Peckerwood Manor

Danger ahead! It's called  George Clooney .  The man, the myth, or at least the myth-in-his-own-mind. He's pictured above with his new store-bought teefs, along with evidence that he may well need a re-do of his under-eye surgery - the only cosmetic tweek he'll admit to - since those bags definitely won't fit under the seat or in the overhead bin.  George, as you know, likes to think of himself as both a regular funny-bunny guy and Lord Almighty of The High Church of Hollywood. Beware of both. In terms of the former, his eyes frequently glisten with an aw-shucks twinkle when he jokes about his longtime bestie, Brad Pitt , whom he calls "Pretty Boy Brad," or when he mocks his nipple-dee-do-da, 1997 "Batman" outfit, or mentions how often he likes to play pranks while on set. See? He's just a regular guy. So rascally! Such a scamp! Except when he's not. When Quentin Tarantino recently told the press that George is "not a movie star," ...

Are stars "just like us?" Are actors their roles? And are they consistently playing out their own psycho-dramas on screen and in public? In the case of Charlize Theron, it's a fair question to ask. Or put it this way: throughout the years, there may be a reason we haven't seen her playing any of those cute, funny-bunny leading lady roles like Jennifer Lopez or Cameron Diaz (not that there's anything wrong with that), with the exception of a few "pretty girl" roles early in her career in forgettable movies like "Trial and Error" and "Sweet November."  First coming to critical notice in "Monster," in which she obliterated her "pretty girl" looks with weight gain and no make-up in order to portray true-life serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, for which she won a Best Actress Oscar, Charlize has become Hollywood's go-to actress for kicking ass - particularly male ass - either literally, or, in the case of "Bombshel...

  Stars! They're just like us. Except for their multi-million dollar salaries, vast worldwide real estate holdings, and in some cases, side hustles which sell for a billion - as in "b," as in George Clooney's tequila distillery, which sold for one billion smackers to Diageo Lisensing. But whatevs. They're just folks! Even better? They're working their Just Folks Fashion™ on the SAG picket line. Even those on the lower rung, like Jason Sudeikis (pictured above), with a reported net worth of merely 20 million, is doing his part. Jason is sporting a regular dude cap, nothing special shades, a commoner hoodie and a watch that's not his Daytona 18k Yellow Gold Rolex. Not bad, Jason, not bad, But others are doing it far better.  In fairness, stars are damned if they do, damned if they don't. If they don't walk the picket line, they are out of touch richie-riches. If they do walk the picket line, they're performative richie-riches. But let's assum...