MEG RYAN MEETS RUSSELL’S PARENTS 

You may have heard that Meg Ryan and new boyfriend Russell Crowe were spotted cozying up at the Sydney Olympics, but the real reason the pair traveled Down Under was so that Russell could introduce Meg to his folks, according to a published report.

Rumor has it that the lovebirds took separate flights early in September and stayed at Russell’s sprawling ranch outside of New South Wales. 

“It’s a confirmation that he and Meg are serious about each other,” a pal said in the report. “Wedding bells will be ringing as soon as her divorce from Dennis Quaid is final.”
 

Meg…...Russell’s New Year Bride

When rugged Aussie star Russell Crowe began a passionate affair with Hollywood golden girl Meg Ryan, their closet friends thought it would never last. 

Now, the same people are opening VIP letters to the couple’s planned New Year’s Eve wedding in Coffs Harbour. 

Under Californian law, a divorce can become final six months after filing. This means New Year’s Eve is the first day Meg would be free to marry again. 

The lucky guests – set to include some of the film industry’s biggest stars including Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Phoenix and Jodie Foster – have been sworn to secrecy, but Woman’s Day can reveal plans for the wedding are well under way.

One guest from Queensland says: "The letter telling us about the wedding was totally unexpected. I knew Russell was very fond of Meg, but I had no idea he had proposed to her". 

"But its no surprise that he’s chosen to be married in northern New South Wales where he has a property. He adores it there. It's paradise". 

After two weeks with Russell, where Meg spent time getting to know his parents Alex and Jocelyn, who live on the 230ha farm, she jetted back to the US for a crucial 45-minute meeting with Dennis Quaid to discuss their divorce and custody issues. Looking tense and solemn, Meg was photographed walking with Dennis and their 8-year-old son Jack. The once-loving couple’s body language was frosty to say the least, and in stark contrast to her relationship with Russell, where Meg is relaxed, carefree and smiling. 

Meg had a spring in her step when she and Russell spent hours shopping for antiques and furniture in Sydney’s exclusive Woollahra, not far from his apartment. Casually dressed, the two lovebirds went from store to store looking for bargains, stopping only for a bite of lunch from a local deli. One onlooker says: "Meg was really excited. I got the impression shopping is one of her favourite hobbies. Russell didn’t seem to mind a bit. I think he was pleased that Meg was enjoying herself." 

Russell also showed off the sights of the Harbour city aboard Tom Cruise’s luxury yacht "Alibi", and he and Meg were among 110,000 spectators at the Sydney Olympic Stadium to watch the men’s and women’s 100m finals. 

Meg was soaking up the sunshine and recharging her batteries for the biggest fight of her life – her divorce from Dennis. It promises to be a financial minefield, and the tug-of-war over son Jack terrifies her. But, despite her vulnerable on-screen image, the 38-year-old star is known in Hollywood as a fighter and she is determined to keep as much of her multi-million dollar fortune as possible. 

She wants Dennis to accept a $35 million pay-off instead of getting into a lengthy and bitter financial battle. But Dennis, 46, has made it clear he wants half of the $87 million she’s made from her movies since they were married nine years ago, and their $8.7 million sprawling 80ha summer getaway ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana. He has always loved the wooded property with it hiking trails, lake and four guest cabins. The couple spent summers on the ranch, which has it own go-kart track and where Dennis would ride his three-wheeled dune buggy. In return, Dennis is willing to let Meg have their $9 million Santa Monica home and their $10 million New York penthouse in Manhattans Upper East Side. 

But Meg also wants the house in Santa Monica and the ranch in Montana. One friend says: "They are important to her because she designed the extensions and decorated both homes". Sources close to the warring couple say there was no pre-nuptial agreement – something Meg now regrets. She has already moved out of their Santa Monica home and into a house nearby. Says a friend: "Meg is one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood, commanding more than $18 million a picture. She’s built a little empire and she’s going to do everything possible not to allow a divorce to strip her of her fortune". The source close to the couple adds: "Meg has advised her lawyers to try to protect as much of her wealth as possible. They are desperately trying to structure a deal with Quaid to do that". 

Friends say Dennis is simple guy with simple tastes. His main concern is for their son. But he is hurt by what Meg has done and is not willing to settle quietly. This might explain his bizarre behaviour while Meg was holidaying in Australia with the Gladiator star. During the day, he looked after Jack, taking him to lunch, movies, and to the dentist. But in the evening, while a nanny cared for Jack, he spend several nights with a mystery woman in the same $900-a-night beachside hotel in Santa Monica where Meg and Russell stayed recently. Even more bizarre was that he stayed on the seventh floor of the hotel – the same floor Russell and Meg’s room was on. Some speculate that Dennis might have been planting the woman there to spy on Meg and Russell if they returned to their hotel lovenest, or even that it was his way of seeking revenge. 

