George Clooney on Beating the Daily Mail: ‘It’s Fun to Slap The Bad Guys’

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Clooney on Beating the Daily Mail: ‘It’s Fun to Slap The Bad Guys’






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Win McNamee/Getty Images
July 20, 2014 | 08:00AM PT  
David S. Cohen
Senior Editor, Features@Variety_DSCohen
 

“It’s just fun to slap those bad guys every once in a while, knock ‘em around,” George Clooney told Variety Friday about triumphing in his spat with British tabloid the Daily Mail.

The Daily Mail and its website MailOnline.com, which has frequently been sued for libel and regularly loses, published an article claiming the mother of Clooney’s fiance objected to their upcoming marriage. It deleted the article and apologized after Clooney wrote an op-ed that was published in USA Today, saying the Mail’s article was demonstrably false.

Clooney, the son of newsman Nick Clooney, has held journalism in high regard (as seen in his film “Good Night, and Good Luck”). So while he says he understands that some tabloids have always made things up, he is concerned about bigger issues than the Daily Mail’s lies about himself or even his family.
Speaking by phone from Lake Como in Italy, Clooney said “I would sit with my friends and we’d just go, ‘So they just sat at a computer and just went, “OK, this is what I’m gonna say today.” I mean, literally, because you just go ‘There isn’t literally an element of truth in this.’ You just laugh, and let it go. I’m used to it after all these years. But the thing that bothers me is how much the Daily Mail is now bleeding into American press and becoming a source for some pretty legitimate newspapers. So that’s the thing that worries me.”

“Those are really bad guys and they do tend to tee off on everybody,” said Clooney. “It’s fun when you can go, ‘Well, this one, I know I have all the facts right.’ Usually the argument is: ‘Hey, we’re not gonna tell you our source,’ and, ‘Prove it.’ And when they actually do it themselves it’s so great. You go, ‘OK, well you obviously just screwed this (up), so I think I can get you now.”

The actor-activist said he’s learned that he has to choose his battles, whether it’s choosing which atrocities in East Africa to spotlight or which lies out of London to object to. “That’s why you pick your fights at a tabloid. Every day they write things that aren’t true, but every once in a while they write something that is actually dangerous to your family, and it’s probably not true. And that’s the one you pick.”

Of his engagement to activist-lawyer-author Amal Alamuddin, Clooney quipped “I’m marrying up.”

This is great - and he's right!!

He may be right but I think he asking for trouble. Sometimes it's better to take the high road, prove your point and shut up. Gloating is not attractive.

Ype.

Was referring to his last remark really............

Ah PAN. I had some thoughts on that one too......

"bleeding into American press"    hahahaha   I like this phrase...couldn't find the bleeding smiley though.

"MARRYING UP"  REALLY?

Unfortunately, he's right That story got picked up by lots of mainstream media here before he called the DM out and even now those same outlets are still picking up stories from the DM as if nothing had happened. They're all a bunch of hypocrites.

"Speaking by phone from Lake Como in Italy, Clooney said
“I would sit with my friends and we’d just go,
‘So they just sat at a computer and just went,
“OK, this is what I’m gonna say today.”

I mean, literally, because you just go
‘There isn’t literally an element of truth in this.’
You just laugh, and let it go. I’m used to it after all these years.""

That's a great pen picture of George and just how I'd imagined his reaction would be to the gossipy-trashy- rubbish written about him over the years.
That's why I never like seeing it reproduced here on COH, but I have come to terms with it now.
But acceptance doesn't mean I like it.

lol
it pronto made me think at throwing up

Thanks for the article.....

Seems like he can't let go and needs to hit the DM one more time  

Good for him, the DM sucks

Facetious pig

I think that's the nicest thing I've ever heard George say about a girlfriend to the press.  I don't think I've ever hear him say anything beyond "She's a great girl."  "I'm marrying up" is quite a compliment coming from him.

I agree . I do not think he is but he is sweet .   

