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Bert’s cursed year

Death, dramas and destruction … Bert Newton could be forgiven for wanting the curtain to come down on a torrid 2009. Steve Jackson reports.

As if Bert Newton didn’t have enough to worry about. Between health concerns for his beloved wife, Patti, and the death of close friend Don Lane, the veteran entertainer has endured a turbulent year.

Now our much loved “Moonface” must contend with the erratic behaviour of his wayward son Matthew in the wake of another embarrassing family crisis.

Fast becoming known for his “bad boy” antics, Matthew has agreed to pay a $9000 clean-up bill after the Sydney hotel room he checked into last week before heading to GQ magazine’s Men Of The Year awards was left trashed.

Among the carnage at the luxurious Vibe Hotel, staff are reported to have discovered the room’s flat-screen TV melted in one section, with the translucent material covering the screen peeling away.

A lamp was also ripped out of the wall with enough viciousness to break the gyprock, and there were scratch marks in the carpet.

But the mayhem didn’t end there. Hours after leaving the hotel, from which he failed to formally check out, the young actor was again at the centre of a chaotic scene – this time on a Virgin Blue flight from Sydney to Melbourne.

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