Defence names tax man as CIO

THE Department of Defence has poached Australian Taxation Office technology boss Greg Farr to serve as its new chief information officer.


Greg Farr's appointment as Defence CIO comes just days before he's scheduled to brief vendors on the ATO's $1 billion outsourcing program


The appointment casts a shadow over the ATO's looming $1 billion outsourcing program and comes just days before Mr Farr was scheduled to brief vendors on the initiative.

Defence named Mr Farr, the ATO's second commissioner and senior technology executive, as its new CIO in a statement late Friday.

Mr Farr will start work at the end of next month.

"We are delighted to welcome Mr Farr to the Defence organisation and look forward to working with him on what is an increasingly vital part of our activities, including in support of ADF operations," Secretary of Defence Nick Warner said.

Mr Farr's appointment follows a decision by Defence to reopen applications for the CIO job to public servants after it failed to attract enough interest from private sector technology bosses.

Coles CIO Peter Mahler and former Qantas and Telstra IT head Fiona Balfour are both understood to have been targeted by Defence but the organisation was expected to struggle to match private sector pay scales.

Peter Lambert has been serving as acting chief information officer at Defence.

An independent review carried out earlier this year had advised Defence to bring in an IT expert from the private sector.

While Mr Farr's appointment does not fulfil that recommendation it does embrace advice that the department draw upon external expertise to revitalise its troubled technology operations.

Mr Farr will step into an organisation battered by controversy and struggling to deliver major IT projects including a $100 million upgrade of its mission critical payroll and human resources platform.

The department has three core business system projects underway and Mr Farr will also have to grapple with myriad military systems.

Defence is one of the country's largest and most sophisticated users of information and communications technology and the role of leading its IT operations is considered one of the most challenging CIO jobs in Australia.

The department has also struggled to hold onto technology leaders and it has had two full-time and two acting CIOs aside from Mr Farr in the last four years.

The most recent full-time chief information officer, Air Vice-Marshall John Monaghan, resigned from the position to pursue a private sector career in March, precipitating a six-month search for a new permanent technology boss.

Mr Farr leaves the ATO as the organisation prepares to retender its decade-old infrastructure outsourcing agreement with EDS.

An ATO spokeswoman said that Mr Farr's appointment to Defence was not likely to impact the $1 billion outsourcing project, which kicks off at the end of October and will run until mid-2010.

Mr Farr has been central to determining the outsourcing strategy and has also overseen the agency's on-going, $724 million technology Change Program.

"Mr Farr has played a key role in leading the Change Program and leaves us well on the road to the successful roll-out of the remaining releases. In particular we have a high level of confidence for release 3.1 and 3.2, with a lot of the hard work behind us," the spokeswoman said.

"The talent of our people is being recognised increasingly by others in the public service and Greg’s appointment recognises the value others place in our capabilities."

ATO chief information officer Bill Gibson will continue to manage the tax office's technology sourcing strategy on a day-to-day basis and the agency has commissioned a recruitment firm to start the hunt for a new second commissioner.

"Our own people are being considered as well as others in the field to be provided to government for consideration," the spokeswoman said.

Royal in sex video blackmail plot - report

AN unidentified member of the British royal family has been targeted in a sex and drugs blackmail attempt, the Sunday Times newspaper has reported.

The newspaper said two men had demanded £50,000 ($112,000) or they would release video of what they claimed was a royal aide performing oral sex on a royal.

The men also said the footage showed the royal side snorting cocaine from an envelope allegedly supplied by the royal, the paper reported.

It is the first time in more than a century that a member of the royal family has been the target of an alleged blackmail plot.

Buckingham Palace was not immediately available to comment.

The Metropolitan Police issued the following statement in response to an inquiry about the story:

"A 30-year-old man and a 40-year-old man appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates Court on 13th of September, each charged with one count of blackmail.

"They were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on the 20th of December."

The hearing was held behind closed doors.

Reporting restrictions prevent identification of the royal in question or any witnesses.

The newspaper said the plot came to light in August when a man telephoned the royal family member's office to make the threats.

