Russell Crowe broke NZ’s anti-smoking laws.

Russell Crowe broke NZ’s anti-smoking laws.

When wife is around, Crowe watches his butts

9 January 2007

Is Russell Crowe wifey-whipped?

The actor kept his cigarettes hidden from spouse Dani whenever she was with him during his publicity tour for Ridley Scott’s “A Good Year.”

But “he smoked nonstop when his wife wasn’t there” on the “smoking-designated” private jet chartered for the tour, a flight attendant tells us.

Crowe puddle-jumped Europe for 2 1/2 weeks for the 20th Century Fox flick, based on Peter Mayle’s novel. Like his character, who learns to savor truffles and p?t? in the South of France, Crowe enjoyed fine food on the flights, custom-made to his health specifications: red curry beef, green curry chicken, blackened chicken wings, chicken and cashews, white-flesh fish, passionfruit, honeydew, natural yogurt and dandelion tea.

The flight attendant tells us that an intermediary, perhaps aware of Crowe’s phone-flinging history, warned her, “If one item is missing from this, you’re going to have a very long and difficult flight.”

One day, the attendant recalls, “he came into the galley and said, ‘What do we have for dinner? The chicken satay looks good. I might have some of that later.’

“But on the flight, his wife ate the chicken satay. He wakes up as we’re landing. ‘I want my chicken satay,’ he says, and I said, ‘Sorry, your wife ate it.’ ”

Rather than confront his wife, Crowe took it out on the stewardess. She claims, “He said to me, ‘If I tell you I want something, you put it aside for me. Or wake me up. Is there some kind of language barrier here?’

“I’ve flown actors, singers, boxers, princes. His wife is very polite. She says thank you. He treated us like peons.

Not so, says Crowe’s lawyer, John H. Lavely Jr., of Lavely and Singer in Hollywood, who wrote a five-page letter denying the flight attendant’s allegations. In it, he told us, “We are informed that Mr. Crowe was nothing less than a model citizen during the publicity tour.” Lavely’s source? “Hilary Clark, the senior VP of international publicity at Fox … [who] told us that the director of European publicity at Fox, and various Fox representatives, [said] that Mr. Crowe was ‘delightful … very pleasant … and gracious.'”

Officials Fume Over Smoking Crowe

03.04.06
By Errol Kiong

Public health officials will be investigating all of Russell Crowe’s New Zealand concert venues for allegedly breaching the smoke-free law after the Oscar-winning actor repeatedly lit up on stage.

The Hollywood bad boy is again in the headlines for the wrong reasons after smoking at his indoor concerts in Auckland and Wellington last week – in breach of the Smoke-free Environments Amendment Act, which bans smoking in bars, restaurants and casinos.

The actor was told at least once – at Wellington’s Ilott Theatre – but reacted indifferently.

Under the act, however, the onus is on the venue’s management to ensure its premises are smoke-free.

The Ministry of Health says it will be investigating. Dr Ashley Bloomfield, chief adviser of public health, said officers follow up every complaint.

“If there was a report of what may be a breach of the legislation, we would follow that up.”

But one venue, Auckland’s SkyCity, is confident it did everything it could. It could face a fine of up to $4000 if prosecuted, but prosecution can be avoided if it demonstrates it took all reasonable steps to prevent unlawful smoking, such as giving a verbal warning to the smoker, or displaying no-smoking signs.

SkyCity spokesman Paul Gregory confirmed Crowe smoked during the half-time interval but did not think it would have been reasonable to shut the concert.

He would not say if someone warned Crowe, but said the performer’s management was aware that it was a non-smoking venue.

The same compliance measures applied in its arrangement with Crowe’s promoters, he said.

“Part of that compliance, of course, is no smoking, as it is for everybody else. And we’re confident we made every effort that we could to make that clear.”

Crowe’s promoter, Brent Eccles, said he did not know if Crowe knew of the smoking ban. He was with Crowe at his first concert at Leigh Sawmill Cafe, north of Auckland, but was not with him at SkyCity or in Wellington.

“I saw him smoking, but he was doing it very discreetly … I don’t think anyone took any notice, to be honest.

