The Gluc Awards - Rachel Glucina hands out the celebrity gongs

Robert Hersov, Dr Kate James and Eric Watson at his 50th birthday party in Istanbul. Photo / Supplied

The Witi Ihimaera award for flattery

Winner: Trelise Cooper

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in the big-bucks world of fashion designing where does flattery end? I asked Trelise Cooper after I Spy-ed a grey jersey with a red sequin bow on her Fashion Week catwalk that appeared to be nearly identical to one by German designer Markus Lupfer I'd tried on in Topshop weeks earlier. Cooper said she'd never heard of Lupfer and she suspected the embroidery designer sold the same piece to both designers. Lupfer said his was "actually designed and developed last year for Topshop". It prompted all sorts of questions, not least: if the embroidery designer made it, what part of it was Trelise's design? It was the shoes that first tipped me off. Trelise admitted her show included shoes from Topshop. I Spy-ed a pair of black ponyskin wedges I'd bought from the British high street brand. Cooper didn't appreciate my line of questioning about the jersey and criticised the "mean media" for highlighting the obvious similarities with the chainstore version. She evicted me from her show backstage. "You never disappoint, Rachel! I don't know how you live with yourself! Just go! Go, please!"


The Ashton and Demi award for Tweetaholicism

Winner: MIKATE

They have never officially come out to declare the worst-kept secret, but the hand-holding (they denied it) and house-buying kind of gave it away. Hawko and The Hosk are practically joined at the hip, touting the one convenient moniker: MIKATE. They share a love of Twitter, hair gel and happy families and they gush about aspects of their private life in 140-letter Tweets but resent it when others do the same. Twittering became the new pillow talk for the tech-savvy stars who communicated via the medium. Strangely, Hawko used Twitter to threaten The Hosk to stop Twittering. Go figure. She warned her man with two menacing words: "John Mayer" - who was dumped, you'll remember, by Jennifer Aniston because he over-Twittered, but really because he wasn't Brad Pitt.


The Rainbows End award for longest plunge

Winner: Tony Veitch

There were the assault allegations, the court case, the admission of guilt, the conviction, the suicide attempts and the bust up of his marriage from socialite Zoe Halford. Tony Veitch's life has become a roller coaster of events. Then came the rumours Bill Francis was spearheading him for a comeback job at Radio Sport - it hasn't quite happened, yet. Veitchy has since been Spy-ed traipsing into Civic Video on Ponsonby Rd looking lonely and drinking in a Herne Bay garden bar with mates and overheard blathering on about Mark Hotchin's unpopularity. He was Spy-ed looking cosy in the company of radio exec Jenna Coffey and with a mystery blonde at a Matakana pub.


The Marie Antoinette 'let them eat cake' award for ignoring the cries of the people and partying anyway

Winner: Eric Watson

Following in the Gucci-clad footsteps of his partner Mark Hotchin, who celebrated his week-long 50th birthday last year slurping cocktails poolside with 80 chums at Vomo Island in Fiji, Eric Watson aimed higher. His 50th birthday bash was a lavish two-day celebration in Istanbul, Turkey at an estimated cost of $1.16 million, Turkish publication Milliyet reported. Investors in his troubled finance company Hanover were furious. The 1930s-themed parties at the Ciragan Palace and Sirkeci train station (home of the Orient Express) did little to appease investors who are owed half a billion dollars. Later this year, Watson added to his empire with the birth of his third son Leon in October to former girlfriend Lisa Henrickson.


The Jennifer Aniston award for looking hot but staying single

Winner: Alison Mau and Rachel Hunter

This was the year of the celebrity break-up and jilted women the world over could feel Our Rach's pain when she was unceremoniously dumped by her toyboy lover only weeks before she was due to be married. Ali Mau also found herself back on the market this year after separating from hubby Simon Dallow. She remains in the family digs on Remuera Rd and is reportedly not ready to race back on the dating scene.


The Tiger Woods award for declaring spousal love and fidelity

Winner: Don "Juan" Brash

Former National Party leader Don Brash may have arrived to Thursday night's Kennedy dinner on his own-some, but three months earlier, he publically, and very romantically, declared his undying love for ex-wife Je Lan through this column. "As you recall, Rachel, I hurt her very badly. But I've been working on getting back together with her for a while," he said. "Let's just say I'm cautiously optimistic. I am trying to reconcile with her... if she'll have me back. But it's not proving easy." The couple went on a date to a fundraiser for African orphans. Unfortunately, they haven't been Spy-ed on a public outing since. Nevertheless, we continue to hold out hope. Juan has not been taken to hospital with lacerations from flying golf clubs, so all signs remain good.


The Ick couple

Winner: The Sopers

They may have 33 years between them, but the Sopers (Barry and Heather) didn't let that stop them from tying the knot in October. The bride, 25, and the groom, 58, married in Parliament where security was tight. His rat-pack smoking buddies had to trundle outside every time they wanted to smoke. Sir Bob Jones went ballistic because he had to be scanned through the X-ray metal detectors every time. "It was like going through bloody airport security," an inside snitch told Spy. "We were traipsing in and out like it was the bloody Koru Club."


The Paris Hilton award for best socialite scandal

Winner: Lynne Carter

We suspected a proclivity to romp when she once confided to this columnist about a liaison with a well-known man at a Ponsonby drycleaners and took him home to, er, feel the starch. Lynne Carter has gushed about other men to yours truly but criminal allegations were certainly a surprise. The former socialite is now facing charges of P possession and fraud after behaving erratically at Dunedin airport and using a ticket with a false name. It's a long fall from grace for the socialite property developer who lived in a $6m mansion and drove a Ferrari.


The Jude Law award for embracing bachelorhood with saucy blondes

Winner: Simon Dallow

He's been free and single for the past six months but there have been no shortage of striking blondes, according to the rumours. Simon Dallow was Spy-ed on a romantic date (he says it was "just business") with colleague Jane Wilson at Viaduct haunt Euro restaurant and he's been linked to young TV3 reporter Rebecca Wright, 16 years his junior. On the latter, Dallow confessed: "We did go out once, but that was a while ago. And we spent an afternoon together not so long ago, but there's no romance."


Best fun at a sports do

Winner: Shane Warne

Fuggedabout the streaked hair and the predilection for sexting, legendary Aussie cricketer Shane Warne was loads of fun at the Stephen Fleming tribute dinner. Warney not only bid on a charity auction item and donated his last test series shirt, he also bowled a couple of balls inside the room to up the bidding and the excitement.

The Shia LaBeouf award for best Transformer

Winner: Sara Tetro

My how far she's come. Next Top Model presenter Sara Tetro may look all shiny and polished now, but back in 1991 she wasn't ashamed to wear a leotard, skin-coloured fishnets and a bad bob in public. Evidently she was fierce, even back then. That was in the day when she took to the field at Eden Park as a 91FM cheerleader.