A Response…‘SEZL: 50 Before 50 Number 2 Getting A Tweet From Russell Crowe’

Thankyou to my friend Melissa for publishing this post for me...

A Response…‘SEZL: 50 Before 50 Number 2 Getting A Tweet From Russell Crowe’ at sezl.wordpress.com (no copyright infringement intended).

Okay I will admit it…I love reading Russell Crowe Twitter timeline highlights. I always have. Back in the day when he had 50 000 followers and I was a bit of a fan I would read all of his tweets and tweet him on a regular basis. Today, well I am not really a fan and haven’t tweeted him since he fell off the pedestal I put him on in April 2011. Today, he has over 1.5 million followers and as some habits are hard to break, I still read his Twitter highlights. Many of the fans who tweeted him way back when he had 50 000 followers are still there today, but many have moved on failing to get the response they wanted.

Every now and then I will pick up interesting articles and comments tweeted by some of his fans. For example, the blog post written by a fan Sezl titled ‘50 Challenges Before I Am 50’ Number 2 ‘Get Russell Crowe to tweet me’. There are not many accomplishments I can say that I have achieved in this part of the fandom world but that is one of them. Yes, I was tweeted once by Russell Crowe (before I was 50) way back when he had 50 000 fans. I can’t even remember what the tweet was about now. But it was the only one I received from another Twitter account.

I have also had the dubious honour of being blocked by Russell Crowe somewhere along the line and joining the large number of people in the ‘I’ve been blocked by Russell Crowe club’. I was blocked without knowing the reason why and years before I started to write this blog. It wasn’t done in front of a million or so followers I was just blocked. I have watched with interest other fans also get blocked in front of millions of followers and give a great sigh of relief that it wasn’t me. After that I realised I was going to make it in the village. I didn’t have the skill some people have in sucking up to men like Russell Crowe or the persistence.

So off I went in 2011 never to tweet him again, nor to watch or buy another Russell Crowe film (except Winter’s Tale) and of course never to buy another South Sydney membership or merchandise. I didn’t bother to go to the Indoor Garden Party in Australia. Being blocked by Russell Crowe and as a consequence of being placed on the never to be tweeted list by some of his friends was the main reason I started to write this blog. Today, I am off social media but I am still interested in those that are, in particular those in fandoms.

So it is within this context I read with interest the story of this fan’s ambition to be tweeted by Russell Crowe.  The fan makes some interesting comments about tweeting Russell Crowe and famous people in general. Yes we have all been here.

“The idea of this blog is to post when I’ve achieved an item on my list, but I’m going to be honest with you, I wish I hadn’t included Number Two: Get Russell Crowe to tweet me. I’ve thought about it – I’ve even half-heartedly sent a couple of tentative tweets, but really, there’s no way to get Russell Crowe to tweet me without sounding rude or looking desperate. Russell Crowe has 1.5 million followers – his Twitter feed is a fast-flowing river and only the most persistent, or well-timed tweets stand any chance of getting a response. Imagine being at a party with 1.5 million guests and attempting to flirt with the host. You can glance meaningfully across the room, flaunt your cleavage and laugh extravagantly at his jokes all you like, but there’s no certain way of getting his attention unless you do something so outrageous you run the risk of being escorted from the building by security and prevented by law from ever going near him again.

On Twitter there are certain ruses for getting Russell’s attention – a hashtag campaign on the lines of ‘#getrussellcrowetotweetsezl’, for instance, or an alert set up to notify me any time Russell is mentioned or tweets or is retweeted, so I can log on at midnight and barge into whatever conversation he’s having.  And there’s always the Twitter equivalent of laughing extravagantly at his jokes – tagging each of his posts with ‘LOL’ or a smiley emoticon. But all of these are pretty feeble and ultimately meaningless.  The very few times someone famous has replied to one of my tweets has been when I’ve had something to say that they’ve found genuinely interesting. Engaging Russell Crowe in idle online chit chat is, therefore, a possibility, but looking at his Twitter feed, we have little in common. I know he co-owns the Rabbitohs, but beyond the vague sense that’s a sports team, I’d be unable to use this fragment of information to sustain any kind of exchange that’d make Russell sit up and go ‘Crikey – this @sezl chick is worth getting to know!’

