Clooney Unlimited » politics

Clooney and Damon Films Are Really Political Actions … ?

admin — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:21:29 +0000

In his new comedy, ‘The Men Who Stare at Goats,’ George Clooney assumes another role in which he plays a man associated with the covert operations of the U.S. Government (however silly they may be in this case). And Clooney fans are laughing. A CIA agent with the power to kill a goat simply by staring at it? Hilarious!

But some moviegoers may, once the laughter dies down, look at the choices Clooney’s been making since he found himself on the Hollywood A list, and wonder if they don’t reveal a man using the power of his celebrity to push a specific political agenda across the globe. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

It’s the fourth such role for Clooney, with a TV version of ‘Fail Safe,’ ‘Syriana,’ from the writer of Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Traffic,’ Soderbergh’s own ‘The Good German,’ and the upcoming ‘The American,’ in which he’ll play a Jason Bourne-like assassin on assignment in Italy. But Clooney’s hardly alone among actors with films in theaters that paint the U.S. what some would say is a negative political light.

When the next Paul Greengrass-Matt Damon collaboration, ‘Green Zone,’ hits theaters early next year, some moviegoers may wonder if the new political thriller, in which Damon plays an American soldier gone rogue in Iraq, isn’t really just the next installment of the Jason Bourne franchise, operating under an assumed identity.

It’s not. In fact, since its recent trailer premiere, several critics in the conservative blogosphere have already blasted ‘Green Zone,’ calling it Anti-American.

Meanwhile, the next ‘Bourne’ film releases next year as well, and Damon fans can hardly wait to revisit the globe-trotting, amnesiac ass-kicker. But Jason Bourne isn’t the only thing the actor is known for these days. There’s an infamous CBS interview in which he railed against Sarah Palin during the last election campaign. “I think there’s a really good chance that Sarah Palin could be President, and I think that’s a really scary thing,” the actor said. “It’s like a really bad Disney movie.’

Many of the characters Damon has played since ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ have fit a certain mold. Currently he can be seen as real-life Agribusiness whistleblower Marc Whitacre in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Informant!’ Before that he made a brief appearance in Soderbergh’s four-hour opus, ‘Che.’ And prior to that Damon stared in ‘The Good Shepherd’ as a fictional character based on one of the founding fathers of the CIA. Hmm … American-trained assassins, architects of the CIA., anti-corporate crusaders. Is there a pattern here?

It was, of course, the role of rogue covert ops amnesiac Jason Bourne that catapulted Damon to international stardom. He was famous before that, sure. He’s been pretty well known since winning, with pal Ben Affleck, an Academy Award for his and Affleck’s first screenplay, ‘Good Will Hunting.’ They were the Diablo Cody of their day, minus the tattoos and the lap dances (as far as we know). The film, with Gus Van Sant, onetime recipient of the ACLU’s Freedom of Expression, marked the start of Damon’s first serious creative collaboration.

But now both Damon and Clooney are super famous. And they each have several thriving collaborations. Not only have they worked together five times, they’ve both worked with Soderbergh five times (Clooney and Soderbergh liked each other so much that they formed a production company together after ‘Out of Sight’). Clooney also seems to like the Coen Brothers — he’s been in three of their films. And ‘Green Zone’ marks Damon’s fourth collaboration with British auteur Greengrass. By 2011, Damon will have worked with Clint Eastwood twice (and chances are, won, or at least been nominated for, another Oscar).

Paul Greengrass, Steven Soderbergh, Gun Van Sant — all known for liberal-leaning messages in their movies. Greengrass has made overtly political films like ‘The One That Got Away’ (about the first gulf war) and ‘Bloody Sunday,’ and the two Bourne movies considered by some to be the most critical of the reach of the U.S. government. Steven Soderbergh made a splash, and won some Oscars, for ‘Erin Brockovich,’ about a real woman who took on big corporate polluters and won; ‘Traffic,’ an indictment of the U.S. war on drugs; ‘Che,’ which criticized the CIA’s meddling in the politics of the southern hemisphere; and now ‘The Informant!,’ about America’s corrupt Argibusiness industry. And Gun Van Sant’s ‘Milk’ was seen by many as a too-late rallying cry about the passing of Prop. 8, which made gay marriage illegal again in California.

It’s no secret that much of Hollywood rubs elbows with the Democratic party. Stars and filmmakers who take a more centrist, or even Republican view of things are fewer and farther between. Since becoming Governor, or Governator, of his adopted state, Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably the most famous Republican actor to come around since Ronald Reagan. But others, like Fred Thompson, Jon Voight and Bruce Willis show up at Republican rallies, campaign for conservative candidates and, just like their lefty counterparts, sometimes reveal their political beliefs through the roles they take.

