Eddie Obeid sentenced to five years’ jail for misconduct in public office

Disgraced former NSW Labor minister Eddie Obeid will be behind bars until at least December 2019 after being sentenced to five years’ jail, with a minimum non-parole period of three years.

The former powerbroker was found guilty in June of misconduct in public office, but his barrister today started proceedings to appeal against the conviction and sentence, immediately after the penalty was handed down.

The conviction relates to Obeid’s failure to disclose his family’s business interests in cafe leases at Sydney’s Circular Quay, while lobbying a senior bureaucrat about the rights of waterfront retailers in 2007 when he was a member of the NSW Upper House.

Supreme Court Justice Robert Beech-Jones described Obeid’s crime as “very serious”, as he detailed the reasons behind his sentencing decision.

He said he did not agree with the defence team’s argument that Obeid’s crime was at the lowest end of seriousness.

In considering the sentence, Justice Beech-Jones compared Obeid’s use of his position to advance private interests to bribery, noting there is no specified maximum penalty for the offence of wilful misconduct in public office.

“The more senior the public official, the greater the level of public trust,” he said.

“Corruption by elected officials consumes democracies.”

Justice Beech-Jones said Obeid was found to have abused public trust “to advance the financial interests of himself or at least his family”.

“He intentionally abused the public trust proposed in him as a member of the legislative council of NSW,” he said.

Justice Beech-Jones said Obeid “duped” NSW Marine Authority bureaucrat Steven Dunn by lobbying him without disclosing family’s financial interests.

“[The lobbying] was not undertaken because [Obeid] in any way believed it was in the interests of the public or the electorate,” he said.

Justice Beech-Jones said it was “inconceivable” that Obeid did not know he should not use his position in that way, adding he believed the behaviour was deliberate.

He said Obeid’s crime was a single phone call and “the end result did not cause a change in commercial lease policy”.

He went on to observe that Obeid’s crime was not one of “omission” (failing to disclose family interests) and his “proper duty” was to not contact Mr Dunn at all.

“If Mr Obeid had not wilfully abused his position as a parliamentarian, then his life and career would be a testament to the values of hard work, family and public service,” Justice Beech-Jones said.

“Instead, his time in public life has produced a very different legacy.”

The Judge ran through the medical conditions suffered by Obeid, including a recent stroke, diabetes and heart problems.

But he noted the 73-year-old’s health is currently stable and said he was satisfied he would receive adequate care if he was incarcerated.

Appeal proceedings already underway

Members of Obeid’s family were watching on in court including his wife of 51 years, Judith.

During the 90-minute sentencing, Obeid sat impassively in the dock and remained stoney-faced as his penalty was handed down.

His barrister Guy Reynolds SC immediately began proceedings to appeal against the conviction.

He outlined the terms of the appeal they intend to file, including that there was a “miscarriage of justice”.

Mr Reynolds also formally applied for bail, which the Crown opposed.

Justice Beech-Jones formally refused Obeid’s bail application and he was taken into custody.

Mrs Obeid collapsed into sobs and was escorted from court as her husband emptied his pockets and was led away by court officials to be transported to Silverwater Prison.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-15/eddie-obeid-sentenced-five-years-jail-misconduct-public-office/8122720

Zlatan Ibrahimovic late goal gives Manchester United win at Crystal Palace

A ruthless streak has been restored to Manchester United’s approach after all. José Mourinho had seen his team’s dominance yield only draws too often of late, but here they did what this club used to do as a matter of course.

Just as the prospect loomed large of shedding points to a Crystal Palace team most among the elite will consider there for the taking, class told. Their progress feels more serene when an unbeaten league run is extended to seven games by successive victories, however narrow.

This win was chiselled from the visitors’ most dominant period of play, the winner created by the contest’s most influential performer and scored by a forward who has always delighted in stamping his influence all over occasions such as this.

