Pierce Brosnan isn’t ready for Broadway. The famed Irish leading man was in New York this week for the premiere of a new film, “Long Way Down,” which co-stars Toni Collette, Aaron Paul from “Breaking Bad,” and Imogen Poots. New York philanthropist Jean Shafiroff threw a dinner for the movie at East 58th St. hot spot B & Co where I chatted with Pierce and Toni.
Brosnan, a former James Bond, seems like an excellent candidate to do Broadway– a star who’s tall, good looking and can really project his voice. “You don’t think I’d need a microphone?” he intoned. “Should it be Irish theater?” Brosnan just isn’t ready to take a break from movies. He’s got five in the can, and two more ready to roll…
Toni Collette, meantime, ends her run on Broadway this weekend in “The Realistic Joneses” so she can get back to movies. She is so good in this little film. It’s time she had an Oscar…
The Beatles manager Brian Epstein was finally honored properly someone after being dissed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Epstein was honored on Sunday in London with the unveiling of a “Blue Plaque” on the building from which he managed the Beatles between 1964-1967.  The plaque was placed on Sutherland House in Argyll Street in the heart of London’s West End – next door to the famous London Palladium – the theatre where the frenzied reaction to a Beatles appearance on a live UK TV show in October 1963 inspired the word “Beatlemania”
Special messages were read from many of the people whose lives were transformed by his work – including Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Sir George Martin. Â Tributes were also paid by Pattie Boyd, Yoko Ono, Andrew Loog Oldham and many others.
The Blue Plaque salute to Epstein was organized by Britain’s prestigious Heritage Foundation whose mission is to honor the finest members of the UK’s entertainment industry.
Among those attending the salute to Epstein were 60s pop icon Dave Berry (“The Crying Game”), Lennon childhood pal and fellow founding member of the Quarrymen – Rod Davis, Epstein/Beatles associates Geoffrey Ellis and Tony Bramwell, Beatles pal and publisher of Mersey Beat magazine Bill Harry, Beatles biographer Mark Lewisohn.
Keynote speaker was humorist/producer and Beatles scholar Martin Lewis who instigated and ran the ultimately successful 15-year campaign to get Epstein into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and also the creator/host of the official Brian Epstein website.
Said Lewis: My pal Andrew Oldham (Rolling Stones manager/producer) sums it up best:  ‘The Beatles changed our lives.  Brian Epstein changed theirs…'”
FAMED ACTING Teacher George Morrison passed away this week at age 85. Morrison, with lifelong friends Paul Sills and Mike Nichols started the New Actors Workshop together in 1988. Among Morrison’s many successful students over his long, prestigious career was Stanley Tucci, Edie Falco, Gene Hackman, Ving Rhames, and Broadway “Pippin” and “Hair” director Diane Paulus…