Willis in particular seems determined to create a pro-America PR blitz with his pictures. From the ‘Die Hard’ franchise to the upcoming Sylvester Stallone war comedy ‘The Expendables,’ Willis has either played a cop, a soldier or a covert agent more than a dozen times. He shows no sign of slowing down. Seven of the eight films he has in development are about cops, soldiers or assassins. If anything, Willis has kicked it into overdrive. It makes sense. With Damon, Clooney and their fellow progressives working overtime, Willis has got a lot of work to do.

Article by Mike Harvkey of Moviefone

Tags: matt damon, Misc, politics

Clooney and Beckham’s Suu Kyi help

admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:33:53 +0000

George Clooney and David Beckham have joined Gordon Brown in preparing messages of support for Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Stephen Fry, Eddie Izzard, Kevin Spacey and Sarah Brown have also been asked to write 64-word messages of support for the political figure, which will be delivered on her 64th birthday on June 19.

Clooney, Beckham and James Bond actor Daniel Craig have signed a message from campaign group Not on Our Watch.

It says: “Nineteen years ago, the Burmese people chose Aung San Suu Kyi as their next leader. For most of those 19 years she has been kept under house arrest by the military junta that runs the country. We must not stand by as she is silenced again. Now is the time for the international community to speak with one voice: Free Aung San Suu Kyi.”

Supporters of the campaign can upload video, text or pictures, or twitter messages of support on the site.

The leader has been held under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years, and currently stands accused of breaking the terms of her confinement.

The launch of the website 64forSuu.org is timed to coincide with the date her imprisonment should have stopped.

Source

Tags: aung san suu kyi, darfur NOOW, politics

George Clooney Reacts To Proposition 8

admin — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:32:01 +0000

On Wednesday, George Clooney released a statement giving his thoughts onthe California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a ban prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying in the state of California. “This just should invigorate people to get it back on the ballot in 2010 and 2012 and every two years until all people are allowed a basic civil right,” George said. On Tuesday, California’s Supreme Court ruled to acknowledge same-sex marriages officiated in the state prior to Prop 8, but also ruled to uphold the proposition ballot that says “only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

Source

Tags: politics, prop 8

Celebrities react to Obama’s Win

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:45:37 +0000

Oprah Winfrey has long been Barack Obama’s No. 1 fan, so it’s no surprise she wasted little time in speaking out about the Democrat’s historic victory Tuesday night.

“It feels like hope won,” the TV icon told Britain’s BBC. “It feels like there’s a shift in consciousness. It feels like something really big and bold has happened here, like nothing ever in our lifetimes did we expect this to happen.”

The talk-show host was on hand in Chicago to watch Obama’s victory speech, along with Brad Pitt and Jesse Jackson.

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Courteney Cox and hubby David Arquette hosted a Barack Obama victory party Tuesday night at their Beverly Hills home, E! Online reports. Jennifer Aniston, Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher were reportedly among the guests.

Celebrities React

Other celebrities were also quick to sing the praises of the President-elect, who won a decisive victory over John McCain, becoming the first-ever African-American to claim the White House. Here’s a sampling:

• Actor George Clooney: “I congratulate President-elect Obama on his historic victory, and now it’s time to begin unifying the country so we can take on the extraordinary challenges that this generation faces.”

• Singer Usher: “This will go down in history, in black history, for all of the sacrifices that the great Joseph Lowery and Martin Luther King made, this actually pays off for their sacrifice. … I’m speechless. I don’t even know what to say.”

• Music mogul Diddy: “I felt like my vote was the vote that put him into office. … And that may not be true but that’s how much power it felt like I had.”

• Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz to PEOPLE: “My parents met working for [Obama's running mate on one of his early campaigns]. If it weren’t for Joe Biden, I would not exist as a human being. … I am proud to be a part of history in the making.”

• Former Secretary of State Colin Powell: “We’re very, very proud to have a new American President who also happens to be African-American … As I watched [the news anchors call the election] – pretty moving moment. Everybody cried … I am overjoyed.”

