Unfortunately, there is no Pierce Brosnan news to go along with these fabulous photos. Pierce was out and about in New York City yesterday, filming I Don’t Know How She Does It, a comedy starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Olivia Munn and Kelsey Grammer, amongst others. Pierce seems like the odd man out in that pile of mediocrity, which got me to thinking…

Just when did my opinion of Pierce grow to my current view of him? It was at some point in the last few years, all of a sudden I just started thinking he was The Man. I even watched The Ghost Writer (the Polanski film, I know, I know), and I can’t even describe how excellent Pierce was in it. It was one of the best performances of his career. I think once Pierce left the James Bond franchise, he just stopped caring about pleasing everybody and decided to do interesting work.

Beyond the career achievements – and this hopefully brief foray into SJP comedies (ugh) – I have to say, Pierce has never looked better. It’s freezing cold in New York, and Pierce is a one-man biscuit furnace. Sigh… now I’m depressed that no one ever requests him for Hot Guy Friday.

Here are some pics of Sarah Jessica Parker too – um, do you think she could have fixed her hair for the film?

Photos courtesy of WENN and Fame.

Oh, screw you, you sexy bastard. I won’t fall in love with you again, even if I do love your crinkles and your crooked smile and your sexy beard. You’re screwing around on your wife with Melanie Laurent. You defend Roman Polanski. I can’t love you. You’ve already broken my heart.

Yes, so this Ewan McGregor (and Pierce Brosnan and Olivia Williams) at a press conference for the Berlin premiere of The Ghost Writer, a film directed by Roman Polanski before the Swiss caught up with him and placed him jail. It actually looks like a pretty decent thriller, very loosely based on Tony Blair’s post-prime-minister life. Brosnan plays the former prime minister and Ewan plays the “ghost writer” who gets hired to write the prime minister’s memoirs, which the prime minister hopes will be an effective white-wash of his war crimes while in office.

Unfortunately, most of the talk at the press conference was about Polanski. And even more unfortunately, Brosnan and McGregor had nothing but love for him:

Pierce Brosnan, star of Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer”, said he regretted the director could not be at Friday’s premiere at the Berlin Film Festival due to his house arrest, and called him a “great man.”

Brosnan and fellow cast members Ewan McGregor and Olivia Williams said they had jumped at the chance to work with Polanski.

“He’s an intense director, a man who’s lived an intense life. He was exhilarating,” the former James Bond star told reporters. “You wanted to be on top of your game for this great man. It was just a magic experience, one never to be forgotten.”

Polanski, the Oscar-winning director of “Chinatown” and “The Pianist”, completed the thriller at his Swiss chalet while awaiting possible extradition to the United States over a 1977 case of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

It features Brosnan as the former British premier who hires a ghost writer played by McGregor to help him pen his memoirs. But the hired hand quickly finds skeletons in the closet of his new boss, who is being probed for war crimes for involving his country in CIA renditions of terror suspects, and in the process stumbles upon a global conspiracy.

The picture is one of 20 films vying for the coveted Golden Bear top prize at the 60th anniversary Berlinale. The Hollywood Reporter called the movie “the hottest ticket in town.” After the screening, critics praised a suspenseful, often witty script and deft acting but said the picture lagged a bit as the final plot twists unfolded.

They also found certain parallels to the embattled director’s life, with a once-admired public figure who finds himself under fire, isolated and fighting to define his legacy.

McGregor said he had been intimidated at first by the notoriously short-tempered film-maker but had never learned more from a director.

“I think it’s a great pity he’s not here to launch the film with us because I feel that he’s as responsible for my performance in this film as I am,” he said. “I left having felt like I’d been really stretched and pushed and challenged as an actor.”

Williams said there was a fashion in directing today to coddle actors.

“After a take, they’ll say ‘That’s great, maybe you’d like to try it like this’,” Williams said. “Roman was the first director I’ve known that, when you’re actually acting, will stop the camera and say ‘No, no, no!’” she said, mimicking the French-Polish director’s accent. “It’s quite alarming when it first happens.”

