John Oliver buys Russell Crowe's jockstrap to save a Blockbuster store in Alaska
Comedian and TV personality John Oliver bought the leather jockstrap that Russell Crowe wore in the movie 'Cindrella Man' to save one of the few remaining Blockbuster stores in America. Yes, you read it right. The talk show host spent nearly $7,000 on the musty movie prop, so that a a privately-owned Blockbuster could survive.
After the internet made streaming movies far more easier, Blockbuster began shutting shops all around America. Save the only stores remaining in Alaska.
So Oliver had an idea. Why not make a generous donation to this dying institute? Banking on Planet Hollywood's interiors that boasts various props from different movies, the show host had the bright idea to collect movie memorabilia that would draw attention to the store.
The plan: to purchase an item from Russell Crowe's divorce auction. Oliver teased that he may or may not have purchased the jockstrap, before cheekily admitting to the purchase.
"There has been some speculation out there that we were the ones who bought that jockstrap and I will admit it does sound like something that we would do," said the show host.
"You know, buy Russell Crowe's jockstrap and send it to one of the last remaining Blockbusters in Alaska. Even that sentence is absolutely incredible to say out loud."
"The bad news is, we didn't do it. I'm sorry," he said, pausing for a while. "We did though. We did. We absolutely did."
Barely able to contain his excitement, Oliver went on to reveal that it was not the end of his out-there purchases. He also curated Denzel Washington's chair from 'American Gangster', which was a lot more expensive that Russell Crowe's director's chair, Russell Crowe's vest from 'Les Misérables', his robe and satin trunks from 'Cinderella Man' as well as the hood he wore in 'Robin Hood'.
This isn't the first time John has purchased something out of the ordinary. John Oliver bought $15 million in debt and forgave it all on his show 'Last Week Tonight'.
Others, have been useful. Like when John Oliver bought ad space on 'The O'Reilly Factor' in a bid to educate good ol' Donald Trump.
Never change, John. Never change.
