Mariah Carey fires back at James Packer with scathing Vanity Fair story

If the newly single bachelor was a territory he'd be Tassie in the middle of winter and copping it on all fronts. Packer is now weathering many professional and personal storms: China from the south, Tziporah Malkah from South Africa and Mariah Carey from ... everywhere.

This week not only did Carey allegedly burn her wedding dress for art in her new Packer-inspired break-up ditty, I Don't, her people are also still smouldering over that Woman's Day story which announced the couple's break up.

When they go low, we go high appears to be Carey's new tactic with a number of her unnamed "friends" telling all to Vanity Fair for a new Packer profile titled: "James Packer's Long, Strange Ride from Scientology to Mariah Carey".

The feature suggests the happy couple were about as impressed as Deb from Married At First Sight was this week when she didn't get to marry a Polynesian bloke and eat an orange, gluten free wedding cake.

"It was what you call a third act," Carey's "friend" said.

"You know, in your third act you're not necessarily looking for chemistry. You're looking for love and laughter and companionship, someone who is like-minded, who you can spend time with, and you can have conversations and raise your kids together."

Considering this is the same publication that considers Australians to be "throwback people", it's no surprise that a quote from another of Mariah's mates, which suggests the flashy, self-described diva and reality TV fame mongering star added "class to the equation", made the cut to the lengthy feature.

"No matter what you say, Mariah is still the highest-selling female artist of all time. Her range goes from Jay Z to Pavarotti ... [James] gets to stand next to her on the red carpet at the GLAAD awards, alongside other high-profile celebrities. Or she's singing for UNICEF, and he's there on the red carpet. It's a big deal. And all of the events that he had her accompany him to – political events, whether it was in Israel or Australia or China or London – and dragging her around ... really did help elevate his business status," the "friend" said.

"And I was saying to her, 'What are you doing all this shit for? You're not even married. Wait till you're married. You're helping the guy make money. What do you get out of it?'"

Meanwhile after weeks of stories, his previous fiance Malkah must be close to being done airing her dirty Packer laundry in the jungle on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

"Everyone is terrified of him [Packer] and everyone compares themselves to him and a lot of men think that's what I want – money," Malkah said this week. "They didn't realise I was in love with him and we actually had a real relationship. And actually, I've dated men that I've supported because they've been so broke."

She has now engaged a new manager to launch Kate Fischer 2.0.

Spin king Max Markson talked the former model and actor into appearing on the reality show and has big plans for her once she's eliminated.

"She wanted to wait a year when they approached her, I said you have to strike while the iron's hot," Markson told PS.

"Brendan Fevola came out of the jungle and landed a radio gig, Tziporah has got a great personality, she witty, she's smart and has a character that people will love. It's been 20 years since that relationship. She's moved on, James has moved on, I think everyone should move on."

Move over Kendall, Gigi et al – the next "It" girl is an ANZAC who is a regular visitor to the The Hermitage compound in Vaucluse.

Georgia Fowler – the sister of hotelier Justin Hemmes' partner Kate – will add another feather to her cap on Monday when she graces the cover of the new issue of Harper's Bazaar.

The 24-year-old New York-based model was fashion's quiet achiever in 2016, securing spreads with French Vogue and walking in the Victoria's Secret show in Paris.

"There were definitely some tears when I got the job because it was a long time coming and something I had really worked for," she said of her VS prep fitness regime that included Pilates, boxing, spin and weight lifting.

Fowler flew her parents – former pro golfer Peter Fowler and New Zealander mother, Kim – to Paris so they could watch her in the show.

While she remains coy on confirming or denying the rumours that swirled in 2015 of her reported relationships with pop star Harry Styles and Leonardo DiCaprio, the model is more comfortable speaking about her "best friend" – older sister Kate.

Both sisters were scouted as models in their teenage years with agents signing a 12-year-old Georgia when she accompanied Kate to a casting.

"We are a very close-knit family and my sister is my best friend. Now I get to go to Sydney to visit my beautiful niece [15-month-old Alexa] and Kate and Justin," she said. "They live such a happy and lovely life, and I'm thrilled I get to spend time with them."

"We have been wanting to create something special with Georgia for quite a while but her schedule is insane," Bazaar editor-in-chief Kellie Hush told PS of the fact for the first six months of 2016 Fowler travelled more than twice a week. "Fortunately for Bazaar she had a three day window just before Christmas so we grabbed the opportunity and met her in Shanghai to shoot our March cover story. She is a superstar in the making and is a true professional so it's a privilege to be a part of her trajectory."

The boys club of radio has finally woken up and realised what women – both their and their advertiser's target market – want. It turns out they want more women.

Southern Cross Austereo is leading the charge of promoting more on-air female talent in 2017 with the introduction of "queen" blogger Constance Hall and the installation of comedian Em Rusciano as the new 2DayFM breakfast host.

Rusciano replaced Bachelorette star Sam Frost after she failed to win over listeners with banal stories of her relationship with now ex-boyfriend Sasha Mielczarek. It turns out taking pregnancy tests on air and whinging about tabloids who made you famous isn't what makes radio great anymore.

