Russell Crowe has been spending time with foxy foodie Katie Lee in the wake of his split from Danielle Spencer.
Sources spotted Crowe and Billy Joel’s pretty brunette ex cuddling in front of a romantic fireplace in the Drawing Room of the Greenwich Hotel at 3 a.m. Sunday morning.
“They seemed to be in an intense flirtatious conversation,” the spy told us exclusively, adding, “They looked really into each other.” Lee was seen at the hotel later in the day: “Katie was still at the hotel Sunday afternoon,” our spy said. “She was seen with Crowe at the same fireplace at about 2 p.m.” Crowe is in town filming “A Winter’s Tale” with Colin Farrell. A source close to the project tells us, “Katie has been seen around with Russell,” but the two have just been seeing each other casually. Lee, 31, who split with Joel after five years of marriage in 2009 and won a massively generous payout, was also at Joe’s Pub on Saturday to watch Crowe, 48, perform with an all-star crowd.
A rep for Crowe says of Lee, “They are just friends.”
Separately, Crowe’s “Les Misérables” co-star Hugh Jackman and director Tom Hooper hosted a private screening on Sunday, and the after-party became a star-studded cabaret.
We hear Peter Cincotti played piano as Jackman sang “Everything Old Is New Again” from “The Boy from Oz” before guests including Amanda Seyfried, Clive Davis, Claire Danes, Tom Clancy, Peter Martins, Barbara Walters, Henry Kravis and Cyrus Vance Jr.
Jackman then charmingly cajoled others to join in: Glenn Close belted out “A Cockeyed Optimist” from “South Pacific” and Anne Hathaway (photo, opposite page), fighting the flu, delighted guests with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
Michael Feinstein was overheard insisting, “I am not playing the piano,” but relented when Broadway’s Aaron Tveit chose “If I Loved You” from “Carousel.” Samantha Barks crooned “Summertime” and Christine Baranski brought down the house by singing in Polish. “Woody Allen could not have cast a more quintessential New York party,” a guest said.