George & Stacy's Pre-Awards Show Ritual

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Awards Season has officially begun and last night at The Critics' Choice Awards in Hollywood, George Clooney and girlfriend Stacy Keibler proved beyond a shadow of a doubt they're ready for the grueling red carpet duty that lies ahead.

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The couple arrived hand in hand to the ceremony, each dressed to the nines in anticipation of a possible win for George's acting and directing roles in The Descendants and The Ides of March, respectively. While the two made the glitz and glam look easy, they filled us in on the hard work involved in the afternoon before a big event.

"George is outside playing basketball while I'm getting ready for hours," laughed Stacy. "He'll shower and run out the door in a few minutes."

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"That's the ritual," agreed George bashfully, with no envy for the arduous process his lovely lady endures to become red carpet ready. "Girls have it rough, you know, all you have to do is put on a suit and walk out the door and if you wear the same dress twice in a row, you get a hard time. I've been wearing the same tux for 20 years."

Later that night Clooney took home a statuette for Best Actor (The Descendants) which is a fine indicator of things to come. Last year, all four acting winners (Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo) went on to win Academy Awards.

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While we'll have to wait a few more weeks for the Oscars, Clooney and his gal will tackle the Golden Globes this weekend which will be hosted by Ricky Gervais. George admits he will likely be a target for the Brit's sharp tongue, but he has a plan of action for any jokes directed his way – "[I'll] keep my head down."

The Critics' Choice Awards aired live Thursday night on VH1.