New&Noteworthy: Irish Stars: Glamour at the Globes

According to sources at the Internet Movie Database (among others), Dreamworks bought the rights to the soon-to-be-released biography, “The Uniter: The Genius of Abraham Lincoln,” with the Irish actor in mind.
Speaking of the Belfast-born actor, his presence at Sunday night’s Golden Globes was the high point for me. Nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Drama, thanks to his riveting performance in “Kinsey,” Liam was on hand with his beautiful and talented wife, actress Natasha Richardson (suddenly, I sound like Cindy Adams) as well as her sister, “Nip/Tuck” actress Joely Richardson.
Unfortunately, the award went to Neeson’s “Gangs of New York” co-star, Leonardo DiCaprio, but the real prize is up for grabs next month. Yes, it’s that Other Golden Statue (nickname: Oscar). And, with critics raving about Liam’s “Kinsey” performance, it sounds like he’s a very strong contender.
In more Golden Globes news, this year’s show was pretty tame, in comparison to days of yore. There were no real fashion emergencies, since these days, everyone’s got a stylist. But for every Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: SVU”) draped in impeccably tailored Vera Wang, there’s a Natalie Portman (“Closer”) sporting a frock that looked suspiciously like curtains.
The best part of the show is actually the pre-show, because it’s fun to watch the arrivals. In the last few years, the collaring of celebrities on the red carpet has become a blood sport. “Access Hollywood” anchor Nancy O’Dell was in her element, chatting easily with the big names. Nancy’s most uncomfortable moments occurred when she blanked on the name of “Will & Grace” star Sean Hayes (as she was interviewing him) and when she asked “Medium” star Patricia Arquette if she believed in psychic phenomenon. Arquette gave her a deer-in-the-headlights look and blurted, “I’m just thinking about getting to my seat.”
Mother-daughter tag team Joan and Melissa Rivers of TV Guide Network were giddy (and grabby), but in a good, crude, familiar way. By far the most entertaining interviewing came from The E! Channel’s Star Jones. She began her interview with “Star Wars” actor Ewan McGregor by asking him to reveal the top-secret plot of the upcoming “Star Wars” film. The hunky Scot reacted as though she’d asked him for his PIN number, which left Jones uncharacteristically flustered.
The sentimental favorite to win in the Best Supporting Actress (miniseries) contest was the luminous Anjelica Huston, who took the prize for her work in “Iron-Jawed Angels.” The actress, who has strong ties to Ireland thanks to a childhood spent largely in Galway, has been making news in the New York theater scene recently. She is the producer of the off-Broadway play, “Belfast Blues.” (See review on Page 19.)
Surprisingly, Terry George’s brilliant “Hotel Rwanda” failed to take home any Globes, despite nominations in the best film, best actor and best original song categories. But, as with Liam Neeson’s “Kinsey,” it’s a good possibility that the Academy Awards voters will take a closer look. (Go, Terry!) Pre-Oscars, Neeson and George will have a showdown, of sorts, when their films compete for top honors at the Berlin Film festival. And may the best Belfast man win.

Briefings
Pierce Turner fans will have even more reasons to rejoice during this St. Patrick’s Day season as the Wexford-born singer releases his new album, “The Boy to Be With.” Irish music magazine Hot Press reports that the CD will include “The Ballad of Rory Gallagher,” a tribute to the late guitar great. The song will incorporate samples from some of Gallager’s best-known work.

Actor Ryan O’Neal, father of Tatum and star of overrated tearjerkers like “Love Story,” will soon tie the knot with his off-again, on-again sweetie, Farrah Fawcett. And since no one can possibly do anything in private anymore, the wedding will be filmed for the bride’s upcoming reality TV series, “Chasing Farrah.” (How romantic.) The couple, who split in 1997 after a 17-year relationship that produced one child, reconciled last year.

Pierce Brosnan probably wouldn’t admit it, but he must be feeling some secret satisfaction at the news that the James Bond franchise is in danger of going to hell in a handbasket.
The martinis aren’t the only things getting shaken as producer Barbara Broccoli and distributor MGM battle over the direction for the decades-old series. Broccoli envisions more serious, story-driven productions, while the studio wants to go with even bigger doses of special effects, gadgets and skin. Practically the only thing the two sides agree on is the necessity of finding a new star.
Happily, that’s all behind Pierce, who will start shooting the sequel to his big hit, “The Thomas Crown Affair,” next year. There’s no other cast listed yet for “The Topkapi Affair,” but it’s doubtful that “Crown” alum Renee Russo will return as Pierce’s love interest, since she’ll be 52 when filming starts — two years younger than her studly co-star. But everyone knows that actresses’ ages are, unfortunately, measured in dog years by the viewing public . . .

