It was the equivalent of waving a red flag in front of a bull.

Russell Crowe already smarting over the critics’ reaction to his portrayal of Robin Hood — stood accused of making the hero of Sherwood Forest sound a little Irish. Interviewer Mark Lawson should have known what was coming. There was a simmering denial, an expletive or two and a rather sudden end to the conversation. Crowe, who has a prickly reputation, had been talking to Lawson about his new film Robin Hood for BBC Radio 4’s Front Row programme.

Things went wrong when Lawson started dissecting Crowe’s accent in the movie. He suggested there were “hints” of Irish in the supposedly English accent. The 46-year-old New Zealand born star, who lives in Australia, was having none of it. “You’ve got dead ears, mate,” he said ominously. “You’ve seriously got dead ears if you think that’s an Irish accent.” Crowe went on to talk about the character, but the accusation had clearly hit a raw nerve.

“I’m a little dumbfounded that you could possibly find any Irish in that character — that’s kind of ridiculous, but it’s your show,” he said. Lawson, who was interviewing Crowe at the Dorchester Hotel in London, did his best to smooth things over. But there was no turning back. Crowe then refused to answer questions about whether he had not wanted to deliver some of his most famous lines in the blockbuster Gladiator. He is said to have then waved his cigarette and walked off. Lawson isn’t the only person to critique Crowe’s accent, another critic has claimed it “sounds like an Australian doing an impression of Jim Bowen off Bullseye”, while another suggested he had 15 different accents.

— Daily Mail

Lady GaGa dresses up like Nanny McPhee for charity benefit

Lady GaGa leaves no stone unturned in her search for style inspiration.

And last night the eccentric star apparently found it in the form of Emma Thompson’s famous children’s character, Nanny McPhee. The Paparazzi singer arrived at Carnegie Hall in New York for a charity benefit in a dramatic black gown that mirrored the magical time-travelling nanny’s trademark cloak. Her hair, which appeared to be a shade of grey, was pulled back into a matronly bun, too. Thankfully, there were no warts in sight, and Lady GaGa gave the look her own twist with a pair of gravity-defying tippy-toe boots. Later she changed into a white confection as she joined Sting on stage at a benefit concert for the Rainforest Fund’s 21st Birthday Celebration.

— Daily Mail

Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony jump aboard the loveboat on Nice break

Jennifer Lopez and husband Marc Anthony looked the picture of marital bliss as they enjoyed a speedboat ride together.

The couple sat entwined on the back seat as they sped around the Mediterranean waters during a break in the south of France. Dressed in lace-up black leggings and a floral top, 40-year-old J-Lo and Marc, 41, were taking a breather from their two-year-old twins, Emme and Maximilian. The family are all staying on their Italian fashion designer friend Roberto Cavalli’s yacht. Singer and actress Lopez and producer Marc, who have been married six years, decided to head out on the speedboat while the twins remained safely tucked up with a minder on Cavalli’s luxury vessel.

— Daily Mail