Filmed in Germany, “The Ghost Writer” sees its prime minister in a kind of exile in the United States, fearing possible extradition to an international war crimes tribunal. Polanski himself had to flee the United States while at the height of his powers in Hollywood, unable to return without risking prison.

The movie, based on British writer Robert Harris’s bestseller “The Ghost”, had been considered as the festival opener until organisers got cold feet.

“It might have been understood as a statement about something that we didn’t want to get mixed up in,” festival director Dieter Kosslick said in the run-up to the Berlinale’s start Thursday with the Chinese drama “Apart Together.”

Polanski’s long-time producer Robert Benmussa said the director’s arrest in Zurich in September had created unexpected complications in finishing the film in time for its Berlinale premiere.

“Despite his incarceration, Roman continued to work on the film though courier packages that we sent to him in prison through his Swiss lawyer. Then, when he was in his chalet, he continued to work on the movie, putting the last touches (on) the final print,” he said.

[From AFP Via Google News]

In Ewan and Pierce’s defense, neither of them signed the Polanski petition, and neither of them offered a defense of Polanski the man, the criminal, the child rapist. They just seem to be defending him as an artist, which I can kind of understand, I guess. I can do that too – separate the artist from the scummy human being, but in Polanski’s case, it’s quite a tall order.

Ewan has previously discussed the Polaski situation, saying that he was “pretty upset” about Polanski’s Swiss arrest, and “I don’t like to think of him sitting in a prison cell. But I wouldn’t comment upon it because it’s a very complicated issue, you know? It seems odd. He’s been living in Switzerland for years and I’ve visited him there, so this is all very strange.” You know what else is strange, Ewan? A married man walking arm-in-arm with another woman. Just sayin’.

Ewan, Pierce and Olivia in Berlin for the ‘Ghost Writer’ press conference on February 12, 2010. Credit: WENN.

Quentin Tarantino has been giving a round of interviews to promote his soon-to-be released film Inglourious Basterds. For the most part, Quentin has been living it up in London for the first leg of the publicity tour. One British outlet described Quentin as “a wild-eyed, erratic chap darting around like a man possessed.” Hey, he’s a tourist! He’s having fun! According to a report from the Metro, Quentin dinned solo at The Glassblower pub, and was utterly unrecognized, except by one person, who said, “We just noticed a scruffy American guy sitting on his own in a corner drink­ing a pint of bitter, eating fish and chips and talking loudly to himself in different voices.” Yep, that sounds like Quentin.

While doing some formal interviews, however, Quentin sort of went off on an interesting tangent. Quentin took credit for Casino Royale, claiming that the James Bond franchise producers had given up on that Ian Fleming book until Quentin began talking about it, years ago. Quentin also said that if he had been asked to do Casino Royale, he would have wanted to do it with Pierce Brosnan, not Daniel Craig:

Daniel Craig wouldn’t be playing James Bond — if director Quentin Tarantino had his way. The eccentric movie maker said he would like to have directed Casino Royale — but with Pierce Brosnan as the suave British spy.

“The reason they did Casino Royale all comes down to me,” Quentin said.

“I made it a point, I said I wanted to do Casino Royale. They were already on record as saying the movie was unfilmable but then after I said it and talked about it for a little bit — then the big thing on all the internets was that that was what all the fans wanted to see and so that’s when they said, ‘Oh, maybe it’s not so un-filmable.’”

“Actually if I had done the film, I wouldn’t have done it with Daniel Craig, I would have done it with Pierce Brosnan.”

Tarantino also confessed to being a fan of romantic comedies.

“These rom-coms get a bad rap but actually I’ve been a fan of romantic comedies since the 30s — they usually work on wordplay and everything like that, so I actually think I’d be really good at it,” he said.

“It is a guilty pleasure. I used to find it hard to actually go to the movies by myself, you want to have a date with you so you have an excuse to go.”

[From Showbiz Spy]

First, I don’t think Quentin meant any disrespect to Daniel Craig, I think he was just talking in general about some discussions he had with the Bond producers. Because Daniel Craig and Quentin Tarantino should make a film together… that would be incredible. Secondly, how much would you love a romantic comedy from Quentin? Would he even be able to make a film without gore and violence? I suppose a romantic comedy could have some gore or violence, but not Tarantino-level stuff. Perhaps Quentin could cast Daniel!

