Famous, but oh so lonely

I don't do celebrity gossip. There are a few reasons for this, the main one being that I live in a farm cottage in Scotland, and celebs are few and far between. Apart from Sophie Winkleman aka Lady Frederick Windsor aka Big Suze of course, my long-term stalker. Tap, tap, tap on the window, almost every night. "Leave me alone, Sophie" I plead. "Go back to Freddie".

Also, I no longer work in the kind of places where you bump into them. Other Weasels do, but I betray confidences at their peril. And thirdly, celebrity gossip is, for the most part, of no interest whatsoever.

However, I was interested to note that an actress called Cary Mulligan has been seen slumming it in a $110 a night Best Western after a break-up with her partner, having left a "mansion", and allegedly being worth several million US Dollars per movie.

The Mail reports:

'She prefers to blend in. She eats here, but she also shops at the Gelson’s supermarket down the street and brings food back to eat in her room.’
A friend said: ‘She doesn’t have a lot of things and lives out of a suitcase. She doesn’t have too many friends in LA – her closest friends are her publicists.

Why am I interested? Well, once, when I was very much in the loop, I had a friend who worked as a showbiz publicist. Apparently, many of these stars have no real friends and have to be taken out to restaurants, and for drinks with paid functionaries. Over drinks, she told me she was having dinner with a Big International Star. "Why is that?" "Because she has been in London, at Claridges for three days and hasn't seen anybody, and is a bit lonely". I had always fancied this particular BIS and kind of wished I could go along and befriend her. But I didn't. What on earth would I have said, apart from, "You were good in that film.."?

These people live in a cocoon of their own making, where civilians are excluded. It is alright to start talking to other BIS's, even if you do not know them. Unless you are Madonna, of course, who famously affects not to know anybody except Elton, and everybody knows Elton.

What a lonely planet.

The first ever South Korean Formula One Grand Prix was a wash out, and ensured that only fools will take a guess on who will emerge as the World Champion. I have had my money on Mark Webber for some time, but that was due to his sheer likeability as much as anything else. Obviously, Bernie Ecclestone has had a word with God the Almighty, to make sure that the appalling rain at the track would add to a nailbiting finish to the season. During practice, 7-times world champion Michael Schumacher could be seen grinning from ear-to-ear. Schumacher is having the time of his life; he has nothing to prove and he has one of the most expensive toys on the planet. That did not stop him shafting his old rival, Rubens Barrichello, though. Jenson Button reminds me of young master Weasel. The combination of skill, personality and guts, and best of all, an ability not to get carried away with success, has been a gift to the man himself, due in part to the support of a doting dad.

And now, a bit of nice music to warm the cockles of your heart, if you have one. It's Schubert, the Allegro from Symphonie No 5, performed by the Wiener Phil, with Karl Bohm. A perfect, beautiful piece for a winter's day by the fire.