George Clooney's Wicked Weekend

Mon., Sep. 17, 2007 3:39 PM PDT by Caroline Kepnes

AP Photo/Kristie Bull/Graylock.com

Emmys out. It's Clooney time!

It's only natural that the man who lent his distinguished voice to Budweiser for an ad campaign would make time to swing into Boston for the 23rd Annual Boston Film Festival.

Yes, George Clooney donned a tux and came east to present legendary producer Jerry Weintraub with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Intercontinental Hotel. Weintraub, if you aren't up on your history, is worthy: Back in the day, he managed Frank Sinatra, and he brought us the recent Ocean's remakes. Plus, if you honor him, you get to show a clip of Hilary Swank in The Next Karate Kid. Perfection.

I couldn't help but ask him if there is even a slight possibility of George appearing in a Karate Kid sequel. He looked at me like I had six heads:

"The Karate Kid? The Karate Man? Oh, I hope not!"

My more-personal questions were slightly more welcome:

What was it like when you two first met?
George Clooney: We met at the Smokehouse.

So, it was like a first man date?
G.C.: Yes, a man date...except there were seven or eight other men there.
Jerry Weintraub: [Winks.] And a lot of women later.

Weintraub probably had women on the mind because of the scene in the red carpet area. As the men attempt to walk the press line, dozens of va-va-voom women are teeming, nearly pushing past reporters. Security is minimal. And these women aren't cordoned-off fans on the street at a Hollywood premiere. They are ticketed guests. They are allowed to be here.

It was refreshing, though. Girls in L.A. would try to seem blasé—a celebrity, whatever—but the babes of Boston were armed with camera phones and vocal chords.

Somehow, everyone settled down in the Rose Kennedy Ballroom to eat and take in the ceremony. I was nervous for George, because he hadn't actually written a speech.

Steve Granitz/WireImage.com

"I'm just gonna get up and talk about Jerry," he told me. "It's easier that way."

Well, George, if you ever tire of Hollywood, you should be a Best Man for Hire. Here's my favorite bon mot about the Weintraub way: "It's about conning people and using guilt. Like calling Brad [Pitt] or Andy [Garcia] and saying, 'I think I could die soon. You should do the film.' "

The Patriots won, Clooney and Weintraub dazzled and the Beantown babes got to express themselves. If only Derek Jeter hadn't hit it out of the park on Sunday, this would have been a wicked-perfect weekend in Boston.