The police were called in and set up an operation in which a detective posing as a royal aide met the two men in a London hotel on September 11 and was shown the video.

The men were arrested immediately afterwards, the newspaper said.

Beyonce and Timberlake Top the List

 

Beyonce and Timberlake are ready to rock the nation again. On Tuesday the nominees for the 35th Annual American Music Awards were announced and pop stars Justin Timberlake and Beyonce topped the list with four nominations each. Joining them are rock bands Linkin Park and Daughtry.

Timberlake was nominated for favorite pop/rock album while Beyonce vies for favorite soul/R&B album. Closer behind them are Young Jeezy, T.I. and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who have grabbed two nominations each.

The results will be announced on the 18th of November during the telecast of the ceremony. The ceremony is being held at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Another twist to the tale is the introduction of the new voting procedure wherein fans are able to vote online at AMA.ABC.com all the way through November 1. Till now winners were decided by a poll of 20,000 music buyers.

The ceremony which will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel is scheduled to star performances by Rihanna and Fergie, among others.

Hilton Booed at Awards Show

 Paris Hilton was booed as she went onstage to present a preview a clip from her upcoming horror movie at the 2007 Scream Awards in Los Angeles on Friday night.

The hotel heiress took the Greek Theater stage, joined by her Repo! The Genetic Opera costars Bill Moseley and Anthony Head, when some members of the audience decided to express their displeasure at the sight of the former jailbird.

Hilton appeared unfazed by the unwanted attention.

Elsewhere at the sci-fi and horror-themed ceremony--organized by Spike TV--Harrison Ford was honoured with the Hero Award.

Transformers won Best Sci-Fi Movie and Best F/X, and its stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox were crowned Best Sci-Fi Star and Best Sci-Fi Siren, respectively.

Jessica Alba was awarded Best Female Superhero for her role in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Hayden Panettiere was named Best Breakout Star for her part in TV series Heroes.

Pan's Labyrinth won Best Fantasy Movie, 28 Weeks Later was awarded the Best Horror Movie honor, and historic war film 300 collected the Ultimate Scream.

Shock-rocker Alice Cooper collected the Rock Immortal Award.

Paris Hilton Wants To Live Forever

Celebrities ‘Wish list’ can never come to an end. They always want to do something unusual. its Paris Hilton this time who wants to be frozen after her death with her dogs, don’t you feel that’s totally crazy. Well that’s what stars are about!
Hilton has placed a request that her body should be preserved for a 100 years and not alone but with her dogs. It was revealed that Hilton has invested a huge amount to the Cryonics Institute. It is the world’s largest suspended animation cemetery. The amount which Hilton has given has not been disclosed.

Hilton expressed her joy when she spoke about this. She said that it was really cool that almost all the cells in the body are still alive when death is pronounced, and if you’re immediately cooled you can be perfectly preserved. She was so happy with the mere thought that her life could be extended for hundreds and thousands of years.

Hilton earlier also said that her previous lifestyle was only partying and partying which left her with an empty feeling inside and with the regular headline grabber stating that she wishes to ‘leave a mark on the world’. Now that Hilton has started this new craze, we will soon see the other celebrities too wanting to live forever.

Jessica Sets a Date to Host Her Views

Jessica Simpson and her very dark smoky eyes made stops at LA hotspots Winstons and Hyde over the weekend. Lately, Jess has been dividing her time between working out and enjoying her single life, but pretty soon she'll be back on the small screen. She's set to co-host the view on November 15th and 16th while Elisabeth Hasselbeck is on maternity leave. We all remember how hilarious Jess can be when freely speaking her mind, so we'll be setting our TiVos for more of her pearls of wisdom.

Shocker: Gisele Looks Good in a Bikini

Freak-ing Supermodels, right? Gisele Bundchen pranced around the Miami beach on Saturday afternoon showing off the bod (those stems and some sexy beach hair) that made her famous. Her boyfriend Tom Brady was in town to play (and defeat — holla!) the Miami Dolphins, so Gisele took advantage of the opportunity to have a little vacation and support her man on the field. Even just playing around on the beach can be quite the workout, but something tells me Gisele doesn't even need it. Lucky girl.