Meanwhile, friends of Meg are stunned by the news of her wedding plans. "She is absolutely beaming with joy. I haven’t seen her this happy since Jack’s birth," says one. "Meg feels she’s finally met her match in Russell. He’s been a ‘love-em and leave-em’ type, never really sticking around that long. But he’s a happy guy at the moment".

Meg Ryan’s moving on and moving out. Since her marriage to actor Dennis Quaid broke up this summer, she’s found herself a new love (Gladiator hunk Russell Crowe) and a new place. 
Meg Ryan 

The Los Angeles Times reports that Meg plunked down about $8 million for a 5-bedroom, Mediterranean-style home in the Westside area of L.A. The recently renovated pad reportedly boasts a screening room, guest house, pool and city-to-ocean views. The house is gated and has a private drive. 

Until the recent purchase, Meg had been living in a house very close to the Brentwood home she shared with Quaid and their 8-year-old son, Jack.

JEALOUS MEG CATCHES RUSSELL CROWE WITH BLONDE

MEG RYAN erupted in a jealous rage when she caught loverboy Russell Crowe out with a beautiful blonde -- and demanded he quit his skirt-chasing ways! 

Meg's fiery ultimatum came after she returned to Hollywood from a blissful two-week visit with the 36-year-old "Gladiator" star and his folks in Australia. 

"Reuniting with her husband Dennis Quaid is completely out of the picture and Meg is dead set on marrying Russell," an insider revealed. 

"But she's been acting like a wet hen ever since she returned from Australia. 

"She wasn't back one day before she heard Russell had been seen with an athletic beauty in Sydney. 

"Russell loves Meg, but he's having a hard time adjusting to an exclusive romance and it's become a real bone of contention in their relationship. 

"It seems every time she leaves his side, he's been seen with some gorgeous new gal. And this latest episode has turned the perky actress into Hurricane Meg. She returned in late September after two wonderful weeks with Russell in Sydney for the Olympics. They kicked around his ranch north of the city and went on ocean voyages. And she was even more excited to meet Russell's parents. She believed that meeting Russell's folks sealed the deal for them marrying. But then Meg heard Russell had taken an athletic blonde on a cruise on a boat, the Alibi, which is owned by his pal Tom Cruise.

"Although nothing happened between Russell and the Olympic cutie on the boat trip, Meg was livid with Russell for stepping out on her. The fact that Russell was showing another woman a good time had Meg fuming. She blasted Russell with a screaming phone call that could be heard from L.A. all the way to the Sydney Opera House! 

"She told him she wanted to be with someone she can trust. Meg hissed, `An open relationship may be fine with you but it's out of the question for me. If you can't commit then let's forget the whole thing!' 

"Russell calmed down Meg with words of love and affection. He has a soft, intense way of speaking that wraps her around his finger." Meg, 37, and her 46-year-old husband Dennis separated in May after nine years of marriage, and both have filed for divorce. 

"Meg's life has been in a total state of flux," a source close to the couple declared. "One minute she's speaking words of undying love to Russell, and the next she's considering reuniting with Dennis. 

"But a reconciliation with Dennis is now out of the question. He's told her that he's moving on and dating and so should she. 

"They both are committed to being the best parents possible to their 8-year-old son Jack. In fact, they recently took Jack to church together. 

"But Meg and Dennis are quickly headed to divorce court. 

"And if Meg can tame womanizing Russell, she's hoping to marry next spring." 
MARC CETNER and SUZANNE ELY

RUSSELL'S RESEARCH 

Russell Crowe is a major contender to play Richard Burton in a planned movie on the Welsh actor’s life and he’s hoping Elizabeth Taylor will help him land the juicy part. 

Russell’s read biographies on Richard, but he wants more inside stuff – the kind of character-revealing information that only Liz could provide. 

Russell offered to treat Liz to a first-class vacation with him Down Under if she’ll agree to talk about her relationship with the hard-drinking actor. Liz is reluctant to kiss and tell on Burton, but she’s finding it hard to resist a week with the awesome Aussie. 

Maybe she’s waiting to find out if Crowe’s new love Meg Ryan will come along.

Vitamins and Veggies Russell's wedding diet

He's given up doughnuts, smoking and beer to keep the love of his life. But his family is begging him not to marry Meg. 

Friends say superstar Russell Crowe is planning to wed Hollywood beauty Meg Ryan in his home country of New Zealand, but his grandmother Joy Weymess is begging him not to take that step. 

Russell, 36, is believed to have set the date for next autumn and is also planning to spend Christmas at home to finalise their wedding plans.... 

But while his family may be begging him not to tie the knot, Russell is so determined to marry the woman he met while filming Proof of Life with her, he's going all-out in a bid to change his wild ways. Friends say he's embarked on a health and fitness regime, popping vitamins and giving up the beer. 

This 'new man' was certainly evident when Russell was recently spotted in the bar of the swish Beverly Hills Hotel .. nursing a sparkling mineral water! With all eyes on him, Russell took a call on his mobile phone that had his face cracking into an ear-to-ear grin. Cupping a hand over the mouthpiece, he whispered to an assistant: 'It's Meg!' Gleefully raising his class, as if he had something to celebrate, he said into the phone: 'I'm in the bar, honey .. and no, I'm not having a beer.' 

And so Hollywood's man-of-the-moment continued to chat happily, before announcing he was 'off to the gym', patting his stomach and smiling. 

'Russell's a changed man,' says musician Sean Brennan, the Gladiator star's best friend. 'He's trying hard to give up smoking, he goes jogging and is even interviewing personal trainers. 'Some of the boys can't believe the transformation and they reckon he's under the thumb,' Sean laughed. 

But others believe Meg - who walked out on husband Dennis Quad, 46, and son Jack, 8, for a new life with Russell - is a calming influence on the one-time hell-raiser. 'The little lady's tamed him,' says Russell's associate, music promoter Jake Steed. 'She's clearly having a major inlfuence. You could see Russ was upset when Meg wasn't at his band's recent Texas shows. 

'Meg has achieved something with Russell that no other LA babe has been able to ...' 'Yeah, getting him to eat sushi and pasta with roasted vegies!' Sean cuts in. 

The macho star has had to make drastic changes as part of Meg's master plan for a baby. Meg's friends say the star would love to have a daughter. Meg's pal Ruth Lehman reveals: 'She gave it to him straight - he'd have to mature in a big way before she'd consider having his baby. Meg wants a little girl. She also wants to be sure that she'll be physically prepared for the challenge of a new child. 'I think she had a little chat with Russ about his beer-swillling, burger-chomping and babe-pulling days, and the guy's taken it to heart. 'Apparently Russ has made a commitment to change and to be faithful - that's paramount to Meg - and Russ has surprised her with his attitude. 'What really impressed Meg,' Ruth continues, 'was when Russ took her to dinner and spent the night talking about fatherhood! 'He insisted all the fame and money wouldn't bring them complete happiness until they had a child of their own, which she thought was very sweet. 'Meg told him it was too soon to jump into marriage again, but Russ pointed out that didn't have to stop them having babies. 

Meg turns 40 next year, and Russ has told her: "I want to have a couple while I'm still young and fit enough to play with them." ' 

But before Russell and Meg tie the knot and before they start trying for a baby, they have an obstacle to overcome - ending her marriage to Dennis, who filed for divorce after hearing of her romance with the Gladiator. 

According to sources close to the couple, a conversation with Dennis and Russell took place a month ago. Dennis asked his love rival exactly what his intentions were with respect to his wife and Russell replied: 'To make her my wife.' Ruth adds: 'Meg hasn't given details of where or when the wedding will take place, but it will probably be a small affair, with just family and friends.' But according to Dennis' brother Randy, who is acting as mediator between Dennis and Meg during their divorce - set to be finalised in February - the union between Russ and Meg won't last. He confirmed that Meg was infatuated with Russell, but added: 'Knowing his track record, they've as much chance of it lasting as nailing a custard pie to the wall.'

BURNIN' LOVE 
Meg Ryan has been suffering from "whisker burn" -- her skin's being irritated by boyfriend Russell Crowe's 5 o'clock shadow.

Meg solved the ticklish problem with a gift of designer shaving cream -- and a new razor.

And while she was at it, Meg upgraded her lover's rugged outback look, introducing him to the world of fine cashmere sweaters and Prada shoes.

Snapping Back

Poor Russell Crowe. He's mad at the media for snooping around his life. Like we're the ones who became involved with Meg Ryan just as she was ending her marriage to Dennis Quaid.

I would think if anyone here should be upset, it's Quaid. But that's obviously not stopping Crowe from airing his anger in public.

Crowe tells tonight's "Access Hollywood" that he has begun to feel like "a hunted animal."

"Every building you come out of," he said, "there is a parasite there exercising his constitutional right to make money out of being a parasite, trying to take your photo. Frankly, folks, I go to work, I do my job. I really concentrate, and if you go to the cinema, pay your money and have a good time. That's the end of it, as far as I'm concerned."

EXCLUSIVE: WHY RUSSELL CROWE'S FEMALE FANS NEEDN'T PANIC YET 

I'M STILL LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT WOMAN. I CAN'T TALK ABOUT MEG, LET'S JUST SAY I WON'T BE GETTING MARRIED THIS YEAR

BYLINE: John Hiscock In Los Angeles 

GLADIATOR star Russell Crowe is Hollywood's testosterone-fuelled man of the moment.

