The Ides of March

Are they standing in line?

Marisa Tomei talks about filming with George on Ides of March

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Extract only :

Q: How goes “The Ides of March”? It’s about the dirty dealings of a political campaign, right?

A: I play a political reporter. I’m going back and forth between shooting that in Cincinnati and rehearsing this play. They were able to work it out—I’m so grateful I’m able to do both.

Q: Must be lousy working with that Clooney guy.

A: Ohhhh, it’s just awwwwful. ... I’ve never had a worse job in my life. (Big laugh.) I heard, “How lucky you are to be in a George Clooney film. He has the best crews, he has the best this and that”—this is all what George Clooney told me, mind you. (More laughter.) And I said, OK, we’ll see. But he really lived up to all those promises. It’s been a fantastic experience.

Thanks Laetval!

Lucy, they're lining up for breakfast!! lol

Or maybe line-dancing?

Looks like they're waiting for lunch or dinner. It's protocol that the crew eats first, then principal actors, then extras (although extras sometimes are fed a different meal, from a different station). Stars, of course can have whatever they want brought to them in their trailers, but George seems like a stand up guy - doesn't pull the "Star" thing. Meals are usually served from a food truck.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The Ides of March, George Clooney, and the Episcopal Church

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

A new sign hangs in the fellowship hall of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, located in the college town of Oxford, Ohio.

“George Clooney ate here.”

During the first week of March, cast and crew for a movie, “The Ides of March,” filmed on the campus of Miami University in Oxford. Scouts for the movie approached the church a few months ago, asking if they could use the church to serve breakfast and lunch for the crew.

“My policy is, ‘If we can say yes, let’s say yes,’” says the Rev. Karen Burnard, rector at Holy Trinity. “We saw this as an exercise in hospitality.”
Crew members poured in and out of the church from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm. Some of the cast also appeared, including Marisa Tomei and Paul Giamatti. On the third day, the film’s star came to lunch.

Clooney grew up in northern Kentucky, and his father, Nick, is well-known locally, having served as a TV anchor in Cincinnati for many years. All of Cincinnati has been a-flutter with Clooney-sightings. And here he was, eating in the fellowship hall of an Episcopal Church.

“Our students thought it was pretty cool,” admits Burnard. For the past six months, the church has focused on campus ministry, using grants and resources to develop FACES: Faith in Action through Community Engagement and Service. They started a Sunday night service just two weeks before Hollywood arrived. Ironically several of those students were on a spring break mission trip for Habitat for Humanity during the filming.

“This was a way to be a part of the community,” says Burnard. “Our style is not to be John the Baptist. We’re not going to live in the cave and be separate from the world. Our style is to work with the community on different projects – most of the time, it’s for service, but sometimes it’s just about hospitality.”

At the church on a Thursday and Friday, Clooney gamely posed for pictures, signed autographs, and talked with students and members of the church. Several news outlets featured pictures of Clooney coming out of the church.

Burnard isn’t naïve. She doesn’t expect the pews to be filled-to-busting because Clooney had lunch there. But the staff set out welcome brochures about the Episcopal Church, and nearly all were gone by the time filming completed.

“The best thing that could come out it is if one person picked up a brochure, like what it said about God, and decided to explore an Episcopal church somewhere in the county,” says Burnard. “That would be pretty good.”

Who knows what else the ides of March could bring? Be aware.

Oewie, I'm allergic to churches.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

George Clooney's 'Ides of March' shooting under way at U-M's Arthur Miller Theatre

You might want to check your hair and make-up, ladies.

Movie star/director George Clooney is in Ann Arbor today for the first of four expected days of local filming for his newest project, “The Ides of March,” with today's shooting taking place at the University of Michigan’s Arthur Miller Theatre, in the Walgreen Drama Center on North Campus.

