His last movie didn't do so hot, but George Clooney's still making headlines. This time, he has spoken out about the recent split between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. According to Variety, Clooney has decided to stay neutral where many prominent actors have taken sides, and he's urging others to take the same route. If Hollywood actors go on strike, it'll probably be SAG's fault, considering the eagerness of AFTRA to negotiate a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. AFTRA's biggest defender is Tom Hanks, while Jack Nicholson is heading up the other side. "Stories about Jack Nicholson vs. Tom Hanks only strengthen the negotiating power of the AMPTP," Clooney said in a statement.

Like many actors, Clooney wants to take any measures he can to prevent a strike. As a member of SAG, the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, he wears many hats. "I'm hoping that there might be a way out of this," he said. "To be sure, I'm not the brightest bulb out there. So maybe someone has a lot better idea." Then he got personal: "I just happen to believe so strongly in both unions... my father, my mother, aunt, uncle, even cousins were all members." Nobody's doubting his allegiance, but after souring his relationship with the WGA after Leatherheads came out, it's hard to say how the other unions will regard him in the coming months.

Welcome to another edition of Insert Caption -- the online game all of your friends are ridiculously addicted to! Last week, we asked you to take a real good look at a photo from the new movie Leatherheads. From there we wanted you to stand in front of a mirror, close your eyes and make a wish. Still don't look like George Clooney? Drats. Sorry. While we try to figure out what's wrong with our Clooney Look-a-Like 3000 machine, let's give our three caption winners from last week a healthy virtual round of applause.

1. "Here, take my hand. I've never lost a game of "Red Rover" and I ain't gonna start now." -- Mike R.

2. "I thought you meant the *proverbial* s--- was going to hit the *proverbial* fan." -- Mike Z.

3. "Trust me...a pot-bellied pig demands empathy before it will become a housepet." -- Andrew W.

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And speaking of things that deserve a round of applause, this week we're heading to Hawaii with a photo from the upcoming (hysterical) comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Jason Segel stars as a guy whose hottie girlfriend (Kristen Bell) dumps him hard. When he decides to take a recovery trip to Hawaii, he unfortunately didn't realize he'd be staying at the same hotel as his ex and her new man. Don't you hate it when that happens? The three lucky winners from this week will surf away with one Forgetting Sarah Marshall poster, one Forgetting Sarah Marshall t-shirt, one Forgetting Sarah Marshall tank top and one Forgetting Sarah Marshall beach towel. With all that to show off to your friends, one thing's for sure: You definitely will not forget about this movie. Forgetting Sarah Marshall hits theaters on April 18. Sound off below ...



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No sooner do I write an adulatory post about George Clooney than I come upon this story about the trouble he's been having with the Writers' Guild of America over credit for the Leatherheads screenplay. He's so upset at the way he's been treated that he's gone "financial core" at the Guild, which is an irreversible decision making him a limited, non-voting, dues-paying member. He says he would have quit altogether, but that would have basically prevented him from working as a screenwriter in Hollywood.

According to Clooney, the original Leatherheads script by Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly had been bouncing around for almost two decades before he took it, rewrote it as a screwball comedy, and got the project greenlit. He believes that he wrote all but two scenes of the resulting film. But when the credit squabble went to arbitration before the WGA last fall, the guild determined that Clooney didn't deserve screen credit for his work. That was the end of the line for him (he declined to appeal), though he kept the matter quiet at the time because of the ongoing writers strike.

As Leatherheads arrives in theaters, you're going to be hearing the phrase "screwball comedy" a lot, either in the barrage of pre-opening publicity or in review after review. "Screwball comedy" implies a certain snap and rotation -- a velocity to the gags and a vector to the plot -- but the people who made Leatherheads don't quite have the strength of arm or skew of angle to make Leatherheads truly screwball; it kind of fizzles out on the way to the plate. And that's not to say Leatherheads is charmless or unenjoyable or ill-made; it just isn't quite as good as the pedigrees and passions of the people involved would have you think it will (or, frankly, should) be.

Yesterday, Monika asked if we were tired of George Clooney, who has undeniably been everywhere since making his escape from ER in the mid-1990s. I wanted to weigh in, because my answer is a curious one, and it sadly wasn't an option in Monika's poll: I used to be tired of him, but I'm not anymore.

I think the peak of my tiredness came with the dreadful Perfect Storm in 2000. I remember being so sick of seeing Clooney pop up as these boring, poker-faced, tediously noble action heroes. I hadn't seen his earlier B-movie efforts at the time, and the triple-threat of Batman & Robin, The Peacemaker and The Perfect Storm made me wish he'd never been born. (I had seen Three Kings, and honestly don't remember why that didn't change matters for me -- I think I wrote it off as a fluke, and was more impressed with Ice Cube anyhow.) What an anodyne heartthrob, I thought, with no personality or real talent. Get him out of my sight.

This weekend will see three new major releases representing the romantic comedy, family, and horror genres.

