posted
About a month or so ago, my parents were watching Leno when George Clooney was on (I was studying for finals) and they told me that some of the comments George Clooney made were extremely anti-semitic. I've been searching for it online, and can't find anything.
Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Can anyone that's better at Googling than me try to find some of the things he said?
-------------------- My mom, about my nervousness with Jeopardy!: "Don't worry about it. Just get drunk and you'll do fine." Blog Just call me Mickey 2 Posts: 3295 | From: Radford, VA/Herndon, VA/Orlando, FL | Registered: Jan 2006
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Clooney appeared on Leno on December 8th. Beyond that, I haven't found anything regarding him making anti-semitic remarks. If he did, they haven't gotten much attention. I know Marlen Brando famously made anti-semitic remarks on Leno 10 or so years ago.
posted
He was probably promoting his movie "Syriana." It's partly about oil trade in the Middle East. Possibly something he said in relation to that sounded a little off? I'd think if it was anything blatant it would have been all over the media though.
-------------------- This used to be the life, but I don't need another one. MyBandwagon Posts: 3254 | From: small town Texas | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote:About a month or so ago, my parents were watching Leno when George Clooney was on (I was studying for finals) and they told me that some of the comments George Clooney made were extremely anti-semitic.
What did your parents say when you asked them what Clooney's alleged anti-Semitic comments were?
-- Bonnie
-------------------- Se non è vero, è ben trovato. Posts: -99014 | From: Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
Here is a brief blurb about George appearing on Leno in December. It mentions he came out wearing a surgical mask as a joke because Leno was sick. Another site said the episode replayed December 27th. Nothing about Clooney on Letterman either.
-------------------- This used to be the life, but I don't need another one. MyBandwagon Posts: 3254 | From: small town Texas | Registered: Jan 2004
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quote:About a month or so ago, my parents were watching Leno when George Clooney was on (I was studying for finals) and they told me that some of the comments George Clooney made were extremely anti-semitic.
What did your parents say when you asked them what Clooney's alleged anti-Semitic comments were?
-- Bonnie
I'll be a good snopester and call them right now (I haven't spoken to them today, anyway- my mom must be freaking out). Answer to come soon!
ETA: My mom said something like "I didn't think I'd have to play a Jew" and Leno said "Remember, folks, when you send letters, send them to Clooney's reps, not mine." My mom also recalls that it was shown on the local news because it was so surprising.
-------------------- My mom, about my nervousness with Jeopardy!: "Don't worry about it. Just get drunk and you'll do fine." Blog Just call me Mickey 2 Posts: 3295 | From: Radford, VA/Herndon, VA/Orlando, FL | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Maybe it's just me, but why you didn't ask them what they meant by "extremely anti-Semitic" when they told you that Clooney had made extremely anti-Semitic comments?
-- Bonnie
-------------------- Se non è vero, è ben trovato. Posts: -99014 | From: Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2000
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posted
I've done a number of Google searches for any kind of reference to George Clooney being antisemitic, or making a comment along these lines, or a transcript or video of his Leno appearance. I haven't come up with anything relevant. The closest thing is a few right-wing blogs complaining that Clooney is too liberal, etc., but no specific allegations of antisemitism and nothing about Leno.
As for the (alleged) comment about playing a Jew, he very well may have made it, but it doesn't sound like anything other than a joke.
Posts: 1251 | From: Michigan | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
i think i saw that episode and clooney was promoting the movie "good night and good luck," which was based on a true story. and the person he played was jewish and how he (clooney) didnt look really jewish.or something like that. but it didnt sound very antisemidic to me. saw the movie btw, was really good
-------------------- i reject reality and submit my own Posts: 359 | From: Lansing, Michigan | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
I saw that episode of Leno and, being Jewish, any patently anti-Semitic remarks would surely have made my radar peak. It's quite possible he made a joke, and I do remember Leno disclaiming ownership of the remark, but nothing happened that offended me.
Of course, some people are more easily offended.
-------------------- Back in the days before electricity, we were forced to watch TV by candlelight. Posts: 229 | From: Paoli, PA | Registered: Dec 2005
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quote:ETA: My mom said something like "I didn't think I'd have to play a Jew" and Leno said "Remember, folks, when you send letters, send them to Clooney's reps, not mine." My mom also recalls that it was shown on the local news because it was so surprising.
Saw the appearance on Leno from about a month or so ago when he was promoting "Good Night and Good Luck". He was also on the Daily Show around the same time. He made the same joke on both shows. When describing why he wanted to do the movie, his exact words were "I've always wanted to play a Jew". Yeah, he was being a wiseass, but nothing about it struck me as anti-semitic.
Also, while Jon Stewart makes lots of "jew jokes", he would have had something to say, I'm sure, if a guest on his show was being truly anti-semitic. And believe me, he was far from offended by Clooney's cracks.
I think what a lot of people are misunderstanding is that Clooney's been given a fair amount of grief for casting himself as the decidely un-hunkish Fred Friendly. He always seems to have a very good sense of humor about his own good-looks, and appears to try not to take himself too seriously. So, naturally enough, when people ask him why he chose to play Friendly, you can usually expect some kind of self-deprecating remark.
I did see a broadcast of him speaking to either the National Press Club or some other group about the film, and at that time he gave an honest answer; it was for the box office. As he put it, he's trying to sell a black & white movie starring David Strathairn. It needed a little star-power.
Ali "or maybe he just really wanted to play a Jew" Baba
Posts: 3068 | From: Kensington, MD | Registered: Feb 2000
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I've noticed that non-Jewish peoples anti-semetic radar is completely out of tune compared to a Jew's.
Posts: 629 | From: Greenwood, IN | Registered: Dec 2005
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posted
Yup, my family's Jewish (which is why I have a Jewish starfish as my avatar *wink*)
I du'no. My parents tend to take things out of context a lot, which is why I wanted to hear what he said for myself.
-------------------- My mom, about my nervousness with Jeopardy!: "Don't worry about it. Just get drunk and you'll do fine." Blog Just call me Mickey 2 Posts: 3295 | From: Radford, VA/Herndon, VA/Orlando, FL | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I've noticed that it's much easier for people to get away with saying things that are anti-Jew than it is to get away with saying things that might be anti-Black/Female/Homosexual/Ect.
-------------------- "I felt a great disturbance in this farce..." Nodwick in Lich Wars: the Henchman Strikes Back Posts: 167 | From: Myrtle Creek, Oregon ( the State of Confusion) | Registered: Jan 2006
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