Tony Pantano dies, age 74

Tony Pantano, the most nominated male vocalist in Australia, and winner of 14 Moe awards, died last night, on Saturday January 7.

He was 74.

Born in 1948 in Montalbano, Sicily, the much loved singer received a standing ovation from Andrea Bocelli, and was complimented by the legendary Tony Bennett, saying he had “one of the best voices” he’s ever heard.

Respected by Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck for his interpretation of their songs, he was also renowned as a performer at every Italian festival around Australia.

He was regularly a fixture on Australian television appearing on the shows of Graham Kennedy, Don Lane, Bert Newton, and Mike Walsh, and more.

His grandson is the ‘Australia’s Got Talent’ stand up comedian JJ Pantano, and he is survived by six sons, and six grandchildren, and two great grand children.

He was revered by his peers and adored by his fans.

If you are Italo-Australian, you have heard Tony being introduced at at least one Italian 'festa' in your lifetime - though probably at least a dozen - and you have heard his distinctive voice bellow through the appreciative audience, to rousing applause, cheers, and standing ovations.

He was Australia's own Tom Jones, with Tom himself a mega fan, and lauded by greats around the world.

Tony had been battling cancer for several years, and finally succumbed to the disease.

His grandson JJ Pantano paid tribute to his grandfather last night:

At the 7th hour of the 7th day of January the angels came to take my Nonno @tonypantanoofficial to heaven so he could grace heaven with his incredible voice like he did here on Earth. Nonno you are my inspiration and my love of entertaining comes from you. I’m so happy I have made you proud and I will continue to do my best to walk in your footsteps. You brought joy to all the people you ever entertained. Everyone loved you. I love you Nonno. Please watch over me from heaven & RIP. #tonypantano #jjpantano 

His family also posted a touching tribute to Tony:

Tonight on the 7th January at 7pm we lost not only a giant in the music industry but a much loved son, brother, father, father in law, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather, partner & friend. A man who was blessed to have lived his life doing what he loved everyday right up until the very end. He passed tonight peacefully, in prayer surrounded with his family by his side. And whilst he kept saying he didn’t want to go and fought so hard to the very end, eventually God’s offer was too good to refuse and the angels took him to no doubt do in heaven what he did on this earth bringing joy to so many people by sharing his God given voice - one of the greatest voices we’ve ever heard. We love you. We honour you and may you look over us and guide us everyday from above. We know you will. Gone but never forgotten.May you Rest In Peace Dad & Nonno. Rest In Peace Tony Pantano

P.S. 7 was his favorite number

Here are some pics of Tony in action over the decades:

Here at a tribute concert for Don Lane, with Don's son PJ Lane, and Maria Venuti, Rhonda Burchmore, and Patti Newton, and more:

With the Italian Australian new guard, Sooshi Mango:

See their tribute here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnImHsVybUL/

Tony with Engelbert Humperdinck:

Tony performing:

Tony's six sons:

'Celebrity Gogglebox Australia': Zoë Foster Blake and Hamish Blake

For the first time on Australian television, the highly anticipated star studded line-up of the 'Celebrity Gogglebox Australia' special episode premieres on FOXTEL, Wednesday March 2 at 7.30pm preceding the return of the fifteenth season of Gogglebox Australia from March 9- Wednesdays at 7.30pm- watch on LifeStyle and On Demand. 

The show will invite viewers into the loungerooms of our most famous celebrities, as they step away from their known habitats: panel desks, radio mics, stages, stoves, and television hosting duties. Get comfy on the couch with the celebrities as they become our first famous armchair critics on Celebrity Gogglebox Australia.

 

Foxtel today announced the first celebrities to take their position on the couch are Hamish Blake and Zoë Foster Blake, one of Australia’s most-loved couples. Best known for his success across both radio and television, Hamish started out in radio with comedy partner Andy Lee, and is currently heard weekly on LiSTNR with their self-titled, #1 rated podcast. On television, Hamish’s talent spans hosting, producing, and creating, as he entertains national audiences with top rating and award-winning shows including LEGO Masters Australia.

 

Zoë is the creator of  clean, cruelty-free Australian skin care line, Go-To and is recognised as an author of twelve books, including the best-selling beauty bible, ‘Amazinger Face’, children’s title ‘No One Likes A Fart’ and  novel ‘The Wrong Girl’, which became an acclaimed TV series.

 

Hamish Blake said: “We’ve trained every night for this over the last ten years, we’ve got this.”

 

To be announced soon, the line-up joining Hamish & Zoë on Celebrity Gogglebox include Australia’s most celebrated television hosts, comedians, radio presenters and performers. Viewers will discover what shows make our celebrities laugh, debate, and scream at their television screens and the question everyone is asking - will they be watching themselves?

 

Brian Walsh, Executive Director of Television – FOXTEL Group, said: “We waited until the time was right to commission Celebrity Gogglebox. FOXTEL has always held the view that if we were able to take one of our most successful shows and modify it and lift it with a celebrity version, we had to deliver the strongest line up of Australian celebrities. We believe we have delivered just that, for what will undoubtedly be the one of the highlights of Australian television in 2022.

