News Archive

PLEASE NOTE: IF SOME OF OUR INTERNAL LINKS DON'T WORK FOR YOU ON THIS PAGE, (INCLUDING PHOTOS), TRY TYPING IN maximumcrowe.com WHERE IT SAYS maximumcrowe.net in the link.)

4/16/01
We've added our review of the A Beautiful Mind script here (Thanks to Paula for the script!).

We've also added an exclusive interview with Sylvia Nasar, author of the award-winning book on which the film is based. She gives her own thoughts on the script, and on Russell as John Nash. You can find it here.

Today's Page Six reports that Russell has been invited a Moulin Rouge screening at the Paris Theater in New York City tomorrow night along with Hugh Jackman. Nicole Kidman (star of the film) and director Baz Luhrman are said to also be attending. If this film lives up to the spectacular trailers, they will be in for a good time! (Thanks to LLC)

4/13/01
It's an interesting article, but be warned that it's also unflattering -- and only their interpretation -- from today's Wall Street Journal Can a Bad Boy Make Good?(Thanks to Di)

TV ALERT! For our Swedish readers, this in from Maria: Kobra ran a segment "on the Lovell Health House, which is the house where Pierce Patchett lived in L.A. Confidential. They talked about the architect and showed footage from inside the house and from the movie. It is called the Health House because it is built to improve the health of the people who live in it. The program reruns on Wednesday April 18 on SVT1 at 16:15." (Didn't do much to improve Mr. Patchett's health!)

A few MRC housekeeping items. We are sorry to keep bringing up our mail, but we just wanted to apologize to everyone who has been patiently waiting for us to answer their letters. We haven't forgotten you, we promise! We've also added some magazine alerts directly to the calendar (there are too many at the moment to keep posting here) and we still have about 20 -30 more magazine alerts in our mail waiting to be added, so check back in a few days. Thanks to everyone who sent them.

And lastly, we'd like to send special thanks to the person with the San Jose, CA postmark. (We assume if it's you reading this, you'll know why!)

4/12/01
We've added three more reports from the set of A Beautiful Mind. By all accounts, Russell is having a good time on the set, and being quite generous to fans, too! Read Lynne's report here, and one each from "Bucky" and Eve here.

For those of you in the US and Canada, you can now pre-order Proof of Life on DVD and save HERE. (release date June 19, still subject to change). (Thanks to everyone who sent it in.)

The DVD includes:
Behind the scenes documentary The Making of Proof of Life
Feature-length commentary by director Taylor Hackford
Original Theatrical Trailer
Cast/Filmmaker Career Highlights
Dolby Digital 5.1 Audio
16X9 Widescreen format (Panavision 2.35:1)
(Thanks to Karen)

4/11/01
It's not an Oscar but it's pretty cool nonetheless! Russell won Favorite Actor, Action, last night at the seventh annual Blockbuster Awards. Joaquin Phoenix won Favorite Villain. The show was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and will be shown tonight at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Television.

Thanks to Cindy and Alicia, we've added the transcript from the Andrew Denton / Amanda Keller radio interview that Russell did via phone the day after the Academy Awards. You can read it here. We've also included a new photo from Entertainment Weekly (April 6).

Writer / Producer Brian Williams, has been kind enough to provide us with a new rare photo from Russell's first film Blood Oath. (Click on the link)

The Associated Press reports that Castle Rock Entertainment and Warner Bros. studios have been sued by the widow of William Gaffney Jr., the "Proof of Life" stand-in who was killed in a truck cash during filming in Ecuador last year. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles, Karine Gaffney claims the studios were negligent in hiring a local worker to drive a truck that the suit claims was unsafe. A Castle Rock spokeswoman said company officials hadn't seen the suit, adding that "We continue to express our deepest regret to the Gaffney family for this accident and we are very hopeful we can work things out."

"Crowe's VB Emergency (Before you get too worried, VB stands for "Victoria Bitter" (Thanks to Janet)

Some birthday party gossip from Page Six. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in.)

TV alert for our German readers: Pay TV Station Premiere will air the Blockbuster Awards on April 22. (Check local listings) (Thanks to Jana)

4/10/01
Thanks to MelA, Yennifer and Justyna, we've added some new fun photos to our featured photo page.

Reader Susan C. writes in to tell us her letter appeared in the current People Weekly (US, April 16) in response to the kidnapping threat cover story. (Click here to read the story she is referring to.) She wants to stress that her letter was meant in good fun and that she takes Russell's safety quite seriously. Here's what she had to say:
"Perhaps Russell Crowe's alleged kidnappers planned to auction him off on eBay. Now that's something I'd bid on!"

The issue also includes a set photo from A Beautiful Mind, you can see the same photo here. (Russell laughing, with cigarette.)

According to Reuters, Russell was once again the top male celebrity page viewed on eonline.com with 13.2 percent of the site's 1.6 million visitors checking him out during the week that ended April 1st.

TV Alert reminder - 2001 Blockbuster Awards air tomorrow, April 11 (See news item 4/7 for more details.) No confirmation on Russell being there, as he is filming on the East Coast.

The Sydney Morning Herald features another one of Russell's charity artworks, this time on auction for the Heart Foundation (Australia). Find it here (Scroll, look for the photo on the lower right) (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

Readers respond to Mary Platt's article in the Los Angeles Times. Battle-Ready Fans Defend 'Gladiator' (See news item 4/03 for the link to Mary's original article "'Gladiator' Fully Deserves Its Oscar Glory").(Thanks to Patti)

According to the New York Daily News, Russell celebrated his birthday Saturday by holding a party at the Mercer Hotel bar. (Thanks to Joan)

4/09/01
Thanks to Karen S., we've added some new photos from the Mexican magazine Vanidades here.

We've also added an article about the "real" Terry Thorne (Proof of Life), "British Kidnap Hero Who Refused Movie Millions" (The Mail on Sunday, 4/8) here. (Scroll)

Still more nominations for Russell and Gladiator! This time from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, for their 27th annual Saturn Awards. The nominations are: Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film, Director, Writing, Music, Costumes and of course, Best Actor. Director Sam Raimi (Quick and the Dead) will receive the George Pal Memorial Award. The awards will be presented in Los Angeles June 12th. (Thanks to Marilyn)

He's back! Our exclusive interview with Kevin Durand (Mystery Alaska) has now been fully restored. As you can see, we are making some progress getting back on-line the pages and photos that were taken from us. (See news item 4/2) It's also a good opportunity for you to revisit some of our older pages that you may have missed or forgotten.

Here's one you won't believe, we finally got around to changing the trivia questions on the home page. Yeah, yeah -- we know, it's supposed to be weekly and it's been about 5 months . . . But hey, we've been a bit distracted lately. (See our last 5 months of news below, if you don't believe us!) And yes, we still have well over 100 new photos to add including more from the Gladiator screenings / Q&A in LA, set photos from A Beautiful Mind, magazine covers from around the world, rare old photos, etc., so be sure to keep checking back!

4/07/01
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUSSELL!!!

TV Alert reminder, the 2001 Blockbuster Awards will air on April 11, on Fox TV (US) 8:00pm EST. Russell is nominated in several categories. (These are the awards you voted for!)

For those of you who might be visiting in the Los Angeles area before May 4th, be sure to stop in at the free "9th Annual Art of Motion Picture Costume Design" show at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. The show features costumes from all of the 2001 oscar-nominated (for costume design) films including Gladiator, which of course won. And yes, you too can stand before Maximus! (For more details and for a virtual tour of the exhibit see our calendar.)

Thanks to People on-line you can see a photo of Russell and his bike on the streets of New York here. (Thanks to Nance)

From today's NY Post: "Crowe's Dandy Gym" (Thanks to Liz)

And thanks to Kate B. for the following tongue-in-cheek snippet from bgmonline:

"Russell Crowe Scratches Eyebrow"

"ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: School students were shocked when Russell Crowe scratched his eyebrow in the presence of swim sensation Pieter van den Hoogenband at this week's 'dare to dream' lecture. 'Doesn't he know how rude that is?' one student cried, 'What a bastard!' Locals were also offended that the Oscar winner signed only four thousand, six hundred and eighty two autographs, giving the cold shoulder to several dozen fans."

4/06/01
Another debut for Russell! Premiere magazine's annual list of the top 100 Hollywood power brokers has been announced and Russell is on it for the first time at number 41.

"[Michael] Solomon [editor-in-chief of Premiere] says, 'To be a player in Hollywood you have to be on the power list.'

"Guess that makes Russell Crowe a player! The 'Gladiator,' who wasn't even on the list last year, was this year's big winner coming in at number 41." You can read the complete article here. (Thanks to Liz)

Sue M. wanted to let everyone know that "KGSR radio in Austin is planning on playing a little TOFOG Friday night at 10 pm (CST) on it's weekly "Lone Star State Of Mind" program. You can tune in via the internet at www.kgsr.com." For our newer readers: while you are there, be sure to check out the transcipt of Kevin Conner's on-air interview with Russell, done back in August. (For the record, there was no catfight . . .) Be sure to check out our 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts pages for much more on the band! And don't forget to visit their official site gruntland.com.

Today's Liz Smith on A Beautiful Mind. She also has a little report on Russell's father, Alex, here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Suzanne wanted us to remind anyone in the West Chester, PA area that the play Sum Of Us is playing this weekend at West Chester University. (See our calendar)

We've never done this before, but this time .. we're sorry .. this bashing of Russell has gone too far. We have a homework assignment for you. Joan Rivers' utterly ridiculous comments about him are turning up on the radio, in the tabloids and on entertainment online sites. Now of all places, it showed up as a rumor in the Washington Post! (We find it hard to believe that anyone takes Ms. Rivers seriously, but apparently we were wrong.) We know our readers love to write letters, so weâd like to encourage you to let Ms. Rivers know what you really think of her smear campaign. (Whatâs the matter Joan, are you still pissed that Russell wouldnât let you interview him?) You can write to her care of eonline.com. or by snail mail:
Joan Rivers, c/o E! Entertainment Television, 5670 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036,
or Joan Rivers, c/o William Morris Agency, 151 S El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90212-4000 (Thanks to "kusemono" and Margot for the addresses)

Excerpt from today's Washington Post (Friday, April 6, 2001), by Donna Britt
"Guys sporting the filthy 'Pigpen' look immortalized by the pathetic "Peanuts" character: Robert Downey Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Benicio Del Toro, George Clooney and the always-ready-for-grime-time Depp.

"Honestly. If they weren't so gorgeous, would you want to stand downwind of any of them? Rumor has it Russell Crowe has less regard for baths than he had for Dennis Quaid." (Thanks to Diana)

We have another favor to ask. Our e-mailbox is beyond hope. If you are planning on sending us any large files, we'd appreciate it if you could let us know in advance. Otherwise, they will probably just bounce back to you because our box is well beyond it's capacity. And just a reminder, to those of you who have already sent us birthday e-cards addressed to Russell, we have no way of forwarding stuff directly to him, sorry about that!

Our Oscars 2000 page is now totally restored and about 98% of our Articles and Interview pages are back online. (About half of those are still missing the photos though.) We hope to have the site fully up and running again soon! We'll keep you posted as to our progress. (See news item 4/2 for details).

4/05/01
Just a reminder! Russell's birthday is April 7th. If you'd still like to send a card or a gift, see here.

Magazine Alert!
Thanks to Justyna and melA we have added the beautiful cover from Film (Poland, April 2001) which also includes a pull-out Oscar section. Russell graces the cover of that as well! See them and a bunch of Gladiators (???) here.

4/04/01
An MRC exclusive! We've added an eyewitness report from the filming of A Beautiful Mind last week at Princeton University. You can read it here!

The New York Daily News today and Entertainment Tonight last night had brief mentions of Russell's visit to the Harlem set of "Ali," the new biopic directed by Michael Mann (The Insider ). He was seen exchanging handshakes with "Ali" stars Will Smith and Mario Van Peebles.

From the Daily News:
Crowe's Chase Scene
Russell Crowe had a good workout in Manhattan on Sunday. The Oscar winner warmed up by cussing out paparazzi who ambushed him when he emerged from his West Side abode with his beautiful blond trainer, Lourene Bevaart. Their running shoes helped Crowe and Bevaart evade the photographers by sprinting three blocks.

The duo then mounted bicycles and peddled up to the Harlem set of ãAli,ä directed by Michael Mann, who worked with Crowe on ãThe Insider.ä Crowe also shook hands with Afro-sporting Will Smith, who plays the young Cassius Clay, and Mario Van Peebles, who plays Malcolm X.

From today's Liz Smith column:
"After Crowe won the Oscar, he returned to shooting 'A Beautiful Mind.' There, before director Ron Howard, Russell pulled his new little gold man from under a table and began prancing about saying, 'You like me, you really, really, really like me!' This Sally Field moment cracked up the crew. Then Russell went back to pretending he is John Forbes Nash Jr., a mathematical genius who descends into madness before recovering and winning the Nobel Prize." (Thanks to Nance and Margot)

4/03/01
We've added quite a few photos from the set of A Beautiful Mind including the famous pigeon photos (see news item 3/30) here and here.

We've also added a few more photos to our Oscar 2001 page. (There is still much more to come!)

Kathryn tells us that 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts' BLOC cd is now available at Tower Records. (We are assuming that by now, Virgin and all larger stores have it in stock as well.) But if you are too lazy to go look for it, you can still order it on-line here.

Amy tells us that you still might be able to get a copy of Gaslight by calling Waterloo Records in Austin and ordering by mail. You'll find their number on their website, waterloorecords.com.

TV ALERTS!
Sorry guys, we've been a bit distracted . . . we hope it's not too late for some of you to still catch this; 3rd April on Foxtel's Fox8 (Australia), "Premiere Russell Crowe... Uncovered, Uncut. With Molly Meldrum". (Thanks to everyone who sent it in.) See Russell with Molly from August here.

Megan writes in that "also on Foxtel, Music Country Picks is doing Celebrity VJ Hour with Russell on Sat 14, with repeats on Mon 16, Fri 20, Sat 28, Sun 29."

We assume you are as tired as we are at the media picking on Russell almost daily . . . it's almost become a sport! Even David Letterman is getting into the act . . . and the British tabloids are quoting Joan Rivers,'nough said! So now for something completely different . . . from yesterday's L.A. Times: 'Gladiator' Fully Deserves Its Oscar Glory (Thanks to Beverly Hill Smith )

From the New Zealand site www.stuff.co.nz an illustration by Murray Webb here. (Thanks to Wendy V.)

We still have hundreds of photos and items to add, not to mention one third of the site to restore, so please forgive us if we don't answer all of your letters personally. And special thanks to everyone who sent such GREAT stuff and is waiting so very patiently for us to add it!

4/02/01 (Second update today)
We're vexed. Terribly vexed. To all of you wondering what happened to our scrapbook pages, we're sorry to report that ALL those pages and many others have suddenly, completely disappeared.

This is not just our loss, but all Russell Crowe fans who visit this site. Because now, instead of adding all the great new items we have, we must take the time to also re-add everything that was lost. (More than a third of the entire site.) Luckily almost all of it can be restored.

Just in case the rest of the site starts to vanish and you can no longer access the home page using the geocities address, keep checking www.maximumcrowe.com until you find us again.

And for the record, we do suspect foul play. Yes, there are actually people in the world who feel the need and have the time to harass us -- for running a fan site! (And they have been doing it for years.)

And speaking of being harassed . . . We probably should mention E!'s Oscar Fashion Review that was on this past weekend. Joan Rivers' insults against Russell took up most of the hour, with attacks on everything from his weight to his grandfather's medal! Be glad you missed it. (If you were lucky enough to.)

VCR alert! Russell will be featured on Up Close with Brian Williams on the MSNBC cable channel today at 9 p.m. EST. (Although, as always, you should check your local listings to confirm times). (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

Gladiator box-office news: After being re-released to capitalize on the Oscars, the movie made $448,000 this weekend, increasing its North American total to $187.3 million, the AP said.

The New Zealand Herald asks, "Can Russell Crowe act?" and film critic David Calder answers, uh, yes. We weren't too crazy about the tone of this article, but you be the judge. You can find it on the NZ Herald site here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

It's back!! We re-uploaded at least one of the missing pages anyway. If you missed it a few days ago, be sure to see Russell as Dr. Scott AND Eddie from Rocky Horror here!

Please note: we will be using the hours we usually devote for answering mail to trying to restore the site. If you can hold emailing us anything that can wait a bit, we'd really appreciate your help.

3/30/01
With a very special thanks to Todd, we've added some great rare photos of Russell in The Rocky Horror Show! You can find them here!

Magazine alert! Russell is sure to be all over newsstands starting this weekend as magazines release their Oscar wrap-ups. We won't be posting all the magazines that mention him, just the more prominent ones. On the left, thanks to Zara, we've added the cover from TV Guide (Canada). Click on the photo to see a larger version.

What is it with Russell and birds this week??? The London Daily Mail has a funny story today about some unruly pigeons on the set of A Beautiful Mind:

"Crowe spent his first day of filming chasing pigeons around the set as the crew tried to capture a shot for the opening scene.

An onlooker said: 'After each take they just refused to regroup for the next shot. So Russell, director Ron Howard and a crew member with a net spent their time chasing the birds around to capture them.' "

And speaking of that other bird . . .

ãIt was out of character for him. He was signing a lot more autographs than giving middle fingers.ä

So says Ron Howard (via the AP) in response to all the ruckus about Russell giving a Princeton University student the finger as she took his picture during filming on campus earlier this week. We've added the full article here.

Judging from our mail, many of you missed the fact we added the original article and the photo 2 days ago. Readers have been writing in fast and furious (no pun intended) about this incident, and many of you are wondering how we feel about it. So, to set the record straight, we thought the whole thing was a non-incident and to be honest, more than a little funny! All you longtime Russell fans know this isn't the first time he has caused controversy, and all you newer fans will soon learn that it won't be the last time! And to all those out there who are threatening to burn your bootleg copies of Proof of Life to protest, lighten up! And remember that even though a picture is worth a thousand words, if you weren't there, how do you know which words tell the whole story?

3/29/01
We've added some screen captures from the set of A Beautiful Mind here. (Thanks to Neicie) (a lot more coming!!)

See Ted Casablanca for what now seems like his weekly mention of Russell.

Another story from yesterday's New Zealand Herald From Roman Antix to Roman general (Thanks to Alicia)

More on those old James Bond rumors from People.com (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Those of us who were at the 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts show in Austin this summer, remember Russell mentioning Danielle Spencer's new single. It was also mentioned yesterday on Entertainment Tonight (US). You can hear a sample of it here at her official site: daniellespencer.com.au (Thanks to Kirsten)

Be sure to check yesterday's news again, we updated late in the afternoon and in addition to other items, added a photo of another bird in addition to our usual Crowe. (Sorry, we couldn't resist!)

3/28/01
We've got loads of articles and links on the man. First, we've added a photo and article on A Beautiful Mind filming in New Jersey this week. You can find the article here and the photo on our main A Beautiful Mind page.

We've also added some notable articles on the Oscars, interviews with Russell backstage and the morning after his win, and new photos on our Academy Awards 2001: In Print page.

Thanks to Glenda for the following two links: The Australian has an article on Russell's early days in acting: 'Hungry' Crowe's path to the Oscars.

Audrey Crowe reacts to Russell's acceptance speech: Special moment for Crowe widow at Oscars. (For all of our new readers, don't miss the late Dave Crowe's exclusive contributions to our site. Start here).

Proof of Life to be released on video and DVD, June 19th, in the U.S. and Canada. (Thanks to Melly)

Be sure to check out the Princeton University newspaper, The Daily Princetonian, for news on filming of A Beautiful Mind. You can find the site here. (Thanks to Tammy and Silvana for the heads-up)

Mary Pat tells us her friend's son is a student at Princeton and was unaware of Russell filming there till he walked past him standing in a line, on his way from class. Hello!

The Boston Herald yesterday had an interview with Boston musician Ron Lovely, the man behind the "Hollywood Goes Wild!" charity CD featuring celebrities including Jeff Goldblum, Bruce Willis, Juliette Lewis and Russell's band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts. The article argues that Russell's Oscar win suddenly makes the Grunts the star attraction (like they weren't already?), and Lovely praises Russell. "If anybody on this album wants to have a musical career, I think he's the guy who could do it." The CD benefits Wildlife Waystation, click here for more details.

For our new readers who are wondering why Russell looked so serious through most of the Oscar show, be sure to check out our page on last year's broadcast, Oscars 2000.

Time magazine's (Time.com) Richard Corliss on the broadcast:

"[Steve] Martin did risk a punch-up in the parking lot by telling a few Russell Crowe jokes, including an indelicate one about the Crowe kidnap story. (When it comes to tabloids, I read only the headlines. So help me: just whom was Crowe accused of kidnaping?) The famous bad boy from Down Under did his usual Oscar act, glowering and chewing gum. But as the Best Actor winner, he gave a gracious, charming and articulate thank-you."

And from his colleague, James Poniewozik "The Oscars: Where's the Excitement?" (Now if only we could get these guys to understand why he looked so serious . . .) (Thanks to Karolyn)

For those of you in Australia, this from Urban Cinefile:
"Last chance to win: One of 10 Russell Crowe movie packs: Gladiator and L.A. Confidential on DVD, Romper Stomper on VHS, plus a framed poster of Gladiator, autographed by Joaquin Phoenix." (Enter here. And for everyone, in case you missed it, be sure to see Andrew L. Urban's exclusive interview with Russell.

This just in!! Russell wins some new fans in Princeton. See here. (Thanks to H.Havi) (Warning, some may find this material offensive)

Some more on the filming: Princeton goes Hollywood.(Thanks to Joan)

From today's New Zealand Herald: Granddad inspired Crowe. (Thanks to Susan B)

3/26/01
We're speechless! Congratulations to Russell on winning the Academy Award for Best Actor! Since the Oscars are broadcast worldwide, most of you saw Russell's eloquent, emotional acceptance speech last night (it was hands down the best speech of the evening!). But for those who didn't, we've added the complete transcript and some photos on our new Oscars 2001 page. Naturally, we'll have more in the coming days.

We want to take this time and space to send a personal message to Russell. We've followed your film career almost since it began, and we always knew your hard work and dedication, combined with your awesome talent, would bring you not only to Hollywood but to the top of the film community worldwide. The Oscar is the movie industry's highest honor, and we couldn't be more happy for you! And as always, we're proud of you -- for taking chances, for believing in yourself, and for always demanding the best from yourself and those around you. Thanks for building such a fine body of work over the years and for giving real film fans a reason to go to the movies. We ARE entertained.

Gladiator of course, also won Best Picture, Sound, Costume Design and Visual Effects. You can see the full list of winners, photos and much more at Oscar.com the official site of the Academy Awards. The site also includes webcasts of Russell and all of the winners in the press room here.