Paul Pogba capitalised on Yohan Cabaye’s slip two minutes from time to gain possession and consider his pass, sliding his delivery beyond Scott Dann and along the edge of the penalty area. There darted Zlatan Ibrahimovic, timing his diagonal run perfectly, with his finish dispatched crisply beyond the on-rushing Wayne Hennessey from an unkind angle and into the net.

It was an eighth goal in as many games for the Swede, whose influence on this side should not purely be measured in terms of that impressive tally. “I told him this isn’t the best place to play if you’re looking for holidays,” said Mourinho. “When a rich guy who has already had a phenomenal career wants holidays, he doesn’t come to play in England. It’s the most difficult league in the world, so if you come here you want to show what you can do. That’s what he did. It’s not just about goals. It’s about leadership and motivation, and I’m so happy with what he’s done. I knew his character and, at his age, he’s a character. A personality. Because he has the passion to play.”

He had the kind of supply-line here, largely from Pogba, for which Christian Benteke was pining at the other end of the pitch. The Frenchman’s understanding with Ibrahimovic could yet be key to United mounting that assault on the top four – they are six points shy of Manchester City at present – and the manner in which Mourinho attempted to envelope the Swede in a bear hug at the final whistle was indicative of that much. The manager was not inclined to hoist up the 35-year-old as his “best” signing but, even on a massive weekly wage, he can feel like a bargain when he conjures definitive moments such as these.

Ibrahimovic also had a hand in United’s opener, shipped in stoppage time at the end of the first half just as Palace had dared to believe their industry and endeavour might see them to the break unscathed.

Juan Mata’s free-kick was chested on to his own arm by Ibrahimovic for Pogba, standing marginally offside, to poke beyond Hennessey from close range. The hosts, their shape having been established to stifle rather than scintillate, were momentarily incensed before slumping back to the dressing-room as if resigned to their fate.

Their complaints that Marcos Rojo had received only a yellow for his latest two-footed lunge, this time on Wilfried Zaha, also simmered. Alan Pardew did well to reinvigorate them thereafter before his team benefited from their own dose of fortune. The equaliser was slickly constructed, the hosts more urgent and threatening as they chased parity. David de Gea had already done wonderfully well to deny James McArthur from distance, the Spaniard’s save stunning as he stretched out a right hand in mid-air to turn the effort round the post. Yet the Scot found life rather easier from closer in.

United were dozing, their rearguard suddenly ragged, as Damien Delaney provided the cutest of flicks round Phil Jones for McArthur, momentarily liberated from Pogba, to collect. He scored with glee, with his team-mates swarming in disbelief around a tickled Delaney.

Yet Palace were unable to build on that momentum and, when United were denied a penalty after Joe Ledley’s handball in the area, they rallied.

Mata had a goal disallowed from Rojo’s nod back, television replays subsequently suggesting he was a toe offside at most, before Ibrahimovic found his range. “Even if this game finished 1-1, I’d have the same feeling towards my players,” said Mourinho. “The performances have been good for a long time, so the players deserve this: happiness at home, and happiness away.”

They are edging back towards the fringes of the title race. Palace, in contrast, are mired in a more desperate struggle at the other end. They could take heart from their effort and commitment, and the reality they had prised apart a stubborn defence, but familiar mistakes crept in.

Just as against City recently, a second-half revival went undone at the last by a lapse of concentration. The decision to fling on Fraizer Campbell for McArthur near the end, disrupting shape yet again, might also be scrutinised. Substitutions are not coming off at present, and there is a whiff of inevitability to their plight. Chelsea visit these parts on Saturday. There is no respite in sight.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/dec/14/crystal-palace-manchester-united-premier-league-match-report

Bruno dominates Carpool Karaoke

2016 was crap for everyone except for Bruno Mars, who struck gold and got to perform at Super Bowl, the 2016 Victoria’s Secret runway and Carpool Karaoke.

The funk singer belted out his most-famous hits, including 24K Magic, Locked Out of Heaven and, of course, Uptown Funk.

During the ride, James asked Bruno to try on different caps to prove he can pull any hat off.

