By Eileen Murphy
Well, the you-know-what has finally hit the fan, and we must say, the only surprising thing is who did the flingin’. We refer, of course, to the news that Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher has decided to quit the band, effective immediately – or, at least, after the band’s European dates.
The reason? It seems that the elder Gallagher sibling just can’t take any more of brother Liam’s carousing and general bad behavior. Noel, 32, quit drinking and became a settled man after his wife, Meg, gave birth to their daughter in January. In contrast, Liam, who recently had a baby with his wife, actress Patsy Kensit, has shown no visible signs of maturity.
The Gallagher fréres have clashed, sometimes violently, over the years, and this is not the first time that Noel has bid sayonara to the band. Back in 1995, during rehearsals for their second album, Noel split briefly after Liam attacked him in a drunken rage. In 1996, Liam walked out on the band’s first American tour – 15 minutes before their flight to America was due to leave London. He eventually joined the group, but skipped the band’s taping session for their "MTV Unplugged" special, forcing Noel to take over the job of lead singer.
With the band’s new album, "Standing on the Shoulders of Giants," it looked like the brothers had made their peace and were in it for the long haul, but you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men. There were storm clouds on the horizon a few weeks ago, when rumors surfaced that Patsy had given Liam the boot because of his partying.
Matt Deighton, former lead singer of the British band Mother Earth, has been recruited to replace Gallagher on tour. He cancelled some solo gigs to rescue the Manchester – how do we put this nicely? – morons, and he’s embarked on a crash course in Oasis-songs. " They sent me over all the CDs, and a set list, so I’ll probably be working it all out on the plane going over," Deighton told the Irish Times.
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"Doing this Oasis thing won’t disrupt my plans very much – I’ll just have to postpone everything," he continued. "And by that time, I’ll probably be a lot more well-known!"
For Georgina and Nicky, it has the ring of friendship…
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s fashion model daughter , Georgina, (as opposed to his pop star daughter, Cecelia) was the subject of intense speculation when she was spotted wearing a wedding ring, given to her by her Westlife beau Nicky Byrne. But the plucky model insists that she’s not jumping the broom anytime soon.
"It’s actually a white Russian wedding ring, and only fits on the third finger of each hand," she explained recently.
"Nicky gave it to me when we were first dating. It means an awful lot to me," she said. "But marriage is definitely not on the cards at the moment. Myself and Nicky are far too busy."
Briefings
If you haven’t already bought your tickets for the Irish Repertory Theater’s annual Gala Benefit, you’re in luck – some good seats are still available. This year’s show is "Song of the Century: A Celebration of Irish Entertainment in the Twentieth Century," and it promises plenty of wonderful musical numbers and a healthy dose of the Rep’s irrepressible Irish wit.
The show will be hosted by Sinead Cusack and Gabriel Byrne, with the legendary Rosemary Clooney, and will take place at the Broadhurst Theater on Monday, June 5, at 7 p.m., with a gala dinner to follow at Sardi’s. Tickets start at $100 and are available by calling the Irish Repertory Theater at (212) 727-2737. Tickets go fast, so get the lead out and call today.
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To absolutely nobody’s surprise, "Riverdance On Broadway" has proved to be such a hit that it’s extending its run at the Gershwin Theater yet again. Originally slated for a three-month engagement, the demand for tickets convinced producers to lengthen the run to September – now, they’re staying until at least January 7, 2001. The new block of tix go on sale this Sunday, June 4 at the box office and through Ticketmaster, (212) 307-4100.
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Kelsey Grammer is a pig. So’s Patrick Stewart. Peter Postlethwait is an old drunk of a farmer. And Julia Ormond is a horse. No, we haven’t been nipping at the cooking sherry while watching the Discovery Channel – that’s the cast list for the animated version of George Orwell’s "Animal Farm," which was shot at the Guinness estate in County Wicklow. Other beastly stars include Peter Ustinov, Paul Scofield and Julia Louis Dreyfus.
Win tickets to see David Gray at Irving Plaza
One of the hottest performers on the Irish/British music scene is rocker David Gray, whose deceptively laid-back sound is winning him fans on this side of the Atlantic as well. Gray, who’s in the middle of a four-week U.S. tour, will hit the David Letterman Show on June 12, before he returns to England. He’ll be back in August to tour as an opening act for the Dave Matthews Band, but Irish Echo readers don’t have to wait that long to see what all the fuss is about. Two of you lucky devils will each win a pair of VIP tickets to see Gray and his band at Irving Plaza in NYC on June 7, plus a copy of the band’s new CD, "White Ladder."
Just send you name, address and daytime phone number on a postcard to: Gray Contest, c/o Irish Echo Newspaper, 309 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016. You can also e-mail your entries to irecho@aol.com. Make sure the subject line reads [Last Name], Gray contest. Deadline is Friday, June 2, at 4 p.m. Winners will be notified by phone.
LAST CHANCE!
Vote for the Sexiest Irish man & woman
Well, all good things must come to an end, including your chance to vote for the sexiest Irish man and woman. The response has been overwhelming, which means that we’ve spent the last few evenings sitting home tallying up your suggestions, which has put a major crimp in the old social life, thanks very much.
Anyway, this is your last chance to register your choices for the sexiest Hibernian humans. The deadline for entries is Friday, June 2 at 5 p.m., and you can reach us for by mail, fax, e-mail or telepathy, if the planets are in alignment.
Just to make things interesting, we’ll choose two entries at random and send them a one year subscription to the Irish Echo Newspaper, plus one Irish CD (it’ll be a surprise!). Fill in your choices, with your name, address and daytime phone number, and mail this entry form to:
Yes, I think They’re Sexy!
Irish Echo Newspaper
309 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016
You can enter via fax at (212) 686-1756, or e-mail your picks, plus your name, address and daytime phone number, to irecho@aol.com. The subject line must read [Last name], Sexy Contest. Deadline for all entries is Friday, June 2, at 5 p.m.