All the now-familiar signs of a movie shoot are present. A line-up of semi-trucks (Chow Catering, Wild Horse Movie Trucks, etc.) populate the building’s parking lot and driveway; neon signs that read “IOM” point extras and others to where they need to go; a handful of security guards stand around the set’s perimeter, to keep the area closed to the public (and the press); two big, rolling carts with coffee and fruit and salad stand beneath the lobby’s staircase; a few dozen extras are on-hand nearby, in the lobby and just outside the building entrance, being quieted every few minutes by a loud call of “Quiet on the set! Rolling!”; and in a nearby studio space, long tables with stacks of plates, as well as a steady stream of caterers entering and leaving, suggested that by late morning, a lunch break for the cast and crew was imminent.

“Ides” publicist Tracey Schaefer estimated the crew’s arrival at the Miller Theatre this morning at about 8-9 a.m. The film team will be working in the space all day, with all shooting happening inside the theater. Schaefer also estimated 200 extras would be part of today’s shoot, since the scenes depict a politician’s town-hall-style meeting.

Schaefer and a security guard said that there had been a lot of student traffic in the area, but that students had been “pretty compliant,” so shooting thus far had gone smoothly.

Local shooting for “Ides” over the next three days is expected to also take place at the Power Center and Michigan League Ballroom.

"Ides" stars Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, and Clooney, who is also directing.

Based on Beau Willimon's play "Farragut North," "Ides" casts Clooney as a Howard Dean-type Presidential hopeful, while Gosling plays the lead character — a wunderkind press secretary who finds himself embroiled in the ugly world of back-room politics.

Meanwhile, a casting company is still seeking extras for Tuesday's filming.

Thanks Laetval!

Video at link : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Clooney Movie Pumped Millions Into Local Economy

That's a wrap, and the city is starting to calculate just how hosting Hollywood did for the economy. A crew of 150 people filmed Oscar winning actor George Clooney's "Ides of March" movie for twenty days in greater Cincinnati. As Local 12's Deborah Dixon tells us already other movie makers are looking to do the same.

A film commission tracks on location spending for Hollywood movies such as Ides of March with its big budget and full crew. "I think this film is putting about five or six million into local economy, if you look at bed nights, hotel rooms, its like a convention coming to town."

But conventioneers don't end up in People Magazine going face to face with an okapi at the Cincinnati Zoo. That's Ryan Gosling, who plays Governor Mike Morris' press aide in the political drama. Word is Gosling loved Cincinnati. "In the conversations I had with Ryan and others. they liked the city. They thought it was very charming with places to walk, dogs walk to restaurants, everyone was warm, the sort of midwestern city that appealed to them."

Also appealing to cast and crew... the Cleopatra exhibit at the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Art Museum, Graeters and Skyline Chili. Ides of March cast and crew spent a lot of time and money at First Café on Third Street, after shooting a scene for the movie.

Word of Hollywood on the Ohio apparently trickled back to tinsel town. Two dozen people with a production company are in town today scouting sites for a movie. Kristen Erwin said another attraction to film here is the financial incentive Ohio offers film makers.

Thanks Laetval!

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

George Clooney Brings the Handsomeness to ‘March’ Set

Earlier, we got a glimpse of Ryan Gosling‘s stunning good looks on the set of The Ides of March. Now, it’s his co-star’s turn!

The paps caught silver fox George Clooney as he was on the University of Michigan campus while getting ready to shoot some scenes for the upcoming political film.

The U of M campus isn’t the only place Clooney spent his time! Earlier in the day the crew shot scenes at the Miller Theater, although it is unknown what exactly they were filming there. Then, a police crew escorted Mr. Clooney back to the Power Center on the Michigan campus.

According to IMDB, the film is set to be released later this year and is about “an idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate who gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail.”

Even in his casual get up, George still looks distinguished! Check out all the photos in the gallery if you think you can handle it. Don’t forget to hit up us on Facebook and Twitter to let us know if you’ll see The Ides of March when it opens in theaters.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Nike really got their money's worth out of him and Betty, didn't they?

