Clooney resumes feud with Crowe

Film star George Clooney has resumed his feud with New Zealand-born actor Russell Crowe for slating him over his TV commercials, London's Daily Mirror reports.

The actor said of his Oscar-winning rival: "I don't like artists attacking artists. I have a problem with that.

"Russell picked a fight with me and I tried to make a joke out of it - but he came at me again."

For Clooney, 45, and Crowe, 41, it was their fourth verbal bust-up this year.

Crowe, also known for his physical outbursts, began the feud in February when he said that Clooney, along with Harrison Ford and Robert de Niro, had broken the "social contract" they had with their audiences by appearing in ads.

"I don't do ads for suits in Spain like George Clooney or cigarettes in Japan like Harrison."

Clooney, who has appeared in ads for Martini, Fiat and Toyota, hit back by mocking Crowe's rock band, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts.

"I'm glad he set us straight. Harrison, Bob [De Niro] and I were putting a band together called Grunting For 30 Feet, and that would also fall under the heading 'bad use of celebrity'. Thanks for the heads up," Clooney was quoted as saying.

Crowe then hit back during an interview in the Sun, saying: "I had a good laugh when Clooney tried to compare doing ads for suits, a car and a drink to what I do as a musician. An endorsement is about money. My music is from the heart.

"I believe if you take on characters for a living you can't make yourself into an icon in order to sell a pair of shoes," he said.

Earlier this year, Crowe was arrested and charged with assault, which carries a jail term, after he allegedly threw a telephone at a night porter in a New York hotel.
- NZPA