And he did.

James also pointed out a flaw from Bruno’s song Versace On The Floor.

He said the lyrics “Now I unzip the back to watch it fall” (in reference to taking off a girl’s clothes) were inaccurate.

“When I get home with my wife, and she says, ‘Can you undo this,’ it takes me, I’m going to say a good four to six minutes,” he explained.

“In which time all romance is gone—and then you’ve got the Spanx. You ignored the Spanx in this song.”

runo then joked the ‘Spanx’ version would be in the remix.

The Just The Way You Are singer is just the latest in a long line of celebs who’ve joined James for Carpool Karaoke.

Lady Gaga, Madonna, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber and loads more have slayed in the show.

Source: https://au.be.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/a/33573317/bruno-mars-dominates-carpool-karaoke-yahoo7-be/#page1

Amazon Prime Video just launched in Australia. But is it worth your time?

That ‘error box’ regularly greeted viewers who clicked on almost anything worth watching following Amazon Prime Video’s sneaky Australian reveal last month.

The streaming site – which had adamantly told inquiring customers, “No, we have not launched in Australia!” – had quietly eased login restrictions in November, allowing Australian audiences to sign up for US or UK accounts (for $10.99 or £7.99 monthly subscription fees, respectively), in an attempt to prevent the mass pirating of Jeremy Clarkson’s much-anticipated (for some reason) Top Gear reboot, The Grand Tour (note: it didn’t work).

But besides The Grand Tour, users were left with a bunch of teasing TV shows they couldn’t watch, a bunch of movies they couldn’t watch, and a bunch of nonsense kiddy stuff no one even wanted to watch.

Well, fortunately that’s changed.

Amazon Prime Video – or just Prime Video, as the site wants you to call it – officially launched in over 200 countries overnight, including Australia, for the introductory price of $2.99 per month for the first six months (it’ll revert to its full price of $5.99 per month after that).

Sure, $2.99 is cheaper than your morning doughnut, but what exactly does it get you?

At this stage, the answer remains: “Meh, not much.” Even with modest bingeing, you could probably watch everything you want during the 7-day free trial.

Among the major changes, the site has introduced access to a number of prominent Amazon Originals, including Golden Globe and Emmy winners Mozart In The Jungle and Transparent. The first two seasons of both are now available to view, although you’ll have to wait till “early 2017” for their more recent third seasons, as rival streamer Stan still holds the local broadcasting rights.

The all-legit nature of the site also means that a lot of frustrating teases – like Fleabag, written by and starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Britain’s highly-touted new voice of a generation; and One Mississippi, comedian Tig Notaro’s critically-acclaimed autobiographical romp – which seemed available but really weren’t, are now at least far out of sight.

Most of the movies on the old site were blocked, too. I mean, you couldn’t even watch Happy Gilmore. C’mon, that’s ridiculous. The new, official Prime Video has pages of movies, albeit movies you might’ve rented from Civic Video like 11 years ago. Still, if you feel the pressing urge to view Vanilla Sky or Scary Movie one lazy night, it’s right there for you.

While the pickings right now may be slim, there are at least a couple of options to tide you over this summer.

For example, there’s The Man In The High Castle. The dystopian sci-fi series based on the 1962 novel by stoner hero Philip K. Dick, is set in an alternate history where the Axis Powers won World War II. While its plot-heavy shenanigans largely focus on the close-quartered underground resistance, the series intrigues when it pulls back to reveal the wider world implications, moody Blade Runner-esque city streets lined with Gestapo and New York’s Times Square creepily lit up with neon swastikas.

Red Oaks is another sleeper. It mightn’t have the most alluring sell (“In the summer of 1985, 20-year-old David Meyers takes a job as a tennis coach at Red Oaks Country Club…”), but the series, an awkward but warm-hearted homage to ’80s sex-romp comedies, produced by Steven Soderbergh and Pineapple Express‘s David Gordon Green, has ridiculous class behind it: its first season featured directing from indie icons including Amy Heckerling, Hal Hartley and queercore master Gregg Araki.

