New & Noteworthy: Westlife manager: Who’s that girl?

By Eileen Murphy

Boyzone/Westlife manager Louis Walsh isn’t particularly old, but he is very old school when it comes to the management of his stable of teen idols. Specifically, he wants his young heartthrobs to stay officially footloose and fancy free – unencumbered by wives, fiancées or steady girlfriends – so that all their 13-year-old fans can dream about them (the heartthrobs, not the girlfriends).

Which is why Walsh is strenuously denying the story that the cutest of the Westlifers – Sligoman Shane Filan – recently popped the question to his hometown sweetie, Gillian. Walsh was shocked – yes, shocked! – to hear that Filan presented Gil with a ring. Sure, they’re not engaged at all, at all.

"Nicky, now – he is going out with someone," Walsh admitted. Like, duh. He’s practically attached to Georgina Aherne (yes, daughter of an taoiseach). But Shane? Uh-uh. Well, someone should break the news to Gillian, since she’s been spotted wearing a diamond on the money finger.

In more Westlife lovelife news, we hear that cute blond Cian is no longer an item with Walsh’s other teen act, rising star Samantha Mumba. He does, however, have a new girlfriend, and she’s also a Sligo native. Must be something in the water out there in the west.

Bono’s hot wheels

Those of you who were worried that Bono would have nothing to drive after donating his vintage Mercedes-Benz to the Concern auction – wake up and smell the decaf, non-fat latte with the sprinkle of cinnamon. The guy’s a multi-millionaire rock star, after all, and, as such, won’t be scrambling for an upstairs window seat on a double decker any time soon, if you catch our drift.

In fact, we hear that our favorite pin-up has splashed out on a new car: a fully loaded Mercedes-Benz CL600 that includes thoughtful amenities like built-in back massagers in the seats and an on-board computer. A Nissan Sentra this ain’t.

The Mercedes people must be thrilled by Bono’s brand loyalty, especially since the basic CL600 model retails for a cool £144,295. With all the upgrades and extras, Bono’s new wheels probably set him back about £200,000. Geez – imagine if he’s wanted the matching floormats . . .

One interesting thing: the Sunday Independent reports that Bono originally got the car in a zippy burgundy shade but just couldn’t warm up to the color. He returned the car to the dealer, and one week later received a replacement in a toasty shade of brown. Hey, when you’re spending that kind of dough, they should be able to dye it to match your eyes, if you so desire.

Freakish success

British singer David Gray is grateful to Irish fans for launching him on the road to success, but he wouldn’t want to live among them.

Not that the 32-year-old Londoner is ungrateful. It’s just that he enjoys a quiet life, and that’s something he knows wouldn’t get in Ireland.

"I’m too well-known there," he explains. "I have to say, though, that I haven’t had the experience of being mobbed and long may that continue."

Gray, who recently appeared at Irving Plaza in NYC, admits that success eluded him until he hit it big in Ireland. His popularity there helped launch him in the UK.

"After all this time knocking on the door, to be finally inside among all the freaks is bloody marvelous," he laughs.

Sinead: hot under the collar?

The Sinead O’Connor saga continues apace. We hear that the pop star/lesbian-no-wait-make-that-straight-no-make-that-lesbian-no-now-she’s-straight-again/priest has been excommunicated from the Tridentine church.

We’re not sure what precipitated the split, but it does raise some important questions, such as: Will she still wear the Roman collar? And will she fall back on her psychic skills to earn a living? And, if she really is psychic, why didn’t she see this coming? Oy, it’s all too confusing.

Daniel’s good deeds

Whether you’re a fan of his or not, you have to admit that Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell is a really nice guy. Now, we’re not talking about his carefully cultivated public persona, which is geared to appeal to women of a certain age, all of whom want to just hug the stuffin’ out of him. We’re talking about his actions, which – cliches be damned – really do speak louder than words.

Over the last few years, O’Donnell has devoted himself to raising money to care for Romanian orphans. His Romanian Challenge Appeal has collected more than £1.1 million, which provides accommodation and job training for the orphans. Now, he is set to buy a farm that will house even more children and teens, and which will give them practical work experience. The government of Romania has awarded O’Donnell the Freedom of Siret in recognition of his good works.

Closer to home, O’Donnell will open his home, in Kincasslagh, Co. Donegal, to thousands of adoring, thirsty fans on Thursday as he hosts his customary "Open Day." Fans will travel from far and near to have a cup of tea with their idol, with one British travel company planning to ferry more than 40 busloads of fans for the big event. The tea party will last from 1-4 p.m., and in that time, O’Donnell will personally greet more than 5,000 fans.

Candid camera

The British version of the TV voyeur-fest "Big Brother" has spawned an unlikely superstar: a Dublin woman who describes herself as an "easygoing, gay, game-for-a-laugh ex-novice nun." Talk about something for everyone.

Anna Nolan, a native of Crumlin, has apparently become a fan favorite on the other side of the pond. Her good qualities: "I’m sweet, kinky, devilish and dirty deep down – but gentle and kind to boot," she says. Her bad qualities? "Unreliable, picks toenail, the odd drunken [rhymes with part]." Geez, how could anyone turn the dial?

Anna says that she left Loreto Sisters after a year because she found life there too restricting and she’d develop "crushes on other nuns." Well, that would be a problem. She hopes to win the £88,000 first prize, but she’s got strong competition from another Irish contestant, a 31-year-old farmer’s son from Omagh, Thomas McDermott.

We can’t tell you much yet about McDermott, except that he’s got a girlfriend, but he’s not a fanatic about it. "I’m open to offers," he revealed. The line forms to the left, ladies.