Sex, lies, no videotape as Silvio trial begins

ASPIRING Italian starlets and Oscar-winning actor George Clooney are being called to make appearances in Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s trial on charges he paid for sex with an underage prostitute, then tried to use his influence to cover it up.

Unlike Berlusconi’s other trials, the one that opens today puts the premier’s personal life under scrutiny, and a conviction could end his political career. TV crews from around the world will be on hand for the opening session — even though Berlusconi is not attending.

“This time it is not about offshore, secret accounts and tax havens, but about sex, money and power,” the Turin-daily La Stampa wrote this week.