The fan concludes …Now I’ve explained what it is about Russell, I feel a little happier about my decision not to get him to tweet me. I’m quite content  to read his ‘Guess where I am now?’ tweets and not feel the urge to send him 200 replies in the space of a minute. And even if he did reply, what would I say then … ‘You were great in Gladiator …’?  And he’d wish he hadn’t bothered.”

It is difficult to know how to tweet celebrities like Russell Crowe and to take the constant rejection when we are not tweeted back.  While I am the last fan to give advice on how to get a tweet from Russell Crowe some fans perhaps miss the point to Russell Crowe and being in the online village he has created. There are lots of wonderful things about Twitter and being in the Russell Crowe village for his fans.

If the fan enjoys Russell Crowe films there are plenty of social media friends to be made. Many of these people share a love of all things Russell Crowe and their friends and have travelled half way across the world to meet each other and have become real life friends. Russell Crowe is the reason they have all come together. Some of them have met Russell Crowe and been tweeted by him.

While it is great to be recognised by celebrities, it shouldn’t be the main reason for using social media. If they respond then that is great but it should be enjoyable and fun. If it isn’t anymore then it is time to move on. Tweeting and getting a response is like any form of competition, it is a combination of skill, luck, being in the right place at the right time and persistence. It is also about being yourself. A fan has to be in it to have a chance of winning a response in social media.

Great Big Sea and a hiatus or not...

Thankyou to my friend Melissa for posting this for me...

As @lyndahere loads up the latest Alan Doyle solo interpretations of Great Big Sea songs I have decided I am going to have my say. I am going to have my say despite the consequences. Yes I am aware there are consequences for those of us with opinions but I will say it anyway.

I see history repeating here. In @lyndahere’s blog post about the opening night of the GBS XX tour Alan Doyle was the only member of Great Big Sea mentioned. A year and half later in the latest blog post 21 June 2014 there is no mention of the other members of the Alan Doyle band, no group photographs and no mention of what was played at the various shows and what was uniquely Alan Doyle.  

Again @lyndahere tells us what a kind and thoughtful soul she is providing these videos of Alan Doyle doing Great Big Sea songs to help Great Big Sea fans during their hiatus. Justification, I suspect for her endless bootlegging and perhaps a slight dig at the members of Great Big Sea for their lack of acknowledgement of her ‘work’ and social media presence during their time. Yes, the Alan Doyle solo career is rolling along nicely without them.  

But she clearly misses the point of why Great Big Sea fans love these songs and music. They are distinctly Newfoundland. Great Big Sea songs and music are a distinctly Great Big Sea team effort in creating and playing them. This is why they sound so great. Great Big Sea fans will notice this too.

For all those Great Big Sea fans missing Great Big Sea there are the professionally made videos on the Great Big Sea official YouTube site and CBC radio concert videos we can view again. Perhaps an overdue retweet is in order if @lyndahere is really concerned about Great Big Sea fans during their hiatus.

I certainly can understand why Alan Doyle doesn’t play any new music at concerts before the release of his new CD. @lyndahere will bootleg the music and load it up onto YouTube ASAP without any serious thought to the consequences. People will make decisions based on these videos whether to buy the CD before it is released and without hearing it in its entirety or before the music is finished.

Over a year and a half ago I wrote this blog post about @lyndahere’s reports on the opening show of Great Big Sea XX and her lack of inclusiveness when reporting events for fans. I see that continuing today with the various forms of the Alan Doyle band.

@lyndahere Great Big Sea the obsession and bootlegging continue…

“If only there were a way to give Alan 24 hours a day in the spotlight at centre-stage edge. Right where he belongs”. (Between the Rock and a Hardplace 17 November 2012) And he clearly is in @lyndahere’s world.