Please note, for the next day or so, Russell and Gladiator will be mentioned on every major news program, entertainment show (get those video tapes working!), in every newspaper, online entertainment site etc. As much as we'd love to, we canât possibly add it all. (We do have to sleep and go to work sometime!) Weâll be adding much more, we promise, but for now, start with dailynews.yahoo.com (type in Russell's name and then click "stories" or "photos", or check any of the major entertainment sites, (Mr. Showbiz, E Online, Excite, People, etc., etc., they're all doing Oscar specials and most have great photos too!

And to those of you who have written to us -- thanks for all of your letters, we wish we had time to answer you all personally!

Thanks to Nigel from the BBC for letting us know our site was chosen as this week's choice for one of the top three Entertainment sites from across the Web by BBC Online!!!! You can see what they have to say about us here!

3/24/01
We've added the transcript from last night's Big Screen (UK) interview here. (Thanks to the chedge)

We've added two newspaper illustrations, one from The Sun (UK) about the Academy Awards, and one from El Pais (Spain) about actors who sing here. (Thanks to Helen O and Estrella)

And we've added a bit more to our shopping page. (Nothing like a little shopping to fill the time before the big day tomorrow!)

Yet another article: "Australia's Crowe And Rush in Battle for Oscar"
". . . Crowe is not just fiery fodder for tabloids around the world. He is being touted in serious film circles as the new Marlon Brando and gushed over as much for his lack of pretention and refusal to play the game as for his unquestioned talent.

"He performs in local pubs around Australia with his band, the gloriously-named 30-odd Foot of Grunt, [sic] and shuns Los Angeles living for the peace and sanity of his Australian farm." (Click the link above to read the full story) (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Magazine Alerts! Fit for Fun (Germany, April) features a two page article about Proof of Life. (Thanks to Teresa)

GALA (Germany, 3/15) Two-page story on Russell, plus he is scattered throughout the magazine in various places. GALA (Germany 3/22) features a Proof of Life review with photos. (Thanks to Alex)

Elle (Spain, April) five pages with an interview and photos. (Thanks to Susana and Sole)

Tele (Austria, current issue) two photos of Russell. (Thanks to Sabine)

This week's Entertainment Weekly (US, March 30) features food inspired by the Oscar nominees. Since cooking is not high on our list of things we like to do, you will just have to buy the magazine if you want the recipe for "Russell's Mussels Marinara"!

For those of you in the Los Angeles area that may have the TV on while you are preparing for your Oscar parties, David Sheehan's Oscar Special airs tonight, Saturday at 8 PM on KCBS (Thanks to Brenda)

Speaking of which, we have our own parties to prepare for so -- we're outta here! (Don't worry, we'll be back Monday.) No need to write in to tell us who wins, we'll be watching, we assure you! For those of you who are viewing the Academy Awards in countries where the broadcast is tape-delayed, you might not want to check in on the site until after you have seen the show!)

HAPPY VIEWING everyone, and we'd like to wish the best of luck to all involved in Gladiator as well as all of the other nominees!

3/23/01
The Good Morning America feature on Russell yesterday consisted of some highlights of the original interview Diane Sawyer conducted back in May of last year (you can see the full transcript of that interview with captures here). In that interview, Diane seemed genuinely charmed by Russell and confirms it with her comments to Joel Siegel which followed yesterday's clips:

Diane Sawyer (grinning broadly): "I thought he was really charming. I've gotta say it. I really liked him so much!"

Joel Siegel: "He's had this reputation in Hollywood of being angry and -- I don't think so at all, I liked him a lot. He's a good guy and a terrific actor. He's not an action hero, but he's such a good actor he makes you believe he's an action hero."

Joel also showed a clip from Prisoner of the Sun (AKA Blood Oath) which he mistakenly identified as "Empire of the Sun" when he first mentioned it to Diane. Remarking that it was Russell's first film he added ". . . so he started as an officer. From Lieutenant to General in only 10 years!"

We're happy to report that Russell will once again be wearing an Armani tux to the Academy Award Ceremony on Sunday.

For those of you with computers near your TVs, or in areas where you can't watch the Oscars live, you might want to log on to Mr. Showbiz (www.mrshowbiz.com). "Beginning at 5 p.m. PST on Sunday, March 25, Mr. Showbiz invites users to a virtual Oscar¨ party, offering dish on the awards, the speeches, and the fashions, and giving visitors a chance to chime in to a live chat, and win prizes during the commercial breaks." You can read more info about it, and the contests they are currently running here. (Thanks to Sharon / Mr. Showbiz)

UK TV alerts: Big Screen (Friday 11.30pm on ITV) will be featuring an interview with Russell. And Jonathon Ross's Film 2001 Oscar Preview will feature an interview as well on Sunday 11.10pm BBC1. (Thanks to Princess Sangeeta)

BBC News 24's Talking Movies has an Oscar special this weekend: "Tom Brooke catches up with Russell Crowe, Juliette Binoche and Willem Dafoe in a special Oscar 2001 preview . . ." Times are: Sat 24 Mar, 05:30 - 06:00, 15:30 - 16:00, 22:30 - 23:00 BBC NEWS 24 and Sun 25 Mar, 03:30 - 04:00 BBC1. (Check your local listings) (Thanks to Sara)

Reminder that the History Channel (US) will be presenting it's Harry Awards tonight (for the best historical film of 2000.) Gladiator is one of the nominated films. (For more details, see news item . . . it's down there somewhere!!!) Check local listings for times. (Thanks to everyone who sent in the reminder.)

One of the original gladiators himself, Charlton Heston (Ben Hur) has admitted that he voted for Russell to win Best Actor at Sunday's Academy Awards.
Heston: "I hope he wins it. He's very good."

Also voting for Russell was Tony Curtis, who appeared in Spartacus, and had this to say: "You know what made him so excellent?" "He's got those good arms." You can read the full article "Brothers in arms take up the Gladiator's fight" in today's Sydney Morning Herald. (Thanks to Briana)

"He is THE guy" from today's National Post. (Warning -- for the three of you who may not have seen Gladiator yet, this article does give away the ending.) (Thanks to Heather)

Inside.com, Inside Oscars: "We See Gladiator". (Thanks to Margot)

From today's E! Online Paging Dr. Feelgood.(Thanks to LMG) Also on E! online, see Russell talk about Gladiator being "An immersive experience".

3/22/01
Russell will be sitting in the front row, on the aisle at the Academy Awards on Sunday, one seat away from co-star Joaquin Phoenix. How do we know that one you might ask? Have our invitations come in the mail?? (In our dreams!!!!) See here and here. (Thanks to Glenda V)

We've added the Danielle / Russell cover story from Hello (as mentioned 3/20) here. We have the photos too, they will be added (hopefully) next update. (Thanks to Princess Sangeeta)

From CNN.com "When acting bug bit, some stars' parents howled." (Thanks to Katie)

Page Six: "Louder, Please." (Thanks to Lili)

3/21/01
Roger Friedman from FoxNews.com reports that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has cut the number of tickets to the Oscar presentations that it has allotted to several studios, including apparently, DreamWorks, as punishment for violating Academy rules on promoting their films. According to Friedman, DreamWorks was involved because of the recent Gladiator screenings in L.A., which included Russell conducting a Q&A session with the audience. (Possibly a violation of an Academy rule.) Other studios included Sony Pictures Classics and Universal. Russell won't be affected.

More on the above just in (thanks to Sam). Variety reports: "When a movie studio breaks Academy Award campaign rules, it hardly faces a firing squad. The offending entity merely forfeits a few tickets to the Oscar ceremony. Such wrist-slaps were incurred late last week . . .

"According to an Academy source, each studio gave up four tickets for Sunday's show at the Shrine Auditorium -- two in the orchestra, two in the first balcony -- out of its total allotment of 20. DreamWorks was dinged for using an image of an Oscar statuette in print ads." You can read the full article here.

As promised yesterday, we have added the New Zealand Listener cover story and photos here. (Thanks to Adrienne)

The accolades just keep coming . . ."And the Epsom Salt Oscar goes to... Russell Crowe for Best Feet." (Thanks to Susan)

A reminder to get those video tapes ready for Good Morning America, Thursday morning, at what seems like the crack of dawn to us night-birds! Remember, GMA appearances are subject to change at the last minute. (See news item 3/19 for more details.)

This just in from Ester: "In Spain there is a magazine for students of English called SPEAK UP. With the magazine is a cassette where you can hear some of the interviews in the magazine and a video tape. They launched a suscription offer in February promising that the video for April was going to be Gladiator. It is in English, so for Spanish people who usually see the films dubbed, is a very good opportunity to hear Russell's voice. It will cost 2995.-pesetas which is about fifteen dollars. A really good price for a video and a good opportunity to practice English so you can read Maximum Crowe!"

Be sure to scroll down yesterday's news, you don't want to miss the Urban Cinefile item we added late in the day!

3/20/01
Magazine Alerts!
Hello (UK, March 27) cover, six pages with article by Danielle Spencer (The Crossing), including archive photos, plus photos from the Oscar luncheon and the SAGs. (We'll have more posted from this as soon as possible). (Thanks to Princess Sangeeta)

Russell is also on the cover of Listener (New Zealand) which features some great photos from the early days. We will be adding the article, the cover and the photos as soon as possible. (Thanks to Adrienne)

For those of you without cable TV, or not located in the US, we've added a few screen captures from the wonderful E! TV Oscar special feature on Russell here. (The show will be re-broadcast, see our calender for details.)

A humorus article about Russell from Apemen.com, "Australia Needs Women" " . . . the grave danger affecting the American male: The Australians are after our women." (Please note: contains language that some may find offensive.) (Thanks to Beth)

"The Odd Man Out" from Sunday's Sydney Morning Herald. (Thanks to Glenda V.)

New photo of Russell at people.com. You have to answer the first question of their trivia quiz to get to the photo. No one here will get that answer wrong, now will you??? (Thanks to Nancy D)

Urban Cinefile has just added a major feature on Russell -- "On his recent brief Australian tour Andrew L Urban managed to record an interview with Russell after he announced the recipients of the inaugural Urban Cinefile Birthday Honours. In the seven minute interview Russell talks about Meg Ryan, Tom & Nicole, the media, the Oscars - and his career options. We've coupled this exclusive interview with clips from nine of his films, two text features and a link to the interview we recorded with him in 1995." The Life and Times of Russell Crowe. To go straight to the streaming material -- Low band (56k modems) and High band (Cable modems and up). (Thanks to Stuart / Urban Cinefile)

3/19/01
TV ALERTS! The Australian music video program AMV (Channel 7/ Prime) will be featuring Russell, Tuesday, March 20. Show starts 7.30 a.m. EDST. There is a brief article on their web site www.amv.i7.com.au plus a competition to win posters, videos, etc. (Must be a resident of Australia to enter) (Thanks to Beth)

Reminder, E! TV (US) is featuring Russell today, see our calender for details!

Looks like Russell will be on Good Morning America Thursday, March 22. Check local listings and remember -- subject to change. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Cometcursor.com features Russell as one of it's Academy Award "Red Carpet Cursors", you can get Russell here. (Not compatible with all computers, unfortunately.) (Thanks to Lisa / www.cometcursor.com)

Some more gossip about the kidnapping plot at today's New York Post / Page Six (Thanks to Andrea M). The Post also has a gossip item about Russell supposedly being spotted with Meg Ryan in New York last Thursday, "at the Mercer Kitchen. The two kept to themselves and talked quietly through dinner."

For anyone planning on hanging out near the red carpet for the Oscar broadcast, you can get details at Oscar.com's Bleacher Fans.

3/18/01
We are very proud to present another Maximum Crowe exclusive! Brian A. Williams (writer / producer of Blood Oath) was kind enough to provide more information for us about Russell's first film. You can read it here (Scroll).

We've added more of the many magazine covers our readers from around the world have been sending to us the last few months. You can see the brand new page just added here. (Most impressive! Last year at this time there wasn't much in the way of covers for Russell!) We will still be adding larger versions of the covers and articles, as soon as we can).

You can find the rest of the People magazine cover story photos added to the article here.

We've also added the US Weekly photo mentioned yesterday here.

We haven't been able to confirm it yet, but several of our readers say they spotted TV commercials for Good Morning America, announcing that Russell will appear on the show next week. Be on alert! And be sure to keep your eyes on our calendar, for more tv alerts.

Magazine Alert! Entertainment Weekly (US, March 23). Russell is scattered throughout the "Oscar Odds!" issue.

As for the new Movieline magazine, Ridley Scott / Capt. Kidd casting rumor, that one has been around so long, that we haven't even been able to locate it in our archives yet! We'll keep searching!

3/17/01
Writer/director Douglas McGrath gives a funny account of his experiences as an extra in several recent movies, including a scene with Russell in The Insider, in Sunday's New York Times. You can read the part about The Insider on our page here.

We've also added the People magazine article here.

3/16/01
Magazine Alerts! As mentioned yesterday, you can find a larger version of the People magazine cover, as well as other photos from the article here. We'll have the rest of the photos and the article posted, as soon as possible.

US Weekly (US, March 26) also features an article and some photos. We'll have those posted as soon as possible as well!

3/15/01
As most of you know by now, Russell will be on the next cover of People magazine (US).

Liz Smith reports the following in today's column, in her item on Christine Baranski:
" . . .she is preparing to play a villainess in DreamWorks' animated film "Sinbad," with Russell Crowe. And bad women always have deep voices. Christine is the evil goddess Eris who causes no end of trouble for Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joseph Fiennes and Mr. Crowe, who is doubtless - Sinbad the Sailor." (Please note: We have not confirmed this as of yet. Last Friday, at the DreawWorks Gladiator screening, Russell said he had no definite plans after A Beautiful Mind). But as we all know, a lot can change in just a few days . . . we'll keep you posted.

Adam Goldberg (Saving Private Ryan), has just signed on to A Beautiful Mind.

In case you missed our update on the home page, we've added some items here and to our Shopping for Russell page.

Mr. Casablanca had been quiet for a while -- but we knew that couldn't last . . . read his latest on his favorite pair of thighs here. (Thanks to Kitty)

Also, please see our brief announcement posted at the end of yesterday's news.

3/14/01
Magazine Alerts! This photo (left) appears in the April issue of InStyle (US) magazine in the horoscope section. (Thanks to Amanda) As Russell's birthday is fast approaching, (April 7th) some of you may be thinking of sending him a gift. See here first.

CHI magazine (Italy, March 14) 2 full pages of photos. (Russell in a nightclub in Milan.) (Thanks to Carolina)

Cin Tl Revu (France, March 15) 2-page article with photos from Proof of Life ("Preuve de Vie") and a small article about the kidnapping threat. (Thanks to Batrice)

We've added the cover of ByN Dominical (Spain) here (scroll). (Thanks to Marta)

TV Alert! E! Entertaiment (Poland) will air "The making of Gladiator" documentary March 14, 11 pm; March 15, 5 pm. (Thanks to Justyna)

It looks like Gladiator is making its big screen return around the world, so watch your newspapers for the theater near you!

3/13/01
Russell and supporting actor nominee Joaquin Phoenix were on hand for the 20th annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nominees Luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel yesterday. Russell posed with fellow best actor nominees Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Javier Bardem and Geoffrey Rush. (See photos from the luncheon here) The kidnapping plot against him came up again when he spoke with reporters. Russell quipped, "They'd be on the phone going, 'Look, we passed the hat around. We got a couple hundred bucks. Now take him off our hands.'"

We've added SAG photos here.

Magazine Alert! Estrenos (Spain) a free magazine available in cinemas, features Russell on the cover and includes photos, an interview and a review of Proof of Life. (Thanks to Maria) (Can anyone grab us a couple of copies?).

As you all know, Russell recently won the Empire Award from Empire Magazine. (See our recent news items for details). You can now view his acceptance speech here. (Thanks to Catherine / Empire Online)

3/12/01
It was a VERY busy weekend for Russell, who, sporting a new haircut and clearly having a good time, attended four events in as many days. On Thursday he was on hand at ShoWest 2001 in Las Vegas to accept the award for Male Star of the Year. Brian Grazer, producer of A Beautiful Mind, presented the award.

On Friday were the two Gladiator screenings at the AMC Century City theater in Los Angeles. Russell charmed the crowd at separate Q&A sessions after the showings. We've added the beginning of our firsthand account of the screenings, as well as photos, here. (We'll have more from the Q&A's soon!)

On Saturday came the Directors Guild of America awards ceremony, where Russell accepted Ridley Scott's nomination medallion on the Gladiator director's behalf (Scott was filming and couldn't attend). Scott ended up losing to Ang Lee, who directed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

That brings us to Sunday and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Russell arrived sans date, but had plenty of security, along with plenty of smiles for the cameras. During the show, he introduced a clip of Gladiator, which was up for the night's top award, best ensemble acting. When his name was called as best actor nominee, he jokingly gave a big, broad -- fake -- smile, apparently for all the critics who teased his glum demeanor at last year's show.

Unfortunately, Russell came up empty-handed this year, too. Benicio Del Toro, won for the film "Traffic." That movie also beat out the Gladiator cast for the best ensemble award. Best supporting actor nominee Joaquin Phoenix also lost, to Albert Finney of "Erin Brockovich."

The surprise win by Del Toro -- Russell and "Cast Away's" Tom Hanks were considered the front-runners -- makes the next few weeks pretty interesting. The SAG awards are seen as a precursor to the Academy Awards; because actors make up the largest portion of Academy voters, whoever wins the SAG award is seen as a near shoo-in to win the Oscar. But with Del Toro nominated in the supporting actor category for the Oscars, the best actor winner is now anybody's guess.

Since we're just getting back from our own very busy weekend, we'll be adding screen captures from the show asap. In the meantime, you can see a few photos of Russell at the awards here, where you can do a search for more photos (there are sure to be many others from the last several days!).

Also, be sure to be on full TV alert for the weekend's coverage on the entertainment shows.

Canadian TV alert! The SAG Awards be on in the Toronto area this Wednesday, March 14, at 9 p.m. on CityTV. (Thanks to Rhonda)

All you Aussie Grunts fans can vote to have the band's video added to the playlist on Music Country. To vote, click here. You can also do a search on the site to find out when the video will play again. (Thanks to Jan) Plus, give your opinion on the video in a poll at the above link!

3/9/01
We know this is an exceptionally newsworthy weekend for Russell, but sorry -- we couldn't resist! Due to a last-minute decision, we'll be taking a few days off from the site, starting today.

We'll be back in a few days with some great stuff, including our first-hand account of the L.A. Gladiator screening and of course our usual awards-show coverage. And to the 100's of you that are still waiting for answers to your letters, we're doing our best, we promise! Don't forget to skim our calendar and the older news items to make sure you don't miss anything that is going on this weekend!

3/8/01
We're all thrilled to see 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts' Bastard Life or Clarity debut on the Aussie charts at number 7, (See news item 3/5) but let's get it EVEN HIGHER next week!!! Call your local radio stations and request they play songs from the cd! The more requests they get, the more they'll play the cd and the more they play the cd . . . you know the rest! And for those of you that haven't purchased it yet, you can find it here! We know that some of you are confused and don't think they ship world-wide, but they do! When placing your order, just click on the pull-down menu till you find your country. (Any ordering questions -- ask Sanity.com)

Magazine Alerts: Total Film, (UK April) features a review of Proof of Life, New Woman (UK April) various mentions, including Proof of Life review. (Thanks to Hev)

Dag Allemaal (Belgium, current issue) features an article on Russell. (Thanks to Stphane)

Cinema (Poland, March) has an article about Proof of Life with photos, 4-page story about special effects in Gladiator plus 10 photos, Oscar Quiz and Gladiator DVD contest. (Thanks to Justyna) Film (Poland), articles and interview with Russell. (Thanks to Yennefer)

If you are in London, be sure to pick up TNT magazine. (Free) Russell is featured on the cover. And there's also a special magazine out called The Orange British Academy Film Awards 2001. (Thanks to Karen C.)

For more magazine alerts be sure to check our calendar.

The official German Proof of Life site is now online, you can find it here. (Thanks to Kirsten) The Polish official site is here. (Thanks to Justyna)

Nothing new in the article -- but check out the photo! FBI guards Crowe after kidnap threat (Thanks to Wendy FP) (We sense that the FBI is going to have a rush on new job applicants!)

In addition to Gladiator winning the Golden Duck award in Poland, (See news item 3/6) Russell has also been named Best Actor at the Internet Film Awards, organized by Stopklatka Internet Film Service. Gladiator won Best Film, Best Music, Best Action Scene (battle in Germania; battle of Carthage was scored second) and Joaquin Phoenix - Best Villain. (Thanks to Justyna)

We've added another interview, this time from the Scotsman: The Big Easy. (Thanks to Sara)

TV Alerts:
Don't forget The Tonight Show With Jay Leno!

Big Screen: X Certificate (UK) England ITV Meridian and Anglia region, at midnight on 8th March, Yorkshire and Carlton LWT at 11.30pm on 9th March will feature an interview with Russell. Check local listings. (We seem to have lost the person's name that sent this tip in -- sorry about that! Our mail box is total CHAOS!)

Still more casting news for A Beautiful Mind -- Anthony Rapp has now joined the cast. (Thanks to Amber ?)

More on Russell's stop in Nashville. (See news item 3/5) He was also spotted at the Renaissance Hotel during a disco party for the same seminar on the 4th. He was brought out on stage, where he then introduced Jamie O'Neal. She followed with a cover of "I will Survive." (Thanks to Dan and Carol M)

3/7/01
The L.A. Times offers a few new details in the investigation of the plot to kidnap Russell. You can read today's article here. Also E Online has a slightly different report, FBI Confirms Crowe Kidnap Plot.

The Melbourne Age offers a few more quotes from FBI investigators. Find it here. (Thanks to Chris / The Age)

Articles about the plot are sure to be everywhere over the next several days. You might also want to be on full TV alert as the entertainment shows and newscasts alike will probably feature it.

On a more positive note, we've added an A Beautiful Mind casting call report from New York City here, thanks to Todd. Neicie reports in that Christopher Plummer has been added to the cast, marking his second onscreen appearence with Russell. Plummer portrayed Mike Wallace in The Insider.

TV ALERTS! Start stocking up on those blank video tapes. E! TV (US) is going to be airing a special from the red carpet of the Screen Actor's Guild Awards, starting at 4 pm, Sunday night. Hosts Todd Newton and Melissa Rivers will be doing whatever it is they usually do.

Stephanie sends in the following: E! will also be airing a profile on Russell premiering March 19th at 10 pm (also airing: March 20: 8:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m.; March 24: 10 p.m.; March 25: 11:30 a.m.) as part of their 30-minute specials on the Academy Award nominees. Be sure to check your local listing and keep your eye on our calendar, as this alert is sure to move so far down the news page by the time it is going to air, you might forget! More info here.