In a press statement, the service, perhaps anticipating the ho-hum reaction, stressed “this is just the beginning” and noted its plans to expand to “a full line-up of fresh new original programming” soon.

Among those upcoming Originals set to debut in “early 2017” are Goliath, the legal drama from genre wizard David E. Kelley, starring Billy Bob Thornton in his freshly Golden Globes-nominated turn as a grizzled lawyer out for revenge on his old firm, and Giovanni Ribisi’s anticipated turn in the Bryan Cranston-produced crime drama, Sneaky Pete.

(I watched the former largely on mute and was still entertained, Billy Bob rocking a furrowed squint and emaciated hunch as he self-pities his life away in AA meetings and ugly motel hook-ups. Fun for the family!).

Other future Amazon offerings in the works include an “untitled mafia series” from Silver Linings Playbook director David O. Russell, an “untitled anthology series” from Mad Men‘s Matthew Weiner; and the deadpan comedy Highston, from executive producer Sacha Baron Cohen and the husband-wife directing duo behind Little Miss Sunshine, about a 19-year-old dude (Lewis Pullman, son of Bill) who suffers celebrity delusions.

At a time when rival Netflix is releasing new shows unannounced like it’s no big thing, it’s an odd decision for Amazon to launch its service with such a modest library and the “promise” of better things to come.

Your toughest decision in signing up mightn’t be in parting with spare change, but whether you can be bothered with the wait.

(Streaming service Stan is co-owned by Fairfax Media, the publisher of this website)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/amazon-prime-video-just-launched-in-australia-but-is-it-worth-your-time-20161214-gtbfdc.html

Chelsea defeats Sunderland to maintain Premier League lead, Manchester City and Liverpool post victories

Chelsea maintained its stranglehold on the English Premier League by beating Sunderland 1-0 to register its 10th successive win and move six points clear at the top of the table.

Cesc Fabregas’s first-half strike ensured the Blues took full advantage of the previous day’s slip-up by second-placed Arsenal to leave Liverpool, 3-0 winners at Middlesbrough, and Manchester City, who beat Watford 2-0, to keep up the chase.

Manchester United continued its recent improvement with a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion’s Salomon Rondon took the individual honours with a hat-trick of headers in a 3-1 win over Swansea City.

Chelsea’s win was particularly welcome because it came without the injured Eden Hazard.

One of the secrets behind its success has been continuity of selection, so manager Antonio Conte will be delighted at the way his revamped midfield of Fabregas and Willian combined beautifully just before half-time for the Spaniard to score the goal which confirmed Chelsea’s best run since 2005/06.

“Cesc is a good player for us,” Conte said.

“I have four midfielders and it is important for me to evaluate the form of the single players, some games you need players more physical and some games more technical. It is important that Cesc had a good game.

“I prefer my players not to look at the table and to focus on the next game in three days. We must prepare very well to have a good Christmas.”

That seems guaranteed since Chelsea will definitely top the table on December 25. On each of the previous four occasions it has achieved that feat it has gone on to win the title.

Liverpool sitting pretty after beating Middlesbrough

Liverpool overtook Arsenal in second place after a comfortable win at Middlesbrough with Adam Lallana involved in all three goals, scoring twice and laying on another for Divock Origi.

Manager Juergen Klopp reacted to dropping five points in the last two matches by picking Simon Mignolet in goal ahead of Loris Karius and the Belgian responded with one outstanding save in a clean sheet.

Manchester City also put recent stutters behind them as goals from Pablo Zabaleta – his first in two years – and David Silva secured a triumph over Watford, only its fifth victory in 16 matches.

Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur comfortably overcame Hull City 3-0, while Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United is starting to get a return on the huge money it invested in Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

James McArthur looked to have earned Palace a point after cancelling out Pogba’s opener but Swede Ibrahimovic struck two minutes from time to delight his manager.

