A SHORT JOURNEY FROM WALKING THE RED CARPET TO CLEANING IT

JUST weeks after Veronica Sywak walked the red carpet as a best actress nominee at the Australian Film Institute Awards in 2008, she was back living with her parents in Sydney's west.

Rees presses pause on musical chairs

NATHAN REES has foisted the huge health portfolio onto the Attorney-General, John Hatzistergos, sparing the Premier a potentially damaging caucus vote for the position and buying him more time to plan a reshuffle.

From Killer To Latin Lover

Is Spanish star Javier Bardem acting when he plays a stud opposite Scarlett Johansson, asks ROBERT W. BUTLER.

Turnbull Denies Heads-up On Property Funds Freeze

MALCOLM Turnbull was acting on independent financial advice when he withdrew his investment from a property fund just days before it was frozen.

Facing My Waterloo

Colin Firth tells Garry Maddox about rediscovering ABBA.

Cool To The End

Paul Newman has always kept his private life private, and the way he has handled rumours of his impending death means that's how it's going to stay, writes WILLIAM LANGLEY.

Dressing Down For Labor Bar Row Mp

ACTING Prime Minister Julia Gillard has effectively chastised Labor MP Belinda Neal as the Opposition demands Kevin Rudd have Ms Neal answer in Parliament allegations that she behaved threateningly in a bar.

Acting Now Would Be A Quixotic Error

KEVIN RUDD'S lead over Brendan Nelson as preferred prime minister is the biggest that any party leader has enjoyed in the 36-year history of the Nielsen poll.

The Success Of Excess

You can't be filthy rich without getting a little dirty, so says the tagline of Seven's Dirty Sexy Money.

Inspector Cops It Sweet

BRUCE Griffin knew when he signed up to the NSW Police Force more than 20 years ago that his job did not automatically include time off on weekends and public holidays, even Christmas Day.

Acting Pm Has Plenty To Take Away From Historic Week

Julia Gillard looked to enjoy her time in the country's top job, writes Misha Schubert

Actor Who Needs No Atonement

Romola Garai is dedicated to her acting craft, writes Craig Mathieson.

Mps Welcome Female Touch

WOMEN on both sides of politics in the Illawarra said Julia Gillard's brief elevation to acting prime minister was good reason to celebrate.

Huge Job For Rudd's Right-hand Woman

THE incoming Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, plans to create a new super-department from which she will simultaneously oversee Kevin Rudd's "education revolution" and dismantle Work Choices.

Subprime Flare-up Burns Banks

A NEW wave of subprime mortgage woes is hammering the world's largest banks, with job cuts and write-downs expected from Wall Street to London's City.

Fraud Alert Sparks British Crisis

ALMOST half of Britain's population is on alert to the threat of identity theft as an embattled Chancellor of the Exchequer fights to keep his job after admitting that the personal records of 25 million people have been lost in the mail.

Dragon Ends Its Year In A Blaze Of Glory

ST GEORGE BANK has declared the worst is over for the poorly performing NSW economy and predicts strong revenue growth will push the group through the $1.25 billion net profit mark in the coming year. But while the acting chief executive, Paul Fegan, was emphatic that the post-Kelly era was well under way thanks to a particular strong second-half performance, there was still no sign that the board was ready to appoint a permanent replacement.

Earnings Surge Boosts St George

ST GEORGE acting chief executive Paul Fegan has staked his claim to the top job with a clean profit result that raised the bank's shares.

Telecom Cfo Calls It A Day

THE man who has guided Telecom New Zealand for the greater part of 2007 has resigned after being overlooked for the telco's top job. Marko Bogoievski, Telecom's chief financial officer since 2000, announced he would leave the company in January next year, which has prompted a global search for a replacement.

St George Appoints Acting Ceo

ST GEORGE Bank has moved quickly to weather the storm of the sudden loss of chief executive Gail Kelly to major domestic rival Westpac by slotting her most likely internal successor Paul Fegan into the top job on an acting basis.