WEBCAST ALERT!!! There is going to be a live webcast and celebrity chat from the Showest Convention in Las Vegas. More info at warnerbros.com. Need we remind you why this is of interest?? (Thanks to Marilyn)

One more reminder, PLEASE include the magazine cover date (and country) if you send in a magazine alert. Thanks!

3/6/01
Reuters reports more on the kidnap plot: FBI Probing Plot to Kidnap Film Star Russell Crowe. Also because of this: TV alert for Entertainment Tonight -- Russell is the feature story! (Thanks to S)

In case you missed the headline on our homepage, a second screening of Gladiator, to be hosted by Russell in Los Angeles, has now been added. Full details here. (Thanks to Kathleen B)

We've also added some new casting info, along with some other items to our A Beautiful Mind page.

Gladiator has won Film magazine's "Golden Duck Award" (Poland) which is the magazine's readers choice awards. Other current Polish magazines to feature Russell / Proof of Life are Tele Swiat and Blask (Thanks to meLA)

More Magazine Alerts! Sinema (Turkey, March) features Proof of Life on the cover and includes a 5-page interview with Taylor Hackford, plus 4 pages on Russell including photos. There's even a reference to us! In the Sine-net section:
" . . . you'll find the smallest details about Russell Crowe. It's not easy to find such detailed information on any other actor on the net. Illustrations, Trivia Quizzes, what other Hollywood stars have to say about Russell . . . the site is so rich that you don't know where to start!" (Thanks to Deniz)

A reader strikes back regarding Gladiator in David Poland's Hot Button column today. (Thanks to Kathy and Margaret)

Speaking of readers; Charli, one of our long-time visitors has had her letter to Time magazine published in this week's edition. The following is her letter and Time's response.

"Your item about Russell Crowe's song Wendy (People, 2/19) was laughably, incorrect and old news to fans of his band 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. The song was written in 1995, well before Crowe met Meg Ryan, so there is no way it could be about his relationship with her as you implied. Maybe next time you'll do a little more groundwork.

"Time: Well, you know how it is. Any excuse to run a picture of Russell Crowe." (Thanks to everyone who sent it in, including Charli/Charlotte!)

3/5/01
The Australia Record Industry Association (ARIA) reports that 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts' Bastard Life or Clarity debuts on it's top 50 album chart at number 7! Way to go guys!!!! (Thanks to Christine and Enrtopy)

Continuing with his busy schedule, (see our calendar) Russell has now been named as a presenter at the 53rd annual awards dinner of The Directors Guild of America, Saturday, March 10th, according to Variety. Nominee Ridley Scott (Gladiator) won't be able to attend.

Beat Magazine's Fiona Parker, reports on the Melbourne premiere of Proof of Life here.

Thanks to Kim G, we've added some of her photos from the London premiere of Proof of Life here (scroll).

Donna Jean sends in the following:
"Russell made a surprise appearance here in Nashville last night at the Wild Horse Saloon. Mercury artist, Jamie O'Neal brought Russell out on stage ...'I'd like to bring out my good friend, Russell Crowe.' Most in the crowd couldn't believe it was THE Russell Crowe at first. He sang a Johnny Cash song and jammed with the band. He then left the stage. Jamie O'Neal was performing a few songs before a radio industry crowd as a part of a seminar here in Nashville for radio station personnel."

Read an article about the Nashville gig: "Crowe Swoops In To See Old Friend's Wildhorse Show." (Thanks to Joey)

Variety reports that Gladiator was named Best Film of the Year by the Producers Guild of America.

Magazine Alerts! CHI (Italy March 7) has a full page photo of Russell taken during the Italian premire of Proof of Life and an interview.
Bella (Italy, March 5) has another full page premiere photo, plus more photos and an article.
Hola! (Spain, March 1) (Same as the Hello, mentioned previously) (Thanks to Carolina)

3/4/01
As we are sure most of you have read by now, the British tabloid, Sunday People posted an article about an alleged kidnap plot Yard Foils Plan To Kidnap Star Crowe. Since we aren't familiar with the UK publication in question, but we are familiar with Page Six, at this time, we are assuming it's just a rumor. We'll keep you posted -- if it's more than just gossip.

Speaking of rumors, more on the Aristotle Onassis one that's been making the rounds here. (See our 1/30/01 RUMORS section for more on this.) (Thanks to everyone who sent in the above 2 items.)

Our first report from Kazakhstan! Magazine alerts: Telebashnya (2/01) and Caravan (3/01) both feature articles on Russell. (Thanks to Galya)

US Weekly (March 12) small photo of Russell with brief article on the BAFTA's.

And for those of you that missed our earlier homepage updates this morning, we've added the beautiful photo from the latest People Weekly (US March 12) here, an illustration from Empire Magazine (UK, March) here (scroll) and the New York Times article mentioned yesterday here (Scroll).

3/3/01
For those of you with access to the Sunday New York Times, be sure to pick up a copy this weekend. Russell is all over the Arts & Leisure section, including the article "Russell Crowe's Special Brand of Masculinity" (Thanks to Di)

In case you missed our homepage updates yesterday, we've added a wonderful article Insides Out from The Age, thanks to the author Janine Burke. On that same page you will find we have also added the photo and brief article from the March issue of Premiere magazine (US).

Speaking of magazines, the new Entertainment Weekly's special internet section (US, 3/9) features a few tiny photos (on left) of Russell along with a couple of brief mentions. Gee guys, thanks for the "compliment" (????????) on our site and for forgetting our address.

2001 Oscar Tribute (US) Guide to the Academy Awards, special edition. Features a small photo of Russell on the cover and an short article. (Thanks to Rose)

Maxim (US, March) full page photo. (Thanks to Mike)

OHLA! (France, March 5) 2 page spread on Russell, with a large photos. (Thanks to Papeek)

Close Up (Switzerland, March) features Proof of Life on the cover, including a 4 page article with many photos. The magazine is available free in cinemas. (Can any one grab us a few copies?) The film opens in Switzerland on April 4th. (Thanks to Barbara)

TV Alerts: TVN station (Poland) March 3, 3:15 pm., Multikino show will have a segment on Proof of Life, including an interview with Russell. (Thanks to Justyna)

Russell will be on SKY NEWS' "Showbiz Weekly" on Saturday March 3rd. The programme will be re-aired on Sunday as well. (Thanks to Ula)

Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (the real The Insider) is scheduled as part of the "Distinguished Lecture Series" on March 7th at 7:30, at the University of Wisconsin - Union Theatre - Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53706-1495. See www.wisc.edu/union/theater for further information. (Thanks to Elisabeta)

3/1/01
We've added some big news both today and yesterday -- all items are linked on the home page in case you missed them, including New York City A Beautiful Mind casting info (Thanks to Marilyn) More info on the Gladiator screening in Los Angeles, with Russell presenting (Thanks to Kathy and Margaret) and Russell being confirmed as a presenter at the Academy awards (Thanks to Dee).

Just a reminder that Urban Cinefile's special streaming video with Russell is now up! Russell announces the recipients of the inaugural Urban Cinefile Birthday Honours List, recognising Outstanding Achievement by Australians in the world of film during 2000. You'll need Real Player to watch here. Russell was honored by being named to their Hall of Fame! (Thanks to Stuart / Urban Cinefile)

2/27/01
In case you missed it, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts performed "Things Have Got To Change" and "Sail Those Same Oceans" at the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy today, to a very enthusastic crowd. Between songs, Russell plugged the new cd calling it "BLOC" (instead of saying the full name of "Bastard Life or Clarity") and mentioned www.gruntland.com. At the end of the performance, when asked by the announcer which he'd prefer "An Oscar or a Grammy?" Russell very eloquently responded "Health and a long life."

The official site of the Sanremo Music festival is currently doing a live webcast, you can find it here

Ilaria was lucky enough to be at the benefit gig in Milan yesterday and excitedly shares this report with us!

"Russell was within seven feet from our central position, and during the gig Garth Adam often smiled at us because he recognized us! They started with 'The Night That Davey Hit The Train' and ended with 'David'. In the middle they played 'Things Have Got To Change', 'Memorial Day', 'Sail Those Same Oceans', 'The Legend Of Barry Kable', 'Somebody's Else Princess', 'The Photograph Kills', 'What You Want Me To Forget', 'What's Her Name', 'Oblique Is My Love' ÎOther Ways of Speakingâ plus one other I did not recognize. Russell was terrific -- he has such charisma, such a magnetic personality. In the beginning the crowd was a little cold -- practically nobody knew what kind of music TOFOG were going to play -- but then after just a couple of songs, the guys 'won the crowd'! In the beginning Russell was wearing jeans, a dark blue/black flannel shirt and a white tank top, then he changed into a short-sleeved shirt with an Australia logo on the back. It was a tremendous experience, one I will never forget."

Thanks to Paolina, we've added some great captures from the Italian TV coverage of yesterday's TOFOG show in Milan and Russell at a press conference. You can find them here.

Starting on March 3, 2001: "Limited Engagement [of Gladiator] at the AMC Century 14 [in Century City, CA] To Be Hosted By Talent From the Film, Including Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott." Read the full article here. We'll keep you posted! (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

For those of you in the New York City area, CountingDown.com is presenting a free screening of Gladiator at the Sony Lincoln Square IMAX, on Thursday, March 1st. (Click on the link for more details.) (Thanks to Paula)

There are a gazillion articles (and photos!) featuring Russell and also 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts all over the net today -- you can start here and here. (Tip: go to just about any news portal and search by typing in his name. (If you aren't quite sure how to do it, scroll to the bottom of that first item to "Advanced Search", then type "Russell Crowe" and check off either "Stories", "Photos" or "Full Coverage". That could keep you busy for hours!! But don't forget -- the Sanremo Music Festival and the possible RAI INTERNATIONAL broadcast. (For more info, see news item 2/25) Sorry guys, we know we are taking the easy way out today, but we are exhausted. We do have some great stuff coming -- including more from Italy, an interview from Turkey, more transcripts from the UK, some great screen captures from the US entertainment shows and more magazine covers! And stay on full TV alert, the entertainment shows are sure to keep featuring Russell!

2/26/01
As promised, we've added the new US Weekly photo here. (Thanks to Wanda)

Urban Cinefile will be running a very special video announcement with Russell on Wednesday 28th February, 2001. Russell will be announcing the recipients of the inaugural Urban Cinefile Birthday Honours List, recognising Outstanding Achievement by Australians in the world of film during 2000. The streaming video will go live at 12 noon (Sydney time) on Wednesday - you'll need Real Player to watch. A link to the video will be placed here (Thanks to Stuart / Urban Cinefile)

The chedge sends in this report from the Empire Awards. (See news item 2/19 for more details. Russell's acceptance speech was taped when he was in Rome.)
"[Russell] starts off with one of his gentle asides by saying 'So I suppose this is the award for best performance in a featured article!' This goes completely over the head of the poor nervous guy the magazine sent to present it and he actually corrects Russell by saying 'Best Actor in a Feature Film.'

"Richard Harris gave a wonderful acceptance speech for his Lifetime Achievement Award. Having told everyone that he'd keep the speech quite short because there were six fellas sitting in a pub waiting for him and they'd be getting worried that he wasn't gonna buy his round, said that 'the best bit of news I got out of today is that Russell Crowe - who I absolutely adore, may I tell you, will be in London tomorrow!' (huge knowing grin on his face -- this was taped last Monday, as you know). He finished by saying that it was fortunate that he (Russell) is not in London tonight, because 'he and I would have got drunk and both of us would have missed this ceremony altogether.'"

If this is your first day back after the weekend, be sure to check the last few days of news items, this is a big week and there's lots of goodies!! Be sure to check our CALENDAR too! And remember Bastard Life or Clarity is released today! Get one for ALL of your friends!

2/25/01
Gladiator picked up the Orange British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Film. In their acceptance speech the producers said that Russell was the soul of the movie - the only man they know who can die in one woman's arms & have another one waiting for him on the other side. Ridley Scott lost to Ang Lee for Best Director.

Russell's good friend Jamie Bell won for Best Actor beating out our favorite Gladiator. Jamie did thank Russell though, and joked that Russell gave him tips on his acceptance speech.

The Orange Audience award went to Gladiator (that's the award you all voted for!) as did best cinematographer, production design and editing, bringing a total of 5 awards for the film. (You can find the full list of winners at the official site. (Thanks to the chedge and Angela for the reporting)

You can read more about the awards and see some video clips at the BBC. (Thanks to Tali and Alicia)

In case you missed our home page update, (FYI: we always post page up-dates there) we've added the transcript from the Big Breakfast (UK) interview here. (Thanks to Kim and the chedge)

Check out the video of an interview with Russell in London at www.sky.com (Thanks to Rosiiii) And a beautiful photo of him from the London Times. (Thanks to Alicia)

You can read a new report on John Polson's Tropfest and how Russell helped the festival this year, here. There is also a radio clip of Russell talking to news.com.au's Natacha Butler, at the Melbourne premiere here (Thanks to Andrew B / news.com.au)

Reminder: this week, starting today is REALLY full of excitement! Be sure to keep checking our calendar -- there is the release of the BLOC cd, the new Gladiator soundtrack CD, the live shows in Italy, the TV alerts etc. (Skim back our news items for more details) And be on full TV alert, no matter where you are, we are sure the entertainment shows will be covering at least some of it!!! We can't post links to every article.

Paolina in Italy, sends in this viewing information about the Sanremo Music Festival: "it's usually broadcast all over Europe and through RAI INTERNATIONAL, it is possible to view it all over the world. Usually you have to subscribe but some programmes are aired freely by RAI ITALIAN. To get more info you can contact RAICORP in the USA. Tel. 212-468-2500 Fax 212-956-3174."

You can see some new photos of Russell at the BAFTA's here at dailynews.yahoo.com and here (Keep searching under his name, we're sure they'll add more asap!)

2/24/01
Magazine Alerts!
US Weekly (US, March 5) photo and article. (Photo coming soon -- thanks to Wanda)

People (US, March 5), photo and article. You can find the photo here, thanks to Wanda. Underneath it, you'll find a photo from a newspaper in Madrid, thanks to Lumi.

Film (Poland, March) includes an interview with Russell (w/ photos), an article on "Proof of Life" and another article which includes a photo of Russell and Meg Ryan. On Wednesday (Feb 28) Taylor Hackford will be at a Warsaw press conference. (Thanks to Elka).

Mark those calendars! Sylvia Nasar, author of A Beautiful Mind, will lecture at Haverford College , Haverford, Pennsylvania, March 21, 2001 at 7 pm. (Thanks to Lynne).

For those of you in Austin, Waterloo Records will be taking care of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts fans again! See The Statesman. Scroll to "Street Shorts", "Attention Crowe-Mart shoppers..."(Thanks to Sue)

Russell on the tabloids: "I try and keep a sense of humour about it but some things you read, you have an immediate reaction to, so I've stopped reading things now."

"Even though I like to be prepared, it gets to a point where there's so much bollocks, you say 'whatever, that's life.'"

"Some people do try some really nasty things to get at your family to try and get a reaction from them. But it's not important." icShowbiz(Thanks to V‰nia)

Today's BBC America reports: "Russell Crowe has admitted he accepted a part in Neighbours so he could work with Kylie Minogue.
"He'd been working at a Melbourne theatre when he was given the part of Kenny Larkin.
"The star of the highly-acclaimed Gladiator movie appeared in four shows and says he's proud of his work on the soap." (Thanks to Meri)

Some interesting articles regarding the Oscar race at oscarwatch.com:
". . . [Meg] Ryan was reported to have been dumped by Crowe and suddenly Crowe was being assaulted from all angles, no longer buzzed about as being a great actor, but suddenly just an offshoot of a scandal. BUT will this help or hurt his chances? Hard to tell. The mood could shift [from] against Crowe to against the media who will not leave him alone.

"What Academy members ought to be looking at, however, is his performance in "Gladiator." At first it might seem like something better suited to Sly Stallone or Ahnold, both of whom could have done it easily, but what's remarkable about it is how different it is from anything else he's ever done. Sure, he plays an isolated rebel, which he's great at - especially in "L.A. Confidential" and even in "The Insider." But when you stack up his roles side by side you see how truly great of an actor he is. He works hard to get it right." You can read the full article here. Also, Backwards and Forwards: Future projects of the lead actors might affect the race."(Thanks to Eva)

Thanks to everyone who sent in the following links:

Sydney Morning Herald Crowe late for his premieres. (Includes photos from the premieres)

Melbourne Age Modest, articulate ... 'maaaate'
"Like many actors who seem uncomfortable as they go through the motions of promoting their latest work, Crowe is clearly not a fan of the interview process. He ran his hands through his hair, he looked around the room, he lit a cigarette and puffed on it as though it were his last. But if you close your eyes and listen, it is the voice that reveals so much about the man. It is strong, deep - a Richard Harris without the Welsh [sic] accent. And he is extremely articulate for someone in an industry not known for its deep thinkers or compelling speakers." (read the full article here.

Empire Online "No Hard Feelings" (Gee Taylor, could it have had anything to do with the directing???)

Interview with Russell at www.popcorn.co.uk.

BBC news, "Crowe and Bell's Bafta Battle", includes another (!!!) photo of Russell and Jamie Bell.

Some more news on the 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts' Italy gigs. Please note, we were able to confirm the dates and the cities with the band, but the rest of the info comes from our readers, some from letters sent by the band to our readers, who in turn sent it to us (got that???).

The Milan gig on Feb 26th, at the Rolling Stone, has been organised by Giorgio Armani as a benefit concert for the India earthquake victims. As far as we know, the concert is by invitation only, via Giorgio Armani.

The second show, on the 27th is at the The Sanremo Music Festival and the band will only be playing 2 songs (at the Ariston Theatre). The festival is a huge event and will be televised in Italy on RAI 1. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in).

Phew -- are you as exhausted as we are?? We need a day off big time!

2/23/01
In case you miss them in the magazine alert section below, we've added a few photos here.

From today's Melbourne Age : "As the Crowe flies: a star on the go" (Thanks to Marianne)

Thanks to everyone who has sent in the following:

Russell confirms he'll attend the oscars. Listen to what he has to say here!

Article from the Guardian, (UK) "My 15 minutes with Russell Crowe".

Both Gladiator and Proof of Life will be shown at the Cinesphere in Toronto during the next several weeks, beginning tomorrow! For dates and times, click here. (Thanks to Jen) Gladiator will probably be reopening in various cities across North America, so check your local movie listings!

Magazine alert:

Imagenes, March issue, features Russell and Meg on the cover from Proof of Life. (Thanks to Lumi, we'll post the cover as soon as we can!)

This weekâs issue of Italian Chi Magazine has a two-page article, "Every woman wants him, nobody catches him" (there are two photos of him close to Nicole Kidman, you can see them here) and another of him with Meg Ryan) and a four-page article on the Sanremo festival in which Russell is quoted along with Julia Roberts (another possible guest) in the section "From Sanremo to Oscar." (Thanks to Laura)

You can see the Metro cover photo, mentioned in yesterday's update, thanks to Ruby here. (Scroll)

We've got more info and photos from Russell's trip to Spain and Italy, transcripts from London, photos and covers -- all great stuff -- coming asap! We're working as fast as we can, we promise! And again, we have to thank everyone for your e-mails here. (We just can't possibly keep up with our mail box -- see our item from yesterday's news). We have a huge favor to ask; it would really help us out if you could check our news page and skim back a few days, BEFORE you write to us. (It will save us much needed time if we don't get so many items that we've already posted.) Thanks again for everything!!! (And we hope you will forgive us for having to bring this up so often.)

2/22/01
This just in! According to Universal Pictures, filming on A Beautiful Mind will begin on Monday, March 26. (That's the day after the Oscars!)

Proof of Life: We've added fan photos from the red carpet in Rome, (thanks to Simona and Stefano), some captures from London (thanks to Neicie), and a photo of Russell and Meg at the London premiere (HUH???) (thanks to Helen). You can find them all here

HEAR RUSSELL'S REACTION to Taylor's comments here!!! (See next item) (Thanks to Catherine / Empire Online)

Crowe blamed for box office flop (thanks to Mik and Andrew B/ news.com.au) and Crowe And Ryan Romance Blamed for Film Flop. See what we have to say here!

You can watch Russell's GMTV interview and read "Crowe's Proof of a Busy Life" here at www.gmtv.co.uk. (Thanks to Marilyn) (We weren't able to view the interview, but hopefully you will have better luck) .

TV Alert! On Friday, Feb. 23, cable channel Star-TV (Canada) will air the 2001 Critics Choice Award @ 9:00pm (eastern) / 6:00pm (Pacific). (check local listings) (Thanks to Bettina) You can see photos from the show and read the transcript of Russell's acceptance speech here.

Russell has been tagged to be a presenter at the Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) airing in March. (See our calendar for details.) In case it's slipped your minds, Russell has been nominated for Best Actor for the second year in a row.

As hard as we've tried, we just can't keep up with our mail and all that is going on these last few days. There are just too many of you and too few of us! Since we only have one person answering mail at the moment, and it's coming in faster than we can even read it (!!) we're going to give up even trying for a little while. We hope you will forgive us! We have tons more news and stuff to add, and frankly we are exhausted. (We have no idea how Russell is doing it all, when we can't even keep up reading about it!) We'll get more up asap, we promise. (You know you can always count on us). Once again, thanks to everyone for your patience!

2/21/01
The London Film Critics' Circle named Russell best actor, adding to his huge collection of awards for Gladiator.

Here's the address for Capital Radio 95.8 FM as mentioned in yesterday's item. (Seems to open better in Explorer.) (Thanks to Miss F)

Reminder to those of you in Australia, according to Urban Cinefile, Russell is soon to head back home for the premieres of Proof of Life in both Sydney and in Melbourne, on the same day (Feb. 23). And then back to London for the Orange / BAFTA Awards. (And of course back to Italy for the gigs. See yesterday's news item) Phew!!!!! (Is your head spinning as much as ours? Be sure to check our calendar often for TV alerts etc.)

Speaking of the Italy gigs (see yesterday's news item) Ilaria writes in that the band's gig in Milan is a fund-rising event for the victims of the Indian earthquake.

You can see another newspaper photo of Russell in Madrid, here. (Thanks to Pilar)

Small mention about Russell jogging in Rome by Liz Smith (Thanks to Deborah)

Sara and Amanda tell us that the Steve Wright radio show (UK) interview has been cancelled, due to Russell's TV commitments.

2/20/01
30 ODD FOOT OF GRUNTS ARE GOING TO ITALY!!!!! February 26, Milan and February 27, the Sanremo Music Festival. We'll post more info as soon as we can, we just wanted to let you know, it's been confirmed!

