**January 31**

Christian Bale talks about working with Russell Crowe
(herald sun)
THE first time Christian Bale encountered Russell Crowe, his co-star in the western 3:10 to Yuma, they were on horseback in Mexico.
"It was a very appropriate way to meet, really,'' Bale says.
"It was about six in the morning and I'm out there riding with a wrangler and a few other guys when a couple of other guys on horseback gradually approach us.
"That's when Russ and I shook hands from horse to horse. We didn't shoot each other. We just headed off on our separate ways. It was a great way to meet and from then on we got on really well.''
An update of the 1957 western based on a story by Elmore Leonard, 3:10 to Yuma pits struggling, good-hearted rancher Dan Evans (Bale) against infamous outlaw Ben Ward (Crowe).
It's a story of good versus evil, Evans promising to deliver Wade to justice as the two saddle up for the ultimate shootout.
Wade and his gang have been running rampant along the Southern Pacific railroad, making off with enormous sums of money and killing many.
But despite all the hatred and Evans' ambition to get the arrested Wade on to the 3.10 train to Yuma, bound for prison, respect develops between the two -- or is it just Wade's charm and knack for exploiting the slightest glimmer of human weakness?
"Wade is honest about who he is, and that was the curiosity between the two men,'' Bale says.
"I looked at Wade as the only man who has actually been honest with Dan. This is apparent in so many ways and he becomes something of a guardian angel for Dan. It's all about these two apparent opposites who, out of nowhere, develop a curiosity about and respect for each other. It's the last thing you would expect.''
Welsh-born Bale's star rose after he featured in Steven Spielberg's World War II epic Empire of the Sun. Since then he's worked with some of the world's most exceptional talents, including what he calls his "Aussie trifecta'': Crowe, Hugh Jackman (The Prestige) and the late Heath Ledger, who Bale says does an incredible job playing the Joker to Bale's Batman in the forthcoming The Dark Knight.
"Heath has taken on a tough role, but those graphic novel/comic-book characters are tough to do satisfactorily,'' Bale says, speaking before Ledger's death.
"He also has Jack Nicholson's version, which a lot of people think of, but the fact is none of those past movies, with all due respect, have great dialogistic vision in them.
"This is a complete re-creation he (Ledger) has done with the Joker, a more junkie version, in keeping with what we were trying to do with Batman as a whole. Heath does a good job.''
Exploring complex characters is what Bale thrives on. It's evident in his recent roles in Rescue Dawn, a gruelling true story shot in the jungles of Thailand, and I'm Not There, for which he joined Ledger and Cate Blanchett as one of six Bob Dylans.
Directors also play a big part in Bale's choices and he wanted to work with Yuma director James Mangold.
"He says everything he is thinking,'' Bale says. "Even if he's just working something out, he says it aloud. I think that shows a great deal of confidence on his part, that he doesn't care if people hear him working it out as it goes.''
As someone who soaks up the creative talents of those around him, the 34-year-old says it was a privilege to also work with Crowe.
"I love Russell a great deal, he's a really good actor and I like that he's just straightforward and there's no bulls--- about it.''
Bale also enjoyed Crowe's festivities during their long riding expeditions.
"Russ was very good at getting people together,'' he says. "We would be riding horses for three hours, then we would turn a corner and there would be a barbecue that Russell had arranged. It would be three hours down the track and we had no idea. So we would sit down, have a couple of beers and a barbecue, then keep riding.
"Then around the next corner would be a whole bunch of guns, so we would shoot for an hour,'' Bale laughs.
"It was great to be a part of.''

**January 28**

Update Rabbitohs page

**January 27**

Russell Crowe: ambassador for Sydney
(Sydney Morning Herald)
Actor Russell Crowe, businessman Peter Holmes a Court and world surfing champion Layne Beachley have been named Sydney ambassadors. NSW Premier Morris Iemma said the three would help promote Sydney and NSW to the United States. "They are international heavyweights who can influence people from industry, business, entertainment and sport," Mr Iemma said in a statement today. "Their public support of Sydney will encourage people to visit and invest in business, tourism, the arts, sport and education. "The Sydney ambassadors will be part of a promotional campaign that will appear in the US later this year." Mr Iemma said the appointment of the ambassadors would help strengthen links between NSW and the US. "The United States is NSW's fourth largest export destination and Australia's largest source of foreign investment," he said. The three have been taking part in G'Day USA events, which aim to showcase Australia to the US.

