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GEORGE CLOONEY

George Clooney, Gladys Knight among Kennedy Center honorees

Performers such as Gladys Knight or the Irish band U2 usually would be headlining a concert for thousands but at Sunday's Kennedy Center Honors the tables will be turned as they and other artists will be the ones feted for their lifetime of artistic contributions. Actor, director, producer and human rights activist George Clooney, groundbreaking composer and conductor Tania León, and contemporary Christian singer Amy Grant will join Knight, and the entire crew of U2 in being honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

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Julia Roberts’ Bali-based movie ‘Ticket to Paradise’ criticized for filming location, mixed-race actor

“Ticket to Paradise,” an upcoming romantic comedy starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, drew criticism earlier this week after it was discovered that the film was shot in Australia despite the story taking place in Bali, Indonesia. Indonesia’s Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno defended the film in a press conference on Tuesday. Sandiaga said during the briefing that the production team for “Ticket to Paradise” was one of several that had approached his department about filming in Bali during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Clooney, 'Billie Holiday' among AARP movie award honorees

This image released by Paramount Pictures shows Andra Day in "The United States vs Billie Holiday." (Takashi Seida/Paramount Pictures via AP)“The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Minari,” “Da 5 Bloods” and “One Night in Miami” are among the films AARP is honoring at its annual Movies for Grownups Awards, the nonprofit organization said Thursday. Director Lee Daniels’ “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” starring Andra Day as the jazz singer, was named best picture, while the Korean American family drama “Minari” got best intergenerational film. “We focus on films made by and for grownups,” said Tim Appelo, the film and television critic for AARP. Catherine O’Hara took best actress for “Schitt’s Creek,” Mark Ruffalo got best actor for “I Know This Much is True” and “This Is Us” was named best series.

Moet Hennessy buys 50% stake in Jay-Z's Champagne brand

Moet Hennessy is acquiring a 50% stake in the rapper and entrepreneur's Champagne brand, Armand de Brignac, in an effort to up its cool factor and expand sales. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, said the partnership will help Armand de Brignac grow and flourish. (Photo by Greg Allen/Invision/AP, File)Moet Hennessy is acquiring a 50% stake in rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z’s Champagne brand in an effort to up its cool factor and expand distribution. Moet Hennessy President and CEO Philippe Schaus said Armand de Brignac breaks barriers and reflects contemporary ideas of luxury, even as it supports historic Champagne-making traditions. Moet Hennessy is the wine and spirits division of luxury goods company LVMH.

Former Trump casino where stars played goes out with a bang

The former Trump Plaza casino was imploded after falling into such disrepair that chunks of the building began peeling off and crashing to the ground. “I got chills,” Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small said. AdOpened in 1984, when Trump was a real estate developer in his pre-politics days, Trump Plaza was for a time the most successful casino in Atlantic City. AdBut things began to sour for Trump Plaza when Donald Trump opened the nearby Trump Taj Mahal in 1990, with crushing debt loads that led the company to pour most of its resources — and cash — into the shiny new hotel and casino. Trump Plaza was the last of four Atlantic City casinos to close in 2014, victims of an oversaturated casino market both in the New Jersey city and in the larger northeast.

Q&A: Clooney on 'Midnight Sky' and his twilight as an actor

“The Midnight Sky,” which Clooney directed and stars in, is an apocalyptic sci-fi drama with some striking solitude. Debuting Wednesday on Netflix, “The Midnight Sky,” based on Lily Brooks-Dalton's novel “Good Morning, Midnight," is Clooney's seventh film as director and his biggest scaled production yet. ___AP: You finished shooting “The Midnight Sky” in February, right before the pandemic began. AP: What drew you to “The Midnight Sky”? I know people who are older -- older than me, even -- who live with real regret.

