George Clooney’s girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis has landed a role in US drama Leverage, according to reports.

The Italian model and TV personality, 31, will appear in five episodes of the TNT drama when it returns for a third season later this year.

Canalis, who will star opposite Timothy Hutton, will be playing a mysterious woman known only as “the Italian”.

Canalis began dating Clooney, 48, last year and is a popular actress and TV presenter in her native country.

She first appeared on Italian TV 10 years ago, on the satirical news show Striscia La Notizia, and has since appeared in various movies and TV shows, including this year’s Fratelli Benvenuti.

Source: Splash News

Modest George Clooney got camera-shy as he was showered with praise at an awards show – then jumped back into the limelight by joking he had a secret affair with 88-year-old actress Betty White.

The movie hunk seemed desperate to avoid the TV cameras at the SAG Awards in LA, looking down at the floor or in the opposite direction each time they came to his table.

Clooney briefly glanced up as he was applauded by the star-packed audience for organising the Help For Haiti Telethon and again for his Outstanding Male Actor nomination.

But he was all smiles again as he took the stage to present the last award of the ceremony on Saturday night.

Veteran Golden Girls star White had earlier joked in her acceptance speech for her Life Achievement Award she had “had a couple” of the celebrities in the audience and grinned: “You know who you are!”

And Clooney carried on the joke, telling the audience: “I think it was in 1987 I did an episode of The Golden Girls. I would like to thank Betty White for her discretion. A friend of mine told me she was a bobcat in the sack. I don’t know where that came from. It was a friend.”

Ageless Betty was returning to her table in the audience when the camera cut to her.

George Clooney, 48, wouldn’t marry himself and doesn’t know how his girlfriends put up with him.

George Clooney, who seems born to play the disaffected middle-aged male in Up in the Air, is currently dating a gorgeous Italian MTV presenter, Elisabetta Canalis, 31.

Naturally, there are wedding rumours. But Clooney says he wouldn’t place bets on himself. He said: “I am always working and have so many different interests outside acting. If I was my girlfriend, I wouldn’t put up with me for very long – and they don’t either. People are always trying to marry me off, thinking I am suffering in some way. I tried marriage – and it didn’t work. I have had long relationships with women and they get bored with me working all the time. My fear is that I would still make a lousy husband and I don’t want to put myself – or anyone else – through the pain of finding out.”

It is a little-known fact that Clooney was once married to an actress, Talia Balsam, from 1989 to 1993.

He said that it may have worked out better if he tried it at a more seasoned stage of life. “Have I had doubts? Of course. But I don’t have time to think about them, because I am always travelling and working. Had marriage come later in life, I would probably have understood better how to make it work.”

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Nominations have been announced and George Clooney’s new flick Up in the Air has received six nods.

Sandra Bullock, 45, received two nominations – one for Best Performance By An Actress: Drama for The Blind Side and also for comedy in The Proposal.

There was talk of Oscar success for Up in the Air before its release but Clooney, 48, recently said he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

He said: “I had some tremendous Oscar buzz for Batman and Robin, as you can imagine I was disappointed. So I don’t really pay attention to it.”

Movies including James Cameron’s Avatar and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds have been nominated for Best Motion Picture: Drama.

British actresses Emily Blunt and Helen Mirren received nominations in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture: Drama category for movies The Young Victoria and The Last Station respectively.

Clooney, who now lives in Italy, was born in Lexington, Kentucky, where his father was a newspaperman and politician. He won the national award category in the 2009 Kentucky Governor’s Awards In The Arts.

The annual prize goes to a Kentucky-born artist who has gained national or international recognition.

Source: Splash News

Douglas will appear as the American entertainer who died at 67 in 1987 of Aids. His live-in lover, Scott Thorson, sued him for $113million in palimony payments.

Damon has a lot pinned to the role of Thorson. “I saw Michael last night. He comes up and says, ‘Get your Chapstick ready.’” said Damon. “It’s going to be a great movie. My role is a great role. But Michael’s role? It’s spectacular.”

Douglas said of the flick to be directed by Steven Soderbergh: “Matt’s going to be my young lover. Why not? God bless Matt. Hey, it’s easy for me – he’s in his prime. I said to him, ‘Matt, I love you, man. Boy, that Bourne [franchise] must really be going strong.’ But good for him. He’s right taking chances. All those young guys – [George] Clooney – they’re taking risks. It’s smart trying to mix it up a bit and maintain those franchises and still get to do a picture that turns you on.”

Soderbergh says Douglas is perfect for the part of the glitzy entertainer. He said: “We’ve already done some costume and wardrobe tests on Michael, and they’re very, very, very good. I swear to you, Michael amazed me. He crushed it.”

The show was finally taped with the baseball players and Clooney in the lineup. DeGeneres has sent a lot of emissaries to get Clooney to guest in the show including Dolly Parton, Kate Hudson and a lot more. Clooney admitted that Ellen’s fans and his employees have been giving him a hard time for not showing up in DeGeneres’ show.