In her two most recent posts at her blog page Between A Rock and a Hardplace (“…And A New One Begins Days of Future Past and Embraceable Contradictions Danforth GBS Show Conclusion and Beginning 17 November 2012 and the first part of the post “A New One Begins” Part One Great Big Sea XX tour, First Show (Danforth Music Hall Toronto 14 November 2012) @lyndahere talks about the first Great Big Sea show for Great Big Sea XX. I predicted I would not read a lot about the team that is Great Big Sea. In other words I would read about the Alan Doyle show with four other guys whose name and contribution get a brief mention if any. @lyndahere writes a lot about her beloved Alan Doyle, his showmanship and the music he writes and plays but not much about the team that is Great Big Sea and their contributions to the successful twenty years they have been together. @lyndahere talks about how she measures the best shows “My own Great Show standard of measure is twofold. I love shows in which Alan gets to shine brightly and I love shows in which just about everyone present on stage feels grateful to be exactly where they are”.

While she goes on and on about gratitude in her blogs and on Twitter I don’t read much about team Great Big Sea and her appreciation of the music they have made together rather than the music made by Alan Doyle. I read a lot about how much she admires people who are grateful. I don’t read about her being grateful that if her taxi crashes on the way to gig there are people who have worked hard and made sacrifices so they can help people, and there are the people who worked so they could be educated. I don’t see her being grateful for the people who grow, produce and sell the food she eats, the staff at the pub where she has a drink that serve her working long hours or the taxi driver driving her to gigs or at the hotel working all hours of the night. They pay the taxes and provide the services that keep America and Canada running. There are the usual flood of Alan Doyle pictures, videos and the Alan Doyle moments and memories. I am still waiting to read about team Great Big Sea.

So it is within this context @lyndahere writes about what a kind and thoughtful soul she is towards Great Big Sea and their fans while bootlegging the whole show and forgetting about the contribution of each member. “ I am going to still hold off a bit more before writing in depth about the XX Box Set. Two reasons for that, the first (and most important) being that a few folds are still waiting some patiently, some a bit (understandably) less so – for their orders to be delivered, and it seems more polite to wait a bit longer before I go blathering on about what they’re still waiting to see for themselves”. The second reason is that because I have never been a Box-Set Purchaser (this is the first one I have ever brought though there a least several dozen of the things to be found on various shelves in my house) I’ve asked a few friends who have much more expertise than I have to take a look at XX and tell me how it stacks up in satisfying the Diehard Fans’ desires. I’m still waiting to hear back from a few of them but so far the responses I have gotten have been impressively positive (“…And A New One Begins Days of Future Past and Embraceable Contradictions Danforth GBS Show Conclusion and Beginning 17 November 2012).

The diehard fans have spoken. The horse has bolted. @lyndahere failed to mentioned in her blog posts a significant detail that the Great Big Sea XX album had gone Gold in Canada within two weeks which says to me people loved it. The special edition boxed sets also sold out pretty quick as well. On the 14 November 2012 the members of Great Big Sea announced on Twitter that Great Big Sea XX had gone Gold in Canada (40 000 albums).

@alanthomasdoyle Just got a note from Louis our manager. GBS XX has gone Gold in Canada. In less than two weeks it seems. I am Humbled and Grateful. 14 November 2012

@bobhallett GBS XX is gold! Thanks to the fans who still believe in us after 20 years 14 November 2012

I did not read congratulations Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, Murray Foster, and Kris MacFarlane in her blog post 17 November 2012. Hopefully in her reviewes she will remember that Great Big Sea consists of five members including Bob Hallett, Sean McCann, Murray Foster and Kris MacFarlane not just Alan Doyle who is the first to recognise Great Big Sea is a team.

Peppa and intellectual property rights...

Thank you to my friend Melissa for posting these posts for me...

I found this really interesting article about breaches in intellectual property rights in the UK recently...

A couple of months ago I was shopping on a Saturday morning at my local shopping centre when I saw a long line of mums, dad and children. I asked one of the mums why she was waiting in the line with her children. The mum replied they were waiting for the appearance of Peppa Pig. This was my first introduction to Peppa Pig one of the latest preschool animated character sensations created, directed and produced by Astely Baker Davies. Who was Peppa Pig and why was she so popular?

Wikipedia (2014) states Peppa Pig is “a 5 minute television show that revolves around Peppa, an anthropomorphic female pig, and her family and friends. Each of her friends is a different species of mammal. Peppa's friends are the same age as she, and Peppa's younger brother George's friends are the same age as him. Episodes tend to feature everyday activities such as attending playgroup, going swimming, visiting their grandparents, cousins, going to the playground, or riding bikes”.

A couple of days ago social media was alive with the news a Peppa Pig costume made in China was detained in British customs and destroyed because it violated intellectual property rights. The costume had been purchased by a fundraising manager so Peppa Pig could make an appearance at a local summer fair for children. The official Peppa Pig costume available in the UK was more expensive than others, so the organiser bought a cheaper one on EBay. EBay refunded the money. The situation caused a problem for event’s organiser as it was advertised Peppa Pig was coming and the children would be disappointed.

Wikipedia (2014) describes Peppa Pig merchandise and licenses. “Peppa Pig, the Entertainment One (eOne) brand, grossed over £200 million in UK merchandise sales in 2010, far exceeding the 2009 figure of £100 million. Additionally, for the first time in the brand’s history, NPD figures for the year reveal that Peppa Pig was the number one pre-school property in the total toy market for 2010 – moving up four places from its previous position in 2009. Now in its seventh year, new licensees continue to join the Peppa Pig licensing programme, which currently has 63 licensees on board.

In addition to episode DVDs, a variety of licensed Peppa Pig products is available, including video games and other toys such as playsets, playing cards, vehicles, and stuffed toys. There is also a series of books based on the character, one of which, Peppa Meets the Queen was written to coincide with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The line has also been expanded to include household items such as bathroom products, bed-linens, food, drink, clothing, and jewellery. Licensees include Holland Publishing in the United Kingdom”.

Peppa Pig grossed a lot of money for its creators and licensed merchandised holders.Disappointed children or not and a license is a license and if a company that produces costumes in China doesn’t have a license to reproduce and export goods, then really they shouldn’t be allowed into the UK and other places. It is also buyer beware online. There is always the chance of a problem arising when consumers buy things online from a country which produces goods at a cheaper rate for example intellectual property rights breaches and piracy. However, in these circumstances the importers using EBay refunded the money. I would have thought that a range of legal Peppa Pig costumes available for lease for charitable organisations would be good publicity for the creators of Peppa Pig.

     

References

Wikipedia (2014). Peppa Pig.

Peppa Pig detained at customs in www.independent.co.uk  by Christopher Hooton June 16 2014.

(no copyright infringement intended on Peppa Pig image)

Wow...What a Journey into Fandom

Thank you Melissa for posting my posts for me...

It has now been over two years since I started writing this blog. Wow what a journey. It is great to be in a place where fan’s opinions and knowledge are valued rather than just what they buy including tickets to concerts and merchandise.

I have just bought and read my first E-book on Google Play Fan Phenomena :Supernatural by Lynn Zubernis and Katherine Larsen. It is part of a series of books being produced by Intellect publishers for fans on a range of subjects including people and television shows. The Intellect publisher editorial outlines states “Each of the subjects we choose have massive visual appeal as they deal with fan fashion, memorabilia, (fan) homages, merchandising and branding that help to create the immersive world that extends beyond the phenomenon itself…The series aims to ‘decode’ cult subjects in terms of the appeal and far reaching connections each of them have in becoming part of popular culture. We are fully aware that these are not meant to be comprehensive, weighty tomes on the subject – rather a series of ‘handy’ books that each include a fascinating collection of texts and accompanying imagery which explore a particular area or aspect of the subject’s ‘universe’ in each section”.

The book achieves the publisher’s aims beautifully. Although I am only half way through the seventh season and do not participate in the fandom, I am familiar enough with many of the characters, stories, themes and experiences discussed by the various contributors. This is a wonderful collection of essays for anyone interested in fans and fandom or the television series Supernatural. I first came across the editors, university academics and Supernatural fans Lynn Zubernis and Katherine Larsen after reading about fans and fandom for this blog. I read webpages about their story, their fangirling, and how their interest became their academic research. I then watched the show to see what all the talk was about and was hooked. Their introduction chapter lays the foundation nicely for those us not familiar with the history of the little show that could and it’s fandom. All the chapters are fully referenced and provide excellent resources for those of us wishing to pursue the topic more without wading through the massive amount of material produced by the fandom.

As a fan of fandom rather than Supernatual itself (although I totally love show and find it fascinating) there are three very different chapters by long term fans involved in social media, social activism and fan vidding recognising and validating the fan experience. Their stories are interesting accounts of positive experiences (and a few negative) in fandom through their connection with the show. For these fans the experience has changed their lives.  

“Seven years ago it may have taken hours to download an episode; now a fan in Australia could (hypothetically of course) download and watch the episode on her phone between the time it airs on the East and West Coast in the United States. She can discuss the episode with fans around the world, but with people who made the show as well…”

The chapter “Post, Reblog, Follow and Tweet – Supernatural, Fandom and Social Media” by Jules Wilkinson discusses the importance social media has played in the creation of the fandom, how the various types of social media for example, live journals, wikis, blogs, MySpace, Tumblr and more recently Twitter have connected the fans and the cast and crew of the show throughout the world. The author, a long term fan describes the type of social media available in the early years and how the fans tended to stick to one particular type. Each site had it’s own “cultural norms, etiquette and in house jokes…however, there were common phenomena that spread across all sites and fans felt like there site was at the centre of Supernatural fandom”. Today, however, the author argues fans participate on an number of different sites, however, they are still interconnected. The fan writes passionately about her role as an administrator with the Supernatural Wiki and the beginning of the Supernatural Wiki that was started by an Australian with the aim of creating an inclusive fandom site. “The goal of the SuperWiki is to provide an extensive information resource and compendium of fan knowledge. Similar to Wikipedia, any Supernatural fan can add information to the site, which means the content of the SuperWiki is as incredibly diverse and quirky as the fandom that creates it.” The fandom is continually evolving to meet the needs of the fans and their use of social media.

The chapter “I see what you did there – SPN and the fourth wall” by Lisa McKlem is an interesting discussion of “how the show provides a commentary on itself and the entertainment industry, insider jokes that depend upon a deep and specific knowledge by the fan base” and how the show has drawn fans through what the author calls a fourth wall to be part of the show itself. She then goes on to discuss a range of episodes in which this occurs. I found her analysis of the super fan Becky interesting. We meet Becky when Chuck Shirley author of the books Supernatural needs someone to deliver a message to the Winchester brothers. It is here Becky finds out the books and as a consequence Sam and Dean are in fact real.

Kelm writes of the fan’s objection to the character of Becky “She…was objected to by ‘Sam girls’ likely because she herself is an aggressive ‘Samgirl’…Some fans felt they were being mocked but it is significant that the show had already essentially mocked itself and the studios…” I think to a certain extend the character of Becky, the super fan is still considered a true representation for celebrities who have little genuine contact with their fan base. Richard Speight who played the character The Trickster in four episodes and makes regular appearances at conventions challenges this stereotype of female fans nicely. In his chapter “The Pros and Cons” states of women fans at conventions “…the majority of fans were women and they weren’t scary, creepy, socially inept or dangerous”.

Lynn Zubernis conducts a wonderful interview with a Supernatural vidder known as Ash38. The interview provides the reader with a deep insight into this particular vidder’s work. I first came across the work of vidders in a previous post after Great Big Sea constructed a new video for their song Heart of Hearts out of previous videos expanding the previous twenty years of their music. The fan also explains her love of the show Supernatural and why this mature age, educated, female fan became connected to both the fandom and the community of vidders. With the evolution of social media and Internet technology fan communities are no longer confined to a particular location for example North America but are global communities. Of particular interest was the absence of any discussion on the issue of copyright that have plagued other vidders and for example Luminosity. Her experiences were discussed in an interview I copied for a previous post on vidders.

Social activism and making genuine change is at the heart of fandom.

To be continued...

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.