Clooney Dazzles In Maysville

MAYSVILLE, Ky., March 25, 2008

---

(CBS/AP) "Clooney-mania" reached a fever pitch Monday as star-struck women lined up in droves and the tiny town of Mayville, Ky., rolled out the red carpet -- literally -- for homegrown movie star George Clooney.

The Oscar-winner was there with co-star Renee Zellweger for a special screening of their new movie, "Leatherheads," a romantic comedy about small-town professional football in the 1920s.

It marked a homecoming of sorts for Clooney, who grew up in nearby Augusta, and was an unlikely place for a film premiere, some 2,000 miles from Hollywood, along the Ohio River in northern Kentucky.

For years, his father, Nick Clooney, made the 45-mile commute to Cincinnati, where he was a television newscaster. Nick and Nick's sister, singer-actress Rosemary Clooney, grew up in Maysville, where their grandfather was mayor.

---

To see photos of the Clooney/Zellweger promo tour for "Leatherheads"click here.

---

It was in Maysville more than a half-century ago that Clooney's aunt insisted the premiere be held of one of her movies.

"We've lived a huge part of our lives here," Clooney told an enraptured audience shortly before his movie was shown in a downtown opera house. "... This is a home for us, and we're very proud to be able to bring this back full circle."

Maysville Mayor David Cartmell proclaimed it "Renee Zellweger Day" in town. As for Clooney, "Since Renee took this day, we thought we would proclaim every day in Maysville to be George Clooney day," the mayor said.

Earlier Monday, Clooney and Zellweger stopped by Duluth, Minn. to thank residents for the role their city played in the football comedy.

The stars began a whistle-stop tour to promote "Leatherheads" with an appearance at the Depot, an old train station in downtown Duluth. They arrived aboard a train, wearing period clothes reflecting the movie's 1920s setting.

---

To see photos from George Clooney's life and career, click here.

---

Clooney, who also directed "Leatherheads," said he understands Duluth is "cold in February, so we ended up trying to find someplace a little warmer." The movie was inspired by the old, rough-and-tumble Duluth Eskimos pro football team, but was filmed last year in North Carolina and South Carolina.

"But the spirit of it all was about this," Clooney told a news conference packed with reporters and fans. "We wanted to represent the town."

In "Leatherheads," which opens April 4, Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, an aging player on the Duluth Bulldogs in 1925, while Zellweger plays Lexie Littleton, a feisty Chicago newspaper reporter. John Krasinski (TV's "The Office") plays Carter "The Bullet" Rutherford, a World War I hero and former college football star who is lured to the Bulldogs and becomes the third side of a love triangle with Dodge and Lexie.

Before "Leatherheads" was shown in Maysville, Clooney and Zellweger visited with people there who had braved the cold to get a glimpse of the stars. Women let out shrieks at seeing Clooney, and the stars signed autographs and posed for photographs.

Sharon Conrad was among the bundled-up fans who stood for hours along a railing next to the red carpet. She was rewarded for her patience by getting an autograph from Clooney. Conrad, 52, drove 12-1/2 hours from her south Georgia home and had already spent about $100 in gas and was staying with a friend.

"I just dropped everything I was doing and hopped in the car and came," Conrad said.

Clooney's mother, Nina, said it's fun to watch the adulation her son receives from women.

"They can flirt without it being dangerous," she said. "They love it, and I think that's great."

Continued

1  |   2

---

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.