An official investigation was “an overreaction”, he said.

“It think it’s very unfortunate. I think there are bigger issues to deal with, but if they must, they must.”

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03apr06

RUSSELL Crowe broke New Zealand’s anti-smoking laws by puffing his way through a concert with his band, the Ordinary Fear of God, at an Auckland casino, a newspaper reported yesterday.

Crowe smoked cigarettes after each song and sometimes during songs, breaching the Smokefree Environment Act, which bans smoking in workplaces, bars, nightclubs and restaurants, the Herald on Sunday reported.

It quoted a “shocked” Becky Freeman, director of Action on Smoking and Health, as asking: “So he’s above the law because he’s a celebrity or something? Just because you’re Russell Crowe doesn’t mean you can do whatever you like.”

The paper said it was the responsibility of venue management to have stopped him smoking.

Crowe Allegedly Breached Smoking Ban

April 03, 2006

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Russell Crowe is again igniting controversy.

The film star who’s temporarily put aside acting for singing allegedly lit up a cigarette while his band, The Ordinary Fear of God, performed in New Zealand. The country bans smoking in public venues.

His promoter says he saw Crowe smoke at the first of three concerts, but insists “it was very discreet” and the audience didn’t react. The promoter says he’s not sure if Crowe knew smoking on stage was illegal.

Crowe has been in trouble before for throwing a punch and a telephone.

The Dominion Post reports Crowe “took puffs from a cigarette, along with copious sips from what appeared to be a bottle of port” during a performance in Wellington.

The Post’s reviewer said Crowe is a “stunningly average” performer who should stick to acting.

Crowe faces no legal action, but the venues could be fined.

April 3, 2006

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Russell Crowe is under a cloud of suspicion in his country of birth for allegedly smoking while performing with his new band.

Crowe allegedly lit up during concerts in New Zealand — a move that would have breached the country’s Smoke-free Environments Amendment Act, which bans smoking in bars, restaurants and casinos and all other indoor public venues.

Crowe, 41, and his new band The Ordinary Fear of God, had been on a three-concert tour of the country.

Crowe did smoke during his first concert at Leigh on North Island, his New Zealand promoter Brett Eccles said Monday.

“I saw him smoking at Leigh, but it was very discreet,” Eccles told The Associated Press. He added that he was unaware of whether Crowe had been told smoking on stage was illegal in New Zealand.

Crowe will not face any legal action for the breach since prosecutions are directed against venue proprietors, who each could face fines of several thousand dollars.

As for Crowe’s music, the Academy Award winner wasn’t completely welcomed back with open arms. Dominion Post reviewer Simon Sweetman wrote that he found Crowe “an OK singer” but a “stunningly average” performer who should stick to his more successful day job, acting.

An Australian TV network that screened footage of Russell Crowe smoking has lost its appeal against a ruling saying it broke tobacco advertising laws.

Federal Court Judge Arthur Emmett upheld the Australian Broadcasting Authority’s complaint against the Nine Network, owned by media tycoon Kerry Packer.

The authority claimed that an October 2000 interview with Crowe on the current affairs show 60 Minutes breached the Tobacco Advertisement Prohibition Act.

Crowe was seen holding a packet of Marlboros as he lit up, and the shot was repeated the following week after viewers complained about the Oscar-winning star’s heavy smoking habit.

The authority said that while the original footage was an “incidental accompaniment” which was permitted, the repeat broadcast “recklessly” constituted a tobacco advert.

“Members of the general public might seek to emulate Mr Crowe, and may believe that it is desirable to adopt his behaviour, including smoking Marlboro cigarettes, ” said a spokesperson.

It decided against imposing a fine on the TV station.

However the Nine Network, which described the ruling as “perverse and irrational”, told the court that the station had shown the footage by way of discouraging smoking.

Lawyers for the station said that Crowe’s habit had been referred to in the interview as “weakness for the demon weed”.

Crowe, who won the Best Actor award for Gladiator last year, was also nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Insider, in which he played a tobacco industry whistleblower.

He is currently in Mexico filming Master And Commander, an action adventure set during the Napoleonic Wars.

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