| | |  | Tom Cruise News & Gossip
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| | Tom Cruise screens Valkyrie at his place in exchange for good reviews | | Added 16 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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MSNBC’s The Scoop reports that Tom Cruise was so afraid of the inevitable negative reviews of his bloated Nazi movie Valkyrie that he offered journalists a free screening at his mansion in exchange for some kind words. I wonder if they included a complimentary stress test with that. (You know I’m not going to be the only one to make that joke today.) It’s unclear if the screening actually happened or if it was just planned:
“Distractingly bad,” and “unengaging Nazi escapade” are among some of the reviewers’ comments attached to “Valkyrie,” Tom Cruise’s film that opens Christmas day.
Cruise’s people can’t be happy ?for the obvious reasons ? but also, according to a source with radio station K-Earth 101, the Cruise camp was willing to go to great lengths to garner some positive publicity. In fact, they went so far as to offer a screening for anyone at the station and their friends at the Cruise home, if only they’d “say ‘nice things’ about the movie,” according to the source.
Here’s what’s said to have happened. On Nov. 24, Mark Steines of “Entertainment Tonight” called into the show to discuss the exclusive interview “ET” had scored with Cruise. During the course of the interview with Lisa Stanley, Stanley mocks Cruise for not having a German accent in the film, says early viewers “laughed at it,” and then asks, “Listen, I’m just curious how you have no German accent, so many delays, and now people are saying, ‘It’s fantastic!’ It’s impossible.”
Impossible if you’ve seen the film … maybe. Which is why, according to the radio station source, a member of Cruise’s camp called the station to offer up a free friends and family screening.
“They offered to hold it in Tom’s home ? they didn’t say if he’d be there or not,” the source says. “We just had to agree to say ‘nice things’ about the movie.”
[From MSNBC's The Scoop]
This isn’t uncommon in the movie industry and I remember reading an article by Roger Ebert that I’m having trouble finding again about how movie reviewers, especially lesser-known journalists from smaller outlets, are wooed by the studios. Free flights, vacations, meals and pampering help secure the taglines that go before terrible films you’ll feel you wasted precious minutes of your life being subjected to. The superlative quotes for the bad movies are followed by a credit in a tiny font for some person you’ve never heard of who was probably treated to at least a hot meal in exchange for selling out good taste.
Bad reviews may not negatively affect box office and there are plenty of other factors that come into play. The Scoop reports that Valykyrie is doing about as well in advance tracking, or polls, as Benjamin Button, which they attribute to all the publicity Cruise has been doing for the film.
The film is at 63% on Rotten Tomatoes and some top notch critics who are unlikely to have had beer and chips at Tommy’s house like it. Roger Ebert gives it three stars and calls it “a meticulous thriller,” with Tom’s performance “perfectly satisfactory, if not electrifying.” Ebert says he doesn’t understand why everyone was trashing Tom because he does pretty well in the role.
Maybe we were wrong and the film will do ok at the box office this holiday. I know I’d rather see Benjamin Button though.
Tom Cruise is shown at the premiere of Valkyrie on 12/18/08. Credit: PRPhotos
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| | Katie Holmes celebrates her birthday alone | | Added 16 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Tom Cruise - being the great, charming, perfect husband that he is ? made a big to do about Katie Holmes? 30th birthday yesterday. Tom?s been running around promoting ?Valkyrie? with an obsessive zeal and manic energy that?s surprising even for him. On Tuesday he skipped out on his son Connor?s first movie premiere in L.A. because he was in New York talking up the film ? then yesterday he skipped out on Katie?s birthday in New York because he was in L.A. promoting the movie. You?d think somehow Tom could have reversed his schedule and switched things around a little and been there for both. But he did surprise Katie with a cake on stage, and seemed incredibly pleased with himself for it.
Katie Holmes spent her 30th birthday performing in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons ? but her big day did not go unnoticed. As the curtain fell Thursday, the cast and crew presented her with a specially-made birthday cake, a surprise orchestrated by none other than Tom Cruise.
Addressing the audience, Holmes’s costar John Lithgow announced, “Tom Cruise, our good friend, devoted fan to the show, doting husband of Katie, could not be here tonight. He’s heartsick that he couldn’t be here … but he wanted to make his presence felt. So, he’s joining us, inviting all of you, to celebrate Katie’s birthday.”
