Who, me?
Why should George Clooney win the Best Actor Oscar? Well, he deserves it. Simple as that. Will he win? Who knows. The Academy isn’t always fair. Life isn’t fair. Or even sane. Couple years ago they awarded a low budget war movie Best Picture over Avatar. Granted, it was a good film, but Avatar was a great film. Like Clooney, it had a social conscience. It broke barriers. It took “original and bold” to a completely different level. Most of Hollywood has little that is new. Instead we get police procedurals featuring serial killers, or vampire sequels. Often there is product placement for junk food, soda, and gas-guzzling vehicles. Clooney has been an advocate for the environment and for peace, and has made political statements both offscreen and on (in his movie choices, such as Syriana and Michael Clayton.) He did humanitarian work in Darfur, and has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In THE DESCENDANTS he proved once again that isn’t afraid to show his non-glamourous side, without makeup. He hasn’t colored his hair or gone for Botox or facelifts, although he joked a few times that he has, “can’t you tell?” Clooney has a sense of humor, unlike his nemesis Bill O’Reilly, who lied repeatedly about him. Certainly, he has made a few mistakes in his career, and yes, there are other worthy performances this year, notably Jean Dujardin in “The Artist.” But because he’s a great actor and a genuinely nice guy, I pick Clooney. Which is also why he has a cameo in my novel The Instant Celebrity.