Source

Tags: obama, politics

George, Go into Politics?

admin — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 22:30:00 +0000

GO INTO POLITICS? NO, I’VE SLEPT WITH TOO MANY WOMEN
by Ivor Davis

George Clooney might laugh off suggestions that he run for office. But the star best known for his reputation as a ladykiller now spends more time speaking out on issues that matter most to him

GEORGE CLOONEY has a disarmingly simple way of putting things. Ask him why the actor voted “sexiest man alive” should choose to direct so much energy towards highlighting the situation in the desperate African region of Darfur and he comes up with an answer too clear to argue with. My Dad taught me that I had to give back to people and that’s what this is all about, ” he explains. His father, Nick Clooney, is an actor and a big name in Cincinnati where he anchored the news. George says his dad has always been a humanitarian who showed him there was more to life than showbusiness.

Darfur has been stricken for years by civil war, genocide, poverty and starvation – but with little publicity in the west. After the 45-year-old movie star heard of its plight, he travelled there with his father to highlight the situation.

When he arrived, he did so with camera in hand to chronicle the terrible fate that has befallen families in Darfur and to help publicise the need for international relief. Since his return, he has spoken to the United Nations and used press conferences and interviews originally designed to promote his latest film to highlight the plight of Darfur and shame the American government into doing something about it.

“I’m not about to give up my acting job for this, ” he says, “but I hope what little I can do will have some effect. People, perhaps unfortunately, pay attention to movie stars – wherever I go cameras follow, so the least I can do is use that to draw attention to something that is really important.” If, in these days of rather pampered celebrities, it feels refreshing to have such a Hollywood A-lister concern himself with the plight of those less fortunate, it also also puts one in mind of movie stars of another era. Or rather, of one in particular.

In his time Warren Beatty was – like George – rather the gentleman about town, enjoying the company of the world’s most beautiful women, living a lifestyle that was the envy of every redblooded man and doing it all with the kind of easy charm that kept him just on the right side of public affection. And in the midst of it all, Beatty maintained a very active political conscience, using his position in the public eye to put forward an agenda that had – and still has – commentators speculating whether he will run for political office.

CLOONEY, however, is insistent he will not join the likes of Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger and move into politics full-time. “Run for office? No. I’ve slept with too many women and I’ve done too many drugs. And I’ve been to too many parties, ” he once jokingly noted. “Anyway, I don’t like sharing my personal life. It wouldn’t be personal if I shared it.” And George’s personal life is an awful lot more colourful than that of the average politician.

Still Hollywood’s most eligible bachelor (he married actress Talia Balsam in 1989; it lasted four years) he knows more than most how to have a good time.

His list of lady friends reads like a wish-list of the world’s most desirable women and includes Renée Zellweger, Mariella Frostrup and a five-year relationship with British actress Lisa Snowdon. This weekend he was linked to former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson after they were spotted dining out as a couple.

He bought himself a grand villa on Lake Como in Italy, which is known as the ultimate in bachelor pads by the admiring locals, and insists that he is in no rush to commit to one woman. Until recently, his most significant companion was a 300 lb potbellied pig. When it died recently, he was devastated.

Clooney has always balanced his playboy impulses with a more serious sensibility, however. The star of mainstream movies such as Ocean’s Eleven, Batman And Robin, Three Kings and O Brother, Where Art Thou? has also displayed a political conscience in his films. In 2005 he directed and starred in Good Night, And Good Luck – a scathing depiction of the Right-wing US Senator Joseph McCarthy – as well as starring in Syriana, which was highly critical of US foreign policy in the Middle East and for which he won a best supporting actor Oscar.

His current film, The Good German, sees him act opposite Cate Blanchett and is similarly uncompromising, addressing the American postwar employment of Nazi rocket scientists – or, as he puts it: “It’s about how we were pardoning war criminals.” These are heavy subjects and a far cry from the usual movie heartthrob fodder one might expect. But then George has a disarming answer to that too: “We do these films because we think we might be able to spend this time we have pushing to get films we think are interesting made – as opposed to the other kind. We want to aim a little higher than the low bar.” And always in his mind, he says, is the truth that despite the rave reviews, the gorgeous girls and the flattering labels, fame is fleeting.

“I know you have to take advantage of success because it never lasts, ” he says, noting that he has only to look at the career of his late aunt, the legendary singer actress Rosemary Clooney, to see that showbusiness can be a rollercoaster.

“One day she was queen, the next she was down. She always told me she had no control over that.

“I know it had nothing to do with her immense talent. It’s that the public is fickle. So I know I may be riding high one day and gone a week later.” His career has been a slow build but for now at least he seems to supply something Hollywood desperately needs: if he’s an oldfashioned man’s man, in the Clark Gable mould, he’s also got that everyman Beatty touch.