**January 26**

Other pics from AAPImage


Australia Day Challenge: Souths v Leeds
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 26: Actor Russell Crowe looks on prior to the Australia Day Challenge match between South Sydney Rabbitohs and Leeds Rhinos at Hodges Stadium on January 26, 2008 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Scott A. Miller/Getty Images)




EXCLUSIVE: Russell Crowe on Leeds Rhinos' US trip
(yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk)
Click   here to hear Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe give an exclusive interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post's Peter Smith on an evening when his South Sydney Rabbitohs side clashed with the Leeds Rhinos. The actor - who won an Oscar for his role in Gladiator - speaks about the Rhinos can teach his own rugby side, the South Sydney Rabbitohs of which he is a part owner.



Rhinos hold on to defeat Rabbitohs
Leeds Rhinos 26 South Sydney Rabbitohs 24 Champions Leeds Rhinos warmed up for Saturday's big engage Super League kick-off with a 26-24 win over South Sydney Rabbitohs in Jacksonville.....All article  HERE



American Gangster Coming To DVD
(sohood.com)
Inspired by a true story, "American Gangster," the grippinglyintense crime-thriller acclaimed by critics and audiences as one of thebest films of 2007, will be available in two versions on the exclusive "American Gangster" 2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition DVD that includes bothan unrated, extended movie with over 18 additional minutes and an alternateending PLUS the original theatrical film. Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe portray one of Harlem's most notorious crime bosses and the outcast cop who pursues him, respectively, ultimately leading to a climactic confrontation that alters the destiny of an entire generation in New York City. Directed by Ridley Scott and produced by Brian Grazer and Scott, "American Gangster" boasts an all-star cast including Josh Brolin, Ruby Dee, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor, Armand Assante, Carla Gugino, and popular rap artists Common, RZA and Tip "T.I." Harris. The Original Theatrical Film AND The Unrated Extended Edition:AVAILABLE ON DVD & HD DVD February 19, 2008 FROM UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAINMENT.

**January 25**

Leeds Rhinos name team to face South Sydney
(telegraph.co.uk)
Leeds Rhinos, the engage Super League champions, have named their Grand Final starting line-up for tomorrow's showpiece challenge match against South Sydney in Jacksonville, Florida. Leeds, who launch Super League XIII against Hull Kingston Rovers tomorrow week, will play the historic fixture in front of actor Russell Crowe, the South Sydney co-owner, golfer Greg Norman and a potential capacity crowd of 10,000. Only Ryan Bailey, a substitute in the Grand Final victory over St Helens, is missing, after suffering a groin injury.