And with that, crewmembers wheeled out a five-tiered, white-frosted, circular birthday cake as the crowd cheered and applauded. “I planned it so that when she comes out for the standing ovation, John [would] get the whole audience to wish her a happy birthday,” Cruise ? who was in Los Angeles to premiere his new film, Valkyrie ? told PEOPLE, just as the surprise was sprung.
“It’s going to be great,” he said, adding that they’d already had a private celebration the night before. (”That was the big one,” he noted.)
[From People]
Suri came on stage and helped Katie blow out her candles as the audience and cast sang ?Happy Birthday.? The cast and crew had cake and champagne, which People made sure to note was ?courtesy of Cruise.? He also told them, ??I’m waiting to talk to her now? to see her reaction.?” Tom?s talking about it like he got crewmembers to wheel out the Hope Diamond or something. I can just see him standing there, his chest all puffed up, that maniacal grin on his face.
Tom, it?s a cake. It sounds like a big fancy cake, but it?s a cake, nonetheless. On someone?s birthday, that?s not exactly the biggest surprise ever. And considering you?re Tom Cruise, I doubt it took a lot of effort and thought to get it done. It probably involved telling your assistant to figure out some way to make Katie less annoyed that you couldn?t be bothered to show up that day.
I?m not saying it wasn?t thoughtful, but it wasn?t the greatest surprise ever, despite how Tom tries to spin it. Katie probably would have preferred to just have her husband there. Though it sounds like the cake was about as big as Tom, so it was probably an even trade.
Here?s Katie visiting The Baryshnikov Arts Center by herself before being picked up by her bodyguard and Suri on her birthday yesterday. Tom is shown at the L.A. premiere of Valkyrie yesterday. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.
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Showing serious dedication in promoting his new film “Valkyrie,” Tom Cruise was spotted at the Los Angeles premiere last night (December 18).
The “Risky Business” actor looked dashing in a black suit with an open-collar white button-up shirt as he posed for the paparazzi on the red carpet.
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| | Celebrity Scientologists and protestors at Cruise's Valkyrie premiere | | Added 16 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Tom Cruise avoided protesters at the LA premiere of his Nazi movie Valykyrie last night by entering the press tent from an underground garage and not going out to mingle with fans at all. He dealt with the controversy the same way at the NY premiere on December 15. Neither venue had an outdoor red carpet, and Cruise didn’t sign autographs or greet people waiting for him. Photo agency Splash News said that some fans stood in the cold for hours hoping to see Tom and had to leave disappointed.
It was a whos-who of celebrity Scientologists at the opening too. Many of the people who showed up but weren’t in the movie were easily identified as members of Tom’s cult.
High profile Scientologists Jenna and Bohdi Elfman, Priscilla Presley, and “Young and the Restless” actress Michelle Stafford were in attendance. There was a some pregnant singer I’d never heard of called Holly Palmer, and some other random actors and actresses. Not all of the non-cast premiere attendees are easily-googled Scientologists, but it makes you wonder. (For instance actresses Kelly Hu and Bree Turner aren’t listed on the IMDB credits for the film. A lot of random people show up at premieres, but with the Scientology angle it kind of makes you suspicious.) There’s nothing wrong with inviting your friends for support, but does Cruise want to keep reminding the public that he’s a member of one of the world’s most dangerous and oppressive cults? He said he wasn’t going to talk about it, but it’s not like he’s really distancing himself. His wife, Katie Holmes, and their daughter, Suri, were not at the premiere as they’re in NY where Katie is performing on stage.
Ultimately the public will decide if Cruise has redeemed himself enough to entertain us again. His press junket might have ended triumphantly if he was starring in a more palatable move, and he should have chosen lighter fare for the holiday season. Valkyrie is not likely to be successful in attracting ticket sales or more than one or two technical nominations from the Academy.
Credit: Protester photos from Splash News. Premiere photos from Fame Pictures. Also shown are Cruise’s co-star Carice van Houten, Kenneth Branagh, and Thomas Kretschmann.
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Splash News Online
Katie Holmes turns 30 today, but looking at those pictures of her holding Suri Cruise last night she looks more like she is turning 50. It is amazing how many decades her appearance has aged since she married Tom Cruise two years ago.
