• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Clooney 2012

ravdin said:
Dearie me. I didn't mean to upset your delicate sensibilities.

It's just my opinion. Yes, there are actors who can do his job just as well if not better for less pay (although they might not sell as many magazines by appearing on the cover, I'll agree). Obviously the people who pay Clooney disagree, which I'm sure is the important thing from his point of view.
Click to expand...

So you would be willing to take a pay cut if we thought you were overpaid? Somehow I doubt it.
 
ravdin said:
It's just my opinion. Yes, there are actors who can do his job just as well if not better for less pay (although they might not sell as many magazines by appearing on the cover, I'll agree). Obviously the people who pay Clooney disagree, which I'm sure is the important thing from his point of view.
Click to expand...
Movie producers/studios pay for the whole package when they hire an actor. Every time an actor graces the cover of a magazine, especially a major one, s/he increases in fame and that makes it more likely that people will pay money to see his/her next project. Of course there are actors who can act as well as, or even better than, George Clooney; they might even be better looking. But the bottom line is that a movie with Clooney in it will tend to make more money than the same movie with <Heretofore Unknown Talented Actor> in it.
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
So you would be willing to take a pay cut if we thought you were overpaid? Somehow I doubt it.
Click to expand...

I may very well be overpaid in your opinion. If that were the case, I'd have to take a pay cut if I worked for you. Fortunately for both of us, your opinion has no effect on my income any more than mine does on Clooney's.

So what if I have an opinion? I don't dictate Clooney's salary, nor would I want to. I don't expect he would care at all about my opinion, any more than I care if you think I'm paid too much.
 
ravdin said:
So what if I have an opinion? I don't dictate Clooney's salary, nor would I want to. I don't expect he would care at all about my opinion, any more than I care if you think I'm paid too much.
Click to expand...
I find it interesting that you seemed to think his salary was an important enough issue that you needed to raise it up in your reply. A reply that attacked the person without offering a shred of comment regarding what he said.
 
DavidJames said:
I find it interesting that you seemed to think his salary was an important enough issue that you needed to raise it up in your reply. A reply that attacked the person without offering a shred of comment regarding what he said.
Click to expand...

And I find it interesting that when I've agreed all along with the most important point on this thread (what's wrong or surprising about a Hollywood actor bringing attention to an issue that's important to him?) it's been completely lost because I didn't indulge in the necessary hero worship. :rolleyes:
 
ravdin said:
So what if I have an opinion? I don't dictate Clooney's salary, nor would I want to. I don't expect he would care at all about my opinion, any more than I care if you think I'm paid too much.
Click to expand...


It's fine that you have an opinion. Why, after expressing that opinion, did you get hysterical when pressed to explain it? I'm sorry it came as such a shock that I was interested in what you are posting here.
 
hgc said:
It's fine that you have an opinion. Why, after expressing that opinion, did you get hysterical when pressed to explain it? I'm sorry it came as such a shock that I was interested in what you are posting here.
Click to expand...

OK, let me try one last time to explain.

George Clooney the Sudan activist: Good for him. He's fighting the good fight. I'm glad that for once a public figure hasn't been arrested for DUI, assault, or the like.

George Clooney the actor: Overrated. Although I will say that Out of Sight is a fine movie, if you haven't seen it.

Now, when I conflated the two in the same post, I didn't expect that my opinion of George Clooney the actor would so overshadow my opinion of George Clooney the activist. I wouldn't have made such snarky comments about Clooney if I knew it would derail the thread this way. I think we can all agree (and Clooney would agree too, I hope), that the issue he's trying to bring to light is much more important than Clooney himself?
 
ravdin said:
OK, let me try one last time to explain.

George Clooney the Sudan activist: Good for him. He's fighting the good fight. I'm glad that for once a public figure hasn't been arrested for DUI, assault, or the like.

George Clooney the actor: Overrated. Although I will say that Out of Sight is a fine movie, if you haven't seen it.

Now, when I conflated the two in the same post, I didn't expect that my opinion of George Clooney the actor would so overshadow my opinion of George Clooney the activist. I wouldn't have made such snarky comments about Clooney if I knew it would derail the thread this way. I think we can all agree (and Clooney would agree too, I hope), that the issue he's trying to bring to light is much more important than Clooney himself?
Click to expand...

Thank you for that explanation. I liked Out of Sight too.

So.... How much should Clooney be paid?
 
Cleon said:
I find it fascinating that when it comes to left-leaning figures like Michael Moore and George Clooney, they're always "overpaid" whose wealth is the target of disgust and condescension.

When it comes to the salaries and bonuses for financial executives, they're beyond question because the Free Market (tm) has decided that they're worth it--bailout or no bailout.
Click to expand...
I think that the entertainment industry is a good example of what I mean when I say that labor, rather than capital, is the source of real wealth creation. The screen writers, actors, directors and film crew create the idea and execute the production of the product. The producer basicly just pays for it. Sometimes, this gives the producer more input into the process than he is really up to. I am not keeping up with the current crop of stars, but there are probably better-looking men who could play some of Clooney's parts who would still not have the presence Clooney has. Casting them in his place could be a disaster.