Clooney honored by MoMA as actor, director and humanitarian

Clooney was honored Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, by co-stars and colleagues at the annual film benefit for the Museum of Modern Art, held virtually. MoMA’s annual film benefit raises funds to bring great works of film to the museum’s collection. Also giving virtual tributes Monday evening were actors Felicity Jones, Tiffany Boone, Kyle Chandler and Demian Bichir, who appear in “A Midnight Sky,” which Clooney stars in and directs. The benefit featured clips from some of Clooney’s many films: “Michael Clayton,” “Syriana,” "The Descendants,” “Gravity,” and “Good Night, and Good Luck,” among others. In earlier comments to The Associated Press, Clooney said “Good Night, and Good Luck” was probably his proudest professional accomplishment.

With red carpets rolled up, the Oscar race goes virtual

Hollywoods awards season has gone virtual. For Awards Daily founder Sasha Stone, who has been covering the Oscars since 2000, it’s like nothing she’s ever seen — an awards season without glamour, without red carpets, without anything that feels real. And awards season, such as it is, has gone virtual. The Oscar race will Zoomed. Not everyone is sorry that awards season — an increasingly bloated, overlong, high-priced slog from September to February — has been turned upside down.

People magazine reveals its '2020 People of the Year'

LOS ANGELES – People magazine has named George Clooney, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Selena Gomez and Regina King as the “2020 People of the Year.”The magazine revealed its list Wednesday morning as part of a year-end double issue with four covers. The four will be celebrated for their positive impact in the world during a challenging 2020. Clooney, Fauci, Gomez and King will be separately featured on the magazine covers of the issue, which is out Friday. The actor also called for support of marginalized communities during the pandemic and end police brutality of unarmed Black people. Her directorial debut, “One Night in Miami,” has also been talked about as a possible Oscar contender.

Art world star gives back by buying work of the undiscovered

Painter Guy Stanley Philoche, a 43-year-old Haitian immigrant and star in the New York art world, sit among some of his latest work during an interview at his East Harlem studio, Thursday Nov. 19, 2020, in New York. "I'm not a rich man," he said, "but I owe a big debt to the art world." (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)NEW YORK – Painter Guy Stanley Philoche, a star in the New York art world, had wanted to treat himself to a fancy watch after a hugely successful gallery show. “I'm not a rich man," he said, "but I owe a big debt to the art world. About half the artists Philoche has chosen are people he knows, many in New York.

George Clooney's secret to cutting his hair, as seen on TV

The star said he does his own haircuts with a device famously touted in infomercials. In an interview on “CBS Sunday Morning,” the Oscar-winning actor and filmmaker said he's been cutting his own hair for more than two decades. “My hair is really like straw,” Clooney said of his thick, salt-and-pepper thatch. But as Clooney told CBS News correspondent Smith, he's been cutting his hair “for 25 years” and relies on the Flowbee. Although the actor is famed for pranking his co-stars, Rosenfield said it seemed unlikely this was one of his practical jokes.

Golden Globes group gives $5.1 million in grants

Kidman was among the entertainers who appeared to discuss the charities that benefit from HFPA grants. More than $5.1 million in funds were given to over 70 nonprofit organizations during the “HFPA Philanthropy: Empowering the Next Generation” virtual event on Tuesday. The event, formerly known as the Grants Banquet, celebrated some of the organizations with aspiring artists, filmmakers and storytellers. The organization is known for putting on the Golden Globes. Salma Hayek paid homage to the Las Fotos Project, a nonprofit organization that inspires teenage girls through photography.

Amal Clooney quits UK role over 'lamentable' Brexit plan

In a letter Friday to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, the human rights lawyer said she is quitting her role as the U.K.’s special envoy on media freedom over the government’s “lamentable” suggestion. Clooney, who married movie star George Clooney in 2014, becomes the latest lawyer to resign over the planned legislation. Richard Keen, the British government’s law officer for Scotland, and the head of its legal department, Jonathan Jones, have also quit in the past couple of weeks. The British government has admitted that the legislation could potentially break international law, but argues that it’s an insurance policy for that potential ‘no-deal’ scenario. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland, an agreement that the planned legislation could breach.

