Round four to Clooney as Crowe ad feud continues

LONDON – 'Ocean's Twelve' star George Clooney has hit back at 'Gladiator' actor Russell Crowe for attacking him about his commercial endorsements as the pair engage in their fourth verbal bust-up this year.

Clooney hit back at the Oscar-winning star saying: "I don't like artists who attack other artists. I have a problem with that.

"Russell tried to pick a fight with me and I tried to make a joke out of it -- but he came at me again."

Although not specifically mentioning the New Zealand-born actor, Clooney admitted he's phoned people in the past to vent his anger.

"I've called people up to say "What the fuck is wrong with you?."

Crowe, also known for his physical outbursts, began the feud in February when he said that Clooney, along with Harrison Ford and Robert de Niro, had broken the "social contract" they had with their audiences by appearing in ads.

Clooney, who has appeared in ads for Martini, Fiat and Toyota, hit back by mocking Crowe's musical venture, the band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts.

"I'm glad he set us straight. Harrison, Bob and I were putting a band together called Grunting For 30 Feet, and that would also fall under the heading 'bad use of celebrity'. Thanks for the heads up," Clooney was quoted as saying.

Crowe hit back during an interview in The Sun, saying: "I had a good laugh when Clooney tried to compare doing ads for suits, a car and a drink to what I do as a musician. An endorsement is about money. My music is from the heart."

"I believe if you take on characters for a living you can't make yourself into an icon in order to sell a pair of shoes," he said.

Earlier this year, Crowe was arrested and charged with assault, which carries a sentence of up to four years in jail, after he allegedly threw a telephone at a night porter in New York hotel.

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