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A Defamer operative who found herself in a New Mexico hospital early this morning reports on how the unexpected presence of an internationally renowned actor availing himself of the facility's medical services can enliven any ER visit:

I saw Russell Crowe in the Santa Fe Emergency Room a couple of hours ago as I walked through. He was hooked up to one of those bleeping heart monitors but looked ok. A skinny blond woman and a younger man with dark hair were with him. He even looked hot with an oxygen mask on, his hair is pretty long.

Crowe is currently shooting the Western 3:10 to Yuma near Santa Fe, and while this brief (and unconfirmed) report offers no insight into why Crowe might have been in the hospital, the "bleeping" of his monitors seems to indicate that he's in better shape than the equine co-star actor that recently had to be put down after running into a camera vehicle. Luckily for Crowe, the inconvenience and expense of recasting above-the-title talent spared him from being hastily euthanized following whatever on-set incident landed him in the ER.

UPDATE: We still have no confirmation of the hospital trip, but someone claiming to be involved with the production has written in to refute the tipster's report of Crowe's alleged ER stop: "I'm currently in NM shooting 3:10 to yuma, and can personally guarantee you Russell was on set at 6a this morning, after driving over an hour from his place....and not in the hospital for anything." Was our earlier report the work of a prankster or someone who mistook a ruggedly handsome patient for his famous, phone-hurling Australian doppleganger? More contradictory/confirmational updates as they become available...