3rd pic down.....looks like Jay Leno's brother LOL

Who's the man behind Gee, I've seen him before.....

Well, Laetval has certainly been busy!! Nice finds, Thanks!!

Is Grant checking out George's ass? Don't blame him...

Fluffy that's Grant Heslov.....he's been in a few films as an actor e.g. Scorpion King and has been a friend of George's for about 25-30 years.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

George Clooney's 'Ides of March' will feature Ann Arbor third-grader Talia Akiva

Most kids don’t have to check in with George Clooney before getting their braces off.
But then again, most kids haven’t been cast to play the movie star’s daughter in a film called “The Ides of March,” either.
Ann Arbor’s Talia Akiva, 9, a third grader at Eberwhite Elementary, will play Beth Morris, daughter of presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney), in the film.
“Ides” started shooting in Ann Arbor on Monday, and is reportedly shooting in three different University of Michigan campus locations this week. Clooney is both directing and acting in the film.
“She (Talia) had braces on up until last week,” said Rachel Akiva, Talia’s mother, who noted that she’d previously been instructed not to trim Talia’s hair before the shoot. “We went to the orthodontist and they said, ‘Guess what? … Phase one is done, (the braces) can come off.’ And I said, ‘Actually, I don’t know if we can take them off.’ It was this weird, ethical mom moment. I thought, ‘I don’t know what to do.’ She was cast with them on, but I feel really silly saying, ‘Leave her braces on.’”

But that’s what they decided to do, in the moment. Phone calls then passed back and forth between Talia’s agent and Clooney’s film team.
“We spent the day waiting to see if George wanted the braces or not,” said Rachel Akiva. “And then, apparently, he said it didn’t matter. So I called the orthodontist, and it's usually hard to get in, but they know the whole story, and they were like, ‘So what does Clooney want?’”
Talia Akiva’s journey to being cast in “Ides” began when she appeared as Gretl in the Encore Theatre’s August 2010 production of “The Sound of Music.” The family of a young castmate, who had an agent, suggested Talia might want to seek representation with the same agency.
Talia auditioned and indeed landed an agent. The first audition she was called in for, on December 14, 2010? “The Ides of March.”
“She auditioned with them, and then we waited and waited and waited and thought, ‘Oh, it’s such a long shot, it’s not going to happen,’” said Rachel Akiva.
“Our agent said they probably won’t call you if you didn’t get it, so we thought I didn’t get it,” said Talia Akiva.
But when Clooney came to the Detroit area to hand-pick featured extras for the film, he also looked at the videotaped auditions for the role of his daughter and chose Talia — no callbacks or interviews necessary.
What did Talia have to for the audition?
“They had me play school and pretend to sleep,” she said.
“Easiest audition she’s ever had in her life,” said Rachel Akiva. “Which is the funniest thing, because for all of these (Young People’s Theatre) things, she prepares all this music, or she prepares a monologue.”
But weeks had passed with no word, until January 21, when her mother arrived at Eberwhite to pick up Talia from school.
“I was on the phone talking to them as I was walking into school, trying to be all chill on the phone,” said Rachel Akiva, turning to her daughter. “ … And then I went to your classroom, and you came out. And I think I said something like, ‘Guess what?’ And it was like you knew.”
“Because I’d been waiting and waiting,” said Talia.
Neither Talia nor her family have seen a page of the "Ides"' screenplay, but the agent provided a rundown of the scenes that she’ll be involved in this week.
“At this point, she has no lines,” said Rachel Akiva, who will be on the “Ides” set with her daughter throughout her portion of the shoot. “ … We think she’s sleeping on (Clooney’s) lap in the back of the car, while he’s having some hushed conversation with his wife. … And there’s another scene with him standing up at the podium, which I’m thinking will be Tuesday (at the Power Center), when they’ll be using 1,300 extras, and it’s some presidential rally. She’s standing at the podium with him then. And then she’s playing school with her mother in another scene. … We’re hoping … that there will be one line. It all changes if she opens her mouth. She can join the Screen Actors Guild, and she’s invited to the premiere. So we just have to cross our fingers.”
Besides “Ides,” Talia is now in rehearsals for YPT’s production of “Beauty and the Beast,” playing Chip’s puppy; recently starred as Scout in Ann Arbor Civic Theatre’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”; and will likely audition soon for a feature film called “Still I Rise,” scheduled to be shot in Pittsburgh. (Talia began acting with YPT at age 4.)
Talia met Clooney for the first time on Monday, when she visited the production’s base camp for a costume fitting — not that she knew who the Oscar-winning actor was before she landed the role.
“(Among) all of my friends, everybody’s flipping out, and (Talia)’s like, ‘Who are these people?’” said Rachel Akiva.
But based on others' reaction to her casting news, Talia's getting the idea. “Everybody wants to come (to the shoot),” said Talia. “My hairdresser, my dentist, my tutor — everybody.”

