George Clooney, Obama's celebrity activist-in-chief

LOS ANGELES: George Clooney, who hosts a star-studded fundraiser for Barack Obama Thursday, is a Hollywood A-lister turned activist for liberal causes like Sudan, Haiti - and now the US leader's re-election.

The movie heartthrob's $40,000-a-plate dinner is being tipped as possibly the biggest presidential fundraiser ever, bolstering Obama's coffers to the tune of $12 million as he gears up for a fierce re-election fight.

Clooney will welcome at least 150 people at his 7,400-square foot home in Studio City, where catering and security preparations have been underway for days. Locals are bracing for snarled traffic when the celebrities descend on Clooney's mansion.

The 51-year-old Oscar-winning actor has long been used to turning heads, but his stature has been further enhanced by his campaigning activities of recent years, arguably making him Obama's celebrity activist-in-chief.

It is all a long way from the young actor who made his name as a doctor in TV medical drama "ER" in the 1990s.

Even though his first big-screen lead role, in 1997's "Batman and Robin," was widely panned, Clooney became an A-list star with role in the high-seas blockbuster "The Perfect Storm" in 2000.

In that year he formed his own production company with director Steven Soderbergh, Section Eight Productions, and together they turned out such hits as 2001's "Ocean's Eleven," followed by sequels in 2004 and 2007.

But Clooney also broached more thoughtful fare like in the 2005 spy thriller "Syriana," which earned him a best supporting actor Oscar, and the black-and-white film "Good Night, and Good Luck" about freedom of speech and governmental abuse of power.

His growing political interests also came to the fore in last year's primary season thriller "Ides of March," while Hawaiian-set family drama "The Descendants" won a best adapted screenplay Oscar.

Clooney's rise has been matched by an increasing activism.

He has campaigned tirelessly to draw attention to the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region. In 2010 he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in recognition of his work.

Also that year Clooney was one of the driving forces behind a star-studded telethon which raised more than $58 million for victims of the Haiti earthquake.

In March this year Clooney was handcuffed and arrested along with several members of the US Congress outside Sudan's embassy in Washington DC, as they demanded an end to an offensive they fear will cause thousands to starve.

He was released three hours later after paying a $100 fine for crossing a police line.

In the same month Clooney visited the White House to brief the president on a clandestine visit he had made to war-torn Sudan. He also attended a state dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Obama appears to be keen on wooing wealthy donors in Hollywood and Silicon Valley, as money from Wall Street may be harder to come this election cycle as he gears up to take on likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney in November.

Tim Groeling, an associate professor at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), said Clooney's fundraiser was important both for the cash raised and the impact of his celebrity endorsement.

"Most successful Hollywood entertainers are well-liked by the public, or else they wouldn't have been successful in the first place," said Groeling, UCLA's head of communication studies and an expert on political communications.

"Although they are not always regarded as politically knowledgable, if someone you like endorses something or someone, that connection should be at least somewhat credible to you," he told.

Organization for Thursday's dinner has been spearheaded by DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, the president's major entertainment industry fundraiser, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The soiree is expected to make $5-6 million, while a further $6 million had been made by an online sweepstakes, in which the winner gets two seats at the head table with Obama and Clooney, the industry paper reported. (AFP)

US anti-Sudan protest,"George Clooney arrested"

George Clooney was arrested at a humanitarian protest at the Sudanese embassy in Washington DC after he ignored three requests by the cops to leave the area.

He had given a speech on the steps of the Sudanese embassy but was seized after he refused to clear the area and was charged with disorderly crossing of a police line.

“It’s a deeply humiliating thing, quite honestly,” the Daily Express quoted him as telling reporters as he was led away.

The Descendants star has long been involved with raising awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, and travelled to the African region last week ahead of a speech to the members of Congress at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday.

After being released from the police station, Clooney hoped that his arrest would raise awareness about the issue.

“There are people dying there every day. Thirty four people were killed in a month and a half in one village alone. That’s from random bombing of civilians,” the Telegraph quoted him as saying.

He was arrested alongside other protestors who aaccuse Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, of blocking food and aid from entering the Nuba Mountains in the country’s border region with South Sudan.

George Clooney has reportedly begun dating former WWE star Stacy Keibler

The pair apparently started spending time together after being introduced by a mutual friend, with Keibler flying to Italy to join the Ides of March star at his Lake Como home.

An insider told Life & Style: "[Clooney's] enjoying spending time with Stacy, but he just got out of a two-year relationship. George isn't ready for anything serious. This fling is purely for fun."

Keibler has not commented on a possible romance with Clooney, but did confirm on Twitter last month that she was travelling in Italy.

She wrote at the time: "I just can't stop eating! I'm in love w Italy, every single part of it… (sic)"

A rep for Clooney is yet to comment on the report.

Clooney split from Italian television presenter Elisabetta Canalis in June after dating for nearly two years.

