Cake is for kids

SOME of us like to kick off our birthdays with, say, cake in bed, or at least cake near bed.

SOME of us like to kick off our birthdays with, say, cake in bed, or at least cake near bed.

Then there's Malcolm Turnbull, who started his big day yesterday on Meet The Press gallantly demonstrating how John Howard's praise hadn't gone to his head one jot. "I think Tony Abbott did a fantastic job [during the campaign] and I don't think anyone would suggest that anybody else could have done a better one," the birthday boy declared in a way that seemed to end in a cheeky ellipsis rather than a full stop. Or so it struck us. [Big night? Ed.] "That's very humble of you," noted host Paul Bongiorno, prompting a moment of shared mirth. Bongiorno continued: "[Howard's] book's called Lazarus Rising. That wouldn't be a bad bit of inspiration for someone like you, would it?" Replied Turnbull, smiling broadly: "I think it's an inspiration for everybody."

Howard v Hicks

SPEAKING of Lazarus Rising (the cover of which, we'd like to remind you, features a photograph of the author taken by our colleague Sam Mooy), we gather the former PM's list of acknowledgments is roughly eight furlongs long and can be seen by crew on the International Space Station. Howard wants to thank everyone he has ever met (or so it felt until we got dizzy after the first furlong and abandoned ship). While touching in the extreme, it does use up rather a lot of paper. At the other end of the spectrum of authors with new books to spruik is David Hicks, whose acknowledgments kick off with an apposite turn of phrase: "First, thanks to my family and friends for your support and understanding when I have been locked away typing and not available for you." Unlike Howard's, Hicks's thank-you list is barely longer than a page. Hicks's wife Aloysia is in there, as are "Dick and Julian" for "feedback, advice and endless support", as well as the lawyers who helped during the writing of the book. But as for those who worked or campaigned for his release or at least a fair trial, not a word. Probably just as well, otherwise the list would have ballooned beyond even Howard proportions. We thought we'd mention this in case any Strewth readers find themselves caught in a name-more-than-100-differences-between-David-Hicks-and-John-Howard quiz; this is the one that will get you to triple figures.

Sounds about right

MY esteemed colleague Kerrie Murphy once encapsulated the reactions that Shaun Micallef tends to provoke. "Those who don't like his use of non sequiturs, obscure cultural references and word play tend to hate his work," she wrote. "Those who like his work (and I am one of them) love him with such passion that they would probably help him hide a dead body, no questions asked, if he phoned." For what it's worth, Strewth keeps a shovel handy, just in case. In the meantime, we're over the moon to know Micallef has a book coming out. We even imagine there are more than a few Fairfax readers who fall into the same boat. If you know any, please let them know the book is called Preincarnate -- A Novella and not Preincarnation, as they were repeatedly assured yesterday. You never know; this could save them a minute or so in the bookshop, and time is money.

Boat with facial hair

NEIL Harvey, Bob Simpson and Alan Davidson will be among the members of the 1961 cricket team reuniting for a pair of lunches to mark the nearly-but-not-quite-40th anniversary of the last time we sent a team to England for a Test series via the magic of a P&O cruise ship (imagine how much beer David Boon could have packed away on one of those). The lunches will be happening onboard the Oriana in Sydney on November 4, when Mark Taylor will be MC, and in Brisbane on November 6, when Michael Slater will do the honours. It is, of course, for a good cause (Movember; tickets are available until late tomorrow on 1300 476 966), but for us, the fact most worth mentioning is the Oriana will be sporting a 20m moustache.

Move-on Mike

SOUTH Australian Premier and Twitter black belt Mike Rann is done battling cyber hecklers (Strewth, Friday) and has gone back to the happier place that is Twitter chum, Lance Armstrong. But it's a bittersweet return to the bromance of the (first bit of the) century, with Rann informing all that the pedal-pushing superstar's next Tour Down Under, his third, will be a finale of sorts. "It will be Lance's last professional race outside the US. People will come from all over to see Lance's last ride here," he tweeted, possibly sighing as he typed the words*, before noting Armstrong had resulted in "an extra $41.5 million into SA's economy. Plus massive increase in world TV coverage." As the saga draws to an end, can the bromance that touched so many hearts survive? Or is Rann already moving on? Here's his first post-Lance tweet: "Great to ride into city with Stuart O'Grady. Unveiled signage for Stuart O'Grady Bikeway 23km alongside Northern Expressway." Hmm. (*Unalloyed speculation and-or poppycock.)

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