 

To see more of Gisele lounging and frolicking just

   

Brad Pitt visited Angelina Jolie on film set

Brad Pitt visited Angelina Jolie on the set of her new movie in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Oct 17, 2007).

The Hollywood couple have moved from New York - along with their four children - to the West Coast while Angelina is shooting Clint Eastwood's new drama "The Changeling."

An onset source said: "Brad looked on supportively as Angelina performed her scenes. When shooting wrapped they strolled of to her trailer laughing, arm-in-arm."

The couple - who are parents to adopted Cambodian son Maddox, six, three-year-old Vietnamese son Pax, two-year-old Ethiopian daughter Zahara and 16-month-old biological daughter Shiloh - have come under fire for up uprooting their children.

The family had been living in a $100,000-a-month, six-bedroom apartment in New York's Waldorf Towers and Maddox had just been enrolled at the Lycee Français de New York school.

In the last 16 months, the family have lived in New Orleans, Paris, Namibia, Prague, India, New York and now Los Angeles.

Manhattan-based social worker Puja Hall told the New York Post newspaper: "Maddox is an adopted child, so he already has a sense of abandonment."

"Kids that constantly move are like army brats, in that very often they don't want to open up to people. They feel loss, and there is a problem with attachment."

"With the moves, the kids just don't invest in relationships, because they're going to lose them anyway."

"They think, 'Why bother? I'm not gonna stick around. We're gonna pick up and go, and the loss of friends is painful.'"

"It needs to be weighed. At some point, they will have to make some important choices so the kids can form those bonds and keep them."

An employee at Lycee Francais de New York said: "We would most likely not take a child for just a few months, because we have a waiting list."

"If we take them for two months and you pay for two months, we lose money and someone on the waiting list loses a spot."

Angelina Jolie's representative, Cindy Guagenti, said: "These comments are unfair to them."

"It's nobody's business what they do with their kids. Maddox only goes to Lycee schools."

Source: BANG Showbiz

Watch Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Videos

 

Lindsay Lohan engaged?

Lindsay Lohan is engaged, it has been reported.

The 21-year-old star, who has been pictured sporting an engagement ring, happily accepted new love Riley Giles' proposal of marriage, says her bodyguard.

Lindsay, who met Riley during her recent two-month stay in Utah's Cirque Lodge rehab clinic, was seen buying a new ring at a Los Angeles boutique yesterday (Oct 18, 2007).

While Lindsay refused to answer questions about her engagement, her bodyguard decided to speak for her, offering a resounding "yeah."

The "Mean Girls" actress has already been seen wearing a Cartier ring on her wedding finger over the last few days.

However, Lindsay's representatives have denied she is engaged, claiming the Cartier ring was a present from her father Michael which she has had for some time.

She has now moved the ring to her middle finger.

Lindsay has made no secret of her strong feelings for the professional snowboarder.

She recently said: "I love his attitude to my Hollywood stardom. He finds it very funny and that's what I love about him. He has a good sense of humor."

"I know I'm back in Los Angeles and he's in Utah but we'll be able to visit each other. I can go and see him at weekends and he can come out to see me too."

Source: BANG Showbiz

Lindsay Lohan Pictures
 

Jennifer Lopez commissions $50k nursery

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony have commissioned a $50,000 nursery, seemingly confirming they are expecting a baby.

The "El Cantante" stars - who have refused to comment on the rumored pregnancy - visited exclusive Los Angeles baby boutique Petit Tresor on Wednesday (Oct 17, 2007), and made arrangements for a $50,000 nursery.

A source at the store told America's OK! magazine: "Petit Tresor will be designing a nursery rhyme themed baby nursery for Jennifer and Marc. There will also be custom-painted murals on the walls."

After entering the shop - which was closed off to the public for the afternoon - through a concealed back entrance, the parents-to-be spent a leisurely two hours browsing baby goods.

