A Late Bloomer

No, the title of this post doesn't refer to Russell himself, but to Jeffrey M. Anderson over at Cinematical, who has come to appreciate Russell through his more recent films!

400 Screens, 400 Blows - As the Crowe Flies

"...Crowe was equally commanding, in 3:10 to Yuma (2007), American Gangster (2007) and State of Play. In the latter two, and also last year's Body of Lies, he began to adopt a ragged, scruffy look. He seemed to have packed on a little weight, but he moved comfortably in his own skin. Like Captain Aubrey, he still had the powerful physical presence to keep others in check. His delivery no longer had the calculated, one-note quality of his Oscar-friendly films, but now seemed to come from some private place where things were secretly amusing -- and we were now in on the joke. He had put something of himself into his work, rather than putting up a wall. Yet he keeps something commanding and mysterious, just out of reach, just to keep us interested and make us want to keep searching."

Supposed Russell Crowe/Ridley Scott Feud

Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott feuding? This rumor is raging like a California wildfire this morning. And I refuse to believe a word of it, unless one of the two players involved steps up and says something directly.

The mamor source seems to be the New York Post, which ran a story this morning in Page Six titled "Director Stresses Out Crowe". Supposedly, Russell wants to get Ridley fired from "Nottingham" because he blames Ridley for "Body of Lies" (their last collaboration) receiving poor reviews from some critics.

Also, according to a direct quote in the same article:

"Ridley is the only one who is willing to stand up to Russell and tell him he's too fat and that he can't show up four hours late to the set," said one source. "He [Russell] wants someone he can control."

If even one-tenth of the rumors written about Russell were true, the man would be doing fourteen films a year and would have thrown a telephone at at least half the people in Hollywood!
The Post didn't even get the plot of "Nottimgham" right, so why believe anything else?

Russell and Ridley have a long-standing friendship and both have commented often about how well they work together. I'm not buying this one unless one of them comes forward and confirms it.

Russell as Bill Clinton???

Contact Music is reporting that Russell Crowe may be lined up to play Bill Clinton in an upcoming movie titled "The Special Relationship", about Clinton's dealings with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Reportedly, Michael Sheen, who portrayed Blair in The Queen, may take on the role of Blair again.

Hmmm. Russell as Bill Clinton? Well, he did say that he listened to tapes of Clinton's Arkansas accent to prepare for his role as Ed Hoffman in Body of Lies. And he was spot on with that one! So, what do you think of this? Truth or fiction?