**January 23**

Heath Ledger: gone at 28
(theage.com.au) Jan 22
It's one of those turns of fate that is as cruel as it is sad.
While everybody has been enthusing about seeing Heath Ledger as The Joker in the new Batman film The Dark Knight, the shock news came through this morning that Ledger was found dead in his home in New York, apparently of a possible drugs overdose. Police confirm that his housekeeper discovered Ledger in his bedroom face down on the floor, surrounded by prescription sleeping pills.
In The Dark Knight - the sequel to Batman Begins and slated for local release soon - Ledger plays opposite Christian Bale's Batman. Ledger recently described the experience of playing The Joker as "the most fun I've had with a character", and the blockbuster role signalled just how much Ledger's profile had risen in Hollywood. Ledger is currently appearing in the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There. The Perth-born actor worked hard to establish himself as a versatile and occasionally daring actor, pursuing films that were alternately popular and risky. Along with Russell Crowe, Geoffrey Rush, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Toni Colette, Ledger was part of an Australian wave of actors making a huge impact on the international film scene. While eager for success overseas, Ledger made good on an early promise to maintaining a strong presence in local films. After starring in the adventure TV series Roar and the ABC series Sweat, Ledger had a supporting role in the dark 1997 Australian teen drama Blackrock before bouncing onto the film scene in 1999 with two notable films. In 10 Things I Hate About You, a modern teen take on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Ledger played a high-spirited Romeo. The film was a huge hit with teen audiences. More impressive, though, was his role in the Australian crime comedy Two Hands, in which Ledger played Jimmy, the none-too-bright apprentice crim who ends up on the run from King's Cross crime lord when he misplaces $10,000. It stills stands as one of Ledger's best performances. Ledger's international rise was boosted by his role in 2000 film The Patriot, in which he played the son of Mel Gibson, who selected Ledger after extensive auditions. His work opposite Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball was widely hailed. Ledger also appeared in: the British epic The Four Feathers; with Matt Damon in the Terry Gilliam fantasy The Brothers Grimm; the medieval comedy A Knight's Tale; as the legendary lover in the romp Casanova; as a priest in The Order; and Lords of Dogtown, in which he did memorable work as an ageing stoner skateboarder. Locally, Ledger headlined opposite Abbie Cornish in the 2006 heroin drama Candy and played the long-coveted title role in the revisionist bush ranger epic Ned Kelly, made by Two Hands director Gregor Jordan. But it was Ledger's breakthrough performance in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (2005) that won him the greatest acclaim. As Ennis Del Mar, Ledger played a soft-spoken Wyoming cowboy and family man who embarks on a secret, decades-long romance with fellow rustler Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal). Ledger's work drew plaudits from around the world and earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. His portrayal was widely credited as being one of the most empathetic portrayals of a mainstream gay character in modern film history. Ledger had recently separated from his partner and Brokeback Mountain co-star Michelle Williams, with whom he had a two-year old daughter, Matilda. Though eager to publicise his films and grant lengthy interviews in which he was refreshingly frank, Ledger was averse to celebrity culture and, thus, had a testy relationship with the tabloid media. At the 2006 Sydney premiere of Brokeback Mountain he was "attacked" by photographers with water pistols on the red-carpet as an act of "revenge" for his disdain of their tactics. Given that his film career lasted less than a decade, Ledger leaves a formidable and diverse filmography that belies his youth. His performances crossed genres and styles and, despite his blossoming fortunes in Hollywood, his career trajectory obeyed no guiding principle other than a dedication to his art. Ledger often spoke of how he sought out roles that would stretch him, and his legacy is testament to that. The range Ledger displayed and the commitment he demonstrated to his work merely compounds the tragedy of his loss.

**January 22**

The Oscar nomination  HERE



SAG Awards To Have All-Star Lineup
(ktla.trb.com/news)
The SAG Awards will have an all-star roster of presenters. The 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will be Sunday night in Los Angeles. Russell Crowe, Kate Beckinsale and John Travolta are among those set to present trophies. SAG officials say they'll join the list of previously announced presenters including Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Emile Hirsch and Burt Reynolds. The SAG Awards shouldn't be effected by the ongoing writers strike. The Writers Guild of America will allow members to work the ceremony. Earlier this month, the Golden Globe Awards' banquet was scrapped because of the strike. The SAG Awards will be broadcast live on TNT and TBS.

**January 20**

Russell Crowe captains cricket side
Article from: Sunday Herald Sun
FORGET Gladiator. Russell Crowe will pad up for the Colosseum clash of his life tomorrow after agreeing to captain a cricket match against old enemy the Poms in Los Angeles. Crowe is tipped to be joined in the celebrity assault on the English team - billed as the "battle for the Hollywood Ashes" - by Mel Gibson. They will have back-up from former Test greats Steve Waugh and Mike Whitney, who have also donated their services as part of the G'day USA program promoting Australia. At a Paramount Studios preview of Australian short films last night, the rumour mill was in overdrive with suggestions that Sir Mick Jagger and Robbie Williams might pad up for the Old Dart. But Jude Law, who had agreed to face Crowe as opposing captain, has "walked", confirmed as a scratching. The Brits were keeping their line-up under close cover, admitting only that quick Simon Jones and Test batsman Robert Key would take to the pitch at Woodley Playing Fields in San Fernando Valley.

