New & Noteworthy: Ooh-la-la prezzies for Westlife hunk

By Eileen Murphy

There’s just no easy way to say this: Westlife cutie Bryan McFadden, the kind of boy all mothers pray their daughters will bring home for Sunday dinner, was busted at a French airport last week. After his bag set off a metal detector, security guards searched it and pulled out a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs. Sacré bleu!

Of course, the red-faced Westie had an explanation for the kinky souvenir.

You see, as soon as the lads arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport, they were mobbed by screaming fans.

"There were loads of them, and they were all pressing presents, teddy bears and things at us," recalled Bryan.

"We signed as many autographs as we could, and then had to dash for the plan because we were late," he continued. "I never opened the presents — I just stuffed them in my bag and ran."

"My bag set off the metal detector so the security guards started rifling through it," he said. "They . . . pulled out these furry handcuffs in front of everyone. I was really embarrassed," said Bryan.

"The other lads thought it was hilarious."

ŒMisbegotten¹, ŒDead¹ cop multiple Tony nods

To absolutely no one¹s surprise, the two big Irish offerings on Broadway this season received fistfuls of Tony Award nominations. Unfortunately, it¹s too late to see ³James Joyce¹s The Dead,² (since it closed a few weeks ago, but you can catch Gabriel Byrne¹s brilliant performance in ³A Moon for the Misbegotten,² at the Walter Kerr Theater (trust us: run, don¹t walk!).

The show, hosted by Rosie O¹Donnell, will be broadcast live from Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 4, so mark your calendars!

James Joyce¹s The Dead

Opened January 11, 2000, Closed April 16, 2000 € Played 120 performances at the Belasco Theatre

Nominations: Best Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (Christopher Walken), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Stephen Spinella), Best Original Score, Best Book of a Musical.

Moon for the Misbegotten

Opened March 19, 2000 at the Walter Kerr Theater

Nominations: Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor in a Play (Gabriel Byrne), Best Actress in a Play (Cherry Jones), best Featured Actor in a Play (Roy Dotrice).

Who wants to host ‘Millionaire’?

Gay Byrne hasn’t given his final answer yet, but we hear that he’s taken himself out of the running for the job of hosting the Irish version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" The spotlight has now fallen on Irish TV news anchor Anne Doyle, who is said to be the most likely choice for the hot seat.

Tyrone Productions, which owns the rights to the show, is said to be very interested in wooing Doyle, the wildly popular anchor of RTE’s 9 O’Clock News. And these Tyrone people have a knack for choosing talent. The company is owned by "Riverdance" power couple Moya Doherty and John McColgan

So, will it be Anne asking the questions? Or is Gay still in the picture? Before you give your final answer, would you like to phone a friend?

Burns and Graham: the story heats up . . .

We hear that Hollywood hunk Ed Burns has all but been approved by the co-op board at the North Moore Street building he’s hoping to move into. Sorry about the fractured grammar, but celebrity real estate deals just get us so flustered . . .

The actor and his girlfriend, Heather Graham, have had their hearts set on the penthouse apartment that belonged to the late John Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn. They (Burns and Graham) have been splitting their time between work commitments in California and a flat on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, and, presumably, they long for the simple pleasures of TriBeCa. Eddie’s come a long way from his shoestring budget "Brothers McMullen" days. (For those of you with short memories, it was the "Blair Witch" of its day.)

Speaking of Burns and Graham, we hear that the happy couple have made a nudie pact, of sorts. It seems that Ed has to approve the script of Heather’s upcoming movie, "Killing Me Softly," or she’s not baring nothin’ for the cameras. This might be a teensy problem, since the film has been described as "Hugely sexy" and "The type of film that’ll make Kim Basinger’s turn in 9 1/2 Weeks look downright teenybopper-esque."

Not that Heather’s averse to showing a bit of skin — anyone remember her memorable turn as Rollergirl in "Boogie Nights?" Let’s just say, there was one scene in which Heather had on just the radio and her roller skates.

How does it feel to be one of the . . .