“It was an amazing performance for a guy who is 35 years old, scoring goals, being a leader, amazing,” said Mourinho after overseeing United’s first back-to-back league wins since August.

West Bromwich Albion moved up to seventh, one place behind United, after Rondon became the first player to score a headed hat-trick in the Premier League since Duncan Ferguson in 1997.

The goals came in a devastating 13-minute burst early in the second half, as Swansea succumbed to the defensive frailty that has dogged it all season.

Its only consolation was that most of the sides around it also lost, West Ham being the exception after beating Burnley 1-0 with a goal from Mark Noble after his penalty was parried by Tom Heaton.

Stoke City striker Marko Arnautovic was sent off in his side’s 0-0 draw with Southampton, the fixture marking Stoke manager Mark Hughes’s 400th match as a Premier League manager.

Reuters

English Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	16	13	1	2	23	40
2	Liverpool	16	10	4	2	20	34
3	Arsenal	16	10	4	2	20	34
4	Manchester City	16	10	3	3	15	33
5	Tottenham Hotspur	16	8	6	2	16	30
6	Manchester United	16	7	6	3	5	27
7	West Bromwich Albion	16	6	5	5	4	23
8	Everton	16	6	5	5	1	23
9	Southampton	16	5	6	5	-1	21
10	Bournemouth	16	6	3	7	-3	21
11	Watford	16	6	3	7	-7	21
12	Stoke City	16	5	5	6	-5	20
13	Burnley	16	5	2	9	-11	17
14	Leicester City	16	4	4	8	-6	16
15	West Ham United	16	4	4	8	-13	16
16	Crystal Palace	16	4	3	9	-3	15
17	Middlesbrough	16	3	6	7	-6	15
18	Swansea City	16	3	3	10	-14	12
19	Hull City	16	3	3	10	-21	12
20	Sunderland	16	3	2	11	-14	11

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-15/chelsea-defeats-sunderland-to-maintain-premier-league-lead/8123140

Ovation of the Seas live stream: Watch the biggest cruise ship ever to sail into Sydney Harbour

THE biggest cruise ship to enter Sydney Harbour made its way through the heads this morning, putting on a show despite the weather.

The dreary morning didn’t stop eager onlookers turning up for Royal Carribbean’s Ovation of the Seas grand entrance.

The mammoth ship — 350 metres long — could only just be distinguished through the clouds which lay over the harbour, but was a spectacle as it emerged through the mist.

Passengers on the majestic ship, which was last in Hobart, could be seen on the top decks, also undeterred by the rain.

Costing more the $1.3 billion, the ship can carry 6500 passengers over 16 guest decks.

The ship is expected to inject more than $3.3 million into the local economy in passenger spending alone — and will be here for two days before departing for New Zealand.

Kristyn Rau, 27, and husband Daniel McGowan from Sydney’s Northern Beaches were on board as the winners of The Daily Telegraph’s cruise competition.

Although Kristyn’s mother won the tickets, she passed them onto the pair so they could finally have their honeymoon, three years late.

“Mum passed her tickets on to us. We had some issues a few years ago when we got married with the bushfires at the time in Lake Macquarie,” Ms Rau said.

“We had an evacuation the night before the wedding. We had some extra expenses and it was quite a dramatic time so we never got around to having a honeymoon,” she said.

“We had our third wedding anniversary in October so this has been like a honeymoon.”

“We had a really great time. We had never cruised before and it’s something we’d always wanted to do.”

“We had a great time discovering all the restaurants and the iFly was fantastic as well. It took about half a day to explore four level.

Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres said today: “NSW continues to grab the lion’s share of the country’s $3.6 billion cruise dollar, with 67 per cent of Australia’s cruise revenue generated in this state”.

The rain is here to stay over the weekend, giving Sydney a cool change after a scorching week.

Today, the temperature tops will be 21 for Sydney and in the west.

In typical Sydney weather fashion, Saturday will bring possible storms and a sweltering 35 degree day.

