George Clooney update

It feels like a critical mass has formed of things Clooney, warranting a bit of an update:

Covers: Harriett covered (oh, alright, pun intended) one of George Clooney's recent magazine fronts over at Fash Food. But he also appeared on the cover of Esquire, again. At first, I gripped the mag wondering, "How many times can they put this man on the cover!?" But then I looked at the story -- which actually answers the question: 5.

As a writer, you look for fresh spins and approaches to often covered material, and I loved what A.J. Jacobs came up with for George C: They showed him himself on the Internet.

The article opens: "He is in the backseat of a dark SUV . . . and is, for the first time in his life, reading his own Wikipedia entry."

And he's off into the gushing, gnashing and frequently factually challenged world of celebrities on the web -- "A sort of This is Your Virtual Life," Jacobs writes.

~ Clooney makes a point of noting that his imdb entry leaves off his first film role, as an extra in the Kentucky-lensed feature And They're Off.

~ He comments on fellow Kentucky A-lister Johnny Depp when shown the Hollywood Stock Exchange, where he was trading at $46 -- "It's not just payday and numbers," Clooney observes, "Because if it was just numbers, Johnny Depp would kill everybody."

BTW, Depp was Esquire's January cover boy. So on the Esquire exchange, we'd say Kentucky is way up.

~ Faced with the Facebook group George Clooney is NOT the sexiest man alive, Clooney dictates a response to Jacobs: "That's (expletive). He looks great for a 70-year-old." (You can actually see the post on the page.)

~ He responds to the site George Clooney is GAY GAY GAY: "No. I'm gay, gay. The third gay was pushing it." (Sorry, I searched for the original site for a bit. But after a while, you conclude looking for a site called "George Clooney is GAY GAY GAY may not be the best use of company time.)

~ And he brushes back Rupert Everett's comment that the Ocean's movies are, "a cancer to world culture," saying, "Dude, weren't you in Dunston Checks In?

All in all, the Esquire cover story proves to be inspired fun with Clooney showing his talent for self deprecating humor. It's well worth picking up.

Homecoming?: Word is, Clooney may bring his latest director effort, Leatherheads, home to Maysville's Washington Opera Theatre, where his  aunts Rosemary and Betty first performed. According to Maysville's Ledger Independent, if the screening works out, it will be the first film shown at the theater since the Rosemary Clooney era. Clooney's parents, Nick and Nina Clooney, are working to make the screening happen. The movie opens nationwide April 4. We'll let you know if this Northern Kentucky event becomes a done deal.

Above: Clooney (center) in Leatherheads, which is about the start of professional football. Copyrighted photo by Melinda Sue Gordon | Universal Pictures.

Back to 'Brothers:' Burn After Reading, Clooney's latest teaming with reigning Oscar winners for best director Joel and Ethan Coen, now has a release date: Sept. 12. Considering the cast and the Coen's status as current Oscar champs for No Country for Old Men, this should be a big deal. The co-stars include John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt and reigning best supporting actress Tilda Swinton. Pitt and Clooney play Washington D.C. gym employees who find the memoir of an ousted CIA official, played by Malkovich. Clooney and the Coens previously teamed up for O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Intolerable Cruelty.