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| | Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were MIA for son's movie premiere | | Added 16 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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The relationship between exes Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise and their children is strange. Isabella and Connor Cruise are rarely seen, and when they are, it’s for seemingly staged photo opps, like when they were photographed with Tom, Katie Holmes, Suri and the Beckhams at Thanksgiving. So when Connor Cruise landed his debut film role playing a young Will Smith in the upcoming drama “Seven Pounds,” you’d think that Tom and Nicole would relish the photo opp and show up to support him at the film’s premiere, right? Not so much, according to reports. Apparently, Tom’s press junket for “Valkyrie” kept him away from the premiere- but no word on what kept Nicole away.
?Seven Pounds? is his son Connor?s first film, but Tom Cruise opted not to attend the premiere in L.A. Dec. 16.
The reasoning for skipping 13-year-old Connor?s big-screen debut, in which he plays a younger version of Cruise pal Will Smith? Cruise opted to stay in New York to continue the publicity blitz for his film ?Valkyrie.?
?As you know, Tom and Will are great friends,? his rep Cheryl Maisel said. ?Tom is in New York on a publicity tour for his movie.?
That much is obvious, but why not support Connor, who was specifically invited to attend the festivities along with some of the other kids in the film?
?It comes as such a surprise,? says a Cruise source. ?When Connor was filming (?Seven Pounds?) Tom was so excited and proud of him. It?s sad Tom didn?t fly out for the evening. He could have missed one night of publicity to support Connor and Will.?
It wouldn?t be the first time Cruise did a cross-country sprint: last December he flew from L.A. to New York and back to support Smith at his ?I am Legend? premiere.
[From MSNBC]
It does seem odd that Cruise especially wouldn’t turn up for the movie premiere starring his son and his new BFF, Will Smith. His excuse is flimsy but at least he has one. What about Connor’s mom, Nicole Kidman? Her film “Australia” has basically tanked, so what’s her excuse? Surely she could leave the baby at home with her new husband and show up for her son’s first movie. Perhaps the reason for Nicole’s absence can be summed up in one word - “Scientologists.”
As for Tom - it sure seems like he is all wrapped up in his “new” family too. In recent days, Tom has talked non stop about daughter Suri and only mentioned Connor’s acting aspirations in passing. What gives? And did anyone from the family turn up to support Connor? I’m sure if Suri were making her acting debut the world would stop turning before Tom missed that.
It’s not easy recent finding photos of Connor Cruise that don’t involve Katie Holmes, Suri or the Beckhams. Here are some shots of Tom and Connor last January celebrating Connor’s birthday. Dad and son are almost the same size. Photo credits: WENN.
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| | Will Smith is generous | | Added 16 years ago | Source: The Blemish |
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Will Smith’s tax returns were analyzed and broken down by Roger Friedman of FOX News. He reports Smith gave $1.3 million in charitable donations this year. The largest amounted to a sum of $250,000 given to the Yesha Ministries of Philadelphia. $200,000 went to a Christian ministry and, even though Smith maintains he’s not a Scientologist, gave a combined $122,500 to three Scientology fronts: $67,500 went to the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Fund, $50,000 went to the Celebrity Center in Hollywood and $5,000 went to ABLE.
Despite this sizable contribution, no one knows for sure if Smith is a closet Scientologist and has pyjama parties with Tom Cruise, but no one knows if Smith drives around LA killing hobos and stuffing them in his trunk either. I’m just saying we shouldn’t make any assumptions until we see the dried blood and used claw hammer. Afterall, no body, no crime. Heh heh heh. Note to self: Clean out trunk.
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| | TomKat and Suri: Post-Show Family Time | | Added 16 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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No matter how busy they get, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes always try to put family first. And last night they were spotted on their way home from Katie’s “All My Sons” performance with their daughter Suri.
The “Valkyrie” stud and his “Mad Money” wife took some time to meet and greet fans outside the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre before taking their toddler and heading back to their SoHo apartment.
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| | Tom Cruise Pays a Visit to Regis and Kelly | | Added 16 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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Continuing on his massive promotional tour for his upcoming movie “Valkyrie,” Tom Cruise was spotted arriving at “Live with Regis and Kelly” this morning (December 17).
The “Mission Impossible” actor braved some rainy conditions as he pulled up to ABC Studios in New York City’s Times Squre, sporting an all-black ensemble.
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| | TomKat and Suri: PJ Clarke's Family Dinner | | Added 16 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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Enjoying a swanky family night out, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were spotted out to eat with their toddler Suri last night on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
The “Top Gun” stud and his “Dawson’s Creek” darling treated their adorable daughter to a delicious family dinner at PJ Clarke’s. And as they left, the paparazzi were in full effect, surrounding their car.
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