Leatherheads
What's It All About: George Clooney stars in and directs this romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the rise of professional football in the 1920s.
Why It Might Do Well: Well, it's directed by Clooney, and despite the fact that every time his name comes up I feel obliged to make a crack about Batman and Robin (those wounds have yet to fully heal), his last directorial effort was the excellent Good Night and Good Luck. That film had a $7 million budget and pulled in $54.6 million worldwide.
Why It Might Not Do Well: This one should do well enough, but based on the number of theaters, I don't see this one hitting number one.
Number of Theaters: 2,700
Prediction: $19 million

George Clooney is an actor who has traversed the worlds of mainstream moviegoers and critical viewers well. While he is not considered to be the best actor out there, nor the best director, solid performances, a number of enjoyable films, and his ever-present charm have made him one of the good guys. It also doesn't hurt that he has some stinkers (Batman and Robin), and some terrible cult favorites in him as well (Return of the Killer Tomatoes).

Maybe it's a sense of humility that keeps him so entrenched in the spotlight. Reuters reports that George Clooney is looking to become more of a director in the next decade, and not just due to his interest in the craft. "Ten years from now, I imagine people will be fairly sick of seeing a lot of us who are on camera now. My hope is I'll be directing more. That is my goal." Personally, I sort of hope that he sticks to both. It's nice to have some mainstream stars out there who are not lead the tabloid pages, and who have the chops to back up their notoriety. He's got his share of buzz, but there has always been a sense of balance to it -- enough to keep him familiar, but not enough to make him annoying. But that's just me.

Are you getting sick of Clooney, or think you will be sick of him in the next 10 years?

*Interesting side note: Did you know that he first read a screenplay for Leatherheads back in his ER days?

I totally think it'd be fun to hang with George Clooney for the day. Not even for the attention, the women or the chance that Perez Hilton would write silly little things all over a photo of George and I. Fact is, the guy just looks like he has a good time with life (granted, good looks and millions of dollars probably help some). Above you will find an exclusive clip from Moviefone's latest Unscripted installment featuring Mr. Clooney and his Leatherheads co-star John Krasinski.

Not only did they ask each other questions YOU left for them right here on this very blog, but they also revealed plenty in the "unscripted" questions they asked one another. Who won a thousand bucks in a one-on-one basketball game behind the scenes: Clooney or Krasinski? Whose perfect date consists of drinking and yelling? And why do the boys care so much about Fifi from San Francisco? (Where are you Fifi -- you're a star now!) Check out the clip above, then head on over to Moviefone for the entire Unscripted interview. Fun stuff.

Leatherheads tackles its way into theaters on April 4.

Welcome back to another edition of Insert Caption -- the game even your parents can't resist playing! Last week, we asked you to strap on your hottest piece of exercise wear in order to give us the wittiest caption for a photo from the new film Run, Fat Boy, Run. Things didn't get too physical in the comments section, and I think we all agreed that Simon Pegg was definitely NOT bringing sexy back. However, according to our winner Christina D., he might be bringing something just a tad less ... manageable.

1. "So...Bleeker. Juno got you pregnant back?" -- Christina D.

2. "Simon heard Hans' pickup line and smirked at the irony that he actually had tickets to the gun show." -- Eric W.

3. "I knew I recognized you... You were in the Olivia Newton John Video 'Physical' huh?" -- Josh B.

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This week we're sticking with boys who like to get dirty and sweaty. Not boys, men! Men who like to play with balls. (I think I'll stop here.) Yes, we're here to talk about Leatherheads -- that upcoming old school football flick starring George Clooney, John Krasinski and Renée Zellweger. The three sports behind our favorite captions will walk away with one Leatherheads poster, one Leatherheads t-shirt, one Leatherheads hat and one Leatherheads calendar. Not to mention you'll score a winning touchdown with our staff. So lace up gang, and give us everything you've got! (And maybe, just maybe, we'll take the whole team out for ice cream after the game.) Sound off below ...

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Try as I might, I cannot find a video of the press conference for Leatherheads, and it seems the only one who noticed this story was Jeremy Smith from CHUD. I pass it on to you, because everyone likes a little George Clooney story on the weekend.

Farragut North, Beau Willimon's play (and hot Hollywood property) has been attached to Clooney (he's supposed to direct) since last fall, and it sounds like it might be going forward at last. However, Clooney denied he would be appearing in the film, saying, "I think there are a lot better actors for that than me." Oh, George. Such modesty. He doesn't expect to start production until next year, and there's no word as to whether Leonardo DiCaprio is still attached to star.

As the movie revolves around a young idealist on a presidential campaign, some may feel Clooney missed the boat on the timing. But I don't think so -- next year will give audiences a chance to catch their breath after this year's election. How many people want to go watch a film about a presidential campaign, and then come home to the real thing on CNN? Willimon's play is also set to debut on Broadway this summer, and the film might be hinging on its reception.

No one does classy political drama like Clooney. If Willimon's play is all that it is rumored to be, audiences can expect a brilliant movie -- and Clooney more gold statuettes. . .