Thanks Merlin, you know everything! The piece you've just put on, what I'd give to have my head on Gee's lap! You too??

Yes please

He looks really good in the above pics,his head in my lap, mine in his,either way I'm not picky.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

George Clooney movie takes up filming at Ann Arbor campus

What’s George Clooney doing on March 15, the actual Ides of March? Working on “The Ides of March” in Ann Arbor.

Clooney’s political drama, which he’s starring in and directing, is shooting this week at locations on the University of Michigan campus.

This morning, crew members were busy preparing for filming inside the Power Center for the Performing Arts. Outside, trucks lined the streets near the 1,300-seat theater as caterers, wardrobe staffers and extras got ready for their assignments.

Hundreds of students are participating in the film as extras, according to Lee Doyle of the University of Michigan Film Office.

Last week, the cast and crew were working in downtown Detroit. And before that, “The Ides of March” spent several weeks filming in Cincinnati.

The movie is a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional presidential primary campaign in Ohio. Clooney plays Gov. Mike Morris, a presidential candidate, and Ryan Gosling portrays a campaign aide. The cast also includes Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The Power Center is doubling as an auditorium at Kent State University for a scene involving a political speech.

Clooney was careful not to make it a stand-in for Ohio State, U-M’s longtime sports rival, says Doyle.

Wonder why in the world the top of the poster is upside down. For people standing on their heads? LOL

OK, I got it! So the arrows point in the right direction? I'm a little slow today. And yes, I wouldn't mind having my head in his lap!

cindigirl, all posters are written to be hung either way. Look at the bottom portion and you'll see they're right-side up

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

George Clooney prevents an accident

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
George Clooney reacts as two vehicles on the Michigan set of his new movie The Ides of March nearly collide.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Column: I was a movie extra: An insider glimpse from filming of George Clooney's 'Ides of March' in Ann Arbor

Filming for the movie the Ides of March is taking place in Ann Arbor this week. Ever wonder what it’s like behind the scenes? Ever consider taking a day off from your everyday life to spend it in close quarters with film star and director George Clooney?

Yeah, me too! And apparently I am not the only one. Roughly 500 people showed up to spend their days as an unpaid extra for the film’s big political assembly scene shot at the Power Center on Tuesday.

From FacebookHere’s the play by play of my day:

Scene 1: 10 pm on the eve of the ides of March
I got an email confirming that I'd been selected as an extra for filming. Details like where, when, and what to wear were included:
“The scenes we are filming are set at a university in OH in late Winter. You are attending a Democratic Party presidential primary event.
Wardrobe Direction:
"No logo stuff from U-M because this is in Dayton/Kent. Just bring choices nice casual to dressy suits sport coats shirts ties woman suits dresses just nice good-looking smart wear"
Too late for shopping, I frantically search my wardrobe for what could be considered smart wear. Red blazer, a couple of slacks, a few tops. All set.

