Is George the New Jack? Clooney Filling Nicholson's Role at Oscars

By Jo Piazza Posted Mar 8th 2010 08:00PM

In the absence of the venerable Jack Nicholson at last night's Academy Awards, we couldn't help but wonder -- has George Clooney stepped in to take over Jack's schtick? Just as Jack would sit front row, a gorgeous and much younger lady draped on his arm, sunglasses firmly in place (because you just don't deserve to know who Jack is looking at), taking a drubbing from the Oscar hosts, so sat Clooney, front and center -- but not exactly in Jack's seat, mind you -- a younger lady on his arm, playing along as Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin roasted him all night.

We have to say we missed Jack, with his glasses and devilish grin. Clooney is great and all, but can he ever really fill Jack's seat?

"Clooney's MO is different from Jack's. I think Jack is definitely on a higher level," says HollywoodLife.com Editor-in-Chief Bonnie Fuller. "Jack is very much the king of Hollywood who thinks that everyone else in beneath him. That's why he wears the sunglasses. George is everybody in Hollywood's best buddy. Everybody likes him and everybody wants to be a part of his inner circle. Hollywood is like high school and he is the most popular guy right now."

All those cutaways in years past, where the cameraman would try to catch Jack sipping from a flask, flirting with a woman who wasn't his date or maybe even falling asleep behind those dark shades, went directly to Clooney last night, and he yucked it up by making stern faces at Martin and Baldwin's jokes. While some headlines today have claimed George was grumpy or mad while the hosts dissed him, he was actually just playing the role that Jack perfected years ago when Billy Crystal would write jokes specifically at Jack's expense.

"George and Jack are both the perfect Oscar targets for the hosts to play around with. They know their role and they relish being the foil," says Fox News' Oscar Expert, Tariq Khan. And according to Khan, who is a wealth of Oscar knowledge, Clooney is well on his way to the kind of Oscar superstardom that Nicholson has achieved over the course of his long and storied career. While Nicholson still holds the title for the male actor with the most nominations (12 nominations and three wins), Clooney has been nominated three times in the past five years alone. If George, 48, can keep this pace up, by the time he reaches Jack's age (72), he could even surpass him in total nominations.

"I think that Clooney is taking over. Period. The fact that he is being called our new Jack Nicholson is just a bonus. His faces in the audience during the hosts' monologue were basically the lesson plans from an 'Acting With the Face Muscles 101' class. He was also seen running around, high-fiving fans in the stands. If you replace the word high-fiving with drinking and fans with Scotch then him and Jack Nicholson are exactly the same," says NY Post PopWrap's Ryan Brockington.

Watch the Girls on Pop Take on George and Jack

It makes sense that Nicholson didn't come to Sunday night's awards. He wasn't nominated this year, and perhaps the Academy simply didn't ask him to present. Or maybe he wanted to get out while the getting was good and just bequeath his seat to someone new. For our sake, we're hoping he makes it back for a few more shows. There is something comforting about seeing Jack in the front row, almost like when your drunk uncle Albert slurs his way through grace at Thanksgiving. It just feels like home. And we can't imagine that Jack would cede the throne so easily. We're looking forward to 2011, where we fully expect George to try to settle into Jack's seat as Jack removes his sunglasses and smirks, "Who the %$&# are you?"

Tags: Academy Awards, george clooney, jack nicholson, oscars

Comments

(79)

Monday 08 March

By leroy

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

George could never be the new Jack..Hell.. he can`t even be..UH UH UH FIRST !!! YEAHHH BABIES FIRST AGAIN !! UH UH UH WHAT ?? WHAT ??

Tuesday 09 March

By Sargent

Vote down Vote up Report this

NO one can take Jack's place. He has a winning smile that no one else has. George's face appearing at the Oscars was a downer. No smiles. No one will ever take Jack's place and I really missed him at this years Oscars.

By Don Pandanell

Let's talk about the hamster.

Wednesday 10 March

By BTDT

Who told you about my hampster?!?!?!?

By Mo Green

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

I like Clooney, but no way is he in the acting class of Nicholson. Nicholson has achieved American icon status. Guys like him and DeNiro, Warren Beatty, Pacino are long time movie stars. The Oscars missed Jack. In fact they missed a lot of other stuff too. A very flat year, lacking the excitement and humor of past telecasts. Even including 10 nominations for best picture seemed to backfire. Try harder next year.

By gina m

First of all aside of both men being movie stars and both being incredibly hansome, they are both in a class by themselves. Frankly I adore both of these gentleman and love their movies and their sense of humor. They are both A list TOP NOTCH ACTORS all the way!!!!. Thank you so much, both of you for all your great movies and for making us laugh each time you do. I loved the Bucket List and I absolutely adore One Fine Day! Keep it flowing gentlemen! Best wishes!!!!!

By LORENZO

Clooney will never fill Jacks shoes

By mbrul

can i get an amen!

By Friedrich

ONE SMALL PROBLEM HERE......... Jack is a great actor, George just keeps playing himself!

By dizybizy

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

amen to that

By Erin

Jack Nicholson is an actor, George Clooney is lucky to be in the profession of acting. Heard George is very, very nice though!

By ricochet

"Jack is a great actor, George just keeps playing himself!"

Please tell me that's sarcasm! Jack is great at being Jack - but that's ALL he ever does! There's no range or actual acting - he's just being Jack in varying degrees of lunacy. He's excellent at it and there will never be another one like him - JACK!

By HeavyD

Clooney can't shine jacks shoes.

By mikey

Jack is Jack and George is George. There is room enough for both of them in Hollywood, and they are both a joy to watch on screen.

By Edward

There is no one who's going to take Jack's seat anywhere.

George is just George. A pretty boy, with a fairly smart mind, and an understanding how to navigate.

Jack on the other hand was cute only in a Jack Nicholson way (the eyebrow thing for one). He had equal parts devil and larceny in his his heart, and other parts, when it came to women. And he was/is a truly great actor. And one thing everyone could see in Jack's eyes was pure fun. I mean who can fill all of that?

Sorry George..... you could be Jack's caddie.

By Kaz Maslanka

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

By bri bri

yea but george would love to fill his ass!!

By gs

there will never be another jack

By Rhoda

George Clooney is fine. As an actor, he plays the same person in every film he has been in. His best role was a speaking role in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Obviously, Clooney is very influential with the Academy crowd. It seemed all the stars, et. al., defer to Clooney. Is Clooney the reason why Farah Fawcett and Bea Arthur were left out of the In Memory part?

By Margie

Although George is handsome. He really could not take the ribbing of Steve Martin and Alex Baldwin. He was containing himself at times, if you really watched him. Is he above from laughing at one self. That turned me off from him.

Page 1 of 4