March 19

Source: http://www.southsidestory.com.au/Documentary/Episode-1.html

On the morning of Sunday 19 March 2006, nearly 4000 of the South Sydney District Football Club's Members descended on the Millennium Room at Telstra Stadium to vote on the biggest decision facing the Club in its 98 year history.

Members had to decide on whether the Club would remain 100% in the hands of it's Members, or whether 75% of the Club would sold to Blackcourt League Investments, a company owned by South Sydney Life Member and Academy Award winning actor Russell Crowe, and Australian businessman Peter Holmes a Court, for A$3 million.

To be passed, the proposal required 75% of the vote to be in favour of the change. Nearly 4000 Members entered, 49 Members aired their views in front of their peers, and the voting Membership accepted the proposal with 75.8% of the vote accepting the change.

The Chairman of the Football Club, Nicholas Pappas, described it as a momentous day for the Club, giving it the opportunity to at last operate on a level playing field with the other NRL Clubs.

"This has been people power at its most potent," Mr Pappas said

. "Our supporters have given Peter and Russell an opportunity to unite this Club and make it a force again in the NRL.

"It also enshrines all core values that our Members hold so dear and ensures that the Club forever remains in Sydney.

"This is the mandate Members gave my Board and we have delivered on all our promises.

"This is a time for the entire South Sydney family to come together and embrace a bright new future for our much-loved Club.

"I congratulate Russell and Peter on the dedication they have shown towards our beloved Football Club and thank our Members for the magnificent manner in which they acquitted themselves today at such a critical moment in our Club's history.

Source: The Daily Record (UK)

March 19, 2009

Top of Form
Scots director Kevin Macdonald on Pitt, Crowe and his new movie
By Rick Fulton

Scots Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald has broken his silence about why Brad Pitt left him in the lurch during his Hollywood directing debut.

Brad, who had enlisted Kevin to direct State Of Play, caused a storm when he quit during pre-production in November 2007 after the pair fell out over the script.

But the 41-year-old Glaswegian reckons it was a blessing in disguise because A-list hunk Brad, partner of Angelina Jolie, was too good looking to play a put-upon journalist who struggles to get a girlfriend.

And he found the perfect stand-in by getting rough and ready Russell Crowe. Kevin said: "In a way, I was lucky it didn't work out with Brad.

"The relationship between the journalist and the politician was meant to be between somebody who feels inferior, who's a bit of a schlump, who kind of can't get a girlfriend, and somebody he's looking up to and admires - his polished politician friend.

"That is not the dynamic of Brad Pitt. He's not looking up to anyone thinking, 'Oh, I wish I could have your girlfriend.'"

Despite the success of his only previous feature film, indie hit The Last King Of Scotland, Kevin was still a minnow in Hollywood. So after the shock departure of Pitt, he could easily have been kicked off the movie and black-balled by producers.

Instead, he was asked who he'd like as a replacement, mentioned Crowe - and got him. Kevin said: "We sent him the script and he emailed me back saying, 'I hate journalists, but I like the script.' But he now has a renewed respect for journalists."

State Of Play, out next month, is a reworking of the popular BBC series that starred John Simm.

Crowe stars as Cal McAffrey (Simm's role in the TV version), Ben Affleck is Congressman Stephen Collins (played by David Morrissey) and Helen Mirren plays editor-in-chief Cameron Lynne (renamed from Bill Nighy's character Cameron Foster).

The American adaptation is a blistering thriller about a rising congressman (Affleck) and investigative journalist (Crowe) embroiled in a case of seemingly unrelated brutal murders.

Kevin, who won an Oscar for his documentary One Day In September about the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, watched the BBC series and was immediately interested when Brad asked him to do the film in 2007.

But the working relationship soon turned sour and Kevin laughed: "I developed the script then Brad realised he didn't like what I'd done.

"Brad is very interested in journalism and its role. We shared that - we both wanted to make a film about journalism.

"But I wanted to do something different from the original series which is not really about anything. It's entertainment, fun.

"He wanted to do something much closer to the original.

"My basic film-making philosophy is you have a really simple idea then make it look complicated. And he wanted to make something that was complicated even more complicated. So he pulled out and we were already really far down the line.

"The studio said to me, 'Who would be your ideal choice?' And I said, 'Russell Crowe.' Of all the sort of A-list stars, he's the best actor I think."

Despite Crowe's hell-raising reputation, Kevin had no problem keeping the actor on a tight rein - and admits his input to the movie was invaluable.

Kevin added: "He turned up and said, 'My character should have a pink breast cancer awareness armband.' "I asked why and he said, 'Well, the character's mother died quite young from breast cancer and that's part of the reason he feels he can't develop a lasting relationship with a woman.'

"And you begin to see an interesting depth. He took the character much further and was far braver than I would have been.

"I would have been thinking the studio won't like it if he looks like this or dresses like this, but Russell doesn't care.

"I think he is the only A-list movie star who has no vanity. It's working with a proper actor as opposed to a movie star."