You can visit the official site of the Sanremo Music Festival here (Thanks to Laura)

Looks like the London Proof of Life premiere is tomorrow, Wednesday 21st, Leicester Square, at approx. 7.30 pm, not Thursday, as previously mentioned. (Thanks to Angela)

Capital Radio 95.8 FM is covering the premiere, from 7 pm onwards GMT. You can hear live coverage of the event at Capital Online (Sorry -- we don't have a working link at this time). (Thanks to Miss F)

TV Alerts! Russell will be talking about Proof of Life on London Tonight, Feb 21st, 6:00 pm on Carlton. (Check local listings) (Thanks to Maya)

We now have a date for Big Breakfast Show (UK). Russell will be on Thursday, Feb 22, 7 - 9am. He's taking part in the 'On the Bed' interview. They lie on a double bed to do the interview. (This is one we wish we could see!!!!) (Thanks to Zhenya and Jane)

Magazine Alerts!
This week's Heat magazine (UK, 2/24 - 3/2) has three photos from the Allan Border Medal Awards and this mini article:
"Russell back on stage.
"It's not just short leather skirts Russell Crowe uses to get the ladies going. The crowd went wild for his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, when the group performed in Australia last week. Russell was guest of honour at The Allan Border Medal Awards in Melbourne. The event is known as the Oscars of cricket Down Under and Crowe dressed for the occasion. He took to the stage to belt out his very own brand of raw-sounding rock 'n' roll sporting a gangster-style suit that was more Fun Lovin' Criminals than U2." (Thanks to Sara J)

Tele Swiat (Poland, 2/23) Cover and article with 5 photographs. (Thanks to Justyna) (We'll add a larger version of the cover asap)

Who Weekly (Australia 2/26). Includes half-page photo of Russ at The Alan Border Medal Presentation and an article about the Mercury Lounge gig, which thanks to Katrina, you can read here

Thanks to Pilar, Marilyn and Estrella for the following reports from Spain. (Please pardon any mistranslations.)

Russell was on tv several times and had a photo session and a press conference. Although he didn't speak Spanish, he did confirm that Meg and himself were only good friends now. He said it was a tough press conference. He also stated that the most important reason to work on a film isn't the money, but a script that thrills him.

News agencies as well as internet portals were apparently refused admittance to the press conference.

Hola! reported that he went shopping, riding on a motorbike. (See photos linked in yesterday's news item). He bought some women's clothes in fashionable shops and said at the hotel that he didn't wanted any special treatment. He was accompanied by M—nica Schwartz who showed him the city. (She's the daughter of a famous Spanish writer, diplomat and currently a TV personality) You can see another photo from Spain here.

Again, we'd like to remind our readers, especially those of you in the UK and Australia, to check our TV ALERT CALENDAR, we've added some more details recently. We don't know how Russell does it all -- we are exhausted just trying to keep up the news page!!!

2/19/01
This just in!!! Russell has won yet another Best Actor award!!! This time at the Empire awards (UK) (See news items 2/16 and 2/17 for more details and broadcast info) Connie Nielsen was named Best Actress. Gladiator won best film and the award was picked up by Ridley Scott, who lost out to Guy Ritchie for Snatch, as Best Director. (Thanks to Caroline and Zhenya)

Listen to a wonderful interview from Italy here. In it Russell talks about being nominated for his second Oscar, his "bad boy" reputation and much more. But the best is - you can hear him speak Italian! (Thanks to Marilyn) (Russell, what's with the "Chocolate Prince"????)

Listen to another, older interview from Italy, this time about Gladiator here and a news report, where you can hear Russell say "Unleash hell" in Italian here. (Thanks to Marilyn)

We've told you about the exuma.com site before, but Ann wants to remind everyone to check it out for the new beautiful photos they have added from Rome. (Do a search under Russell's name). Next stop -- Spain!

Marian has shared with us the response she received from People magazine, regarding her "Wendy" letter . . . (see news item 2/10 for more on People's "Wendy")

"Thank you for writing to PEOPLE Magazine. We appreciate the concern that has prompted your response and we welcome this opportunity to address your concerns.

We are sorry if we have offended you with our Scoop item on Russell Crowe in the February 19 issue. We do not state that he wrote the song "Wendy" for Meg Ryan nor do we indicate that this song was written after he met her. We imply that all of the songs, new and old, that are recorded on his new CD appear to offer insights into his personal life. We hope that we have cleared up any confusion and we regret that you were offended by our Scoop item. Your comments will be reviewed by our editor for possible publication in our mail column."

Apple.com is featuring trailers for the Academy Award nominated films and Gladiator's includes two featurettes on the production of the film. You can find them here. (Thanks to Irma Jean)

The first photos are already in from Madrid!!!! See our favorite "bad boy" at www.hola.com. (Thanks to Brooke)

The London premiere of Proof of Life will be at Warner Village, Leicester Square this Thursday, 2/22. (Thanks to Karen)

2/18/01
You can now read more from the Herald Sun (as mentioned yesterday) here ("Crowe at the Crossroads"), along with a few other articles. (Thanks to Andrew B /news.com.au)

"The point is not the good or bad stuff people are saying about you. You don't drive yourself on praise, and you are not slowed down by other people's criticism." (Russell Crowe, Herald Sun, 2/01)

Be sure to keep your eyes on our CALENDAR There is a lot going on! (We've added a few more tv alerts - among other things.)

Another photo of Russell in Rome here (Thanks to Miriam & Sarah)

2/17/01 (Second update today, scroll)
Magazine Alert! Entertainment Weekly is just full of Russell and Gladiator, in their Oscar Guide issue (US, February 23). Included are 2 full-page photos and articles on Russell, Joaquin Phoenix, the film and Ridley Scott. We've added Russell's article and 2 of the photos here. There is also a full-page photo of Maximus and the cover has a small photo of Russell.

People magazine's Feb. 26 issue has a short article on the best picture Oscar nominees, including a photo of Russell as Maximus.

There is a two-page spread on Russell and Meg in People magazine's Yearboook 2001 (US). (Thanks to Faith)

We've added a fan report from yesterday's A Beautiful Mind casting call here, thanks to Alicia. She also passes on info that the casting director mentioned an open casting call in two weeks in Manhattan -- no further info at this time, so don't ask! As always, we will post any news we know.

The American Society of Cinematographers and Creative Planet are hosting a live chat today (Saturday) from noon to 2 p.m. PST featuring this year's ASC Award nominees including John Mathieson (Gladiator). The other nominees taking part in the chat are Roger Deakins, nominated for "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," who is also the cinematographer on Russell's next movie, A Beautiful Mind; Caleb Deschanel, nominated for "The Patriot"; and Peter Pau, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." To chat, go to Cinematographer.com.

You can find another photo of Russell in Rome at People.com.(Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Simona was kind enough to send us some wonderful photos she took of Russell on the red carpet at the premiere of Proof of Life in Rome. We'll get them up as soon as we can! (To quote our favorite villian, Sid 6.7, "Love the suit!")

There is an insightful article in today's Melbourne Age, where Russell speaks out on the band, A Beautiful Mind and how he feels about the tabloids, among other things -- Six Odd Foot of Grunt (Thanks to Marianne and Deborah)

The Associated Press reports "In an interview with Melbourne tabloid The Herald Sun, Crowe said he split with Ryan six months after they became an item on the set of their hostage movie "Proof of Life" because he wanted to spend more time on his Australian ranch." The Sun featured Russell on it's "Weekend" cover (see photo on left) and you can read the article here (Scroll to "Entertainment" then click on "How cows are nothing to Crowe about" (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

The Los Angeles Times has video profiles of all the Oscar nominees. You can find Russell's profile here. Click on the "Nominee Profile" and video link on the left, then in the pop-up window, click "next" to get to Russell. (Thanks to Margot)

2/16/01
See Russell in Roma here! (Thanks to Margot)

Our Italian readers are excitedly reporting in! Russell was in Rome yesterday and interviewed on several tv shows. He impressed his fans by making 2 statements in Italian -- although weâve gotten two variations on one of them. When asked about Hollywood Russell responded (1st version) "Hollywood un castello di carte: cade a seconda del vento." (Second version) "Hollywood un castello di carte, devi stare attento da che (and he mispronounced it, but then corrected himself) parte tira il vento." Based on the variations of the translations we were sent, we think this roughly translates to ãHollywood is a house of cards, you must watch which way the wind blowsä

The other statement was "Leri sera ho bevuto come una spugna." -- ãLast night I drank like a sponge." And he then said, in English "That's my favourite line!" (Thanks to Athena and Veronica)

Laura tells us Russell was interviewed on RAI 2 news today and spoke yet another comment in Italian -- "Ieri sono andato ad annusare la sabbia del Colosseo, ma la sabbia non câ pi. I tempi sono cambiati. I tempi sono cambiati. I tempi sono cambiati" ("Yesterday I went to smell Colosseumâs sand, but sand wasnât there anymore. Times have changed. Times have changed. Times have changed.")

You can also hear an audio clip of Russell speaking out on the press and on Proof of Life from CNN Italy. (Sorry, but you donât get to hear him in Italian!) (Thanks to Sam)

Just about all of our Italian readers who wrote in, heard Russell say in the interviews that there was a good chance 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts might appear at the Sanremo Music Festival on the 26 or 27th. (See news item 2/9) But before you go buying those plane tickets to Italy, (based on our current poll we see that most of you would fly to the ends of the earth to see the band!) it hasnât been offically confirmed yet. Weâll keep you posted!

More TOFOG gig rumors -- This just in from Carolina: "Radio Dimensione Suono Due (105.3 in Rome), [has] repeated the news about Russell's possible presence at the Sanremo Festival while also saying that in the case he really decided to sing at Sanremo, there was the possibility of a concert in Milan." (Again, we can't confirm anything at the moment.)

Looks like our Spanish readers should get ready to be on full Russell alert. Reminder -- he heads to Spain reportedly on the 19th. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Canal + (Spain) is going to repeat a program which includes a retrospective from some of Russell films, called Camino de los Oscars, Friday 2/16 and Tuesday 2/27. (Thanks to Lumi and Ester)

On to the UK;
The 21st London Film Critics Circle Awards were held last night and Russell was named Best Actor for Gladiator. (Thanks to Cheryl)

The Empire Award nominees were announced. Russell has been nominated for Best Actor and Gladiator for Best Film. Connie Nielsen and Ridley Scott also picked up nods. You can see the full list here. The Awards are on the 19th of February at 7.30pm and are to be shown on Channel 4 (UK) sometime afterwards. (Thanks to Mary and Zhenya)

Amani writes in to remind UK readers to be read to be on full TV alert: "Entertainment Today, GMTV, mentioned they will have an interview with Russell next week when he arrives in London!!!"

Also to watch for . . .Russell is going to be on "Big Breakfast" LIVE sometime during the week (2/19 - 2/23). The B.B is on channel 4, between 7am-9am, weekdays. No date has been confirmed yet. (Thanks to Leanne and Katherine D.)

Continuing our zig-zagging trip around the world . . . Australian updates: Amanda Keller and Andrew Denton will be interviewing Russell (taped in advance) on Monday morning, during their breakfast show on Triple M in Sydney. For listeners not in Sydney, you can hear the show here (Thanks to Mary and Alison)

Russell will be interviewed (taped in advance) on "Rove Live" with Rove McManus, on Tuesday, February 20th on the Ten network in Australia. (Thanks to Cindy)

It seems not everyone was totally thrilled by the Academy Award nominations, read Composer Has Nothing to Crowe About from the Melbourne Age.(Thanks to Lisa D)

And in the US, Douglas Wick and Branko Lustig (Gladiator) were nominated for the Producers Guild's Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Awards. (Thanks to Marilyn)

PLEASE read our comments regarding our current mail situation from news item 2/14. And just a few reminders: Unless you are the actual webmaster of the site, please do not send us photos from other RC fan sites! Also, if you are finding photos on the web from news sources, just send us the URL and as much info as you can (send the address instead of the actual photo). When you send magazine alerts, PLEASE also include the DATE of the magazine and the country of origin. Also, is is worth buying? Thanks -- we AND our overflowing mailbox would really appreciate it!)

2/15/01
(This was such big news - we decided it was all we were going to post!) Be one of "a few thousand" extras cast in Russell's next film, A Beautiful Mind! Details here. (We have no additional info other than this article, so unfortunately we can't answer your questions.) (Thanks to Eva)

2/14/01
Entertainment Tonight reports that Russell has been named ShoWest Male Star of the Year!!!

Yes indeed, it was just a rumor that Russell appears in the Bon Jovi video! (news item 2/12) He certainly isn't in it!

Yesterday the Oscar nominations -- today the alternate Oscar nominations from Movieline Magazine (US, March) (Thanks to Susan C) Russell is "nominated" in the following categories:

Best Performance by a Hot Austalian:
Russell Crowe - Gladiator AND Russell Crowe -Proof of Life

Best Performance by a Body Part
Russell Crowe's Chest - Gladiator AND Russell Crowe's Face - Proof of Life

Best Display of Testosterone
Russell Crowe - Gladiator AND Russell Crowe - Proof of Life

Best Performance By Facial Hair
Russell Crowe's - Gladiator

Hear what Russell's publicist says about his current schedule at entertainmentnews.com.au "A Dozen for Gladiator" (look to the right of the article)(Thanks to Andrew B/ news.com.au)

Now listen to Russell's impressions of Ecuador on expedia.com (Thanks to Kerry and Beth)

Looks like our good friend "Wendy" has made it all the way to Time Magazine! Yep, you read that right, Time Magazine (US and Canada, 2/19). Includes a small photo. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

2/13/01
BIG NEWS TODAY! For the second year in a row, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has nominated Russell for Best Actor, this time for his work in Gladiator. The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning at 5:35 am, in Los Angeles.

All told, Gladiator walked away with 12 nominations including; Best Actor, Director, Film, Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix), Original Screenplay, Music (Score), Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Sound and Visual Effects. Also nominated for Best Actor was Russellâs A Beautiful Mind co-star, Ed Harris for his work on Pollack.

See Oscar.com the official site of The Academy Awards to see a full list of nominations. The 73rd Annual Awards will be aired on Sunday, March 25th.

Weâd like to extend our congratulations to all of the cast and crew of Gladiator!

2/12/01
THIS JUST IN!! Possible TV alert! A couple of our readers just saw on Entertainment Tonight (US), that Russell was a presenter at tonight's ESPY awards (via satellite), for the Arthur Ashe Courage and Humanitarian Award, which is being presented to Australian Olympic track star Cathy Freeman. [Please note: Russell was the narrator on the featured segment on Cathy.] The show airs 9:00 pm EST on ESPN. (Check your local listings to confirm). The ESPN website is also doing a webcast of the event and for those of you on the West Coast, you should still be able to catch Russell on Entertainment Tonight. (Thanks to Neicie and Yvette)

In case you missed it, Helen gives a quick rundown of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts' Allan Border Medal performance Monday night:

"Russell and TOFOG put on a great show at the ABM ceremony. There was a brief glimpse of Russell as he arrived. Then early on in the show, the host - Eddie Mcguire - did an interview with him. Russell was very funny, told anecdotes about cricket (including the games he organised during Gladiator). He even managed to get the better of Eddie at one stage which was great. Eddie's extremely powerful in sports (and other) media, also in Aussie Rules, in Australia and it was wonderful to see someone get him on the back foot (to use a cricket expression). TOFOG played halfway through - the audio played up a bit but it was still good. They got a great reception from the audience. TOFOG and Russell were upstaged at the end though when Jimmy Barnes (one of the gods of Australian rock music) performed the Cold Chisel classic Khe San, accompanied by his son, David Campbell (to my knowledge, the first time they've performed together in public). From a music perspective, it's a bit hard to top that. Overall though, great exposure for TOFOG and Russell - lots of opportunities to promote the CD."

Janet reports:
"Well what a night! I actually got to meet Russell!! I was placed at a table [at the ABMP] with another mad fan who had flown down from Sydney and we were brave enough to approach Russell when we had the opportunity. He was just lovely and he happily signed my Gaslight Cd and chatted to us about the plans for the show later at Mercury. I thought the performance at the awards was fantastic, he seemed really relaxed and happy and the band was really tight. The song ["Things Have Got To Change"] was fantastic. He looked wonderful."

You can see a photo of Russell at the ABMP from the Sydney Morning Herald here. (Thanks to Maria)

Russell is rumored to have a cameo in the new Bon Jovi video for the song "Say It Ain't So," which will debut on the Fox Family Channel's "Bon Jovi Crush Tour" concert special tomorrow night (US, 2/13).

How's this for contrast? Read what the Herald Sun printed about Russell at the ABMP Crowe Brings Up Tail End at Awards (Thanks to Andrew B/ news.com.au) and then go back and read Helen and Janet's first-hand reports, above.

2/11/01
THIS JUST IN!!!!!!!! For those of you lucky enough to be in the Melbourne area, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts have decided to add a show! They will be playing at the Mercury Lounge (located in the Crown Casino) TONIGHT, right after the Allan Border Medal Presentation. (See more below). Tickets will be available at the door and the band hits the stage at 1:00 am! (2/12 PM - 2/13 AM Melbourne time) (Thanks to the Grunts)

For those of you not lucky enough to be in the Melbourne area, to keep you entertained while you are waiting patiently for the webcast, weâve added the Total Film / Man of The Year (UK, Jan) article. (Better late than never! ) Thanks to Betsy, you can find it here. Or you can always just stare at the photo on the left!! (US Weekly, Feb 12)

According to the ninemsn site (where the 30 Odd Foot of Grunts / Alan Border Medal Presentation will be webcast) the time of the broadcast is at 10.15pm AEDT. "Catch a LIVE interview with Russell Crowe followed by the exclusive launch of Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts' new album Bastard Life or Clarity. The webcast will be available on demand for three weeks after this exciting event . . . " The site also features the Richard Wilkins interview with Russell.

A bit more on the Allan Border Medal Presentation from today's Herald Sun Awards Given Grunt (Thanks to Andrew B/ news.com.au)

TV alert!! For our UK readers: "The Making of The Insider" is on terrestrial TV Carlton/LWT on Friday February 16, 03:20-03:45 am (Check local listings) (Thanks to The Chedge and Denise)

2/10/01
Magazine Alerts!

We've added a larger version of the Midweek cover here (Thanks to meLA and Kim)

As promised in news item 2/7, we've now added a larger version of the Interfilm magazine cover and a few of the photos from the article here. (Thanks to Sonia)

Weâve added the UK cover to "Gladiator Uncovered" here. (Thanks to Sam)

Jeffrey Wigand (The real Insider) will be lecturing at St Andrews University, in Scotland on Monday 19 February. (Thanks to Marjory)

Regarding Russell on the Steve Wright Radio Show, UK (see news item 2/8) The interview is scheduled to hit the airwaves on 23 February.(Thanks to Emma)

Just as we predicted, the "Wendy" story has become even more widespread.
Magazine Alert: People Magazine (US, Feb 19th) includes yet another version and 2 small photos of Russell (nothing new). You can read their version here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in) One positive thing to note in all of this -- it means a lot of publicity for the new CD!! (See our news item 2/6 if you have missed the "Wendy" controversy.)

And last but not least! TV and Webcast alert!! Don't forget the Allan Border Medal Presentation! See news item 2/8 and our 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts page or Calendar for more details. For those of you on the other side of the international dateline from Australia, be sure to check your local time, the show is live!

2/9/01
For those of you in the UK, the deadline for voting for the Blockbuster Awards is Feb. 19. Russell is nominated for favourite actor in both the action (Gladiator) and suspense (The Insider) categories. You can vote at www.blockbuster.co.uk or on the voting form in the February issue of the in-store magazine "The Scene." (Thanks to Maureen)

For our Italian readers, the Sanremo Music Festival is trying to get 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts to appear at the upcoming festival. The Kronos News Agency reports that Faith Hill and Enya are already scheduled. You can read the full article here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in.)

More on the Gladiator dvd boycott, which has now ended. (See news item 2/1/01) The offending image will be removed. ãA Columbia TriStar spokesman said the company, together with studios DreamWorks and Universal, 'deeply regretted' the error and offered their 'sincere apologies.'" You can read the full article here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

The History Channel has nominated Gladiator for it's third annual Harry Award. Named after Herodotus, it is given to the film that has most advanced our understanding of history. (Thanks to Margot)

Since itâs pretty much a given that Gladiator is going to score big in the Academy Award nominations on Tuesday, just about every newspaper and magazine, both online and in print are posting articles featuring Russell's name and the film in their predictions. There are too many for us to post.

Reminder: Videoflicks still has some overstock on The Efficiency Expert video (AKA Spotswood) and have listed it for $6.99. Get it here!

Small article about Russell in today's USA Today (Thanks to Mike and Susie)

Carlaja writes in with a bit more info on Russell's visit to Spain; "Lo m‡s Plus" / Canal Plus next Monday, 19th February. (Check local listings for exact times)

More from Hungary: Betty tells us that No Way Back, soon to be hitting the local airwaves is released as "Keleti Harc" . . . which is "actually a mistranslation, since it means 'Eastern War' in Hungarian." (Please note, always check your local listings for Russell's films on TV and cable. We can't post alerts because there are too many films and too many countries. Sorry about that!)

2/8/01
It's the article that started it all: Sylvia Nasar's 1994 New York Times article on John Forbes Nash Jr., which spawned the award-winning book and, now, the film A Beautiful Mind. We've added the article, "The Lost Years of a Nobel Laureate," to our A Beautiful Mind: In Print Page 3. (Very special thanks to the author and to Di).

A 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts update on their Feb. 12 performance at the Allan Border Medal Presentation in Melbourne: The show will be broadcast live on the Nine Network at 9:30 p.m. EST (Australia), and their performance of "Things Have Got To Change" will be webcast here. To read more about the band, visit the official site here.

It appears Russell and others will be embarking on a world tour of sorts to promote Proof of Life:

Steve Wright's afternoon show mentioned that Russell will be on the show to talk about the movie in a few weeks. (You can get Radio 2 over the Internet here from 2 to 5 p.m. UK time. (Thanks to Frances)

The Metro newspaper reports that Russell will be in Italy on Thursday, Feb. 15, to promote the film. (Its Italian title is "Kidnap & Ransom.") (Thanks to Athena)

Gladiator will reportedly be re-released in the U.K. on March 16. (Thanks to Valerie) The DVD will be out in France on March 6. (Thanks to Dominique)

2/7/01
Cool news for Aussie fans, courtesy of Urban Cinefile: "Russell Crowe is personally introducing the Australian premiere of Proof of Life, in which he co-stars with Meg Ryan, at Melbourne's Rivoli Cinema in a couple of weeks. The film opens to the Australian public on March 1. But he isn't staying for the film, due to heavy commitments, says his Australian agent."

Sanity now has samples from all of the tracks on 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts' next release, Bastard Life or Clarity. You can download them here. (Thanks to Cat)

Magazine Alerts!
Empire (UK, April) promises "all the action from the most dramatic film set of the year - Proof Of Life." The issue hits newsstands March 1st. (Thanks to Gillian)

Interfilms (Spain, February). Cover and 8 page article with photos. (Thanks to Sonia.) We'll be adding the larger version of the cover asap.

