By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
With the entire celebrity continuum captivated, ranging from US President Donald Trump to recording artist Taylor Swift and beyond, Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans is contemporary culture’s neutron star – nothing can escape its orbit.
“It’s almost compulsory to go,” says media/sporting/entertainment/tourism portfolio careerist Eddie McGuire of Monday morning’s (Australian time) bonanza. “If you are in sport, media or entertainment, that’s where everyone is.”
A Super Bowl LIX float in New Orleans.Credit: Getty Images
But one person skipping it this year is … Eddie McGuire. The commentator/production company mogul/Visit Victoria board member has just spent a month in the US cheering on his son Joe McGuire, whose team, Ohio State Buckeyes, won the college football championship.
All eyes will be on the corporate socials for box billionaire Anthony Pratt, chairman of Pratt Industries and Visy, who last year LinkedIn the hell out of his attendance, accompanied by his son Leon.
A multitude of Aussies are in New Orleans to see the former NRL Souths junior Jordan Mailata’s Philadelphia Eagles begin their quest to stop the Kansas City Chiefs (that’s the team with Swift’s boyfriend for those out of the loop) completing a historic Super Bowl three-peat.
Taylor Swift with her boyfriend, the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, after last year’s Super Bowl win.Credit: Getty Images
Those in town converged on Thursday night’s dinner hosted by Ballpark Entertainment, the company owned by sports media entrepreneur Craig Hutchison (who didn’t make it over).
Present was commentator Gerard Whateley, as well as Ben Graham, the only man to have played in an AFL grand final and a Super Bowl, and Aussie/ New York radio presenter Brad Blanks.
Defamation lawyer Justin Quill was spotted hanging with AFL Brownlow medalist Chris Judd, while Geelong great Tom Hawkins was said to be in search of a ticket.
Super Bowl Monday has become something of a tradition among Aussie sport fans, and plenty of NRL and AFL players, administrators and journalists have taken to the American tradition with gusto.
But our local politicians’ obsession with bread and circuses for a certain category of sports fan (gridiron and cage fighting) has prompted an exciting new type of Super Bowl Monday enthusiast: our state premiers.
With grumpy NSW embarrassed that Victoria is hosting an NFL match next year and backgrounding that it cost $15 million, NSW Premier Chris Minns (whose Ultimate Fighting Championship deal is said to be costing $16 million for three events) will also be taking a keen interest, Tuesday’s resumption of parliament notwithstanding.
And victorious Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, has let it be known that even though the match clashes with a cabinet meeting, she will be keeping a close eye on the game – and, of course, on Swift.
Victorian Minister for Major Events and Bigfun, Steve Dimopoulos, who pitched up at the Thursday dinner and is staying on for the Super Bowl, accompanied Visit Victoria chief executive Brendan McClements and Stuart Fox, chief executive of the Melbourne Cricket Club. Be rude not to, wouldn’t it?
But instead of New Orleans, Dimopoulos’ Instagram is spruiking Melbourne’s Oakleigh Pioneer Memorial Park, complete with a weekend weather report. Looking like keeping it local while actually being 15,000 kilometres away – that’s true dedication, Dimma!
Steve Dimopoulos appears to be local – on Instagram at least.Credit: Getty Images
Not in New Orleans: key stakeholder Visit Victoria chair Andy Penn, the former Telstra boss who made the Victorian NFL Victory launch last week along with Allan and McGuire. He’ll be heating up the popcorn in the brutalist-style Prahran converted factory/art gallery he shares with US-born wife, Kallie Blauhorn.
Former AFL supremo Gillion McLachlan, now chief executive of TabCorp, was a recent attendee but this year is making it as far as Richmond, where he will be one of the patrons of the Sporting Globe pub. The watering-hole chain predicts it will get through 15,000 litres of beer and 25,000 buffalo wings – nationwide, you understand.
Tough talk
Another local mayor has had enough of Council Watch and its indefatigable local government activist Dean Hurlson.
Last week we brought you news that Stonnington Mayor Melina Sehr had applied for an intervention order against Hurlston. That’s heading to court in April. Hurlston has taken a particular interest in Stonnington, centred on Prahran, where his partner, Joe Gianfriddo, was a one-term mayor before losing his seat at the last election.
Local government activist Dean Hurlston.Credit: Simon Schluter
Now it’s the turn of the City of Port Phillip, which encompasses Port Melbourne and St Kilda, to express unhappiness. Former actor turned Port Phillip mayor Louise Crawford issued a release to say a post on Council Watch was “incorrect, irresponsible, and potentially defamatory”.
Council Watch posted that council staff had rejected a push by councillors to introduce safety motions to address drug use, homelessness, crime and public safety in the municipality.
Crawford rejected that council officers had blocked safety initiatives but said they had provided advice on what was legally possible.
“This type of false reporting is distracting, unhelpful and designed to create division and anger. Our community – and his readers – deserve better.”
She asked for the post to be removed, with what this column feels was a touching optimism.
When contacted by CBD, Hurlston referred us to his website, which sniped at Crawford with a post that included references to telling Crawford she “deserved an Academy Award” and that “dismissive and nasty might work in an actor’s world”.
He also wrote to the mayor – and posted the letter – saying that he reserved his legal rights after she made what he claimed were defamatory, derogatory and denigrating remarks towards him. On it goes.
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