The prime minister of Australia would be best off not schmoozing with celebrities if he wants to help the arts, says a political party.
“It is not enough for [Mr] Kevin Rudd to pose for photos alongside Cate Blanchett at every opportunity,” said Greens senator Christine Milne.
Rudd was seen buddying up with Blanchett at a brainstorming summit he held in the nation’s capital soon after entering office and clearly holds the actress in great admiration.
Blanchett, for her part, thought nothing of bringing along her days-old son Iggy to the summit in order to keep her date in the corridors of power.
“If he wants a truly thriving, healthy Australian arts industry, stop procrastinating and put the matter to rest,” Milne chastised.
She wanted Rudd to stand by the book import restrictions that are currently rattling Australia’s book publishing industry and dividing its Cabinet.
Actress Kate Beckinsale has claimed not being able to drive is like a “handicap” or “disability” and complained her summer in England was spent “dodging swine flu and vacuuming flies”.
The LA-based Brit beauty told of her struggle to get her driver’s license in America and how she has to pretend to drive in movies when she appeared on a US chat show.
She told host Ellen DeGeneres: “They drag me along on another vehicle.
“It’s like a handicap. It’s like a disability.”
Kate admitted she has failed the written test needed to get a licence and complained the US highway code is an “incredibly boring book” and that she gets “overwhelmed” by the details.
The Whiteout star also revealed she had a miserable summer back home in England.
She said: “I didn’t really have a summer summer. My daughter and I went back to England.
“We went from Easter until June, so we had a really long time there – just in time for the swine flu epidemic, which wasn’t great. Very relaxing.”
She added: “It was just sort of rocketing then so loads of people we know were getting it.
“My best friend’s kids both had it. It was quite an ordeal.”
Kate told how she also had to battle against flies, saying: “I realised if you left the windows open where we were staying lots of tiny little flies would come.
“I spent most of my time in England dodging swine flu and vacuuming flies of the ceiling.
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