Here’s Quentin with Diane Kruger at the UK Premiere of ‘Inglorious Basterds’ on July 23rd. Images thanks to WENN.com .

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, y’all! To celebrate, let’s drink some green beer and get into a drunken debate about who, exactly, is the sexiest Irishman. My vote is for Colin Farrell, but it seems like there’s actual hard data on this stuff. A poll was commissioned for St. Patrick’s Day to find the sexiest Irish celebrities. Pierce Brosnan won! What the …? He really wasn’t that awesome as James Bond, and anyone who disagrees can fight me in a drunken Irish death match. The Press Association has more:

Pierce Brosnan is the sexiest Irish celebrity, according to a new poll.

Over a quarter of UK women decided the Mamma Mia! man is the sexiest Irish star as he beat Swat star Colin Farrell and Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating to first place.

The women polled decided to forgive his questionable singing in the smash hit film and instead remembered his suave performance as James Bond to name him the hottest man from across the ocean.

Sadly there was bad news for X Factor judge Louis Walsh, who didn’t manage to swing a single vote. Even TV presenter Terry Wogan managed to wangle 2 per cent, and Bono and Bob Geldof managed 1 per cent.

The top three sexiest Irish women, as voted by the men, were deemed to be Andrea Corr, the One Show’s Christine Bleakley and Girls Aloud’s Nadine Coyle. Bangor beauty and Dancing On Ice star Zoe Salmon also scored highly.

The YouGov survey was commissioned by Irish London-based communications consultancy, Eulogy!, to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

From The Press Association Hosted By Google

I have absolutely no idea who those women are. But back to the men… friggin’ Bono and Bob Geldof get one percent each, and yet there’s no mention of Liam Neeson? No Jonathan Rhys Meyers? I realize Jonathan is struggling right now, but he’s still hot. Here’s another name that goes utterly unmentioned: Daniel Day-Lewis. Daniel wasn’t born an Irish citizen, but he became one in 1993. Honorary Irish Daniel with mind-blowing talent is better than Natural-born Irish, stuffy gentleman Pierce Brosnan.

And what’s with nobody showing Colin Farrell any love anymore? He’s really talented, and he’s gotten his life back together. Even sober, I bet he’s a lot more fun than Pierce Brosnan.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Pierce Brosnan is shown out with his wife at Sundance on 1/16, 1/17, and 1/18/09. I think he’s sexy! Credit: WENN.com

The world premiere of Mamma Mia! held at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, England was a huge success with hundreds of fans all the way from Waterloo to the celebs spending tons of Money, Money, Money on their wardrobe, hair and jewelery. Meryl Streep can do no wrong in her acting career. On the red carpet however, she’s made bigger mistakes than Barbara Walters letting Rosie O’Donnell leave The View.

My first thought is: “Didn’t her stylist see Madonna’s Nothing Really Matters Video? WTF? It’s been done!” My second thought is: “Damn, those Christian Louboutin shoes are kickin’! ‘Atta Girl!”

Amanda Seyfried looks like a barmaid who had to work late on St. Patrick’s Day.

Judging by Colin Firth’s wife Livia Giuggioli’s dress, she really isn’t that happy to be there or that busy of a bee. I mean if she were, she wouldn’t have to advertise it.

Christine Baranski looks lovely, dignified and uber classy. LOVE the color, LOVE the couture trojan feel (yes, I just said Couture Trojan), and any amateur would have paired this sheath with silver shoes, but Ms. Baranksi took the high road with the Midas touch.

Pierce Brosnan looks completely dashing. I’m not digging the busy floral print on wife Keely Shaye-Smith’s dress. She runs the risk of having Colin Firth’s wife trying to pollinate her at the after party.

Mamma Mia opens nationwide in the US on July 18th and Knowing Me, Knowing You, we’ll both be there.

Here’s the trailer:

Thanks to WENN for these pics.

