Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Billy Crystal Down Under Gives Inspirational Speech to Russell Crowe’s Rugby Team

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Billy Crystal is a known quantity here in the US and we love him. And you know he’s a big baseball fan, particularly a Yankee fan.

In Australia this month on a huge tour that also includes New Zealand, Billy used his love of sports to help Russell Crowe. At dinner with Crowe and his rugby team The Rabbitohs, Billy wound up giving them an inspirational speech about winning that would make even Casey Stengel proud.

Crystal– who everyone would like to see back hosting the Oscars– has sold out his tour Down Under. He’s also gotten incredible reviews and the folks there are loving since Billy hasn’t been to see them since touring “700 Sundays” in 2007.

In Brisbane, the reviewer Roger Hall wrote: “The American comedian’s warm, hilarious show is the best thing I’ve seen this year and this is one bloke who deserved the standing ovation he got in the Concert Hall at QPAC.”

Billy’s just finished touring New Zealand to raves, then heads back to Australia (he already conquered Sydney) on Sunday for six shows in Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne. You know he must love it there if he’s missing a huge chunk of the baseball pennant races that are developing!

Crystal starts work on the animated “Which Witch?” feature directed by Brian Henson and produced by Brian’s sister Lisa (they’re the successful children of the late Jim Henson) this fall.

Come home soon, Billy!

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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