George Clooney in Houston May 2012

I just typed a huge thing and only the first line showed up. Oh nuts. George was awesome with the refugee lady and the student and the contest winner never got to ask her question. A funny moment was when the host Scott sat down next to George and said something like I don't look as good as you and George said, "you're right you won't ever look as good as me." then smiled and laughed and said he was joking, not was hilarious. And as far as Lynn Wyatt goes....tons of work. But who cares, I stared at George and his package all night. Great angle.....what?

In the second picture down from mac's post it looks like he's holding the African lady's hand. So sweet.

Great shots and interview...some new answers mixed with some old....looked like a nice evening....thanks for all the postings...

m4rose wrote:OMG I just got back from the "lecture" and it was beyond AWESOME!!!!! It was like we were sitting in his living room having a talk. He was funny, charming, funny, charming, brilliant, awesome.....and DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!!!! I don't know or care if Stacy was there but I do know John Prendergast was with him because he said he was there. I have a picture from the nosebleed section but you can sorta see him on the big screen. Unfortunately, I don't know how to get the picture here. BEST.NIGHT.EVER!!!!!!

Isn't he scrumptious?

So glad you were able to be there for what sounds like a fabulous evening! Thank you for sharing your experience - everyone should have the chance to be around him. And thanks to everyone else for the great pics and articles. Love ya G!

From Lainey Gossip today
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George Clooney: confused, intimidated, and gray
May 4, 2012
Posted at 1:12 PM

George Clooney was one of the guests at the Brilliant Lecture Series at Wortham Centre in Houston yesterday. As you’d expect, there were a LOT of ladies there. And they were his. They were his when he arrived and by the time the Q&A was over, they’d become his for life.

There’s a good article here about his appearance which is worth the read with your glass of wine later (thanks Kasey). I’ve highlighted a few moments:

When asked by a St Thomas University student to describe himself in three words, George answered:

“Confused, intimidated, and gray.”

He then wanted to know the same of her.

“Seriously?” she replied, like she couldn’t believe he’d care.

I’m a dog owner so, obviously, I love his personal motto:

"Be the person that your dog thinks you are.”

If you’ve ever had a dog, you know what this is. Nothing and no one will ever look at you the way your dog looks at you. There are times when I leave my dogs in the car to pop into a shoppe for a few minutes and when I come out, it’s like they’ve never been so happy in their lives.

But my favourite, FAVOURITE George Clooney quip, maybe EVER, especially in light of all the vomitty gushing we’ve been hearing from all these celebrity mothers, is his answer to “what is your greatest achievement?”

"My kids," said the notoriously-never-married-and-childless Clooney in an acerbic stab at celebrities who piously point to their children as their greatest accomplishment. "Little George, he's going to be president one day."

You are enough for me like this, as you are. You don’t need to be a B-lister’s boyfriend.
When will you understand?

By the way, George’s dinner for Obama next week is expected to raise $12 million for the President’s campaign.

Click here to read more about George’s night in Houston.

....and afterwards....


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George Clooney charms the ladies (and a few guys) at
Brilliant Lecture Series black-tie dinner


BY SHELBY HODGE
05.04.12 | 11:36 am


Hearts were aflutter in every room of the Cason Thrash home Thursday night as George Clooney slayed everyone in his path with his drop-dead good lucks and earnest charm.
No photo opp was missed, no damsel overlooked as the two-time Sexiest Man Alive coursed through the art-filled home
at a $2,500-a-plate fundraiser for the Brilliant Lecture Series.

From the moment he arrived at the black-tie dinner chaired and hosted by Becca Cason Thrash, Clooney had most among the 170 guests swooning.
As he moved through the party scene, John Thrash observed,
"He's charming the women and the men, too."

More handsome than on the big screen, boyish in nature and exhibiting superhuman charisma,
the actor and human rights activist was all party on this night.

A little wine, a little vodka on the rocks, a few glasses
of Dom Perignon — as he confessed earlier in the evening at the Brilliant Lecture Series at Wortham Theater Center, "I drink." Compliments to Moet Hennessy for providing the vast array
of libations for all.

