Classic movie star looking, quip-shooting, cause-mongering, caring deeply about the arts, a star who actually writes... Mr. Clooney's status as Hollywood's dream man has survived unscathed through uneven — at best — box office and so-so at best pet projects.

Moviegoers may not be head over in heels in love with him (no film he has made that did not also star Brad Pitt has gone over 50 million since 2000's Perfect Storm) , critics can often take or leave his films, but Clooney still soars like an eagle above the film world, unsullied by setbacks which would have brought low a dozen lesser men of the screen.

And so when Mr. Clooney arrives in Toronto, it is not as a man desperate for a comeback, but as the reining King, bringing along with him two major films with Golden Globe written all over them.

The knight of the cinema arrives direct from the Venice Festival, where the salivating of one TV reporter over George caused Indiewire to explode,

why are the journalists at film festivals so goddamned STUPID? Their questions tend to the dimmer side of sub-normal-barely one step up from "If you could be any kind of tree, what tree would you be?" — and their behaviour is either boorish, or breathtakingly ignorant, or both. Sure enough, at the end of the session, in another monotonous ritual, they rushed the stage to beg for autographs, presumably in the belief that they hadn't yet demeaned themselves or their profession enough.

The Clooney mambo train kicks off in Toronto Saturday night with the premiere of Up In The Air, a film so dripping with understated prestigeyness, you'll want to put on a tux just to watch the trailer. Directed by Jason Reitman — auteur of Oscar's beloved Juno! Based on a novel by celebrated literati Walter Kirn! About a downsizing expert, it deals with contemporary issues! And it comes certified by Telluride where it received "kudo heat" according to Variety.

The second Clooney onslaught comes with The Men Who Stare at Goats. Produced by George, directed by his long-time collaborator Grant Heslov, the film once again takes Clooney into his favorite world of national security — with a wacky twist — telling the story of a secret Defense Department psychic ops unit. The film is already being described as an "Oscar Wildcard."

Poor Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany, however, did not sweep into Toronto under a blanket of goodwill, affection and hero worship. After opening the festival with their Charles Darwin biopic Creation they are all but being run out of Canada. Anne Thompson wrote, "This movie bears all the earmarks of a group of people trying not to churn out yet another biopic, desperately searching for drama and conjuring up nothing but flapping boredom."

And Movieline declared of the plot:

their heavy investment in that father-daughter dynamic yields the stuff of exposition, not drama, and Darwin the scientist (and the husband) is reduced to a brooding, whimpering intellectual parody who wouldn't be so out of place in a Woody Allen movie.

Sucks not to be George Clooney around here.

•The Toronto International Film Festival, the traditional start to the Oscar race, opened last night with the premiere of Creation, a Charles Darwin biopic starring Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany. The debut was marred by protesters angered by the festival's decision to use its "city spotlight" feature to focus on Tel Aviv. The protesters have not called for a boycott of the festival, although one Canadian documentarian withdrew his film. Among the TIFF's most anticipated films, the Ivan Reitman directed Up In the Air starring George Clooney which premieres tomorrow night. [Variety]

•Hopes may be high for Monday's debut of the primetime Jay Leno show but rates are low. Advertisers can buy a slot on Leno's show for about half what they would generally pay for a drama at the same hour. [WSJ]

• Tyler Perry looks to continue his box office stranglehold this weekend. His new film I Can Do Bad All By Myself faces off against the animated 9 Projections place Perry raking in around 20 million before Monday. [LAT]

•Producer/former studio chief John Calley will receive the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences honorary Thalberg Award this year. Special awards will also be given the Lauren Bacall, cinematogapher Gordon Willis and Roger Corman. The awards will not, however, be presented at the big show in March but at a special luncheon, safely off the primetime airwaves. [Variety]

• NBC has denied reports that SNL star Casey Wilson was fired for being overweight. E!Online had reported that producer Lorne Michaels had demanded Wilson lose 30 pounds and dismissed her when she failed to meet his goal. [TheWrap]

• Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Liv Tyler have singed on for Super, a superhero genre spoof. [Variety]

[I]f Mr. Pitt does show up at an event Ms. Aniston is attending, it behooves him to initiate an interaction.

"The ball's more in his court to be gracious to her and to be a gentleman," says Dr. Fulbright, adding that acceptable patter could include saying how nice it is to see her and congratulating her on her movie.

For her part, Ms. Aniston should avoid being too animated. "Most of us try to be extra-clever and extra-charming," Ms. Vogels says. "It's so transparent. Everyone can tell you're overcompensating."

By the same token, a killer dress and a hot date is great but only if you're not using them as bait or continually checking to see whether you're being noticed.

Finally, it benefits both parties to keep it brief, have an exit strategy — such as meeting up with a friend — and avoid too many drinks, Ms. Vogels says.

Still, we don't see this scenario playing out very well for either party, with Aniston's awkward inquiries inevitably leading to the subject of new twins Knox and Vivienne, followed by Pitt's response, "Couldn't be better — here, I got pictures," and his back-pocket extraction of a dog-eared copy of People's Aug. 4 issue. "Here, you can have it. Show it to... What's his name? Where are you going?" Oh, but for small miracles.

• A tiff at TIFF? [Globe and Mail via MyHogtown]