New & Noteworthy

As the honorary spokesman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare?s global whale campaign, the Irish heartthrob recently helped launch the organization?s new $2.5 million research vessel, Song of the Whale. ?[Pierce] served as chairman of the capital fundraising campaign that made the new Song of the Whale research vessel possible,? said the IFAW?s president, Fred O?Regan. ?His contribution is vitally important in the fight to protect whales around the world.?

Remember the good old days, when pop songs and Broadway show tunes were two completely different genres? Well, thanks to hybrid shows like ?Contact,? ?Movin? Out? and ?Mama Mia!? those days are long gone. Joining Robert Palmer, Billy Joel and ABBA as ersatz Broadway librettists is Rod Stewart, whose song catalog is the inspiration for the new West End musical ?Tonight?s the Night.? In a bit of romantic synergy, Rod?s current girlfriend, Penny Lancaster (the leggy model who lost her lingerie gig to Stewart?s ex, Rachel Hunter), will play a ?Hot Legs? girl in a special performance at a charity fundraiser. What?s next — ?Led Zeppelin: The Musical??

Julianne Moore says that she?s anything but ?Far from Heaven? these days. The luminous redhead, who recently starred opposite Pierce Brosnan in the Irish-themed romantic comedy ?The Laws of Attraction,? told a German magazine that her life ?just keeps getting better and better.? The actress says that she enjoys baking cakes and reading stories to her kids, as well as getting in front of the camera.
?I often think I?m so happy that life couldn?t get any more beautiful,? she said.

The next time Robbie Williams gets the urge to pull up stakes and move house, he might want to give some thought to his long-suffering pooches. The British pop star recently found out that, for dogs, international travel can be a drag.
When Robbie decided to return to England after a few years in Los Angeles, he had his pets — a pair of German Shepherds — shipped over as well. But while the dogs were undergoing the mandatory six-month quarantine for animals originating in the United States, Robbie changed his mind about staying and flew back to Los Angeles. The dogs, however, weren?t so lucky. It seems that they have another three months? worth of quarantine to go before they can join the hunky singer . . .

Hollywood superstar John Travolta has been getting in touch with his Irish roots (and practicing his golf swing) during a family vacation in County Limerick. The actor, along with his movie star wife, Kelly Preston, and their two children, Jett and Ella Bleu, are enjoying the amenities at Adare Manor, presumably because all of the local B&Bs were booked out.

Rumors were flying fast and furious last week that Bono and a coalition of rock superstars were planning to mount a Live Aid 2 concert in London?s Wembley stadium this year. The Sun newspaper reported that British Prime Minister Tony Blair was onboard, as was Phil Collins, Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams and Oasis.
But the singer, who spent last week schmoozing with the 25 European Union ministers gathered at Dublin Castle for a summit meeting, said that a concert wouldn?t come close to generating the kind of money needed to address the problems of African debt and the AIDS crisis.
According to showbizireland.com, Bono said that there was no concert in the works at the moment. His aim, which he shares with Live Aid founder Bob Geldof, is to raise ?billion, not millions,? he said.
In more U2 news, the band?s manager, Paul McGuinness, has hinted that fans can expect a new studio album to hit stores in November, and a tour to start early in 2005. Stay tuned.

Britney Spears brought her Onyx Hotel Tour to Dublin?s fair city last week. But before she commenced with all the bumping and grinding onstage at the RDS, the Yankee pop tart indulged in some retail therapy at the city?s poshest shopping spot, Brown Thomas on Grafton Street.
Britney, with her boyfriend, Kevin Federline, in tow, strolled the short distance from their digs at the Westbury Hotel to the designer mecca. According to the Sunday World, she banished the ball and chain to the men?s department while she shopped for sexy lingerie on the main level.
Of course, being a superstar means never having to carry your own bags. Britney?s selection, which reportedly included underwear (that?s fun to wear) from Agent Provocateur and some funky handbags. Her security detail shielded her from the prying eyes of fans and photographers by wielding umbrellas and papering over the store?s windows.
After picking up some more gear at a shop called Rococo?s, Brit and Kevin retired to their suite, for what one can only imagine was their own private fashion show, while their sampled Dublin nightlife at nearby Lillies Bordello.
While Britney?s Irish trip was brief, it has left an indelible mark on her. Literally. During a sojourn to Wicklow, the singer had a small pink dice cube tattooed on her wrist, to match the blue one that Kevin had done. Which means this must be forever, right?