Gala (Germany, February 8) will feature a 2-page article on Russell (with photos) by Alex, one of our readers!

Alex also sends this great news for our German readers, Gladiator is due back in the theatres March 8, and will be shown on screens all over the country!

2/6/01
Once again, we feel we have to set the record straight about a rumor involving Russell. (For those of you who don't remember the dead dog story, see our Editorial page for a big laugh!) This time we're referring to the Jeannette Walls column found on MSN.com on Monday, Feb. 5, 2001. The item claims that "Russell Crowe fans are wondering if a poignant song the actor wrote for his band, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, is secretly about Meg Ryan." Ms. Walls' column says "The song is about a woman who recently split from her guy and has a husband who doesn't care about her . . ." Lyrics quoted in the column: "Wendy's got a little boy/Someone to keep in mind for the future." The item goes on to quote "a source who knows the rocking actor." This source says that the song "sure sounds like it's about Meg."

First, the item is simply wrong. The dates prove it. "Wendy" was included on the band's 1998 release Gaslight -- more than a year, perhaps longer, before Russell and Meg began even preliminary work together on Proof of Life and two years before Meg and husband Dennis Quaid announced their separation. According to the liner notes from Gaslight, the song was actually recorded in 1995!

Second, the craftily written item is completely exploitative of the current Russell-Meg media frenzy. Walls never comes out and says for sure that the song IS about Meg Ryan. "Fans are wondering," not Ms. Walls; she could have gotten the rumor off any message board or from any newsgroup or mailing list. Is this the type of material that ends up often in these columns?

And then there is that well-informed "source." He (or she) says Russell often writes about his girlfriends and ex-girlfriends. Well, anyone who's listened to the Grunts knows that one! But Walls' column doesn't stop there.

Remember, the source also claims that the song "sure sounds like it's about Meg." And on the surface, it does. It's entirely possible that this comment was taken out of context ("And this one sure sounds like it's about Meg, BUT . . .," the source's full quote could have said). But again, anyone who noted the song's copyright date would soon find out that the song is too old to be about Meg. That is, unless Russell is psychic!

In the past year or so, nearly every aspect of Russell's life has been gossiped about -- from his love life to his movie choices, to things only he and those closest to him could ever know. On a gossip scale from 1 to 10, Ms. Walls' column would rate about a 0.5. But it's not so much what it says but the fact that it infers something totally wrong just to exploit the situation. Not to mention that now other gossipers will use it in their own columns, helping to spread totally false information that many people will now take as fact.

By checking the facts, Jeannette Walls could have saved herself from proving these gossipers don't have a clue about the very people they claim to know about. And she could have saved us from having to correct her mistakes.

For the full lyrics to Wendy, see our Lyrics page. If you must, you can read Jeannette Walls' original item here (scroll). And in the first sign the story is, indeed, spreading fast on the Internet, you can read Mr. Showbiz's item about it here.

Because of the large positive response we have received to our editorial today, we've decided to post a copy of the letter we'd sent to Ms. Walls and copied to Mr. Showbiz yesterday. Click here (and scroll to the bottom) to read it.

2/5/01
More A Beautiful Mind casting news. According to Variety, Paul Bettany, who will soon be seen opposite Heath Ledger in "A Knight's Tale," has just signed to a leading role. Filming begins March 1 in New York. (Thanks to Lisa C)

Videoflicks reports to us, that they have some overstock on The Efficiency Expert video (AKA Spotswood) and have just listed it for $6.99. (The DVD is only $9.99!) Get it here!

Who cares how the Crowe flies from today's Daily Telegraph. (Thanks to Sara)

Magazine Alerts!
Hot Dog, a new movie magazine, (UK March) reviews Proof of Life with a small pic of Russell and Meg. (Thanks to Frances)

Also, Empire magazine has issued a special crime film edition which features a double page spread on L.A. Confidential with a photo of Russell as Bud White. (Thanks to Frances)

If you missed our homepage update yesterday, we've added a new photo to the Photo Scrapbook page. (Thanks to Regine)

2/4/01
We've added Russell's speech in its entirety and Ridley Scott's great introduction of him at the Critics Choice Awards here. (Captures thanks to Neicie)

From today's Melbourne Age: Is it Oscar Maximus for Crowe?(Thanks to Patti)

The Gladiator video will finally be released at sell-through prices March 13th! (Thanks to everyone who sent it in) Pre-order now!

2/3/01
Reminder: The Critics' Choice Awards will be broadcast TONIGHT on E! Check local listings for times. (See our CALENDAR for more information).

Magazine alert! In an article called "Chic vs. Sexy," US magazine (Feb. 12 issue) names Russell the Ultimate Sexy Boyfriend. (George Clooney took the "chic" honors.) It's on sale now. (Thanks to Margot)

Total Film (UK March 2001) mentions Russell and his films throughout the issue, also includes an interview with Ridley Scott, who had this to say about Russell;
"Question: Is it true that Russell Crowe is awkward to work with?
"He is not awkward, he is smart. He started as a child actor, so is very experienced. He takes no prisoners, so if you're not fully prepared, he can be difficult. He is worth every frame. Gladiator is one of the great experiences of my career.(Thanks to Carol and Sam)

Cin Live, (France, Feb 2001) has a small photo of Russell at the Proof of Life premiere and Studio (France, Feb 2001) features their reader's awards. Ridley Scott; best director, Russell; best actor, Gladiator, 4th out of 12; best picture. Also a small photo of Russell and Meg. (Thanks to Christine)

Entertainment Weekly (US, Feb, 9) has yet another photo of Russell and Jamie Bell with the following:
"Crowe's Feat: Who knew Russell Crowe could be so paternal? Usually, the grimacing Gladiator star is knee-deep in heavenly bodies like ex-squeeze Meg Ryan and, reportedly, Courtney Love -- not to mention a bevy of body guards. But at a post-Golden Globes party at Trader Vic's, Crowe put his arm around the shoulder of "Billy Elliot's" Jamie Bell to offer tips on surviving the showbiz coliseum. 'He was telling me how the whole game works,' the 14-year-old tells EW. 'We were talking about what his security guards do. He told me they basically just stand around being bored, doing nothing. Then when they see someone trying to talk to him, they'll say , 'Step back, step back!'' Will Bell now be hiring his own team of lackeys? 'No I don't need bodyguards -- I've got Russell'" (by William Keck)

2/2/01
30 Odd Foot Of Grunts have added more new lyrics from Bastard Life or Clarity to their official site gruntland.com. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

More gossip and a nice photo from The Daily News. (Thanks to Margot and Patti)

TV alert reminder: Be sure to watch the BFCA Awards, tomorrow on E! (US) See details on our CALENDAR and check your local listings for times in your area. "My people . . . my people!"

2/1/01
From PageSix.com by Neal Travis:
"Dear Lainie Kazan got quite a thrill when her cell phone rang and the voice at the other end was that of notorious skirt-chaser Russell Crowe.

"'I thought for one mad moment that -- on the rebound from Meg Ryan -- he wanted to date me!' Lainie says. 'It turns out that I'm his mother's favorite entertainer, and he wants me to come down to his farm in Australia and sing for her.'" (Thanks to Deborah)

The latest from Ted Casablanca.

In March, CountingDown.com will begin on location interviews from A Beautiful Mind. You can read the full press release here. (Thanks to Moxie)

Today's Melbourne Age reports that "families of the 96 soccer fans killed in the Hillsborough disaster have called for movie fans to boycott a special edition of Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator which uses graphic footage of the 1989 tragedy. . . The DVD includes a 50-minute feature called 'Roman Blood Sport' which examines the relationship between violence in entertainment and sport." You can read the full story here.

Christine wanted to let everyone know that Sanity.Com.au has added a sample of "Things Have Got To Change" from "Bastard Life or Clarity" here. Be sure to get that pre-order in, so you can be the first one on your block with the new 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts cd!

One more after-party photo from the Golden Globes, from Entertainment Weekly here (Thanks to Patti)

1/31/01
Following hot on the heels of yesterdayâs SAG nominations, Russell scores another big one today! This time from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, (BAFTA) Awards. All told, Gladiator walked away with 14 nominations from the group including; Best Actor, Director, Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actor (with two -- Joaquin Phoenix and Oliver Reed), Costumes, Cinematography, Production Design, Editing, Sound, Special Visual Effects, Make-up/Hair, and the Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Music. You can see the competition here.

ãThe first Orange British Academy Film Awards since the pivotal move pre-Oscars¨, this year's star-studded event will again take place at the Odeon Leicester Square on 25th February exactly one month before Hollywood's ceremony.ä It will be ãBroadcast live on Sky One, [UK] with a highlights programme to be screened on BBC1 the following evening.ä (Thanks to everyone who sent it in) And remember, you can still vote for the Orange Audience Award for best film. See news item 1/24 for details.

Magazine Alerts:
Video Business (US Jan 22) reports the following on the upcoming DVD version of Proof of Life (no release date mentioned); Special Editions: Proof Of Life (Warner) Original Production features: commentary by Taylor Hackford ; behind-the-scenes documentary shot in Ecuador, London and Poland by Vic Davis ; Other features and deleted scenes. (Thanks to Melly)

Newsweek (US Feb 5) Article in the Arts & Leisure section called "Pass Me an Oscar" -- a round table discussion with 5 producers, including Douglas Wick (Gladiator). Also a small photo of Maximus. (Thanks to Yvette)

Yvette also sends the following: New York Magazine (US, Feb 5) "Scene . . . Golden Globes Edition" (gossip section) about exhibitionists at the Globes states: "Russell Crowe went to the men's room only to find a woman putting on her make-up. But that didn't dissuade the actor from taking care of his business. ÎI won't look if you don't,â he said with a grin . . . Moments later he found her at the bar. ÎAdmit it,â he said with a smile. "You looked." Hopefully sheâll submit a fan review! (Sorry -- couldnât resist!)

Thanks to Jackie, we have added a bit of pre-order promo sent to record stores for the Bastard Life or Clarity cd here! Time to start asking at your local music stores if they are planning to carry the cd. Let's make them aware of the interest, so theyâll order plenty of stock!

Yahoo reports that Proof of Life, did "a healthy" $1.5 million in box office in nine days in South Korea, the first major international market for the film. (Thanks to Maxine N)

1/30/01
Russell scores another nomination!! Today, the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) nominated Russell for "Best Actor in a Leading Role" (Gladiator) along with Joaquin Phoenix, "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" (Gladiator). Congratulations to both! To see their competition click here and here. Russell, Joaquin, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Richard Harris, Oliver Reed, and Derek Jacobi were also nominated for "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture"

The Screen Actors Guild Awards will be presented on Sunday, March 11, 2001 from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. The show will air live on TNT (Turner Network Television) at 8 PM (ET/PT), 7 PM (Central), 6 PM Mountain in the US.

This is Russell's second SAG nomination for Best Actor (The Insider) and second for Cast (L.A. Confidential). To see Russell at the awards dinner last year, click here.

In today's New York Daily News, gossip columnists George Rush and Joanna Molloy report that Russell had adamantly denied he and Courtney Love were lovers, and even threatened legal action if the columnists said they were. The rumor (that he and Courtney had left a Golden Globes after-party together) ended up being reported in several other gossip columns last week. You can read the complete Daily News item on our News Flash page.

Tuesday's Daily Telegraph reveals that Russell's band, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, has agreed to be a sponsor of this year's Tropfest, the annual short-film festival in Sydney that was founded by actor/director John Polson (Russell's co-star in Blood Oath and in Sum Of Us). To read the full story, click here. (Thanks to Andrew/news.com.au and everyone who sent it in) For more on Tropfest, visit the official site here.

Speaking of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, the following is from the music trade magazine Pollstar (January 29):

"The hottest ticket in Melbourne was the listening party for Russell's Crowe's band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, for which Crowe hired powerful equiptment from a nearby studio to blow the eardrums of his guests. They included Natalie Imbruglia and half the Australian cricket team."

Thanks to Neicie, we've added some more screen captures from the Golden Globes red carpet here! And be sure to scroll, we have also added another photo of Russell and Jamie Bell -- this time from the Hollywood Reporter. (US, Jan 23-29)

Mary Ann was kind enough to share information she learned about the upcoming documentary on Gladiator. (See item dated 1/27/01) The video will be called "Gladiators: A documentary that picks up where the Hollywood film leaves off." It will cost $24.99 on DVD and is narrated by David Hemmings (Cassius in the film). From the title it sounds like the new video is more about real gladiators than about the film. It will be released Feb. 13.

Entertainment Tonight will be featuring a segment on the "Hollywood Goes Wild" cd tonight. (For more on the benefit cd which features 30 Odd Foot of Grunts / "The Photograph Kills", and to order, see our Shopping for Russell page.) The cd is getting all kinds of press at the moment.

John Mathieson, BSC (Gladiator) and Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC (A Beautiful Mind ) are among the nominees for the 15th annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards. (Deakins was nominated for the current film "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"). This is Mathieson's first nomination and the fourth for Deakins, who won the award in 1994 for "The Shawshank Redemption" (which, coincidentally, Russell auditioned for). The awards dinner will be held Feb. 18 at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

Anything to get Russell's name in their column -- this from today's Liz Smith
"Oh, one more thing. Who is being suggested to play Ari Onassis to Catherine Zeta-Jones' [Maria] Callas? None other than the man of the moment, "Gladiator" swordsman Russell Crowe!" (Russell as Aristotle Onassis?????) (Thanks to Deborah)

Russell relaxes, from today's Daily Telegraph (Thanks to Andrew/news.com.au)

1/28/01
What were they thinking??? In the E Online Golden Globes fashion poll, Russell was picked as worst-dressed at this year's Golden Globes awards. (George Clooney was voted best-dressed male.) And on the E! Fashion Review, hosted by Joan and Melissa Rivers, four of the five would-be fashion "experts" (including Joan Rivers) also picked Russell as worst-dressed male. (The panel was split on best-dressed male, with George Clooney winning the most votes.) At least one of them had the right idea: Melissa Rivers defended Russell, saying, "Yeah but you know, on the red carpet, it was WORKING." Later when the panel trashed Russell ("Take a bath!" Joan yelled), Melissa told them, "You are SO wrong!" And WE say, how can you take any station seriously that uses Joan Rivers as a fashion consultant? The show will be repeated several times, check your local listings.

Thanks to Rosemary, we've added an interview and some photos from Heat magazine (UK, January 13-19) here.

Thanks to Nitta, we've added an interview with Russell about Gladiator from "Npszabads‡g Magazin", (Hungary) here.

1/27/01
Magazine Alert! US Weekly (US, February 5). (Thanks to Lisa D. for the tip) "The Golden Globes Special Report / Best Dressed" issue features the photo on the left, another photo of Russell and Jamie Bell (see the same one on our Golden Globes page), a couple of mentions, including an illustration of Russell dressed as Maximus in shorts, for the "Meet the new single hunks of "Temptation Island II" spoof and an article and photo which you can find here. (scroll)

Total Film magazine (UK) held a poll for the top 10 film heroes and villains. Maximus came in at Hero No. 3 (behind Indiana Jones and James Bond, respectively and Emperor Commodus came in at number 7, in the Film Villain category. More than 80,000 fans voted in the survey which will be published in the March edition. (Thanks to Kim and Lee)

DVD Vision (Germany, Feb.) features Maximus on the cover and several pages on the Gladiator DVD with photos. (Thanks to Niklaus)

Speaking of Gladiator, this from yesterday's Chicago Tribune:

"Go figure
After capturing the best picture Golden Globe, the folks involved with "Gladiator" are becoming justifiably cocky. They've announced the Feb. 13 release of a DVD and VHS documentary to coincide with that day's announcement of Oscar nominations, in which Ridley Scott's epic, starring Russell Crowe, is sure to get a nod." (Thanks to Lisa and Joan)

You can now purchase officially licensed Gladiator products at www.factory-x.com (Click "products" then "Gladiator") (Thanks to Dave/ factory-x)

1/26/01
Magazine Alert:
Newsweek (US, January 29). Small article on the Hollywood Goes Wild CD with photo of Russell.(Thanks to everyone who sent it in) and thanks to Susie, you can see the photo and article here.

We thought Russell looked totally hot in his new Armani tux but apparently not everyone agreed. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in).

If you missed Russell on E! TV's coverage from the red carpet, click here, select the "rebroadcast of the pre-show" video clip. Russell is near the end of the 2 hour clip, at 1:46 and at 1:48. (Thanks to Heidi)

In further blurring of the line between reality and gossip, Ted Casablanca claims to know the real state of Russell and Meg Ryan's relationship. He even has a statement from Meg's publicist. To read it, click here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in). Be sure to go on to the second page for a quote from Michael Douglas about dinner with Russell before the Golden Globes.

Russell has been nominated in a couple of categories for the 7th annual Blockbuster awards. You can vote at your local Blockbuster video stores and online. Watch for voting details coming soon to ET Online (There's also list of the nominees) and Blockbuster.com. Then watch the show on Fox TV (US) April 11th. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in).

Since it seems that not a day can go by without them mentioning his name, you can find still more gossip from Liz Smith and another very brief mention in Page Six.(Thanks to everyone who sent it in.)

1/24/01 (Third update today!)
As mentioned in our news item yesterday, you can now view Russellâs Today show interview here (Scroll to where it says "TODAY: Richard Wilkins has the latest entertainment news." Or try the direct link. Be sure to view today, as it will probably be replaced tomorrow.) You will need Windows Media to view. (Thanks to Heidi and Kerry) This part of the interview was mainly about Russellâs work with 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts and features a clip of the new video, confirms the release date of "Bastard Life or Clarity" as being February 26, and announces a live show in Australia, at the Allen Border Medal Presentations February 12th. (More info here thanks to Sarah) The show will also be broadcast live on ninemsn.com.au.

Silly question of the day: when asked by Entertainment Tonight at the Broadcast Film Critics Association awards luncheon who he was taking to the Oscars, Russell smiled graciously and responded:
"I'm not sure if I'm even going yet, mate."

For two photos from the luncheon, click here. (Thanks to Kim!) and one more, at People.com here (Thanks to Deborah)

You can hear an audio clip from the luncheon here at news.com.au. (Thanks to Andrew B./ news.com.au)

In case you are new to our site, you can see Russell picking up the same award last year (for The Insider) here. (Scroll)

Tilly sends in the following for our readers in the UK: ãThe Orange Audience Award for best film is the only category at the British Academy Film Awards that members of the public can vote for. You can vote for Gladiator by ringing 0901 111 4420. (Calls cost 25p). Lines are open until midnight on Sunday 4th Feb." See our Calendar for more info on the awards show.

More gossip from Page Six. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in) (See Russell with Courtney Love at Vanity Fair's post-Oscar party, last year here (scroll)

Magazine Alert: Gala (Germany, January 1/25) will feature a two- page story about Russell and Meg with photos. Also includes an article on the Golden Globes which mentions Russell. (Thanks to Alex)

Another one of our readers (Jayne H) has a letter published!! This time in USA Today, 1/24/01 in regard to Russell deserving the Golden Globe for Best Actor.

This from "Celebrities Shine Bright, Appear Relaxed on the Red Carpet" at Hollywood.com
"Perhaps, though, it was man-of-the-year Russell Crowe, attending (sans Meg Ryan) for his Gladiator best actor nom, who put it best. ÎI'm feeling same as I usually do (at award ceremonies). Whoopsy doopsy, see how we go, right?â he told reporters. ÎThis evening, I think I'll warm the seat and drink as much free wine as I can.âä (Thanks to Patti M)

1/23/01
Gladiator was named best film of 2000 at the Critics' Choice Awards yesterday! Russell was on hand to accept his award for best actor, which had already been announced back in December. To see a photo of Russell at the luncheon, click here.

Meanwhile, E has announced the date of the Critics' Choice Awards broadcast: Feb. 3. (Thanks to Chris)

TV Alert! Russell was on Today (Channel 9 Australia) in part one of a two-part, pre-taped interview with Richard Wilkins at 7.50 a.m. Yesterday he spoke about the Golden Globes and also the tabloids. Part two will air same time today (Wednesday, Australia), and will be about 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts and, possibly, a clip from Proof of Life. (Thanks to Sarah)
THIS JUST IN!!!!!!! Sarah tells us that on today's show Russell talked a lot about 30 Odd Foot of Grunts and why the band was successful apart from him being a star. They showed about 20 seconds of the new video and announced that the band is playing LIVE at the Allen Border Medal (Cricket) Presentations next week, to be aired on the Nine network in Australia.

More awards news about Gladiator: Ridley Scott has been nominated for the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2000. The other nominees include Cameron Crowe for "Almost Famous"; Golden Globe winner Ang Lee for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; and Steven Soderbergh for both "Traffic" and "Erin Brockovich." The winner will be announced at the 53rd annual DGA Awards Dinner on March 10 in Los Angeles. (Thanks to Marilyn).

A few Golden Globes round-up stories with photos of Russell included:

Daily Telegraph. (Thanks to Andrew)

Sky. (Thanks to AA)

The Sydney Morning Herald has a great photo of Russell and Al Pacino (The Insider). Click here. (Thanks to Jeanne)

On its Golden Globes wrap-up yesterday, Entertainment Tonight had an interview with Russell from the red carpet. ET Online has a photo of him arriving. Click here and then click on the thumbnail for a bigger version.

See another photo of him on The Age. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

And one from E Online. (Thanks to Monica)

Proof of Life is set to open in Spain on March 2 and Russell is scheduled to travel to Madrid on Feb. 19 for a news conference to promote the film. (Thanks to Monica and everyone who sent it in)

Meanwhile, Proof of Life director Taylor Hackford had this to say about Russell in the December/January issue of Venice Magazine: "I had seen Russell in L.A. Confidential and was just blown away by his work. There was something really special going on behind his eyes." You can read what else he had to say about Russell and the entire interview here. (Thanks to Claudia)

According to the Guardian and Ananova.com, Russell and Kevin Spacey (L.A. Confidential) are competing for the same role in a new Disney comedy-drama, "Honest Abe." The film is reportedly a Capraesque tale "a nice guy whose principles and beliefs are questioned when he is elected to run for state Governor." For the whole story, click here. (Thanks to Angela)

One of us is suddenly out of commission for a while (we're supposed to say it was from too much partying the night of the Golden Globes) so we weren't able to finish our Golden Globes wrap-up yet. But we'll have it finished soon!

A couple of items from the gossip columns: The Daily News, Liz Smith (thanks to everyone who sent them in) and the Sun Times. (Thanks to Mary Ann)

A few more photos: eonline (Thanks to Nina) and the L.A. Times.(Click on "photo gallery arrivals" and click forward until you get to Russell. (Thanks to Helen K)

1/22/01 Gladiator wins best picture! There was no big winner at last night's 58th annual Golden Globes awards, but Gladiator was the top winner, receiving the award for Best Motion Picture, Drama. Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard also won for best original score. Russell, however, lost out to Tom Hanks for "Cast Away"; Ang Lee beat out Ridley Scott in the directing category; and Benicio Del Toro won over Joaquin Phoenix, absent from the show because he's currently filming "Buffalo Soldiers" in Europe.

