Sticks and stones will break my bones but names...

(Thank you to my friend Melissa for posting these on my behalf)

@RussellCrowe “I don’t agree with the boycotting of Dorchester collection hotels. It only hurts the hard working staff who I consider friends” 20 May 2014

@kevin2kane @DTNJapan “It’s very disappointing as @russellcrowe doesn’t say what he plans to do about gays being stoned to death? Sit back and watch?” 20 May 2014

@russellcrowe to @kevin@kane “Well Kevin I am going to block you now. I can see you are just a pathetic bully who can’t deal with any opinion but your own.” 20 May 2014

In the last week or so Russell Crowe blocked another tweeter calling him a ‘pathetic bully’ with no opinion but his own. The man asked Russell Crowe what he was planning to do about the new laws being introduced by the Sultanate of Brunei. The man was calling for Russell Crowe and other celebrities to boycott the hotels owned by the Sultanate of Brunei in America and the United Kingdom for his implementation of harsh laws against women, gays and transgender people.

Russell Crowe who stays at the hotels and others have a point in it would hurt the employees and the families of these hotels. The fans quickly got on board defending Russell Crowe and calling anyone who objected to his opinion a name. It seems so acceptable people using social media in North America who have different opinions other than our own, calling them names and then block or exclude them. Russell Crowe often does this to his followers in particular people who have little or no benefit to him to remind others who is in control. Calling people names and excluding them for having an opinion other than our own is bullying. As the childhood saying goes ‘sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me.”

The man struck back writing a statement for Pink News, Europe’s Largest Gay News Service (no copyright infringement intended and edited for copyright reasons). He wrote on his blog…

After a brief exchange on Twitter this morning, Russell Crowe sent me a fairly rude message and blocked me. He called me a “pathetic bully”. This blog post is to put my side of the story.

I am partnered to a gay Bruneian – we’ve been in a long term relationship for a number of years. I’ve been to Brunei quite a few times, and Bruneian friends have come to visit and I have many friends there (straight, gay, lesbian etc). Most of the Bruneians live a happy comfortable life, but it is a different life from the one that we can live here in the UK. No Bruneian that I have ever met would ever admit publicly to being gay. There’s never any mention of sexuality on Facebook or Twitter – it is completely a taboo subject. There is certainly an element of fear and a complete acceptance that all communications are monitored by the authorities. I am aware of some of my LGBT friends getting in trouble with the authorities although I have been asked to not give any details, for fear they could get in even more trouble…

Russell Crowe tweeted this morning that he didn’t support the boycott. I sent a few tweets questioning his concerns and putting my point across e.g. saying “extremely disappointed in your response.” My main concern is that he seemed to be saying that he would continue to enjoy the comforts of the luxury hotel, and ignore completely the concerns of LGBT people in Brunei who risk being stoned to death…

I would urge all celebrities, politicians, people with influence in and out of Brunei, to get behind this boycott. It is, at this point in time, the best chance of a change.

Kevin Kane is the owner of a medical statistics consultancy and an LGBT rights activist.

Kevin Kane should be congratulated for standing up for others, having his say and defending himself. People calling for protests and bans in countries like Brunei that live under harsh Islamic law forget that women and others subjected to these harsh laws are not helpless victims in need of the Western world’s protection. The bravery and courage of the women and men in these countries and how they have been able to live under laws in an Islamic country such as Brunei for thousands of years and survived should be celebrated. Perhaps more credit should be given to the people who face this adversity and that they will continue to persist with their life style choices no matter what the consequences including harsh Islamic law.

While Russell Crowe has a point about the employees of the hotels I would be interested to know how much these people who he calls ‘friends’ and their families are getting paid per hour? Do they get the minimum wage or do they just survive on tips from wealthy patrons that allow owners of these hotels to accumulate huge amounts of wealth?

Russell Crowe hits out at Hollywood boycott of The Beverly Hills Hotel, saying it hurts his 'friends' the staff (no copyright infringement intended).