**January 16**

Russell Crowe Promotes The Rabbitohs
(mavrixonline.com)
Article and pics ofJan 11
Russell Crowe, seen here after dinner last night at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills,is pulling out all the stops to promote the rugby challenge match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Leeds Rhinos in Florida this month. Crowe is the co-owner of the Rabbitohs and came up with the idea for the match against the team's sister club to spread interest in rugby across America. The game will be held in Jacksonville, FL on January 26.
(Thanks cassy)





REYNOLDS CHEATED TO BEAT CROWE IN DRINKING CONTEST
(contactmusic)
BURT REYNOLDS cheated so he could match RUSSELL CROWE in a drinking contest. The two tough guys became drinking buddies when they starred together in 1999 film Mystery, Alaska, and Reynolds, then 63, was so keen to keep up with his 35-year-old pal's wild antics he came up with a cunning plan to out drink him. Reynolds, now 71, tells men's magazine Maxim, "I could drink pretty good, but I used to cheat. Like when I filmed Mystery, Alaska with the Aussie (Crowe). "One night I said to the girl behind the bar, 'Here's $100. Give me a vodka and tonic with a lime, but after that, alternate with water and lime.' "On the 10th round Russell grabbed the glass and took a swallow. Thank God it was the vodka. He said, 'You're all right mate.'"

**January 13**

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles - January 10, 2008
(buzzfoto.com)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 10: Actor Russell Crowe sighting at Mr Chow on January 10, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California. With three movies in production, the American Gangster superstar doesnt have much time over for silly stuff, like dressing up for a night out... Russell Crowe shows up to the Miramax party at Mr Chows last night, casual as always. Crowe enjoys the evening in the company of some of Hollywoods great legends!
(Thanks cassy)