His passionate romance with Meg Ryan, one of the world's most beautiful women, has reinforced his reputation as the great seducer. 

But in an exclusive interview with The Mirror, Russell confessed that the stunning blonde actress is not necessarily the girl of his dreams. 

This revelation will come as something of a shock to Meg, whose nine-year marriage to Dennis Quaid collapsed after she began an affair with the Kiwi-born superstar. 

"I'm still looking for the right woman," he said firmly. "I've been looking and I hope that when I find the right woman and I do get married that I can enjoy the sort of relationship my parents have. 

"They celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary earlier this year and they are always off in a corner cuddling. 

"I have a great deal of respect for marriage and hopefully when I find the right woman and the situation comes up I can enjoy the same sort of thing that they have. 

"I hope I can find someone. I've never been engaged, I've never been divorced or anything like that." 

Speaking calmly in his suite at a fashionable Los Angeles hotel, Crowe, 36, refused to talk directly about Meg. 

He explained: "It's absolutely inappropriate for me to comment on this situation because regardless of what I say it's going to hurt some people and I'm really not walking on this planet to do that.

"That's got nothing to do with who I am as a person, so any questions pertaining to the relationship at this point in time are inappropriate."

Then, with a shrug, he added: "Let me just say that I'm not getting married this year and I'm not having babies this year either, although sooner or later in life I will want to get married and have children.

"Romance is one of the most important things in my life. However much of a hard ass you think I am, there is another side to me, and without romance my life would not be worth writing about." 

America's sweetheart Meg, 39, fell for Crowe eight months ago on the set of their new thriller, Proof Of Life. 

Their relationship came out in the open in June when they attended a David Bowie concert together in London, but Crowe attended last night's Proof Of Life premier in LA alone. 

Ryan and Quaid are now in the process of divorcing and plan to share custody of their eight-year-old son, Jack. 

Crowe admits his no-nonsense attitude and ironic sense of humour are often misunderstood, particularly in America, where he has a reputation for being "difficult". 

He said, "I'm going to be misquoted, misrepresented and misconstrued no matter what I do. I'm going to be the way I am and if people don't like it, well, that's just bad luck. 

"It might not go on for too much longer, so who cares really? There's always the chance of getting hit by a bus, so I don't worry about that sort of stuff too much." 

Bearded and chain-smoking, Crowe was talking for the first time since his affair with Meg hit the headlines. 

Veering from serious to light-hearted, his conversation was liberally sprinkled with four letter words and everyone, from publicists to parking attendants, was called "mate". 

Born in New Zealand and brought up in Australia, Russell Crowe is so proud of his background that he persuaded director Taylor Hackford to change the character he plays in his new film Proof of Life from an Englishman to an Australian. Crowe plays a former SAS man now working as a 'K & R' - kidnap and ransom - expert for a London-based insurance company. 

He is called in to negotiate the release of an American businessman captured by terrorists in South America. While doing so he falls for the businessman's wife, played by Meg Ryan. "I didn't see any reason why he should be an Englishman," he recalled. "I told Taylor to have a look at the SAS in England, knowing full well that a lot of Australians, New Zealanders and people from Zimbabwe make up the ranks. 

In the English-speaking world if you can make it through selection to the SAS it is the highest level of soldiering you can get to. Taylor was surprised, particularly by the number of New Zealanders in the SAS." 

It was while they were filming in the steamy heat of Ecuador that Crowe and Meg began their affair, although the director claims he knew nothing of it until he read about it after filming was finished. 

Although Crowe and the director locked horns several times during the long and arduous shoot - "I think I got the job because I was the only person who didn't know how difficult it would be to work with Taylor Hackford," he laughed. 

He impressed Meg and the rest of the crew with his unfashionable macho attitude and willingness to do his own stunts. 

In one scene he risked his life by hanging from a helicopter as it rose into the air surrounded by explosions. Before he did it he talked at length with his friend Tom Cruise, another star who likes to do his own stunts. 

"Tom and I talk on a semi-regular basis about how much of your own stunts you should do," said Crowe. 

"I was talking to him about the helicopter and he was talking about hanging off a rock in Mission: Impossible 2. I call it a hundred per center, which means it keeps people involved in the movie. If you force a director to shoot a situation falsely, it affects the film so I want to do as much of that sort of thing as I can. 

But I'm not insane about it. If I can get two strong hands on the skids of a helicopter, I'm not going to fall off. 

"It's much better for me to do it rather than sit in my trailer and twiddle my thumbs while somebody else does the fun stuff." 

The blood on his face in one scene is real, the result of what he calls "a hairy moment". 

"The helicopter was over the centre of an explosion and I copped the full force of it. I had about 20 cuts on my face. That was pretty close." 

