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RSS FeedClooney's smashing night in Santa Barbara
Where did triple-Oscar nominee George Clooney spend the night after being honored at the 21st Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival last Friday?
Not Bacara, the massive, modern, ocean-side resort where the SBIFF offered to bunk him.
Clooney and his entourage, including intrepid personal pub Stan Rosenfield and Grant Heslov, his pal and “Good Night, and Good Luck” co-screenwriter, stayed at the historic Upham Hotel, an 125-year-old B&B, just a few blocks from the Arlington Theatre, where the Modern Masters Award ceremony was held Feb. 3.
It's likely that Clooney stayed in one of the hotel's secluded garden cottages — perhaps the Master Suite was most appropriate? — with a king bed, Jacuzzi spa, fireplace, private yard and hammock.
Clooney’s entourage gathered back at the hotel after the SBIFF awards, relaxing in the living room-like bar in the lobby to laugh about the evening’s side-splittingly funny finale.
Photo: Grant Heslov, George Clooney, Leonard Maltin and SBIFF director Roger Durling try to put Clooney's award back together again after the Modern Master Awards at the Arlington Theatre.
(Chris Weeks / WireImage)
When Clooney, the quintessential practical joker, accepted his award at the end of an amusing two-hour Q&A with Leonard Maltin, he actually got serious.
“I love what I do for a living. And we all pursue approval from others but I don’t know how to handle it when people say nice things about me. But I do enjoy it! So, thank you. However, I don’t think it’s brave to make films like these. I’m terrified of not making films like these and at 70, saying, “I’m Batman” again.”
Then Clooney held up his trophy, which broke in two pieces — as if it were sitcom scripted — and one piece crashed to the stage floor.
“Did you do this to Peter Jackson too?,” Clooney asked the hysterically laughing audience, as Heslov scurried around, picking up the broken piece, sticking the award back together and handing it back to Clooney, who rolled his eyes in mock-exasperation.
Later that night, the Upham Hotel got more and more packed as word spread around town that the Oscar-nominated producer-actor-writer was holding court there.
Prior to Clooney, the Upham's most famous visitor was British writer Aldous Huxley, who — by then quite blind — spent the winter of 1959 at the hotel. Sorry, Aldous, old chap. You’ve officially moved to No. 2 on the Upham's famous visitor list.
Where's Clooney heading next? To London for the British American Film and Television Awards on Sunday, Feb. 19, where he's nominated for three awards — two best supporting nods ("Good Luck" and "Syriana") and one for best screenplay ("Good Luck"). He'll also receive the BAFTA David Lean Award for Direction for "Good Luck."
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