Killer to cleanskin, Crowe conquers all
(The Sydney Morning Herald)
Russell Crowe's supreme versatility has never been more evident than in his current and coming roles, writes Ivor Davis.
Russell Crowe demonstrates his remarkable versatility this year with two movies that could not be more different.
In the Hollywood western 3:10 To Yuma, Crowe plays notorious killer Ben Wade who, despite the marathon of blood and death, shows a surprising streak of sentimentality.
And in American Gangster he's a Jewish cleanskin cop who targets the Harlem mob boss and drug lord Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington.
There's even more murder and bloodshed in the engrossing story set in Manhattan in the 1970s in a film that echoes cinematic classics such as The Godfather and Goodfellas.
Crowe's character, Detective Richie Roberts, is a real person who went on to become a lawyer and represented the real-life mobster after he went to prison.
The 43-year-old New Zealand-born Oscar winner left his waterfront penthouse in Sydney to talk to S, bringing along the oldest of his two sons, Charles, 4, who looked the mirror image of his famous dad.
Crowe stays busy. He has two other movies lined up to shoot with his friend and Gladiator and Gangster director Ridley Scott. One is opposite Leonardo Di Caprio in Body Of Lies, an Iraq-era drama set in the Middle East. In the second, Nottingham, he polishes his English accent to show up in Robin Hood's legendary Sherwood Forest.
Q: Did the good versus evil aspect of American Gangster draw you to the role?
A: That's one of the fascinating things about the story itself and the two characters. Yet none of it is clear because there's not a clear, singular morality.
Q: So how would you describe Richie, the honest cop, a lone wolf in an era of corrupt policemen?
A: He's a nice guy trying to buy himself favours in a police force that doesn't appreciate him. He's honest, as well trying to get favours for all the shit he's had to take.
Q: Denzel is a killer but is he an out-and-out hoodlum?
A: The movie was all about what led to Frank Lucas becoming a drug dealer. It's clear that if he had been befriended by somebody else, and educated in a different area, he might have been in a situation where there would be a university named after him now.
Q: Are you saying you understand why he's gone to the dark side?
A: He's a man without a formal education who at the age of six witnessed his cousin get murdered by sociopaths. He's very smart. He used the things that he learned to the best of his ability. He used it to change his life, and the life of his family, at that time. Well, I think that is one of the fascinating things about the two characters, about the story itself. None of that is crystal clear. It's reality and humanity as it exists and is a bit of fun.
Q: Doesn't that glamorise him?
A: Quite frankly, large parts of Frank Lucas's life were very glamorous. The nightclubs, hanging out with Wilt Chamberlain, sports figures and celebrities of the time. His public persona was as the guy that ran this nightclub. Everything else that fell down from that was not known. Those celebrities who hung out with him wouldn't have known that Frank was turning over a couple of hundred keys [kilograms] of heroin every month.
Q: Your cop is a rebel because he refuses to take under-the-counter pay-offs. Why is he such a straight arrow? A: Look, nobody blames a man who steals food to feed his starving children. But, on the other hand, somebody who picks up a badge, takes an oath, says they are going to serve and protect, we do expect a certain level of essential honesty. Taking the money from drug operations and that sort of stuff is something that goes past what most of us in society would expect a policeman to do. Q: So can you understand why cops go bad?
A: At the particular time we are talking about, drugs just suddenly became a gigantic thing in most Western countries. Suddenly the money you are talking about wasn't small. It was huge - going from tens of thousands to hundreds of millions. That temptation hits police like everyone else. The money was just too strong. Greed overtook a lot of people. Q: But it sounds like you admire Lucas? Why?
A: After his arrest Frank bonded with Richie and his testimony helped clean up the corrupt police department. Q: How did this role come your way?
A: The producer Brian [Grazer] said there was a chance to do the film if we got a bunch of people interested in it. I heard that Denzel was happy with the idea of doing it with me and obviously I was happy to do it with him. We didn't talk about it until we were on the set. It was simply, 'Hi, how are you doing? Good to see you again' [the pair also starred together in 1995's Virtuosity]. And we were shooting that day.
Q: What inspires you to get up every day and do what you do?
A: I have always intended it to be a privilege to make movies. It's a really expensive, creative medium, and people allow me to do it. There are things that I can do as an actor which I couldn't in any other form of life.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: Well I've got a strange personality but film requires strange people, so I've got a nice comfy home. That's what I do and I'm happy with that. When I know I'm getting up to go to work with Ridley, and I know all the time and effort to do whatever we are about to shoot that day, it's a great privilege. Every day I kind of look around, thank the Lord that it's still going on, because I get to work and do the thing I'm doing that day.
Q: How has being a family man with two sons changed you?
A: I don't know what this whole change thing is about. It won't change who I am but it might change what is written about me, which has always been quite separate from who I am anyway.
Q: But hasn't fatherhood changed your outlook?
A: I look forward to looking in my kids' eyes and beginning to understand their personality. And who they are. I've enjoyed watching my wife [Danielle Spencer] flower with motherhood.
Q: How do you view life as an actor since you started a family?
A: I don't think I expect what I used to expect out of my job and that certain level of intensity that I would bring to my work. That kind of intensity, energy to be that intense, has now to be filtered through my wife and my boys and through all the things that are more important than making a movie.
Q: Has your passion for films changed?
A: No. I don't have a negative attitude to work because I love being on a film set. And my wife doesn't want to stop me enjoying and filling myself in that side of life or being creative. My life is full of some days that are diamonds and some that are not. Unfortunately, when you have a [down] day it makes the front page.
Q: What part would you like to do that might be unexpected for you?
A: I'd like to do Sex And The City. Or The Odd Couple with Denzel [laughs].

**January 8**

BIG, BIG, BIG GALLERY FROM  "3:10 TO YUMA"



Golden Globes cancelled
(daily thelegraph)
THIS year's Golden Globes ceremony is to be cancelled after actors vowed to boycott the event in support of striking Hollywood writers. According to a report in The Los Angeles Times, the traditional televised dinner and awards show had been scrapped. Instead, the Golden Globes' organisers the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) had reached a compromise deal that would allow winners to receive their awards informally on Sunday. The victors would then be announced in a televised press conference. Hollywood screenwriters have been on strike since November 5 after the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to agree on terms for a new contract that expired in October. Negotiations have foundered over the writers' demands for an increased share of profits from internet and new media sales. The two month strike has forced the suspension of numerous television series and the postponement of work on several Hollywood films. The Academy Awards precursor, set for next Monday, looked like being the most high-profile casualty of the two-month-old Hollywood writers' strike when the actors' union announced last week that its members would not cross a picket line to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles. Among the high-profile stars to show their support for the boycott were Jodie Foster, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and John Travolta, will also not be attending the glamorous annual event. Australian stars Cate Blanchett, Rachel Griffiths, Rose Byrne and Russell Crowe also joined in the protest. American Screen Actors Guild president Alan Rosenberg said the boycott would extend to every nominee for acting awards - including Australian acting heavyweights Blanchett, Griffiths and Byrne - as well as the ceremony's presenters. Blanchett is up for two Golden Globes - Best Actress for Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. Griffith is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a television show for her role in Brothers And Sisters while Byrne is nominated in the same category for her performance on Damages. Crowe is not nominated himself but his latest film, American Gangster, is up for best motion picture and best director (Ridley Scott). The January 13 event is second only to the Oscars in terms of international profile.

