MALIBU, Calif. – In December some of the American and coalition forces in the Middle East will have some very famous visitors.
The stars of the film Ocean's Eleven including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Don Cheadle, are to fly to a military base in Turkey, immediately after the movie's December fifth premiere.
The idea to emulate the USO tours of Bob Hope and other entertainment stars since World War II, came from movie producer Jerry Weintraub. He said he called a longtime friend, President Bush. In a few minutes the Pentagon called to begin arrangements.
Weintraub said today when reached by telephone in Malibu: "We want to bring them a little bit of home for Christmas. We really wanted to do something for these kids. We can pat them on the back, sign autographs and tell them we care."
The re-make of the Frank Sinatra casino heist caper Ocean's Eleven will be released nationwide on Dec. 7. But hours after the premiere, the film's stars, Weintraub and director Steven Soderbergh will board a jet headed for a U.S. military base identified only as "somewhere in Turkey."
Warner Bros. is paying for the trip, which is in place of a European premiere for the film. After visiting the military base, the film's stars will stop on the return trip for media interviews in London and Paris.
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