"I've seen some big-ass tables in my life.
This is one big-ass table!"

It was a spectacular night on all counts.
Kudos to Becca, dressed in Givenchy, not only for her deft handling of the star power but also for the glamorous room design and financial rewards.
By night's end, Brilliant Lecture Series coffers had been enriched by $600,000. "This is a game changer for us," said Scott Brogan, Brilliant founder, who beamed throughout the night.

As he sat down at one of three dramatically-dressed dining tables wrapping around the Cason Thrash swimming pool,
Clooney exclaimed,
"I've seen some big-ass tables in my life.
This is one big-ass table!"

The lucky ladies sharing that enviable table location with Clooney were Becca to his right, Greggory Burk to his left, Allie Fields directly across and Dominique Sachse and Karen Pulaski
on the flanks.

Across the table was Naeem Khan, who had flown in from
Los Angeles with his wife, Ranjana, for the party.
Although he didn't know Clooney well, Khan allowed that he has dressed the star's steady, Stacy Keibler,
for a number of red carpet moments.

"She's a perfect sample size and that makes it easy," he said.

Tradition once held that a bash in the Cason Thrash home was not complete without at least one guest tumbling into the pool, the occasional reveler actually jumping in.
Thursday night, Will Gaultney took one step back too many and made an unplanned dive into the waters.
Becca jumped up in horror from her dinner table perch.
At her side, Clooney rose to his feet, clapped his hands
and shouted "Everyone in!"

It was a round of applause for the accidental swimmer.
Among those saluting Gaultney and the lavish evening were
Cherie and Jim Flores, Laura Sweeney, Karol and Paul Barnhart, Raquel Segal, Richard Fant, Diane Lokey Farb, Lisa and Michael Holthouse, Leigh Smith, Ann and Mathew Wolf, Leticia Loya, Carla and Jack McDonald of Austin, Elizabeth Arnold and Lynn Wyatt,
who had conducted the Brilliant Lecture Series question-and-answer session at Wortham Theater Center.

---------------

Click here to read George Clooney Unplugged: 10 things Hollywood's hottest star taught us during his Brilliant visit

....."Little George" indeed....snort, giggle.



We obviously have a mole amongst us...

be .....be very

The one thing that struck me the most about George was how incredibly LONG his fingers are. I mean, seriously, he has long fingers. And I did notice on his right hand, his middle finger sticks up and out when he is talking with his hands so the pictures we all thought were of him flippin the paps off, I don't really think so now. It's hard to explain what I'm trying to explain so I'll just stop. LOL But you know what they say about long fingers............you can really get up your nose and get the tough ones. Bada Bing!

I guess
we all
understand
hon

it's me wrote:

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Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

m4rose wrote:The one thing that struck me the most about George was how incredibly LONG his fingers are. I mean, seriously, he has long fingers. And I did notice on his right hand, his middle finger sticks up and out when he is talking with his hands so the pictures we all thought were of him flippin the paps off, I don't really think so now. It's hard to explain what I'm trying to explain so I'll just stop. LOL But you know what they say about long fingers............you can really get up your nose and get the tough ones. Bada Bing!

So he's a ... fast one, so what ?

LINK

You guys are all the bomb!!! Thanks for all your finds. He was truly amazing and once again, in his element!!!!

yep... On the Ides Of March set he was like WHOOSH

or I compared him to a bee also

BZZZZ


I'M AT 400!!!!
What a good day I'm having

Another article.

From the piece "Trait he most deplores in others? “I don’t like humor at the expense of other people," Um George, you might want to rethink your pranks then.

George Clooney in Houston: Was it the Sexiest Man Alive or humanitarian who drew the crowd?

Actor George Clooney discussed his early childhood, current life, politics and his work raising awareness of the conflict in Darfur, during 'A Conversation with George Clooney,' part of the Brilliant Lecture Series, at the Wortham Center in downtown Houston, on May 3, 2012.
Posted: Friday, May 4, 2012 1:46 am
By CHARLOTTE AGUILAR

The scene in downtown Houston reminded one of the old joke about men claiming to buy Playboy Magazine to read the articles. Thursday night’s Brilliant Lecture Series appearance by George Clooney was entitled “Hollywood Humanitarianism: To Whom Much Is Given, Much Is Expected,” but the packed audience was arguably three-fourths female, and ticketholders had clearly paid between $25 and $150 to see the movie star twice voted People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.

