George Clooney likes strong women

George Clooney

George Clooney says he likes to be surrounded by strong women -- and values honesty and humour in friends.

The 50-year-old, who recently split from girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis after being together for two years, is now rumoured to be dating former wrestler Stacy Keibler, reports contactmusic.com.

"I've always had really great friends on both sides of the aisle, so to speak. I grew up with strong women, my mom is strong and so is my sister and so was my aunt, Rosemary Clooney," said Clooney.

"I've always been comfortable around women. I have some truly great women friends and the friendship is non-romantic," he added.

The actor also values honesty and humour in his friends, and loves the way his loved ones keep him grounded.

"I look for a sense of humour and fun, an interest in other people and, most important of all, honesty. I don't surround myself with people who are on my payroll and have to agree with every word I say," he said.

George Clooney's film to open 68th Venice Film Festival

Hollywood actor-director George Clooney's political thriller The Ides of March is set to open the upcoming 68th Venice Film Festival.

Clooney, 50, has directed and acted in the film, which has been selected by the organisers as the festival opener on August 31, reported E! Online.

The Oscar winning actor will be seen alongside Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti and Philip Seymour Hoffman in the film.

Some 22 films will be presented in competition at the fest, including Roman Polanski's Carnage , starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C Reilly; William Friedkin's Killer Joe, starring Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsch; David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, starring Viggo Mortensen (as Sigmund Freud) and Michael Fassbender (as Carl Jung); and Todd Solodz's Dark Horse, starring Christopher Walken and Mia Farrow.

Madonna's directorial WE, Al Pacino's Salome and Steven Soderbergh's Contagion are among those set to be screened out of competition.

The festival runs until September 10.

George Clooney recovers from malaria after Sudan trip

Hollywood hunk George Clooney has just recovered from malaria, which he contracted in Africa earlier this month.

The news sparked minor panic among showbiz fans online after television host Piers Morgan revealed details about Clooney’s health scare via Twitter.

“BREAKING NEWS: George Clooney has contracted malaria following recent trip to Sudan,” he wrote.

However, Morgan, who replaced CNN’s long-serving talkshow host Larry King this year, failed to mention the actor had since recovered.

Clooney’s representative quickly set the record straight, insisting the ‘Oceans Eleven’ star was now in good health after receiving treatment for the condition.

“George is completely over the malaria he contracted while in the Sudan during the first week in January,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Clooney’s representative as telling Access Hollywood.

The actor was in the Sudan as part of a humantarian trip with the United Nations and Google, called the Enough project.

In a statement, Clooney said his recovery “illustrates how with proper medication, the most lethal condition in Africa, can be reduced to bad ten days instead of a death sentence.” (ANI)