Rusciano brings to the station's marquee program all the razzle, dazzle and delight of her stage shows. She's the thinking women's crumpet who, in just a few weeks, has tackled issues of Donald Trump, domestic violence and Miranda Devine.

Rusciano hit out at the conservative columnist this week after a column titled: "Don't let your career make you a bad mother" was published by News Corp Australia. Rusciano's teary reaction on air which defended all mothers, good, bad, otherwise, has been a viral hit for the new show, clocking up more than a million views on social media alone in the middle of the first ratings period of the year.

"When someone puts out something so poisonous and harmful, it's my responsibility as someone on air with the beliefs I have to be the antidote to that poison and to reassure people what she written about isn't true," she said. "There are women working jobs not because we are selfish but because we've got bills."

The reaction so far to the new female-led breakfast show and to other female talent around the country, including Hall, Fifi Box and the soon-to-be launched Carrie Bickmore show is a boon for the Hit Network's boss, Gemma Fordham.

The former executive producer for Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O and Nicole Kidman's assistant has been working tirelessly behind the scenes for more than a year to elevate the tone of FM radio and promote more engaging female talent on air.

There is a new battle cry in the department stores wars.

"Gird your buyers!" Myer would warn after its top womenswear selector Teneille Ferguson became the latest asset to defect to rival David Jones.

Ferguson has returned to DJs after a long, successful tenure with Myer that saw her reposition the store's fashion offerings including the introduction of Aje and other high-end local labels as the manager of the international and Australian designer ready to wear collections.

While neither Myer nor David Jones would comment on her transition, Ferguson returned to the DJs nest on Monday after joking about being a "professional gardener", referring to her suspension.

She will now, according to insiders, have a "huge portfolio" and be a key buying manager for the South African-owned store. Navigating the retailers new ethos will also be high priority as she departed in 2013 after an eight-year term prior to the take over and the installation of new chief John Dixon.

Before Ferguson's jump, New Zealand designer Karen Walker joined David Jones from Myer with the retailer now carrying her main line collection.

Not that Myer's top brass have time to worry about these departures right now – the store is in full party mode ahead of its winter launch to be held at The University of Melbourne. Only 100 guests have made the cut for the black tie event next week.

Lindy Klim will be travelling from her base in Bali while Carrie Bickmore, Andy Lee and The Footy Show co-host Rebecca Maddern, Jennifer Hawkins and Alex Perry will attend the intimate dinner.

It's always 5pm somewhere right? The answer is yes if you're Cindy Crawford. The supermodel dealt with any lingering jet lag by cracking a case of her favourite drop – tequila – at brunch in Sydney this week.

After a cruise around the harbour with her entourage and some local pals including model Cheyenne Tozzi and model-turned-fashion designer Gail Elliott, the gaggle of beauties retired poolside at a Vaucluse compound to reminisce about the glory days with a few Casamigos sharpeners. However, it may have just been homesickness that saw her nursing a midday margarita – the top-shelf tipple is owned by her husband Rande Gerber and George Clooney.

Crawford is in town as a guest of luxury watchmaker Omega, where she was the guest of honour at a secret swanky soiree last night.

Those tasked with dealing with her have been blown away by her low-key attitude, a rarity in an age of celebrities preferring CIA-level protection from plebs and the paps. In the lead-up to her trip Down Under Crawford picked up the drinks tab for a number of media outlets who are covering her latest Australian visit.

It's never been a more exciting time to be a Cosmopolitan reader.

The glossy magazine here and abroad is kicking more goals than the AFLW this week with the release of the inaugural "Rainbow list" and an entire issue dedicated to "50 of the most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and allied Australians".

"Cosmo's first ever Pride issue took a lot of passion, hard work and late nights to put together. So for everyone at Cosmo to get so many comments, emails and calls of thanks for the issue has been overwhelming. It just goes to show how much support there is for our LGBTQI community in Australia. And Cosmo is proud to be an ally," editor Claire Askew told PS after the issue hit news stands on Thursdays.

Among the 50 people profiled for their advocacy work are Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore and openly gay Liberal MP Trent Zimmermann.

The masthead – once famous for its sex advice – is also breaking new ground in the United States with the magazine breaking the infamous Kellyanne Conway "Bowling Green massacre" gaffe.

In an interview with MSNBC last week the counsellor to President defended Donald Trump's executive order banning non-US citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country due to the "Bowling Green Massacre" – an attack that multiple sources confirmed never happened.

However, she first used that alternative fact in an interview with Cosmo in late January.

Conway used the same phrase claiming President Barack Obama called for a ban on Iraqi refugees after the alleged attack.

"He did, it's a fact," she said of Obama. "Why did he do that? He did that for exactly the same reasons. He did that because two Iraqi nationals came to this country, joined ISIS, travelled back to the Middle East to get trained and refine their terrorism skills, and come back here, and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre of taking innocent soldiers' lives away."