Maybe I’m just in a Beatlific mood this week (see Paul McCartney story, opposite page), but when I heard that Delta Goodrem wants to cool things off with Brian McFadden, I thought: it’s always entertaining to see instant karma come around and bite someone on the bum.
Brian, the Irish pop star who dumped both his band (Westlife) and his wife (Kerry Katona) last year, has confirmed his romance with Aussie starlet Delta Goodrem. But while Brian confesses to being seriously smitten with the 20-year-old sex kitten, she’s determined to keep her eyes on the prize. And that prize is not a soon-to-be-divorced father of two.
“I’m concentrating on my work,” she told IrelandOnline. “I can’t do any more than that. Music is my passion.”
Meanwhile, Brian is finding out that if there’s one thing worse than a woman scorned, it’s her scorned foster parents. Fred and Margaret Woodhull, who raised the former Atomic Kitten star, have charged that Brian’s affair with Delta sent Kerry into a downward spiral of depression, necessitating a rehab stint at London’s Priory clinic.
“Brian’s an absolute bastard,” snarled Kerry’s foster mother. “He’s been portrayed as someone who still cares about Kerry, but he’s a spineless, rotten man.”
The Woodhulls said that they’re keeping a close eye on their daughter.
“She’s a broken woman,” said Fred. “We can see it in her eyes — it will be very hard to bounce back.” Needless to say, they won’t be buying a copy of his solo CD, “Irish Son,” anytime soon.
In happier Kerry news, the singer will star in a reality special in which she will undergo a high society makeover. The show, which will be filmed in Austria, will feature the bouncy former lap dancer taking etiquette and elocution lessons in order to pass as an upper-class Brit. You know, sort of like one of the Royals, except without the questionable party attire.
Kerry says she’s up for the Eliza Doolittle-esque transformation. Although the producers may have their work cut out for them.
“I admit that my table manners and my Ps and Qs aren’t up to scratch and that I burp in public,” she said. (But she did enunciate it very clearly.)

Now that Brad Pitt is single again (at least, until I get my claws into him), he’s not quite sure what to do with himself. During a promotional tour of Japan in support of “Ocean’s Twelve,” he barred Western journalists from his press conference. Presumably, this was because foreign journos wouldn’t dream of asking pointed questions about his messy split from Jennifer Aniston, his rumored infatuation with Angelina Jolie, or his shocking lack of a prenup. (Yeah, right.)
On the upside, Brad will perform a public service spot — in the guise of a commercial — for all the women out there who will be forced to sit through the Super Bowl, despite all the perfectly good movies on Lifetime. Brad will appear in a Heineken ad, which will show him being chased through the streets by a frenzied mob.
The kicker, if you’ll pardon the football reference, will be that they’re just after the six-pack. The beer six-pack, that is. I mean, you can’t have anything salacious or off-color at the Super Bowl, for goodness sake.

If Heather Mills had known what she was letting herself in for when she married superstar Paul McCartney, she might have said “I don’t” instead of “I do” at their wedding in Castle Leslie.
The former model, 37, who devotes most of her time to charity work on behalf of amputees in poor countries, is sick of being lambasted in the press at the drop of a hat.
“I feel as though I am stuck in prison and then eventually they go after someone else,” she told the Evening Standard. “There have been so many times I have regretted meeting Paul,” she added. “I was so happy in my own life.”
What really makes the current Mrs. Macca see red are the veiled — and sometimes no so veiled — implications that she married him purely for his money.
“That is like saying my husband is only a pot of gold, that he is not sexy, can’t sing, has no humor and is not loving or romantic,” she fumed.
For his part, Sir Cute One (sorry — couldn’t resist), who married Heather three years ago in Monaghan, his mother’s home county, wishes that people would lighten up on the light of his life.
“She is a really good person,” he said. “The thing is that Heather is for real. If someone is distressing her, she really takes it to heart.”

Colin Farrell’s latest movie, “Alexander,” may have earned just $2.98 at the box office, but the part it played in burnishing his macho image is, well, priceless.
It seems that director Oliver Stone forgot that carrying a film’s master reel through an airport x-ray machine is a recipe for disaster. So he did, and it was, and over two hours’ worth of footage was destroyed — including a pivotal battle scene. Trouble was, Colin had broken his ankle (drunken antics at the crew hotel — don’t ask), which meant he was hobbling around in a cast.
But the Dublin actor wasn’t about to let a bad kicker keep him down. He gritted his teeth and jumped right back into his toga — and into the fray. (Irish guys are so macho.) This earned Colin some major points with the Oscar-winning director.
“We had to reshoot a whole day of filming to recuperate a major battle scene,” Stone told IrelandOnline. “Colin was very brave attempting to film with a broken ankle. There is a real man.” (Or, as Austin Powers would put it, he’s a man, baby, yeah.)