Pierce Brosnan is doing a pretty good job feeling sorry for himself. He gave a “woe is me” interview to Parade Magazine, bemoaning the ageism that’s rampant through Hollywood. Women have dealt with it from the beginning, but apparently it’s trickling down to the men, too. Pierce didn’t know that he would be replaced as James Bond at a mere 51-years-old. Though he still had a decent film career, Brosnan talks about the trauma and sadness of being kicked out for a younger model.

While Sean Connery and Roger Moore played James Bond well into their 50s (58 and 53, respectively), Pierce was revoked of his license to kill at age 51 for the then-37-year-old Daniel Craig, which definitely took him by surprise.

“I didn’t see that coming,” the actor tells Parade magazine. “I never thought of myself as being too old. It was startling to hear such things said about oneself, especially when you thought you were going down that particular avenue and then the door gets slammed in your face.”

The Irish stud knew his days as 007 were numbered, but figured producers would give him one last hurrah before passing the torch. “I thought we were going to do a fifth film,” he says. “And I was going to take a gracious bow off the stage. Instead of that you’re just told, ‘Goodbye.’”

Now 55, Pierce has since traded in tuxes for t-shirts, living with wife Keely and their sons Dylan, 11, and Paris, 7, in Hawaii. His next flick, a big-screen production of Mamma Mia! hits theaters July 18, and he has made peace with his Bond axing. “That’s the way it goes down in life,” he says. “It’s as hard and as fast as that.”

[From OK! Magazine]

It’s hard to tell if it’s OK’s spin on the story, but it comes off like Pierce Brosnan is throwing himself quite the pity party. Here he is on the beach in Hawaii with his son today. Images thanks to Splash.

Pierce Brosnan seems to be displaying some of his James Bond character’s wiliness – he’s not going to be charged for the alleged sucker punch he delivered to a photographer’s ribs who superficially complimented him. Personally, if you’re offering me compliments, superficial or not, the last thing I’m going to do is punch you in the ribs.

The photographer, Robert Rosen, then allegedly kicked Pierce in the stomach before fleeing the scene, possibly throwing his hands up the skies and demanding “What happened to your debonair charm? 007 is always cool and calm in the face of danger!” Perhaps he didn’t understand that Pierce was an actor taking his son out to dinner, not actually James Bond.

And while we seem to know the details of the October 26 incident, it seems the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department is not so well informed.

“After a complete review of the investigation done by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, there is insufficient evidence to prove this case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt,” Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney James Garrison said in court papers.

[From Reuters]

I’m glad that the matter isn’t going to be pursued, it seems like something of a waste of valuable court time. I actually like Pierce Brosnan’s Films so I’d be a little sorry if they were put on hiatus. He is scheduled to appear in The Thomas Crown Affair 2 next year, but it’s listed as being in pre-production and could possibly be delayed by the writer’s strike. Filming is said to start in January of next year.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Pierce Brosnan is shown at that BAFTA Awards on 11/1/07, thanks to WENN.

Pierce Brosnan never really struck me as one of those actors that would knee you in the crotch if you asked him for an autograph – but then again I’ve never seen a single James Bond movie so I probably just don’t know better. You just closed this story and blocked this site, didn’t you? Just because I don’t know 007? I know the reference, does that help? No? Well I’m writing this while drinking my fifth martini of the morning, if that helps for anything.

It seems like a lot of otherwise fairly nice-seeming celebrities are going a little berserk on the paparazzi lately – and I can’t really blame them. It seems like the paps have really taken the stalking up a notch in the last few years. I can understand that it must be incredibly frustrating to go to dinner with your kid and have 20 people following you and flashing bright lights in your face. Though to be fair, I don’t think Pierce Brosnan gets the Whitney Bears treatment. It’s not like his career is floundering, but I’d say if one or two guys are still following you, buy them a steak. But Brosnan is a little more “punch them in the ribs” than that.

Apparently, Pierce Brosnan likes his shutterbugs shaken and stirred. The erstwhile James Bond is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for purportedly popping a paparazzo last Friday outside a trendy Malibu eatery.

“[Brosnan] is alleged to have committed a battery against a male adult,” said Sheriff’s Dept. spokesman Steve Whitmore. “We’re investigating it, and we’ve taken a report which we’ll refer to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office for review.” He refused to release further details.