**January 7**

FROM IVANI:
Dear friends,
Russell Crowe Daily Planet, my blog in Portuguese about Russell, is celebrating today 2 years of activities, looking with that to honor always your visit, bringing daily fresh news and what there is with the best at internet about Russell, and always in Portuguese. Thank for your company. Being a fan for 7 years, I'd like to thank to all in Croweland who are source of inspiration, hard work and dedication to promote Russel's work to the fans of the whole world. Special thanks to Mr. Russell Crowe, Murphsplace, RussellCroweHeaven, Kaspinet, o Constant Crowe, Denin Blues, MaximumRussellCrowe, Croweitália, RussellCroweNotícias, RussellCroweInsider, BumbyCrowe, Russellove, Shadows&Dust, o LibrisCrowe, RussellCroweDream, Accueil Russell Crowe, Crowe Crossing, Mostly Russ, OHOH, The Perch, VSecin, The Sum Of Russ, Russell Groups no Yahoo, Russell Groups no Orkut, and so many others that in the moment I can't remember, but be sure, they are also at my heart. Thank You Very Much!
Ivani

**January 5**

(daily telegraph)
An alliance to Crowe about
It's a variation on an old gag, but rumour has it that someone exists who claims he once saw a movie starring Russell Crowe that was not directed by Ridley Scott.
Nottingham, scheduled to go in production in 2008 for 2009 release, will be the fifth movie the 43-year-old Academy Award-winning Australian actor has done with the 70-year-old, three-times-nominated British director.
Their association started with Gladiator (2000), for which Crowe won the Oscar and has continued with the comedy A Good Year (2006), the crime drama American Gangster (2007) and the political thriller Body Of Lies, which is scheduled for release in 2008.
Among their contemporaries, only that odd couple Johnny Depp and Tim Burton have done more films together as actor-director - six.
"We're both kind of fairly outspoken," says Scott, whose credits include cult classics such as Blade Runner (1982) and Thelma & Louise (1991). "I think we tell the truth. We communicate with each other that way.
"And he's probably one of the best two or three actors out there right now and has been for a while. He's just a very fine, inventive chameleon. He's one of the few actors who can literally change."
The admiration is mutual.
"He's a great cinematic artist and I'm a very, very lucky boy," Crowe says of the director during a separate interview in New York. "I enjoy being on a set with Ridley Scott. It's a privilege and it's an honour."
The two have perfected what Crowe terms "the art of the wordless argument".
"People say: 'Does that mean you never disagree any more?' but that's absolutely wrong," he says. "Sixty-seven per cent of the time we will have some kind of different point of view on every single thing, right, but what we know is both of us at our core are kind and generous people and we're there, the two of us, to make something that hopefully is special. "What we learned doing Gladiator is we really enjoy being on a set together. We enjoy the rhythms and the energies we both bring to the job. "But what I like most about Ridley Scott is that he's the 'guv'nor' - he's the boss.
"He begins at the visual and he sees things before you even shoot them, so he can talk to me right at the beginning of the process in terms of what he needs from me."
After stumbling at the box office with A Good Year, Scott and Crowe - with a hefty assist from Academy Award-winner Denzel Washington - are back on form with the factually based American Gangster, which has not only grossed more than $130 million in the US but also is featured heavily in various award nominations and 2007 top 10 lists.
Crowe and Washington, who worked together on one of Crowe's first US movies, Virtuosity (1995), this time team up as, respectively, the 1970s corruption-battling New Jersey cop Richie Roberts and Harlem criminal Frank Lucas.
Crowe refers to Roberts as "one of the great patriots".
"He understands there has to be a balance in a country like America; that some people do have to ask questions . . . that's why I like Richie Roberts, you know?" Crowe says.
"He knows that somebody should stand outside the castle and throw stones."

