While strolling on the beach in St. Tropez on Wednesday, Liam Neeson smacked a big wet kiss on a special lady friend.



When in France ...

The director who wanted Mel Gibson for the sequel to "The Hangover" -- and then changed his mind and humiliated him by dropping him from the project -- has changed his mind yet again ... and now Liam Neeson is out of the role originally slated for Mel in the first place.


You'll remember ... director Todd Phillips wussed out and dropped Mel after the cast objected to him for personal reasons. So Phillips brought Neeson on board and shot Mel's scenes with Neeson. But Phillips's fickle finger struck again and the director decided he wanted Neeson to re-shoot his role.

Sadly, planning wasn't Todd's strong suit and Liam couldn't re-shoot his role because he was already filming "Clash of the TItans 2."

The cursed role has been given to actor Nick Cassavetes ... for now. But if you're a male actor in your 50s, keep your headshot handy, just in case.

Days after  Mel Gibson was axed from"The Hangover 2" thanks to cast pressure -- co-stars Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis teamed up for a for a different reason ... to party in Hollywood.



Brad and Zach were mum about their new castmate Liam Neeson as they left the Chateau Marmont last night -- running for cover from the weather -- but what they lacked in verbosity, they made up for in pimp rides ... a Toyota Prius and a Subaru Outback.

Liam Neeson arrived in L.A. yesterday, all set to take Mel Gibson's spot on "The Hangover 2."


What do tigers dream of when they take their little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit?

Fun fact -- Liam Neeson's rep is also Mel Gibson's rep ... and judging by the statement he just released about Liam's role in "The Hangover 2" -- there's still some bitterness over the unceremonious Gibson firing.



Moments ago, the rep -- Alan Nierob -- confirmed that Neeson is all locked up to appear in the upcoming sequel ... but added, "Pending clearance of cast and crew background check."

Nierob was clearly kidding ... referencing the behind-the-scenes uprising that led to Mel's departure ... but the message behind his message -- he ain't happy.

Mel's out, Liam's in -- after a huge backlash against Mel Gibson's would-be cameo role in "The Hangover 2" ... "A-Team" star Liam Neeson has been tapped to fill the role ... according to Variety.


Liam tells Variety -- "I just got a call to do a one day shoot on 'Hangover' as a tattooist in Thailand ... that's all I know about it" ... and the whole deal went through his "A-Team" pal, Bradley Cooper.

As we first reported, Mel Gibson was 86'd from the role -- in which he would have played a tattoo artist -- after friends of the cast put political pressure on the actors to raise hell.

"The A-Team" stars Rampage Jackson and Liam Neeson posed for a romantic picture in front of the Eiffel Tower while in Paris, France today.



The Question is...

The Hollywood community clearly had a deep connection with Natasha Richardson. Richard Dreyfuss was shocked when he heard the news.

The first paramedics who responded to Natasha Richardson were turned away, presumably because the actress felt fine at the time ... which raises the question -- was the fall more serious than initially reported?

According to The Globe and Mail newspaper, the paramedics were called by the ski patrol but were called away -- "They never saw the patient ... so they turned around."

The newspaper quotes medical experts who say when there's bleeding in the brain, time is of the essence. Approximately an hour later, when Richardson began to feel bad, an ambulance was called to her hotel.

But here's the question. Why would the ski patrol call an ambulance for an innocuous fall? People fall all the time. You have to wonder if the fall was more than just a minor incident.

Richardson passed away last night. She was 45.

TMZ has obtained information about Natasha Richardson's ambulance ride in New York to Lenox Hill Hospital -- she was "unconscious," her pupils "non-reactive," her skin was "pale" and she was suffering from "major head trauma."

We're told her husband Liam Neeson held her hand the entire time and caressed her face as he sat in silence.

We're also told when the plane landed in New Jersey, medics on board told members of the ambulance team that Richardson was "brain dead."

Story developing ...

Natasha Richardson may be alive, but only in the most technical of medical terms, according to various reports.


Family friends are telling a variety of news sources Richardson is in fact brain dead and it is just a matter of time. Richardson's family, including her aunt Lynn Redgrave, her mother Vanessa, sister Joely Richardson, and her children Michael and Daniel visited Natasha at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC last night.

Natasha suffered a critical brain injury after falling on a ski slope Monday.

Story developing ...