Do we have this? Does it belong here?

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If Amal Alamuddin can bag George Clooney, so can we!

Dear Mr Clooney,

To most of us, Amal Alamuddin was just another name – she could be a friend, a neighbour or another acquaintance. But what we really didn’t know was that this name would one day be linked to you.

We would have never guessed that you of all people, the fantastic silver fox of Hollywood, would tie the knot and that too overnight! She is engaged to you, the ‘world’s sexiest man’ and one of the most sought-after bachelors. I hope your ego has taken a huge boost while you read this. She has set the standard so high that if we had to let go of generations of infatuation, we would be glad that we’ve lost you to her. Because we approve!


You need to know that Ms Alamuddin has made the entire Muslim community, which is usually under fire for some reason or the other, proud. And not just the Muslim community but even the world’s working female populace.

Do you have any idea how hard it is for a woman to work and then come home just in time to set food on the table? And are we thanked for it?

No.

But ultimately this is the price we have to pay. We, women, juggle priorities for most of our lives and for women who make their careers their first priority, you have made this sacrifice worth it.

I think women today can’t decide whether to be jealous of Ms Alamuddin or Ms Alamuddin’s curriculum vitae (CV).  You are betrothed to a woman who has not only advised Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations (UN) and who acts now as a joint special envoy of the UN and Arab League on Syria (huge deal by the way) but also represented the controversial Wikileaks founder and king of the free media movement, Julian Assange.

I mean how many women can come home and when asked about their day say,

“Nothing much, I just represented Ukraine’s former prime minister.”

Or

“Yeah, the day was okay. I am now heading the committee that is investigating an assassination, no big deal.”

Well, it may not be a big deal for you Ms Alamuddin but such an impressive CV makes me want to work even harder and beat this record. I don’t want to merely come home and rant to my parents about how my boss makes me do coffee runs every half hour, especially, since potential suitors are no longer on the horizon.

So, Mr Clooney, I hope you understand what you are getting yourself into. Ms Alamuddin is not one of your usual conquests. She isn’t blonde, a waitress and isn’t vaguely familiar. The pressure is on you though because she is one of Britain’s most eligible bachelorettes and was recently voted London’s hottest lawyer. She has so many credits to her name that it makes me wonder if you haven’t already developed an inferiority complex.

Even if you haven’t developed one yet, don’t worry, it’s quite inevitable.

Mr Clooney, how does it feel to be on the other side of the coin? After all, there is always a first time for everything.

I don't like the phrase "Marrying up". Sounds very class-minded and calculated to me.Maybee it's a cultural difference but I have never in real life heard anyone talking about marriage like that. I would have prefered if he had said that he is marrying someone who is a better person then him. That would have been a compliment to her. This isn't a compliment in my ears.

What does exactly mean "marrying up"?

It means marrying someone better than yourself - usually someone of a higher social or economic class. IMO, this is not the case with George, but I'm probably prejudiced.  

Lol  thank you

What if Amal says the same thing about George?
Dont know if we'd ever get an quote from Amal about this marriage or her fiance.

Sevens, take at this. It explains everything

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Very self-deprecating comment actually.........but he's obviously very happy about it

Just a side note

MailOnline’s ad revenue soars, Clooney be damned


Sorry, George Clooney: MailOnline’s second-quarter advertising revenue was up 49 percent over the same period in 2013. Digital advertising brought in £15m (about $25.5m), which “offset a £3m (5 per cent) fall in print advertising revenue from the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, which stood at £46m for the quarter.” (PressGazette) | The Daily Mail’s “great stories you may not have seen anywhere else” are often untrue or ripped off.


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what does it mean this last post?   
thanks in advance

It means that the Daily Mail's on-line version is a big money maker in terms of advertisements purchased--despite George's pointing out their false stories and dishonest reporting (or partially because of?). The print versions of the same newspaper has declining advertising revenue.

ok got it
thanks