The Source: Will Crown get a crack of the whip at the Birdcage?

Crown has lost its shine among some at Flemington as its latest tower causes angst before the first race is even out of the gate.

Karl Stefanovic wants to bring a gang to the Birdcage this year.

Putting the squeeze on Victoria’s movers, shakers and headline makers.

The first race hasn’t even started yet, but negative neighing is already reverberating around Flemington’s famous Birdcage precinct about a flashy newcomer.

It’s nothing physical or personal, but more to do with aesthetics.

Crown has built a sublime three-storey facility for its VIP guests and the top platform with a rails run offering sweeping views of the track.

But the towering, um, tower is causing angst with neighbouring marquee, Lexus, as Crown’s palatial platform looks down on the luxury car maker’s little enclave.

Emasculated much?

The Source hears several complaints have been lodged about the Crown’s construction but no one has cracked the whip. Yet.

The Crown marquee at Flemington. Picture: David Caird

inside the marquee which is causing angst among some. Picture: David Caird

Karl’s big demands for Birdcage invite

How many people does it take to bring Karl Stefanovic for a day at the races?

At least five, it would seem.

While invite-only celebrities, corporate bigwigs, movers and shakers are lucky to receive a plus one to the VIP Birdcage for the Melbourne Cup Carnival, Nine’s long-running Today Show host apparently needs a bigger support crew.

Stefanovic, a Crown “ambassador”, will bring wife Jasmine to the glitzy enclosure for Derby Day, but has also insisted on adding not one but two guests.

If that’s not enough, Stefanovic’s “talent agent”, Sharon Finnigan, will also be along for the ride.

Is Briiighton off the cards for Dan?

Has ex-Premier Dan Andrews scotched persistent rumours of a family move to Brighton?

In endorsing the ALP candidate for the upcoming Mulgrave byelection, triggered when Andrews resigned suddenly in September, Andrews speaks of a local community “that my family and I proudly call home”.

He also says that leaving politics “wasn’t an easy decision”. “As much as we’ve achieved together, there’s always more to do,” he says.

“But nine years of working hard every day as Premier of Victoria does take its toll.”

Last spotted in New York, in a trip that has inspired speculations of work/pleasure or both, Andrews says that Mulgrave would be “good hands” with the ALP’s Eden Foster, a former mayor who is “dedicated to helping others and ensuring everyone gets a fair go”.

To win the seat, Foster will have to defeat a field of candidates which includes Ian Cook, who pulled more votes than the Liberals in Mulgrave at last year’s election. Cook is suing the health department after the closure of his business.

Got a tip? Let us know at [e-mail]