The actor was recently forced to deny press reports that he planned to debut a new girlfriend at the 68th Venice Film Festival later this month.

Clooney's next directorial effort The Ides of March opens on October 7 in the US and October 28 in the UK.

Clooney and Bachchans 'plan holiday'

George Clooney has invited Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to join him and his girlfriend at their lake house in Italy.

After spending time partying with the pair in Milan at the GQ Man of the Year Awards, Clooney was said to be so impressed that he asked them to spend a long weekend in Italy with him when their schedules clear.

A friend of the actor told the Times of India: "George has enormous respect for India and Indians and he was highly pleased to meet Abhi-Ash. He asked them about India - its culture as well as the movie industry."

It is rumoured that Clooney could be discussing a Bollywood project with the Indian superstar couple as he previously expressed an interest in becoming involved in the industry.

He once said: "There is a small market [for it] in the States as of now, but it will be fun if it catches on because it is such a positive way of looking at filmmaking and I really love that. I truly think it's fun."

Clooney film to help quake-hit Italian region

Dutch director Anton Corbijn says his film The American can help boost tourism in Italy's Abruzzo region which was hit by a natural calamity that caused multiple casualties last year. Major portions of the George Clooney-starrer were shot there.

"I met with Clooney to finalise the plans (for him) to produce and star in the movie. I remember discussing our shared hope that filming 'The American' would help boost the region's economy, what with the money spent during production and the finished film encouraging tourism in the future," Corbijn said in an e-mail interaction with IANS.

"The terrain is rugged and rocky. It's not generally where tourists go. But it's a wonderful area that needs preserving - beyond even the earthquake, oil drilling is harming the landscape...(But) the production firmed up its commitment to the region," he added. Having already topped the US box office after its release Sep 1, The American is hitting Indian screens Friday.

It is his third feature film after Control (2007) and Linear (2009). Corbijn, 55, says Italy was critical to pre-production planning of The American.

"The surroundings had to be a character in the movie. I had a clear idea of how the landscape should look, and I wanted to use towns and villages as a backdrop.

"In terms of specific Italy locales, all of us had been transfixed by Abruzzo - remote and majestic, the area has a raw environment, an honest landscape of a type that is rarely seen in movies," he said.

A mountainous region located east of Rome, Abruzzo was hit by an earthquake in April last year. According to reports, there were over 300 casualties and 60,000 people became homeless while many parts of the ancient town of L'aquila - less than 70 miles (112 km) northeast of Rome - lay in ruins.

Abruzzo remained the preferred location and Corbijn and his team shot at places like Castel del Monte, Sulmona, Campo Imperatore there. They also canned some scenes in Rome and some parts were filmed in Sweden as well.

A big screen adaptation of Martin Booth's novel A Very Private Gentleman, the film also stars Italian actress Violante Placido, Thekla Reuten and Paolo Bonacelli and is being released by PVR Pictures here.

The story revolves around Jack (Clooney), an American assassin, who retreats to the Italian countryside after a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected. He relishes being away from death for a spell as he holes up in a small medieval town.

While there, he takes an assignment to construct a weapon for a mysterious contact. Meanwhile, he befriends a local priest and also pursues a torrid liaison with a prostitute, Clara. However, by stepping out of the shadows, Jack tempts fate.

"This is a character George hasn't played before. It is always interesting when an actor finds something new. He's so good with dialogue and in this movie he is playing a man of few words who is always on the lookout and constantly in a state of tension," said Corbijn, who is also a renowned photographer and music video director.

Corbijn also had to wipe the sweat off his head while shooting steamy sequences for the first time - between Clooney and Placido.

"Directing intimate scenes was new to me. I wanted to impart a raw feeling to them, given the darkness in Jack's character. I wanted to achieve tension and sensuality, without cutting away," he said.

Not many know that Corbijn is also the creative director behind the visual output of popular bands Depeche Mode and U2 and has handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade.

Clooney's The American tops US box-office

Hollywood star George Clooney starrer The American has topped the US box office with an estimated earning of $12.9 million in the weekend. The American pushed John Luessenhop-directed Takers on the second spot with an estimated $11.4 million haul.

Machete stood at the third place with an approximately $11.3 million gross on its first weekend followed by The Last Exorcism at the fourth, which dropped two places from last weekend.

 The horror movie added an estimated $7.6 million to its domestic revenue, reports aceshowbiz.com.

Top 10 movies of this week are:
The American - $12.9 million
Takers - $11.4 million
Machete - $11.3 million
The Last Exorcism - $7.6 million
Going the Distance - $6.9 million
The Expendables - $6.6 million
The Other Guys - $5.4 million
Eat, Pray, Love - $4.9 million
Inception - $4.6 million
Nanny McPhee Returns - $3.6 million

Clooney to adapt Farragut North

One of the many film projects on George Clooney's busy schedule is the adaptation of the play Farragut North, which he intends to direct, according to film blog Collider.

