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Sky News AU
3 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Gwyneth Paltrow hired on 'temporary basis' to speak on behalf of company after CEO's viral cheating moment at Coldplay concert
Gwyneth Paltrow has appeared in a hilarious cameo speaking on behalf of Astronomer, with the company caught in a PR disaster after its CEO and his alleged mistress was busted cosying up at a Coldplay concert. Astronomer chief Andy Byron had his arms wrapped around the chest of fellow colleague Kristin Cabot at the British band's tour in Boston, Massachusetts on July 16. The alleged tryst was filmed by Coldplay fan Grace Springer and shared to TikTok where it has been seen close to 70 million times, with many news stories already written. Chris Martin, who is Paltrow's ex-husband and father to her two children, joked to the crowd that the couple were "either having an affair or just very shy" as thousands of other concert-goers laughed and cheered. On Saturday, Astronomer published a video to their LinkedIn page in which Paltrow appeared as a ''temporary spokesperson'' to answer some questions, marking a surprise PR move by the company as it continues to become entangled in a media storm. The actress, wearing a blue shirt, started her cameo by saying: ''Thank you for your interest in Astronomer. Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow," as corporate music blissfully played in the background. ''I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300 plus employees at Astronomer. ''Astronomer has got a lot of questions in the last few days, and they wanted me to answer the most common ones.'' The first question which appeared on the screen read: ''Q: OMG! What the actual f**k'' the text begins, before it abruptly cuts off with Paltrow reappearing. Paltrow then replies: ''Yes! Astronomer is the best place to run Apache Airflow.'' ''We've been thrilled to see so many people suddenly interested in data workflow automation," she continues applying light sarcasm. ''As for the other questions we've received…'' A second question then appears on the screen: ''How is your social media team holding..'' Paltrow responds: ''Yes! There is still space available at our Beyond Analytics event this September! ''And now, we'll return to doing what we do best... delivering game-changing results for our customers. Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.'' The post has garnered the attention of hundreds of LinkedIn users who headed to the comments to share their support and applaud the ''boss move'' by Astronomer's media team. ''Absolutely brilliant, Leo Zheng and team - just brilliant,'' one LinkedIn user commented. ''Phenomenal work, Leo Zheng,'' wrote another. ''Leo Zheng: mic drop,'' a third wrote. ''A clever way to reach your audience - unexpected, but memorable,'' a user critiqued the video. ''Though, to be honest, the question and answer felt like they were on entirely different airflows.'' The company previously said on LinkedIn that Mr Byron is under formal investigation over his alleged cheating scandal involving Astronomer's chief human resources officer. "Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability," it said. "The Board of Directors has initiated a formal investigation into this matter and we will have additional details to share very shortly." Both Byron and Cabot have quit their jobs at the tech company following the scandal.


Perth Now
9 hours ago
- Perth Now
Big change for Sydney's NYE fireworks
Revellers taking in Sydney's legendary New Year's Eve fireworks show could soon have to shell out $50 to access a prime viewing spot in a major shake-up to how tourists and locals experience the beloved event. North Sydney councillors will decide next week whether to implement 'ticketed access' to Blues Point, a popular vantage point that fronts Sydney Harbour and the Harbour Bridge. The council area boasts three renowned vantage points for the show, namely Bradfield Park, Lavender Bay and Blues Point, with thousands of punters descending on the spots on December 31 to take in the party. But a new report, which will be debated at the council's Monday night meeting, recommends councillors establish an introductory $50 ticket price for Blues Point to recoup costs associated with New Year's Eve. 'The current budget for NYE is $1,086,000,' the report states. 'To introduce ticketing at Blues Point only, additional costs of approximately $95,000 would be incurred including contract staff, equipment, and additional communications support. This would result in a total cost of $1,181,000. Sydney's NYE fireworks shows draws in huge crowd numbers across the CBD and North Sydney. NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone Credit: News Corp Australia 'If 8000 tickets were sold to access Blues Point at $50 per ticket, this would generate $400,000 in revenue, reducing council's net expenditure to manage NYE crowds to circa $781,000.' At the moment, access to all three sites is free. Council costs for the event include providing toilets and bins and crowd and traffic management. Bradfield Park sits just below the northern end of the Harbour Bridge, close to Kirribilli House, while Lavender Bay sits between the park and Blues Point. The report acknowledges introducing tickets could cause some consternation in the community. 