Barbie Honours Olympians - Daily News

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN, the Aussie Barbie Doll, gave what the Aussies call a barbie at her Los Angeles boutique, Koala Blue. Barbie is the way Australians refer to a party, and heaven knows it was that with a real live koala from the San Diego Zoo and just loads of authentic Australian cuisine including shrimp, flown in for the festivities, meat pies and pavlovas, the little meringue cups stuffed with fresh fruit and anointed with whipped cream.

The barbie was in honor of the Australian Olympic team and they all came-equestrians Wayne and Vicki Roycroft, the first husband-and-wife team ever selected for the Olympics, world champion wind-surfer Greg Hyde (he'll compete in the windglider event), Tornado yacht class world champions Chris Cairn and Scott Anderson, champion gymnasts Warner Birnbaum and Kellie Wilson and more, more, more. There were Hollywood stars there, too, you'll be thrilled to hear, quaffing the native Seaview Australian champagne and Foster's Lager.

Olivia and her co-hostess, Pat Farrar, made welcoming speeches, Australian housewife-super-star Dame Edna Everage did her antic thing and it all ended with a smashing rendition of Waltzing Matilda featuring Newton-John, The Little River Band with lead singer John Farnham, and Australian rock singer Billy Thorpe. You can't get much more Aussie than that.

Among the Hollywood types were Catherine Bach, Lisa Hartman, Helen Reddy, Marilu Henner, Gloria Loring. Barry Bostwick, JoBeth Williams, Tony Dan-za, Rachel Ward, Alan Thicke, Peter Allen, etc. Cristina DeLorean came with her son. She couldn't exactly come with her husband.

Matt Lattanzi, Olivia's boyfriend, took pictures of everything (so did all the TV media) and turned his camera over to Cristina DeLorean to photograph him whilst he frolicked with John Travolta. Doesn't it sound like fun?

The barbie, which took place in the back of Olivia's boutique, was, she said, like having a picnic in the backyard. She just wanted all the lads and lasses to feel at home. When they all joined her in that roaring Waltzing Matilda, she knew that she was home-away-from-home free.