Ocean's 11 Premiere Snippets

source: NY Post,US, Dec. 7th 2001 December 7, 2001

-- 'THE MOVIES enable an actor not only to act but also to sit down in the theater and clap for himself," said humorist Will Rogers.Thousands of fans, mostly female it seemed, screamed and shrieked at Mann's Village in Westwood on Wednesday night. You'd have thought The Beatles or Elvis had returned, but, no, it was the starry and glamorous "Ocean's Eleven" cast with power-hitters George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and all the rest walking the red carpet. The movie remake of the Frank Sinatra Rat Pack original, circa 1960, opens today to wide interest. My prediction? A really popular hit. But, of course, the people behind the ropes were most interested in seeing Julia with her current boyfriend, cinematographer Danny Moder. And then, any sighting of Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt is a biggie. So the fans got their money's worth. The stars were especially accessible on this night, both at the premiere and at the no-expenses-spared gala Warner Bros. laid on after.

A parking lot near the theater had been tented and decorated casino-style with the asphalt pavement carpeted to represent a roulette wheel. There was an open bar and buffet where Wolfgang Puck's signature pizzas dueled with shellfish and filet mignon. SO WHAT was Miramax honcho Harvey Weinstein doing working this room? We just had him in New York, seguing between Elaine's and Le Cirque earlier this week. Harvey has a vested interest in his pet actor, Damon, in his future director Steven Soderbergh, and in Clooney, who will direct for him in January. And when Harvey sees "his" people doing other things, he is always there to check on them and be sure they're OK. Although some critics say Damon has no longer been showing all he can really do, the audience went mad at the sight of him. His smart big agent Patrick Whitesell was also on hand. Critics, schmritics - this guy Damon is still hot, hot, hot.

The super personable Clooney turned on his charm for one and all. It seems easier for George to be nice than naughty. When one lovely lass choked up just talking to him, he said gently, "Careful. You know I'm not a real doctor!" Clooney was bidding his beloved dad, Nick, goodbye as he and the rest of the cast were whisked off in a private Warner's jet for a USO tour in Turkey. His dad said, "It's the right thing to do, son." Pop then delivered himself of the thrill of watching George on screen: "He is exceptional. It always takes me a couple of minutes to shift from seeing him as my son onscreen and then watching his character. I think this movie is going to be around for a very long time. The original can't even begin to compare with this one. It's brilliant!" (OK, that was dad talking.) Aniston asked to be excused so she could go say "goodbye to my husband." The "Friends" star wasn't able to join Brad on the Turkey trip "because I have to work my day job." AND PEOPLE were raving over Elliott Gould, who steals his scenes as an old ruthless casino owner driven out of business by Vegas mogul Andy Garcia.

There was lots of talk about Gould as there was about the cameo appearance of the one and only Angie Dickinson, who starred in the original. WHEN Roberts returns from Turkey, she'll continue the narration for an interesting documentary she is working on for A&E. Directed by Howard Storm, produced by Revolutions Studios, and filmed by her new guy Moder, it tells the tale of three women, ages 101, 102 and 103 who have been friends since elementary school. Julia is enthralled with their 90-year friendship. She forewent her usual $20 million fee to work for union scale.

© by Liz Smith, NYPOST