George Clooney the new york times suit

Last night George Clooney chatted with New York Times journalist David Carr at a TimesTalks Q&A session at the SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood, and 50-year-old discussed his Oscar-nominated film, The Descendants.

But the highlight of the session, with moderator and Descendants director Alexander Payne, was Payne's lack of knowledge where classic film is concerned. The American Cinematheque put together a highlights reel of some related, classic family dramas to introduce the pair's film, and Payne admitted he saw Kramer vs. Kramer for the first time a year ago and that he'd never seen Ordinary People.

Clooney redeemed the evening, however, displaying his knowledge of these classics and commenting on his love of Dustin Hoffman's french toast-making scene in Kramer. He also said that seeing Timothy Hutton's work in Ordinary People when he was 19 years old, was the first time he seriously considered a career in acting.

George is nominated for a Best Actor award, and the film is also in the running for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Achievement in Film Editing. Think George will beat out pal Brad Pitt for the actor category? We'll find out on February 26!