Still, they love him for his mind, and Clooney didn’t disappoint with either attribute in his 45-minute appearance on stage at the Wortham Theater -- displaying both compelling charisma and a touching and knowledgeable passion for his humanitarian mission to increase global awareness of the previously ignored conflict in Darfur. Sexy and brilliant.

He finessed a clumsy format that was more Entertainment Tonight interview than a weighty lecture series, first sitting down in armchairs with Houston society and fashion icon Lynn Wyatt, then answering audience questions.

His activism, he said, started with his parents who raised him in a small town in Kentucky. “They always taught me you had to participate in the human condition,” he said, “looking out for people who had trouble looking out for themselves.”

Despite the fame of his aunt, songstress Rosemary Clooney, and his father, Nick, being a popular Cincinnati news anchorman, he “didn’t have a show business childhood.” In fact, Clooney detailed, in some of the first of the night’s self-deprecating humor, how his face was half paralyzed for a time at the age of 14 from Bell’s palsy (“your eye’s stuck open, and you drool a lot”) and how he endured his mother making his clothes, including leisure suits. “If you’ve ever been through hell in your life, go to a pattern store and have your mom hold up a leisure suit pattern and pray nobody walks by the window.”

He was one of 23 in his high school class, and at 5-feet-11 inches played center on his school’s six-man basketball team, accompanied by a band that knew only one song: The Pink Panther Theme.

The first three decades of his life, Clooney said, were a search for himself and failed attempts at a career.

He had two tryouts with the Cincinnati Reds, Wyatt pointed out in the first painful question of the evening. “How did that go?” she asked. “Clearly it did not go well,” he answered to laughter, then went on, “I wanted to be a professional baseball player. I only lacked talent.”

After dabbling in a number of areas, he realized creative ventures were what didn’t bore him, and at the age of 20, he headed west to pursue a career in acting, landing in Hollywood where his aunt Rosemary lived with her family, after having only met her five or six times before.

“I had a series called Sunset Beach where I played an undercover cop on a Harley during the day and a rock star at night,” he recalled. “I can’t imagine why that didn’t go. I did some of the worst television -- and I was terrible in it -- that you’ve ever seen in your life.

“I had so often failed.”

Then at the age of 33, after 13 unsuccessful television pilots and seven short-lived series, he landed the role of Dr. Doug Ross, a flawed but charming pediatrician on the NBC drama “ER.” He’s coasted since then, building on the series to a successful movie career that has extended beyond acting into writing, directing and producing. He’s earned seven Academy Award nominations for his multiple talents and won one Oscar as supporting actor in 2005 for Syriana.

All of that, he said, has made for a “very weird career.”

Equally intriguing is the juxtaposition between his career as one of the world’s most recognizable entertainers and one of its most visible activists -- roles that took him, within weeks, between the winter season of award shows and trips to Darfur, Capitol Hill, the White House -- and to jail.

His “reputation soared to new heights,” noted Wyatt, when he was arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C. after crossing a police line during a protest. “With my father,” Clooney interrupted with a smile. “You can’t get in trouble when you get arrested with your father, right?”

He described the cruelty and exploitation of the south of Darfur by tyrants in the north who have an oil pipeline while the south supplies the oil. “The north is killing civilians specifically to get them to leave,” he explained. “These are not military folks, these are not rebel fighters, they are innocents.”

He makes frequent visits to the torn region to try to help document atrocities that are described by thousands of refugees but disclaimed by leaders. He brushed off the comment by Wyatt that he risks his life.

The first audience question of the evening -- and its most touching moments -- came from a Darfur refugee. The woman, dressed in colorful native attire and speaking through a translator, described the murder of family and friends and asked why the ouster of the leaders responsible was so slow to come.

“It’s incredibly tragic, and it isn’t fair,” Clooney responded. “If you’re there you wish someone would just grab these idiots and take them away and try them for murder. But it doesn’t happen easily and it takes a long time...We’re going to keep pushing and keep trying...until all three are standing trial in The Hague.” He brought her and her translator -- both part of a contingent of Darfur refugees -- onto the stage to pose for a photo with him. When he had the translator ask the woman what she liked best about Houston, she responded it was the first place she had been able to attend school.

Mainly, though, the event was full of lighter moments -- frequently brought on by Clooney when the questions seemed too weighty. Wyatt was best when she veered from the script into her own observations, such as calling Clooney on his “cat that swallowed the canary smile.”

She gamely asked, “Which talent would you most like to have?” quickly adding, “Isn’t that a stupid question?” although it elicited the response of learning a language (“I grew up in Kentucky, so English was my second language”) and learning a musical instrument.

His motto? “Be the person your dog thinks you are.”

Greatest achievement? “I guess my kids, really. Little George will be president some day,” said the notoriously never-married Clooney, who has said he has no interest in being a parent, to a howl from the crowd.

Trait he most deplores in others? “I don’t like cruelty. I don’t like humor at the expense of other people, I don’t like people taking advantage of people because they can. There’s a quality you see a lot in humanitarian work where they pick on the gang that they can pick on. I don’t like that.”

Would he ever consider running for office? “Oh, God, no...it doesn’t seem like any fun at all. It just seems very frustrating. I don’t have to compromise with advocacy, really...it’s easier than being a politician.”

Most treasured possession? His home on Lake Como, in Italy. On his first visit, observing construction workers strolling off to lunch with wine and bread, singing, made him realize he “had spent the last 20 years eating lunch standing up.” He’s learned to relax there.

Slender in a black suit, strikingly gray-haired, Clooney commented more than once about his impending 51st birthday, coming on Sunday. When 19-year-old Jennifer Benitez, a sophomore theology major at the University of St. Thomas asked what three words best described him, Clooney responded -- pausing for dramatic effect between each -- “confused, intimated, gray.” (For the record, he asked her what best described her, and she answered “blessed, energetic, happy.”)

In lieu of the customary gift Brilliant Lectures provides its speakers, founding director Scott Brogan brought on a young trumpeter who play a jazzy “Happy Birthday,” as the audience serenaded Clooney.

Wyatt had already given him a number of gifts in the form of compliments, echoed by applause and laughs in the audience -- and Clooney zinged back. “We wouldn’t change one thing about you,” she smiled, “you’re the sexiest man alive.”

“The sexiest man still alive,” he responded.

And even what seemed like a most fitting description of the man simultaneously grateful for yet somewhat mystified by his fame was met with humor. Wyatt told Clooney his self-deprecation, making people feel at ease was one of the things she most admires about him. “It’s like you don’t take yourself seriously,” she said perceptively, “but you take life seriously. How do you make it seem so easy?”

Clooney paused for effect. “I drink,” he said.

Link

" ... such as calling Clooney on his “cat that swallowed the canary smile.” "

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Great set of pictures, thanks laetval.

I thought that Becca Cason Thrash, his hostess for dinner, looked very much like Lisa Snowdon around the eyes !
I wonder if he noticed ? LOL

Do we know if he got asked the question about if he woke up a woman tomorrow, how would he spend his day? I haven't found it in any of the articles.

I read somwhere, I think here, that the couple never got to talk to him. Too bad. There was a 19 year old girl that asked him what does he think of himself and he asked her the same question in return.

Lakin460 wrote:Do we know if he got asked the question about if he woke up a woman tomorrow, how would he spend his day? I haven't found it in any of the articles.

The contest winner did not get to ask her question. There was only the refugee, the student from St. Thomas and a 17 yr old young man. No one else got to ask questions.

m4rose wrote:

Lakin460 wrote:Do we know if he got asked the question about if he woke up a woman tomorrow, how would he spend his day? I haven't found it in any of the articles.

The contest winner did not get to ask her question. There was only the refugee, the student from St. Thomas and a 17 yr old young man. No one else got to ask questions.

Ok, thanks! Glad we had a covert operative at the show! Enjoyed your first hand accounts! And I've noticed G's long fingers for a long time now. I love men's hands and his are great!!

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Aha, his date was none other than J.P. !

Just so you guys know, Dominique is a social ladder climber and wears at minimum six inches of makeup. When she takes it off, she looks like pee wee Herman. LOL. Just kidding. I lived in Houston for a long time and watched her climb the ladder and not surprised she was sitting across the table from George.

Thanks m4rose for sharing all of your impressions from your
memorable evening.
Very much appreciated

Well It certainly looked like it was a blast.

m4rose-- thank you so much for sharing your impressions of the event!

regarding the piccies... woof. have some cosmetox artists been busy in Houston or what?

m4rose wrote:Just so you guys know, Dominique is a social ladder climber and wears at minimum six inches of makeup. When she takes it off, she looks like pee wee Herman. LOL. Just kidding. I lived in Houston for a long time and watched her climb the ladder and not surprised she was sitting across the table from George.

Rose - Dominique was at the party ONLY because she is engaged to Nick Florescu. Their wedding is in a week or so. If you know of her, you won't be surprised to hear that Mr. F's money could EAT George's money. She was previously married to a trainer who was about her same age. They both divorced not too long before reports were out that they were in a relationship. She is early 40s, he is early 60s. In recent pictures of them, it looks as tho both have greatly enhanced some cosmetic surgeon's bank account.

"The lucky ladies sharing that enviable table location with Clooney were Becca to his right, Greggory Burk to his left, Allie Fields directly across and Dominique Sachse and Karen Pulaski
on the flanks.

Across the table was Naeem Khan, who had flown in from
Los Angeles with his wife, Ranjana, for the party.
Although he didn't know Clooney well, Khan allowed that he has dressed the star's steady, Stacy Keibler,
for a number of red carpet moments.

"She's a perfect sample size and that makes it easy," he said."



The First Lady wore one of his dresses to WHCD. I cant remember Stacy wearing his designs ever. Anyone else? His dresses are gorgeous.

Well, scrap that. She did wear Naeem Khan. The dress that she wore, really badly imo, to meet the parents at The Descendants premiere was Naeem Khan. Shocker! His dresses are usually striking.

EEOsandy wrote:
Rose - Dominique was at the party ONLY because she is engaged to Nick Florescu. Their wedding is in a week or so. If you know of her, you won't be surprised to hear that Mr. F's money could EAT George's money. She was previously married to a trainer who was about her same age. They both divorced not too long before reports were out that they were in a relationship. She is early 40s, he is early 60s. In recent pictures of them, it looks as tho both have greatly enhanced some cosmetic surgeon's bank account.

Funny you should say that because I had heard their upcoming marriage was a "paper" one if you know what I mean. LOL. I just hope she didn't bore George during dinner. LOL

m4rose wrote:

EEOsandy wrote:
Rose - Dominique was at the party ONLY because she is engaged to Nick Florescu. Their wedding is in a week or so. If you know of her, you won't be surprised to hear that Mr. F's money could EAT George's money. She was previously married to a trainer who was about her same age. They both divorced not too long before reports were out that they were in a relationship. She is early 40s, he is early 60s. In recent pictures of them, it looks as tho both have greatly enhanced some cosmetic surgeon's bank account.

Funny you should say that because I had heard their upcoming marriage was a "paper" one if you know what I mean. LOL. I just hope she didn't bore George during dinner. LOL

If their marriage is "paper" it wouldn't surprise me. I was actually surprised when she divorced her first husband. They were very cute together. He proposed to her at the end of the news when she and Bill Balleza were anchoring, and they had a child a few years ago. Anyway, everybody at the Thrash's party for GC were multi-millionaires (or engaged to, married to, or dating one). The Thrash's live in River Oaks - the oldest and most expensive neighborhood in Houston - and probably most of attendees live there as well. A whole lotta money in that room that night.

Thanks for that info. It seems George was in good company. He fit in well.

What a yukky picture Lakin !!!

laetval wrote:

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Squee!!! The nape of his neck!

Thank you every for the fabulous photos and articles.

Atalante wrote: What a yukky picture Lakin !!!

