Pennells were working on "several stories" in Europe, not just the George interview.
As for George, she has certainly changed her tune when it comes to the Australian press.
"I don't need credibility from my country any more, I just need them all to be quiet," she said in 2012 following her Morning Show meltdown. "If they have nothing intelligent to say, please don't speak to me any more. I'd rather be having a croissant and an espresso in Paris or walking my French bulldog in New York City."
No photos please - or Urban myths
What on earth is going on at New Idea?
PS hears the magazine sent out a note to paparazzi agencies recently informing them the magazine no longer had any interest in photos of Karl Stefanovic's former wife Cassandra Thorburn.
![Karl Stefanovic split with wife of 21 years, Cassandra Thorburn, in August.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/g/p/y/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1488053045435.png)
Karl Stefanovic split with wife of 21 years, Cassandra Thorburn, in August. Photo: Getty Images
Is this the first time for restraint from a publication which has feasted on the private lives of celebrities for years?
Several paparazzi PS talked to this week were equally intrigued by the missive from New Idea, some suspecting behind the scenes pressure had been applied, though from whom and why remains a mystery.
Indeed, it would appear the magazine's attention, along with just about every other media outlet in town, has been firmly focussed on Karl Stefanovic's budding romance with Jasmine Yarbrough, rather than his ex-wife.
Meanwhile no such restraint was shown by New Idea this week when it came to its reports claiming another celebrity, Keith Urban, had "abandoned" his older brother Shane, a single father-of-three from Queensland. The source of the article is apparently neighbours who it appears have based their summation on the fact Urban and his superstar wife Nicole Kidman don't visit terribly often, accusing her of being a "snob".
![Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban arrive at the Oscars.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/m/3/0/n/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489738153198.png)
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban arrive at the Oscars. Photo: Getty Images
Interestingly it was Shane Urban who spoke at the couple's wedding back in 2006 when he toasted the bride.
Shane Urban and his former wife Jennifer had met their then future sister-in-law and her family when they were flown to Keith's ranch in Tennessee – courtesy of Keith Urban.
Shane Urban gushed about his new sister-in-law at the time, telling the Sunshine Coast Daily: "She is a wonderful, warm person and very natural."
According to New Idea Shane Urban declined to comment for the latest story, though PS has it on good authority both Keith and Nicole are devoted to their respective families.
I'm So Crazy (about horses)
Turns out INXS isn't manager Chris Murphy's only hobby horse.
The recently married Murphy and his new wife Caroline will be hosting a cocktail soiree at Inglis Stables on March 30 (the same night as the very exclusive Chairman's Sale) to celebrate their good friend and horse trainer Anthony Cummings going into business with his son Edward, delivering group 1 winners to racehorse owners and their syndicates.
![Breaking in: Chris Murphy and wife Caroline ride the waves.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/0/8/i/4/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489738386064.png)
Breaking in: Chris Murphy and wife Caroline ride the waves. Photo: Supplied
Murphy told PS he had been "horse crazy" since his youth and passed on this passion to his family. He owns more than 80 horses and 26 polo horses which split their time between Murphy's properties in Richmond and South Ballina.
The very first racehorse he purchased was through racing legend Bart Cummings.
Housewives hiring
Apparently everyone needs an agent these days.
At least two of the Real Housewives Of Sydney stars have been ruffling feathers around the corridors of Foxtel for their off-screen diva antics.
![Ruffling feathers: Real Housewives Of Sydney.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170318112757im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/1/s/d/d/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1489738453173.png)
Ruffling feathers: Real Housewives Of Sydney. Photo: Arena/foxtel.com.au
PS hears Victoria Rees and Krissy Marsh have both hired agents to represent them, Marsh hooking up with Stuart Cameron, who once represented the likes of Sarah Murdoch and Elle Macpherson, though these days has been absent from the fame game for quite some time.