The Ledge - Only Mick was Interested in $50,000 for Sydney Appearance

By Andrew Hornery, The Sydney Morning Herald

Private Sydney: Top celebrities give Flemington marquees a miss

Date October 30, 2015 - 11:45PM

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Private Sydney: Top celebrities give Flemington marquees a miss

If you think the likes of Gai Waterhouse are a little frisky at this time of year as the countdown to the Melbourne Cup gets under way, spare a thought for the marquee hosts inside Flemington's famed Birdcage, who PS hears have been positively spooked this year.

With big name celebrities looking very thin on the ground, PS hears hopes were high that the Swisse marquee hosts would hook a pretty scalp to adorn its tent with negotiations well under way to have Gwyneth Paltrow fly in for the Spring Racing Carnival. However, in recent days those negotiations fell over spectacularly when the matter of an appearance fee was raised, with sums well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars being mentioned. It appears neither party could agree on a price.

At the 11th hour, they scrambled to get second-tier Hollywood star Hilary Swank.

Not quite as high stakes were the talks to get all the Fleetwood Mac band members to Flemington for Saturday's Derby Day. The last time Stevie Nicks had her backside trackside it was inside the marquee of controversial music promoter Andrew McManus and she was in and out of the Birdcage in under an hour. However, the only band member who had agreed to turn up – for the $50,000 appearance fee being offered – was Mick Fleetwood. As one insider told PS: "Without Stevie and the rest of the band it's not much bang for your buck."

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