'Ticketing for an event which has been free of charge could see large numbers of non-ticket holders arriving at the sites, potentially manifesting in unsettled behaviour near entry gates, dissatisfaction voiced to staff on the ground or complaints to council's customer service centre,' the report states. North Sydney Council takes in the densely populated parts of Sydney immediately north of the Harbour. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia 'This can be managed by regular, targeted communications in the lead-up to the event, along with well-planned operations and thorough briefing of staff prior to the event.' The countdown and fireworks is a hugely popular draw for both Sydneysiders and tourists from across the world. British tourist Ben Scammell, speaking after the 2023-24 show, told NewsWire that he was overawed and did not have words for the spectacle he witnessed. 'That was just … I don't have words for it,' he told said. 'It made the whole coming to Australia so much worth it … it was the pinnacle. 'That moment will last my whole lifetime.' The first batch of fireworks to mark the start of a new year explodes over Sydney Harbour at 9pm, with a second batch at midnight. Earlybird fireworks devotees grab the best spots early in the day. NewsWire/ Monique Harmer Credit: News Corp Australia Hundreds of thousands of people cram into the CBD and North Sydney to witness the show. The report to North Sydney Council outlines three options for the 2025-26 event. Option 1 involves ticketing across all three spots to achieve 'full cost recovery'. Option 2 involves 'partial cost recovery', with ticketing limited to Blues Point, and Option 3 involves continuing with 'free managed access'. The report recommends the councillors trial option 2. 'Subject to community consultation and feedback following NYE 2025-26, council could then decide whether to change the ticket price for future NYE managed access, expand or maintain the number of ticketed locations or return to free-access options for all managed sites,' the report states. NewsWire reached out to North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker for comment, but she didn't respond by the time this article was published.

Courier-Mail
10 hours ago
- Courier-Mail
Liverpool FC's billion dollar transfer spree could break Premier League record
Don't miss out on the headlines from Football. Followed categories will be added to My News. 'The Reds have got no money and we're gonna win the league' was the chant when Liverpool went 2-0 up against Newcastle in February. Ironically, five months later, Arne Slot's men could find themselves two-up over the Magpies in the transfer market – but a lack of cash is certainly no longer on the Anfield agenda. Having already beaten the Toon Army to the £79million signing of Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool are also hoping to land Alexander Isak. Liverpool fans show their support with scarves and flags. Picture:The Reds have already smashed the British transfer for Florian Wirtz and talkSPORT understands they are willing to do so again for the Newcastle superstar. In total, Liverpool have splashed out close to £300m on Jeremie Frimpong, Ekitike, Wirtz and Milos Kerkez. A deal for Isak would see the Merseysiders break the record for the highest spend from any club in a single transfer window. Alexander Isak seems headed to Liverpool. Picture: Glyn KIRK / AFP That feat is still held by Chelsea's £391m spree on 11 signings, including Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer, in the summer of 2023/24. The Blues have a case for boasting the most successful single transfer window of all time, whether it be the arrivals of Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Arjen Robben, and Petr Cech under Jose Mourinho in 04/05 – or indeed, the likes of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas once the Special One returned to Stamford Bridge. A year after Real Madrid's £233m eight-man 2009 window, Mourinho even inherited the all-star Galacticos: Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, and Karim Benzema. However, Rory Jennings believes Liverpool's ability to blend marquee signings with genuine upgrades to key areas puts them out ahead. He told talkSPORT: 'I just think that overall, this window, it's got a bit of everything. 'And if they end up signing the best striker in the Premier League, Alexander Isak, as well, I mean, I think this could be the best and most complete transfer window of all time.' Biggest transfer window spends ever 1) Chelsea (summer 2023/24) – £391m 2) Al-Hilal (summer 2023/24) – £298m 3) PSG (summer 2023/24) – £295m 4) Real Madrid (summer 2019/20) – £279m 5) Chelsea (winter 2022/23) – £278m 6) Liverpool (summer 2025/26) – £263.5m* Originally published as English Premier League transfer news: Liverpool chase Isak after summer spending spree