Thanks to the extraordinary success of Gladiator, Russell is now one of the most in-demand and highly-paid movie stars in the world (currently 10 million pounds a picture) although he chooses his projects carefully and insists he never has much money. 

"I don't hang on to money for long," he said. "I've got a 10-lane freeway that goes out of my bank account into my friends' and family's hands. 

"I've never made any choices based on money and I'm not going to start now. 

"I've been choosy since I was six years old when I did my first TV show. And when I was in my twenties it was difficult finding an agent because I was that choosy. People didn't want to represent someone who had an opinion." 

Crowe's parents and older brother, Terry, have moved from New Zealand to live with him on his 550-acre farm in the Australian outback, where he took Meg Ryan on a visit in September. 

"My family are looked after financially and my mum and dad have a nice place to hang out, although I think my family are really pleased when I'm not around," he said. 

"Whenever I'm at home, we've got uninvited guests hanging out at the gate taking photographs and people trying to sneak through the bush and getting bitten by the dogs and then complaining about it. I'm expecting to come across a few bodies when I go home for Christmas." 

Crowe is already preparing for his next film, A Beautiful Mind, in which he will play the schizophrenic mathematics genius, John Forbes Nash Jr, who in 1994 was awarded the Nobel Prize for economics. 

The role calls for him to age from 25 to 72, and although shooting does not begin until March, he is already attending lectures on mathematics in an attempt to understand the character. 

"It's way beyond me at the moment, but I've been focusing on it for a month already and it will come slowly, I hope," he said. 

"It's a non-physical role so I don't have to run around or swing a sword or crawl under buildings with a shotgun or any of that stuff." 

He sounded almost disappointed.

MEG FINDS RUSSELL'S GIFT NOTHING TO CROW ABOUT

LOVE-STRUCK Russell Crowe surprised galpal Meg Ryan with a special birthday present but the surprise was on him.

The "Gladiator" star plunked down about $25,000 for a black and chrome 1963 Buick Riviera in mint condition and gave it to Meg for her 38th birthday on November 19. 

Russell had it delivered early that Sunday morning to the swanky Fifth Avenue address in New York where the two were staying.

"He ran out to the street in his bare feet to check out the car," while Meg stayed inside, said an observer. 

"Then, he told the driver to park it in front of the building and leave the keys with the doorman," and went back inside to Meg.

The happy couple left the building arm-in-arm about 11:30 a.m., looking a bit worse for wear after a long night partying at the lavish wedding of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the exclusive Plaza Hotel.

"They began walking down the street when, suddenly, Russell pointed out the car and told Meg it was her birthday gift."

But, surprise, Meg was less than thrilled!

"An unenthused Meg didn't see what the big deal was. She smiled politely, but had a quizzical, confused expression on her face."

But Russell didn't seem deflated in the least that his gesture went over like a lead balloon. "He looked like a kid on Christmas day with a broad grin plastered on his face as he opened the car doors and trunk.

"Then they jumped in and roared off down the street with Russell behind the wheel!"

Australian actor Russell Crowe appears to have ruled out marrying lover Meg Ryan, telling an English newspaper that he's still waiting to meet the right woman. 

Crowe, who was catapulted on to Hollywood's A-list by the success of Gladiator, has been romancing the actress known as America's sweetheart for the past eight months since they met on the set of their new thriller, Proof of Life. 

Ryan's nine-year marriage to Dennis Quaid collapsed after she and New Zealand-born Crowe began an affair. 

But Crowe, 36, said he was not ready to marry. 

"I'm still looking for the right woman," he told The Mirror. 

"I've been looking and I hope that when I find the right woman and I do get married that I can enjoy the sort of relationship that my parents have. 

"They celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary earlier this year and they are always off in a corner cuddling. 

"I have a great deal of respect for women and hopefully when I find the right woman and the situation comes up I can enjoy the same sort of thing that they have. 

"I hope I can find someone. I've never been engaged. I've never been divorced on anything like that." 

But he refused to talk about Ryan, 39, directly. 

"It's absolutely inappropriate for me to comment on this situation because regardless of what I say it's going to hurt some people and I'm not really walking on this planet to do that," he said. 

"Let me just say that I'm not getting married this year and I'm not having babies this year either, although sooner or later in life I will want to get married and have children. 

"Romance is one of the most important things in my life. However much of a hard ass you think I am, there is another side to me and without romance my life would not be worth writing about."

Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid both want to keep their divorce as civilized as possible for the sake of their son, Jack.

So when Meg suggested that she and Dennis take Jack, 9, on a family vacation to Disney World, Dennis thought it was a great idea.

Then Meg dropped the bombshell that she wanted her sweetheart, Russell Crowe, to come along, too!

Dennis wants to be cooperative, but THAT was beyond the call of duty! He vetoed the plan and decided to take Jack on a father-son fishing trip instead.