They eventually chose a selection of prams, Moses baskets, blankets, baby clothes and toys.

The couple, who are rumored to be expecting twins, also ordered a custom-made crib, changing table and wardrobe.

The source added: "They've chosen both 'boy' and 'girl' items, which will be interchangeable, and the nursery's design will be finalized when they know the gender of the baby."

Jennifer recently explained why she hasn't made a public statement about the pregnancy.

She said: "We try to keep our lives as private as possible. We respect the relationship with the media and being able to get out there what we are doing. But we don't parade ourselves in front of the cameras."

"We are out there when we need to be, and when we don't, we keep that time kind of sacred and try not to court attention."

Source: BANG Showbiz

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony in "El Cantante"

Britney Spears slams k-fed in new song

Britney Spears has reportedly recorded a damning song about her failed marriage to Kevin Federline.

The singer, whose divorce to the former backing dancer was finalized in July, seemingly reveals Kevin's love of partying, money, cars and women on new track "Why Should I Be Sad."

On the track, Britney sings: "It just seemed that Vegas only brought the playa out of you."

The 25-year-old star - who lost custody of Sean Preston, two, and 13-month-old Jayden James to Kevin last week after failing to obey a court order in her ongoing custody battle - also allegedly slams her ex-husband's parenting skills in the song.

A source told People magazine: "The song is definitely about Britney and Kevin's relationship when they were married."

"Britney entertains the idea that she stayed home taking care of the kids while Kevin was out partying."

"The track will be very revealing for her fans. It is one of the most personal songs she has ever recorded."

"Why Should I Be Sad," which was co-written by producer Pharrell Williams, features on Britney's latest album "Blackout."

Pharrell admits Britney's behavior has spiraled out of control recently, but wishes her well.

He said: "At the end of the day she is a sweet person. She's just made a couple of decisions that none of us would necessarily agree with, but you try being that age and living under that kind of pressure."

"I wish her well. I pray for her. I hope she fares well throughout all of this craziness."

"Blackout" is due to be released on October 30.

Source: BANG Showbiz

Britney Talks into her Cellphone while Stopping at a Gas Station
Los Angeles, California - October 16, 2007

Rugby mascot Harry puts sport before romance

 
Prince Harry missed girlfriend Chelsy Davy's 22nd birthday last weekend to be in Paris for England’s victory over France in the Rugby World Cup. And it looks like his passion for the sport will be keeping her from him again this weekend.

The 23-year-old, who the rugby team refer to as their lucky mascot, is set to cheer on England in the highly anticipated final against his South African girlfriend's national team on Saturday.

It's not known whether Chelsy will be joining her royal beau for the match in the Stade de France, although according to The Sun Harry has apparently given his other ticket away to his brother Prince William. The pretty Zimbabwean, who was formerly based in Cape Town, may well choose to support the South African side at her university digs in Leeds instead.

Chelsy has attended several sporting events with Harry in the past, including a cricket match in Antigua in April, although whether or not she's a rugby fan is unclear. Fellow royal girlfriend Kate Middleton clearly shares her Prince's enthusiasm for the game, attending the Six Nations with him back in February.

Despite her move to the UK last month to be closer to her beau, Chelsy has not seen as much of Harry as she might have hoped. He famously arrived late to collect her at the airport and has apparently only been up to Leeds to see her once. And for her part she seems to be steering clear of the London social scene of which they were once very much a part.

PAMELA: I AM FINALLY FULFILLED

Pamela Anderson's life is ''fulfilled in every area'' now she is married to Rick Salomon.

The former "Baywatch" actress - who wed the professional poker player in Las Vegas on October 6 - couldn't be happier with her new husband.

She said: "I am finally fulfilled in my life in ever area. I'm having the best time in my life."

Pammy, who has been married twice before, wore a tight-fitting cream Valentino mini-dress and vintage Neil Lane jewelry for the nuptials.

She added to America's OK! magazine: "My jewelry was unpretentious and super-genuine."

The blonde beauty - who was given away by her driver and close friend Errol Lyon - also revealed it was Rick who organized the whole ceremony.

