Westside story for our Lincoln Lewis

US TV role ... Australian actor Lincoln Lewis / Pic: Sam Ruttyn Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Lincoln Lewis is growing up fast.

The 25-year-old has gone from Home & Away hunk to Hollywood actor after starting to shoot his first big role in the United States.

The son of rugby league great Wally Lewis was spotted yesterday working on the set of Westside, a modern TV retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

The Brisbane boy, who has been in Tomorrow, When The War Began and Australian dramas SLiDE, Underbelly and Tricky Business since leaving the soap in 2010, plays the lead in the show. It's about two warring families in Venice Beach. Another former Summer Bay resident, Luke Bracey, appears as Lewis' brother.

Although American TV networks commission dozens of pilots at this time of year only to go ahead with a select few, Westside has a lot going for it, including the flamboyant McG, who directed the Charlie's Angels big-screen remakes and Terminator: Salvation.

Lewis will also appear in Will Smith's new flick After Earth, out in June.

Russell Crowe and Billy Joel's ex wife, celebrity chef and food critic Katie Lee were simmering

Russell Crowe's cosy cuddling around the fire. Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Has Russell Crowe entered into a new relationship after his split with Danielle Spencer was made public?

The Les Miserables star - who is believed to have officially finished things with his wife of nine years 12 months ago, but only hit the headlines in October - has reportedly been seen "intensely flirting" with singer Billy Joel's ex-wife, celebrity chef and food critic Katie Lee.

According to New York Post gossip bible Page Six, Crowe, 48, and Lee, 31, were seen snuggled up by a cosy fireplace in the drawing room of the Greenwich Hotel in New York City in the early hours of Sunday.

"They seemed to be in an intense, flirtatious conversation," a source told the publication. "They looked really into each other."

The pair were seen in the same hotel later in the day.

"Katie was still at the hotel Sunday afternoon," the source said.

"She was seen with Crowe sitting at the same fireplace about 2pm." The newspaper quoted another source as saying the two were "seeing each other casually".

Lee was married to Joel for five years before they busted up in 2009.

Their separation was controversial, to say the least, with Lee rumoured to have been having an extensive affair with Israeli fashion designer Yigal Azrouel.

She also regularly appears on popular US cooking shows such as Top Chef and Iron Chef America.

Crowe is in the Big Apple filming new fantasy movie Winter's Tale, which co-stars Will Smith and Colin Farrell.

Crowe's in the ire of the storm

Russell Crowe looks dapper in a purple striped suit while sporting a huge scar on his face as he plays a ruthless gangster on the set of his upcoming movie Winter's Tale filming in Brooklyn. Picture: Snapper Media Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Filming has only been under way a few days but already Russell Crowe's new picture is causing headaches in New York.

Residents in Hurricane Sandy-ravaged Red Hook are reportedly fuming that the star-studded Hollywood movie Winter's Tale, headlined by Crowe, has taken over their Brooklyn neighbourhood as they try to dig out of the devastation.

Residents have told the New York Post that production on Winter's Tale, which also stars Jennifer Connelly, Will Smith and Colin Farrell, was meant to have been wrapped up by Thanksgiving (November 22).

But shooting has been extended due to the fact that Crowe's previous flick, Noah, went several weeks over schedule - and also partly because of the hurricane.

"The crew's taking up all the parking spaces on the streets that residents and business owners desperately need to help the area dig out and recover," local Francis Kerrigan told the newspaper.

"We were told the shoot would be done by Thursday.

"But now the crew says it will be longer because Crowe didn't show up for filming last week.

"When I asked when it would be done, the answer was: 'As long as it takes Russell to film'. This is a case of no-show Crowe adds to the (bleep) show."

Another resident said the filming was too soon after the storm: "People are still trying to dig out. Fairway was under six feet of water. Now the movie has a craft services tent in the parking lot."

But a source close to the production denied the claims, saying: "It's not true at all that Russell missed any days on set ... schedules for every production that's filming in New York have been shuffled because of Sandy - Noah included.

"The film's been working closely with the City of New York and everything has been above board."

Crowe's rep said: "There is no truth to this. Russell's scheduled first day of shooting was Sunday."

Russell Crowe clean shaven again (but that's one nasty nick)

 

Russell Crowe as the dapper Brooklyn gangster Pearly Soames in Winter's Tale. Picture: Splash News Source: Supplied

The Daily Telegraph reports

So that's what was under his big bushy biblical beard.

Fresh from wrapping up filming the biblical epic Noah, Russell Crowe was snapped sporting a nasty scar on the set of his latest movie, Winter's Tale.

Before anyone starts blaming his estranged wife or vengeful hotel clerks or poor shaving, the red welt wasn't real but make-up.

Crowe plays dapper gang leader Pearly Soames in the film, which also stars Colin Farrell, Will Smith and Jennifer Connelly.

Crowe, who recently split from wife Danielle Spencer, isn't exactly happy to be working again.

Last week he tweeted:

Russell Crowe@russellcrowe: starting on another film set tomorrow. I need to go home & be with my children. Cannot believe how fkd up my schedule has become this year.

 

Ben Sewell@beniswinning: @russellcrowe depends on the trip, several weeks at a time. Yes, I have children. International Sales for a technology company

 

Russell Crowe@russellcrowe: @beniswinning I sympathise. I haven't seen mine since late September. Maybe 40 days with them for the year. Won't happen again. All the best

Better with the beard or without? Crowe on the set of Noah and Winter's Tale. Pictures: Splash News

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to hit town for 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea remake

 

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt / Pic: AP Source: The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph reports

Just as Sydneysiders recover from the surplus of celebrity spottings throughout the filming of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, a new set of A-listers is rumoured to be headed to town.

Film industry sources say Brad Pitt is in serious negotiations to head to the Harbour City with talk that the anticipated remake of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea will be filmed next year at Fox Studios.

Titled 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: Captain Nemo and helmed by Oscar-nominated director David Fincher (The Social Network), the film has been in development at Disney for some time and it's understood production may finally get a green-light in early 2013.

While Pitt is yet to sign for the role, the Fight Club star is reportedly close to a deal and it's rumoured he may spend several months in Sydney - most likely with partner Angelina Jolie and their six children.

Pitt is slated for the role of Ned Land in the flick - the role played by Kirk Douglas in the 1954 version of the movie based on Jules Verne's book.

Land is described as "a sailor and talented hand at the harpoon" and is expected to form a key part of the new movie, alongside whoever agrees to star as Captain Nemo.

Contacted this week, Pitt's US reps didn't get back to us on the actor's plans to head Down Under. But a local film source said the news was the talk of Sydney's movie industry.

"Having Brad in town will be huge, as will having Fincher here shooting such an epic remake," a well-placed film spy said.

Those linked to the Nemo role include Will Smith and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.