They used to say of Beatty that he was adored by women and envied by men but Clooney’s appeal is even more pronounced. He’s adored by women and, if anything, admired by men. Admired not just for the women who adore him, and not just for his political sensibility – but admired because, in the end, he seems like a thoroughly good bloke.

He somehow manages to combine the roles of leading man, political campaigner and ordinary Joe.

The handsome actor first caught Hollywood’s attention as the paediatrician in the TV drama ER. After leaving the hit show, which for many actors spells the beginning of the end, he began to translate his small screen success into big screen stardom.

And like Beatty before him, along the way his reputation as a ladies’ man has grown and his list of female companions has quadrupled.

A few years ago his former costars Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer bet him

10,000 that he would be a dad by the time he hit 40. The big day passed without the patter of tiny feet and they duly paid up, but then George sent the money back – and bet them doubleor-nothing that he wouldn’t be a father by the time he hits 50.

IT’S the kind of story that raises a smile and a wink from both men and women – and it also displays exactly the kind of charm that could prove political dynamite. Indeed, in his home state of Kentucky there is a pressure group calling itself “George Clooney for Senate”. It already boasts more than 1,000 members who are hoping to persuade the actor to run in the 2008 elections.

But unlike Beatty, who has never completely ruled out the possibility of a career in politics, George for the moment maintains that he has no such ambitions – and even that he feels “celebrity politicians” may not be such a good thing. He politely declined the chance to campaign alongside presidential hopeful John Kerry in 2004 and kept a low profile during his own father’s bid for a congressional seat that same year – though he did contribute cash towards the campaign.

At the time he was reported to have been worried that his celebrity would hurt, not help, his father’s chances. But it could be that, following the father and son’s recent trip to Darfur, George feels that the time for more overt political work has come.

“I still have a lot of work to do in Darfur, ” he says. “I’ve still got a couple of places to visit where I’m going to talk to a couple of heads of state. There is a lot of work there to be done and it’s a long, long haul.

A lot of people are going to get killed before that gets done.”

1535 words
22 January 2007
The Daily Express
English
(c) 2007 Express Newspapers

Tags: politics

George willing to raise funds for Obama campaign

admin — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Obama’s staff was busy working the Hollywood crowd this week to set up a number of gatherings here in February. “People are falling over each other to have fundraisers,” said one insider. Nothing is set, but there’s talk that Geffen will hold a fundraiser for Obama here next month. George Clooney, meanwhile, said he would also be willing to raise money for Obama’s bid. After all, Clooney said recently, he and Obama have been close friends for several years. (LA Times)

Tags: obama, politics

George Mention: Barack Obama

admin — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 23:35:00 +0000

Sure, he [Barack Obama] is on easy street at the moment — and not really tested politically — but he oozes charisma. In fact for just plain sex appeal, Obama is right up there with George Clooney. Last April he shared a press conference with the Hollywood actor to elevate the crisis in Darfur. They had to shut the doors to the room of the National Press Club leaving many young women bereft outside. They had come to see Clooney but it was Obama who carried the room. I asked him afterwards if he outdid Clooney. “Man, I’m just a dim lightbulb compared to that guy.” (The Australian)

Tags: obama, politics

George Mention: Obama Campaign

admin — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 19:41:00 +0000

DreamWorks SKG moguls Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, along with activist actors George Clooney and Barbra Streisand, each forked over $2,000 to Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign, according to Newsmeat.com, a Web site that tracks celeb contributions. In October, Clooney said an Obama presidential bid “would be the most electrifying thing to happen to the Democratic Party since [President John F.] Kennedy,” the Los Angeles Times reported. He could not be reached for comment yesterday. (NY Daily News)

Tags: obama, politics

Senator Clooney?

admin — Sat, 09 Dec 2006 02:32:00 +0000

Bluegrass Politics: ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ as our next U.S. Senator?
By Mark Nickolas

With the 2006 elections barely behind us and the 2007 races coming together, let’s jump ahead to 2008. While most Kentuckians in November 2008 will be focused on the election of our 44th president, soon-to-be Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) will seek his fifth term, and only an optimist could imagine McConnell back in the majority, as Republicans defend 21 of 33 Senate seats in 2008.

Democrats would love nothing more than to retaliate against Republicans after they knocked off then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) in 2004. But finding a viable Kentuckian with the stature and fund-raising ability to effectively challenge McConnell will be a tall order.

