Front Row: The ‘Hollywood’ event that was anything but and Karl speaks out on Kyle at ARN shindig

Front Row is a new weekly column on nine.com.au bringing you behind the scenes of some of the Aussie entertainment industry’s biggest parties, premieres, and more. Got a tip? Email us at frontrow@nine.com.au.

We’re back with another Front Row! This week, we attended the launch of a Hollywood magazine hoping to take Australia by storm and had a chat to our very own Karl Stefanovic at his celebratory ARN shindig with Eddie McGuire.

Hollywood comes Down Under... well, kind of

One of our reporters snagged an invite to The Hollywood Reporter Australia’s official launch party this week, and it was… well, a little less Hollywood and a little more high school theatre club.

The invite promised a gaggle of celebrities who would bring “Hollywood glamour” to Sydney’s Town Hall. Spotting a lavish red carpet, our reporter confidently sauntered over, prepared to rub shoulders with Margot Robbie or Nicole Kidman.

Instead, she was promptly intercepted by two security guards who broke the news: she was at the wrong event. Hers was down the stairs, around a dark corner, and firmly out of sight.

Waiting in the shadows was a much more quaint red carpet, a plastic fold-out table (for registration, of course), a serving of sour gummies (the PR girls were elite), and a band of budding fashion interns waiting to get briefed on their duties.

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Thank the lord, inside was much more glam. There were glasses of bubbles, plates of meat and influencer phone lights as far as the eye could see. But A-listers? Not even a sliver.

The main event was Paris Raine, the 26-year-old model and influencer who is, impressively, the Managing Director and publisher of the magazine. She was an absolute vision in a ballgown, telling our reporter how “exhilarated and pumped” she was to celebrate the launch with everyone.

You would hope so, after the publication boldly broke an “exclusive” about this year’s Logies host… only to pull it down after being completely wrong. Look, it’s been a busy week. And sure, Patrick Brammall would have been great if Robert Irwin wasn’t available.

We asked if she’d ever been starstruck. She had indeed! Not by a Hollywood legend, but by... the cast of Dance Academy. “I was bawling my eyes out the entire time,” she said. Relatable.

Raine teased some big Hollywood interviews that they were being “really intentional and taking our time with”, later unveiling the cover stars for their first edition of the magazine - Josh Heuston, that Off Campus Aussie lad everyone loves, and Phoebe Tonkin.

Tonkin wasn’t available so popped up on a pre-recorded video message, and Heuston was... well, also not available.

Look, it might not have been the A-list extravaganza we’d have expected, but we’ll give it the benefit of the doubt. It was a great evening and a tough call to put on an event like this (especially when the ARIA Hall of Fame party was going on down the road). We’re rooting for THR to nail it.

Karl’s grand radio arrival

Karl Stefanovic is Australian radio’s newest voice – and he arrived with a special message to his mate that no longer graces the airwaves.

Stefanovic’s Long Weekend radio show, with co-host Eddie McGuire, debuted on Friday afternoon, with fans and industry professionals gathering at Australian Radio Network HQ to watch the last hour of the broadcast live.

Front Row managed to grab Stefanovic for a quick chat and of course, we had to ask about the flurry of radio headlines lately, courtesy of his mate with matching initials, Kyle Sandilands.

“He’s fantastic. I think there’s a lot they’ve got to sort out,” he said, explaining that the two have regular contact.

“He’s a big boy; hopefully, he’ll sort that out. I think he’s a great talent. Hopefully, he’s back on the radio at some point soon.

“I mean it’s just a big shame, unfortunately, that all that happened – but everyone has to move on, and we’re part of this network now; we’re really looking forward to growing the brand and helping them recover.”

Stefanovic’s three-hour-long radio show started mere hours after his other three-plus hour stint on the Today Show, and while we’d be sculling lemon, honey and gingers after all that yapping, he’s far more professional – and thankfully still had a lot more to say.

We remarked that he seemed rather energetic for someone who’d been awake since 3am.

“I always say to people, I’m not digging ditches – it’s not arduous,” he replied.

“Yeah, I do have a lot on it at the moment with a bunch of things that I’m doing, but I’ve always wanted to do radio.”