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George Clooney charms at TIFF press conference

George Clooney was his usual witty self at the press conference for his new film Up in the Air at the Toronto International Film Festival. In it, he plays a smooth talker who travels to towns where he has to fire people for companies. Although it’s a very serious subject, there are comedic moments in the movie as well. Clooney told reporters: “As we were working on the film along the way it became clear that it was less and less a comedy … and suddenly it felt more timely than ever. It felt like we were sort of at the exact right moment to be making the film.” Director/writer Jason Reitman explains: “When I started writing this movie we were in an economic boom and I was writing the movie more as a satire. Over the six years it took me to write this movie, obviously the world changed… I realized that these satirical humor scenes about getting fired weren’t so funny anymore.” The movie also touches on how technology is replacing face-to-face communication in the modern world, but Clooney says he wants no part of that. In response to a journalist who asked if he has a Facebook page, Clooney replied: “I would rather have a prostate exam on live television by a guy with very cold hands than have a Facebook page.”