ENQUIRER MINDS WANT TO KNOW 

Jim Bawden LOS ANGELES 
This movie junket should be retitled Missing In Action. Or better still, Desperately Seeking Meg Ryan. 

Dozens of movie critics were assembled at Beverly Hills' ultra-swank Four Seasons Hotel to catch the preview of the new action flick Proof Of Life and interview the stars. 

Nobody really thought Meg Ryan would show up, even though she is the first- billed name, whose personal popularity will make or break this Christmas-time movie. 

But equally unavailable was her co-star, hunky Aussie he-man Russell Crowe, who was glimpsed stalking through the hotel corridors but definitely off limits to the print media. 

The back story of Proof Of Life was proving far more interesting than the true-life on-screen adventure. 

"We all read the tabs, honey," snapped a fellow critic as she munched on a flabby croissant and guzzled her umpteenth cup of black coffee. 

According to the tabloids, Ryan and Crowe had engaged in some torrid hanky panky on the set of the movie. All that location shooting deep in the steamy jungles of Ecuador had done them in and they were no longer "just friends." 

When the location shifted back to studios in London, the affair continued and Ryan split with her long-standing husband, actor Dennis Quaid. With the tabloids in full pursuit she took up with Crowe. Then the relationship cooled somewhat, depending on which rag you were reading. 

"It's Cleopatra all over again!" huffed a veteran critic, referring to the Elizabeth Taylor-Richard Burton romance on the set of that famous 1963 sword-and-sand epic. Taylor divorced husband Eddie Fisher to wed Burton after he similarly ditched wife. 

But this time nobody was certain what happened. Ryan was unavailable to promote her own movie and Crowe was avoiding everyone but radio reporters. 

That left co-stars David Caruso (NYPD Blue) and David Morse (St. Elsewhere) to carry the ball. Both wanted to talk about dodging the mudslides in Ecuador, battling intestinal problems from the lousy food, or doing their own stunts. 

But Caruso finally confessed he knew "something was going on." What exactly that was that? Caruso admitted the stars were "digging into scenes" and that made for a lot of "interesting nights." 

"There's no way to protect yourself from this," he said, looking embarrassed. "Acting can jumpstart emotions." 

Had it ever happened to him, an on-set romance like this? He appeared jittery. Yes, it had happened and he had to get on the phone for an hour with his co- star and talk through the fact that their acting together had "evoked certain feelings." 

"It wasn't Dennis Franz," he joked about his former NYPD Blue co-star. 

"He's talking about the movie Jade and Linda Fiorentino," one critic whispered to me. 

Morse was far more circumspect. "We've been together . . . 18 years," he stammered about his own happy relationship. 

That left Crowe, who was spotted toddling down the hall and into a room to be interviewed by radio reporters who are usually a more friendly lot than their print colleagues. A few of us on the print side listened in and scribbled away. 

We snoozed through his seemingly endless descriptions of life in the South American wilds: "It was very damp living in the rain forest." Yeah, mate, get on with it. 

Or his desire to head home to Australia: "I just need to spend more time with the cows. Since January I've only slept 21 nights on the farm." 

Crowe got the part before The Insider and Gladiator came out, but director Taylor Hackford looked at rough cuts of the two films and chose him as Ryan's co-star. Shooting started in Poland (standing in for Chechnya), moved on to Ecuador and then London. 

"The Scorpion house where Alice (Meg Ryan) lives was on a London soundstage," Crowe said. "It was a complete duplicate of the one in Ecuador." 

Crowe agreed that in some scenes he was thinking of Humphrey Bogart's character of Rick in Casablanca. "But I'm not wearing a trenchcoat." 

Finally, he gets to the story most were waiting for. About Ryan, he said, "I was a big fan of her as an actress." He spent several nights sleeping out in the rainforest to get into character. "I was under a blanket - but I know you'll take that the wrong way." 

There certainly was "chemistry between me and Meg. We bonded." 

But the tabloid chase, he said, was "somebody's need for a story. It was kind of wacky. She's wonderful. In the film." 

With that he strolled out, leaving all of us still rather clueless and oneseething critic asking out loud: 

"So what did happen in the jungle anyway?"

Meg says ‘You’re Hollywood’s Cheapest Millionaire’

Russell’s dazed by her big spending ways on their first home together.

As the high heels of her Gucci shoes click across the marble floor, Meg Ryan can’t resist a grin. She sweeps down the wrought-iron staircase of her new home and into the California sun, proudly scanning her sparkling swimmimng pool.

She splashed out $15 million for the new mansion and ‘never flinched’ when an interior-designer bill left no change from $1. 5 million. Cynics snipe her post-split spending is ‘out of control’, but on nearly $29 million a picture, Meg can afford to indulge.

