O'CONNOR TO PLAY VIRGIN MARY IN FILM DEBUT : COMEDY OF SITUATIONS.

Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

A furor is fomenting in Ireland over the casting of controversial singer Sinead O'Connor as the Virgin Mary in Neil Jordan's ``The Butcher Boy'' film.

You remember, of course, Catholic-raised O'Connor's bitter history with the church includes tearing up a photo of the pope on ``Saturday Night Live'' a few years back. Beyond the controversy involved in putting Sinead into the role - her acting debut - word from the set has it that her characterization is far from benevolent and serene. Indeed, she appears to the troubled title character as an apparition uttering the strongest of profane words. Whether the lines will stay in the finished film is anyone's guess at this point. The film is supposed to wrap by year's end.

Marilu Henner expects to spend much of the next two weeks ``listening to 20 pitches for TV sitcoms ... I'm definitely going to do another series. The pilot will be done in the spring.'' She has a string of writers and producers with ideas for her lined up and ready to talk - ``as many as four in one day,'' says Marilu, who recently signed a nonexclusive deal for telepics and a series with TriStar TV.

The one-time ``Taxi'' lassie, who's part of tonight's election-night panel on ``Politically Incorrect,'' is also soon to be seen on CBS' huge ``Titanic'' miniseries, which stars George C. Scott - and which was directed by Marilu's husband, Rob Lieberman. She plays legendary Titanic survivor Molly Brown in the epic.

How was it, being directed by her husband? ``It's the only time he's directed me except for childbirth, and in that case, I was in charge,'' notes irrepressible Marilu. ``We're looking for other things to do together, but frankly, I prefer being the boss.'' So, how did they handle ``Titanic''? ``It worked out well, thanks to a lot of joint therapy sessions,'' she says. She also says neither she nor Rob is a pushover. ``He didn't marry me for my cooking, I'll tell you that!''

Emotional rescue

Since Mick Jagger and wife Jerry Hall split up, the Irish and English tabloids have been tailing him incessantly. Jagger was cooling it at Leixlip Castle outside Dublin, the home of his pal Desmond Guinness, heir to the Guinness Ale empire. And the paparazzi outside the gates awaiting his departure the other day were so thick, he left via a car with two off-duty policemen in the front and the Mick himself in the trunk.

On a personal note

Director Jim Cameron had to work around Danny Nucci in filming of 20th Century Fox's big-screen ``Titanic'' production. The actor, who was featured in both ``The Rock'' and ``Eraser'' this year, rushed up to L.A. from the movie location in Rosarito, Mexico, to be present for the birth of his baby girl, Savanna Pauline.

The inside track

Jazz legend Maynard Ferguson will be 69 next May - ``I'm very upset about entering middle age,'' he quips - but he's not about to slow down. The veteran trumpeter just released his new Concord Records CD, ``One More Trip to Birdland,'' and is headed out on a nationwide tour with his Big Bop Nouveau Band.

Ferguson's secret to staying young and keeping fresh in the music biz: ``I surround myself with younger players. The creativeness comes in, and I don't remain stale with all that great young talent around me.''

On the road again

Former ``Full House'' star Dave Coulier is getting a new act together and taking it on the road. The comic-impressionist, who plans to eventually trim an hour and a half of material into an HBO comedy special, notes, ``I'm doing monologues like, `What if Richard Pryor met Whoopi Goldberg met Lily Tomlin met Billy Crystal and my cartoon characters?'' He voices for such shows as ``The Animaniacs,'' ``Pinky and the Brain,'' and Bruce Willis' new cartoon, ``Bruno the Kid.''

Coulier, who guests as an obnoxious movie star on the Nov. 13 segment of WB network's ``Nick Freno: Licensed Teacher,'' will also do ``some characters of my own'' in his act. ``Like Joe Pesci as a kid: `I'm in kinnygarten here. ... We're taking this little spelling test. Sitting next to me is like, Johnny genius boy. I'm trying to like, copy off his paper, and he keeps covering up with his hands. I'm like, `Hey, hey, hey over here already!' Finally I take my crayon and stab him right in the eye! I better not see you on the playground. I'll whack you one!' ''

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Photo: Sinead O'Connor

Makes acting debut