Russell Crowe has been proud of is Irish heritage all his life, so being accused of speaking with an Irish accent in Robin Hood was hardly the worst thing to happen.

A few years back he gave my publication 'Irish Voice' an exclusive interview after detecting the Irish accent of the reporter.

He asked him to join him in his limousine and gave him a night on the town.

During the night he regaled him with tales of his admiration for fellow hell raisers such as Richard Harris and his love for all things Irish.

Which makes the story about him storming off after being accused of having an Irish accent in Robin Hood by a BBC interviewer all the more peculiar.

There is a perfectly rational explanation of course.

Huffington Post and every other major media outlet led with the Crowe story yesterday.

It was the kind of publicity bonanza that only a seasoned old pro like Russell could rustle up.

So my guess is that Crowe did it on purpose as a grand publicity stunt -- and everyone fell right into line.

Mark my words he's run away with the box office this weekend.

He was leading every entertainment website yesterday.

Nice one Russell!