Russell hit the red carpet less than 30 minutes from the start of the show, dressed in black with a beard and tousled hair that made him look surprisingly like an older, worldlier Cort in The Quick and the Dead. Unfortunately, the fact that he arrived alone will probably only add to all the gossip surrounding his personal life. Especially among those who forget he's been alone at most of his appearances and award shows the past several months.

Despite being the Entertainer of the Year in one of the biggest films of the year, Russell got even less screen time this year than at last year's Oscars! Still, Gladiator ended the evening as the clear front-runner in the Academy Awards race. (Nominations are announced Feb. 13).

See our Golden Globes 2001 page for more, including photos from the show! The page is still under construction, but we should have our wrap-up completed tomorrow!

Because of the Golden Globes rush, we ask that you please hold off emailing us at least one more day, so we can concentrate on getting it all up on the site! (That is, unless you have some hot news from the red carpet!) Thanks!

Meanwhile, today is another busy day for Russell. The Broadcast Film Critics Association will hold its sixth annual Critics' Choice Awards at a luncheon at Beverly Hills Hotel. Russell was already named best actor. There will probably be coverage of this event on the entertainment shows, too. The ceremony will be broadcast on E! in February.

You can vote for Russell in E Online's Golden Globes Fashion Poll. Click here. The fashion winners and losers will be unveiled on E's Fashion Review on Saturday at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. EST.

For a photo of Russell during his Russ Le Roq days, click here. (Thanks to Andrew / news.com.au)

1/20/01 TV ALERT REMINDER!! The Golden Globes awards show will be broadcast live from the US, Sunday 1/21, and airs in 122 additional countries. (Please note that although it says "broadcast live", the airing is tape-delayed in some areas. (NBC 8/7 PM in the US) Please check your local listings in ALL areas. More info at: goldenglobes.org.

It's going to be a busy weekend for us, so we won't be able to answer mail until Monday evening. And please note, in case you are going to watch live, please hold off on writing in to us to discuss the show or the winners. We want to be surprised too! We will of course have all the details of the show on Monday. We'd like to wish the very best of luck to Russell. May the best man win! (We all know who that is!)

From today's Sydney Morning Herald "Russ loves Meg - or is it all just a sham?" and Aussies in Oscars dress rehearsal"

1/19/01 (Second update today!) With (what seems like) the whole world speculating on who Russell might, or might not be dating at the moment, Wildflower sends in what we think is some pretty exciting news regarding 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts!

ãOn an Australian cable music channel (Channel V) this afternoon, Russell released the video of ãThings Have Got To Changeä in Oz and NZ. While being interviewed by the host of the show Russell was mopping the floor in the studio and clowning around like usual. The clip ran for about 4 mins, is in colour (unlike the Circus video) * and for all the Grunts fans who have waited so long for anything, it is fantastic.

"Russell is so hot in the video that once it airs worldwide, the sales for the BLOC [Bastard Life or Clarity] cd are going to go through the roof. It has a great sound and look, with a bit of subtle humour thrown in for good measure.ä (Thanks to Wildflower) (* Includes color segments.) Also, be sure to re-check yesterday's news for more on the Grunts!

For those of you who can't make it though the day without more of the current gossip, see Page Six and entertaindom.com. (Thanks to everyone who sent them in). For still more of the same, see the "New Idea" magazine alert from 1/15. (Again, we remind you that we aren't confirming it as news.)

Film critic Gary Cogill interviewed Russell recently and you can listen to it here. (Scroll until you see "Gary Cogill's Exclusive Interviews") RealPlayer required. See our news item 11/30/00 to reference Russell's comment about the Austin radio station contest. There is also an interview with Meg Ryan. (Thanks to Sherry)

Be sure to check yesterday's news again, we updated three times!

1/18/01
This just in from The Daily Telegraph, "Crowe girds his loins for grunty performance". (Thanks to Andrew B./ news.com.au)

The Daily Telegraph has an article on 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts' new CD, including a release date of Feb. 26 (please note, that date has not been confirmed yet.) News.com.au is also running a poll on the worst-dressed stars and Russell so far has a slight lead. (Don't blame us, we didn't vote for him!) Find the Grunts article here, and for the poll, click here. (Thanks to Andrew B./ news.com.au)

Speaking of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts be sure to pre-order your copy of Bastard Life or Clarity soon if you want to be sure to get the special collectors edition. The special packaging is still available, but the numbers are limited. See our news item 12/24 and Gruntland.com for more details. (You can pre-order the new cd from Sanity.com and you can see the full list of songs here.)

A week without Ted Casablanca? Not with all the break-up gossip / rumors floating around at the moment. See his latest here. (We aren't confirming any of the gossip is true, so take it for what you will.)

More on the above from today's USA Today, by gossip columnist Jeannie Williams. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in).

TV Alert! Leave it to Entertainment Tonight -- they will have their version of the above gossip on their show tomorrow. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

Magazine Alert! DVDvision (France, Jan/Feb) Features Russell as Maximus on the cover and a review of the zone 2 dvd. Also mentions that The Insider is in the top ten rentals. (Thanks to Christine)

Today's National Post of Canada has a new review of Gladiator here. You can read some of the reviews referred to in the article on our Gladiator: In Print pages and in our news archives. (Thanks to Julia, cliberte and Louise)

1/17/01
Magazine Alerts!
Variety (US, January 15-21) features a two-page Gladiator ad and articles on Russell, Connie Nielsen and Joaquin Phoenix in the focus on acting / Oscar issue. You can read the articles on Russell and Connie here.

Film TV (Italy). Cover and article on Russell's Oscar and Golden Globe odds. (Thanks to Paolina)

Some people will do anything to watch Russell in a skirt! The Metro (UK) reports that ãA movie fan who tried unsuccessfully to rent the hit film Gladiator at a video store burgled the home of a family who had forgotten to return it.ä The burglar took the familyâs TV and video recorder along with the film. (Thanks to Mimi)

TV ALERTS: E! (US), will air The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) Awards in February. This is the first time the awards show will be aired in the US. The BFCA will hold its annual ceremony this Monday, Jan. 22 at the Beverly Hills Hotel where it will announce the year's top film from a list of 11 contenders, Gladiator, is of course on the list. (See news items 1/2/01 and 12/19/00 for more details) Russell has been named Best Actor for the second year in a row.

The Dutch TV show "Films & Sterren" (Films & Stars) will run a special on Russell and Meg / Proof of Life (broadcast on Veronica) on February 25th. (Thanks to Nicole)

For a bit more on the New Jersey location for A Beautiful Mind read "Bayonne eyes stars in deal with Universal"

Just a reminder, when you send in magazine alerts, please include the name of the magazine, the country of origin, the cover date and what it includes. (Article, photos, interview, brief mention, etc.) And be sure to keep an eye on our Magazine and TV Appearance Calendar, we don't want you missing anything important! Thanks!

1/16/01
The Hollywood Reporter calls it a possible industry first, but we just call it cool. For all those who just can't get enough of Gladiator or its haunting musical score, there is a second soundtrack of previously unreleased music by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard being compiled by Decca Records. The album, "Gladiator ù More Music From the Motion Picture," will include dialogue from the film, as well as the dance track -- no, we aren't kidding! -- called "Now We Are Free (Maximus Mix)." The album will be released Feb. 27. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in) Zimmer, meanwhile, will receive the Broadcast Film Critics– award for best original score for "Gladiator" this month, and his next score can be heard in "Hannibal," starring Anthony Hopkins (Spotswood aka the Efficiency Expert), in February. (For those of you not already familiar with it, you can hear the Maximus Mix at Decca / www.universalclassics.com.)

1/15/01
The results are in from Heat magazine's British readers poll for the sexiest people in showbiz. Russell came in third behind Robbie Williams and Brad Pitt for sexiest male.

1/14/01
Reminder: Gladiator, with 10 nominations, leads the contenders for the fifth annual Golden Satellite Awards, to be presented by the International Press Academy tonight at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The nominees include Ridley Scott for director, Russell for actor in a drama, and Joaquin Phoenix for supporting actor in a drama. (see news item 12/16 for more details)

Not sure how we missed her, but Wanda, another one of our regular readers, also had her letter printed in this week's Entertainment Weekly. See yesterday's news item for more details.

1/13/01
More on A Beautiful Mind from today's Bergen Record. The New Jersey newpaper reports that the Military Ocean Terminal, in Bayonne (home of HBO's "Oz" production team) will soon be used for the film.

"Imagine Entertainment, director Ron Howard's production company, has signed a lease to set up offices, build sets, and shoot scenes for Howard's next film, 'A Beautiful Mind,' in a pair of warehouses there. The film stars Crowe as a Princeton math genius battling schizophrenia.Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly also star. Shooting begins the end of March." You can read the full article by Bob Ivry here. (Thanks to Elizabeth)

Magazine alert! Entertainment Weekly (US, January 19, 2001) features Gladiator several times in "The 50 Best DVDs" issue. Gladiator makes the list of "50 Essential DVDs"

"Russell Crowe may get a lot of the credit for making this revenge epic a theatrical victory, but laurels should also go to director Ridley Scott -- not only for his wide-screen grace, but also for helping make this two-disc set (with-never-before-seen footage and three docs) a Roman holiday. CHOICE CUT: The 12 deleted scenes; unlike most resurrected clips, these sequences add texture, and Scott's commentary explains why they were sacrificed."

The issue also lists the film grosses of the year 2000. Gladiator ranked number three, ($186.7, domestic, $258.3, foreign.) Proof of Life, number 73 ($31.2 domestic, still in active release). The issue also features a full-page ad, naming Gladiator the best selling DVD of all time! You can view the ad here.

There is also a small photo and mention of Russell (and the Grunts) in the data section. Russell ranked number four as E! on-line's most sought after celebrity in the month of December, behind Howard Stern, Madonna and Britney Spears. And in the letters section -- you'll find one of our readers and fellow RC fan, Tina B!

Speaking of Gladiator, thanks to Marie K, we've added the "For Your Consideration / Best Actor" Oscar ad from the Hollywood Reporter, and thanks to MelA, a postcard from Poland to our brand new Gladiator Promo / PAGE THREE where you can also find the DVD ad, mentioned above.

Susan C sent us the following tidbit after watching "Dinner and a Movie" which is "a cable show in the US where they show a movie and during commerical breaks, they show you how to cook a meal that is usually themed with the film they are showing. Tonight [was] 'The Quick and the Dead' and they [were] making spaghetti western. Lance Henriksen stopped by and the female host was dying for the 'skinny' as she put it on Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe. All Lance would say was that Russell was 'a great guy.'" (Aces!)

You can see some more new news photos from the Proof of Life premiere, as well as other red carpet photos at eZuma. (Type "Russell Crowe" in the search bar.) (Thanks to V‰nia)

1/12/01 (second news update today!)
"Legendary" Las Vegas odds maker Lenny Del Genio is off and running with his picks for the likely nominees in this year's Oscar race. Guess which movie Del Genio thinks will dominate this year's race! Gladiator, Russell, Joaquin and director Ridley Scott are all even bets to be nominated in their respective categories, with "Erin Brockovich," Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges (for "The Contender), and Steven Soderbergh (for either "Traffic" or "Brockovich") all having 2-to-1 odds. For those of you who weren't around for last year's Oscar predictions, remember, these predictions won't have any real effect on the real nominations, which will be announced Feb. 13.

Reel.com has given Russell a couple of alternative awards in addition to the usual accolades for Gladiator. "Best use of testosterone" and "Best Reasons American Men Should Hate Australia" (Thanks to Liz)

According to ABCnews.com, Jamie Bell (the 14-year-old star of Billy Elliott) met up with Russell in Los Angeles recently and was thrilled to receive compliments from him.

"'It's Russell Crowe and he doesn't have to do anything cause he's got millions and he's going out with Meg [Ryan] and he's him and he's Gladiator, so he doesn't need to do anything. But then he came up to little old me and he said 'Oh, good day, Merry Christmas, good film, congratulations,' said Bell.'" (Thanks to Karen)

One more to add to the growing list! Variety reports that Gladiator, along with Cast Away, Mission: Impossible 2, The Perfect Storm, Space Cowboys, U-571, and Unbreakable have been nominated for this year's sound editing Oscar. "Ten-minute clips from each will be screened for the sound editing award nominating committee on Feb 6. Members may nominate up to three of the seven films for Oscar consideration, or recommend a single film for a special achievement award, or recommend that no award be given in this category."

1/11/01
Correction to our earlier report: Gladiator was nominated for (not awarded) Best Picture by the Producer's Guild of America (Golden Laurel Award). The other nominees were: Almost Famous, Billy Elliot, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Erin Brockovich. The awards will be presented March 3rd. (Thanks to Sandy & pdilley)

Nicole wants to let our readers in the Los Angeles area know that there will be a screening of Proof at UCLA's James Bridges Theatre located in Melnitz Hall tomorrow night 6pm. Tickets are free. (We aren't sure if this is only open to UCLA students, so you might want to call and confirm before heading out there).

For those of you in or near London, the Curzon Soho will be showing L.A. Confidential on Sunday (check with theater for times) (Thanks to the chedge)

Since a lot of the tabloids and gossip columns ended up with egg on their faces regarding the wedding that never was, they have now started a different approach. Thanks to everyone for sending in all the latest tabloid rumors of a supposed break-up. We have no confirmed news at the moment. (Now if only we could turn their attention to Russell's work . . .)

Urban Cinefile reports: [In Australia] "The top 10 films of calendar 2000 took $183.84 million ö or 27% - of the total cinema takings for the year ($689.45 m), with Universal Studios getting the lion fighterâs share, led by Gladiator, which grossed $30.72 million." (All figures in Australian dollars)

The official 30 Odd Foot of Grunts site has added the lyrics to "Memorial Day" and "Hold You" here.(Thanks to Joey)

Speaking of the Grunts, we've added the song-writing credits to our "Bastard Life or Clarity" song list here.

Lee tells us that MTV has chosen their Top Ten Celebrity Death Matches of all time. Russell vs Charlton Heston came in at number two behind Hanson vs. Spice Girls.

Caroline happened to notice that the British Museum, which features the ãGladiator and Caesars" exhibition (See our calendar and news archives for more details) is located on . . . Great Russell Street.

Terry Gross of Fresh Air recently interviewed David Kessler, the former FDA Commissioner, who had worked closely with Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (The Insider). Mr. Kessler talks about what he thought of Russell's performance as Dr. Wigand. You can find the interview here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in). You can read what Dr. Wigand thought of Russell here. Terry Gross also conducted a wonderful interview with Russell and Curtis Hanson back around the release of L.A. Confidential, if you missed it, you can read the transcript here.(click on "Radio" or scroll)

1/10/01 (Second update today!)
The American Film Institute announced itâs first "Movie of the Year" awards, ãwhich honored everything from swinging gladiators to silky canines to drug addiction to a buxom Julia Roberts.

ãA 12-member jury that convened in Los Angeles over the weekend sought to select a slate of pics that ran the gamut, from blockbuster mainstream fare to more provocative independent productions. The common thread: films that inspired audiences, made a mark on American society, advanced the art form or enhanced Hollywood's heritage.

ãThe 10 pics: [in alphabetical order] "Almost Famous," "Before Night Falls," "Best in Show," "Erin Brockovich," "Gladiator," "High Fidelity," "Requiem for a Dream," "Traffic," "Wonder Boys" and "You Can Count on Me." Variety (Thanks to everyone who sent it in.)

Speaking of Gladiator inspiring audiences, The Adult Video News Convention Supplement, January 2001 reviews a product called the ãOdyssey Stimulatorä and recounts the story of the authorâs visit to the theater to see the film. (Youâll have to use your imagination here!) ãRecommend to customers looking to fulfill their massaging needs. Two AA batteries and Russell Crowe not included." (Thanks to Roo)

There's a new version of the Proof of Life trailer on the Korean site enzone. (Scroll and click on the POL poster.) Direct link is http://enzone.joins.com/gocinema/asf/200012/proof250k.asx (will automatically open with Windows Media). They also have a page on the film here.(Thanks to Kimi)

Magazine Alerts!
Premiere (US, Feb 2001) Article about Oscar contenders ("Wanted: Oscar-Calibre Movie") with photo from Gladiator. Thereâs also a list of the 25 Most Dangerous Movies Ever Made in the same issue and Romper Stomper is named. (Thanks to Shazia).

Talk magazine (US, Jan 2001) features an article about Ridley Scott (Gladiator). At one point, the author notes that Scott has often been accused of being more interested in his props that his people. In Ridleyâs response he mentions Russell:

"For 'Gladiator,' he constructed Russell Crowe's tent from hemp and matting, filling it with artifacts, hangings, and campaign furniture. ÎRussell walked in and just got it. It's always exciting to me when an actor walks into what will be his room. They start to fiddle and look around and I'll sit and watch from a distance.â [Ridley] could be a father watching his children open Christmas presents." (Thanks to Lynn M.)

Melly wanted to pass on some more info regarding the VSDA Home Entertainment and DVD Festival Awards. (See our news item from yesterday) Gladiator won the following Home Entertainment awards: Best DVD Of The Year, Best Special Edition DVD. It also won the following DVD Festival Awards: Best Of Show (Theatrical), Best Audio Presentation and Best Video Transfer. These awards were present in two separate events at VSDA.

1/9/01
Magazine Alerts!
As mentioned in news item 1/3, we've added the cover to Star Inc. here (Scroll) (Thanks to Jen B.)

We've also added the cover of DVD Cinema E Musica (Italy, 1/01) here (Scroll) (Thanks to Roberta) We still have more covers coming!

DVD and Tutto DVD (Both Italy, both January) feature covers on Gladiator. (Thanks to Roberta)

Seventeen Magazine (US, Feb) small photo and mention of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts.(Thanks to Joanna)

The following are all the lastest issues and all Australian; Who Weekly, two-page article and photos. New Idea, two-page article and photos. Women's Day, features screen captures from Hammers Over The Anvil (same as mentioned in yesterday's news item). (Thanks to Melody /Aussiebooks.com.au)

From the AP: Rob Cook, Loren Carpenter and Ed Catmull of Pixar, who developed software used to render scenes in Gladiator among other films (including Titanic and The Matrix), will be awarded a special Oscar for ãinfluencing the advancement of the movie industry.ä The Award of Merit will be presented at the Academy Awards' scientific and technical awards ceremony. "This is the first Oscar ever given specifically for the development of computer software."

Gladiator was chosen by the Video Software Dealers Association as the top DVD of the year. (Thanks to Mike)

The Filmhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland will be showing Gladiator today, January 9th thru Thursday January 11th. After the Wednesday performance, which starts at 1800 hr, Shiona Woodward, Filmhouse Education Officer, will lead a discussion on themes and issues of masculinity and sword and sandal epics.(Thanks to Arian)

1/8/01
We would like to take a moment to set the record straight in case some newer fans are reading some of the recent articles about Hammers Over The Anvil. We are using a quote direct from the Canadian National Post, but you can see variations of it in various tabloids (which include screen captures), newspapers and on-line sites. (Thanks to everyone who sent them in).

"This is one movie that you won't find at Blockbusters: Hammers Over the Anvil, a saucy Australian film that stars Russell Crowe and features a scene in which he goes horseback riding in the buff. Russell, who has both caveman credentials and thespian tendencies, doesn't include the little-known 1991 feature on his rsum, and probably wouldn't mind if everyone forgot all about it. It came to attention again when one devotee posted the details of the film on an Internet fan site. Now there is a feeding frenzy among fans for the few extant video copies." By Shinan Govani, National Post (Canada) 1/8/01

The facts are that the award-winning film has always been on Russell's resume. It is a wonderful film and one any actor could be proud of. Russell's fans have known about it for years, but because it was never distributed outside of Australia and it was only available in the PAL format or on Australian TV, until just recently, it was very hard to get copies of. The film is now readily available on DVD and video. While we can't speak for the Blockbuster chain, we would think that most video rental stores now carry it (in countries where it is available), and might just out of stock at the moment due to Russell's popularity. And yes, while it does feature a scene of Russell riding horseback in the buff, there are many other reasons to see this film. (We also beg to differ with Mr.Govani's "caveman" comment, but that is just our own personal opinion.) You can read more about the film here and purchase it here.

Speaking ofHammers Over The Anvil, it will be shown on Korean cable television tonight. The Good news is, its also being webcast in two parts. Times are GMT 15:30, Jan. 8 (part 1) and GMT 15:30, Jan. 9 (part 2). The webcast is free, but you need Windows Media Player to view it. To view the webcast, click here. (Thanks to Pea Eye)

The Los Angeles Times yesterday assessed Gladiator and Russell's chances of being nominated for an Academy Award. The paper says Gladiator appears to be a sure thing for Best Picture, as is Ridley Scott as Best Director.

Meanwhile, "When it comes to the performing categories, best actor is one of the less well-defined. Russell Crowe . . . is close to a sure thing, as is "Cast Away's" Tom Hanks, the man the academy cannot resist. The last three slots will almost certainly go to a small pool of contenders," with A Beautiful Mind co-star Ed Harris (for Pollock) and Michael Douglas (for The Wonder Boys) as likely nominees and three actors -- Sean Connery ("Finding Forrester"), Geoffrey Rush ("Quills") and Javier Bardem ("Before Night Falls") -- in the running for the last spot.

The Times thinks Joaquin Phoenix is a likely nominee for Best Supporting Actor, and that David H. Franzoni and John Logan and William Nicholson might be nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The Oscar ballots were mailed out to Academy voters last Tuesday, and nominations will be announced Feb. 13.

Gladiator has set yet another record! According to the British Video Association, it was Britain's best-selling DVD in 2000, selling more than 500,000 copies. (Thanks to everyone who sent it)

The current Dish entertainment magazine article on Russell is also printed in the January issue of Time Warner's Channel Guide Magazine. (Thanks to Marta) If you haven't already read the article, you can find it here.

We've added some new/updated Proof of Life release dates on our main Proof of Life page here. (Thanks to everyone who sent them in)

1/6/01
The British Museum in London, is hosting a special run of gladiator films to accompany the ãGladiator and Caesars: The Power of the Spectacle in Ancient Romeä. (See our calendar and news archives for more details about the exhibition). Gladiator will be screened at 2:00pm on January 8th. The series runs though Januanry 12th . Admission is free. For more info, call 020-7323 8299. (Thanks to Maya)

Also from our calendar, MTV will be repeating it's Celebrity Deadmatch with Russell vs. Charton Heston. Airs 1/7 and again 1/13. (Check your local listings for times!) You can see some screen captures from it here (Thanks to Neicie)

And another reminder for those of you in the New York area -- do not miss the Giorgio Armani exhibition at The Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY. It runs through January 17th. (Once there, you can stand next to ãthe tuxä and imagine you are at the academy awards with Russell!) More info on the exhibition here.