• Stars have abandoned the hotel, which is owned by the Sultan of Brunei
• Brunei has recently introduced Sharia law calling for gays to be stoned
• Ellen DeGeneres, Sir Richard Branson and Mia Farrow have all boycotted Dorchester Collection hotels, which are owned by the Sultan of Brunei

By Travelmail Reporter

Published: 23:16 AEST, 20 May 2014 | Updated: 01:42 AEST, 21 May 2014

The Beverly Hills Hotel has been handed a lifeline by actor Russell Crowe, after he announced that he didn't support the Hollywood boycott that has crippled business.

The star wrote on Twitter that didn't agree with the boycott as it hits hard-working staff he considers his 'friends'.

Once known as the place 'to be seen', the hotel has been almost empty in recent weeks after its owner, the Sultan of Brunei, introduced Sharia law in his country, which calls for homosexuals to be stoned to death.

A growing group of stars, from Ellen DeGeneres to Sharon Osbourne and Stephen Fry - and even Kim Kardashian - have boycotted the Dorchester Collection in protest at the law.

While Fry cancelled his visit to Coworth Park, near Ascot, which is owned by the group along with The Dorchester and 45 Park Lane in London as well as luxury hotels in Paris, Geneva, Milan and Rome, others have said they will avoid all the hotels in the chain.

Hollywood stars have in turn focused on The Beverly Hills Hotel, the revered 102-year-old retreat that is loved by the rich and famous.

But Gladiator star Crowe tweeeted his support for workers on Monday, saying: 'I don't agree with the boycotting of Dorchester Collection hotels. It only hurts the hard working staff who I consider friends.'

His message was greet with support on Twitter, with 102 people rewteeted the comment and 274 'favouriting' the tweet.

Reality star Kim Kardashian is said to have cancelled her bridal shower at the hotel, while the Motion Picture & Television Fund said it will no longer hold its annual ‘Night Before the Oscars’ party at the hotel.

The Fund said it was making a protest at Brunei’s new sharia criminal law, which punishes same-sex relationships, as well as adultery and abortions, with flogging and stoning.

‘We cannot condone or tolerate these harsh and repressive laws, and as a result support a business owned by the Sultan of Brunei or a Brunei sovereign fund associated with the government of Brunei,’ the Fund's directors said in a statement.

Prominent figures such as comedians Ellen DeGeneres and Jay Leno, and entrepreneur Richard Branson, have been among those to advocate shunning the hotel and its bungalows – a favoured locale for the Hollywood elite since it opened its doors in 1912.

Branson tweeted that no member of his Virgin staff would stay at any Dorchester Collection property – the hotel group which includes the Beverly Hills Hotel, and is owned by Brunei – ‘until the Sultan abides by basic human rights.’

Mavis Leno, co-chair of the Global Women's Rights Awards with husband Jay Leno, said the new penalties ‘violate international law and have no place in civilised society.’

In an added move, the City of Beverly Hills voted to pressure the government of Brunei into selling the Beverly Hills Hotel in the wake of its new laws.

Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has praised his state's laws as a ‘great achievement.’

Brunei, a conservative country where alcohol is banned and Muslim courts already govern family affairs, has begun phasing in its version of sharia law, which allows for penalties such as amputation for theft and stoning for adultery.

The most severe punishments – flogging, amputation and stoning – are to be introduced over the next two years.

The Dorchester Collection's chief executive has said that the hotel boycott is misdirected.

‘American companies across the board are funded by foreign investment, including sovereign wealth funds,' Christopher Cowdray said in a statement.

The Beverly Hills Hotel has played host to a constellation of stars in its 102-year history….

The Dorchester Collection's chief executive has said that the hotel boycott is misdirected.

‘American companies across the board are funded by foreign investment, including sovereign wealth funds,' Christopher Cowdray said in a statement.

chaired by Leno and his wife Mavis, from the hotel. The event, scheduled for Monday, was instead held at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.

Other organizations quickly jumped aboard the bandwagon. The Hollywood Reporter said it would not hold its annual Women in Entertainment breakfast at the hotel.

The Motion Picture & Television Fund, which runs the star-studded Night Before the Oscars, said it would not hold its charity event at the hotel in 2015. In a statement, representatives said they met with hotel executives and “expressed very clearly that we cannot condone or tolerate these harsh and repressive laws.”

