Courtney takes Hollywood by storm

Jai Courtney is making his mark in Hollywood, playing Bruce Willis's son in the new Die Hard film. Picture: Nicole Cleary Source: News Limited

TWELVE months ago, Jai Courtney snuck into the Australian F1 Grand Prix on his bicycle.

The red carpet rolled out for the Sydney actor this past weekend as he returned a movie star - co-starring with Bruce Willis in A Good Day to Die Hard.

"It was a very different experience, there was no corporate hospitality, that’s for sure," Courtney laughed of his previous Grand Prix adventure. "Next year, I’m going to put a little more pressure on them to get me in that celebrity race - that looked like fun."

Courtney, 26, is already in top gear on the big screen, facing off against Tom Cruise in January’s Jack Reacher and now playing son to Willis’s iconic Die Hard cop Jack McClane.

A Good Day to Die Hard has so far grossed $256.7 million worldwide. It opens in Australia on Thursday.

"It’s certainly opening up some more interesting opportunities for me,” said the now LA-based Courtney. “I don’t think life has changed dramatically, but it’s a great thing."

Courtney said the toughest part of following in Willis’s action hero footsteps was “how confusing things can be”.

"This film is in a sense one big action sequence - it’s like a 90-minute chase. So many times you’ll forget where it is you are. You might sustain an injury and then three weeks later you’re shooting the scene that immediately follows that and it’s like, ‘Hang on, didn’t I have a piece of glass in my shin?’

"It’s quite a chaotic thing to do."

Kate Winslet could be Courtney’s next co-star, with the Aussie confirming he has “jumped on board” the movie Divergent, based on a series of best-selling young-adult novels.

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Vodafone 'lawsuit' storm in a teacup?

Yesterday Piper Aldermann said 23,000 people had registered for the class action. Today it clarified saying they had only registered their interest. Source: Supplied

A SYDNEY law firm's class action against Vodafone has had an underwhelming debut with the firm admitting today it had only signed up one customer.

The move was designed to compensate those customers disgruntled over network coverage problems and poor customer service.

Yesterday law firm Piper Aldermann said it had 23,000 people registered to the class action. But today it admitted angry customers had only "registered their interest".

Class action over Vodafone dropouts

The website to officially sign onto the class action only went live this morning, said Gordon Grieve, owner and chairman of the firm.

Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Grieve was confident people who showed initial interest in the class action would "formally sign up".

The one customer who had signed up, Sydney mum Amanda Burkett, said she did so after not being able to contact someone to pick up her son from school as she no mobile phone coverage.

"I was concerned for the safety of my son," she said

She said it took an hour before she could get hold of anyone, while her son's school was about to close and "no one knew what was going on".

"It was very frustrating," she said.

"I felt like I had no control over the situation and I was worried my son would be upset."

She said it wasn't an isolated incident.

She said 80 per cent of the time she could not get reception on her phone for emails, texts or calls.

"I live in the north shore and I work in the city, those aren't areas known for poor coverage."

A source close to the matter told news.com.au that customers who had already been compensated by Vodafone for similar problems would not be able to "double dip" by signing on to the class action.

Vodafone has been contacted for additional comment but in an earlier statement said it was aware that a law firm planned to proceed with action against the company.

"That firm has not contacted Vodafone directly about this since it first threatened action in 2010, nor has it sought to discuss the claims of any customers it represents in the class action with Vodafone," the statement read.

"Vodafone has not been provided with any details of the class action at this stage and is therefore not able to comment on the claims which might be made."

Piper Aldermann said it had not contacted because it didn't have enough "concrete information" to go to it with.

"We need to have something concrete," said owner of Piper Aldermann, Gordon Grieve. "We need to know how many people have signed on for the class action, what losses are going to be incurred."

He also said that LCM - the Australian Litigation Firm financing the class action - needed time to go over its "due diligence".

However, Mr Grieve said he would he happy to talk to Vodafone "if they want to get in contact".

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Vodafone 'lawsuit' storm in a teacup?

Yesterday Piper Aldermann said 23,000 people had registered for the class action. Today it clarified saying they had only registered their interest. Source: Supplied

A SYDNEY law firm's class action against Vodafone has had an underwhelming debut with the firm today unable to state how many customers had signed up.

The move was designed to compensate those customers disgruntled over network coverage problems and poor customer service.

Yesterday law firm Piper Aldermann said it had 23,000 people registered to the class action. But today it admitted angry customers had only "registered their interest".

Class action over Vodafone dropouts

The website to officially sign onto the class action only went live this morning, said Gordon Grieve, owner and chairman of the firm.

Speaking at a press conference today, Mr Grieve was confident people who showed initial interest in the class action would "formally sign up".

A Piper Aldermann spokesman would not say how many people had signed up today but explained the process of registration of interest to a class action was standard.

"There is a period of registration followed by formal funding agreements and retainer agreements," he said. "The second phase began this morning and people are now formally signing up."

Sydney mum Amanda Burkett fronted media today and said she signed up after not being able to contact someone to pick up her son from school as she no mobile phone coverage.

"I was concerned for the safety of my son," she said

She said it took an hour before she could get hold of anyone, while her son's school was about to close and "no one knew what was going on".

"It was very frustrating," she said.

"I felt like I had no control over the situation and I was worried my son would be upset."

She said it wasn't an isolated incident.

She said 80 per cent of the time she could not get reception on her phone for emails, texts or calls.

"I live in the north shore and I work in the city, those aren't areas known for poor coverage."

A source close to the matter told news.com.au that customers who had already been compensated by Vodafone for similar problems would not be able to "double dip" by signing on to the class action.

Vodafone has been contacted for additional comment but in an earlier statement said it was aware that a law firm planned to proceed with action against the company.

"That firm has not contacted Vodafone directly about this since it first threatened action in 2010, nor has it sought to discuss the claims of any customers it represents in the class action with Vodafone," the statement read.

"Vodafone has not been provided with any details of the class action at this stage and is therefore not able to comment on the claims which might be made."

Piper Aldermann said it had not contacted the firm because it didn't have enough "concrete information" to go to it with.

"We need to have something concrete," said Mr Grieve. "We need to know how many people have signed on for the class action, what losses are going to be incurred."

He also said LCM - the Australian Litigation Firm financing the class action - needed time to go over its "due diligence".

However, Mr Grieve said he would he happy to talk to Vodafone "if they want to get in contact".

Follow on Twitter: @ClaireRPorter

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