READ ABOUT OVATION OF THE SEAS VIA ESCAPE.COM.AU

FAST FACTS

• At 168,666 gross register tonnage (internal volume, not weight) Ovation of the Seas could fit 843 million mangoes.

• It can carry almost 6500 guests and passengers — eight times as many as an Airbus A380.

• If stood upright, at 347m the ship is almost as tall as Uluru.

• At 92m high the North Star gondola capsule is higher than a Sydney Harbour Bridge pylon.

• Ovation’s four bow thrusters produce 4694 horsepower each — more than double the horsepower of a five-car city train.

• At 41m wide, Ovation is about as wide as 17 Adelaide trams or 14 Melbourne trams.

• With 2091 staterooms and carrying 4905 guests at full capacity, Ovation will be the biggest hotel in the nation — more than triple the rooms of the Crown Metropol in Melbourne and the Four Points Sheraton in Sydney

Source: http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/ovation-of-the-seas-live-stream-watch-the-biggest-cruise-ship-ever-to-sail-into-sydney-harbour/news-story/ac31a6037f5989eda4d67c14bfbf2fbc

‘Despicable Me 3’ Trailer: ‘South Park’s Trey Parker Plays Gru’s Latest Nemesis

With their new animated comedy Sing on the way later this month, Illumination Entertainment has just released a sneak peek at Despicable Me 3, the sequel bringing back Steve Carell as the dastardly but charming villain Gru. The roster of characters continues to grow with a new villain challenging Gru this time, voiced by a man who creates stuff that you wouldn’t let your little ones watch.

The first Despicable Me 3 trailer has arrived, introducing us to Balthazar Bratt, a former child star who’s grown up to become obsessed with the character he played in the ’80s. Described as Gru’s most formidable nemesis to date, this guy looks like he belongs in another decade, with a mullet (and a bald spot), a Rubik’s Cube as a weapon, and a powerful keytar. But perhaps the most fun thing about this villain, at least for adults, is that he’s voiced by South Park creator and voice talent Trey Parker.

See him in action in the Despicable Me 3 trailer after the jump.

In addition to Trey Parker, the Despicable Me 3 voice cast features the return of Kristen Wiig as Lucy, as well as the adorable little girls Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), Agnes (Nev Scharrel). But of course, it wouldn’t be a Despicable Me movie without the Minions around, so they’re back in all their weird, gibberish glory as well.

While the Despicable Me movies are certainly Illumination Entertainment’s greatest achievement to date, I haven’t fallen in love with the franchise. The humor is more childish and slapsticky, though it does have shreds of cleverness. This one gets a little weirder and more unsettling as we see Gru blasted into an unfortunate one-piece bathing suit made of gum that shows us what the villain would look like wearing the kind of thong usually reserved for Borat.

Personally, I’m excited to see what it’s like to have Trey Parker do something as a voice actor that’s strictly geared towards kids. He voices such a wide variety of characters on South Park, and I can’t wait to see what he brings to the table as this wholly strange new villain, not to mention what other ’80s artifacts he’ll bring to the big screen.

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, co-directed by Eric Guillon, and written by Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio, Despicable Me 3 will be released in theaters next summer on June 30, 2017.

Source: http://www.slashfilm.com/despicable-me-3-trailer/

Geoffrey Edelsten’s new ‘girlfriend’, Block star Suzi Taylor, denies relationship

GEOFFREY Edelsten should probably check with his new ‘girlfriends’ before going public with budding romances.

The 73-year-old medical entrepreneur has confirmed he is dating controversial The Block contestant and former Penthouse Pet, Suzi Taylor, telling the Herald Sun she is a “beautiful looking lady.”

The pair set tongues wagging this week after attending an event in Melbourne together, and Edelsten appeared to be absolutely smitten.

“I am euphoric,” he said.

“I am enjoying her company and the relationship very much indeed.”

But Taylor is telling a very different story.

The 44-year-old has rubbished the claims on KIIS FM’s Summer Fling, saying she is “definitely not” his girlfriend.

