It’s very, very important not to do very, very lowbrow and stupid TV commercials, according to the proud and virtuous George Clooney. He tells the British press: “You don’t want to do ones that aren’t classy. That’s the truth. That’s the secret to it. You want to have a product you are proud of and not embarrassed by.” Whether or not that applies to Budweiser and Nescafé, both of which Clooney has pitched outside the U.S., it’s hard to say. But this U.K. commercial for Martini seems to fit the bill. It involves Clooney running out of gas on his very classy boat and having to choose between a classy, beautiful woman and a case of Martini. (“George Clooney makes a poor decision,” reads the caption in the ’boards screening room, where the ad is posted, but you judge for yourself.) Of course, there’s always the chance that Clooney chooses commercial projects based less on the products than on the women involved. He did meet Lisa Snowdon on the set of a Martini ad in 2001, and ended up dating her for four years. Will Clooney ever direct a very classy TV spot of his own? “Well, I’ve never directed a commercial,” he tells ITV, “but I think it seems to be a lot harder to do a commercial than a film because [in a film] you have time to set the story.” Words to live by, copywriters, when you just can’t seem to nail that fart joke.

—Posted by Tim Nudd