Scene 2: 6:45 a.m. on the Ides of March
My day begins with the sunrise to get all of my ducks in a row so I can report to extras holding by 8 a.m. Oh the price of glamour!

Scene 3: 8:30 a.m. Extras Holding
My cohorts and I arrive at Extras Holding - a fancy name for big unheated white tent. Wardrobe glances at what we are wearing, and tells us to change. We make our way to a curtained off area and modify our wardrobes: “No red, you’ll stand out.” (Yeah, that was my goal.) “No black, you’ll blend in.” We put on the professionally chosen outfits and are ushered to the set.

Scene 4: 9:30 a.m. The Set
We are ushered in to the Power Center, where filming will take place for the day.
9:38 a.m .
I think I just spotted George!!
9:50 a.m.
The director comes on to stage and introduces himself to us, the audience of roughly 700 extras. Who is directing this film? Why, none other than George Clooney. Most of us had no idea if we would even see the superstar today, so cheers and excitement erupted throughout the theater. The captive audience has no problem following direction and enjoying Mr. Clooney’s humorous quips and light banter.

We enjoyed every minute of his attention, and he ours. During the day he tells us about his dinner last night at Ann Arbor’s Pacific Rim, joked with us the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State, and had the crowds cheering for a University of Michigan film student named Yuri.

There is a lot of waiting but the crew and cast are personable and friendly.

We, the extras, are rearranged throughout the theater to shoot and reshoot a scene where George’s presidential candidate character is giving a speech about the importance of changing the world, and the science of global warming. We are the enthralled supporters. We cheer, and wave flags.

11:30 a.m.
Though I long for a bathroom break, I don’t dare get up, as I just got moved to the front of the auditorium. Some university art students tell us about working on set pieces the day before. One student refers to Clooney as "an elusive butterfly."

12:05 p.m .
Cheer some more.

12:25 p.m.
Stay quiet. One precocious extra gathers up the nerve to walk up to the set stage and ask George for his autograph. He smiles and charmingly obliges.

1:15 p.m.
Anyone else getting hungry? Waiting for some camera repositioning. We overhear that a lunch break may be in our future. Some extras lament that they reported for duty at 6:30 a.m.

1:55 p.m .
Stay quiet some more. Filming has moved to the theater foyer, and I have a new understanding of the term captive audience. We’re happy to be waiting indoors, but 5 hours seated in an auditorium has yet to feel glamorous.

2 p.m.
We alternately cheer, look attentive, and wait as a gospel choir preform a song in harmony, and then again in lip synch.

2:30 p.m.
We are released, thanked, and given boxed lunches on our way out.
Movie making… turns out it’s a lot of waiting. Will the scenes filmed today even make it into the final cut of the movie? And if they do might I even be able to find myself in the crowd? I guess I’ll wait and see.

On my way out, I am offered a chance to come back again as paid extras the following day. I think about having a second day to take a stab at stardom… and decide to wait.

This is why actresses take up knitting.............................boring!

MORE PICS HERE : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

George's part time job, directing traffic. He sure looks PISSED. I'm glad he's not mad at me. If he were chasing me I'm sure he could run faster than me. Hahaha

The man can wear a suit like no other!

From Laetval's link above (just a touch of melodrama!):

The actor has risked his life to avoid a car accident ...

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

What this man George! Desperate to help his neighbor, even if it means endangering ...

Yes, we exaggerate a little, but on these images we can see the handsome actor grizzled, in full control of traffic on the filming of "The Ides of March".

While two cars would collide, Georgia felt the soul of a switchman, and his body to avoid the tragedy.

Nobody was hurt and everyone escaped unharmed. A true Hollywood happy ending.


L'acteur a risqué sa vie pour éviter un accident de voiture...
Quel homme ce George ! Prêt à tout pour aider son prochain, quitte à se mettre en danger...Oui, on exagère un petit peu, mais sur ces images, on peut voir le bel acteur grisonnant, en pleine régulation de la circulation, sur le tournage de "The Ides of March". Alors que deux voitures allaient entrer en collision, Georgie s'est senti l'âme d'un aiguilleur, et s'est interposé pour éviter le drame. Personne n'a été blessé et tout le monde s'en est sorti indemne. Un vrai happy end hollywoodien !

