How about removing the faux brick,if possible, (or just going over top of it) and adding tile and a wood mantel. Here is a thread where they redid a brick fireplace, which may give you some ideas.
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/firepl/msg0815580022053.html

Also here is a website I recently came across with fireplace makeovers.
http://www.homebedazzle.com/fireplace.htm

I'm not exactly sure what "faux brick" is, but it sounds like a veneer afixed with some sort of adhesive. If you can scrape it off or otherwise remove it, you could replace it with stone or tile of a similar thickness.

If it can't be removed, could you cover it with another layer of stone or tile? This might involve pulling the mantle off, then reinstalling it over the new decorative layer, but it's not terribly difficult.

When I bought my current house it had a fireplace surround of unattractive and soot stained Roman brick. I didn't like it, so we pulled the mantle off, slip-covered the brick with black granite, then replaced the mantle. The gap between the mantle and the wall was filled with wood stips sculpted to match the outline of the mantle, then painted. The hearth tiles were also replaced.

Before:

After:

Here's what we did, before and after:

you can see the whole process at the following link:

Here is a link that might be useful: fireplace refacing

Thank you for these ideas! And congratulations on the successful remodels - they look great!

Jamesk: I wish I could post a picture of my fireplace, you could see how "faux" our brick is :) it's hard to tell exactly what the material is (because it's been spray painted orange with black accents in its entirety!!), but the "bricks" are blocks (about the size of a regular brick) that are very smooth and have very straight edges. I think tiling it without removing any of the "brick" is the easiest way to go.