Venice reclaims spotlight as 1st COVID-era film fest opens

Festival attendees cycle in front of the main cinema ahead of the start of the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. The 77th edition of the worlds oldest film festival opening Wednesday looks nothing like its predecessors. Italys strict 10-week lockdown largely tamed the virus, but infections are now rebounding after summer vacations. Guests to the glamorous film festival are not exempt. Italian films are well represented, including the first Italian opening-night film in years, the out-of-competition family drama Lacci by Daniele Luchetti.

'Don't shut up!' Film spotlights Filipino journalist

And I thought, Oh, doesnt matter. I laughed, said the countrys most well-known journalist and leader of the independent Rappler news organization. But the film shows how Dutertes populist campaign harnessed the platform to spread its message and target Ressa and other journalists. Social media, the tech platforms have created a system where lies laced with anger and hate spread faster than facts. She is seen in the film repeatedly pleading with Facebook representatives to delete violent posts or cut live streams. Diaz, who spoke from her home in Baltimore, hopes her film can help protect Ressa and other independent journalists.

Murad, Amal Clooney accuse leaders and UN of failing Yazidis

None of the pathways to a court have been studied, pursued, or seriously discussed at the United Nations, or by the Security Council, Clooney said. And Murad and Clooney said over 120,000 Yazidis who have returned to Sinjar desperately need health care, electricity, shelter, clean water, sanitation, education and opportunities to make a living. The international community must fulfill its promise to deliver justice for the Yazidi community. In addition, 57 nations are supporting a case brought by Gambia at the International Court of Justice under the Genocide Convention, and the International Criminal Court is investigating crimes in Myanmar, she said. Yazidi survivors deserve no less, Clooney said, stressing that government leaders, U.N. diplomats and all those with influence have a responsibility to respond.

Carl Reiner, beloved creator of 'Dick Van Dyke Show,' dies

FILE - In this May 26, 1963 file photo, Carl Reiner shows holds two Emmy statuettes presented to him as best comedy writer for the "Dick Van Dyke Show," during the annual Emmy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a second banana to Sid Caesar and rose to comedys front ranks as creator of The Dick Van Dyke Show and straight man to Mel Brooks 2000 Year Old Man, has died, according to reports. It starred Van Dyke as a television comedy writer working for a demanding, eccentric boss (Reiner) and living with his wife (Mary Tyler Moore in her first major TV role) and young son in suburban New Rochelle, New York. The Van Dyke show is probably the most thrilling of my accomplishments because that was very, very personal, Reiner once said. Reiner is the father of actor-director Rob Reiner.

Carl Reiner, comedys rare untortured genius, dies at 98

(AP Photo/Harold Filan, File)NEW YORK Carl Reiner, who died Monday at 98, was the rare untortured genius of comedy, his career a story of laughter and camaraderie, of innovation and triumph and affection. Reiner died of natural causes at his Beverly Hills, California home, assistant Judy Nagy said. But CBS executives worried that Reiner would make Petrie seem too Jewish, so Van Dyke was cast instead. First lady Michelle Obama once joked that she preferred watching Dick Van Dyke to viewing her husbands debates. Reiner was the father of actor-director Rob Reiner, who starred as Archie Bunkers son-in-law on All in the Family and directed When Harry Met Sally... Rob Reiner said in a tweet Tuesday that his heart is hurting.

George Clooney's warning on South Sudan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Actor George Clooney has called for action against multinationals, western tycoons and brokers who have profited from South Sudan's violent instability, warning policy makers that "if you don't care" what happens in South Sudan its problems "will end up on your doorstep." The Sentry report -- titled "The Taking of South Sudan" -- accuses "individuals and corporations from across the world" of taking advantage of the country's weak rule of law and corruption to enlarge their profits. One of its case studies alleges that the country's largest multinational petroleum consortium, Dar Petroleum Operating Company, funded militias in the oil-producing regions of South Sudan. CNN has independently verified these findings about Dar Petroleum, and has found evidence detailing the environmental and health impact of oil contamination in the Paloch and Adar regions. CNPS, Petronas and Dar Petroleum have yet to respond to CNN's request for comment.