"The Boys"

by Katiedot Wed 08 Dec 2010, 14:15

Found at Clooney Network:

CLOONEY’S NINE
December 4, 2005
San Francisco Chronicle

New York -- Celine Balitran arrived and left. So did Lisa Snowden.
And many women before them in George Clooney's revolving door of
bachelorhood.

The real love in Clooney's life is ... Richard ... and Thom. And Waldo.
Clooney calls his gang of nine the Boys, and they have been his rock, his
Sunday barbecue, for longer than he has been a movie star.

"The thing I'm most proud of in my life is this group of friends," he
says. "It's not some sort of groovy clique. We're real good friends. After
25 years together, there's this incredible ease to it."

Clooney has needed his friends lately. He feels battered by the right for
his liberal views. And he feels battered on the inside by an injury he
sustained during a staged beating in his new movie, "Syriana." Severe
headaches, the result of a ruptured spinal fluid sac, led to an operation
to have his spine fused with plastic bolts.

"After six hours of surgery, I wake up and there are all eight guys
standing around," he says.

His chums include Richard Kind, a stage and TV character actor ("Spin
City" "Mad About You"), B-movie actor Thom Mathews and Clooney's
hairstylist, Waldo Sanchez. Although everyone is successful, there is not
a Brad or a Matt in the bunch. Those luminaries are his A-list associates,
the ones with whom he generates headlines on location. The Boys are
Clooney's lifeblood in a business all too eager to suck the blood out of
you. While they may share his politics, the "Ocean's 11" star says he has
encountered plenty of people who don't. His detractors will find lots of
ammunition in his artistic taste these days.

After chronicling journalism's stand against McCarthyism in directing
"Good Night, and Good Luck," Clooney is now starring as a miserable CIA
lifer in "Syriana."

"I'm not looking to make statements," he says. "One, I'm looking for good
scripts. And two, I'm asking, 'What are movies that are difficult to get
made that I can get made?' "

Clooney, looking trim and matinee-idol handsome in a polo dress shirt and
slacks in a Park Avenue hotel room, points out that both films were
approved when he was being branded a traitor by the conservative press in
the wake of his protest of the Iraq war.

The consequences have affected him more than any paparazzi encounter or
tabloid falsehood. You want to call him a lefty? Go ahead.

"Dissent is not disloyalty," he says. "It's the most patriotic thing."

He figured that as long as the criticism persisted, he would use his
Pepsodent power to make socially conscious films.

"What's the worst thing that's going to happen?" he asks. "They're going
to take away my movie star card? I'll be fine. I can survive it. What I
don't want to do is end up on the wrong side of history. I would be
ashamed of myself if, 25 years from now, they looked back and said there
was a group of people talking about what a bad idea going to war was and I
wasn't one of them."

Those worrying that Clooney's activism will get in the way of his
hunkiness can heave a sigh of relief. He says he is "movie-star-ish" in
his next two roles: as a journalist searching for his lost love in
post-World War II Berlin in "The Good German" and as a lawyer who grows a
soul in "Michael Clayton."

"Syriana" fits squarely into Clooney's pot-stirring oeuvre. While critical
of U.S. spying, it does not point the finger at any administration, he
says. Instead it takes the intelligence failures in the Middle East of the
past 60 years and distills them into a two-hour diplomatic stew destined
to boil over.

"Syriana," directed by "Traffic" screenwriter Stephen Gaghan, is based on
the memoirs of former CIA operative Robert Baer, who is personified in
Clooney's agent Bob Barnes. Barnes stumbles through a mission while U.S.
oil and government interests meddle in the power struggle between brother
princes in a geyser of an Arab country.

Barnes is chubby, detested by his son and does not beat up the terrorists
who kidnap him. "I think having gone through the last couple of years in
American politics, we have less and less of a thought that it's James
Bond," says Clooney, who packed on more than 30 pounds for the part.

It was a Beirut torture scene, in which Clooney's Barnes is knocked
backward on a chair, that began Clooney's medical woes. He says he is
feeling better, but not 100 percent.

Clooney begins to make headway into a plate of scrambled eggs. A barbecue
at his Los Angeles home had to be canceled for this Sunday interview, but
that is more the exception than the rule. Although he has received much
publicity for buying a villa on Italy's Lake Como and developing a Las
Vegas casino (25 percent of his profit will go to African relief), Clooney
spends most of his time at home in Hollywood.

To some, he is redefining what it means to be a screen star. He has made a
host of thinkers recently, from the space drama "Solaris" to his first
directorial effort, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," about a game-show
host's alleged CIA activities, to his two new films. He isn't swearing off
bonbons such as "Ocean's Eleven" and its sequel, but he may finally get a
nod from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for brainier
choices.

Oscar talk swirls around both "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Syriana."
For the latter, Warner Bros. asked him if he would like to be nominated in
the best supporting actor category. Clooney countered that he was lead
billing, so how could he be supporting?

"I want us to have both films successful," he says. "The more successful,
the more people see it, the more discussion. Nominations help that. On the
other hand, there's something uncomfortable about a campaign for an award
to compare art. There's something unhappy about that."

If Oscar were to come calling, one could imagine Clooney raising his
statuette and thanking his eight friends. Group high-five, anyone?

by Katiedot Mon 13 Dec 2010, 12:11

From NY Daily News, April 2001:

Clooney, who is producing and starring in CBS' live remake of the 1964movie "Fail Safe," set to air next Sunday, says he has plenty of companionship from eight male buddies he has known for 20 years.

He says he revels in being one of "the boys," a group that includes pal Richard Kind of "Spin City."

"There's something really great about looking over at the same group of guys for 20 years with this familiarity and understanding that, win or lose, we sort of made it through together."

by lucy Tue 14 Dec 2010, 23:31

Do all 8 still hang out? I've seen Grant, Ben, Richard, Waldo, Thom, & isn't one Grants brother? Seven is GC,&8 is Rande?

by melbert Wed 15 Dec 2010, 01:34

I think the original 8 are Matt Adler, Jim Craig, Grant Heslov, Mikey Heslov, Tommy Hinkley, Richard Kind, Thom Mathews, Ben Weiss. Waldo Sanchez is also included and now, I think Rande is considered part of the Boys.

by ManhattanMaven Wed 15 Dec 2010, 02:24

I don't think he considers Rande one of The Boys. They have all known him for 25 years...way before he was famous. That creates a real bond. tongue

Rande & Cindy are just jet-set pals.

by melbert Wed 15 Dec 2010, 03:09

I think you're right Maven. I think that Rande is there to supply the bar flies and Cindy is along for the ride. Oh, sorry, I'm being catty. Katie is going to scold me. silent

by Katiedot Wed 15 Dec 2010, 03:14

Oh no, catty's fine. As long as it's funny.

by melbert Wed 15 Dec 2010, 03:25

Thanks Mom!!! Very Happy

by sisieq Wed 15 Dec 2010, 06:34

"There's something really great about looking over at the same group of guys for 20 years with this familiarity and understanding that, win or lose, we sort of made it through together."

I do feel he considers himself lucky regarding the above. Not alot of people can say this.

by Dexterdidit Wed 15 Dec 2010, 11:11

Yes, he does. He truely relies on them. I just wish he would listen to them!

by Katiedot Thu 16 Dec 2010, 03:02

Just adding to his statements:

(2000 quote on his friends keeping him grounded) I've got eight buddies, the boys. They've been my friends for 20 years. Every Sunday we ride motorcycles and play basketball together. For Christmas this year, the boys came out and there were new bikes sitting out there-new Indians for each of them. The best part of having money is sharing it with your buddies. I lived on their closet floors when I was broke and they had money and were working. They've been through this whole ride with me. So now, when someone comes up to me and says, "You're so brilliant," they look over at me and go, "Man, can you believe that shit?" I met them when I first moved out here, in acting classes. Richard Kind, who's on Spin City, is one of them. When his father died of a heart attack, Richard called and said he was going to Trenton for the funeral. All the boys were immersed in work at that point and had no time, but I called them up and told them what happened. There were no commercial flights available, so I chartered a jet. We didn't tell him we were coming. We sat in the back of the synagogue and Richard was in front with his back to us. When he got up and started to talk about his dad, he saw us and started sobbing. He said, "I'm sorry, but I just saw my best friends back there." There was this amazing feeling that every one of these guys had dropped everything just to be there. That's what it's like. People like that keep you sane.

by melbert Thu 16 Dec 2010, 03:20

WOW - what friends...

by Dexterdidit Thu 16 Dec 2010, 06:13

I love that story. I think Richard really needed them there and they have all been there for each other through the years.

by Guest Thu 23 Dec 2010, 22:04

That'a a great story, very sweet

by Guest Thu 23 Dec 2010, 23:50

Dexterdidit wrote:Yes, he does. He truely relies on them. I just wish he would listen to them!

Amen!

by melbert Fri 24 Dec 2010, 00:06

They really seem to be a smart bunch, quite diverse. None quite as famous as our George, but amazing in their own way. George - you can still lead, but use their example!!!!! jocolor

by PigLove Fri 24 Dec 2010, 08:44

He also said they were there when he woke up from back surgery. As a single gal in the big city who just had surgery myself (while friends waited nearby), I can tell you that friends really ARE family.

The legend of "The Boys" is one of the reasons *I* have such a crush on the jerk (to steal Lucy's phrase from the other thread, which cracked me up!).

by melbert Fri 24 Dec 2010, 11:44

I hope that you've recovered nicely from your surgery PigLove!

by PigLove Fri 24 Dec 2010, 21:06

Yep, all is well. Thanks! Smile

by melbert Sun 20 Mar 2011, 15:32

I just saw that Richard Kind is going to guest star on Harry's Law on NBC tomorrow night, Monday 3-21-11. From the looks of the promo, he's Harry's ex (Kathy Bates plays Harry). I like the show anyway and when I saw the ad, I know I'm going to watch!

by Merlin Tue 22 Mar 2011, 15:10

Another oldish piece about the Boys....from Clooney Network.....

"...Before hitting it big with ER, George spent a decade in mediocre films (Red Surf, Return of the Killer Tomatoes!) and a slew of run-of-the-mill TV series, including The Facts of Life, Baby Talk and Sunset Beat, not to mention some 15 failed pilots. To this day he remains tightest with the friends he met during those times, a group of seven actors and industry types he calls "the boys."
 In 1995 he flew them all to Acapulco for Christmas, last year (96) they hit Hawaii, and this summer (97) it was a golfing tour of the Southwest in a rented country music tour bus. And when Kind's father died in July, Clooney hired a plane to fly them all from L.A. to the funeral service in New Jersey as a show of support. At times he has had several of them bunking with him between jobs and relationships, giving his sprawling Los Angeles home the look of a college frat house, complete with piles of laundry, Taco Bell takeout, a Foosball table and his pet potbellied pig, Max." George did me a tremendous favor," says actor Matt Adler, who met the future star on a Hollywood basketball court in 1986 and has spent two years chez Clooney since the breakup of his marriage in 1995. "I didn't know what I was going to do or where I was going to live, and George said, 'I just bought this house, come live with me.'"
 Clooney still invites the whole gang over for sweaty Sundays on his backyard basketball court. "Basketball is his main sweetheart," says ER's Conni Marie Brazelton (Nurse Conni Oligario), "and he's pretty good for a white boy." To keep the gang's girlfriends and wives happy while the guys play, Clooney sometimes hires a masseuse for the afternoon. "Then we all hang out and make dinner," says Ben Weiss, first assistant director on Friends. "He really, really wants to be Frank Sinatra," says Hunt, who remembers the time Clooney jetted to L.A. from a New York City movie set just to do a brief scene in the pilot for her 1993 series The Building. "He's the guy who takes care of everything, leads the pack, includes all the guys in his success. Success would be horrible for him without his friends around." - People Magazine

Excerpts from: Why George Clooney Never Sleeps:
By Doug Stanton
Reprinted from the July 2000 issue of Men’s Journal

"...Clooney has done much of the remodeling (of his home) for the benefit of a group of eight friends he unabashedly calls the Boys. The Boys are George's fire wall in what is an unnatural world: Hollywood. Think of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, throw in a little Moe, Larry, and Curly, and you get an idea of their camaraderie. Clooney tends to them because they matter. He protects them and they protect him.
“I always thought one of the reasons we formed this group of guys,” says one of the boys, Richard Kind, who plays Paul on ABC's Spin City, “is that George looked, into a crystal ball and saw that he would be famous. And there would come a time when he wouldn't be able to trust all the people in the world. So he gathered us all together.”

“He likes to be the caretaker,” says Ben Weiss, another of the boys and a first assistant director on Friends. “He doesn't like to be the one with the problems.”

The boys are free to spend a night, or even a week, at George's, riding out bad luck, bad love, bad times. George has even toyed with the idea of putting their names on each of the house's eight bedroom doors. On the fireplace mantel sits a green metal frog, about as big as a grapefruit, on top of which have been placed six wedding rings. The rings once belonged to some of the boys, mementos of love gone wrong. If you made a country-and-western song into a statue, this is what it would be like.

Each year, the boys launch themselves on a raucous golf trip -- a kind of sacred Heineken-fueled walkabout. None of them are good golfers, which is the point. This is a time for the boys to be together and forget their professional lives, a time to hangout, 'We always end in Vegas," says Clooney, "But we never start in Vegas, because you literally have to wash out your liver afterwards.”

For the past 12 years, they've gathered every Sunday at George's for a barbecue. "Sunday mornings, we get up really early," he says, excited, "and we go riding. We go out to Malibu. At noon, we play basketball. Then we'll do a Jacuzzi and a steam, and we'll have two masseuses come by." The wives and girlfriends of the boys will get massages during the game. {Only two of the boys, Clooney and Weiss, are bachelors.)

Last Christmas, he bought five new motorcycles - Indians - for the boys, lined them up in the driveway, and said, "Here you go." The boys were blown away. "It wouldn't have been fun to buy just one Indian," George explains, "with just me riding a real cool motorcycle." He shows me something he once got in return, a Rolex. He turns it over, and on the back is inscribed, "To George, from the Boys." He's still clearly touched. It's sweet. No bullshit, no pretense: I am what I am.

"I went through a divorce in 1992 and lived at Richard's place for nine months in his spare bedroom," says Clooney, "I was stone-broke, and Grant Heslov, who's an actor as well, he'd take me to dinner and pay for everything. He took care of me.

"It's a funny thing," he says. "Sometimes when actors get famous, they get rid of the things that were around them. But a beautiful sunset is not really cool if you're sitting there by yourself, going, 'Well, that's beautiful.' You want to be able to look at your friends and go, 'Isn't that unbelievable!' ”

"You want to know what one of George's secrets is?" says Kind. "He started out when he was 21, when he came to L.A. When did he hit great fame? At age 33. Well, that's 12 years of struggling."

In 1994, his fortunes changed. He was driving cross-country in a Winnebago with Grant Heslov, who'd just been dumped by his fiancée. Before leaving L.A., Clooney had made a pilot for a medical drama called ER, but its future was uncertain. He loved the show and he loved his role: This seemed like serious work worth doing. Still, he wanted to get out of town to avoid the heebie-jeebies of waiting for bad news. Most of all, he wanted to cheer up Heslov: "He was as hurt as I've ever seen him."

Clooney and Heslov started driving. "We'd stop at each state line on the freeway and tee up a golf ball into the next state,” says Clooney. "It was just an idea – you know, Let's go state to state, playing through the problem, so to speak."

One day, as they were driving across Arizona -- 12 years after he'd arrived in Hollywood -- Clooney's cellphone rang. ER, he was told, had just been picked up by NBC. Amazed, he looked at Heslov and said, "I just got a career."
Almost every Sunday, some of the boys and their families gather here in the screening room to watch a movie. It's plush, and George is proud of the place. Along one wall, there's a bar with a bank of phones and candy jars filled with M&M's. One of George's favorite things to do is to plop down in here on the weekends with a taco and watch a Paul Newman flick.

A man smoking a cigarette comes walking across the court with a yellow Lab in tow. It's Ben Weiss. Clooney yells out, "Hey! Benny!" He turns to me and says proudly, "Benny just recently directed his first episode of Friends."

Weiss is pleased. He then tells me something George did that makes George who he is. Two weeks ago, he flew everybody in from around the country to the set of Friends for Weiss's directorial debut, as a surprise. Weiss was working behind the camera and he looked up, and there were the boys - all seven of them -- in the corner, waving at him. Clooney, his basketball cocked under one arm, is beaming at the memory.

When you spend any time with George Clooney, you learn that hanging out with the boys is really about refining what it means to be a better man. Call that corny, but it's as old as dirt, and it's an honest avocation. Part of this also means -in the Clooney universe - learning to be an expert practical joker. Richard Kind is George's favorite mark.

In Clooney's house, on a table near the foyer, there's a black-and-white picture of a naked Richard Kind, covered with a towel, lying on a massage table. He's lifting his head from the pillow in sudden surprise. There is on Richard's face a look of extreme agony – no, of confusion. It's a very funny picture. It was taken during one of George's Sundays with the boys.

About the masseuses, George explains, "Nothing was going on. But, you know, every one of these guys' fantasy is that she'll sort of creep down and, you know, spank you for no reason at all.
"So Richard is lying there," George continues, "getting a massage. And I come over to where the masseuse is standing, and I take where her hands are, and I start rubbing. And I roll the towel down, and I start rubbing his butt, rubbing the side of his leg. And I go" -- and here George, smiling broadly, pantomimes giving Richard Kind a tremendous wallop, a spanking, on the ass -- "I just go, Slap, just like that!" George says. "Look at his face! He's so unhappy! He hasn't figured it out! He doesn't know why she's slapping him so hard!"

"Richard had this cat that he loved and adored," Ben Weiss tells me. "So George would go in the bathroom, and that's where the litter box was. And there would be cat shit in there, so George would clean it up and flush it down the toilet. Then Richard would go in there and say, 'God, it's so weird. My cat hasn't taken a shit in forever.'

"George went along with that, and kept cleaning the box for a few days. Richard went to the vet to get some kind of thing to make the cat go to the bathroom. The poor cat. The cat's shitting, and George is still cleaning it up. And then finally George stood over the cat box and took a giant shit. And finally Richard goes in there and says, "Oh, my God! Kitty!"

by melbert Tue 22 Mar 2011, 16:49

I love these stories! Thanks Merlin!

by playfuldeb Wed 23 Mar 2011, 01:54

In the first article it mentions the casino and 25% going to a charity.
"and developing a Las
Vegas casino (25 percent of his profit will go to African relief), Clooney
spends most of his time at home in Hollywood. "

I didnt think that the casino project went thru.

by Dexterdidit Wed 23 Mar 2011, 03:41

No it didn't. The Kitty story while disgusting is funny. I can imagine how poor Richard would have been upset. Glad that they are all still so close although I think with his work taking him everything they don't get to hang as much as they used too.

by Merlin Wed 23 Mar 2011, 06:34

I think the profit he made from the sale of the site went to charity....

by bellybaby Wed 23 Mar 2011, 12:05

purgatoire wrote:
Dexterdidit wrote:Yes, he does. He truely relies on them. I just wish he would listen to them!

Amen!

Great stories! But how do we know what his friends are telling him? Maybe they're the ones encouraging him to stick with the easy types of relationships he has. Maybe he is listening to them silent

by fluffy Wed 23 Mar 2011, 14:07

If they are telling him to stay single, mabye they are living out their fantasy thro Gee because they're married and can't?? Just a thought!

by Dexterdidit Wed 23 Mar 2011, 22:58

That has been a thought of some of us. They get alot out of George remaining single a wife would cut down the free holidays etc. I can't imagine alot of the girls being that thrilled but they don't seem to get too attached to the girl of the moment anyway.

by lucy Thu 24 Mar 2011, 04:07

It seems as if the vaca with boys and co. have gotten further apart over the last couple of years, or they have gotten better at keeping a low profile.

by lucy Thu 24 Mar 2011, 04:09

It seems as if the vaca with boys and co. have gotten further apart over the last couple of years, or they have gotten better at keeping a low profile.

by Dexterdidit Thu 24 Mar 2011, 04:26

No they still happen we just don't hear off them as much. I remember seeing pics and video of George with some of the boys on holidays. They don't all seem to get together at once all the time they seem to stagger it. Maybe they can't all get time off at the same time. But they still get together and they show up in Italy most years.

by Katiedot Mon 11 Jul 2011, 19:56

Here's this old story about Matt:

January-2000 The Globe

JUST SHOOT ME BEAUTY IN TRIAL MARRIAGE WITH GEORGE CLOONEY'S BEST BUDDY

Sitcom funnygal Laura San Giacomo is playing house with beau Matt Adler, say pals- and no one is happier for the lovebirds than Matt's best friend George Clooney!

GLOBE reported in July 1998 that the 38-year old star of TV's Just Shoot Me and the handsome actor were an item. But Laura "waited years before letting Matt move into the home she shares with her son Mason," a friend reveals.

"She wants to be sure Matt loves the boy as much as she does."
Mason, 4, was born with cerebral palsy, an incurable condition that damages the brain and causes paralysis. But he's a brave, bright little boy who has enchanted both Matt and George with his jokes.

"Matt is wonderful with mason," says the friend. "When George invited him and Laura to spend New Years Eve with him at the Carmel Valley Ranch in California, Matt insisted they bring Mason along. George was delighted." Laura's devotion to Mason was partly responsible for the split from the tot's dad, actor Cameron Dye, say pals. But Matt, who starred with Clooney in The Peacemaker, is so tender toward her son that the altar-shy actress is now hearing wedding bells.

"Before she commits to a second marriage, she wants to make sure Matt's the right one," says the friend. "But for now, she and Matt and Mason are happy and enjoying life together as a family."

by sisieq Mon 11 Jul 2011, 20:08

In photos from Ben's wedding at the Villa, I recall she was in one walking with a guy. I'm presuming that was Matt.

by it's me Mon 11 Jul 2011, 21:12

hope the best for the three of them

by hathaross Mon 11 Jul 2011, 22:59

Are there photos?

by lucy Mon 11 Jul 2011, 23:24

sisieq, what wedding photos are you talking about? Are you holding out on us? The only ones I can remember seeing were the boys and their girls getting off some boat at night.

by sisieq Tue 12 Jul 2011, 01:06

lucy wrote:sisieq, what wedding photos are you talking about? Are you holding out on us? The only ones I can remember seeing were the boys and their girls getting off some boat at night.

LOL, maybe those were the ones. I recall her walking on a warft (sp). I'm rushed at work all this week and meant to add that part. Sorry! Wasn't she in the ones you are referring too?

by Dexterdidit Wed 13 Jul 2011, 13:15

There is a picture of Laura walking with Matt and Cindy and Rande were just in front of them. They were walking to the boat. They got married the same year I believe and are still together.

by it's me Sun 04 Mar 2012, 16:53

poor Richard!
cattivo George
CATTIVO!! poisson davril

by Vi Sun 04 Mar 2012, 17:01

something rotten in denmark it's me ?

have I said something wrong ?

only a guess

ciao

by it's me Sun 04 Mar 2012, 17:11

not you!

G

to poor kind RK!!!

by Katiedot Mon 19 Mar 2012, 20:35

A bit more info about the boys from an article in The Mirror newspaper in 2003:

His relationship with his male pals, most of whom he has known for 20 years, gives him the emotional stability he needs and keeps him laughing. The seven revel in practical jokes, often competing to out-do each other.

============

The star's pals are the closest thing he has to brothers and he'll stick by
them through thick and thin. They also help explain why, despite his fame and wealth, George has remained so level-headed. "We are what makes him George," Richard says. "Everything else makes him George Clooney."

Understanding his friendship helps explain how George ticks. George met The Boys when he first arrived in Los Angeles in the early 80s looking for work. The gang consists of Richard, Thom Mathews, Grant Heslov, Tommy Hinkley, Matt Adler, Benn Weiss and Waldo Sanchez.

Thom let George sleep in his roomy cupboard for eight months when he first arrived in LA. Grant gave him $100 to pay for his first promotional shot. Richard gave George a bed for nine months after his divorce from Talia.

Benn is a close friend of George's cousin, Miguel Ferrer. George met Matt on a Hollywood basketball court in 1986. Actor Tommy Hinkley and stylist Waldo Sanchez, who now joins George on set as his hairdresser, complete the group.

They meet up most Sundays at George's sprawling, eight-bedroom mansion, Casa de Clooney. The house is Boy Heaven - there's a cigar lounge and a TV room with an adjacent steam room. His bar offers Guinness on tap. What more could anyone want? The Boys - all now in their early 40s - ride matching Harley motorbikes or the motorcycles George bought everyone for Christmas a few years back. They
play basketball, go swimming and then have a barbecue. Wives and children are welcome.

George loves children... he just doesn't want any of his own.

There are dozens of stories of how the friends help each other. When
Grant separated from his girlfriend in 1994, George decided the best way to heal his broken heart was by playing golf. The pair set off in George's Winnebago motor home to play golf across every state line in the USa.

"We'd stop at each line on the freeway and tee up a golf ball into the next state," George recalls. "We played through the problem - so to speak."

And when Richard's father died of a heart attack, George hired a jet and flew them all out to the funeral. "We sat in the back of the synagogue and Richard was in front with his back to us," George recalls. "When he got up and started to talk about his dad, he saw us and started sobbing. He said: 'I'm sorry but I just saw my best friends back there.'

"There was this amazing feeling that every one of these guys had dropped everything just to be there. That's what it's like. People like that keep you sane."

Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher sums the situation up: "That house is like a sitcom. George has these buddies who have recently divorced and they're all living there. George is like everybody's older brother. I'm 57 but if I was in trouble, I'd go to see George."

But there's always time for The Boys. Ex-girlfriend Celine refuses to criticise George but it's telling that just two days after celebrating his 37th birthday with her, he took the group off to Florida for a week's holiday - no women included.

by Joanna Mon 19 Mar 2012, 20:44

Hey Katie....you've been having a clear out of stuff behind the wardrobe !!
Thanks for handing it all out any way Thumbs up!

Find any gold coins ?

by fadelite Mon 09 Jul 2012, 14:15

Here's a newish Richard Kind interview. It's long but gives interesting inside of George and the boys. Kind starts talking about George around the 50 minute mark. And gives his side of some famous George pranks (the kitty one). He talks about George for a least 20 minutes. There are also a story about Grant that's pretty interesting. It come sometime after he talks about George.

by Lakin460 Mon 09 Jul 2012, 14:21

The video/link did not post, fadelite.

by Joanna Mon 09 Jul 2012, 14:28

Was this the one fadelite ?

by Joanna Mon 09 Jul 2012, 14:31

Richard Kind on the red carpet of George Clooney's Cinematheque Tribute in 2006.

by fadelite Mon 09 Jul 2012, 14:41

No, not those two. But the Christmas tree story is talk about in this one too.

I'll try again - Link

Click on Link and it should work.

by Joanna Mon 09 Jul 2012, 14:46

fadelite wrote:No, not those two. But the Christmas tree story is talk about in this one too.

I'll try again - Link

Click on Link and it should work.

by Joanna Mon 09 Jul 2012, 14:48

Great....thanks for finding it fadelight !

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