 

FOXTEL is incredibly excited about our ensemble cast covering all fields of endeavor- television, sport, comedy, and lifestyle. Clearly if our first Celebrity Gogglebox resonates with our FOXTEL subscribers, our ambition would be to make it a regular fixture on the Gogglebox calendar.”

 

David McDonald, Endemol Shine Australia Head of Comedy said, “We’re beyond excited at the calibre of the celebrity Goggleboxers set to pull up a couch with us! We can’t wait to reveal the full line-up.”

 

Celebrity Gogglebox Australia is an Endemol Shine Australia production for FOXTEL and Network 10- which will air Celebrity Gogglebox Australia the following day after FOXTEL’s broadcast (Wednesday March 2 at 7.30pm), Thursday at 8.30pm on March 3.

 

Celebrity Gogglebox Australia will be available On Demand on FOXTEL following its broadcast on LifeStyle. 

             

Join the conversation:  #GoggleboxAU www.Twitter.com/@GoggleboxAU

www.facebook.com/GoggleboxAU www.instagram.com/goggleboxau/

www.facebook.com/lifestyleau www.instagram.com/lifestyleau/

 

'Nine Perfect Strangers': REVIEW

'Nine Perfect Strangers' is engaging, ethereal, strangely unsettling AND addictive all rolled into one relaxing, made for TV joint.

It's also the the biggest series launch of 2021 for Amazon Prime Video.

From the moment Nicole Kidman glides in and utters the words: "I'm Masha" you are drawn into the world of Tranquillum House, an actual health and wellness retreat located in Byron Bay NSW (real name Soma, an breathtaking 10 bedroom luxury estate, set on 22 acres of lush bamboo forest with thousands of varieties of plant species. Find it here).

'Nine Perfect Strangers' is an American drama streaming television miniseries, available on Amazon Prime Video Australia right now, and based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty and created by David E. Kelley who also developed the series alongside John-Henry Butterworth. The series premiered in August 2021.

The story centres around nine people who come to Tranquillum House, for a 10-day wellness retreat.

Stand out 'guests' at the House are Bobby Cannavale who plays Tony Hogburn, a former football star - he's a ball of anxiety wrapped up in a macho, perennially pissed off persona, and every time there's an interaction between Tony and Frances, played by the scene stealing Melissa McCarthy, you lean in a little more.

Melissa's version of Frances is brilliant - the best selling author has real issues, y'all, and as she sweeps in, then breaks down minutes after arriving into her zen room (then greeted by the enigmatic Masha), you know that Frances is tough as nails but super vulnerable, and you want to know more.

The portrayal of privileged young couple Ben (Melvin Gregg) and Jessica (Samara Weaving) is intriguing too...

Samara is FANTASTIC as an entitled woman with all the accoutrements (PE Nation gear, long nails, an attitude), and want to dig a little deeper... why is she perennially angry?

The calm AF assistants Yao (played by Manny Jacinto) and Delilah (played by Tiffany Boone) advise their guests on their arrival they'll take their phones (my worst nightmare on a wellness retreat, TBH) as well as anything that will connect them to the 'outside world, while promising “metabolically bespoke” meals, those deliciously slo-mo smoothies, and treatments and unusual therapies (potato sack race, anyone?) which promise to unite and heal body and soul.

And maybe mess with your brain a tad along the way.

The sweet-as-but-you-know-she's-going-to-lose-it recent divorcee Carmel (Regina Hall), is brilliant as the queen of passive aggressive.

And Asher Keddie positively NAILS her American accent, not wavering on it at all as she packs a punch with her performance of a grieving mum, simultaneously attempting to find freedom around her personal demons, as is the rest of the Marconi family (Grace Van Patten as Zoe with a measured performance, and Michael Shannon as Napoleon who is also dealing with the suicide of his son on his own way. A stellar performance).

The wonderfully jaded Lars (played by Luke Evans) plays brooding to perfection. He's an investigative journalist, but what else is going on...?

Zoe Terakes, the non-binary trans actor known for their work in 'Wentworth', also rounds out the cast as Glory and she's kinda naturally magnetic on screen.

Tyler Bern, Head of Content for Amazon Prime Video Australia and New Zealand said of 'Nine Perfect Strangers': “The runaway success of Nine Perfect Strangers in Australia is testament to the incredibly talented creative teams who worked tirelessly to create this exceptional series.  Amazon Prime Video is proud to share Australian storytelling with audiences across the globe, and is excited for viewers to see how this unique and extraordinary story progresses.”

'Nine Perfect Strangers' is directed and produced by Jonathan Levine and is distributed by Endeavor Content. 

 

'Nine Perfect Strangers' is now available on Amazon Prime Video with new episodes launching weekly. Go HERE to start a 30 day FREE trial!

Naya Rivera: 'Glee' star missing, feared dead

'Glee' actress Naya Rivera is missing, feared dead, after her young son was found asleep alone on a boat on a Southern California lake.

Thirty three year old Naya has been the subject of a massive search, which has been suspended until morning.