Rick, who famously filmed a homemade sex tape with Paris Hilton, hired Rachel Ashwell of Shabby Chic to decorate a villa at the Mirage Hotel and Casino with white roses, balloons and hundreds of candles.

Guests at the wedding included "Spider-Man" actor Tobey Maguire, magician Hanks Klok, Pammy's sons, Brandon, 11, and nine-year-old Dylan, and Rick's daughters, Hunter, 11, and Tyson, nine.

Source: BANG Showbiz

Pamela Anderson Movie Stills from
"Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding" (2003)

           

Black Eagles look to heal wounds

Ending a difficult September with two losses and two draws in five games on both the domestic and international stage, Beşiktaş wants to bounce back by defeating Porto on home ground tonight.

Starting the Champions League Group A fixture with an away loss at the hands of French side Olympique Marseille through two late goals, the Black Eagles want to revive their hopes by getting a good result from the game at Istanbul İnönü Stadium.

The Marseille game was the beginning of heavy criticisms leveled toward Ertuğrul Sağlam, who was supposedly responsible for the highly defensive style of play against the French team. Sağlam found himself under fire once again, as his team had a poor display losing 2-1 to Galatasaray Saturday, when the Lions were relatively vulnerable, playing without two of their main stars Hakan Şükür and Lincoln.

Meanwhile, it is bad news for Beşiktaş that the Portuguese side has made an almost perfect start to the season. Winning all six of its domestic league games, Porto has conceded only one goal. The Dragons have also made a relatively positive start to the Champions League, holding Liverpool to a 1-1 draw. Still, the score was more like the minimum of what they could get against last year's runner up, as the game was almost one-sided in favor of the Portuguese champions.

On the other hand, Beşiktaş has something to hold on to before tonight's game. First is an exceptional record of winning all the second games in the Champions League. Beşiktaş defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the 1997-98 season and outclassed Barcelona 3-0 in the year 2000-2001 in the second fixtures of the Europe's top campaign. The Black Eagles also shocked Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in 2003 in the second game. Also in Group A, Erik Gerets starts his Marseille coaching career at Anfield, where French teams have never won. However, Liverpool's only defeat in last year's Champions League group stage was inflicted by Galatasaray – then coached by none other than Gerets.

"We're obviously not taking it easy, but we're certainly not overawed," Marseille president, Pape Diouf, said. "It's the first match of a new era ... and we have to remain optimistic," he added.

The visiting side has inside knowledge of the Reds, courtesy of summer signings Djibril Cissé and Boudewijn Zenden.

"They're a team that are very well organized, very compact," said Dutch winger Zenden. "The defenders don't give an inch." In the Group B game, Valencia welcomes troubled Chelsea. Having parted ways with manager Jose Mourinho following a 1-1 draw with Rosenborg in its opening European Champions League match, Chelsea is struggling for goals and looks nothing like the team that reached the semifinals three times in the past four years. Rosenborg is playing German side Schalke 04. Tonight Lazio welcomes Real Madrid and Olympiacos visits Werder Bremen in Group C games, while Celtic-Milan and Benfica-Shakhtar will clash in Group D. The matches start at 9:45 p.m.

Children of Diyarbakır in San Francisco Festival

The Diyarbakır Children Chorus of Diyarbakır's Yenişehir Municipality will join the World Music Festival in San Francisco, singing in eight different languages.

The 15 people chorus will perform in San Diego on Oct. 3, Los Angeles on Oct. 5, San Francisco on Oct. 7. In addition to Turkish folk songs, the Diyarbakır Children Chorus will sing in Dutch, English, Hebrew, Kurdish, Russian and Syrian.

Yenişehir deputy mayor, Şefik Türk, emphasized that they are proud to take part in the eighth World Music Festival. He said, Our children will represent us and our culture. They are going to meet new cultures of other nations. Despite all the impossibilities we created a chance for the Children Chorus to represent Turkey in the United States. We will continue working.

Duygu Bakar, Chorus director, says that the chorus unites all languages and religions under one umbrella.