But she’s finding it hard to accept the thriftiness of the man in her life, Russell Crowe. ‘She loves to shop; he loves to save,’ says Meg’s friend Ruth Lehman. ‘But when he queries whether she really needs this or should be spending so much on that, it grates on her. She loves him but warned, ‘Give it a rest!’

Meg will give as good as she gets. Russell came in for a real ribbing when he won Hollywood Man of the Year title. Meg quipped, ‘Honey, you’re in for another award, Hollywood’s Cheapest Millionaire!’

Russell’s eyes ‘popped’ at Meg’s six-digit spree on the living room furniture alone and sources say the smooching turned to squabbling for Hollywood’s hottest couple at a key time in their relationship.

‘They’re preparing to move in together for the first time as a couple and Meg’s very excited,’ says Ruth. ‘The house has been dubbed Gladiator’s Lair, but Meg reckons that’s a bit harsh. She bought the house and has developed cheque-writer’s cramp shelling out for everything in it.’

Megs household musts included:
-Louis XV antique-style furniture pieces at $30,000 each.
-Original fine artworks
-Italian marble floors
-A $150,000 jogging and bike track
-Three of everything

Ruth adds, ‘They are like chalk and cheese when it comes to money and it’s sparked trouble in paradise. Russell will get in digs that she is about as frugal as Elton John. But Meg has a lot of time for Elton and his philosophy, ‘Its my money to spend and I enjoy spending it.’

Meg, 39, was hoping 36-year-old Russell might ‘offer to stump up’ for a few designer items. ‘But apparently there’s been no offer,’ another friend says.

‘Meg has expensive tastes,’ the friend continues. ‘She loves Louis XV-style pieces that cost about $30,000 a pop, and one-of-a-kind fine artworks. For the new home she ordered
three kidney-shaped tables in different colours with gilt bronze mounts, three matching side tables and three
mantle clocks.’

Meg moaned, ‘He just doesn’t get why I need three of everything.’ She had to explain she buys in bulk so she can switch pieces from room to room. She told him, ‘I’ll get
bored otherwise.’

A new furniture collection was ‘essential’, the actress claimed, because she’s been forced to leave two housefuls behind at properties she shared with Dennis Quaid, the hubby Meg dumped for Russell.

Meg confided how another plan fell flat when she wanted to go on a cruise for her birthday. ‘ I dropped hints left and right about Tahiti,’ she told a friend. ‘ We wound up trudging around shops in freezing New York.’

Insiders say when Meg was quoted $14,000 for the seven-night cruise, Russell shot back dryly, ‘We could go back to Australia for less than that.’

Instead of a cruise, Russell splashed out (by his standards) and surprised Meg with a $50,000 vintage 1966 Buick Riviera after she said she loved old cars and her Dad had one when she was a kid.

Meg’s lavish new pad boasts Italian marble floors, five bedrooms, a movie theatre, gym and health spa, heated pool and a guesthouse. She shelled out $150,000 to transform an overgrown path nearby into a jogging and bike trail because, ‘She was worried weeds and overgrowth would stop her son Jack cycling up to the house,’ a friend says.

Eight-year-old Jack ‘lives close enough to cycle over. She hopes he’ll bike to see her every day. It’s another six-figure expense, but Meg told me’, ‘It’s worth every cent.’ 

‘She really loves Jack. She’s desperate to keep up daily contact.’

Meg’s hint for the new home to be in joint names ‘fell on deaf ears’ and ‘Russell never took the bait,’ her friend says. ‘She wants the finest of everything so her man from Oz will want to settle in LA.  Meg hopes with all her heart this will be their main crib, a happy base to build a family.’

Russell may have other ideas. The star who’s rarely seen off set in any shirt other than his well-worn, blue-check flannelette, brands LA as ‘ Dead-Loss Angeles’ and insists he prefers the Australian bush.

Pals say he has, however, agreed to move in with Meg to give LA a trial run. 

‘It’s pretty much a see-how-we-go thing for Russell,’ says musician and long-time friend Sean Brennan.

He’s opposed to sinking even a dollar into anything to do with LA real estate. Russell’s concerned about the earthquake locals call the Big One.  He told Meg, ‘ If it comes, this place will be matchwood.’

Russell credits a very disciplined upbringing and the fact his family were always on the move for teaching him the value of a dollar.

‘Mr Thrifty’ shines through when the star is on the road with his band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, says Sean. ‘No airs, no graces. That’s Russ,’ he says. ‘He’ll still snip two-for-one dinner coupons from ads in the paper. He’d rather wash out his underwear in hotel sinks than pay their crazy laundry charges!’

Russell got $11.5 million for Proof Of Life, the movie where he and Meg ‘clicked’ off screen and on, against her $28.7 million. He refused $38 million to take on Michael Douglas’s role in a steamy remake of Basic Instinct.

‘They could offer him $50 million a picture, but the Big Guy would stay the same down-to-earth guy he’s always been.’ says Sean. ‘Russell won’t change now.’

Meanwhile, as Russell and Meg bicker about bucks, her bitter ex, Dennis, 46, is seeking revenge with a shocking movie based on the split, called Shame On You, which he plans to star in and direct. Friends believe Dennis’s project will destroy what is left of his relationship with Meg. In the tearjerker, the rejected husband struggles to rebuild his life, yet it seems fancy free Dennis is coping well without Meg. He recently set his sights on Rachel Hunter, but now has hooked up with Wonderbra supermodel Caprice.

Russell’s thriftiness and country-boy image are a stark contrast to Dennis’s playboy antics and vengeful plans. While Meg will spend the festive season in LA with her son, Russell hopes to get back to his farm near Coffs Harbour, NSW, from time to time to tend his herd of cattle. ‘ We have 400 head altogether,’ he says proudly of his farm. ‘There’s nothing
like sitting back and talking to your cows. And if they talk back, you know you’re really relaxed.’

Story: Peter Kent and Drew MacKenzie

THE LIES MEG RYAN TOLD TO TRAP HER MAN 

HELL-BENT on romancing Russell Crowe, a love-struck Meg Ryan cast a deliberate web of lies to trap her hunky prey.

For the first time, sources have come forward to charge that the not-so-innocent "Sleepless in Seattle" star used a well-orchestrated game plan to ensnare Russell after going gaga when a pal showed her footage from his "Gladiator" epic.

First, the still-married Meg campaigned to get Crowe to do her movie "Proof of Life" -- even revising the script to his liking and sending him presents, says a close source. Once he took the role and the two went on location to Ecuador, Meg closed in for the kill.

"She constantly created situations that threw her and Russell together," disclosed the close source.

"One night at 2 a.m., Meg went to Russell's room and staged an emotional breakdown over marital woes. Just as Meg had planned it, she ended up in Russell's sympathetic arms."

Then when Russell's uncle died during the production, Meg played supportive friend and counselor, added the close source. "While Russell was at the funeral, Meg moved her things into his hotel room.

"When he injured a shoulder during filming, Meg played nursemaid. And behind his back, she had pretty extras and crew members reassigned so they'd be out of his view."

Added an insider: "Meg did everything she could to make sure that Russell would end up being with her -- and her alone.

"She poured out her heart to him about her marriage to Dennis Quaid.

"She said she worked so hard to make Dennis happy and that all she wanted to be was a good wife and mother.

"But in reality, her marriage was stone cold before she even started work on the film. She concocted the whole sob story just to be able to dry her tears on Russell's broad shoulders.

"Meg is far from the sweet innocent girl next door she loves to play on the screen." Added the close source: "In the case of Russell, plotting Meg is a black widow spider!"

MARC CETNER and SUZANNE ELY

Everyone was there, but not the bride 

By Christine Sams, Entertainment Reporter 

It has put Coffs Harbour on the map in the US. As far as the readers of US supermarket tabloids are concerned, Russell Crowe is to marry actor Meg Ryan in the grounds of his "Australian ranch" this weekend.

And there were, indeed, all the signs yesterday of a big show-business wedding outside Nana Glen, 30km inland from the town.

Helicopters buzzed the property and a string of photographers, some of whom had been camped outside for weeks, watched at the gates.

But while stars such as Virginia Hey, Kym Wilson and Jack Thompson braved the rain to enjoy a concert from the Gladiator's band, 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts, there was no sign of one important party - the bride.

Madonna may have thwarted the press at her Scottish wedding ceremony last week, but surely Crowe couldn't be about to do the same?

The truth, according to those who live in the area, may be somewhat more prosaic. Despite his elevation to superstar status, Crowe has made it a habit for at least four years to hold a party at his farm over new year. And this year was to be no exception.

"Tom and Nicole are supposed to put in an appearance every year but we haven't seen them yet," said one excited Nana Glen resident, who asked not to be named.

"But Jack Thompson lives just around the corner - he'll be there with bells on," she said.

A number of people entering Crowe's property on Friday night were locals and family friends. Crowe's niece, Chelsea, flew in from New Zealand for the celebrations, no doubt keen to party with her uncle after accompanying him to the Oscars in Hollywood.

Some of the people who took part in all-night celebrations left the farm yesterday morning in shuttle buses which took them to Coffs Harbour airport, 25 minutes away.

But security remained tight throughout yesterday, prompting continued speculation that Crowe and Ryan were on the property.

"We'd be happy for Russell and Meg if it happens," the anonymous resident said.

"It's certainly a beautiful setting for a wedding."

But Hollywood insiders were warning that no-one should hold their breath. Ryan's divorce from actor Dennis Quaid is still pending, and she was last seen in Los Angeles shopping with son Jack.