Born On This Day- May 6th... My Boo- The Clooney

Clooney: "I think it’s funny, but the last thing you’ll ever see me do is jump up & down, saying, 'These are lies!' That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community. I'm not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing. My private life is private, & I’m very happy in it. Who does it hurt if someone thinks I'm gay? I'll be long dead & there will still be people who say I was gay. I don't give a shit."

Perfection

Oscar Night 2012

Oscar night. This is the Super Bowl for movie fans. I grew up in a household that revered films, Hollywood, and movie stars. I'm not talking celebrities - I'm talking movie STARS. Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis. Golden oldies. Today's talent - Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Clint Eastwood (more as a director), Glenn Close, Colin Firth, Kate Winslet, and more. An excellent movie can transport, entertain, and enlighten.

I am the film critic for The Little Paper of San Saba - a town without a cinema. Thanks to Cecil Cherico for creating my press pass.

My Oscar ballot (courtesy of Entertainment Weekly) is filled out and ready for tonight. I think The Artist shall win big. I'm hoping for George Clooney as Best Actor for The Descendants and Viola Davis as Best Actress for The Help. As I reviewed the nominees, I can say it's been a good year at the movies with worthy contenders. Hooray for Hollywood!

Straight But Not Narrow

Reporter: You’ve been very vocal lately about gay rights, & I was just curious, what’s your opinion of Mitt Romney since he appears to be the frontrunner for the Republicans & he’s been pretty anti-gay.

George Clooney: “Well, I’m not much concerned until there’s an actual nominee… but I think it’s the wrong side of history. I think everyone sort of understands it might be the last leg of the civil rights movement. I do believe that. So I think that at some point, It’s certainly not the wedge issue it was in 2004, so that’s a good sign. So those are important things to me.”

Movie Review: The Descendants

George Clooney keeps getting better and better. I wrote that for an Ides of March review. Now I double triple my claim for The Descendants. Wow. The previews are deceiving. This looks like a comedy. The film has funny moments, but it is a serious look at family, life, connecting, tragedy, and Hawaii.

First - the scenery is gorgeous and Clooney's family in this film owns a nice slice of heaven. However, the land is in trust and cousins want to profit. Thus there's a huge vote coming up for whether to sell the land and to whom. Clooney's Matt Price has the final say. He's a lawyer and the key trustee - a lot of responsibility to his heritage and the descendants.

Second - Clooney's wife is hospitalized for a coma. She was in a boating accident and the prognosis isn't good. Clooney's dealing with his ten year old daughter, Scottie, and a teen daughter, Alex. She's been at boarding school due to drugs/drink/mischief. This father's got his hands full and has not been dialed in for years. Obviously, since Alex informs him her mother has been cheating on him. He's bewildered, shocked, sad, and then realizes he'd been out of touch all along.

The Descendants has everyone questioning their relationships, loves, and priorities. Directed by Alexander Payne, the film's subtle humor and sly viewpoints prove successful. Oscar buzz galore - Clooney is superb and Shailene W. (Alex) is intense with her unwavering, unforgiving teen stare.

Hawaii is a wonderful backdrop, but even paradise has its troubles. Aloha to an excellent film.

George Clooney and Stacy Keibler spent time together at Lake Como

George Clooney

George Clooney and his girlfriend of two years, Elisabetta Canalis, just broke up, but he's already dipping into the dating pool again.

Life & Style reports that George has been having a good time with former WWE star - that means wrestler - and Dancing with the Stars contestant Stacy Keibler. An 'insider' tells that Stacy recently spent some time with George at his Italian, Lake Como villa. Stacy tweeted, "I'm in heaven."

Stacy Keibler © Jason Merritt/Getty Images

George and Stacy have known each other for a while and were set up by a mutual friend. "They have a lot of friends in common and run in the same circle," is what a friend tells the magazine. However, Stacy isn't looking for a commitment, which suits George just fine. She split from her longtime boyfriend, 7th Heaven's Geoff Stults, a year ago. The insider says, "He'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."