Teen Line — a confidential teen-to-teen help line — also recently decided to move its annual fundraising luncheon from the hotel to the Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City

TRCrowe Thoroughly Russell Crowe and copyright….

(Thank you to my friend Melissa for publishing this post for me)

I was disappointed to read that a Russell Crowe fan site TRCrowe a webpage had been hit by a copyright infringement notice and a large percentage of their content taken down. They have been around for years. In the past I have visited their site and found it extremely useful in looking up information for blog posts. They are dedicated fans who are collectors of all information about Russell Crowe and his friends. There is a clear notice of no copyright infringement intended on all their material and full acknowledgement from all of their sources.

They wrote the following message on their site.

“If you are a frequent visitor here you may have noticed that some of our sections have gone missing or look like they were hit by a bomb. No we were not hacked, we’re doing the damage ourselves. We took down the calendar, the scans and the videos so far. We were hit with a copyright claim for using pictures scanned from a newspaper. We credited the source but it did not matter. No warning, no please take this down, just pay up or be sued for much more. At first we thought it was crazy and must be wrong but after some research we learned that this is totally legal and happening all over the internet. Very scary and very expensive, and we cannot risk having this happen again.

We are still huge Crowe fans, and we don’t want to close TRC up completely – so we are trying to evaluate what we have left, trying to find what we think is safe to keep online.  Thanks so much to all of you for your concern, and we appreciate all our readers so much – let’s just cross our fingers for the future!

Tamara and Mary Anne”22 May 2014.

Over the years there have been many fans interested in creating webpages and fan sites for Russell Crowe and his friends. However, the only one Russell Crowe supports is Murphspace which he provides a link to on his official Twitter page. Murphspace is also another useful resource for articles on Russell Crowe and other actors and is also primarily a collection site with links to the official source. My feeling is Russell Crowe doesn’t like fan sites of any kind and has never supported or endorse them. Russell Crowe big name fans come and go and so do their webpages. Most of them eventually run into some kind of trouble or run out of huff.

I have never received a complaint of any kind from a fan or the information I use although someone contacted my Internet Service Providers to get me blocked. All my posts are fully referenced and are usually included to support my discussion. I have had blocks on photographs I have used on posts, but if the source objects I just delete the photographs. Fair enough. Newspapers to the best of my knowledge allow for the circulation of their articles through social media. I use articles mainly for review and are always fully reference with no copyright infringement intended. They are always used for review and comment which is within the copyright law.

It is unfortunate copyright infringement notices are not issued to the appropriate people such as @lyndahere rather than collectors of information. It is very tempting to copy all the photographs or articles off a site rather than just select one. In response to the copyright infringement placed on TRCrowe @lyndahere wrote on Twitter @lyndahere “Just saw this. Sorry you have to deal w. such. Wish there were more accounting for intent (as in not profiting) in copyright law”. 25 May 2014.

Early that night @lyndahere wrote @lyndahere to @alanthomasdoyle “Love a venue that say from the get-go pics/vids are cool. Vids coming when I have decent internet connection” 24 May 2014 after an Alan Doyle concert in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.

@lyndahere is obviously familiar with the copyright law and how it applies to her but is selective about how she views it. Copyright law is not about the people who wish to use creative works of others and their intent such as profit. The user’s rights are outlined under fair usage. Basically a user needs permission to reproduce works.

The copyright law is about the rights of creators. It is truly unfortunate @lyndahere has never taken into consideration the wishes of the musicians and artists she constantly bootlegs and photographs. She has never to the best of my knowledge asked permission to take photographs or videos and or asked them how they should be distributed. Although three bootlegged videos have been acknowledged and retweeted on social media by Alan Doyle it is not still not permission.

Regardless of a venue’s policy on photographs and videos taking bootlegs and photographs still should be done within the law and includes getting permission from the performer concerned if not for personal use. A performer should have the right to decided how their work should be distributed where and when. And fans who want to help should ask permission and not take it for granted that people want to share. That is not only the law but outright respect.