It shows off his lovely hands

EEOSandy, I remember that and then they did a whole thing when she got pregnant and gave birth. Do you live in Houston? River Oaks always intimidates me but I like to drive through until security starts to follow. LOL. I remember the first time and thinking there is no way one family lives in a house that size. Ah, the good old days.

m4rose wrote:EEOSandy, I remember that and then they did a whole thing when she got pregnant and gave birth. Do you live in Houston? River Oaks always intimidates me but I like to drive through until security starts to follow. LOL. I remember the first time and thinking there is no way one family lives in a house that size. Ah, the good old days.

I live about 30 miles outside of Houston now. We used to live in Houston and actually had a membership to the River Oaks Country Club. When we moved outside of Houston we cancelled our membership because we never used it. It was a painful decision because getting accepted into the club is brutal, but it cost too much to keep it and not use it. Also, I never cared for the other members. A little too snobby for my taste. Those women are just too much. Yes, the houses are huge. I think Dick Cheney still owns his home right down the street from the Country Club. It is a beautiful area.

laetval wrote:

found

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It's events like this one, and the WHCD that George attended that prove to me that all that talk and conjecture about George needing a young girl as arm candy to help promote him to a younger audience is BS. He seems to attract so many more people (ok, so mostly women) to him, of all ages (lot's of girls in the last audience that weren't even in their 20's) when he's by himself, and being himself. I think he should make a note to himself to NOT have a date on his next Oscar run, I think he'd be much better off.

Very well said BellyBaby!!! You got it exactly right!!!

Extract

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The Fashion Gene Awards & Clooney Fever

Meanwhile it was full house at the Wortham Center, Downtown Houston where ladies dressed in skimpy cocktail dresses to impress actor/activist George Clooney, who was in H-Town as a guest speaker for the Brilliant Lecture Series.

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True to its’ mission, founder Scott Brogan, has made an effort to bring someone ‘brilliant’ from international leaders, prize-winning authors and actors, to eminent scientists and business leaders to inspire Houstonians. The Conversations with Brilliance series offers Houstonians a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with the world’s greatest minds to inspire leadership in Houston’s youth and their families.

I personally had the honor to meet Mr. Clooney at the VIP Reception hosted prior to the lecture. George Clooney is definitely a ladies man as women hummed around him to either get one glance or a picture taken and why not? He is after all two-times sexiest man alive, funny, good hearted, and did I mention he has a house in Italy? The lecture series was a repartee, a question and answer session conducted by international icon Lynn Wyatt.

George Clooney has devoted his time off-screen to humanitarian causes, including initiating theSatellite Sentinel Project, which combines satellite imagery analysis and field reports with Google’s Map Maker technology to help deter mass atrocities in areas of crisis. A United Nations messenger of peace since 2008, Clooney has been a tireless advocate for resolving the ongoing genocide in Darfur, having spoken to the UN and held fundraisers on behalf of the crisis. In 2007, Clooney (along with fellow Not on Our Watch founder Don Cheadle) was awarded with the Summit Peace Award by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, recognizing his commitment to directing attention to the conflict in Darfur.

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The handsome actor managed to keep the audience engaged for a full hour with them begging for more. The audience stayed glued listening to the down to earth highly acclaimed actor, who is creative almost always, loves his dog and wishes he was a bit taller. He shared his passion for politics without being a politician. What stood out was his humbleness and ability to make the listeners believe that he was as normal as the rest of us and that was evident when he hugged the Sudanese refugee onstage.

Clooney regrets on the inability to grasp a language and a musical instrument. All in all we ladies including media were in quite a daze the entire evening as we concluded our date with Clooney singing Happy Birthday – the birthday boy turned 51.

The party later was taken up a notch at the home of Becca Cason Thrash for a black tie dinner at $2500 a plate. About 170 guests had the privilege to shmooze and dine with this sexy man. Also attending the dinner soiree with Clooney were designer Naeem Khan, Dominique Sachse, Lynn Wyatt, Nidhika andPershant Mehta, and others. “He is so nice and down to earth, great personality, and yes looks a lot younger than in his latest movie,” exclaimed Nidhika.
Watch out for our upcoming video story with George Clooney.