"Sour and unhappy" was how Russell Crowe described his mood last week although he was probably not as peeved as the hotel porter he is alleged to have clubbed over the head with a telephone handset.

The Hollywood actor, renowned for his short fuse, could face a stretch behind bars if he is found guilty of assaulting the Manhattan hotel employee.

Crowe, who was in New York to promote his latest movie 'The Cinderella Man', said he was left "holding the lonely stick" after his wife and son left New York to return to their home in Sydney.

Obviously it wasn't lying close to hand last Friday night and he decided to 'mend and make-do' by ripping the telephone from the wall instead