SHOTLIST:

AP Television

Rome, 30 March 2011

1. Wide of Coliseum

2. Wide of Berlusconi's Rome residence, Palazzo Grazioli

3. Italian flag in front of Berlusconi residence

4. Newspaper stand

5. Close of man reading newspaper and pan to the papers with photo of Karima el-Mahroug with headline (Italian) " Ruby, the witnesses for prosecution and for the defence there will be government ministers and stars"

6. Close of photo of George Clooney with his Italian companion Elisabetta Canalis in the newspaper

7. Wide of Italian newspapers

8. Close of the newspaper headline (Italian): "From Clooney to Gelmini (Minister of Education), there will be 190 witnesses for Ruby." The Actor: "Strange, I only saw the Cavaliere (Berlusconi) once."

9. Close of newspaper headline (Italian) :"Ruby witness for the prosecution and defense, ministers and stars to testify"

AP Television

++FILE: Milan 28 March 2011

10. Reverse view of Berlusconi waving at the crowd, he turns and waves and smiles

AP Television

Rome, 30 March 2011

11. Medium of Lawyer Chiara Magrini sitting at the table

12. SOUNDBITE ( English) Chiara Magrini, Legal Analyst:

"As Ruby said that George Clooney, together with his girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis, participated to the Bunga Bunga parties of Berlusconi. If it is demonstrated that this is not true, Ruby is going to lose credibility as witness."

AP Entertainment

++FILE: Los Angeles, 7 March 2010

13. Medium actor George Clooney and girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis pose for photographers

AP Entertainment

++FILE: New York, 11 January 2010

14. Medium shot of George Clooney talking to reporter and girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis

AP Entertainment

++FILE: Venice, Italy, 8 September 2009

15.Wide of George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis arrive at the "Men Who Stare At Goats" premiere

AP Television

Rome, 30 March 2011

16. SOUNDBITE ( English) Chiara Magrini, Legal Analyst:

"The president of the tribunal will analyse witnesses and circumstances under which they are called, and at his discretion he will decide if some witness can be excluded."

AP Entertainment

++FILE: Rome, Italy, 17 October 2009

17. Medium shot Clooney and Canalis walking along red carpet at 'Up in the Air' premiere

AP Entertainment

++FILE: Milan Italy September 27 2010

18. George Clooney and girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis arrive at Armani show

STORYLINE

CLOONEY NAMED AS POSSIBLE WITNESS IN BERLUSCONI TRIAL

Defence lawyers for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi named George Clooney, the Italian foreign minister, and several showgirls as witnesses at the premier's upcoming prostitution trial, a lawyer and news reports said on Wednesday (30 March 2011).

Prosecutors, for their part, have asked to hear from 136 witnesses, including the Moroccan teenager Karima el-Mahroug, who is at the centre of the scandal, and 32 other women who allegedly worked as prostitutes during parties at Berlusconi's Milan villa, according to Italian news reports.

Both sides presented their lists of witnesses at the Milan tribunal where the trial opens next week.

A judge must now decide which witnesses to admit.

The 74-year-old Berlusconi is accused of having paid for sex with the Moroccan woman, Karima el-Mahroug, who is known as Ruby and was 17 at the time, and then using his influence to try to cover it up.

The premier denies wrongdoing.

Clooney was listed because Ruby once said she had seen the Hollywood star and his Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis at one of Berlusconi's parties, according to the law firm representing Berlusconi.

Italian newspapers reported months ago that el-Mahroug had said Clooney, who has a mansion on Lake Como, north of Milan, and Canalis were guests at one of Berlusconi's parties.

According to a February 22 report in leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, prosecutors talked with Canalis last month and she denied that she and Clooney attended any of the premier's parties.

Berlusconi's defence also listed Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and other Cabinet officials amid the 78 people named as witnesses, attorney Piersilvio Cipollotti said.

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide of Coliseum

2. Wide of Berlusconi's Rome residence, Palazzo Grazioli

3. Italian flag in front of Berlusconi residence

4. Police security outside Berlusconi's residence

5. Newspaper stand

6. Close of man reading newspaper and pan to the papers with photo of Karima el-Mahroug with headline (Italian) " Ruby, the witnesses for prosecution and for the defence there will be government ministers and stars"

7. Close of photo of George Clooney with his Italian companion Elisabetta Canalis in the newspaper

8. Wide of Italian newspapers

9. Close of the newspaper headline (Italian): "From Clooney to Gelmini (Minister of Education), there will be 190 witnesses for Ruby." The Actor: "Strange, I only saw the Cavaliere (Berlusconi) once."

10. Medium of Lawyer Chiara Magrini sitting at the table

11. SOUNDBITE ( English) Chiara Magrini, Legal Analyst:

"As Ruby said that George Clooney, together with his girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis, participated to the Bunga Bunga parties of Berlusconi, if it is demonstrated that this is not true, Ruby is going to lose credibility as witness."

12. Wide of lawyer Chiara Magrini

13. SOUNDBITE ( English) Chiara Magrini, Legal Analyst:

"The president of the tribunal will analyse the witnesses and the circumstances under which they are being called, and at his discretion he will decide if some witnesses can be excluded."

14. Side shot of Chiara Magrini

15. Rome street scenes

STORYLINE

Defence lawyers for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi named George Clooney, the Italian foreign minister, and several showgirls as witnesses at the premier's upcoming prostitution trial, a lawyer and news reports said on Wednesday.

Prosecutors, for their part, have asked to hear from 136 witnesses, including the Moroccan teenager Karima el-Mahroug at the centre of the scandal, and 32 other women who allegedly worked as prostitutes during parties at Berlusconi's Milan villa, according to Italian news reports.

Both sides presented their lists of witnesses at the Milan tribunal where the trial opens next week.

A judge must now decide which witnesses to admit.

The 74-year-old Berlusconi is accused of having paid for sex with the Moroccan woman, Karima el-Mahroug, who is known as Ruby and was 17 at the time, and then using his influence to try to cover it up.

The premier denies wrongdoing.

Clooney was listed because Ruby once said she had seen the Hollywood star and his Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis at one of Berlusconi's parties, according to the law firm representing Berlusconi.

Italian newspapers reported months ago that el-Mahroug had said Clooney, who has a mansion on Lake Como north of Milan, and Canalis were guests at one of Berlusconi's parties.

According to a February 22 report in leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, prosecutors talked with Canalis last month and she denied that she and Clooney attended any of the premier's parties.

Berlusconi's defence also listed Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and other Cabinet officials amid the 78 people named as witnesses, Cipollotti said.