“I am not dating Geoffrey Edelsten,” she told radio hosts Sophie Monk and Matty Acton.

“Give me a little more credit than that….I have met him once in my life and had a photograph taken with him.”

She went on to explain that he was one of a number of people she was photographed with at the event, and they had shared only a brief conversation.

“We said hello, had a little chat, and next thing you know I’m dating him.”

Taylor also appeared frustrated that Edelsten had insisted they were in a relationship.

“Maybe he had a few too many drinks – I don’t know. I don’t understand it – it’s crazy… honestly, it’s ludicrous.”

Earlier today, she addressed the reports on Instagram, revealing that she is still “very much single.”

Alongside a picture of herself, she wrote: “Don’t believe everything you read about me in any of the garbage press. I’m very much singl and my sole attention and focus is on my beautiful children who I love dearly.

“I have no room in my life at present for a man.”

It’s not the first time Edelsten’s found himself in this awkward position.

In October, he gushed about his new romance with 26-year-old Ashley Kirk — only to have the Playboy model flatly deny the claims.

Text messages between the pair later leaked indicating they were actually together at one point, and that Kirk was hoping to make a million dollars from a TV appearance with him.

If the romance rumours between Edelsten and Taylor prove true, she’ll be a departure from his usual type: blonde Americans.

He made headlines in 2009 with his flashy wedding to Brynne Gordon, which cost around $3 million and was attended by guests including Fran Drescher, Molly Meldrum and Kerri-Anne Kennerley.

The marriage lasted just a few years, and Edelsten had a high-profile rebound relationship with Gabi Grecko.

They capitalised on their fame by appearing on Celebrity Apprentice, but cracks started to show during filming and they split shortly afterwards.

She was later caught up in a prostitution scandal after reports surfaced she was paid to perform sexual acts on a handful of New York Police officers on a private jet.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/hook-ups-break-ups/geoffrey-edelstens-new-girlfriend-block-star-suzi-taylor-denies-relationship/news-story/f508f32c365f2c9c52cacd7031e632d4

Alan Thicke’s Ex-Wife Gloria Loring Remembers His Passion for Music: ‘I Learned So Much From Him About Songwriting’

Alan Thicke’s death on Tuesday came to a surprise to his fans and family alike, as the 69-year-old suffered from a heart attack while playing hockey with his teenage son.

“The centerpiece of our family has been whisked away from us,” Thicke’s ex-wife, actor and singer Gloria Loring told Billboard. The two were married from 1970–1984 and share two sons, one of whom is singer Robin Thicke.

Aside from the Growing Pains role playing father Jason Seaver that made Thicke a household name in the 1980s, he had a successful career as a television writer, producer and theme song composer. Among his best known pieces were the themes to sitcoms Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, both of which he wrote with Loring.

“He was so prolific with words, I learned so much from being around him about songwriting,” said Loring. “It was really fun. And, of course, here we are all these later and Facts of Life is still one of the top theme songs ever.”

Loving continued, recalling Thicke’s back for language, citing lyrics from The Facts of Life theme as an example.

“What impressed me about him and sitting down and actually working on something together was the internal rhymes he would come up with,” she said. “He came up with ‘There’s a time you got to go and show/ You’re growin’ now you know about’ and I went ‘Wow!’ He just had this great facility with words.”

Thicke also wrote the song “Don’t Let Me Change the Way You Are” on Loring’s 1986 self-titled album. She said he would help her with live performance notes as well, for instance, recommending a change to a song’s intro.

Clearly, the Thicke and Loring’s passion for music was passed down to their children. Loring recalled Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Aretha Franklin often playing on the stereo and Thicke whipping out his guitar at parties.

“There was a lot of music in the house and if there were parties, the guitars would come out and Alan played a passable guitar and we would all sing and we always wound up singing [Don McLean‘s] “American Pie,” Loring said. “And you know the kids were around and they just absorbed all that music.”

Source: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7624586/alan-thicke-gloria-loring-music-tv-themes-interview