Magazine Alert: Entertainment Weekly's (US, January 12, 2001) ãThe Oscar Race Begins!ä Russell and Gladiator are all over the issue! You can also find some articles from it on line at www.ew.com.

The Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, Film Critics Association consisting of 47 North Texas broadcast and print journalists has named Russell as Best Actor for Gladiator. (Star-Telegram January 6, 2001) (Thanks to Bill and Diane)

Daily Star, UK, 5th Jan. reports that Russell was spotted dining with Danielle Spencer in Australia over the holidays. (Thanks to Betty-Blue and Ana) As most of you know, Russell dated Danielle for several years, starred with her in The Crossing and wrote the song "Danielle" about her. The two have remained close friends.

In what seems like a never-ending list of on-line polls, you can vote for Gladiator as your favorite film of 2000 at Yahoo! (scroll down to the bottom and the poll is located on the left side)(Thanks to Maxine N.)

We just realized we had inadvertently linked the wrong url to our Oscar page via our A Look Back at 2000 (Our favorite Russell moments of the year.) So in case you didn't catch Russell at the Academy Awards in 2000, be sure to check it out!

1/5/01(Third update today!)
Russell has been nominated for best actor by the London Film Critics' Circle! His competition in the International category includes Michael Douglas and Jim Carrey. Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins, Russell's co-star in Spotswood (aka The Efficiency Expert), was nominated for best British actor for his work in "Titus." The awards, in their 21st year, will be held at the Savoy Hotel in London next month.

Magazine Alert! Premiere (Korea) features Russell in it's Best of 2000 issue. Includes photo. (Left. To see larger version, click on the photo and scroll). (Thanks to Owlowl)

Also, we have added the photo from the January issue of Ciak (Italy) here (scroll). (Thanks to Paolina)

Members of America Online, the biggest Internet provider, named Russell as the breakthrough star of the year in an online poll! And what did AOL members pick as their fifth-favorite entertainment story of the year? "Meg Ryan falls for Russell Crowe." (Thanks to Marilyn)

For those of you wondering how Ron Howard could jump from the bigger-than-life "Grinch" movie to directing an intimate story like A Beautiful Mind: According to Variety columnist Army Archerd, Howard says A Beautiful Mind is "180 degrees different from The Grinch and he's put together a new team, headed by production designer Wynn Thomas and cinematographer Roger Deakins." Among Thomas' credits are several Spike Lee films, a couple starring Denzel Washington (Virtuosity), and the hit movie "Analyze This." Deakins, meanwhile, is getting rave reviews for his recent cinematography work on "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and among his other credits are The Hurricane and The Siege (both starring Denzel Washington!) and Courage Under Fire, which co-starred Meg Ryan and -- yep, you guessed it! -- Denzel Washington.

TV alert! BBC WORLD will air a segment on Proof of Life during "Talking Movies" Friday and Saturday. Check local listings. (Thanks to Sandrine)

Surprise, surprise, Entertainment Tonight (US) will have yet another segment tonight mentioning Russell and Meg, this time with Liz Smith interviewed about her predictions about celebrity couples. Check local listings. (Thanks to Jose and Carrie)

View video clips of Proof of Life and interviews with the stars here. (Thanks to Sheila)

According to researchers at St Andrews University in the U.K., Russell has beautiful fans. Dowdy women 'prefer wimps'

From the January 4th, 2001 XLnt, The weekly entertainment magazine of the Austin American Statesman: Stories of the Year:
1. Return of the Austin curse...
2. In the ring with the Gladiator:

"What's an Australian movie star with a summer blockbuster and a tabloid love affair supposed to do with his downtime? Come to Austin and play in a rock band, that's what. Russell Crowe livened an otherwise dull summer when he and his band Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts played three Stubb's shows and spent five weeks recording in town from July to August. For critics (the ones not hoping the press-grudging star would grant an interview), the gigs opened new frontiers in panning. For ticket scalpers, Arlyn Studios, Shiner Bock distributors and the People's Community Clinic, The Grunts brought in some much-appreciated funds. As for the rest of the town...well, who doesn't like a little international hub-bub right in their own back yard?" (Thanks to Kristin) You can read reviews of the shows here on our 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts pages.

Speaking of the 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts shows in Austin, this from TV Guide (US Jan. 6-12) in their "Cheers and Jeers" section. Listed under "Jeers"

"Meet the silver tongued, debonair man who won America's sweetheart Meg Ryan"
"Appearing with his rock band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts, Russell Crowe told a crowd of 2,300 in Austin, Texas: 'I got to go change me undies-- they're a bit wet and sticky.'" (Thanks to Tillie) We say "JEERS" to TV Guide for using the quote so out of context!!!

1/4/01
The Gladiator soundtrack has been nominated for a Grammy award for best film score! Congratulations to Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard for their nomination! For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Grammy site here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

A new article from Filmforce reports that A Beautiful Mind, may not be filming at MIT in Cambridge, MA, after all. Filming is set to begin in March at Princeton University, New Jersey and New York City.(Thanks to Sam)

Proof of Life, which is already leaving some U.S. theaters (go see it again while you can!), ranked 13th at the box office last week, making $3.3 million over the holiday weekend. It's made a total of $29.1 million since opening Dec. 8.

1/3/01
For those of you lucky enough to be in the New York City area, do not miss this very rare opportunity to see Proof (one of our personal favorites of Russellâs films) on the big screen. It is being presented by The Film Society of Lincoln Center tomorrow night at 7:30 at the Walter Reade Theater for one showing only.

ãMs. Moorhouse's picture is a romantic melodrama with a subtext of fear, jealousy and the relativity of truth, brought to life through a triangle involving Martin, a blind paranoiac (Hugo Weaving); his housekeeper, Celia (Genevieve Picot); and Andy, the dishwasher who enters their lives (Russell Crowe)." You can read the full article in today's New York Times. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

As promised, we have added the larger version of the cover of Flix magazine (Japan, Feb) here. (Thanks to Naoko and Saori)

Magazine Alert: Star Inc. (January, French Canadian). Cover, full page photo and two-page article. (The cover features the same photo that can be found in Maxim, click here (first photo). They also chose Russell as one of the tops in their "Top & Flop" section with mention of 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts donating the benefits from the Austin concerts to charity. (Thanks to Jen)

1/2/01
As promised, we've added a larger version of the Dish Magazine cover and article here. (Thanks to Lee)

Magazine Alerts!
Russell tops the sex poll in the February 2001 edition of Total Film (U.K.) He's ranked number one in the "I really think that the world deserves to see the naked male bulk of......" category, beating Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jude Law and Tom Cruise. He ranks second as the Sexiest Male (Second??????) and fourth for "The most groin-achingly teasing costume anyone ever wore was...." (skirt / Gladiator) (Thanks to Avril and Jo)

In Hollywood magazine's (US Jan. 2001) "Best and the Worst of the Year" issue, Russell makes the "Best" list a few times, with photo. (Thanks to Tillie)

Redbook (US Jan. 2001), small mention of Russell and Meg. (Thanks to Bsundance)

US Weekly (US, Jan 8-15th) "Best photos of 2000" issue. Full page photo of Russell and Meg. Also mentions that Meg was spotted "buying a copy of 'Erotica,' a book of steamy art photos, at Rizzoli in Santa Monica." (a Christmas gift for Total Film's second sexiest male perhaps?). The magazine also picks www.russellcrowe.com as the "Best Celebrity Web Site Surprise." "Instead of posting the usual bio, filmography and photos, Proof of Life star Russell Crowe displays images -- each of them annotated with tongue-in-cheek play-by-play descriptions -- from his recent shoulder surgery. And you can share the fun by sending the pictures as e-mail greeting cards."

Imagenes de Actualidad (Spain, Jan 2001) Photo and article on Proof of Life (Thanks to Esther)

In case you missed The Broadcast Critics' Choice Awards winners when we first posted them, (see news item 12/19/00) you can see the full list of winners here. Yes, Russell won for the second year in a row! The Best Picture 2000 winner will be announced at a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, January 22, 2001. Gladiator is nominated.

More from entertainment.news.com.au.

Any Academy members out there? Click here for a list of Warner Bros. screenings including Proof of Life, for members, in Hollywood, New York, San Francisco and London. (Thanks to Maxine N.)

A couple more really nice photos from the Proof of Life premiere here and here (Thanks to Marilyn)

12/31/00
The Discovery Channel aired a one-hour documentary, ãSchizophrenia: Stolen Minds, Stolen Lives" Saturday, which took viewers inside the mind of a schizophrenic and featured clips of John F. Nash Jr. (We apologize for the late posting, it was just brought to our attention and we missed it ourselves. Itâs possible it will re-air, so check local listings). You can read about it ( "Unresolved Agonies: Inside The World of 'Schizophrenia'") in the Washington Post. (Excerpt)
ãJohn F. Nash Jr. won a 1994 Nobel Prize for economics -- 40 years after inventing game theory, a fundamental of modern economic thought. In 1959, at age 30, he had a psychotic breakdown, followed by years of hospitalizations, electroshock and insulin therapy and numerous medications. He experienced both homelessness and an endowed chair at Princeton. Now he functions but exerts enormous effort daily to maintain equilibrium." (Thanks to EDW) Russell will be portraying Mr. Nash in A Beautiful Mind.

TV Alert: For those that missed it, E! (US) has chosen Russell as the number two entertainer of 2000. Russellâs friend Tom Cruise was chosen number one. The show re-airs Jan 1st and 2nd. (Check local listings) (Thanks to Phyllis J.) And once again, in case you missed them, you can find the results of their on-line poll here. (Among others, Russell won ãStandout Screen Performance (Male) of 2000ä with a huge 56% of the vote.)

Magazine Alert: Ciak (Italy Jan 2001) features Russell with a small photo on the cover and more inside. (Thanks to Paolina and Laura )

Proof of Life opens in Spain on March 2, 2001. (Thanks to Esther) and in Italy on March 9, 2001. The Italian Warner Bros. site can be found here. (Thanks to Paolina)

A bit more gossip about Russell's New Year's Eve bash here.

Since just about every on-line site and newspaper is picking Gladiator and Russell in their year-end "best of" lists and Oscar hopefuls, (rightly so!) we wonât be posting them unless they are truly notable.

We'd like to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year, full of great Russell sightings! We are going to be taking the rest of the holiday off, so unless there is some really big Russell news, we'll see you Tuesday, Jan 2nd! (If you can possibly hold off e-mailing us till then, we'd really appreciate it. Thanks!)

12/30/00 (Second update today!)
Partying with Russell -- this from today's Sydney Morning Herald,"Everyone was there, but not the bride." (Thanks to Maria)

Talk about product placement! See Russell on the Dell computer site. (Thanks to Barbara M)

ET online is running a contest to win Proof of Life promo items. Contest ends Jan 5th.

Magazine Alerts! Kinowelt.de (Germany, January) Two photos. (Includes one full-page.) (Thanks to Christine)

Total Movie (US) has chosen Gladiator as DVD of the Month. Each issue comes with a dvd with trailers and this month's includes Proof of Life. (Thanks to Pat)

Empire (UK, February) includes a small piece naming Proof of Life as no. 11 in it's list of films of 2001 to watch for. (Includes small photo). Also a small item on the Gladiator DVD. (Thanks to Arian)

For those of you who just can't get enough of voting in polls;
You can vote for Russell as best actor at the HOLA magazine (Spain) site. (Thanks to Judy and Maria) and an informal Golden Globe poll at the NBC website (Thanks to Snoopy)

BBC Online / Film 2000 viewers were asked to vote for their favorite film of the year. Out of the 109 films nominated, Gladiator came in first with 40% of the vote. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

You can also hear a new interview with Ridley Scott on how he feels about Gladiator being voted the Film 2000 viewers' favorite film of the year here.

Ainât it cool news reports a December 25th release date for A Beautiful Mind, but the film hasnât started production yet, so this is very tentative. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

12/29/00
With the year quickly winding down, we've come up with some of our favorite Russell moments of 2000. You can find them here!

TV alert: For the thousandth time this year, Entertainment Tonight promises yet another segment on Russell and Meg. Today's segment will be about their New Year's Eve plans, but odds are it is just a rehash of what we've all already heard and read. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Don't forget to check out E News Daily (US) today. See news item 12/27.

Magazine alert: People magazine's 2000 Almanac is out in stores and features Russell as the year's most downloaded star. It also has a brief bio and lists Gladiator as the year's No. 2 movie. (Thanks to Christine)

Russell was voted the year's standout screen performance (male) in EOnline's year-end poll! He got 56 percent of the vote, with his Virtuosity co-star Denzel Washington coming in second with 23 percent. Russell and Meg also had some mentions in the poll. For a complete list of winners and losers, click here.

12/28/00
Magazine alerts! OHLA! (France, January 1 2001) Four pages with photos. You can see two of the new photos of Russell from the soccer match in Ecuador here. (Thanks to Sandrine)

Sorrisi & Canzoni (Italy, Dec 31 - Jan 6) Two photos (One the same as above). (Thanks to Athena)

TV alert France: Canal + is currently running a special program this week "L'anne du cinma 2000" including some footage of both The Insider and Gladiator with an interview. (Thanks to Christine)

Today's New York Post gossip section.

12/27/00 (Second update today!)
Weâve added a few more items to our Proof of Life promo page. The cover to the Hollywood Reporter (thanks to Marie) a ãfor your considerationä trade ad, (thanks to Lara) and a new newspaper ad. You can find them all here.

If you plan to see Proof of Life (or see it again), you better go fast! After just three weeks in theaters, the movie fell to 11th place on the box-office list this past weekend, making $2.4 million ($1,178 per screen) for a total of $23.7 million.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"Maximus rules. CBS's Dan Rather, 69, who's fought more than his share of battles in the TV coliseum, is nuts for Gladiator. At last count, he'd seen the Russell Crowe epic five times.

'Would I like to think of myself as commander of the Northern Armies? You bet,' Gunga Dan says. 'Would I like to think of myself as somebody who lives with a code of strength and honor? You bet.'

Alas, 'life is not like that. Maximus just keeps coming in a way that none of us can do." (Thanks to Dorothy)

Photo (left) from today's Coffs Harbour Advocate (Thanks to Melody/ aussiebooks.com.au)

Another side of all the gossip / rumors of the last week -- from today's Daily Telegraph.(Thanks to Marilee)

Gladiator picks up some more awards, you can read the full story at Variety.com (Thanks to Mike)

You can purchase the Proof of Life movie poster at the Warner Bros. Poster Center.

TV alert! On Friday, E News Daily (US) will spotlight the year's top entertainers. Russell is almost sure to be on the list! Check local listings for times.

12/26/00
Brazil TV alert: Ana Maria Bahiana features the Proof of Life trailer on Cineview. (Telecine 1 channel, now Telecine Premium, 21:15) The film opens in Brazil, April 6, 2001. (Thanks to Claudia and Irene)

Naoko tells us that the Proof of Life opening date in Japan has been changed and it will now be the opening film of the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival 2001, which runs from Feb.15 - 19th. For our Japanese readers, you can read about the film festival here. The John Polson (Sum Of Us / Blood Oath) helmed Siam Sunset will also screen at the festival.

Still more marriage gossip & rumors from today's Daily Telegraph (Thanks to Robyn)

12/25/00
On this day of celebration, we'd like to wish everyone a very merry -- and peaceful -- Christmas Day! And for all of us lucky to have loved ones to share this day with, let's all remember in our hearts and prayers all those people who don't. Cheers!

TV update: Yesterday's alert also applies to Entertainment Tonight in the U.S. Check local listings.

More marriage rumors in today's New York Post.

12/24/00
TV alert Brazil: Monday, December 25, Entertainment Tonight (MGM Gold channel, 23:00 hrs) presents Hollywood couples including Meg and Russell. (Thanks to Claudia)

Magazine Alerts:
Dish Networks, (US, January) cover and article. (Reminder, Gladiator premieres on the Dish Network January 19th.) (Thanks to Lee for the cover)

Newsweek (Dec. 25, 2000 - Jan. 1, 2001) Small photo and mention. "R. Crowe: Hunk of the year shines in 'Gladiator', then steals Meg Ryan. What a swordsman!" (Thanks to Sharon and Christine)

Premiere Magazine (US, January) Photo from Gladiator and small mention. (Thanks to Adrienne)

Time magazine's "The Year in Arts" with photo from Gladiator. Time says about the film:
"A big, fat, rousing, intelligent, daring, retro, many-adjective-requiring entertainment. It has lots of fighting, but with a posh accent; this may be the first culturally acceptable version of WrestleMania." (Thanks to Zehra)

Flix (Japan) Cover and article. Russell was chosen as one of the best actors of 2000. (Thanks to Naoko)
Please note, we will be adding larger versions of the Flix and Dish covers, as well as several others, as soon as possible.)

DIRECTV - The Guide. Two-page article "As the Crowe Flies." Reminder Gladiator is currently available on DIRECTV's Pay-Per-View. (Thanks to Fran from DIRECTV)

There have been some more updates to the official 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts site www.gruntland.com including the lyrics to "Things Have Got to Change" (the first song on 'Bastard Life Or Clarity), some exclusive photos from the shows in Austin, Texas and some new news regarding pre-orders for the cds. (For a limited time there will be special packaging.) See the Grunts site for full details. Reminder, you can see more lyrics here and the full list of songs from the new album here. Pre-order the new cd from Sanity.com

12/23/00
Another Crowe in the news - this time itâs Russellâs brother Terry. This from todayâs Melbourne Age newspaper. (Thanks to Jo Lynn)

Nicky wanted to share with us the following:
"A Christmas story; I was listening to the radio yesterday and I was quite shocked by what I heard. A man was being interviewed about his business. His trade was providing brussel sprouts for Sainsburys (a major food store in England) and his name was none other than Russell Crowe!!! Unfortunately it was not our man, but just some lucky person who shares his name. So at Christmas this year when people in England tuck in to their sprouts they can only pretend that the sexiest man on the planet supervised their distribution!!!!" (See what Russell has to say about those that share his name here. Scroll to "David")

Please forgive us for being a bit slower than usual at adding news. The holidays and all . . .

12/21/00 Second update today!
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominations this morning for their annual Golden Globe Awards, which will be presented January 21, 2001. Russell has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor (Drama) for Gladiator. This marks his second Golden Globe nomination for best actor. (See here and here for some photos of him from last year's show.) The film also scored nominations for Best Picture, Best Director (Ridley Scott), Best Supporting Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) and Best Original Musical Score. For a full list of nominations click goldenglobes.org. Congratulations to Russell and everyone involved with the film! (Try to catch the entertainment shows today, as they are sure to feature segments on the nominations.)

We'd like to thank our readers for all the wonderful holiday greetings you've been sending us. Unfortunately, we can't answer each of you personally, but we really appreciate all of you!

We've also got the final Proof of Life fan reviews coming soon! Be sure to watch for them! (Thanks to everyone who sent one in). We won't be accepting any more now, at least until the film begins to open in other parts of the world. So please hold off on sending any more. Thanks!

Reminder: We're entering the final week or so when you can catch HBO's First Look at the making of Proof of Life this month. Click here to keep track of the schedule.

The latest gossip from Liz Smith and Ted Casablanca.

12/19/00 (Third update today!)
This just in!! The Broadcast Critics' Choice Awards were just announced and Russell has, for the second year in a row, been named best actor. (Last year for The Insider, this year for Gladiator) The film also picked up 4 more awards from the group.
Best Supporting Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator, Quills, The Yards
Best Cinematography: John Mathieson
Best Production Design: Arthur Max
Best Composer: Hans Zimmer

Reminder "'Gladiator' (with 10 nominations) and 'Traffic' (with nine) lead the contenders for the fifth annual Golden Satellite Awards, to be presented by the International Press Academy at the Beverly Hills Hotel tonight. You can read the full article here. (Thanks to Grace and Lisa)

The Golden Globe nominations will be announced this Thursday and are sure to include quite a few for Gladiator as well. We'll keep you posted!

Magazine Alerts!
Horssrie CinLive Spcial Affiches - Poster 2000 Cinelive special issue (France, Dec 15) features Gladiator on the cover and includes the movie poster (French issue) and a five-page interview ("Je suis venu, j'ai vu, j'ai vaincu") (Thanks to Christine!)

Woman's Day (Australia, 12/25) is at it again. Two-page article on Russell and Meg supposedly getting married 12/31/00. Includes photos. Please note: we arenât confirming this story is true, just letting you know of the magazine alert. Weâll believe it when we get our invitations! If you want to purchase the magazine, click here and scroll. (Thanks to Melody / aussiebooks.com.au)

Filmtidningen Bio (Sweden, free magazine distributed in cinemas). Small article and photo on Proof of Life. The film opens in Sweden March 9th. (Thanks to Anja)

Over in the UK, Barry Norman's Film Night 2000 at Sky News picks the year's best. Russell makes the list a couple of times. Click here. (Thanks to Karin)

RadioUndercover.com reports that Russell "has recorded a song with Wendy Matthews for her next album. 'I've known Russell for many a year and I wrangled him to come into the studio' Wendy said. 'He doesn't sing. I got him to speak. He does a talking bit.'" You can read all about it here. (Thanks to Marilyn)

Correction to the TV alert from yesterday: "Before They Were Famous" is on BBC 1 (UK) on Christmas Day, not ITV. Check your local listings. (Thanks to Frances)

Any parents out there thinking of taking the kids to see Proof of Life? Deniz sends us this link to a movie guide for parents and their review of the film screenit.com.

Speaking of children -- parents are not happy about The Patriot and Gladiator being in-flight entertainment: Gory in-flight movies make captive audiences of children.

A bit of gossip from the Daily Telegraph on Russell's recent visit to Sydney: here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

12/18/00
Weâve added the Entertainment Weekly cover story and photos here! (Thanks to Marjean and mad maxine).

A few photos and a short article from the Gladiator DVD premiere here. (Thanks to Esther and mad maxine)

The Sydney Morning Herald announces Russell's EW mention and has a great photo too! Find it here. (Thanks to Suzanne)

TV alerts!
Box Office America, shown in the UK, will have a short segment on Proof of Life . The show is scheduled for late Friday night/Saturday morning around 3 a.m. on ITV, and is repeated 24 hours later. (Thanks to the chedge)

Russell will be featured on "Before They Were Famous" on BBC 1 (UK) next Monday, Christmas Day, starting at 22.50. The show will have clips from Hammers over the Anvil and Neighbours. (Thanks to Leanne and Marilyn)

Russell wins another Man of the Year award -- except this time, it's not for his acting. Click here. (Thanks to JJ)

Can't stop reading about Gladiator? Urban Cinefile reviews the DVD here.