Written by Beau Willimon, the theatrical production in Los Angeles featured Chris Pine, Star Trek and Chris Noth Sex & the City. Clooney wants Pine to reprise his role on screen as a political candidate's communications director.

The political drama follows the campaign of an inspiring and unorthodox presidential candidate, and the dirty tricks that undo his win.

New York magazine reports the other actors are Philip Seymour Hoffman, who will portray his tough veteran boss, and Paul Giamatti, the manager of the rival candidate.

Clooney may appear as the candidate, who didn't appear in the stage version. Other actors who may join the cast include Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei.

Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt originally considered performing the main role.

Clooney opens in Anton Corbijn's The American this weekend, Pine co-stars with Denzel Washington in the upcoming action-thriller Unstoppable. Next up for Hoffman, he directs himself in Jack Goes Boating, premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in a week.

Clooney isn't experienced in lovemaking scenes

He has long been considered a heartthrob but George Clooney's Italian co-star Violente Placido in The American doesn't seem to be all that intimidated by him. Placido and Clooney had to film some very graphic sex scenes together and she said her 49-year-old co-star confessed he was lacking experience, People magazine online reported.

"He confessed... that he didn't do lots of sex scenes. I felt like this was in a way something new to him, he wasn't that experienced," Placido said.

Placido, who plays prostitute Clara and Clooney's love interest in the film, explained that Clooney had trouble relaxing during the intimate scenes.

But once she convinced Clooney to trust her, it was much easier.

"We had to find a way to make it natural and let your body speak somehow,' Placido said.


"We were very open to one another to try and make it work. We just said 'let's trust each other' and we did. I felt like we had to let ourselves go," she added.

And she insists that the sex scene was a pivotal part of the film hence the need to get it done perfectly.

"It had to look real; it is the turning point for the two characters. I can tell you that watching it, I don't feel as calm as I did when I was on set filming it. Just watching it is a little like... wow," she added.

Clooney plays an assassin called Jack in the movie, a man who is attempting to escape his trade after one last assignment. He hides out in the Italian countryside, which is where he meets Placido's character Clara.

Ocean's Eleven voted best heist movie crew

The stars of Ocean's Eleven that includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon has been named the best heist movie crew in a new poll. In the survey conducted by MovieTickets.com, Ocean's Eleven beat actor Mark Wahlberg's The Italian Job to land the top spot, beat actor Mark Wahlberg's The Italian Job to land the top spot, reports contactmusic.com.

More than 12,200 film fans took part and the Ocean's Eleven cast won with 57 percent votes, The Italian Job got 14 percent votes.

The jewellery store robbers from Reservoir Dogs wrapped up the top three.

Clooney dismisses break-up rumours

George Clooney has dismissed reports that he has broken-up with his Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis.

The actor has been dating the model/TV presenter since July (09).

However, recent reports suggested the couple split shortly after this year's Oscars.

Now, Clooney has come forward to dismiss the reports, insisting the pair are still an item.

"Once again the story is made up, spread to other outlets and now denied," the Daily Express quoted him as telling People.com .

George Clooney is 'disgustingly' charming

Hollywood superstar George Clooney is "disgustingly" charming according to his co-stars.

Actress Vera Farmiga, who stars alongside the Hollywood actor as his love interest in the romantic comedy 'Up In The Air', loved working on the movie with him because her big screen alter ego got to treat the hunk so badly.
"George has been breaking women's hearts for years. It's fun to turn the tables. But it's disgusting how much charm he has. He oozes it," Farmiga said.

In one part of the film, Vera had to be semi-naked, and says her co-star mistook her control underwear for nerves, Female First reported. "George was great during that scene and asked: 'Are you OK, because you're not breathing?' I didn't tell him because I was wearing two pairs of Spanx! I'd given birth six weeks earlier and wanted to keep everything in!," Farmiga said.

However, Farmiga, whose son Fynn is now 11 months, didn't have to bare all for the part because she filmed her scenes so soon after giving birth. "Oh, those weren't my bums. It wasn't appropriate to be naked because I was breastfeeding every 20 minutes," she added.

George Clooney offers to adopt some of Pitt and Angelina Jolie's kids

Actor George Clooney has jokingly said that he’s planning to adopt some of Brad Pitt’s kids. The 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' actor, who has no kids of his own, has claimed that he owes Pitt a favour and is willing to help out with his six children.

"I am planning to adopt. I am going to adopt some of Brad Pitt's kids. I owe him," Contactmusic quoted him as saying. Previously, the actor revealed that he has no plans to become a father, but spends time with Brad and his partner Angelina Jolie and their kids whenever he feels lonely.

"Even one kid running around my villa makes me nervous, so I'm definitely not a candidate for father of the year.

If I need to surround myself with children and feel like I have this big extended family, I can always call Brad and Angelina and ask them to stay with me, just to remind myself why I'm so happy," he said.