Her four year old son Josey Hollis Dorsey was found alone on her boat by another boater, shortly before 5pm. Naya's boat was adrift on Lake Piru, and she had rented it three hours earlier.

TMZ was also told by sources that Josey told police his mother had “jumped into the water but didn’t come back up”.

Captain Eric Buschow from Ventura County Sheriff’s Department told the LA Times that Josey is currently “in good health”, adding that “the family is going through a very traumatic time right now, adding to NBC LA: “This is considered to be a horrible accident.”

He also said they Naya’s identity was not able to be confirmed after finding her wallet onboard the boat.

The "Glee Curse" is Two of Naya's 'Glee' cast mates are part of the tragic “Glee curse”.

The show's leading male Cory Monteith, who played Finn, died of a drug overdose in 2013 at the age of 31.

Co-star Mark Salling, who played Puck, killed himself in January 2018. He was 35.

Salling was awaiting sentencing on child pornography charges at the time of his death.

Naya's life has experienced turmoil, when 2017 after she was arrested on domestic battery against her ex-husband, actor Ryan Dorsey, the father of her child.

Dorsey claimed that Rivera struck him in the head and face.

The charge was dropped after Dorsey told prosecutors he didn’t want to proceed.

This is Naya's last Instagram post:

View this post on Instagram

just the two of us

A post shared by Naya Rivera (@nayarivera) on Jul 7, 2020 at 3:15pm PDT

Khloe Kardashian Has Baby Girl

Khloe Kardashian has given birth to her first child in Cleveland, Ohio, just days after a cheating scandal broke with boyfriend Tristan Thompson.

The reality TV star was surrounded by her famous sisters Kourtney and Kim Kardashian, and “momager”, Kris Jenner as she welcomed her daughter into the world.

Despite the cheating claims, Thompson was also present, TMZ has reported.

This is Kardashian’s first child and Thompson’s second.

The 27-year-old NBA star has a son, Prince Oliver, with ex-girlfriend Jordan Craig, who was pregnant when he started seeing Kardashian. Prince celebrated his first birthday in December.

And this from TMZ:

TMZ broke the story ... Tristan cheated on Khloe back in October when she was only 3 months pregnant. As we reported, he was caught on video making out and motorboating 2 women at a hookah lounge outside of Washington, D.C. And just 5 days ago, he was seen taking a woman back to his NYC hotel.

This is Khloe's last post:

We are ready whenever you are little mama 🦋

A post shared by Khloé (@khloekardashian) on Apr 9, 2018 at 6:24am PDT

Sister Kourtney Kardashian took to social media to pay tribute to her new niece.

GIRL POWER

A post shared by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on Apr 12, 2018 at 11:12am PDT

Amidst the cheating scandal was actress Gabrielle Union - inadvertently. Here is what she replied with:

#TSRClearTheAir: #GabrielleUnion has officially #SteppedIntoTheShadeRoom to say she doesn’t know anything, she didn’t see anything. Basically, 🗣 “My name’s Bennett, and I ain’t in it!” 😩😂👀 Okurrrr!

A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Apr 12, 2018 at 12:35pm PDT

For now, all we know is Khloe has had a baby girl, and we await the first photo.

Nasser: 'Married At First Sight' dating a man: PHOTOS

Nasser Sultan - the man 'married' to Gabrielle Bartlett – that well and truly moved on from that relationship... and is now dating a man.

As NW's exclusive pictures show, the 51-year-old former flame of Gab on 'Married At First Sight' seemed to be having a, well, gay ol' time. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Though Nasser declined to comment on the date when approached by NW, he looks pretty happy.

Nasser is no stranger to speculation when it comes to his sexuality, telling KISS FM's Kyle Sandilands recently, "If I was gay, I'd be a rock star… I'd live the lifestyle of it," after his Mardi Gras party picture got people talking. That pic - which Nasser posted then deleted - below:

But what IS wrong with that is that, oh, I don't know, you went on a show to be MARRIED TO A WOMAN.

The paparrazo took these snap on April 4... but they look perrettttyyy set up to Josie's Juice... not a grainy photo in sight. Hmmm...

We are loving SOME accountability of some sort... we guess.

The pics of his mystery date are going nutso, and the full story can be viewed online HERE.

See more here from the sister site, 'Now To Love':

And a reminder of Nasser and Gab when things went south...

Kim Kardashian West: baby number 3

Kim Kardahshian West now has three children, with husband Kanye West.

She just made the announcement on her website.

And she was there every step of the way.

The gender? A baby girl, to join daughter North, 4, and son Saint, 2, adding that they were “especially thrilled to welcome their baby sister.”

A source revealed to PEOPLE that Kim was in the delivery room when her surrogate gave birth.

Kardashian West, 37, revealed she was born on Monday (US time) at 12.57am and weight of 7 lbs., 6 oz.

“Kanye and I are happy to announce the arrival of our healthy, beautiful baby girl," wrote Kim in a post titled, “She’s Here!”

“We are incredibly grateful to our surrogate who made our dreams come true with the greatest gift one could give and to our wonderful doctors and nurses for their special care,” added Kim.

Here is the original post from Kim.

And here was the gender reveal on Ellen: