Were the pics of George Clooney on holiday staged for the paparazzi?

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George Clooney has been photographed on safari in Tanzania with his new girlfriend, Oxford-educated British barrister Amal Alamuddin.

The actor and the elegant brunette appear in a series of sumptuous shots that People posted online Tuesday, showing the “Monuments Men” star looking debonair in stylish safari gear with his arm around alluring Alamuddin.

But some Clooney watchers wonder how a photographer managed to chase the couple to East Africa and jump out from behind a bush to get the secluded safari pics, which are credited to Getty Images.

Alamuddin also looks perfectly made up as if for a magazine shoot. Some wondered if the remote location shots were staged to show Clooney had moved on, now that his ex Stacy Keibler is married and rumored to be pregnant.

One blogger posted of the pristine shots, “This was not a stealthy pap situation,” pointing out the pics look “almost like they’re posed.”

But another source said Clooney had nothing to do with staging the pictures.

He’s back in New York Wednesday for meetings for his Casamigos tequila brand. Will Alamuddin be on his arm?

Carla97 wrote:. I don´t know if he has done it before with previous girlfriends - so something new perhaps.  

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PEOPLE has exclusive photos of George Clooney on safari in Tanzania with Amal Alamuddin, the English lawyer he’s dating now. Click here to see. They’re exclusive to the publication, with the online post promising more shots of the couple in the print edition on newsstands tomorrow. Which means they’ve been holding them until their competition closed their issues. It is indeed a major exclusive. And these are prime shots.

I mean, despite what they might try to tell you, this was not a stealthy pap situation. The photos are being distributed by Getty Images. It’s about as official as you can get. And it shows in the quality. Almost like they’re posed, non? Please don’t tell me you don’t think Clooney knew this was happening. Because if that’s the case, I’m not sure, after all these years, we’ve learned anything at all.

So this is basically an announcement and confirmation: Yes. I am dating again. She is my bonafide. Please, world, meet Amal Alamuddin.

She’s not a cocktail waitress. She’s not an aspiring actor/dancer/tv presenter. No. She’s a proper barrister. Click here to check out her credentials. Those are some credentials, non? This is not the standard Clooney escort profile. Which probably means the benefits that he can usually offer his paramours wouldn’t have the same appeal. Then again, given her focus on international law and human rights, he may be of some influence…just not the kind of influence he’s used to exchanging in his romantic relationships. Which, I wonder, if that’s also attractive to him. For once it’s not a part in a tv drama or access to designer dresses and invitations to the Oscars but something more profound that he can offer. Sh-t, I’m almost proud of him.