Was this a real accident or part of the film?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Clooney Wows Extras in Ann Arbor 'Ides of March' Thriller Shoot

George Clooney has been shooting his political thriller, "Ides of March" in ann Arbor for the past several days. As both director and lead, he has every right to feel harassed and stressed. He might be excused for being less than gracious to a few hundred unpaid extras in a crowd scene. But, by all accounts, he was gracious, welcoming and funny.

The movie is a behind the scenes look at a presidential primary campaign in Ohio, and Clooney plays Governor Mike Morris, a presidential candidate. Talia Akiva, a nine-year-old Ann Arbor native plays his daughter. Ann Arbor is standing in for several college towns and locations. He called for several hundred extras, unpaid, to film a crowd scene. There were plenty of University of Michigan students, but more adults were needed. No problem... a few newspaper contacts, a couple of stories, and he had 700 people, students and 'civilians,' in short order.

One extra, a freelance reporter by the name of Angela Smith, wrote about her experience. As a director, Mr. Clooney addressed the extras as a group, bringing cheers as he showed up, and relaxing them with a self-deprecating jokes and 'light banter' as the shoot went forward. He won her approval as the day wore on. The cast and crew are described as "personable and friendly." In a radio interview, she described him as "nice" and "fun."

George Clooney apparently lives up to his name as a good actor to work with, and enjoyable to be around. It is to be hoped that the Michigan Legislature has the good sense to give the film industry tax breaks a bit longer than a bit less than two years to prove themselves. We need more George Clooneys and Clint Eastwoods in our midst in Michigan. Aside from apparently being nice people, they bring money, jobs and publicity to Michigan

Looks like part of the film to me. I don't think Gee's insurance would cover heroics!

Unless Grant's also starring in the film, I think this wasn't part of the film.

Since Oscar-winning actor and director George Clooney is in Ann Arbor this week, shooting his newest project, "The Ides of March," we thought it woud be fun to compile a video gallery of Clooney's earliest TV and film work, starting with a situation comedy called — believe it or not — "E/R," which premiered in 1984, and a TV series called "Street Hawk," with Rex Smith (I'd never heard of it, either, but I think there's a reason for that). Enjoy.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Thanks, Merlin. I've added all those vids separately in this forum so we can enjoy and discuss.

Found by Henway

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

From Detroit free press

Photos: George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti film in Michigan

10:32 PM, Mar. 17, 2011

BY JULIE HINDS

George’s Clooney’s new movie “The Ides of March” which is temporarily calling southeast Michigan home -- and that has led to a bonanza of celebrity spotting in and around Ann Arbor and Detroit.


Last week, the political drama about a presidential primary campaign shot scenes in downtown Detroit. The cast and crew has spent several days this week in Ann Arbor on the campus of the University of Michigan.


The star-studded cast includes Clooney, who’s also the director, producer and co-writer, Ryan Gosling. Evan Rachel Wood and Philip Seymour Hoffman.


On Tuesday, the real Ides of March, Clooney filmed inside the Power Center for the Performing Arts, where hundreds of U-M students volunteered to be extras for a scene involving a political speech.


The Power Center was doubling as an auditorium at Kent State University. Clooney was careful not to make it a stand-in for Ohio State, U-M’s longtime sports rival, says Lee Doyle of the University of Michigan Film Office.


On Monday, there was filming at the Arthur Miller Theater of scenes of a town hall meeting.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Someone is yelling "George" and he's pretending not to hear!

PICS : [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Grant is looking tired!Thanks laetval, for supplying the pics in case I forget to mention my daily appreciation for your contribution.