Magazine Alert! TV Guide (New Zealand, December 23 - 29, 2000) features a two-page article and photos.

With three new movies opening, Proof of Life dropped to 6th place in the weekend box-office race, making another $5.2 million for a two-week total of $18.6 million. With several major movies opening in the next two weeks, look for Proof of Life to fall farther down -- or out -- of the top ten soon. So tell all your friends to get out and see it!

12/15/00
Russell is Entertainment Weekly's Entertainer of the Year! The special issue is on newsstands starting today! We'll try to get the cover up soon. (Thanks to Liza and Colleen for the alert)

Also look for his name to come up at least once or twice in People magazine's 25 Most Intriguing People issue on sale this weekend! (Thanks to Margot)

We've added an interview with Russell here.

Magazine alert! There is an article on Russell (and Meg) in the January issue of Cosmopolitan (Germany). (Thanks to Regine)

EW critic Bruce Fretts comments on Why Proof of Life has failed to capture audiences.

12/14/00
Once again Russell and Gladiator have been passed over for a top critics award (and precursor to the Oscars). The New York Film Critics Circle picked "Traffic," a new drama about the drug trade starring Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid, as the best film of 2000. Steven Soderbergh was picked best director for both "Traffic" and likely Oscar nominee "Erin Brockovich." Other winners were: Tom Hanks -- best actor, "Cast Away"; Laura Linney -- best actress, "You Can Count on Me"; Benicio Del Toro -- best supporting actor, "Traffic"; and Marcia Gay Harden -- best supporting actress, "Pollock."

If it's Thursday, it must be Ted! Read Casablanca's latest here.

Russell has donated his signature to a Beanie Baby auction to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Bids have already topped $400 (US) for the limited-edition Ariel. The hangtag is signed by Russell and Ty Warner on the back. The Ariel Beanie Baby was created in memory of Ariel Glaser, who died from complications of the AIDS virus at age 7. To view the auction -- or to bid -- visit the Ty Trade website here. The auction ends Dec. 18. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

An article on the Daily Telegraph's web site has some Proof of Life-related gossip on the movie's release in Australia. Oh and something about Russell buying a puppy. You can find the article here. (Thanks to V‰nia) While you're there, the site also has an article on Guy Pearce's (L.A. Confidential) upcoming film projects that could make him 2001's "Russell Crowe." To find Guy, click here.

The same site has yet more gossip on Russell, this time about a report that he has reserved space in April at the Blanket Bay resort, a popular place for honeymooners on Lake Wakatipu on New Zealand's South Island. The resort won't comment, and Meg's spokeswoman denies the couple plan to wed. What is not mentioned in the article (though most of you clever Russell fans figured out!) is that Russell will be right in the middle of filming A Beautiful Mind in the United States in April! As always, time will tell, we guess. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

As if the Gladiator DVD hadn't already proved to be a blockbuster, Amazon.com's Delight-O-Meter, which is used to track shopping at its sites all around the world since Nov. 2, says Gladiator was Amazon's biggest DVD pre-order ever! Russell scoring high on something called a "Delight-O-Meter" -- who'd have thunk it?! (Thanks to Marilyn)

12/13/00
We've added a second page of Proof of Life fan reviews here!

Russell is male star of the year! That according to the Hollywood Women's Press Club, who held its awards ceremony last weekend in Los Angeles. Allan Rocher, consul general of Australia in L.A., presented the award to Russell. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Final box-office figures show that Proof of Life, still in third, made $10.2 million last weekend, $200,000 less than early estimates. "Vertical Limit," was second with $15.5 million and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" was first with $18.6 million.

Speaking of "The Grinch," the Ron Howard-directed movie has stolen the No. 3 spot from Gladiator on the list of this year's top movies. (The industry year begins with the 1999 Christmas season) The top five films, with earnings and weeks of release:

1. Toy Story 2, $245,823,397 after 34 weeks, 3 days
2. Mission: Impossible 2, $215,397,307 after 20 weeks, 5 days
3. How The Grinch Stole Christmas, $195,646,175 after 3 weeks, 3 days
4. Gladiator, $186,610,052 after 23 weeks, 3 days
5. The Perfect Storm, $182,618,434 after 23 weeks, 3 days

Proof of Life has made Time magazine's Best Of 2000 list! The film was ranked ninth. Gladiator was inexplicably missing from the list! About Proof of Life, Time says: "Isn't the phrase 'intelligent thriller' an oxymoron? Not this season: a political-ransom action movie can also be a complex romantic triangle, with Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan and David Morse all excellent. It's 'Casablanca' with firepower." (Thanks to Marilyn)

Entertainment Tonight has a contest to win promo gear from Proof of Life! The contest ends January 5. Click here to enter.

Russell and Meg are subjects of US Weekly's "Stories of the Year" issue on sale now. Page 4 and 60 have photos of Russell. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

We weren't sure what to make of this! It's a rather scathing account of the Proof of Life press junket in Los Angeles a few weeks ago. The original Entertaindom article is here. Russell's publicist responds to the allegations in a similar article here. (Thanks to everyone who sent them in)

Proof of Life opens in Denmark on March 9! (Thanks to Henriette)

Gladiator will be out on video and DVD on December 13 in Turkey. (Thanks to Zehra)

12/11/00
We're having problems with our email server, so for the next 2-3 days please hold off on emailing us if it's not urgent or news-related. Thanks!

We've added our Proof of Life review with a new photo here! We'll have some more fan reviews up very soon! Thanks to everyone who has sent us one so far!

Meanwhile, Proof of Life had a somewhat lackluster debut in theaters this weekend. The film came in third, behind "The Grinch" and the new movie "Vertical Limit." Proof of Life made an estimated $10.4 million, averaging $3,848 per 2,705 screens, according to wire services. From Reuters:

"'It's a very, very tough time of the year to open adult films,' said Warner Bros. distribution President Dan Fellman, adding that he was pleased with the performance. The audience for director Taylor Hackford's estimated $80 million movie was mostly female and aged over 35, he added. The Ryan-Crowe affair could have hurt sales because of the strong morality streak running though America, Fellman said, though he doubted it would have much of an impact overseas."

It's holiday time again, and we know many of you plan to write to Russell or send him a gift. Well why not make a donation to one of his favorite charities instead? See our Where to Write to Russell page to learn more!

Magazine alerts:

The January 2001 issue of Empire magazine (George Clooney on the cover) has several pictures of Russell scattered through the magazine, and a two-page article about the success of Russell and Gladiator in the year-end review. It names The Insider and Gladiator as two of its top 10 movies of the year! (Thanks to Patricia and Zhenya)

Gladiator is the cover story of the French magazine DVDMANIA (January 2001). Inside there are interviews with Russell and director Ridley Scott. (Thanks to Christine)

A few release dates:

The tentative release date for Proof of Life in Turkey is March 2, 2001. (Thanks to Deniz)

The Gladiator DVD will be out March 6 in France and Belgium, and No Way Back will be out on DVD in France on March 6. (Thanks to Christine)

12/9/00
Reminder: The GQ Men of the Year awards are on TONIGHT at 8 EST on Fox!

You can read an interview with Russell on Good Morning America's website here. (Thanks to Sheila and Briana)

There is also an interview with Russell on Hollywood.com. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Danish TV alert! If you missed last night's showing, Russell's Jay Leno appearance will be on TVDanmark1 on Monday at 13:00 Danish time. (Thanks to Dorthe)

Russell is the most popular actor in New Zealand! Well, at least based on how much his films have made in the country this year, according to the New Zealand Herald. (The top female draw for 2000 was Julia Roberts.) Gladiator is also New Zealand's top film for the year, grossing $4.7 million. (Thanks to Marianne)

The Hollywood Reporter assesses Proof of Life's chances at the box office this weekend. Read the full article here. (Thanks to Marilyn)

A few more notable Proof of Life reviews:

Roger Ebert's review for the Chicago Sun Times here. (Thanks to Marilyn and Margot)

An insightful review focusing on the relationship between Russell and Meg's characters here. (Thanks to Margot)

Salon.com's review here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Voting has begun for the Empire magazine awards. Vote for your favorite actor here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Anna wrote in to tell us that Israel's Maariv newspaper has a review of Gladiator in its weekend edition. Here's what they said about Gladiator:

"Impressive, breathtaking and wonderful production which restores the glory and dignity of '50s-'60s great epic movies such as Ben-Hur, Quo Vadus and Spartacus. ... The Australian Russell Crowe, a new Hollywood hero, is exciting as brave and loyal Roman general Maximus. . . . Amazing special effects, battle scenes, costumes and plenty of extras. One more winning movie from director Ridley Scott. Recommended." (Thanks to Anna for the translation)

12/8/00
Unless you were being held captive by South American rebels for the last two months, you probably know that Proof of Life opens today in North America!

We're sure many of you have read pieces of the Mirror article (claiming to be an exclusive interview) where Russell talks about romance and babies and the marriage rumors involving him and Meg Ryan. We've added the whole article, plus a new photo (Thanks to Liza for the photo): Why Russell Crowe's female fans needn't panic yet.

We've also added a Los Angeles Daily news interview with Russell and the rest of Proof of Life's major players here.

You can read some notable print reviews, including the New York Times and Washington Post, here.

Seattle Weekly's review, though mixed, does have some interesting points about the film. You can read it here. (Thanks to Lori L.)

TV reminders! Here are some of the shows to look for this weekend for possible segments on Proof of Life or Russell (as always, check local listings for times): Ebert & Roeper and the Movies; Starz: Hollywood One On One; E News This Weekend; HBO First Look.

Entertainment Weekly has an article on the making of Proof of Life and has clips of Russell talking about the movie. (You need RealPlayer to download the clips). You can find it all here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

Kristina spotted a short interview with Russell on Northwest Cable News (NWCN), which is shown in northwestern U.S. This is her report:

"Russell has an interview with Richard of "Richard's Reels," the entertainment reporter of the network. Russell is in good spirits in the interview and readily jokes around about all the attention on his personal life, saying something like "all the attention will be off him eventually when someone else has group sex with pygmies" and takes over the tabloid headlines. Also, when Richard leads with "Lately you've gone from a well-respected actor to..." Russell finishes with "a disrespected actor?" with a playful grin on his face. It is great to see him joking about this matter - something we haven't seen much of lately. It is a short interview bit but well worth catching."

Note to our readers: One of us is taking a much-needed vacation for the next week, so we'll be shorthanded a bit till she gets back. So please hold off on sending us any big graphic/photo files until Dec. 17. We'll still be updating the site, of course!

12/7/00 (Second update today! Scroll)
Russell is just about everywhere! Neicie spotted him on Starz "Hollywood One on One" and sent us some captures. (Here's a sample, we'll add the rest as soon as we can -- as well as some from E!, Access Hollywood, ET and HBO.) Keep those VCRs on high alert, and keep your eyes on all of the Entertainment shows! Starz usually runs the show several times, so check your local listings.

The National Board of Review passed over Russell and Gladiator for best actor and best film, but did award it best production design/art direction. It was also listed as one of the 10 Best Films of 2000. Joaquin Phoenix won Best Supporting Actor for his work in three films this year; Gladiator, The Yards and Quills. (All very noteworthy performances!) You can find more details here. (Thanks to Marilyn!)

It's getting nearly impossible to find a Ted Casablanca column WITHOUT a mention of Russell's thighs. Here's his latest!

For our readers in Turkey -- Russell on Jay Leno will repeat Saturday the 9th. (Thanks to Inci!)

We would like to thank everyone for all of the great news items and photos you are sending us. We are a little overwhelmed at the moment but will be adding things as fast as we can! Thanks for your patience!

Yet another review of Proof of Life. Warning: it's negative, but done with a humorous slant: New Times LA (Thanks to Annie!)

Also many new POSITIVE reviews on Dark Horizons (Scroll)

Russell on speaking Spanish in Proof of Life from www.latino.com:
"'Do people understand me? I have no way of knowing, but the last thing I wanted was to sound like an American who does not know the language,' the Australian film star said, admitting he learned to speak the language phonetically for the film......"(Thanks to Marilyn!)

TV ALERT! For those of you in the Boston area: Russell will be interviewed on WHDH (Channel 7) in Boston on the 5:30 pm news tonight. (Thanks to Mindy!)

12/6/00 (Second update today. Scroll)
TV Alerts:
Russell will be on KTLA's morning news today. Check listings for times. (Thanks to Connie and Christy)

Access Hollywood will have an interview with Jodie Foster about Flora Plum in light of Russell's shoulder injury. (Thanks to Gayle-Lynne)

For anyone in the UK and Europe with digital or satellite TV, CNBC will be showing the Leno show with Russell this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. UK time (8.30 pm Europe). (Thanks to Angela)

From the Hollywood Reporter: "Warner Bros. reported strong results from its 503 sneaks of the upcoming Proof of Life starring Russell Crowe and Meg Ryan. Theater capacity was running at 85%, and while exit poll information was not available, most exhibitors said response was 'very good' to 'excellent,' according to the studio. The distributor also noted great reactions to its 70-second teaser-trailer for Steven Spielberg's in-the-works 'A.I.,' which ran with 'Proof' sneaks." (Thanks to Marilyn)

You can read Russell's CNN interview here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

New York Daily News interview with director Taylor Hackford here. (Thanks to Marilyn)

For all of you who just can't stand one more item about Proof of Life, DVD File has a review of the Gladiator DVD as well as the transcript to director Ridley Scott's Q&A at the screening last week. You can find it all here. (Thanks to Marilyn) It also has a review of the new Romper Stomper Special Edition DVD with a video clip where Russell talks about Romper Stomper and, well, Proof of Life. Click here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Whoops! In our haste, we posted the wrong link to the photo of Russell from OK Magazine (UK December 2) you can see it here!

More magazine alerts!
She (UK, January 2001). Article on Meg Ryan but Russell is heavily featured and includes a small photo. They refer to Russell's "muscle-packed hairy sexiness." (????) (Thanks to Jan C!)

Studio: 2000, l'anne cinma. (France, cover - Julia Roberts) Includes reviews of The Insider and Gladiator, photos and a sneak forecast on the Oscars with people from Screen International and The Hollywood Reporter. (Thanks to Christine!)

Woman's Day (Australia) - 2 page story on Meg and Russell. More info (and you can order it) here. (Scroll) (Thanks to Melody, Aussiebooks.com.au)

Today's Liz Smith column, from the VIP party at the Proof of Life screening. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

The Age (Melbourne) 'I'm not ready to marry' (Thanks to Elizabeth!)

Urban Cinefile in Australia is running a Gladiator DVD contest, check it out here. Competition date: Dec 6 ö 12, 2000. Enter to win one of 15 Prize Packs comprising the DVD, a T-shirt, a cap, a key-ring and a letter opener. (See rules and details at above link.)

12/5/00 (Second news update! Scroll)
VCR alert! Be sure to watch or tape the entertainment shows today (Entertainment Tonight, E News Daily, Access Hollywood, CNN, etc.) for segments on the Proof of Life premiere in Los Angeles last night. All the principal stars were there, along with other celebrities including Rob Reiner, Rene Russo, Laura Dern and Keanu Reeves. We've added a Proof of Life premiere page complete with photos here!

Meanwhile, for those of you who missed the live webcast (or missed parts of it), the Warner Bros. site has footage from it here.

Anne tells us that McFarlane Toys is planning a Maximus action figure as part of its Movie Maniacs IV series! Among the others in the series are William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson in Braveheart), Regan from the Exorcist, and Indiana Jones.

For our international viewers: CNN International on Wednesday, Dec. 6, at 15:30 CET and 2:30 CET (the night to Thursday) will show Showbiz Today's segment on Proof of Life. That segment will be on today in the U.S., but because of election coverage it might be pre-empted in the afternoon and only run at 4 a.m. ET. Check your local listings. (Thanks to Patricia)

For our Swedish readers: Russell's appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno will be on Channel 5 this Friday, December 8. Check local listings for times. (Thanks to Anette).

Newsweek reviews Proof of Life in its latest issue. The review is mixed, but does single out Russell: ". . . Thorne is the most compelling aspect of Proof of Life, thanks to Crowe's quiet, hard-bitten charisma. It's a part Bogart once would have played -- the amoral tough guy who rises to the moral occasion -- and Crowe gives it just the right note of gravel-voiced masculinity..." (Thanks to Di)

Time magazine also has a review of the film this week. You can read it here.(Thanks to Marilyn!)

People magazine review (Thanks to Margot!)

Due to the volume of reviews for Proof of Life (and the fact that we're already sleep-deprived!), we'll only be posting the most prominent or the most interesting reviews from newspapers and magazines. Meanwhile, we of course love all your fan reviews, but if you do plan to write one, please make it as short as possible. Because of space (and, again, sleep!), we can't promise we'll be able to add your complete review, but we'll try to add at least the most interesting points from most of them. (See our Gladiator and Grunts fan reviews for examples).

Here is a sample of what Russell has to say on tonight's Access Hollywood: [He has begun to feel like] "a hunted animal." . . . "Every building you come out of, . . . there is a parasite there exercising his constitutional right to make money out of being a parasite, trying to take your photo. Frankly, folks, I go to work, I do my job. I really concentrate, and if you go to the cinema, pay your money and have a good time. That's the end of it, as far as I'm concerned." (Thanks to Elizabeth C!)

From Marilyn: "'Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?' Apparently, video games based on Gladiator may be in the works" gaminformer.com.

Laura tells us there is a cute mention in US Weekly magazine (12/11/00):
"Russell Crowe is never too busy to answer a friend's call. After a Gladiator screening for members of the National Board of Review, a film critics group, in New York on November 21. Crowe and the films director, Ridley Scott, participated in a Q&A session. Shortly into the discussion, Crowe's cellphone started ringing. After apologizing to the crowd, he took the call, holding the phone up to his microphone so the caller could say hello to the audience. No, it wasn't Meg Ryan, It was his pal Danny DeVito."

On their December 9th show, watch for Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper to review Proof of Life. Afterward, you can listen to the audio portion on www.ebert-movies.com. (Thanks to Margot!)

"Prova de Vida" (Proof of Life) opens in Brazil, April 6, 2001. (Thanks to Lara!)

Thanks to Betsy we will have the Total Film cover story posted asap!

Romina tells us that "GLAMOUR en espa–ol, distributed in all of Latin America and also in the US . . . has an article on Russell and the Grunts with a photo of Garth [Adam] and quotes. It's very good, very positive and speaks very highly of him and his generosity. It has a gorgeous photo of Russell. It's called 'Russell Crowe: Music, Cows and Friends' (Anyone able to scan this for us? Let us know!)

12/4/00
Ok, we still havenât had enough sleep, but we've fixed the Leno transcript. Be sure to read it again, there have been some changes! (And we assume we arenât alone in thinking Russell wore everyoneâs favorite shirt in honor of his fans!)

By the way, for those of you who missed Russell's appearance on Leno last Friday, remember the show will repeat Friday late night. Check your local listings for times.

We have added the cover from Total Film (UK, 1/2001) (Thanks to Jane and Sam!)

And also thanks to Sam, a great new ad for the Romper Stomper DVD here. (Scroll)

Thanks to 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, we've added the song list for their upcoming CD, Bastard Life or Clarity, here (Scroll). Unfortunately we'll all have to wait till February to hear it!

We have added a new photo of Russell from OK Magazine (UK December 2) here. (Thanks to Naja!)

Reminders: You can watch the live webcast of the Proof of Life premiere tonight by clicking here.

Proof of Life: HBO First Look" premieres tonight and repeats several times this month. Click here for the schedule.

Ever heard of DVD Easter eggs? They're special hidden features not mentioned on the menu. Thanks to Sue and DVD Review, you can find out how to access one on the Gladiator DVD. Click here.

People magazine photo of Russell and Meg shopping in NYC here. (Thanks to Christine)

Ready for more silly gossip from Page Six (Thanks to everyone who sent it in!)

Dark Horizons has several more Proof of Life reviews, both positive and negative. You can read them here (Scroll). We have also added some more fan reviews here. (Write slower guys -- we are moving as fast as we can!!!)

12/3/00
We've added new Proof of Life fan reviews here!

Can the following people please email us (at twice4no@hotmail.com) Thanks!
Itsuko Takagama, Kristine Lachapelle, Laura Ditmore, DJ Dowson, Suzanne Cunningham Phillips.

The new People magazine gives Proof of Life -- and Russell -- a positive review: "....Crowe, minus his Gladiator sword, still makes for a sharp-edged, complex hero, suggesting as much with a look as with a line of dialogue. He and current real-life love Ryan display palpable onscreen chemistry..." You can read the full review here. (Thanks to Marilyn)

Unfortunately, Entertainment Weekly is less enthusiastic about the film, giving it an overall grade of C+.

Also according to EW, Robert Downey Jr. was offered a supporting role in A Beautiful Mind but producer Brian Grazer, who had supported Downey previously during his legal problems over drugs, rescinded the movie offer after the actor's arrest Nov. 25 on drug possession. You can read the whole article here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Vote for Russell in E!Online's poll picking the best of 2000! You can vote here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

Reminder: Even though our news page sometimes seems to have a life of its own, be sure to use our home page to find all our updates -- not all are mentioned here (like the Leno transcript from Friday!).

12/1/00 (Second update today! Scroll)
Reminder: Russell is on Jay Leno TONIGHT!

Jake and Marie were kind enough to share a photo of Russell and some Hollywood heavyweights at the BAFTA event honoring Steven Spielberg. You can find it here!

Apparently Russell is Entertainment Tonight's new Darva Conger! In yet ANOTHER "feature" on Proof of Life, ET plans an interview with Meg Ryan today. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in) And you might want to keep your eyes on all of the entertainment shows today in case they feature anything on the Gladiator screening last night in Los Angeles.

The Princetonian reports on plans to partially film A Beautiful Mind on the Princeton University campus next year. Read the full article here. (Thanks to Marilyn)

According to NetRadio and The World Entertainment News Network, the folks behind the Hollywood Goes Wild CD to benefit the Los Angeles animal shelter The Wildlife Waystation are now trying to organize a live concert featuring the celebrities who perform on the charity CD, which of course includes Russell's band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts! Also on the producers' wish list of performers is Dennis Quaid, who helped get one of the album's producers involved. Producer Phil Hopkins said: "Dennis is a big supporter of this so we're hoping that, although his music isn't on the album, he'll play at the party. We're hoping for everyone to perform live." (Thanks to Re)

Jeannette Walls is at it again, this time with an item on buzz surrounding Proof of Life. Yes, it's gossip, but other than the stupidity of implying that if the film fails so will Meg and Russell's relationship, there are a few insights into how the film is being promoted. You can find it here. (Thanks to everyone who sent it in)

We've saved this one for last because it will take you a while to check it out! (Something to do in those long hours you are waiting for Leno to air?!) The new and improved 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts site is up and running and is full of exciting new features. We won't give too much away -- check it out at Gruntland.com(Thanks to Mary D. and Natalie) P>