Reality check

In real life actor Angela Bloomfield is on her honeymoon; in reel life her Shortland Street alter ego Rachel is on her last legs.

A life-changing week for the television star began last Saturday when Bloomfield stunned guests at her 30th birthday party by announcing her marriage - on the spot - to Auckland hotel manager Chris Houston.

As the 80 or so guests were sipping celebratory bubbles on a birthday cruise on the Waitemata Harbour, Bloomfield appeared with Houston, also celebrating his recent 30th, to drop their bombshell.

They re-emerged soon after in their wedding finery for a simple ceremony.

Bloomfield may have a lot more free time, as Shortland Street viewers were left with the prospect of losing one of their favourite characters in a car crash last night.

After being rescued from a drunken fall into a swimming pool this week, last night she crashed her car during a drunken argument with Dr Warner.

Viewers will have to wait until the series resumes on January 20 to confirm the worst, but Bloomfield has already hinted at the future to New Zealand Woman's Weekly this month.

"Throughout my twenties, I have concentrated almost totally on the show ... But at the same time I've had to grow personally and I did that by myself. I learned about the complications of life, read every analytical book there was to be read.

"Now it is time for me to put those books down and spend the next 10 years just living," she said.

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Rachel's fate may have been sealed by her non-appearance on Shortland Street stamps released this month.

But among the characters you can post is the sour Dr Adam Heywood, also left near death after being stabbed in last night's season finale.

Maybe all he needs is a few reviving licks on the back of the head.

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Britons rate Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing and Let's Get It On as the top of the pops for lovemaking, a survey found this week. Reality Check had a go at a New Zealand selection:

1. Slice of Heaven - Herbs.


2. Into Temptation - Crowded House.


3. Not Given Lightly - Chris Knox.


4. Bliss - The Dudes (for the young at heart).


5. Now - Fur Patrol.


6. Fraction Too Much Friction - Split Enz.


7. Sophie - Goodshirt.


8. Anything by Carl Doy (hey, it sells).


9. Sway - Bic Runga.


10. Undone - stellar.


NB: Dave Dobbyn's unofficial national anthem, Loyal, might just be a passion killer, unless you're smooching with your permanent partner.

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Organisers of the Louis Vuitton party were apparently not amused at the Weekend Herald's revealing the mystery venue of their flash bash.

It's understood the usually unruffled Parisian sophisticate Christine Belanger even directed a few well-chosen epithets at this organ last Saturday for revealing the Devonport naval dry dock as the secret venue.

Copies of the paper also mysteriously disappeared at the Louis Vuitton media centre.

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These are trying times for the Seattle America's Cup syndicate OneWorld. Penalised again for having design secrets from other teams, and locked in a close battle with Prada to stay alive, their co-funder's lavish flagship has also run into expensive problems.

Tatoosh, the 92m, $200 million megayacht owned by Microsoft partner and OneWorld syndicate funder Paul Allen, is laid up at Devonport after suffering a serious mechanical failure, believed to be a gearbox.

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