Word on the street is that George Clooney will be shooting his new movie in St. Louis for five weeks starting Jan. 5.

“Up in the Air” is a timely comedy from Jason Reitman (”Juno”) about a corporate terminator who piles up frequent-flyer miles while firing people. Not surprisingly, much of the action will be shot at the sparesly populated Lambert International Airport. Lambert is one of the few places in St. Louis that seems to be benefiting from the economic downturn–it was also a shooting site for the Tim Robbin military-homecoming dramedy “The Lucky Ones” and the upcoming thriller “The Informant” from Clooney’s pals Matt Damon and Steven Soderbergh. Maybe Matt and Steven liked what they saw here and put a bug in Clooney’s ear.

For the record, I like Clooney and think he is a stand-up guy. Raised in greater Cincinnati, he is the only star I’ve ever interviewed who called me directly instead of having a flunkie dial the phone. I admire his self-mocking attitude toward his celebrity, and I expect that if he comes here, he will spread good cheer wherever he goes.

Stay tuned.