Callan McAuliffe

Last night’s GQ Men of the Year Awards attracted some of Australia’s brightest stars to the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney. Veterans and newcomers of the entertainment industry gathered for the black tie gala to celebrate men — and one woman! — in different fields, with the highest honour, Man of the Year, going to Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth. Chris, who also fronts GQ’s December issue (on sale now), wasn’t able to pick up his award, but expressed his gratitude via video, saying, “GQ has been so supportive of me right from the beginning of my career and it’s an honour and a privilege to be acknowledged within their pages.”

Rising star Bella Heathcote was named Woman of the Year, and Callan McAuliffe, at age 17, is the magazine’s youngest winner, taking home Breakthrough of the Year. Other winners included Guy Sebastian for Solo Artist of the Year, Matt Moran for Chef of the Year, and Sam Sparro for Man of Style. The guest list was filled with actors such as Phoebe Tonkin, Jodi Gordon, Samara Weaving, Todd Lasance and Asher Keddie, models Jessica Gomes and Samantha Harris, as well as TV personalities Ruby Rose and Molly Meldrum, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Taylor Armstrong.

It’s a big day for Australian actors in Hollywood today, with many of our brightest stars and upcoming talent gathering for the 2012 Australians in Film Awards. Engaged couple Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus were among the first stars to hit the red carpet, with Abbie Cornish, Callan McAuliffe, Phoebe Tonkin, Yvonne Strahovski and Natalie Imbruglia not far behind. Anna McGahan, this year’s recipient of the Heath Ledger scholarship, wore a printed dress for an earlier portrait session and changed into an aubergine gown for the awards and benefit dinner. It’s not only Aussies, though, who came out for the event — Harvey Weinstein and Wes Bentley offered their support while Liam’s Hunger Games leading lady Jennifer Lawrence is also expected to make an appearance.

Ashley Greene wore a black strapless outfit to host the 2012 Young Hollywood Awards at the Hollywood Athletic Club in LA today. The Twilight actress was also among the winners as she was honoured with the female superstar of tomorrow award. Heaps of up-and-coming stars were among the guests and winners, including Modern Family’s Rico Rodriguez and Nolan Gould, who were presented with the male scene stealers award by their co-star Ed O’Neill. Aussie Callan McAuliffe was also in attendance — he’ll next be seen in The Great Gatsby as the younger version of the titular character. Hailee Steinfeld, Magic Mike stars Alex Pettyfer and Cody Horn, and Sophia Bush were also among the talented crowd.

It’s no secret that Hollywood welcomes fresh Australian talent with open arms. Chris Hemsworth, Rachael Taylor and Teresa Palmer are just a few examples of home-grown stars who have found success in an industry that’s notoriously hard to break in to. It takes a thick skin to handle all the rejection after days full of auditions, but perseverance — or sometimes being in the right place at the right time — pays off, and luckily for these eight up-and-comers, Hollywood wants to see more of them — as do we!

Miranda Kerr slipped in to the country to attend a reception for the opening of the Louis Vuitton Maison in Sydney on Friday night. The three-level store, located at King Street and George Street, is the thirteenth of its kind in the world, and was officially opened earlier in the day with the help of Cate Blanchett. It was a short and sweet trip for Miranda, who was already spotted at Sydney Airport yesterday holding her cute son Flynn, but she has said that she plans to be in Australia for the Christmas holidays. The Louis Vuitton soirée attracted lots of glamorous stars, most of them dressed in the brand’s creations, including Megan Gale, Delta Goodrem, Isabel Lucas and Sophie Lowe. Also in attendance was Lara Bingle, who had a luxe fashion-filled week after the opening of the Gucci Flagship store on Wednesday night.

Summer kicks off tomorrow! We decided to check in with some of our favourite Aussie stars to see what they had planned for the warmer months. Some are escaping the heat for chillier climates, while others are looking forward to the break because it means spending lots of time with loved ones! Who hopes to stay indoors with air-con and play video games? And who’s heading to Fiji for a holiday? Click through to find out!

The GQ Australia Men of the Year Awards took place at the Sydney Opera House last night, and we were on the soaked black carpet to chat with some of the handsome men before they made their way in to the main event. Despite the freezing and wet weather, the stars still took plenty of time to chat to media. Click through for our encounters with Callan McAuliffe, Charlie Pickering and GQ Man of the Year Joel Edgerton!