After surviving close elections in 1984 and ’90, McConnell put together a 12-point victory in 1996, then crushed Lois Combs Weinberg (D) by 30 points in 2002.

While there’s little doubt U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler (D) or Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson (D) could provide McConnell a top-shelf challenge, there’s little evidence either is interested. More likely, Democrats will hope a lesser-known challenger captures national attention and rides the wave to victory, as we saw this month when Jim Webb (D) knocked off Sen. George Allen (R-Va).

Well … there is one other possibility: Kentucky’s very own George Clooney.

Born in Lexington and raised in Northern Kentucky (note that McConnell is from Alabama), the two-time holder of the title “Sexiest Man Alive” (1997 and 2006) would present quite an opportunity for Democrats. Clooney, 45, is no stranger to politics; he even recently testified before the United Nations Security Council about his visit to Darfur, Sudan, where genocide is destroying the population. Clooney is as articulate as he is at ease when discussing issues like Iraq, North Korea, warrantless surveillance, domestic issues and why he’s a Democrat. He was even ahead of the curve this summer by calling for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to run for president in 2008.

While certainly a fixture of American pop culture, Clooney never fails to discuss growing up in Augusta, where he played baseball (and even tried out for the Cincinnati Reds), and in a recent Larry King Live interview, he spoke of the back-breaking work of cutting tobacco as a kid.

Clooney has never been shy about expressing interest in politics, though without fail he’s self-deprecating about why he should not run for office. In this month’s Esquire, Clooney mused that the effects of watching his father lose his 2004 race for Congress in Northern Kentucky, and the compromising nature of politics, have caused him to rethink a run. But it’s that very sort of thoughtful assessment — rather than an unabashed desire to be elected to office — that makes Clooney so appealing.

Celebrity actors running for high office is nothing new, as we’ve seen with President Ronald Reagan, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Sen. Fred Thompson, Rep. Sonny Bono and many others. Even Gopher from “The Love Boat” (Fred Grandy) served four terms in Congress.

In a race with Clooney, McConnell would likely find himself as the candidate trying to keep up with fundraising, Clooney could take his case directly to voters if McConnell, 64, refused to share the stage with the Sexiest Man Alive (as he’s often done with previous opponents). No doubt the voters would turn out, en masse, to see candidate Clooney on the campaign trail, and such a race might be the very thing needed to engage younger voters who shy away from political participation more than any other demographic.

And for a poor state like Kentucky, it’s not hard to imagine the “wow factor” of a Clooney candidacy. If you think about what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and a cool downtown baseball stadium have done for the image of Cleveland, imagine what a Sen. Clooney would do for the image (and self-image) of Kentucky.
Would Clooney have to defend some of his more unabashed liberal views, particularly on social issues? Of course. But voter behavior is much more complicated than a robotic assessment of candidates based on social issues (see John Yarmuth). Remember that an Austrian-born Republican with no political experience and a funny accent easily won two elections for governor in staunchly Democratic California.

Before Democrats offer up a second tier candidate to take on McConnell in 2008, maybe they should aim big, for once, and ask the Sexiest Man Alive to come back to his Old Kentucky Home.

Mark Nickolas is publisher of Kentucky’s most widely read political blog, BluegrassReport.org. Contact him at Mark@BluegrassReport.org

Tags: politics

Clooney Shrugs Off Talk of Candidacy

admin — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 12:29:00 +0000

Actor George Clooney shrugs off suggestions that he might run for political office

BURBANK, Calif., Sep. 26, 2006

(AP) Oscar winner George Clooney shrugged off suggestions Monday that he might run for political office _ but he sure sounded like a politician doing it. The actor-director skillfully deflected a barrage of questions from reporters about a potential Clooney candidacy, after appearing at an event where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation aimed at helping stop genocidal violence in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Told that fans are clamoring for the “Syriana” star to run for office, he said with a subtle head shake, “Believe me, you don’t want me in politics.”

When asked what he thought about people wearing T-shirts urging Clooney to seek the presidency in 2008, he added, “I think they’re probably kidding.”

Asked again if he would try to get his name on a ballot, Clooney said, “That’s a bad idea.”

Clooney, a liberal Democrat, is well known for his activism. Lately, he has been urging Congress and the United Nations to help end atrocities in the Darfur.

When it comes to his own future, maybe he was just trying to lower expectations.

Clooney recalled at one point that he starred in “Batman and Robin,” in which Schwarzenegger played the villainous Mr. Freeze.

“He’s gone on to be governor, and I still think I’m Batman,” Clooney said.

Tags: darfur, politics

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