Grant is looking tired!Thanks laetval, for supplying the pics in case I forget to mention my daily appreciation for your contribution.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Clawson restaurant awaits George Clooney and crew
Published: Friday, March 18, 2011

CLAWSON – Nick’s Country Oven, 511 W. 14 Mile, is closed this morning and afternoon so film crews can shoot a scene for George Clooney’s next movie "Ides of March."

Will the handsome star and director be in the scene?

“That’s what we’re being told,” said waitress Jennifer Berisha of Sterling Heights. “That’s what everyone is hoping.”

Owner Nick Gojcvic of Shelby Township said his family restaurant originally was booked for March 22.

“Then they asked to move it up to today. They’re renting it from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. We’ll try to open later.”

However, there was no action at 9:30 a.m.

“We’re told they’re running behind,” Berisha said.

She was supposed to open Gojcvic’s restaurant in Sterling Heights but being a huge Clooney fan she took the day off to be at the Clawson location.

“I’m obsessed with George Clooney going back to the days of 'ER,' ” Berisha said. “I love all of his movies. He can do no wrong.”

Gojcvic said he isn’t sure why the restaurant he opened three months ago was chosen for the movie about dirty politics. He speculated maybe it’s all the big windows, maybe it’s Clawson’s small-town atmosphere, or maybe it’s his reputation.

“Everyone loves me here in Clawson,” Gojcvic said with a laugh.

The public’s love of George Clooney will be good for business, too, he added. Gojcvic expects the film crew to attract a good crowd that will work up an appetite for Greek and American fare if Nick’s Country Oven can reopen for business later today. The restaurant is open until 10 p.m.

While George Clooney’s newest feature film project, “The Ides of March,”
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

George Clooney's 'Ides of March' wraps up Ann Arbor filming

While George Clooney’s newest feature film project, “The Ides of March,” was being shot on the University of Michigan’s campus Monday-Thursday, U-M Film Office director Lee Doyle got a small taste of the lengths fans will go to to see the star in person.
“We’ve had women saying, ‘But George just texted me to come on up,’” said Doyle. “And there was a lovely woman from another country saying, ‘Ryan Gosling is my husband.’ But the green leprechaun was my favorite.”
The green leprechaun?
“With (Thursday) being St. Patrick’s Day, (it was) harder than usual to keep people off the set, and someone dressed as a green leprechaun told us we’d get a pot of gold if she could just get past the barrier,” Doyle explained.

Alas, the luck of the Irish didn’t carry the day; the leprechaun didn’t make it through security.
But Courtney Riddle-Myers — a local theater artist and managing director of the Center for Research on Learning and Teaching Players at U-M — counted herself quite fortunate when, while working as an “Ides” extra at the Power Center on Tuesday, she landed in a seat only a few feet away from Clooney.
“We’d been sitting there for maybe a half hour or so … when we saw George walk onto the stage, wearing jeans and a brown leather jacket, looking all cool and movie star-ish,” said Riddle-Myers. “He waved and said, ‘Hey, guys’ which got a huge cheer from the audience. Then he left and got into costume, into this beautiful suit, and he was on stage pretty much the rest of day.”
In “Ides,” Clooney — who’s also directing and co-wrote the screenplay — plays a Howard Dean-like presidential candidate whose press spokesman (Gosling) gets embroiled in scandal and dirty, back-room politics.
And while hundreds of extras at the Power Center on Tuesday cheered for Clooney’s character, on cue, when the cameras were rolling, Clooney also heard a lot from the crowd in between takes, including the usual “That’s what she said” jokes, and a question about whether he would have a nude scene in the film.