Who would have thought that Bertie Ahern — the politician famously called ?The Anorak Man? — would one day be declared a fashion icon?
With his well-tailored Armani suits and natty ensembles, the taoiseach?s newly suave style has caught the eye of top Mexican image consultant Cecilia Marquez-Alkadef Cortes. She declared Bertie, who is beginning his term as the new president of the EU, ?debonair and dashing.? The Sunday World says that she is particularly taken with Bertie?s coif, which other critics have dismissed as a ?floppy Dennis the Menace haircut.?
?It is a pleasure to see a mature man wear his gray hair so well,? a clearly smitten Cortes wrote in a Mexican newspaper. I wonder if she knows that he?s single again . . .

Great Danes in Irish film
Actress Claire Danes is set to appear alongside Kathy Bates, Brenda Blethyn and Maggie Smith in the Irish film ?Pushers Needed,? which begins shooting in Ireland this summer. The movie has been described as ?Calendar Girls? meets ?The Full Monty,? which seems to imply that the actors will be shedding their clothes in between tea parties at the unemployment office.

Rose contest gets thorny
The normally peaceful process of choosing a regional contestant to compete in the Rose of Tralee pageant was thrown into chaos last week. Pandemonium broke out at the Cavan Crystal Hotel when Michaela Harte, daughter of Tyrone GAA manager Mickey Harte, was declared the Ulster Rose.
A few rival supporters booed and hissed when the judges? decision was announced, while others sniped that the vote was unfairly influenced. One irate father actually yanked his daughter off the stage in protest, according to the Sunday World.
The tempest in a tiara seems to stem from the fact that Michaela, along with three other contestants, missed the pageant?s official press conference due to a previous commitment. Apparently, the other contestants assumed that she swanned in at the last moment to scoop the crown. But the organizers insist that this simply wasn?t the case.
?[Michaela] was not at the press conference because she was in the middle of her exams,? said pageant official Bernie Dolan. ?The decision to crown [her] Ulster Rose was totally above board.?

Yo, ?Scrubs?
The ?Very Hush Hush? Irish gossip column reports that ?Scrubs? star John C. McGinley was spotted at the hot Dublin nightclub Renards quite a lot last week. Which means that it?s fair to assume that the actor, who plays the hilariously sarcastic Dr. Cox, is a smooth operator. (Oh, stop rolling your eyes.)

Jim?s got a heli-Corr-pter
When you?ve got as much money as Irish pop star Jim Corr, one fancy sports car is the same as another, and both have a serious flaw: they?re subject to Dublin?s legendary traffic jams. So Jim, being a practical Dundalk punter, decided to sink his money into a vehicle that will keep him — literally — above the fray.
The manly member of The Corrs is now the proud owner — and pilot — of a sleek, $550,000 chopper. Which means that when Jim takes a notion to drop in on one of the neighbors, he just powers up the chopper and off he goes. Of course, this mode of transportation forces you to more, er, selective, when choosing your pals, since a landing pad — or at least, a big back garden, is required for parking.
By the way, those of you who?ve been fretting about Jim?s lack of a social life can relax. The guitarist, whose past girlfriends have included model Andrea Roche, is happily involved in a relationship with someone he will only identify as ?a lovely girl.?

Haughey to get Byrne-d?
Another week, another hot Gabriel Byrne rumor. This week, there?s a story circulating that the handsome Dubliner has been tapped to portray the rise and fall of former taoiseach Charles Haughey on the silver screen. Unfortunately, as the Sunday World reports this week, no one told the most important person, namely, Gabriel himself.
?That?s the first I?ve heard of the Haughey project,? Gabriel told the Indo. He says his next project is starring in a Broadway production of ?MacBeth,? which should hit the stage next year.
Nevertheless, the hunky actor is said to be the frontrunner to play the title role in ?The Taoiseach,? followed by fellow Irish stars Liam Neeson and Brendan Gleeson. Which begs the question: what recreational drugs are these rumor spinners ingesting, and are they freely available? I?m sure CJH had his charms, and Terry Keane, at least, considered him a stud muffin back in the day, but come on — Gabriel? Liam? Brendan? Puh-leeze.

Def Leopard front man Joe Elliott, who makes his home in Dublin, is planning to tie the knot in Ireland this year. The Sunday Independent reports that the singer will wed his American girlfriend at a top-secret location in September. ?Save the date? scrolls — yes, scrolls — were delivered to the anointed few, presumably by a gaggle of ye olde footmen. Guests won?t be notified of the actual location until three days before the event, so they?ll want to keep their spandex trousers and other rock gear handy.