Speaking of Heather Graham, we’re happy to report that she has been named one of People Magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People. Although the People people didn’t rank the 50 subjects by number, superstar Julia Roberts was numero uno, flashing her trademark grin on the cover of the mag. George "Swoony" Clooney clocking in at number two, while country singer Faith Hill (the only standout performer from the VH1 Divas 2000 Dianathon, is sitting pretty at number three.

Heather, who charts at position 36, told People that she is estranged from her parents — dad’s an ex-FBI agent, mom’s a children’s book author — over her strict Irish Catholic upbringing. She also revealed that though she considers her eyes to be her best feature, she "also like[s] having big boobs," as well.

Among the other Irish-American names on the list, like Tom Cruise (real name: Maypother) and Soledad O’Brien, we were happy to see the dreamy Dylan McDermott, star of NBC’s "The Practice." (Hey, we’ll practice with him any time!)

We were intrigued to learn that the 38-year-old hunk studied acting at Fordham University, which means that, theoretically at least, we could have run into him in the Ramskellar. But then again, he most likely attended the Lincoln Center campus, while we were up at Rose Hill in the Bronx. And while the LC theater crowd boasts sexy stars like Dylan and Oscar nominee Denzel Washington among its alums, the Bronx campus claims Pat "Snyder" Harrington, Alan "M.A.S.H." Alda and G. Gordon "Watergate" Liddy, none of whom will keep you up nights, if you catch our drift.

Briefings

Talk about a rude awakening. Oasis star Liam Gallagher found out, via telephone, that his wife, Patsy, was calling it quits on their marriage. She’s outie (that means out of there, for those of you who don’t understand modern slang) and she’s taking the baby. Liam can’t even try to patch things up in person — he’s in the last leg of the band’s American tour, and he can’t leave. Those of you with long memories will remember that he took off during the band’s last tour . . .

…

"Best," the film bio of hard-living soccer legend George Best, premiered in the subject’s hometown of Belfast last weekend. To celebrate, the producers organized an all-star game before the film. Fellow Belfast native Kenneth Branagh was on hand to show off his fancy footwork, and, by all accounts, acquitted himself admirably.

…

Say what you will about the Celtic Tiger and astronomical house prices in Ireland. We hear that Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan just sold her holiday home in Dingle for half the original asking price. Of course, she had been asking a cool $2 million . . .

…

That Pierce Brosnan wedding we confirmed last week? Yes, it’s still back on, but we forgot to tell you where: Ashford Castle. What, you thought Pierce would be outdone by a Spice Girl? (Just keep reading.)

…

Posh Spice Victoria Adams, who famously tied the knot with her football playing sweetie David Beckham at Luttrelstown Castle in Ireland last year, is back in the news. It seems she’s received an award in Britain as "The Silliest Celebrity of the Year." Posh earned the "Silly Billy" (named after the late Brit holiday resort boss Billy Butlin) for providing the world’s media with "unwitting entertainment and endless comedy moments."

…

More wedding stuff: Boyzone’s Ronan Keating renewed his wedding vows with his wife, model Yvonne Connolly, on the second anniversary of their nuptials. They re-plighted their troth in their local church in Straffan, Co. Kildare, and then repaired to the exclusive K Club for a small black tie party. Friends and family were on hand, including only one fellow ‘Zoner: race car driver Keith Duffy.

…

Cork-born actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who recently starred in the BBC series "Gormenghast," is on the fast track to Hollywood stardom. The broodingly handsome Meyers is set to star opposite Christina Ricci in "Prozac Nation."

…

Poor Andrea Corr. Whenever she so much as comes within 10 feet of a breathing single man, the tabloids start screaming romance. For the record, she’s not dating or "canoodling" with Darryl Downey, the brother-in-law of Irish music promoter Denis Desmond. She’s enjoying a brief holiday in Spain’s Costa Del Sol with her sister Caroline and a bunch of friends. They’re staying with Desmond and his family at their holiday home. Are we all clear?

…

Irish-American millionaire John Shanahan will open a steakhouse called Shanahan’s on the Green in Dublin this summer. The centerpiece of the posh eatery, which will be on St. Stephen’s Green, is the wooden rocker used by the late president John F. Kennedy on Air Force One. The price of the chair, which Shanahan bought at a Kennedy memorabilia auction, is estimated at $1 million.