Courtney Riddle-Myers, who worked as an "Ides of March" extra on Tuesday.
“Nothing fazed him,” said Riddle-Myers. “ … Someone yelled, ‘You’re cuter than Brad,’ and he said, ‘I’m going to tell him that.’”
During some lags between takes, Clooney took it upon himself to entertain the crowd, holding his iPod up to the podium mic and playing songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Sammy Davis Jr. — sometimes singing along, sometimes joking with members of the gospel choir that were also on stage. (The "Ides" scene shot that day aimed to depict a Democratic candidate’s rally at Kent State University.)
Clooney reportedly exuded this kind of easygoing, self-assured calm on set throughout the week.
“He’s playing a dual role as director and actor, so he’ll be in front of the camera acting, and then he'll go back and look at footage, deciding what to keep and print, and what to do again, so he’s busy, but he was probably the friendliest of all the film professionals we’ve had working on the campus,” said Doyle. “He’s been wonderful with the students, he jokes around with everybody, and he keeps the mood of set lighthearted, despite having this big presence.”
“He’s exactly as you’d imagine him to be,” said Riddle-Myers. “Handsome, funny, together — he’s not an awkward actor, and he’s incredibly in control of his environment. … At first it was weird (to be a few feet away from him). He’s such a public figure, that you’re like, ‘Holy cow, he’s not on TV, he’s standing right there.’”
Clooney began the week shooting scenes in U-M’s Arthur Miller Theatre on Monday; the Power Center on Tuesday and Wednesday; and the Michigan League Ballroom on Thursday.
Of course, Clooney could have found theaters and auditoriums anywhere, including in "Ides"' primary shooting locales: the areas surrounding Detroit and Cincinnati. What was the appeal of U-M’s venues?
“I think it’s the variety of looks,” said Doyle. “One very modern, black-box theater space, that being the Arthur Miller Theatre; the large, more imposing Power Center; and then the very traditional looking ballroom at the League. … These places are supposed to look like they're part of a traveling campaign, but they’re all located very close together, so it’s easy for (the production team) to transport equipment from one place to another.”
According to Doyle, the Ann Arbor leg of the “Ides” shoot went smoothly enough to put the team ahead of schedule at times.
And while Ann Arbor’s Talia Akiva — a 9-year-old Eberwhite Elementary student selected to play Clooney’s daughter in the film — expected to shoot scenes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, she ended up back in her third-grade class on Wednesday; and one of the scenes she expected to be part of — in which she’d sleep on Clooney’s lap in a car while he spoke to his wife (played by Jennifer Ehle) on the phone — seemed to be edited out.

Yet Akiva was part of two scenes filmed on Tuesday at the Power Center: she stood on stage while Clooney gave a speech, with Ehle standing behind her; and she played tic tac toe in a hallway with Ehle and co-star Evan Rachel Wood. On Thursday, at the Michigan League Ballroom, Akiva was part of a scene in which a politician, played by Jeffrey Wright, endorses Clooney’s character.
“They did the speech a million times, and (Talia) stood there forever,” said Rachel Akiva, Talia’s mother. “But in between takes, Ryan and George talked to her, and they really are just the sweetest people. She got to hang out a bit more with people (on Thursday), and it was just wonderful. She was treated like a princess.”
Did Talia ever get to try speaking a line?
“No,” said Rachel Akiva. “They just wanted a girl who laughed and looked cute, which is what we’d assumed. … And she had a wonderful time.”
While working on Tuesday and Thursday, Talia had her own trailer, where she waited between scenes; and she and her mother were accompanied by an escort.
“Someone would come over and say, ‘Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?’ and one time, Talia said, ‘Maybe some popcorn,’” said Rachel Akiva. “So the person said something about popcorn into a headset, and then minutes later, popcorn appeared. I was like, 'Huh, a girl could get used to this.' It was just surreal. Surreal has been the word of the week.”
Rachel and Talia had joked about how they’d have to return to the real world on Friday; but after having spent two 8-10 hour days on a movie set, a good, long rest was the first order of business.
“Talia just wants to go home and take a nap, which is something she rarely says,” said Rachel Akiva, shortly after filming wrapped at 4 p.m. on Thursday. “We’re exhausted, but in a good way. … It’s a long day, but it doesn’t feel like that until the end, because it’s so exciting and so fun while it's all happening.”