New contender for the Opera House's Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant

The wrestle over a new contender for the Opera House's Guillaume at Bennelong restaurant site continues to heat up, with a fiery board meeting last week making its way onto S's radar. Apparently, some board members are unimpressed that Bill Granger, whose reputation is based on scrambled eggs and corn stacks, is shaping up to be the main name, which doesn't hit the spot for many. Nor does talk of Melbourne venue The Stokehouse under owner Frank van Haandel. ''[Outgoing chef] Guillaume Brahimi is an international chef with three hats. This is an iconic building and should have the best restaurant in the country. Imagine the Eiffel Tower having a restaurant which makes Vegemite toast - it's embarrassing,'' one board member sniffed.

Last year, ARIA Awards event producer Michael Long's passion for cycling nearly cost him his life, after a horrific road bike accident left him with serious spinal injuries. As he recovers, Long has set himself the challenge of taking on a WorldTour cycling course, putting an expression of interest forward for the 2014 Beat Cancer Tour, which takes place in South Australia in January. ''The accident nearly killed me,'' Long says. ''But I feel like the luckiest person alive.''