**January 2**

Celebrity spotting extra fun at cricket
(daily telegraph)
DAY one of the New Year Test never fails to attract celebrities and the 2008 version did not disappoint star watchers yesterday. Hollywood hero Russell Crowe and his son Charlie were among the throng in the Members' area, as was cricket tragic and talk-show host Sir Michael Parkinson who rarely misses an opportunity to be at the SCG at this time of year. But it was the first time in a long time for actor Hugh Jackman, who took his seat at the ground after a long SCG hiatus. A Sydney boy and cricket lover, Jackman had not been to the ground in 15 years due to film and stage commitments and looked glad to be back as he happily occupied a seat next to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Jackman was a guest in the corporate box of Cricket Australia, soaking up the atmosphere outside on the balcony for much of the day. Joining him in the box was former Olympics boss John Coates. Having finished work on the Baz Luhrmann epic Australia just before Christmas, Jackman said the Sydney Test was, for a change, perfectly timed for him. "I haven't been in about ten or fifteen years and I'm absolutely loving it," he told The Daily Telegraph. Sporting some facial growth in preparation to reprise his role as Wolverine, Jackman said he planned to come back with his son for at least one more day of the Test. In the SCG trust box there was a heavyweight line up of political, business and media power including rugby league supremo David Gallop.



Movie star Russell Crowe goes back to his roots
(icwales.co.uk)
HOLLYWOOD star Russell Crowe is imminently expected to make an visit to Wales to follow in the footsteps of Donny Osmond and Susan Sarandon and trace his family history here.
The Gladiator star and a team from the BBC Wales documentary series Coming Home will visit Wrexham, where his grandfather ran a fruit and veg business.
Coming Home helps the famous uncover their Welsh ancestry and has so far revealed singer Donny Osmond and artist Rolf Harris's connections to Merthyr Tydfil.
It has also taken actress Susan Sarandon and singer Petula Clark back to Bridgend.
Scouse singer Cilla Black also went back to Wrexham and Holywell with the show.
Oscar winner Crowe, who has been tipped for another Academy Award for his performance in American Gangster, traces his family back to great grandparents Fred and Kezia, who left Wrexham for Calgary in Canada in June 1925 with 12 of their 13 children.
The couple's 18-year-old son John remained in Wrexham, where he ran the family fruit and veg business in the centre of the town.
Two years later his older brother Frank came back from Canada to run the wholesale business known as Crofruit.
John, Russell's grandfather, was a keen sportsman and a member of the Grove Park School water polo team in the 1920s, researchers have discovered.
When his business fortunes took a turn for the worse, John emigrated to New Zealand where he married and had two children, David and Alex, father of Russell.
Frank remained in Wrexham and married Hilda and had four children.
Their numerous grandchildren are second cousins to Russell and live in Wrexham and Cheshire.
Russell Ira Crowe was born on April 7, 1964, in a suburb of Wellington, New Zealand, and has Maori blood on his mother's side. The son of movie set caterers, Crowe grew up in Australia and got the acting bug early in life. He began as a child star on Australian TV, but his first breaks came in the films Romper Stomper and The Sum of Us.
But it was Russell's third US film LA Confidential that brought him global fame and the kind of recognition his fans had always felt he deserved.
His reputation was further enhanced as Maximus in Gladiator, which won him an Oscar in 2001.
He has also earned high praise for roles in hit films such as Master and Commander and more recent offering, 3:10 to Yuma.
Crowe also won the best actor award for A Beautiful Mind at the 2002 Bafta award ceremony.
In 2005 Crowe revealed Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents had approached him prior to the Academy Awards of 2001 and told him that Islamic terrorists al-Qaeda wanted to kidnap him.
The plan was said to be part of a larger cultural destabilisation plot to snatch iconographic Americans.
The star's cousins include famous cricketing brothers Martin and Jeff Crowe, while his mother's father, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer during World War II.
Crowe's parents, Jocelyn and Alex, moved to Australia when he was just four.
Yesterday the BBC confirmed Crowe would be joining the Coming Home documentary team to film the programme in Wales.
A spokesperson has said, "We can confirm that we have commissioned a special Coming Home documentary about Russell Crowe retracing his family roots to Wales.
"Plans for filming are already under way, and everyone involved is very excited about working with yet another international superstar for Coming Home."