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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Brosnan and Jagger duel over Dylan Thomas' dwelling!
April 09, 2004
Pierce Brosnan and Neil Morrissey seem to be walking on a common ground. And their common ground involves none other than Dylan Thomas.
According to a report in The Sun, the duo are competing to buy a hotel where their poet hero Dylan once dwelled.
The Hollywood biggies are likely to claim a stake for Brown's Hotel in Laugharne in West Wales, when it goes under the hammer in May.
Meanwhile, sources insist that Rolling Stonian Mick Jagger has also expressed desire to acquire the famous hotel. "Brosnan and Morrissey are definitely in the frame," a local estate agent said. (ANI)
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| April 22nd, 2004 06:06 AM |
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| Zeeta |
Looks like he missed out at the auction!
Morrissey is new owner of Brown's
In pictures: TV star buys Browns
TV actor Neil Morrissey says he is "very excited" to have bought the pub, which is believed to have inspired famous Welsh writer Dylan Thomas.
The star of Men Behaving Badly bought Brown's Hotel in Laugharne, west Wales, for £670,000 at auction.
The Grade II listed building was put on the market last May by landlord Tommy Watts, but failed to sell.
The pub, which was sold as a going concern, had been expected to sell for £400,000.
I'm very excited to be expanding the business in what I consider to be my second home
Neil Morrissey
Mr Morrissey, who was not at the sale because he had been recording the children's TV series Bob The Builder, was represented by his business partner Matt Roberts.
They already own the Hurst Hotel in the village and the New Three Mariners pub nearby.
Mr Morrissey said on Thursday: "I'm very excited to be expanding the business in what I consider to be my second home."
Mr Roberts spoke to the actor immediately after Wednesday evening's sale.
He said: "He just whooped very loudly, and has now gone dancing in a club in London."
Bidding quickly started at £350,000 before reaching the selling price, which Mr Roberts called "spot on."
The Dylan Thomas connection played a "massive" part, he admitted.
He said: "That's why we moved down here in the first place, it's a very proud moment."
The pub has changed little since Thomas used to drink there
Mr Roberts said they intended to retain the character of the 250-year-old building and described Laugharne as potentially "the biggest tourist attraction in Wales."
More than 300 people packed the Memorial Hall in the village for the sale.
Former owner Mr Watts, 73, told how Thomas regularly watched the pub's clientele to get ideas for his characters in his radio play Under Milk Wood.
"He was always in the corner," he said.
"He would take out a little pad and would write a comment."
Mr Watts, who has owned the pub for more than 30 years, added that the pub had not changed at all since Thomas, who died in 1953, was a regular.
Famous visitors to the inn since have included Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Mick Jagger and Pierce Brosnan.
Dylan Thomas was inspired by people in Laugharne
But Mr Watts said that there was no special treatment for celebrities.
"Everyone is just treated as normal, they love coming here," he said.
Although born in Swansea, Thomas and his wife Caitlin moved to Carmarthenshire in 1938, raising their family in the Boat House overlooking the estuary.
Estate agent Terry Thomas said Brown's was "an integral part of life for many people in Laugharne".
Mr Watts said he was happy with the price and will stay in the village but he and his wife plan to use some of the money to visit their son and grandchildren in Australia.
His wife Marissa said they planned to throw a party for pub regulars the weekend before they left and all the drink would be on the house.
"They can drink the bar dry," she added.
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| April 22nd, 2004 06:54 AM |
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| nankerphelge |
Maybe Mick should buy a barber shop:
Scottish men may soon be able to get a little nudity with their crew cuts.
Churchgoers, feminists and politicians have united in protest against Scotland's first planned topless barbershop, reports The Scotsman newspaper.
The shop, to be called "A Bit Off the Top," will charge customers £25 — about $40 — for either a haircut or a private-booth massage. Both will be provided by former exotic dancers retrained to clip locks.
"We are quite shocked about this," a spokeswoman for Glasgow Women's Aid (search) told the newspaper. "It's really degrading for women. It caters for a certain type of immature behavior among men who can't see women as equal to men."
A minister in the town of Paisley, where the shop will be located, deemed the entire concept "sordid."
Especially galling to Scottish sensibilities was an oversized banner the shop owners hung a couple of weeks ago, depicting a topless woman cupping her breasts.
"The banner doesn't even show the woman's face, it only shows what these people consider to be important about her," said Sandra White, a member of the Scottish parliament. "This shop will be being watched closely and if there is anything untoward going on, we'll get rid of it."
The company opening the barbershop says it's already taken a lot of reservations for haircuts and insists the whole thing is "harmless fun." |
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ROOM aka THE FUN HOUSE] [
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