What George gave his father for his birthday this year

The Daily Mail
[By Piers Morgan]

My interview with George Clooney and his father aired tonight, but didn't include a fascinating exchange after we'd finished.

'It's your father's birthday today - anything you want to say, George?'

He smiled and nodded. 'Yes there is. Happy birthday!'

'Did you get him a present?'

'He did,' interrupted Nick Clooney. 'A beautiful first-edition copy of For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. It was signed, too.'

'Wow,' I purred. 'That's impressive.' 'Yes. Only it wasn't signed by Ernest,' chuckled George. 'It was signed by me!'

The pair of them then fell about laughing. If you want to know where Clooney Jr gets his charm from, look no further than Clooney Sr - one of the nicest, most decent people I've ever interviewed.

Another memorable moment that didn't get seen came during an ad break halfway through, when George suddenly said to me, 'I loved that Susan Boyle video of her audition on your other show.'

'Really?' I said, slightly taken aback.

'It was so inspiring. I was filming Up In The Air at the time and I kept playing it to all the crew. She's an amazing lady. Such a great story.'

It was perhaps the greatest tribute Susan's ever going to get. A little 49-year-old spinster from a tiny Scottish village being lauded by Hollywood's No 1 heart-throb.