According to TMZ, the photographer in question, Robert Rosen of Ability Films, was reportedly tailing Brosnan and his young son when the incident occurred at about 6:15 p.m. near the entrance to the Casa Escobar Mexican restaurant.

The Website claims the cameraman approached the 54-year-old actor and complimented him on his Bond roles, prompting a tart reply from Brosnan. Eyewitnesses tell TMZ that Brosnan stopped short of using his license to kill, instead allegedly punching Rosen in the ribs. The photographer retaliated with a kick to Brosnan’s stomach before fleeing the scene, the witnesses claim.

[From E! News]

I wonder what this so-called “tart reply” was. Brosnan is British, so the tart reply may literally have been a comment about tarts. I’m guessing apple, but he could have been talking about cherry tarts too. Either way, nothing makes a British man madder than someone insulting tarts. Baked goods must be protected at all costs, and Brosnan would have been less than a man if he didn’t punch the photog in the ribs over it. Yes I know I missed the point. But I’m pretty sure getting punched in the ribs over a tart is about as stupid as getting punched in the ribs over a compliment. So I’m going with the tart on this one.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Pierce and wife Keely Shaye Smith at Sir Elton John’s Madison Square Garden 60th Birthday Concert on March 25th. Image thanks to PR Photos.

Can James Bond ever be a sensible married man? Wouldn’t it ruin those cheesy lines? What will he do to fill in those dull evenings when he’s away from the missus and no bad guys are near?

Whoops, I seem to have Bond’s glamorous life confused with Daniel Craig’s somewhat more prosaic one. He has a long term girlfriend, and reports from Britain indicate they may be engaged.

The British actor reportedly proposed to film producer Satsuki Mitchell during a romantic break in Italy.

Mitchell has been spotted wearing a huge ring on her wedding finger ever since the summer vacation.

It will be second time up the aisle for Craig who married British actress Fiona Louden with whom he has a child.

Their daughter Ella was born in 1992.

Female First

His fiancé may have some competition – when has Bond ever been known for his monogamy? – after Daniel confessed to being turned on by his co-star Nicole Kidman.

In an interview with W magazine, Craig says: “Nicole turns me on. Not in a sordid, horrible way — well, come to think of it!”

Herald Sun

Daniel is currently filming the next Bond instalment, which should be full of more bangs and fast cars. After all, he’s the greatest Bond of all time, or at least the one that pulls the most cash at the box office. If you ask my mum, she likes Pierce Brosnan, grandma likes Roger Moore, and I’m partial to Sean Connery. If only because of this fabulous quote, about his good looks winning him film roles. In the early 1960′s Sean told Ruth Park “I reckon I have about five more years work in my face.”

Well, we’re all wrong sometimes. It’s not always a bad thing.

Former James Bond Pierce Brosnan is going to be voicing Thomas the Tank engine.

Pierce is the latest in a long-line of distinguished talents, including former Beatle Ringo Starr, Alec Baldwin and Michael Brandon, to take on the role since the TV series first aired in 1984.

Brosnan said: “One of my fondest memories as a father was sharing the stories of Thomas the Tank Engine and watching the series with my children when they were young.

“I am thrilled by the opportunity to be the narrator for this beloved series, following in the shoes of so many famous names and helping introduce Thomas and Friends to many more generations of children.”

New Zealand Herald

Did anyone ever see Pierce’s other foray into cartoon voiceovers? On The Simpsons, when he voiced a murderous household appliance that falls in love with Marge and tries to put Homer in the garbage disposal? Could we have a sinister tank engine? I grew up with the little blue engine, voiced at the time by Ringo Starr, so I am really not quite sure about Pierce Brosnan. I keep imagining him hitting on the other engines Bond-style, demanding shaken martinis and packing guns in his coal bins. I guess for a whole generation of children Pierce will be Thomas, not Bond, the same way that for me Ringo is always going to be Thomas’ voice, instead of a Beatle worthy of inspiring mania.

Note by Celebitchy: George Carlin is the narrator on the US version of Thomas the Tank Engine. Don’t ask me how I know this.