LITTLE ROCK — Dozens of fans stood for hours in upper-20s temperatures, cameras and cell phones at the ready, to watch George Clooney filming Wednesday on Cincinnati’s downtown Fountain Square. Such crowd scenes have been common over the past two months since Clooney began scouting locations and then filming the first movie he has made in the region, where he grew up. Clooney acts in and directs The Ides of March, about a presidential campaign, and the filming around town has become a dominant topic, with folks sharing Tweets about Clooney sightings and photos of him hanging around outside the sets. A casting call for 1,500 extras drew 23,000 responses. Film buff Lauren Wendling said she enjoyed the chance to see the behind-the-scenes work on Clooney’s new movie. “He’s a hometown star, and it’s great to see someone from here who is so successful,” said Wendling, who works in finance. “It’s a great experience for people who don’t live in LA to just see how a movie is made.” The Oscar-winning actor was born in Lexington, Ky., and grew up in Cincinnati-area communities where his father, Nick Clooney, was a popular journalist and TV personality.
Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has receiveda royal honor from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace. The Swansea, Wales-born actress became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire at the ceremony Thursday, where she was accompanied by husband Michael Douglas and their two children, Carys and Dylan. Zeta-Jones, 41, said she was “very emotional and rather nervous” to receive the honor, which was given for her services to the film industry and her charity efforts. She said “it wasworth [it] to have Michael in good health to be able to enjoy it with me.” Douglas has been fighting throat cancer. Zeta-Jones said Prince Charles had expressed his sympathy and was “happy to hear” Douglas was recovering.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 02/25/2011