So, like any other industry, success in film-making depends on there being skilled people to come up with ideas and to execute them.

Wall Street, during the pre-crash feeding frenzy, was creating wealth out of nothing, and that is exactly what it is worth today.
 
Last edited:
hgc said:
Thank you for that explanation. I liked Out of Sight too.

So.... How much should Clooney be paid?
Click to expand...

Clooney should be paid whatever his employers are willing to pay him, and not a penny less. If he decides he wants to work for me someday, we might have to renegotiate his pay grade.
 
ravdin said:
George Clooney the Sudan activist: Good for him. He's fighting the good fight. I'm glad that for once a public figure hasn't been arrested for DUI, assault, or the like.

George Clooney the actor: Overrated. Although I will say that Out of Sight is a fine movie, if you haven't seen it.
Click to expand...
One might say that the actor's most valuable contribution to society is to communicate ideas, to informor to inspire people to a right course of action.

Clooney measures up on screen and off. For that, I rate him as a greater success as an actor and person than, let us say, John Wayne.

I think we can all agree (and Clooney would agree too, I hope), that the issue he's trying to bring to light is much more important than Clooney himself?
Click to expand...

And, in using his fame and fortune to pursue that cause, he is giving back to society something of value for what he has recieved, or using the blessings that God has given him to be a blessing to others, whichever way you wish to see it.
 
ravdin said:
Clooney should be paid whatever his employers are willing to pay him, and not a penny less. If he decides he wants to work for me someday, we might have to renegotiate his pay grade.
Click to expand...

So, not overpaid. Got it.


Now, on to some other business:
... thinks that because his opinions are extra important because he's famous.
Click to expand...

I kind of missed where Clooney conveyed that his opinions are extra important. That must have been something. Where was that again?
 
ravdin said:
OK, so a narcissistic, overpaid actor thinks that because his opinions are extra important because he's famous.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know you've backed off on this, but I'm going to weigh in anyway.

Sometimes life is funny. Sometimes a person finds that for some reason, people love him and listen to him. Often, this shock is so great that the person does turn to narcissism. They start to believe their own reviews.

But sometimes, a person who is surprised to find himself famous decides that he should take this amplified voice he's been given and say something worthwhile. Something that he thinks will do good. To me, that is the exact opposite of narcissism. I don't care if it's Ted Neugent or Bono, but a person who sincerely believes in a cause and uses their fortunate platform to support that cause has a lot more of my respect than those who use that voice to shill for whoever pays them the most. Obviously, I have more respect for those who are reasonably intelligent and for those whose causes I also believe in, but at least Ted Neugent is willing to stand up for what he believes and damn the torpedos.

I'll take one George Clooney over a hundred Michael Jordans.
 
hgc said:
So, not overpaid. Got it.
Click to expand...

Well, in that case no one is overpaid.

hgc said:
Now, on to some other business:

I kind of missed where Clooney conveyed that his opinions are extra important. That must have been something. Where was that again?
Click to expand...

So... is George Clooney your uncle, or maybe your college roommate? Do you have a personal stake in defending his honor? What's it to you if I don't care about his opinions? :p
 
ravdin said:
So... is George Clooney your uncle, or maybe your college roommate? Do you have a personal stake in defending his honor? What's it to you if I don't care about his opinions? :p
Click to expand...

No, have no particular brief for George Clooney. But, you may be interested to know that his uncle was Jose Ferrer.

I was more interested in exploring a case of the common critique that celebrities who use their fame to propound their political or social activist causes are somehow afoul of good taste for doing so ... or something. I can't quite understand the complaint, to tell you the truth.
 
hgc said:
No, have no particular brief for George Clooney. But, you may be interested to know that his uncle was Jose Ferrer.

I was more interested in exploring a case of the common critique that celebrities who use their fame to propound their political or social activist causes are somehow afoul of good taste for doing so ... or something. I can't quite understand the complaint, to tell you the truth.
Click to expand...

Unless they are Republicans like Ronald Reagan or Charleton Heston.
 
hgc said:
No, have no particular brief for George Clooney. But, you may be interested to know that his uncle was Jose Ferrer.

I was more interested in exploring a case of the common critique that celebrities who use their fame to propound their political or social activist causes are somehow afoul of good taste for doing so ... or something. I can't quite understand the complaint, to tell you the truth.
Click to expand...

I did not know that about him. Jose Ferrer was a fine actor.

If you read my posts, you'll see that I don't understand the complaint either. I suppose that point might have been lost because I didn't refer to Clooney in the most flattering terms.

More often than not I'm unimpressed with celebrity causes, but to me that's beside the point. Clooney's face is on billboards and magazines. He's interviewed by sycophants. In a more sinister twist, he's followed by paparazzi who wouldn't think twice about speeding through a residential neighborhood or trespassing on private property to get a halfway decent photo of him. So given all this, should we really not expect him to speak out on a cause that's important to him?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom