New & Noteworthy Everyone else is doing it . . .

By Eileen Murphy

Congratulations are in order for lead Cranberry Dolores O’Riordan and her manager/hubby on the birth of their daughter, Molly. The newest little ‘berry, who arrived five weeks ago, has black hair and weighs in at 9 pounds.

"She’s so gorgeous," sighed the admittedly biased mom.

In more news that will warm the hearts of all you Cranberries fans, Hot Press reports that the band is hard at work on their new album, which is due out in the fall.

It sounds very cool," said O’Riordan. "Real music, I’d say."

As opposed to . . .?

"Doesn’t all the manufactured stuff sound soooo the same, really?" she sniffed, in an obvious reference to some well-known pop groups. (Attention, Westlife, Britney, Christina et.al.: mind the flying gauntlets!)

New mom or not, O’Riordan is looking forward to getting back to her day job.

"I’m totally looking forward to the next album and tour," she said happily.

Bellefire: All they want . . .

A friendly warning, fellow U2 fans: this next item might make you feel a little old.

Louis Walsh’s newest pop group, Bellefire, is set to record a cover of the U2 classic "All I Want is You." The band debuted as a support act for Boyzone durning that band’s farewell concert stint at The Point Depot in Dublin a while back. Lately, they’ve been touring with their musical "brothers," Westlife.

So far, so good. But what makes us feel a little creaky is the thought that the eldest member of the group, 23-year-old Kelly Kilfeather, was only 10 when "Rattle and Hum" — the album that included "All I Want . . . " — was released. Eighteen-year old Belles Cathy Newell and Tara Lee were only 5, and the youngest member of the band, 17-year old Ciara Newell, was only 4. What are the odds their parents rocked them to sleep with a U2 oldie like "October"?

So, what are the girls like? Well, let’s see: according to their website, Tara loves sweets and had a crush on Ronan Keating "when she was younger." She’s also "optimistic and never gets stressed out." (Good for her.) Kelly is "a perfectionist and very hardworking," probably because she’s older and, presumably, wiser. Ciara describes herself as "quite sporty and cheeky," and admits that she loves Italian food and Walt Disney cartoons." (So any fellas interested in dating her will want to whip up a plate of spaghetti and rent "Beauty and the Beast.") Cathy says she’s "a bit shy," and confesses that she’s "a sucker for old films and musicals."

Return of the ‘Thief’

If you’ve been kicking yourself for having missed Conor McPherson’s play "The Good Thief" during its recent run at the Jose Quintero Theater in NYC, we’ve got some good news for you. Due to popular demand, the entire Keen Company production, starring Brian d’Arcy James, has been extended through May 26 by the Culture Project, 45 Bleecker St., NYC. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m. For tickets and information, call (212) 529-4530.

Big Tom’s back onstage

We must confess to harboring a secret love of Irish showband and country and western music, probably due to our early exposure to Larry Cunningham records. Which is why we’re happy to report that one of the genre’s best-loved stars, Big Tom, is on the mend after being sidelined for 18 months by throat problems.

The big man is back in the saddle and rarin’ to croon his big hits like "Gentle Mother," which he’ll do at the "Big Tom Welcome Back" festival in Bundoran during the May bank holiday weekend.

Big Tom, who underwent throat surgery last year, says that he was touched by the cards and letters the received while he under the weather.

"The postman didn’t know what was up," he said, chuckling.

But though he missed being onstage, the tall singer doesn’t miss traveling around the country.

"I did it week after week for nearly 35 years," he told the Sunday World.

"You can get enough of it."

Shane makes room for vroom-vroom

Geez, if Shane Lynch’s next job is astronaut, he’ll have lived every adolescent boy’s fantasy before he’s 30. The ex-Boyzone star is best known for his eclectic fashion choices, decorative facial hair and his almost-but-not-quite fight with Puff Daddy (Whoops! That’s P. Diddy to you) at the MTV Europe Awards. Since Boyzone went on "hiatus" a couple of years ago, Shane’s been spending his time driving race cars.

Now we hear that Lynch and his shaved eyebrow has become a member of the Eclipse Motorsport team, which competed in the GT racing at Silverstones in the British Championships last weekend. And, in case you’re wondering, we have no idea what any of that means, except that Lynch has found something to occupy his days as he and the rest of the world wait for that long-promised Boyzone reunion tour.

Briefings

Irish DJ David Holmes has been tapped to compose the music for the soundtrack of "Ocean’s Eleven," a remake of the classic Rat Pack film romp set in Las Vegas. The movie will star Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, who will probably be nominated for another Oscar for her uncanny resemblance to Frank Sinatra.

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Westlife manager Louis Walsh never misses an opportunity for a bit of cross-promotion. His new boy band, InFocus, was the opening act for Westlife at the Point last weekend, much to the delight of the audience of screaming (and record-buying) girls.

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U2’s new single, "Elevation," is being given the remix treatment by Irish DJ Johnny Moy. The record’s being produced by Leo Pearson, son of Irish stage and film impresario Noel Pearson.

Belly interesting

Don’t know about you, but we’re sick of all the foot-and-mouth talk in the media these days. Which is why we’re happy to hear that somebody was focusing on another part of the body last week.

According to the Sunday World, Reebok conducted a poll to find out who in Ireland has the best looking belly. Awards were given out in a number of categories:

Best Political Belly: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern