Russell Crowe, Brad Pitt, and Audio Cassettes

Monthly Entertainment Column

September 2002

This month's column includes three parts:

1. Link to academic paper by Emily Hegarty, titled, Russell Crowe and Women's Internet Fan Culture, on the relationship between Crowe, his fans and the Internet. Thanks to Susan Maxwell at r.maxwell@centurytel.net. She welcomes your feedback. Here is the link: http://home.earthlink.net/~eahegarty/twb.htm.

2. Please help! Need answer to a Russell fan's question: What is Crowe's U.S. shoe size? Please direct your answers to Kay at kay@evanstongroup.com or Marina at marina@electronicbookshere.com. If you know the answer or know of the website that shows the answer, or if you know Crowe himself, help a fan win a bet! Should the answer be found, it will be revealed at next month's column.

3. Pitt, Crowe and Audio Cassettes:

Has anyone heard if Crowe has made an audio cassette? The reason I ask is because during a family vacation, I listened to Brad Pitt read a novel, while on the road to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. So why not Crowe also?

What’s nice about audio cassettes is that while listening to Pitt, the whole knowledge of his previous work in A River Runs Through It, Thelma and Louise, Legends of The Fall and in his academy-nominated role in Twelve Monkeys, you can enjoy listening to him with the effect these movies had beforehand. It adds to the listening of his reading. Not only that, because of his audio cassette, I actually stopped clicking on the remote to see his movie, Meet Joe Black. He was excellent in the opening segment of Meet Joe Black. The coffee shop scene alone is enough to keep you watching the rest of the movie.

So audio cassettes are another way you can enjoy Pitt or Crowe, unless you happen to be the lucky one sitting next to them at a sporting event, or at a restaurant, or the one chosen to shake hands with at a movie premiere, film location or concert. And even then, personally, it would be an adjustment as well as an honor to see either one in skin and bone. Thanks to the movies.

Because the chances of actually meeting Pitt or Crowe are slim, audio cassettes provide another way to "mind-meld" with them.

For example, I was able to see into a part of Brad Pitt's psyche when I listened to him read The Crossing, by Cormac McCarthy, who is also known for his award-winning novel, All The Pretty Horses. This was a wonderful way to be entertained by the novel. Would I listen to another Pitt audio cassette? Yes. I thought Pitt did a wonderful job reading The Crossing.

As far as Crowe, we are at least graced with TOFOG. Listening to Crowe sing means listening at many levels: his movies and acting level, his own words and interviews level, his personal stories level, his choices level, his music level, his mystery level.

But it would also be great if Crowe takes the time to make an audio cassette, not only so that we can enjoy his expressive voice, but also to find out what piece of written work he will read. Imagine the emotional impact of his reading. It might even equal his acting.

If you know of an audio cassette please let us know and it will be shared with everyone who is subscribed to this column. [A fan did inform that there is a website featuring Crowe reading aloud poems]. If there isn't an audio cassette, as I've found searching on the Internet, this column is a call from us, his fans, to ask Crowe if he would make an audio cassette.

The future will answer this question: either yes or no. In the meantime, suggest to him, in whatever manner you wish to contact him, that here is another medium where he can challenge and expand his artistic prowess. If that doesn't work, tell him it will give him something to do in his trailer while on location by researching and reading which books to record. If that doesn't work, tell him, in good humor, at least with audio cassettes, he won’t have to memorize his lines!

New and incredible electronic book on Russell Crowe.

Discover Brad Pitt in Two Hollywood Marriages.

Here are audio cassettes by Brad Pitt:

The Crossing:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679427031/qid=1027987580/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/103-9815606-7603047

All The Pretty Horses:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375415874/qid=1027987580/sr=8-5/ref=sr_8_5/103-9815606-7603047

Cormac McCarthy:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375410139/qid=1027987580/sr=8-6/ref=sr_8_6/103-9815606-7603047

Incredible ebook on Oscar winner and entertainment actor, Russell Crowe!